#hope this lives up to you expectations!

[palmettoshitposts]

yes to scrabble ideas!! scrabble ideas please!

so 🤺 wrote the original games posts but we have discussed our ideas so here they are:

it would have to end with someone flipping the board. votes on this are either kevin or nicky tbh.

dyslexic nicky claiming that being made to play the game is hate crime (there was no ‘being made to play’, he was absolutely down for it). as he’s playing, he literally just lays tiles and hope something sticks. nothing sticks. all of his words have errors and he point blank refuses to correct them because that would be ableism.

kevin has a legit official scrabble dictionary for which he is, understandably, mercilessly mocked. he gets especially pissed when andrew just holds up a scrabble dictionary on his phone and shakes it at him. kevin insists it must be done ‘by the book’. neil makes a comment about even he has embraced technology and starts calling kevin ‘grandpa’, which is weird for everyone involved.

neil starts laying words from any language and also claiming that nicky’s nonsense words are from a variety of languages? aaron is not having it at all but the upperclassmen are sufficiently fooled. either that or they’ve run out of energy to argue with neil. one of the two.

they either play it tournament-style where the winner plays the winner OR, since they are the foxes, they go seriously more unhinged and all of them play at once. they can only have like 5 letters each. this has kevin literally in tears because the rules aren’t being followed!!

andrew’s memory serves him so well but he does not give a single fuck so he basically just plays three letter words until he whacks out a seven letter on a triple word space. this also has kevin basically in tears, because we know kevin’s feelings on andrew’s potential. neil finds kevin’s pain hilarious.

in a rare use of an english word, neil makes the work ‘serial’ off of matt’s ‘killer’ and everyone looks at him. he stares back entirely straight faced. the moment is so bizarre that andrew cracks a (very small) smile in front of them all.

aaron is trying so fucking hard which is absolutely hilarious because he’s doing so badly. he is also wound up by andrew’s uncaring attitude, which makes andrew care even fucking less.

matt and dan are both pretty good at scrabble but they’re mostly focused on keeping the game vaguely on track because it’s basically constant near fights after each word. matt tells nicky that as a fellow dyslexic, nicky has no excuse. nicky just throws a tile at him. matt’s a collegiate sportsman, so naturally he catches it. after which, he just gives nicky a massive thumbs up and a shit-eating grin.

renee makes the word ‘assassin’ from nicky’s ‘ass’ and nobody knows where all the damn s tiles came from. nicky just asks what ‘ass-ass-in’ means.

allison is just trying to make names of anyone vaguely related to the foxes, which makes kevin nearly cry because ‘there shouldn’t be any proper nouns!!’. allison just lazily flips him off and tells him to focus on andrew, who has successfully stacked three tiles on kevin’s head in the last thirty seconds. allison is really trying to make wesninski and neil has fully caught onto this but isn’t concerned because there’s no feasible way she’ll get the letters she needs.

in the entire chaos of the night, no one realises renee is just whacking letters out of her own bag, swapping other people’s letters to shit tiles and has consistently made sure everyone has less tiles than they’re supposed to. she doesn’t even care about winning, she just adores the chaos.

[blobbei-art]

Venom is back!!!! He's looking stylish!!

[shakingparadigm]

what is the theory that ivan manipulated the event where till and mizi met the wagyein?

It's not a theory, actually! It's confirmed that Ivan orchestrated the whole event. The true reason as to why however is still unknown. The information provides more context to this scene, though:

During the earlier times of ALNST the most rational explanation for this scene was that Till ran after a flower crown (presumably Mizi's) and Ivan followed him in out of curiosity. Now we know that Ivan was conveniently just standing there because he was waiting.

Side note, I find it heartbreaking (and maybe a little funny, sorry) that Till most likely didn't notice Ivan in this scene. That's just like him, isn't it. Always too busy running after Mizi while Ivan trails behind, an ever-present shadow.

I'm not sure how Ivan manipulated the circumstances for both of them to end up there, but it is confirmed that everything was intentional. What strikes me most is how they describe this particular scene:

I can't copy down what they said word-for-word (Patreon info), but they described Ivan watching "creepily" as Till and Mizi are faced with danger. We know that Ivan was familiar with the Cerberus wagyein beforehand, enough to touch its teeth and even to rest himself inside its maw. To Ivan, the wagyein is not dangerous, but to Till and Mizi, it could be. Ivan prepared the wagyein, led them there, and watched "creepily" from afar as Till fell on his knees, seemingly injured.

The closest I can get to making sense of Ivan's "scheme" is that he wanted to see how other children would react in a dangerous situation. Ivan's always been an observer, after all, and he's learned to survive by copying the more "normal" behaviors of his peers. This situation occured when Ivan was still young and had not yet developed his more charming mask, so perhaps he staged this encounter to study a situational response, to learn and mimic the emotion of fear. And what better subjects for the experiment than two of the most expressive and reactive humans of their batch? It helps that he was already fixated on Till beforehand, too. I think Ivan became irreversibly obssessed after this incident, especially since it's framed as a turning point in Ivan's life, comparing Till to the stars.

This is just my attempt at an interpretation, though. It could very well be for another reason. He most likely chose Till and Mizi specifically for personal reasons, not just for reaction. I'm still not sure on the purpose behind the whole thing.

The team wanted to capture Ivan's "dark emotions" through the shot of his stalking, which could relate to his more sinister intentions. His gaze can be read in a few different ways, though. Curiosity, interest, fear, etc. Maybe that's why they decided to redraw the shot in ROUND 6.

I think this better sells the feeling they were trying to convey.

[fredoesque]

see the THING about goodsir and stanley is that goodsir may be way less inclined to act cruelly but he has a far greater capacity for it.

[archangeldyke-all]

I have an idea but it's a bit iffy for some so it's totally alright if you don't want to write it! Headcanons about being Sevika's controversially young gf? So basically an age gap but all legal. Again, totally ok if it's not your cup of tea!

totally my cup of tea considering i, too, would be a controversially young gf if i ever managed to pull sevika

men and minors dni

i mean, she's not that old. i think in act one she's in her early thirties, in act two and three she's in her early fourties?

in canon i don't think she or many other people would give a shit. at least in zaun.

i think the attitude is more like 'if u can find love, hold tf onto it,' even if just for basic survival reasons.

if you guys ever went up to piltover, you might get a few strange looks. but in the undercity? everyone's cool with it. they're more focused on the war to give a shit about two consenting adults' relationship.

plus, sevika's not the type to let people talk shit about her girl. i doubt anyone would have the balls to say anything to her about your age gap.

ALSO? i don't think sevika dates someone unless she's absolutely enamored with them and can't go on without them. so it's not like she's just dating a younger girl to date a younger girl. she's dating you cuz you're you.

the chemistry you guys have, the way you make her laugh, the easy camaraderie you share-- that's why she's with you.

i could definitely see her being more sensitive about it in a modern setting tho.

she absolutely adores you, and worries that she's holding you back. she doesn't get what someone as young as you would see in someone like her, she thinks she's too boring for you. and she sees the looks you guys get in public.

the longer you're together, the less she worries about it, the more confident she is in the fact that you guys are a perfect match for each other, if a little unconventional.

your friends and family all agree. you're like a match made in heaven.

sometimes she gets really worried about it though. you woke up one night to sevika staring down at you like she'd been studying you all night.

"you don't think i'm too old for you?" she asks immediately. you blink up at her, still groggy from sleep.

"no, babe, you're a milf." you mumble, rubbing your eyes. she blinks.

"what's a milv?"

"a milf. m-i-l-f. mom i'd like to fuck." you explain.

"...i'm not a mom." she says after a minute.

you chuckle, staring up at her. "no, but you are a mommy."

she groans at your joke, throwing an arm around you and settling in to sleep.

after that, 'milf' is a regular part of her vocabulary. her instagram bio is just your anniversary, followed by, 'sevika. gym rat. reader. milf.'

there's parts of your age gap that she finds really entertaining.

you get to introduce her to all kinds of media from your generation that she'd never heard of.

we (by 'we' i mean people 18-25ish) grew up with so much good young adult media! like imagine getting sevika to read the hunger games for the first time. she'd eat that shit up.

she'd love the 2010's cartoons you show her too, especially the dumb ass lighthearted ones-- regular show, bob's burgers, that kinda thing.

she has no patience for technology, so it's a relief that any time she has an issue with a device she can just pass it off to you to figure it out. because if it was up to her? she'd smash the thing and call it a day.

when you're together long enough, you guys can even joke about it with each other. she'll teasingly call you a gold digger, and in return, you'll call her a perv.

some people might not understand it, but that doesn't matter, because to you and sevika? your relationship is the only thing in the world that makes sense.

[garfieldstim]

request that might surprise you but know that it also surprised me when it began tugging at me ....... may i request changbin skz stimboard with soft and cozy stims in any color of your choice!!! i request soft and cozy so much but it is simply so pleasing to me. thank you as per usual best stimblog garfieldstim 🙏🙏

im soooo casual abt skz but i like changbin soooooo bad waow .......

- 👑

changbin stimboard with cosy soft themes and colours of my choice(i chose pink!) for 👑 anon!

x x x / x - x / x x x

[jurygarroth]

anyone else here believe in a mother-daughter reading of irene and aphmau’s relationship. i think we can get twisted with it

[rainoverthewindow]

Snowgrave Berdly my dear boy

[amee-racle-ofmyown]

Hey, Amee!! I hope you’re doing well <3

If by any chance you’re up to it, could you please write a fic about Heist Mark being super jealous of Yancy because he and Y/N clearly seem to be into each other?? I LOVE your art and writings and I couldn’t get this idea out of my head <3 (Obviously no pressure, though!)

I'm so happy to hear you enjoy my work, thank you🥺💖 and thank you for your request! it got me out of a terrible writer's block. on that note, sorry this took quite some time, I've been in a bit of a funk of on and off general creative block, and unable to finish any writing at all for even longer. this was a pretty fun challenge! I myself view Yancy platonically so I wasn't quite sure where to go with this initially, and I had to fight every urge to just make this heist mark x y/n dfsjsjsv. that said, it did end up being more heist mark-centric than maybe you intended? in which case, I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself😔 yancy is there but very briefly haha

Don't you tell me that you never even thought, 'maybe we could run'

2,603 words | Read on AO3

‘We're all gonna be rehearsing tomorrow so youse best get some sleep.’

You nod as you close the gate to yours and Mark's shared cell, stifling a yawn.

‘Goodnight, Yancy.’

You hold each other's gaze for a moment, before he turns and heads off, a tattooed hand over the back of his neck and a sweet smile still on his face. You watch as he disappears into the outer hallway and a guard appears to lock up your cell for the evening.

Your long-time accomplice and friend stands at the edge of your vision, arms folded.

‘Having fun with your new boyfriend, buddy?’ he asks, sounding unimpressed and slightly strained.

‘Oh, shush, Mark,’ you chide, but your stomach flips at the notion.

‘Yeah… Well, while you were busy playing Broadway,’ he glances to either side of the cell outside and continues in a lowered voice, ‘I've been hard at work hatching our escape. And I'm telling you, it's foolproof.’

‘Uh huh. As foolproof as your other three failed plans? I really don't wanna get thrown in solitary again.’

‘Please, that was one time! — and I don't see you bothering to come up with any ideas. Even though you pretty much got us into this mess.’

That accusation ticks you off, but you're quick to retaliate.

‘Are you seriously still hung up on that? How is this my fault? You couldn't fly a helicopter, why would you assume I can? You shouldn't have even presented it as an option!’

Your exclamation earns you a couple looks from other inmates slowly filing into their cells for the night.

‘Nevermind that now,’ Mark says, infuriatingly placatingly, ‘do you wanna hear the plan or not?’

The thread of uncertainty that you've been avoiding coils tight in your chest and you pause, wondering how to bring up what's been nagging at you for days.

‘Um, so, I've been thinking. What if… what if we don't try to escape?’

‘Ha ha. Funny joke, pal.’

‘I'm serious, Mark. We could just… stay here and wait out our sentence, if we play it safe we might even get our time reduced on good behaviour. We could be gone in like a decade. Or a few years! Maybe. Probably. Maybe.’ Wishful thinking, perhaps.

He scoffs, as if the idea isn't even worth considering.

‘There is no way you're genuinely telling me to just wait it out. Maybe you haven't noticed since you've been in la-la land lately, but we're not on vacation, we're in prison,’ Mark spouts, voice growing thick with agitation. ‘What was supposed to be the heist of a lifetime, would've set us up for decades to come, is still on the line! And we're on a bit of a time crunch here — I don't trust that warden guy one bit with the Box, or in general,’ he sneers. ‘I mean what kind of name is Murder-Slaughter? Ugh, do we even know for sure if he still has it?’

‘Yancy mentioned seeing it in his office the last time he was there, which was earlier today, so yeah, probably.’

‘Ugh, there you go again about Yancy. It's always Yancy this, Yancy that, blah blah blah, Yancy!’

‘Wh– I was just answering your question!’

‘Y'know what? I'm sick and tired of being the only one taking this seriously while you act like it's all a big party.’

He places a hand on his hip, the other poking a finger towards you as he speaks. It would be comical, if he wasn't acting like a jerk.

‘What's up with you?’

‘What's up with me? What's up with you? You seriously wanna stay in this— this shithole, ‘cause of what? Some pretty face you've known for all of like, less than two weeks??’

‘Oh my God, Mark, it's not that terrible, and Yancy is actually my friend, he's been nothing but welcoming and kind since we got here, and—’

‘Oh, did you forget that he tried to beat you up when you first met? Real interesting, how you let that little detail slip.’

‘We just got off on the wrong foot, he's really—’

It's then that you see it — something in the slight hunch in his gait, the furrow of his brow, his pursed lips and tense jaw — and you wonder why you hadn't noticed before. It's not just anger and frustration, it's something bitter and personal.

‘Mark… are you jealous?’

Bingo. His eyes only widen a sliver, for a fraction of a second, but you're so used to reading him that even the most imperceptible of reactions on his usually very expressive face have become familiar to you.

‘Psh. I'm not jealous.’

‘You so are jealous! Oh my god, you're super duper jealous,’ you say with a grin, revelling in this new information.

‘Shut up, why would I be jealous?’ he protests, trying to sound nonchalant. But it's too late. You've already seen through it.

‘Is that what this is about?’ you say with a laugh. ‘You just want my attention back or something?’

He stares blankly for a moment.

‘Are you serious right now? You actually think the only reason I'm mad is because some random dude just waltzes in and starts acting all buddy buddy with you and you fall head-over-heels,’ he jeers with his hands either side of his face, fluttering his eyelashes mockingly. ‘Hook, line and sinker.’

‘Mark—’

‘I mean, never mind your partner, right? You know, your best friend who you've known and worked with for years? Who cares what he thinks?!’

‘Mark, I—’

‘In fact, he can get punched through a wall for all you care! You won't even bat an eye, as long as there's a random spontaneous musical number immediately afterwards, it's all in good fun!’

‘Ok, that's not fair,’ you push back. ‘Of course I was worried! But I was also surrounded by violent criminals at the time, we've been over this!’

‘Oh, so they're “violent criminals” now? But they're simply “hurt, misunderstood souls” when it suits you?!’ he shoots back, making air quotes to emphasise his point.

‘They're people, Mark! They're allowed to be… multi-faceted!’

‘Lights out, everybody,’ comes a guard's voice, ringing through the hallway as it suddenly becomes dark, save for the glow of dim lamplight emanating from one or two of the other cells.

‘Whatever, let's just get some sleep,’ Mark grumbles under his breath.

‘You always do this!’ you whisper harshly, but inadvertently let the volume slip back into your voice as you feel your blood boil. ‘You try to cut things off and act like the “bigger person” just to get out of an argument that, newsflash, YOU'RE LOSING.’

‘Oh, whatever, what-f*cking-ever!’

‘You're being so damn overdramatic, Mark! It's not like I'm trying to break up our team.’

‘Yeah, well– well maybe we should!’

You don't know why it jolts you like a gunshot when he says it, but it does. His words, the force and resentment behind them, pierce you to your core. It stops any quick-fire response you had at the ready in its tracks.

Regret immediately flashes across his face, but he quickly attempts to cover it with a steely, hardened gaze. ‘Clearly, we want different things. So maybe it's for the best.’

‘Hey!’ one of the guards calls out from across the hall. ‘Lights out means quiet, you two. Don't make us separate you into different cells.’

With a frustrated huff, you reluctantly traipse off to bed, yours being the lower half of the bunk while Mark settles above you.

It really is a rather decent bed. The mattress is nothing special, but comfortable, and the soft blanket is accompanied by an oddly luxurious, fluffy pillow. Definitely above what you'd expect is probably average prison standards. Frankly, you don't know what Mark's problem is with this place. It's honestly not half bad. As far as you expect jails go, it surely could be a lot worse.

You lay back and let your breathing even out, trying your best to allow some of the bubbling anger to die down. Eventually, you hear the guards leave.

Time passes, it could be minutes or hours; it's not like the passage of time has felt right at all to you since that last heist.

It's silent, save for the sound of your breaths and Mark's above you. You're still upset with him, but the sound of him breathing nearby has always been oddly comforting. The two of you have had plenty of close calls as a pair — even times when you had to patch each other up after jobs that went particularly badly. If you got injured on a heist, you couldn't simply call an ambulance or show up at a hospital in an emergency and risk having your whole operation blown. That was simply the nature of your line of work.

At the worst of times, as long as you could hear those steady, even breaths, you could tell yourself he would pull through, and things would be fine.

You idly watch the mattress above you, letting the rhythm of your friend's breathing become a gentle white noise, and think.

You think about that heist and the Box. Ancient, coveted, mysterious. Sitting atop its perch in the museum vault, in all its glory and allure, practically asking to be stolen. The gleam of the gem encrusted in its surface. You wonder if the prize held within would be worth all of this, if you managed to get it back.

You think about Yancy, a little rough and a little troubled and not seeing much point in trying to kick old habits; but fun and soft and sensitive and full of remorse. You think about the feeling of your hand in his when you practise a routine with him, how his whole face lights up when he's excited or falls when he's sad or pensive. You think about how he has made this penitentiary into a home, and these inmates into a family.

You think about Mark. Silly, stupid, steadfast Mark, snarky and thoughtful and loyal. Who isn't actually as dumb as he lets on. Who is resourceful and quick-thinking when a plan needs to be formed. Who makes bad puns and trusts you whole-heartedly, and who always lets you decide which course of action to take, no matter how much he disagrees, simply due to his unwavering faith in you. Mark, your co-worker, your friend, your partner in crime. Who is maybe a little enamoured with you, despite you trying to ignore it. Who you half-heartedly agreed to go on a date with, not having it in you to turn him down, nor prepared for the guilt that would be eating away at you now.

You think about one of the first things he told you when you landed yourselves at Happy Trails: About how he doesn't belong here, but maybe you do. What if he were to leave and you were to stay? The thought breaks your heart a little.

Then, a whisper from above into the quiet, gently interrupting your thoughts.

‘Hey, you still awake?’

‘...Yeah.’

You hear his voice, soft-spoken, but clear enough that you can hear the sincerity laced into it.

‘I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so worked up.’

‘Yeah, I'm sorry too,’ you reply, matching his volume.

‘And I didn't mean it,’ he says, and you think you hear the slightest tremble in the statement, almost as if he's fighting tears, and for a second you wish you could see his face, ‘what I said before, about uh, splitting up. I know I joke about that kind of thing all the time, and not coming back for you… But you know I don't really mean it, right?’

You've certainly had your doubts in the past, but those moments seem so far away now; footnotes in a slowly unfolding tale, stepping stones on the journey the pair of you have taken together as you worked your way from theft to theft to get to this point. As much as you'd butt heads over the years, you could always count on each other and you always stuck together.

‘Right?’

‘Yeah, I know…’

‘...And, alright, your lack of interest in breaking out aside, maybe I am kinda jealous.’

‘Ha! I knew it.’

‘Yeah, yeah.’ He sighs. ‘It's just… it took us a while to be like we are now and yet, you're suddenly so close to him when it hasn't even been that long, it just doesn't feel fair. I dunno, it's stupid.’

‘Nah, I get it. I'm sorry if I made you feel left behind.

‘And I'm sorry if I ever made you feel pressured into something you're actually just not all that into.’

You feel a bit of tension leave your chest as a small smile appears on your face. ‘I appreciate that.’

In some ways you're grateful for the small bed separating you and preventing you from being face to face. You think it makes this easier for both of you.

‘I don't want to lose you, y'know? I mean, we're supposed to be partners. Ride or die, remember?’

‘Oh, Mark… You know I still trust you with my life…’ You pause, considering your words. ‘For the first time in ages, things feel a little more complicated than just being about us.’

A beat, then you hear him inhale, and he says your name, foregoing any of his usual nicknames.

‘...Are you… happy here? Does he make you happy?’

‘There's things I miss about freedom, sure, but it's not so bad here. And let's face it, our crimes were probably gonna catch up to us eventually, one way or another, right? And Yancy…’ You let out the smallest huff of laughter, smiling to yourself once again. ‘You're right, it hasn't been very long… There's just something about him, I guess. I know he might be a little much at times but I enjoy being around him, and he honestly seems like he wants to make up for things he's done in the past by being here. Maybe nothing will come of this but even so, in a weird way, he kind of makes me want to do better?’

Mark breathes a good-natured huff of laughter as well, and the two of you take a moment to muse on the irony of that sentiment.

‘I just– I can't handle being stuck here,’ he finally says. ‘But you're right, nothing I've tried so far has worked, anyway.’

‘Y'know… Yancy knows all the ins and outs of this place. He could probably help us if we wanted it.’

‘Do you want it?’

Do you want to leave or stay? The real question beneath it all.

You're quiet again, and it feels as if every possibility is laid out before you, only obscured.

‘I don't know,’ you say eventually. ‘I need more time to think. I just don't want you to think I'm making a choice between you or him, there's so many other things I need to consider. That we need to consider.’

‘That's fair… Just don't take too long, ok? Not like we can pause or rewind time, haha.’

‘Right… In the meantime, could you at least try to get along with Yancy and the others? You might like them if you give them a chance.’

‘... Fine, I'll try,’ he acquiesces.

You raise a hand to your mouth to cover a yawn. A far more comfortable silence falls over the room, and you start to feel sleep overtake you.

‘... Hey, Mark?’

‘Yeah?’

‘We're still partners.’

If nothing else, you hope this will reassure him.

‘...Ok. Sweet dreams, partner.’

[who-the-fuck-knows-blog]

thinking about ed’s “apology” being a series of minimizations — “perhaps some of my actions, maybe all of my actions, maybe me, myself, maybe I, me made some of you feel somewhat — whatever that nasty, dark stuff was that brought us here, it’s in the past. all i wanted to say at the end of the day is that we’re trying to move the culture forward”

how haltingly he admits to the blame, how he still moves the blame onto “dark nasty stuff” that “brought us here” instead of “my actions. what i did” and then immediately moving onto “it’s about just moving on and not thinking about it anymore” essentially.

thinking about how ed could say “hello Mr. Latch, it’s not your fault you’re broken, no. you didn’t break you. you were just trying to do your job, weren’t you?” to a door but cant say it to izzy. ed “i didn’t apologize for jack shit” teach, izzy already rewriting his trauma to excuse ed and place blame onto himself. Ed, going around to fang and allowing lucius to push him off the ship. he tried to make up with lucius and fang (who had already forgiven him) but noticeably hasnt been alone w izzy

thinking about ed saying “let’s move past it into the future” and izzy later saying “not moving on is worse” instead of/than acknowledging the actual trauma. idk idk

i dunno why i keep thinking about these scenes together. I think it has to do with the repeated word, but could be about how Izzy is blaming himself for his actions and Ed is being very gentle and understanding to a door latch he’s fixing, and not the man who he shot.

(ultimately, i do think he’s working on it, he’s getting there. but he isn’t there yet. it’s still early days, though.)

[emloafs]

i chose chaos today and dropped chapter 12 of im wanting it back (my amnesia trope binary boyfriends fanfic)

i hope all who read enjoy <3

[very-feral-lesbian]

this is a part two to this post, can be read solo but i recommend reading this first.

the party is in full swing. their friends surrounding them, most of them set up in the living from and a smaller more introverted group gathered in the dining room.

steve never knew what a good community could truly do for him as living in hawkins was clearly not a place where someone like steve could thrive.

he hid for so long, but here in boston its so different. they have this amazing group of friends, 90% of which are like him and eddie. and the other 10% support them endlessly.

he looks around and sees robin and nancy curled up on a chair in the corner, talking to their friend jasmine who is sitting on the floor, the two of them with wide smiles. because him and her have telepathy, robin looks over at him them. he throws her a quick wink.

he can hear david's laugh from the other room and can smell the bouquet of flowers sitting on the coffee table that andrew brought.

he can feel the slight hint of eddie's bare skin between his jeans and his shirt where steve's hand it resting.

steve has friends. steve has a loving partner. steve is content.

steve also has his ex-best friend sitting on the other side of couch with whom he has not spoken yet.

they exchanged pleasantries, and him and eddie have chatted with michael plenty. michael was a handsome guy. probably late 20s/early 30s, dirty blonde hair with a middle part, and generic clothes aside from the round glasses on his face; steve could appreciate that. he wasn't steve's taste but he could tell he was an objectively attractive person.

he and tommy made an attractive couple, the two of them seemingly comfortable with each other. steve was happy for tommy, even though their friendship didn't end on good terms, he was glad tommy found himself.

steve must have been in his own head for a while as he just felt eddie poking him where he sat to his left, "babe? you okay?"

steve smiled, "yeah yeah im good," he leaned into kiss the juncture of eddies jaw.

"alright, good," eddie smiled back at him and batted his lashes, "would you be a doll and toss some of the beer bottles in the recycle?"

"yeap."

eddie smiled again, "love youuuuu."

steve started gathering the bottles on the coffee table, quickly finding that there were too many bottles for him to take at once. steve just shrugged it off and planned to make another trip back up to the apartment from the recycle bin until he heard a voice perk up, "here, i'll help."

it was tommy, he was picking up the remaining bottles.

"ok, uh- thanks."

steve and tommy walked out of the apartment making their way down the few flights of stairs into the alley with the recycle bin. it was quiet, neither of them even attempting to make small talk.

but being around eddie for the last decade has made him uncomfortable with silence, "so uh, how'd you meet michael?"

they walked side by side by side, opening and shutting the lid of the bin, disposing of the bottles, "we met in college, he was in my american archaeology class my junior year. we were friends for a while and started dating like three years ago."

steve nodded, "oh that's nice, he seems like a good guy."

there was a lull again. they walked up the stairs, and as they were making their way up the last flight tommy speaks up, "hey listen steve, i know its too little too late and it was over a decade ago, but i just wanted to say that i'm really sorry about all the shit i did while we were friends. i know it doesn't mean much but i was just not happy with myself so i uh- took it out on you and that was shitty so i'm, yeah i'm sorry."

they had stalled on the landing of the staircase right outside of his and eddie's apartment.

steve fully did not expect an apology from tommy. honestly he had mostly forgotten about him, he hadn't been back to hawkins in four years since wayne officially moved to rural new york.

he had heard from the grapevine that tommy was living down in texas but really he had no connection to him or that part of his life anymore. he never expected to speak to him again, let alone apologize for what happened.

steve clapped him on the shoulder, "it's all good man. not exactly like i was innocent either, i was a dick back then too. hell high school steve would flip if.." he gestured his head in the direction of their apartment.

they both understood what steve meant.

"yeah me neither, pretty sure high school me would beat up current me."

they both laughed, the air lighter than before.

there was a respite in the conversation before tommy piped back up, "you know its actually funny uhh, looking back I'm pretty sure i had a crush on you back then."

huh.

that might have been even more unexpected than the apology, "really? that's uhhhh, wow."

tommy laughed lightly, "yeah i think all that shit with billy our senior year really threw me for a loop and it was the first time i really started thinking about you know," steve does know, "and i uh- fucking hated myself for it so that's why i lashed out like that."

steve gets it and he says as much, "yeah i understand that. when i was first figuring my shit out, it was right when me and eddie became friends so i pushed him away at first. then you know, we kissed for the first time and i had this moment where i was like 'oh i don't hate him, im in love with him' and here we are eleven years later."

"yeah it's hard but i'm happy for you steve, you seem really happy."

steve glanced over at the door of their apartment, he can hear the faint noise of an electric guitar being played to the tune of iron man by black sabbath. pre-eddie, steve never would have believed he could recognize a single black sabbath song, let alone from outside of an apartment with the door muffling most of the intricacies of the song.

how could steve not be happy? he has more than he could have imagined at 31.

he lived within walking distance to his best friend in the entire world. he has a group of friends who are perfect and lovely. he lives in a beautiful city. he has a great job. and he's in a more-than-a-decades-long relationship with the love of his life.

"yeah, i really am."

[toppamplemousse]

Hose Me Down

Charles Leclerc/Max Verstappen | Rated E, 5k words, complete

Max pointed the hose at the sky and pressed his thumb into the spray, causing it to lightly rain over the whole car, and Charles. Max’s eyes were fixated on where the wet spray of the hose had plastered Charles’ shirt to his nipples. He licked his lips and Charles felt a pang of arousal zip down his spine.

“Charles, how am I supposed to do anything with you washing the car like a pornstar?”

part of the golf whiskey romeo series (this is the follow up to La Rentrée)

read on ao3

[kusuokisser]

if saiki got twitter all hed do is complain and retweet desserts. if you try to interact with him for too long he will respond with a singular emoji until you give up. but if you're making a sweet treat he will converse until the end of time. he is kindest when you post sweets

[turtletaubwrites]

✨900 Followers Celebration!!✨

This is bonkers! I adore you all, thank you so much for all of your support, and the love for my stories! It's the best feeling! 🥰🖤

I've decided that for this celebration, I'm going to give the people what they want 😅

As of now, everything else is on pause while I cook up the next batch of NUMBERS GAME.

I wanted to catch up on everything else before starting so that I could just focus on this, but that's silly. I have adhd, there is no such thing as catching up on everything, lol. Just endless circles creating endless more circles, so I've decided to circle back around to our villainous Cross Guild boys.

Here's the Numbers Game Masterlist if you'd like to catch up before the shenanigans begin again. I wonder how Buggy and our Numbers Girl are doing...

Can't wait to see you there 🖤

| masterlist | about me | rules | ao3 | ko-fi |

Here's a silly lil poll 🥰 (def won't use this to decide who gets to go first...😅)

[msbhagirathi]

The Madhumati Gupta Buaji Weekly

Mugzeen Adison (Magazine Edition)

Namaste Nandkisore!

Aasaa karat hain ki, nandkisore, aap sab logan theek haai. Hum logan bhi theek haai, nandkisore. Sasi babua bhi ab theek hi haai bas pahile se tanik kamjor hui gaye, chhari ke sahare chalat haain ab. Aoor humka bataye rahe ki oo ki ee halat bhi oo Syaam ki kirpa rahi. Humra mann toh karat raha ki oo sasure ko ek ghumaai ke lagay de ki jindagi bhar phir aisan kucho karat ki jurrat naa karihe, haa.

Chalo choro babua/bitiya. Arre nandkisore ab tanik aapan baat bhi karau, ghar mein sab logan theek haai na? Tohre Amma-Bauji, tohri kauno humre jaisan Buaji hau toh oo sab theek haai na, nandkisore?

Ab kaa batyay tohka, nandkisore. Kal parso ki baat rahi, Sanka Devi aayi gayi phudakti-phudakti Laxminagar. Humka kahine lagi ki Arnav babua ke daftar mein kauno mugzeen-wugzeen ke khaatir humka kucho likhna haai. Hum kahe ki ab nandkisore humre jamane mein toh hum aoor tohre phuphaji itni chitthi likhat rahe ki bas pucho naahi. Toh oo kahi ki theek haai buaji aap chitthi likh ke humko bataay dena hum aa kar le jayenge, ab humri buddhi bhi umar ke kaaran mand pari rahi, oo ka jaaye ke baad, hum bhi bhul gaye nandkisore.

Saara kaam karke aaike baithe the, ki oo ka fone aayi gaya, humka puchi ki chhitthi likhe haai ki naahi, toh hum kahe, nandkisore, kaam mein thora byast hoyi gaye the, abhi likhat rahe.

Ab hum kaa bataay, nandkisore, humri jindagi mein kauno bataane layak khaas toh kucho haai nahi. Athaarah (18) ke the, amma-bauji ne byaah karaaye diya, tohre phuphaji un dino rail maashter kaa kaam karat rahe. Byaah ke baad humka liye eehan Delhi aayi gaye Laxminagar, ab nandkisore tabahu se hum idhar hi rahat haai.

[Buaji aur phuphaji honeymoon ke liye puri dilli ghume the. Phuphaji jab bhi kaam ke wajah se dusri jagah jaate toh wahan se buaji ko chitthi likhte the. ~Buaji ki pyaari SD ;)]

Sabahu theek chalat raha tha. Byaah ke teen saal baad, ek din khabar mili ki kauno train mein aag lag gayi haai, aoor bohut logan ki jaan gayi haai, a phir hum bhi chakkar kaat kaat kar thak gaye, nandkisore, daftar se aspataal aoor aspataal se phir daftar, phir unke daftar se ek din chhitthi aaye ki tohre phuphaji toh milat naahi toh unki penson ki raakam ab humko mila karegi, hum bohut roye oo din.

Bohut hi ache insaan the, nandkisore, hum behad prem karat the, ab kaa karaein, oo din ke baad se hum aapan nandkisore ke charno mein samarpit hoye gaye. Khair jaane do nandkisore. Ee sab toh bohut purani baat rahi.

Aye nandkisore, agar tumlogan ka kauno dikkat paresaani rahe toh humka bataayi dio, hum tohka tanik samajhaai denge, aoor baaki sab humre nandkisore ke haathon chor denge, theek haai naa? Bilkul kauno dikkat rahi toh bitiya humka aapan buaji samajh kar, eehan aaike bataai dena, mann bhi thora halka hoat jayi. Aoor hum toh waisan bhi jyaada kaam-kaaj naa kar sakat haai naa, toh pura din bas baith ke hi gujar jaat haai. Tohka chitthi likhan ke khaatir humra bhi tanik samay beet jaye.

Ab hum thehre bujurg, humse kaun baat karihe? Oo bhi chitthi likhke, nandkisore? Aajkal toh naa jaane kaa oosab bhatsup-discaard bhagwaan jaane aoor kaa-kaa aayi gaye haai, chitthi likhne ka phursat kaun ke paas rahai?

Khair choro. Humka toh aoor kuch soojh hi naahi rahat haai nandkisore, aoor kaa likhe? Chalao phir rakhte haai kuch batana hau toh likhat dena theek haai naa?

Aoor haan. Humka sunne mein aawat haai ki Sanka Devi ki kauno saheli ka aaj janam din raha? Ee baat sach haai ka, nandkisore? Janam din ki bohut bohut subhkamna tohka, nandkisore. Khub kaam karau, mehnat karau, Arnav babua aoor titaliya ke jaisan naam-paisa kamao, aoor tohka pati-parmeswar toh bohut hi bhagyawaan raha ki oo ka tohre jaisan patni milat rahi, nandkisore (byaah kee ho ki naahi, nandkisore?)

Aoor humri taraf se kauno meethaai wagerah khaa lena, tohka ghar ka pata (address) hota toh dukaan se jalebi aoor kucho dusri meethaai bhijwai dete par kauno baat naahi bitiya muskuraayete rehna. Jindagi mein rone ke bohut mauke milenge par muskuraaye ke mauke khud hi dhundne parat haai, nandkisore.

Chalao phir, ab rakhat haai. Garima ke saath mandir jaanat haai nandkisore. Namaste.

P.S. : Lol. I got this idea today like literally today and then thought of getting started but now I am kinda confused about something whether I should continue this one from buaji's POV only or I should write from all the characters' POV's. Let me know. And also ket me know ki yeh kuch samajh mein aaya bhi ki ekdum kachra kar diya hai maine. Lol :') Ok so I should have added this bit in the beginning but nvrmnd *shrugs* So I have considered double 'a' for आ sound, double 'o' for ऊ sound, double 'e' for इ sound and single 'a' is for अ sound, rest if you find any kind of confusion, please feel free to ask for help, considering this is not regular Hindi so :) Ok. Bye. God bless you.