#how to remove chalk paint

[woodjunctions]

Today I’m going to discuss the most convenient ways to get the best finish removing chalk paint from your wooden furniture. Let’s learn how to remove chalk paint from wood in different methods with step-by-step instructions.

[austinbutlerslovers]

Strip for Me

Label mature 18+

With the Vandals out for a wild night at the bar, Benny seizes the opportunity to have you all to himself in the biker den. He suggests a game of pool to pass the time, but with a twist—he proposes raising the stakes. For every shot he sinks, you have to remove a piece of clothing. With his expert pool skills, Benny swiftly has you down to your panties and claims you on the pool table as his prize.

❤️‍🔥Passionate Smut❤️‍🔥 strip pool•winner claims loser • oral sex on female• facial hair grazing• orgasm denial •size kink •deep penetration kink •sex on a pool table •sex claiming•orgasm•pull out•cum painting•aftercare

Request via @nextlevelstupidity ❤️‍🔥 🙏🏻

Strip for Me

The Vandals biker den was dimly lit, its overhead lamps casting a hazy glow on the worn out pool table at the center of the room. It was early evening and the usual rowdy Vandals headed out to the local bar leaving the place eerily quiet with just you and Benny.

The jukebox in the corner played an old rock ‘n’ roll tune, its volume just loud enough to fill the silence. Benny stands confidently at the edge of the pool table, his patched biker jacket draped over a nearby chair. He wears jeans and a black muscle tee showcasing his well defined biceps and intricate tattoos.

His ruggedly handsome face is illuminated by the soft glow of the overhead lamp, his blue eyes sharp and focused ready to start a game. His facial hair is perfectly groomed, framing his strong jawline, and his lips look full and inviting. His brunette hair is lightly tousled adding to his captivating allure.

He chalks his cue, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips as he looks at you.

“Looks like we’ve got some time to kill before the Vandals get back,” he says, his voice casual with a hint of mischief. “How about a game of pool? But we make it a bit more interesting.”

You raise an eyebrow, intrigued. “Interesting how?”

Benny grins his eyes gleaming. “Every time you miss a shot, you take something off. First one to lose all their clothes loses the game. What do you say?” He asks with a mischievous smile.

A thrill of excitement runs through you at his proposition. “You’re on,” you reply your competitive spirit ignited.

The game begins, and it quickly becomes evident that Benny is far more skilled. His shots are precise, the balls sinking into the pockets with ease. With each miss you make, his grin grows wider.

“Looks like you missed again,” he teases, leaning on his cuestick. “Time to take something off.”

Reluctantly you pull off your jean jacket, tossing it onto a nearby chair. Benny’s eyes sparkle in amusement and then he lines up his next shot.

“You know, you should really practice more,” he says, effortlessly sinking another ball in. “This is getting too easy.”

You mock scowl at him enjoying his competitive edge determined to make your next shot count.

As you sink the shot, triumph surges through you, and you look at him with a playful smirk. “Your turn,” you say relishing the tables turning.

He meets your gaze with a mischievous glint before smoothly pulling his muscle tee over his head, leaving you stunned by the sight of his sculpted chest and abs. As he stands there in just his jeans, his V-line accentuated by the denim, you feel a rush of desire coursing through you.

As you kneel to line up your shot, your eyes keep stealing glances at his defined abs, momentarily distracting you from the task at hand.

“Better focus on your game, sweetheart” he teases, his voice low and suggestive.

You refocus on the ball, trying to ignore his words, but Benny’s intense gaze, combined with his shirtless allure, makes it hard to concentrate. The cue ball veers off course, missing the intended target by a wide margin.

“Guess that’s another piece,” Benny relishes with a seductive grin as he taunts you further. “At this rate, you’ll be down to your panties in no time,” he adds, his gaze raking over your body with an unmistakable hint of desire.

You slip off your tank top revealing your bra, and his eyes linger on your breasts, the anticipation of his victory growing stronger with each piece of clothing you shed.

Benny walks around the table taking his time to line up every shot savoring each moment of your discomfort. His eyes linger on you, taking in every piece you remove, clearly enjoying the sight.

“Come on, you can do better than that,” he mocks his gaze filled with lust as he watches you miss another shot. “Or maybe you just like showing off,” he adds, his eyes devouring your body as he anticipates you being fully undressed.

The game continues, and Benny’s dominance remains unchallenged. Each miss you make is met with another piece of clothing being surrendered, and Benny’s confidence only grows.

He slows down deliberately taking his time with the final shot, his gaze locked on you, savoring every second of your growing exposure.

“Last shot,” he announces standing over the table with a gleam in his eye. “If I make this, you lose.”

Now down to your panties, with your forearm covering your breasts, you watch him intently, full of anticipation.

He takes aim with his movement fluid and controlled. The ball rolls smoothly across the table, striking its target and sinking directly into the pocket with a satisfying thud.

Benny straightens up, his smile triumphant. “Well, looks like I win.”

Before you can respond, he sets the pool cue aside and steps closer his gaze is intense. You stand there feeling exposed in just your panties, as he eyes you down.

“Strip for me,” he says and watches you in deep anticipation awaiting your next move. You reach down slowly and hook your fingers into the waistband of your panties sliding them down your hips. Your movements are deliberate as you let the fabric glide over your skin, Benny’s eyes follow your every move.

You pause briefly, holding his gaze as you lower your panties past your thighs and step out of them. With a slow graceful motion you stand up revealing your nude pussy to him.

Benny’s eyes darken with desire as he takes in the sight of you standing before him. Your skin glows in the dim light of the biker den, every curve of your body beckons to him, from the gentle swell of your breasts, to the arch of your hips. He can’t help but feel a surge of arousal as he admires you, captivated by your beauty and vulnerability.

Your face flushes under his intense gaze, and a heat rises within as you stand exposed before him.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs, his voice husky with desire as he drinks in the sight of you.

His intense gaze locks with yours, his piercing blue eyes filled with desire and determination sending waves of warmth through your body as you melt under his commanding presence.

“I want you on the pool table ” he says, his voice low and possessive. With a flutter in your chest, you respond with a silent nod unable to resist the allure of his command. Benny slowly wraps his arm around your waist, guiding you to the slick wooden edge.

He locks eyes with you, his grasp firm as he holds your jaw, drawing you closer until your lips meet in a passionate kiss. Each press of his lips is a declaration of his desire. His tongue teases your mouth open and intertwines with yours, exploring every contour eliciting a soft moan from your lips as the intensity of the moment overwhelms you.

You feel the heat of his passion as he holds you against him, his strong arm wrapping around you as he presses you firmly against the pool table.

He prevents any attempt for you to pull away, his hand holds your jaw firm, ensuring your lips remain locked with his. You are completely at his mercy, overwhelmed by the intensity of his desire and dominance.

With a triumphant smirk, Benny slowly pushes you down flat onto the pool table, his eyes burning with satisfaction as he stands between your spread legs, his gaze tracing every curve of your body with an admiring intensity.

“You may have lost the game,” he murmurs, his voice husky with desire, “but you’re definitely winning me over with this view.”

You feel a flush of heat spread through you at his words, the intensity of his gaze between your legs making you feel vulnerable and desired all at once.

Benny leans in, his face hovering between your spread legs, his breath hot against your skin. He grabs your thighs, his fingers digging into your flesh with a delicious mix of urgency and desire as he guides them apart. His firm grip sends a jolt of excitement coursing through your body.

“God, you’re perfect,” Benny whispers, staring at your pussy. “I’ve been wanting this all night.”

He pulls your legs over his shoulders and his facial hair brushes against your inner thighs, the sensation sending electric tingles of anticipation through your body.

He presses his mouth onto your wet folds, his tongue expertly parting your slickness.

You gasp as he begins to explore every inch, his lips and tongue moving with deliberate precision. The stubble on his jaw brushing against your sensitive folds adding a rough tantalizing sensation as he eats your pussy.

Each flick of his tongue sends shivers of pleasure through you as his hands hold your thighs firmly in place, ensuring you can’t escape the onslaught of pleasure he’s unleashing.

With each subtle move of his head, you feel the rough friction of his facial hair against your skin, intensifying the sensation of his soft lips and tongue exploring your folds.

Your nipples harden and your breaths hitch as your core throb with desire from Benny getting lost in the rhythm of devouring your pussy.

His tongue flicks between your folds , swirling, sucking, and licking with such precision it elicits moans of pleasure from deep within you.

He presses his lips against your sensitive pussy, alternating between eager licks and hungry nibbles, each sensation sending waves of ecstasy coursing through your body.

His movements become faster and more deliberate with each passing moment until you moan out his name.

“Benny!” You cry out louder than you intended and he pauses looking up at you with a mischievous grin.

“Do you like this?” he asks, his voice low and teasing. You are breathless feeling the lingering sensation of the pleasure he delivered to every fibre of your being. You feverishly nod unable to form the words

“Tell me how much you want it.” He says seductively

“…Benny….please,” you gasp, your body arching towards him. “I need you.”

He chuckles softly, his hands squeezing your thighs. “Good,” he murmurs “ I love hearing you beg for me” and he dives back in, his tongue and lips working with renewed fervor.

Every touch, every flick of his tongue sends waves of pleasure through you, your soft moans begin filling the room.

“You taste incredible,” he groans, his voice vibrating against the most sensitive part of your pussy. “I could do this all night.”

You can barely respond, your mind clouded with so much ecstasy.

“Don’t…- stop,” is all you manage to whisper, your hands tangling in his hair, holding him close as he continues to ravish you.

It’s a sensory overload, the combination of his warm breath, the velvety touch of his lips, and the gentle abrasion of his facial hair driving you to the brink of ecstasy.

Every flick of his tongue sends waves of pleasure rippling through your core, building the intensity with each passing moment.

“Benny!” you cry out again, your fingers instinctively tangling in his hair, urging him closer. He groans against you, his face pressing harder against your pussy, his facial hair reddening your inner thighs with desire as you begin to lose yourself to him.

His prodding licks become more intense, his tongue firmly tracing patterns along your sensitive clit, sending waves of pleasure coursing through your body. You can feel the heat building within you, every touch pushing you closer and closer to the edge.

His groans of satisfaction reverberate through your core, blending with your cries of pleasure as he devours you with fervor. Your thighs clench around his head and his hands keep them in place as his tongue delves in exploring your most intimate depths. The pool table, the room, everything fades away as you lose yourself to the raw, unbridled passion of Benny devouring your pussy.

Then, just as you feel yourself reaching the peak of pleasure, Benny pulls away, leaving your core throbbing with anticipation and desire.

You whimper softly, reaching out for him as he stands up, a confident smirk playing on his face. He takes your hand and carefully pulls you up to sit on the edge of the pool table facing him. You are slightly trembling as you pant overwhelmed with desire looking into his eyes.

“Hold on tight, sweetheart,” he grins at you, his voice low and seductive seeing how desperate he’s made you for him.

You watch as he undoes his belt and unbuttons his jeans, revealing his large cock. Its hard long veiny shaft is thick and firm with a prominent head that glistens in anticipation with beads of precum.

The sight alone leaves you breathless, and as he glides his palm over the wet tip and strokes himself, the slickness of his precum adds a glistening sheen to his skin.

He positions himself between your legs and you fixate on the deep pinkness of the swollen head, its smooth surface and defined ridge adding to your eagerness to be penetrated by him.

He brings his hand to your pulsing entrance, slipping a finger in to test your readiness and finds you more than eager for him. He grins and firmly grips your hip holding you in place.

“You’re so ready for me,” he murmurs, his voice thick with desire. “I can feel how much you want this.”

You nod, your lips parting slightly in anticipation and he leans and kisses your mouth. Each press of his lips against yours makes you feel yourself surrendering to the intoxicating sensation. Your fingers reach to tangle in his hair, pulling him closer as you deepen the kiss, savoring the taste of his tongue and the desire coursing through him.

His lips linger against yours for a moment longer before he pulls back looking down at his hand stroking his thick cock throbbing with primal need.

He aims and presses the head against your entrance and its hardness causes a surge of overwhelming pleasure to course through you.

“Tell me you want it,” he demands softly, his eyes locking onto yours.

“I want it, Benny,” you gasp, your voice trembling with anticipation. “I want it so badly.” You beg.

He pushes his cock into you and every ridge and vein of his shaft stretches you to your limits, consuming you with an intensity that tests your sanity.

“God, you feel incredible,” he groans, his breath hot against your ear. “So tight, so perfect. He pants holding you close.

You can’t help but arch your back, pressing closer to him, the heat of his arousal radiates from him, flooding your senses as your walls eagerly welcome him deeper inside. His hands grip your hips, pulling you even closer and you gasp, feeling every inch of him filling you completely.

“Don’t hold back,” he whispers, his voice low and seductive. “I want to hear you.”

You are unable to even contain your moans as he begins to thrust deeply within you, each movement deliberate and powerful making your walls throb on his cock.

“Benny, please!” you cry out, your nails digging into his back. “Don’t stop.”

“I won’t,” he promises, his pace increasing. “I’m going to take you right here, right now.” You cry out in anticipation as he pulls your arms to hold him tightly around his neck.

With each forceful thrust, his cock plunges into you with an insatiable hunger, the friction of his length against your walls sends shockwaves of pleasure coursing through your body.

You can feel the heat of his skin against yours, the tension of his muscles as he moves with purpose. Every movement is deliberate, every stroke calculated to drive you insane with desire.

He increases his thrusts and the sheer power of his hips colliding between your legs reverberates through entire body until every nerve ending is ablaze with pleasure. Your moans are unending as he brings your legs up one at a time, wrapping them around his waist pushing his cock impossibly deeper in your core.

You lose your mind in a whirlwind of sensation as his cock fills you on every thrust, stretching you out in the most delicious way imaginable. The scent of sweat and arousal with the sound of your combined moans fill the air as you both give in to the primal need driving you toward a climactic release.

Benny pushes you further into ecstasy as the raw, unbridled passion of your bodies colliding intensifies, his cock ramming between your legs with relentless force. The world around you fading away, leaving only the two of you, lost in the overwhelming intensity of the moment.

Your walls constrict around his cock at each of his thrusts sending bolts of pleasure coursing through your throbbing core.

“Come for me,” he commands, his voice filled with possessive desire. “I want to feel you come for me ” he says softer with a desperate need in his eyes to feel your release.

You can only whimpers you nod in response, trembling against him, lost in the intensity of the moment as Benny claims you as his.

His raw untamed thrusting between your legs brings torrents of pleasure starting deep within your core and radiating outwards. With a high pitched shuddering moan, you reach the peak of ecstasy, your muscles contracting in blissful release.

It’s such an overwhelming sensation you lose yourself in the throes of orgasmic ecstasy your moans falling foreign to your ears as your legs wrap tighter around Bennys waist as you cum.

He rides you through the high of your climax as you deeply moan for him “I came, Benny,” you cry out your voice filled with euphoria.

“I know baby…you feel ….incredible on me” he rasps in satisfaction gripping your hips harder. He presses his lips roughly on yours emblazoned with passion as he nears his release. With a final intense surge of desire he lets out a deep guttural groan, his body trembling as he pulls out and cums all over your stomach. You feel the warmth of his silky cum as it coats your skin.

He holds your hip firm keeping you in place as he continues to pump his shaft. He gasps in pleasure as he coats you with more layers of his cum until it’s dripping down your navel. He finally finishes breathing heavily looking at all his cum glistening on your skin.

In that moment, you both remain in place, breathless and content. The air is heavy with the scent of passion, and the only sound that fills the room is the rhythmic pounding of your hearts.

As the intensity of the moment begins to fade, Benny’s voice breaks the silence. “You want a rematch?” he asks with a playful glint in his eyes.

You burst into laughter in the euphoria of the moment still lingering between you.

“Yes,” you reply with a grin, your hand gently tracing along Benny’s jawline. “But for now I think we’ve both had our victory.” You say leaning in and pressing a tender kiss on his lips, your fingers lightly caressing the back of his neck.

He pulls back and takes his riding rag from his back pocket slowly wiping all of his cum from your stomach as you let out contented sigh. His eyes glance up to meet yours and you seductively grin at him and he pulls you into another passionate kiss basking in the afterglow of the unforgettable moment you just shared.

The victory may have been Benny’s in the game of pool, but in the game of passion, you both emerged as winners.

🎱END

🔗 Master List ••• 🔗 Upcoming List

🏍️ Full 4 Part Benny Fic TBA this month

🏷️ Always Tag Me List 💌 @burnthheparaphilia @abswifey @faegoddessog @lindszeppelin @purejasmine @obsessedvibee @austiebuttbutt @jessica987 @oh-my-front-door @slowsweetlove @hardcoredisneynerd @magicovento @thegabbyh @fallofthedamned @buckysteveloki-me @bucking-mustangs-with-wings @shegatsby @darlingisntit @unicoreads @lovereadingfanfic @elvismylove04 @denised916 @thatoneweirdgirl17 @shockercoco @minispice-1 @meetmeatyourworst @rougegenshin @avidreader73 @jkdaddy01 @mamawiggers1980 @imjustheretoreadsmuthaha @majestyjade @pearlparty 31 of 40

[icarusredwings]

What things smell like according to Logan Howlett/ The Wolverine. A series of smell based headcanons. Do with these whatever you want :)

People:

Ororo: burnt marshmellows, rain, chunky chocolate chip cookies, protien shakes, spansih rice, chillies, and cocoa butter. She always smells great.

Scott: cucumber shampoo, the remaints of a bonfire the next day, fresh dry cleaning, axe shower gel, lavender sheets

Jean: caramel latte, lavender sheets, vanilla spiced chai, books, mint ice cream, fruit smoothies, stinky hair product, lemon poppy seed muffins, sassafras

Hank: Books, sanatizer, various chemicals, a very specifc fur dander, kinda musky but in a 'im covered in fur and sweaty' kind of way.

Rouge: "Dolly Parton", brick and concrete dust, cherry blossoms body spray, freshly engraved wood, strawberries and milk conditioner, spicy gaucamole and freshly sizzled sausages.

Gambit: tv static, a fresh deck of cards at the casino, spicy jumbo, gin, lime jello, hair gel, "suprisingly good actually"

Kurt: brimstone, smoke from franckinsense, myrrh, a less smelling dander then hank, Holy chrism oil (olive oil and Balsam made by catholic priests), metal, and blue raspberry. Fur/ beard pomade sometimes for special ocassions.

Morph: even when changed he can smell is sandlewood shampoo, he smells like how "Jack Outta smell", latex, pine and cedar, clear nail polish, "that ugly quilt that your grandma kept on the back of her couch that was the warmest, softest thing you've ever slept with."

Charles: Old man fart, metal, chalk, shoe polish, nutmeg, wool, "a trusting hug", books, mahogany, expensive champagne.

Laura: "teen spirit", a shitty cheap "girl power" deodorant that doesn't do well hiding the sweat, apples and peaches, kinda woodsy.

Wade: Cancer, gun smoke, citrus dish soap, blood, oranges, taco sauce, infected skin once in awhile, red dye 40, slight over cooked and crispy apple pie, sugary cereal

Puppins: wet dog, dog dander, oatmeal senstive skin puppy shampoo, chicken, "the dirtest trash she can find to roll in on her walk"

Althea: Old lady, way too strong perfumes, butter biscuits, tea, peppermint candies, more cocaine, "baby powder", lanvender linens, cotton and daisy's Landry detergent.

Feelings/emotions:

Big/serious lies: smell like Gasoline and salty sand near the sea.

Small fibs/playful/ teasing lies: smell like Anise

Lies with decent intentions/are bent truths: smell like honey

Those two are easily mixed up.

Innocent (the person truly believes it. Ex. A child saying dinos are real) truth: smells like thick vanilla creamer.

Filling, whole truths (the person knows for a fact its a truth) smells: like fresh baked rolls/buns

Cancer smells vary like: urine, nail polish remover, some people have a pungent semi sweet smell like rotting fruit, and tar is another smell, depending on which part of the body. If already in late stages, one can smell like cadavers. Even spicy almost.

Pregnant people vary in scent but he can smell the rise of different hormones: Some hormones sweeter then other. If you asked him he would say cinnamon or dying roses. If you're later in your term the scents are more soft like lotion or custard. Lemon ussually.

Serotonin; cheese, lemon cakes, fruity, a bit light, and flakey like a pastry. Marshmellow fluff.

Dopamine; sweet fresh coffee, doritos(?), cocaine. Don't ask why he knows what cocaine smells like. He was alive during coke cocaine.

Endorphins; Sweaty Sex, mint, dark chocolate, violets, chemicals, varies by persons pheromones

Oxytocin; "playful cherries", freshly washed cotton pillows, the warmth of a bath, skin on skin hugs, strawberries

Joy/relaxation/relief: Jasmine, vanilla sugar cookies, fresh soup.

Anger/disapproval/hurt: smoke, the back end of a cigarette, spicy curry, iron, blood, "spoiled raw chicken left out too long"

Fear/excitment/anxiousness: Adrenaline smells like oil, paint, salty pretzels almost.

Tears: Oceans, lillies, fresh water lakes

[worldofkuro]

Painted Smile

Painted Smile XXII

<- Previous Chapter I Next Chapter ->

Summary: You couldn't wait to meet new friends. What you didn't expect was this smiling little boy, only one year older than you, that would take such a big place in your life.

Notes: Well, folks. It took us 22 chapters, but here it is. I was strangely emotional during this chapter, would you feel the same? I wonder... Please, tell me your thoughts!

You looked around you, curiously. You were in Alastor’s basement, sitting on a chair as he was preparing to invoke the last spirit he needed to bound your soul together. From what he told you, he just needed to talk with the spirit to finally know what was needed. 

This week has been hectic so far. you had to prepare the wedding, writing the invitations once you had found the place where it would happen. You were looking for a cake, Alastor would like, and also other sweets for the guests. Alastor also had his own schedules, he was busy with work and the organization of your wedding with the mayor. You didn’t even manage to see each other that much, but Alastor would always try to come at night, even if you were asleep, so he could rest with you, two or three hours before leaving.

Which brings you to where you were right now.  Alastor placed a cup of black coffee on a table with a cigar and wrote symbols with chalk on the walls. You bit your lips, you never saw another spirit than Papa Legba, would you be able to see this one?

“ Are you nervous?” Alastor asked, walking toward you. You tilted your head backward so he could kiss your lips multiple times. You hummed against his lips, stroking his cheeks with your hands.

“ A little. I’ve never seen another spirit… And this one, is supposed to be the one who controls death… This is a little scary.” You pecked his lips as he chuckled.

“ You don’t have to be there.”

“ I want to.” you smiled at him. “ Can you just… Explain to me who you are going to meet.”

“ Of course, dearest. Baron Samedi is invoked to contact and communicate with the dead, he determines whether they can come visit or not. He may be asked to remove bothersome ghosts and invoked to ward off death. He is a powerful healer. Baron Samedi rules the cemetery: no one can die until he gives permission for their grave to be dug.” He stroked your cheeks, staring at your eyes. “ I don’t know if you are going to be able to see him… “

You squeezed his hands with a confident smile.

“ Do everything so nothing could tear us apart.”

He kissed you deeply before walking in front of the table with the offerings. You bit your nails as Alastor began to talk. Everything was going to go smoothly. You didn’t know if the spirit could curse you because you were too greedy about each other. 

You blinked when you felt yourself becoming dizzy. You tried to stare at Alastor as you saw him stumble. He was holding his head which immediately made you worry. You stood up and walked clumsily toward him.

“ Alastor…”

“ Are you okay, dearest?” You felt his hand grab yours.

“ Aren’t you adorable ?”

You both turned around toward the table where a man was smoking the cigar that Alastor had put on the table, a moment ago, staring at you with an amused smile. The genlteman looked like an older, dark-skinned man in formal attire, dressed completely in black. He was wearing a black top hat, black suit and impenetrable black sunglasses which were missing a lens.

“ You asked for me?” he smirked before sitting on a chair, taking the cup of coffee. “ Well, I already know why. It’s not everyday I see Papa Legba and Kalfu in the same room. How are you doing, my good fellows?”

You blinked before looking behind you and saw Papa Legba, smoking his pipe while staring at you, with his usual warm expression. His back was against the wall, seeming completely calm. 

“ It is nice to see you again, little lady.” he nodded toward you which made you wave shyly at him. “ And it is nice to finally meet you, Alastor.”

You looked at Alastor who was staring at Papa Legba, his eyes wide opened. You didn’t know what he was feeling right now and that was stressing you out. You squeezed his hand in your but freezed when you felt a cold presence next to you.

“ Must be nice to finally meet me, right,  little missy?” 

You turned your eyes toward the voice and yelped when you saw a man crouching next to you, his red eyes staring at you with a mocking smile. He looked like Papa Legba but his frame seemed more muscular and his expressions weren’t welcoming like the spirit you were now used to working with.

You felt so…little. 

“ Well, it’s nice to finally meet all of you, gentlemen.” You heard Alastor talk with his usual confidence. “ I didn’t expect to have all of you with us today, but it might be for the best.” He beamed at the spirits as he took a chair to sit down.

“ You truly have beautiful eyes.” you turned around as you felt your hair being touched. You looked at The Baron Samedi who was looking at you, still seeming amused. You took a step back before being tugged on Alastor’s laps. You looked down and smiled softly at his shadow which was frowning, keeping its hand around your waist.

“ You really didn’t change, Alastor !” Baron Samedi laughed before sitting on the table, smoking his cigar. “ I used to heal you when you were unconscious after your father was done punishing you, your Mother was always asking for my help, what a caring woman.” 

You felt Alastor tensed underneath you. You stroked his hand while staring at the three spirits in front of you. You were lost for words, you didn't know which question to ask.

“ Well, it’s not for being healed that I called you.”

“ ‘I’ ? Boy, you didn't call me all alone. Your darling is also in it.”

“ Nonsense. She didn’t prepare anything to summon you.” Said Alastor, his smile twitching. You knew he didn’t like when you were with him and he didn’t have full control on the situation. But you were confused.

“ Why? Am I connected to Alastor in some way?” 

“ Well, little lady, of course. If not, why would you be able to see me, summon me or even work with spirits?” Papa Legba asked you with his usual calming voice.

“ Alastor already created some kind of bond between the two of you, but you already saw it, right little missy?” Kalfu smirked at you, making you shiver. He looked dangerous. 

“ What are you talking about?” You asked, squeezing Alastor’s hand.

“ When you asked for your soul to leave your body to see Alastor. Didn’t you see a red thread linking you to him?”

Your eyes widened. Was that the bond? But you and Alastor didn’t make the ritual. You just thought it was guiding you toward your fiancée, nothing more. You could feel Alastor’s stare on you, stroking your thigh, surely trying to calm you.

“ But… It was so.. weak?”

“ Of course!” Laughed Baron Samedi. “ Alastor bound you the first time he tried to summon our dear Papa Legba, he had a tissue with your blood on it. Blood is really important here. That’s why when Alastor summoned Legba, he went toward you because the first thing he felt was your blood.”

“ And then, I came in, because I wanted to work with Alastor. This boy has a lot of potential.” Kalfu smirked. “ It’s in his blood.”

You looked at Alastor who was still smiling but you could see conflict in his eyes.

“ Then, how did the bound apparead when I didn’t do anything to make it happen?” Asked Alastor, looking at the spirits. 

“ Well, like Kalfu told you, you have huge potential. You could have created the bond, you already had summoned me and him. You made the first step but stopped when you made a deal with Kalfu for power. That is why, right now, your bond is half-made.” Legba said, inhaling smoke from his pipe. “ But now, your other half is working with me, which makes you, in a twisted way, work with me.”

“ But you told me you would cut our deal if I were to work with..Kalfu?” you asked, feeling more confused as time was passing. “ Alastor is working with him, and yet..?”

“ Of course, little lady. Even if your control on your spirit is impressive, it’s not in your blood. You can do all that because Alastor ‘tainted’ it. If he were at his most powerful, and your bond were created, you would have maybe half of his abilities. Your body wouldn’t be able to take more.” He said to you with a sad smile. “ You would lose yourself to the spirits and end up mad.”

“ Or dead with me!” said Baron Samedi with a laugh which echoed in the basement. “ I’m joking, Alastor.” he smirked when he saw Alastor’s hand clenching on your waist. 

You looked at your hands, your spirit was already giving much more than needed to protect yourself and Alastor. You just needed another thing… You looked up to Baron Samedi who whistled.

“ Ooh, red eyes? Sexy~ Tell me.” 

“ You said you had the power to heal, right?” You waited for him to nod. “ I want it.”

You heard Kalfu laugh like a madman while Baron Samedi was looking at you, up and down, thinking about your demands. He asked you why, in a more serious tone.

“ I asked Papa Legba to have power so I could protect Alastor, I don’t need anything more. I can protect him but I know I’m going to fail him one day, I need to be able to help him more if he happens to be injured.” You said, you voice firm.

“ So, you would want to work with me, for my healing capacity? You know, it’s different from working with Legba? You are asking a skill of mine. Papa Legba just gives access to a spirit to work with you, the spirit chooses when to go back, if Legba allows it,  unless you ask him to leave. You’re asking for a power that belongs to no small spirits, the price will hurts.”

“ Then, she doesn’t need it.” said Alastor, forcing you to look at him. “ I won’t need this power, who could hurt me?” He asked you with his usual charming and confident smile.

“ Please… Having this would put my mind at ease…” You sighed before standing up, looking at Baron Samedi who seemed in deep thought. You could feel Alastor’s shadow rooting you in place. You looked at Papa Legba for advice. “ What are your thoughts?”

“ I think it might be a great idea. “

Your eyes widened, you didn’t expect that and it seemed like Alastor and Baron Samedi were as surprised as you.

“ Her deal with me is to protect Alastor, if she keeps this power for Alastor’s use, I would allow it.” He nodded. “ It doesn’t break any rules.”

“ Then, she needs to be able to heal herself too. You told me I would be able to use her abilities but it seemed like it’s not going to happen any time soon. So I need her to be able to heal herself in case anything were to happen.”

“ When you will be powerful enough, trust me, Legba’s protégée won’t be able to do anything against you. You could just use the shadow to bring her to you.” Kalfu smirked, staring at Legba with a competitive glint in his eyes. 

You stared at Alastor who looked at you with an obsessive glint in his eyes. You bit your lips, being at Alastor’s mercy was… exciting. But you wouldn’t go down without a fight.

“ So, I’m sharing my healing power with our little doll?” asked Baron Samedi with a smirk. “ Well, why not, I can’t wait to work with you. You shall be able to heal yourself and Alastor.” he stretched his hand toward you. 

You looked at his hand. That was pure madness.

You shook his hand, staring at him.

You felt power invade you, swirling around you, making your hair move in the air.  You could feel the energy going from your hands towards your eyes, it was a strange sensation. You were used to Legba’s warmth when you were calling him but right now, you could feel only coldness in your veins and your eyes. 

You opened your eyes and looked at Baron Samedi who was grinning, holding a mirror in front of you.

“ A pleasure to work with you, doll.”

You looked at your red eyes which had now a purple hue inside them. You looked at Alastor who immediately took your face in his hands, staring at you. He frowned, keeping his smile, before wiping blood from your nose. You smiled at him to reassure him, you were feeling surprisingly great, exhausted but good.

“ Beautiful.” 

You grinned at him, feeling your cheeks warm as he looked at you with so many emotions.

“ Well, before leaving. Should we talk about the rituals?”

You sat on the chair and looked at the four men talking, you couldn’t hear anything. You were so tired… You should close your eyes for a minute, it should be enough. You couldn’t believe it, you were now someone who could heal… You wondered what kind of injuries, you should ask them…

“ Darling, open your eyes.”

You opened your eyes and smiled at Alastor before looking around, confused when you saw the empty basement. The only thing that remained from the spirits was the smell of tobacco. You looked at Alastor.

“ Did I fall asleep?”

“ I’m afraid you did, dearest.” He kissed your forehead with a soft gaze. “ We should sleep.”

You looked at his face, he seemed exhausted too. You nodded and stood up, walking out of the basement, walking toward his bedroom. You took Eamon in your arms, signing in bliss. After all those years, your plushie was still there.  

“ Undress, dear.”

You whined but undressed quickly, throwing your dress on his chair with the rest of your clothes. You bury yourself under the cover, trying to stay awake until you felt Alastor’s warmth against your back.

“ Is everything ready for the ritual..?” you asked, yawning. 

“ Yes, you don’t have to do anything.” He kissed your naked shoulder. “ You just have to think about the wedding.”

You nodded before falling asleep in your fiancée’s arms.

—------

“ I’m doing her makeup, back off woman, back off!”

You  laughed as Alice kicked off the woman who was supposed to do your makeup. You were in front of a big mirror in your wedding dress.

Today was the day you were to be wed to Alastor.

You looked as Alice came toward you to do your makeup and your hair. She had a big smile on her lips, her sapphire eyes shining with pure joy. You were touched that she was this happy for you.

“ I think we should do your hair up,showing off your neck and shoulders. You don’t have any hickeys, right?” She mocked you.

You rolled your eyes, chuckling. Of course not, you and Alastor haven’t seen each other for three days straight. You have told him that the groom wasn’t supposed to see the bride before the wedding or bad luck would be cast upon the married couple. He did laugh at you but you were now working with spirits so you didn’t want any chance with karma!

 However, Alastor did send his shadow toward you sometimes or he would stay under your window and you would both talk without looking at each other.  He did try to tempt you into giving up this silly traduction and just join him, but for once, you didn’t fall for his sweet words even if it was difficult. Alastor had his way with words after all, resisting him was very hard, and you did miss him.

“ You are going to look amazingly beautiful. You are going to take their breath away.”

Alice had a cute pink dress with pink and blue makeup, she looked beautiful. You knew Alyzée would just melt at her sight. 

After a little while you opened your eyes and gasped as you saw yourself in the mirror. You didn’t think you ever felt this beautiful. Alice really had a way to show people’s best traits. You stood up and turned around when you heard the door open and smiled when you saw your mother and father.

“ Oh, my little girl…” Your father walked toward you and hugged you gently. You were feeling so emotional but you couldn’t cry, you didn’t have the time to redo it again! “ Yesterday you were still calling me your prince charming.”

You laughed, hugging your mother who already had tears in her eyes.

“ Oh, sweetie. You look beautiful. Bravo, Alice. She looks even more breathtaking than usual.” 

“ I didn’t have to do much, really.” She waved her hand , smirking at you.

You rolled your eyes at her, smiling widely.

“ Is it time yet?”

“ Can I have just one moment with you before we leave for the aisle?” asked your father, taking your hands in his. You nodded, looking at your mother and Alice leaving you alone. “ I talked with Alastor.”

“ You tried to scare him?” you chuckled which made him laugh.

“ No, no. I made him make a promise. If he ever, which I don’t think is possible but, if he ever happened to lose feeling for you, I asked him to brough you back home. He doesn't need to hurt you because he lost feelings, I just asked him to take you home. You will always be my little girl, at your lowest I will be proud of you, at your best I will also be proud. Never doubt that you will always be welcome home as long as we are alive.” 

You tried so hard not to cry. You were this close to tell him everything, about the murders and everything but you held your tongue. You hugged your father tightly, those words smooth something inside you, you didn't even know needed to be appeased. 

“ I love you Dad.”

“ I love you too.” he kissed your forehead, wiping his tears. “ Ready for your future ?” he smiled at you.

You nodded, taking the bouquet before holding onto your father’s arm. You walked down the stairs, trying to calm your breathing. Your father put your veil in front of your face. You found that ironic. Everyone would see you with this mask on and the only one who was going to accept your twisted self was the one who was going to take the veil to truly see you.

Your father opened two big doors in front of you as the music started playing. You began to walk down the aisle, looking at the people around you. You smiled as you saw your mother wiping her eyes while Alice was almost sobbing on Alyzée’s shoulder. You watched as Mimzy gave you a thumbs up which made you chuckle.

And then you saw him.

Alastor was standing properly, his arms behind his back, his hair slicked back like you loved it. You couldn’t see much because of the veil but you thought you saw a curly lock on his forehead. 

Your father stopped next to Alastor, giving you to him.

You slid your hand into Alastor’s, shivering as you finally felt his touch after three days away from him. You saw his hand twitched before reaching for your veil, before lifting it so he could see you. You smiled warmly at him as you saw his eyes widened as he saw your face.

“ Who blessed me with you, I wonder…”

You didn’t want to cry right now. You were just feeling emotional, that was it!

You turned toward Alyzée’s father who began his speech. You weren’t really listening to his words, all of your attention was on Alastor’s hand who was stroking your hands. You didn’t notice but it was time to tell your vows. You turned toward Alastor, your eyes already wet from tears you refused to shed. 

Alastor was staring at you with a soft smile and a fond gaze. He chuckled when he saw your face.

“ I shall begin. We all know she is the most emotional between the two of us.” he smirked when the crowd laughed fondly. “ Dearest…”

You sniffed. There it was.

“  I don’t think I can recall a day where you weren’t at my side. Your voice is the best melody I can remember, your touch healed much more than any doctors could have achieved.  You are the first who showed me genuine emotions, you never hide yourself from me and the most important… I never felt the need to hide myself from you.”

You felt your lips wobble.

“ You waited, dearest, you waited for me to open myself to you, which is admirable in a lot of ways. But what was more important for me is that you didn't run away. You accepted me.” he kissed the back of your hand, keeping his eyes on yours. “ You decided to put your trust in me even though what we share isn’t what you used to believe in, right?” he chucked as you nodded with a shaky laugh. “ What I’m willing to give you is much more than what you have ever read, ever seen, ever experimented with. Death itself couldn’t tear us apart, I swear it , my love.”

You sobbed, your head bowing as you heard the new nickname. You tried to find something to wipe your tears and thanked Alice when she gave you a tissue. You looked at her and laughed a little when you saw she was sobbing  just like you. 

You tried to wipe the tears without running the makeup. You looked at Alastor who stared at you, caressing your cheek.

“ I shall love you in the way you accepted. In sickness, in health, poor, rich, I do not care. As long as you are by my side, this life is worth living.”

You smiled at him, tears gathering once more in your eyes. You saw Marie crying as everyone was clapping after Alastor’s speech. You bit your lips before taking a deep breath.

“ Alastor.” you smiled at him. “ I always thought I would have to learn how to love, that is one of the reasons I began to read romance books. And yet, I don’t think I ever question what was happening between us. I did wonder what it was called, but I didn’t have to learn to love you.” You shakily took a deep breath as you saw Alastor beamed at your words. “ It was just like breathing, it was natural.”

You squeezed his hands.

“ Being by your side is just like an evidence. Every choice I made until today, I don’t regret any of them. My heart, my mind, my soul is yours. Hell or Heaven, I know that if  we are together, no obstacles could bring us down. “ You felt tears in your eyes once more, your voice trembling. “ I love you so much, it might cost me my sanity, my love.”

You gasped as Alastor tugged you against him, caging you in his arms and squeezing you. You heard the crowd clapped as you hugged him as tight as you could. You took a step back after a moment, wiping your tears without running your makeup. You looked at the mayor who asked for the rings. You smiled when you saw your cousin’s child bring them with a happy grin.

You took the ring as Alastor did the same before sliding it on your finger. You did the same before taking his hands with yours. 

“ Alastor Sanglar do you take as your wife, Miss-”

“ I do.”

You chuckled as the crowd laughed. Alastor smiled at you, his eyes shining with so much emotion that were just for you. You felt like you could faint from happiness. 

“ Well, someone is eager!” the mayor laughed before looking at you. “ Do you take Alastor Sanglar as your husband?”

“ I do.”

“ I declare you husband and wife, you may now kiss the bride.”

You smiled as Alastor tugged you toward him, kissing you like tomorrow wouldn’t exist. You felt tears on your cheeks once more as you held his face between your hands. You broke the kiss, staying near him as the crowd was shouting and clapping.

“ I love you, Alastor.. I love you, I love you..” you whispered against his lips.

“ I love you, dearest, in a way that no human would dare to love.” he whispered back, making you kiss him one more time. 

You turned toward the crowd with a big smile. You looked at Alice who was clapping like her death was depending on it. Alyzée gave you a shy smile while Mimzy was winking at you, still giving you a thumb up.

You walked out of the town hall, holding on to your husband’s arms. You stayed on the stairs as journalists took pictures of you and Alastor. You laughed when the women were asking you to throw the bouquet. You turned your back to the crowd, closed your eyes and threw it.

“ Oh my gosh!”

You turned around and screamed in glee when you saw Alice with the bouquet. She walked toward you and hugged you, sniffing.

“ I’m so happy for you, sweetie.” she said.

You hugged her tighter before looking at the car, stopping in front of you. Alastor took your hand and guided you toward the vehicle before opening the door for you. The reception was going to happen in one of Alice’s father’s hotels, so you needed a car to go there but…

“ Is it our car..?”

“ A gift from Alyzée’s father.” he winked at you before you entered the car, Alastor closing the door behind you. He settled behind the wheel and began to drive until your destination.

“ I feel like I’m dreaming…” you sighed in bliss. 

“ I don’t think I ever felt this… happy.” you looked at Alastor who almost seemed confused. “ Even killing my father didn’t bring me this much joy. You really are something, my love.” he smirked as he parked in the hotel’s parking lot.

Once everyone has arrived you all went into the banquet hall. You looked at all the tables and the band that was on stage, preparing themselves. You sat next to Alastor as Alice walked toward you with a piece of paper.

She did a speech, an emotional sarcastic speech. You almost cried when she was talking about your friendship with her and how lucky she was to have you in her life. You did cry though when she shed a few tears and once she finished her speech you both fell into each other's arms. 

Mimzy also did a speech for Alastor, thanking him for being a friend , a gentleman she could trust.  

You almost bawled when Marie walked to do a speech. You felt Alastor’s grip on your hand tightened.

“ Mon bébé… Not everything has been easy, I’m well aware. You always asked me what you could do to make me smile, to make me happy.Well, mon coeur, by being happy, you make me the happiest mother on earth. Je t’aime, quoi qu’il puisse arriver, tu seras toujours mon fils que j’aime.”

You wiped your eyes but almost sobbed when you saw Alastor’s eyes beginning to have tears. You leaned against him, sniffling. At the end of Marie’s speech, you let his hand go as he stood up and walked toward his mother before hugging her tightly against him. 

You clapped with everyone as they stayed in each other's arms for a few minutes. When Alastor came back to you, you kissed his cheek with a soft smile. He gave you a vulnerable smile before taking your hand in his.

You looked as Alice’s father walked toward you.

“ Well, I do not know Alastor, but I know a woman who has always been by my daughter's side. No matter what was going on, she would take my daughter’s side. As a thank you, for being yourself, Mr and Mrs Sanglar, please accept as a wedding gift the house we wanted to sell.”

You almost fell from your chair as gasps could be heard around the room. Your eyes were wide open, you looked at Alice who seemed as shocked as you.

“ This is too much..!”

“ Please, it’s really a pleasure to give you such a gift.”

You looked at Alastor who seemed surprised too. He composed himself quicker than you and thanked the man, shaking his hand with a firm grip.

“ Well, now, we shall see the married one dance! Band, some music, please!”

Alastor guided you toward the dancefloor as a soft song began to be played. You danced with Alastor, never breaking eye contact with him.  He was moving you against him until he made a gesture to the band who began to change the music, they were now playing jazz.

You smiled widely at Alastor as you both began to dance, twirling, being lifted in the air, under everyone’s eyes. No one could detach their gaze from your. 

After a while, couples began to come dancing, you smiled when you saw Marie walking toward Alastor who gently took his mother for a slow dance. You danced with your father, his eyes still full of emotions.

You danced with Alice, with Alyzée, with Marie, with Victor, with Alastor. You danced until it was dark outside.

After a while you decided to take a break. You held your dress and left the party. You left the hotel, looking at the sky. You could already feel Alastor’s shadow behind you.

“ Mom, look, a princess !” You looked at a child who was pointing toward you.

“ No, she is a bride, my sweet.” she waved at you before leaving as you waved at the child.

You smiled as you closed your eyes, savoring the fresh air.

“ You look beautiful.”

You opened your eyes slowly and looked at John who was next to you. You didn't feel any anger, today was an amazing day that no one could ruin, spirits or humans.

“ Thank you.”

“ I…I’m here on behalf of my parents. Even if our friendship is no longer… They still wanted to congratulate you for your wedding, here.” he gave you a letter which you took. “ I’m not going to ruin your day so.. Goodbye.”

“ Are you going to finally leave Alastor and me alone?” you whispered but you knew he heard it because he froze.

“ … Goodnight Mrs. Sanglar.”

You watched him leave before going back to your wedding party. You smiled when you saw Alastor with a glass of whiskey , chatting with people. He looked at you as you entered the room, asking with his eyes if you were okay. You nodded before walking toward Alice who was drinking wine.

“ There she is ! Come on, girl ! You have your own home! Your own car! Your own husband!” she exclaimed while giving you a glass you quickly drank. You smiled at her.

“ I’m so happy I could faint.”

“ Please, don’t.”

You drank with Alice and Alyzée, even your mother and Marie joined you. After a moment, Alice and you went to the balcony so you two could speak. You weren’t sober anymore so you both were walking with difficulty which made you both laugh.

“ So~ Can’t wait for the honeymoon~?”

“ I don’t even know how I managed to not jump on him.” you giggled drunkenly with Alice.

“ Who are we talking about?”

You smiled as you turned around and saw a smiling Alastor.

“ We are talking about my husband.”

“ What a lucky fella! May I know what he looks like?” he smiled as Alice winked at you before leaving.

“ He looks… like sin.” you whispered as you stared at him. “ You shouldn’t be this close to me, you don’t want to meet his wrath.”

“ I’ll try my luck.” He kissed you, making you feel lighthearted. You grabbed his shoulder as you moaned his name. “ You’re finally my wife.” He looked at your ring.

“ You’re finally my husband.” you kissed his lips one more time as you both stared at each other with so much passion, tenderness, obsession, lust and love, it would almost make you faint.

“ I love you.”

Tag List: @lukneetoonz @martinys-world @littlepoetnova @sirens-and-moonflowers @eris-norwega @tiredflame132 @mo-0-o @vvollerie @sodavizz @boogiemansbitch @tessemerick @slytherin4ever @kammsinn @alastorssimp @t0xic1vi @diamond-almond @fangirlbitch02 @saccharine-nectarine @thenorthnightingale @bibliophile-yomna @itzjustj-1000 @mothraantics @yourdoorisunlocked @phamtasic @karmakillz @holographicage @sarcastic-sourwolf @akuraluna2468 @everwolf-20 @thesunandmoons-blog @songbrita @noraunor @fandomsbookclub @hokkaido97 @catticora @gasiacos

[jess-the-vampire]

Happy Arborgeist Day/ Hurl'ullack!

Checked out the storyboard for another deleted s1 episode "No Tree Left Behind"

You can read it here:

An episode about boiling isles holidays and traditions? interlaced with eda and lilith's sister drama? This one was actually pretty interesting, and got me even a little sad, despite it absolutely being non canon now.

Thoughts on the cut episode below:

Honestly this board really serves to remind me we didn't get to know a ton about the actual culture of the Boiling isles, like we kinda get to know the stuff witches do on the isles, what they eat, and the everyday stuff they get into....but not so much about it's culture. You can kinda chalk that up to belos a little but this boarded episode was basically about keeping tradition and making new memories, even in spite of change, so it more or less feels like the crew either didn't have time for this or had other things to focus on.

So the culture of the island is a lot more in the background in the actual series as it keeps it's focus more on the characters dealing with their personal issues and with the conflict at hand.

Speaking of which, despite belos being the bad guy for his hatred and fear of witches, can't deny....the culture of the isles is quite disturbing at times that i can understand that not all humans are gonna have luz's extreme acceptance. Like king's holiday is primarily the celebration of demon overlords and is very casual about maiming others to present to the deity when talking about it. If the isles was a real place i think most humans would be a bit disturbed.

Anyways, king's part of the episode, while funny at times, is the least interesting of the two, the real emotional core is the A plot with eda and luz.

(I did think the scene with willow and gus was fun tho)

There is one scene where i think another demon calls king insensitive for putting the wrong bloodthirsty battle painting of demon history on display and king being like "Tomatoes, tomatoes, it's all the same and not a big deal", and the guy gets SUPER offended and i don't know how to take this scene.

Eda is such a menace during the holidays my god

Luz trying to tell Eda it's ok if her celebration tree is gone because she and her mama celebrated all holidays even if it wasn't on the correct day, and it was more about family in the end then the tree itself.

Only for it to be revealed this tree meant so much to eda because it reminded her of the days she and her sister got along is actually pretty heartbreaking.

Even Lilith, who, despite threatening luz's life to get her way, still has a moment of sadness for the fallen tree you can really feel from the panels. It's really good.

We get some moments for both the construction coven and the plant coven, though the construction coven acts more like.....an actual construction team.

The plant coven members being old guys had some fun jokes tho, think it's cute one wanted to intern willow at the end.

Also kiki cameo.

I know this is a canned episode, but i'm a bit glad we don't have an episode where some of the jokes are about eda telling luz their holiday traditions involve them all being naked and dancing around a tree, this....would of been taken a weird way.

also witches might be able to remove their SKIN??????!!!!

Also this board just remined me how inconvenient it really is that the coven guards don't have palisman, like eda just.....easily flies away from them and they can't catch up to her. Like this is an incredibly bad security system if your trained guards can't even fly up and chase after criminals, like my god.

One reason for sure you know this is basically non canon is apparently the tree in question, the Arborgeist. Is the tree that eda made her staff from, and there's only 10 of these on the entire isles that i assume supply all the palisman.

Basically, these were the proto palistrom trees.

I can kinda see why this was changed, like even if we take it that belos is cutting them down for his palisman eating, this would just raise the question why he's doing it NOW of all times. But on top of that, these rare trees that apparently only show up once per generation all being cut down at once feels like the kinda thing that would REALLY tick off the isles, especially if all palisman are being supplied by it.

Having the trees just be a normal thing that was depleting due to his consumption makes both him seem less suspicious, and the witches seem less dumb for just being....ok that they're not going to make staffs anymore.

It's implied they don't protest mostly out of fear, but still.

Also belos's, i assume fake, reasoning for chopping down the trees is apparently "We can't have you people celebrating non-coven holidays" and it's just, it's so petty.

granted, it's much more meaningful to actually SEE the tree being cut then having it be stated offscreen like in the show. Like even the resolution to this episode, as in, finding a sapling they plant, is still an offscreen thing in the final series. Where they just talk about replanting trees.

And of course, we gotta have a dance party ending, tho i do think the last scene tying back to the tale eda told about the holiday is very cute.

So it seems a lot of elements of this episode were more split between multiple episodes.

Still, a pretty decent episode, moreso for the main plot but the boards do great at really making you feel for eda and lilith despite it not even being animated.

[creative-type]

The Romanticism of One Piece

I’m always amazed by how Oda has managed to stay thematically consistent for more than two decades while writing a thousand plus chapter epic about silly pirates having fun chasing their dreams. One Piece, at its core, is about the dawn of a romantic adventure, and its been that way since volume one, chapter one.

But romance is one of those terms whose meaning as shifted over the years and is drastically misunderstood. So what is literary romance, and how does One Piece fit within its framework?

Well buckle up, folks. This is gonna be a long one.

Romanticism as a movement started in the late 18th century, and is described by Isaiah Berlin as the “the greatest single shift in the consciousness of the West”. The modern ideas of childhood, imagination,  and sentimentality were born here. It’s a rejection of society’s constraints in favor of impossible yearning for impossible goals. Romantics were restless and passionate, and embraced the magnitude of their feeling over the scientific rigors of the Age of Reason.

Sound familiar?

Romanticism gets its name from the old medieval ballads (themselves written in the Romantic languages) that became popular with the growing movement. The 19th century was a period of incredible change. Industrialization, urbanization, and the development of the middle class were all new. Revolution, both industrial and political, was changing the course of the world forever. The Romantics worshiped heroes of the past (in fact, the term hero worship was coined during this time) and sought a return to nature. William Wordsworth famously lobbied against the building of railways in his beloved Lake District, and much of the art of the time, whether it be painting or poetry, focused heavily on man’s relation with nature

In addition to rebelling against traditional political structures, the Romantics also broke away from the traditional religious teaching, many believing that man found enlightenment not through theology or the bible, but by study and attunement with nature. One of proto-Romantic writer Jean-Jaques Rousseau’s most influential works Emile, or On Education was banned in parts of Europe and even publicly burned due to its ideas on natural religion.

All of this leads to the Romantic pursuit of the sublime. While Enlightenment thinkers would often attempt to remove themselves emotionally from what they were experiencing in order to understand said experience through objective, immutable fact, the Romantics sought emotion, awe, and reverence that transcended rational thought. They celebrated and marveled at the wonders of creation, allowing themselves to be consumed by emotion and experience. These were not stoic people, and its here where One Piece truly begins to shine as a work of Romantic art

The world of One Piece, particularly once the story gets to the Grand Line, is chalk full of impossible wonder and whimsy. Each island visited along the journey is a feast for the eyes, and Oda’s art does each distinct and incredible location every justice. Luffy has no desire to see the boring or everyday, and he has no qualm in expressing his excitement everywhere he goes. Oda has made the conscious decision never to let the reader look into Luffy’s thoughts via thought bubbles, but the audience is still able to connect with him because they are always aware of what he he is feeling. Every smile takes up half his face, every sadness drawn as a sniveling wreck. Logical ideas are routinely rejected in favor of desired experiences, and Luffy himself rejects the opportunity to hear the answer to the series’s biggest questions because to him, the journey is more important.

It’s important that Luffy’s mindset isn’t all that common, even a world as wild and wacky as One Piece. As the Jaya arc proves, Roger’s execution initially inspired a generation of pirates to go out and follow their dreams, but in the twenty years since his death that ideaolgy has crumbled under the weight of a new wave of dreamless pragmaticism, the same way the Romantic movement gave way to the Realists who followed. 

Luffy’s Romantic spirit stands out, even amongst the Straw Hat Pirates. Many of the Straw Hat’s character arcs involve Luffy helping to remove the blocks that prevent them from living out their Romantic ideals. As the series progresses, the crew inches towards embodying that freedom of spirit that Luffy exemplifies. What that looks like for each crewmate is different (Romanticism is highly individualistic, after all) but they’re given the opportunity to live out that ideal because of their association with Luffy.

This theme of freedom of expression and pursuit of dreams follows the Straw Hats wherever they go on both the micro and macro level. The Romantic pursuit of self-determination bleeds over nearly every arc with Luffy at its epicenter, until it comes to a crescendo during the Wano arc, when the true nature of Luffy’s fruit comes to light for the first time.

Luffy is the beating heart of One Piece’s Romanticism. He specifically imbues many of the Romantic ideals of childhood, such as innocence, joy, and being unprejudiced by a corrupting society. He’s uncomplicated yet passionate, without a care in the world for what anyone else thinks about him, and because of that disregard for authority he comes off as equal parts wise and naive.

In Emile, Rousseau lays out his idea of childhood education, which doesn’t include a classroom so much as the child’s interaction with the world, emphasizing the senses and building on the child’s own observations and inferences. The Romantic child was instinctual and in tune with nature, and a character like Luffy growing up on the fringes of society while spending most of his time romping around in the woods would not be out of place (see Mary Robinson’s The Savage of Aveyron, based on the real story of a feral boy that had been found in France).

What makes Luffy different is that he never loses that simplicity of character even as he interacts with an increasingly complex world. Yes, he matures both as a person and a captain, bearing the weight of terrible loss and difficult decisions, but he does it still while maintaining that curious mix of selfish desire to do whatever he wants and selfless sacrifice towards the people he cares about. Luffy doesn’t want to be a hero, but remains uncorrupted by the malevolent social hierarchies that rule One Piece’s world.

But for all the ways One Piece is a Romantic story, the philosophy of the series departs in several key places. The Romantics of the late 18th and 19th centuries were reacting to the anxieties brought around by the Industrial Revolution and the subsequent urbanization that came along with it, while One Piece belongs squarely to the post-modern era of the 21st. While both glorify a long-gone past, what that past looks like is very different. One Piece fully embraces technology and progress, as best seen during the conflict between Noland and Calgura in the Skypia flashback. While industrialization is sometimes portrayed negatively (see Wano) it’s just as likely to be seen in a positive light (Water 7), and the mysterious civilization of the Void Century was more technologically advanced than the present day manga, not less.

What’s more important than modernization and technological advance is the ways people use said technology. The beautifully rendered locations along the Straw Hat’s journey are just as likely to be vast stretches of wilderness as bustling metropolises, and that search of wonder and the sublime is equally likely to be found in both.

More importantly, I think, is that the Romantics of old were solitary creatures, brooding and isolated from the people around them. There was a preoccupation of creating art devoid of outside influence. The sublime was a deeply personal experience that by its very nature could not be shared with others. Melancholy, loss, solitude, and death were preoccupations of the Romantic mind, the price of visionary genius being social isolation.

One of the most famous Romantic heroes of the 19th century was Thomas Chatterton, a young genius of a poet who, in the midst of poverty and depression killed himself at the age of 17. He was immortalized in paintings and poems, and his influence can be felt to this day by the persistence of the trope of the suffering artist that he, and countless others, helped codify.

One Piece is the story of a boy who rejects the confines of society in search of his own freedom, but he does not do so alone. Luffy is driven as much by the desire to be with his friends as he is by his desire to find the One Piece. The series agrees that risking death is an acceptable part of chasing ones dream, but rejects the notion that it should be sought out or celebrated. It’s better to live an undignified life in the hope of a better tomorrow than to give into an easy death.

And that’s the fascinating part about how philosophies evolve over time, because as much as One Piece borrows from the Romantic era of the 18 and 19th centuries, it isn’t a Romantic story, just as how no amount of research and copying of style could ever turn a historical novel written today into a product of the era its trying to emulate. Oda has taken an old idea and made it into something new, using that idea as the guide for the entire series. Like sun, guiding to the dawn of a new era.

A Romance dawn, if you will. 

[spideyanakin]

always remember us this way (e.m)

summary - corroded coffin member!reader, what if you wrote 'always remember us this way' for Eddie Munson?

warnings - sad ending, star is born vibes im sry :(, mention of sex

word count: 7.3k

thank you @inknopewetrust for proof reading some bits <3

back to main masterlist

eddie munson masterlist

That passion in your heart, burnin' in your eyes.

You fiddled with your pen as you watched Eddie from the other corner of the classroom. He was somewhere else; eyes distant and removed from the room you both occupied with 25 other bored souls. Mrs. Click was a drag. Her red manicured hands gripped the white chalk as it scratched the green stone.

The sound pulled him out of his stupor. He mumbled something incoherently and drew his pencil onto his paper. 

On the other side of the room, you couldn’t focus at all. 

A tune was haunting you. It was singing in the back of your mind as the melody began to swim around you. The notes of a song begging to be put onto a page and heard around the world. It was all you could think about; refrains coming to you two days ago when the boy across the room was six-feet-deep in a game of Dig Dug on your last date at the arcade.

A rhythm that you couldn't get out of your skin.

The mix of game chants and arcade music melted into one beat that you ended up humming all night. Fingers mindlessly drumming on the side of machines every time Eddie played his turn. 

You knew that when night fell, Eddie could sense you had music dancing in your mind. It was what brought you two together, after all. The melodies of songs that shaped a life; how stories could express feeling without ever feeling too vulnerable. Eddie knew the sensation all too well. For many a night he had been the victim of that vacant expression and mindless humming of the same few lines over and over.

You were so lost in the tune that when Eddie’s turn was over and he had been defeated for the ten millionth time that evening, his eyes burning a hole into your head hadn’t even fazed you. There you were, half leaning against the machine with eyes glazed over on the odd shapes and colors that danced on the carpet your polished shoes touched. Perhaps you could see the lyrics on the floor. The shapes and colors filled with blues and yellows jumped from their home and painted a score above. 

He called your name once. He called it twice. 

"What are you thinking about?" 

Eddie leaned on the machine’s panel that separated him from you, whispering the words in your ear. The light from Dig Dug illuminated his profile. He belonged in a place like this. A place where he could be free and seen and heard. No bands needth play when the song of Eddie Munson’s eyes filled your soul with warmth. Goosebumps passed through you. You blinked away the music from your mind and caught his gaze. 

He was looking at you with so much love you thought you were about to burst. Leaning so close you could see the tiny sparks of gold in his eyes.

One of his hands came to hold yours, reaching up with his ring-clad fingers to play with the bracelet he had gifted you two weeks before–a dark blue band with mini skulls braided in. It screamed Eddie and that's probably why you loved it so much. He had never seen you take it off since he had gifted it, and it made a small smile appear on his lips each time he saw it where it was meant to be.

And that's when the first piece of lyrics came into mind.

'You look at me and, babe, I wanna catch on fire'

When the words started fitting together in your mind, you could feel the way it made you flustered—heat creeping up your neck and traveling up to your cheeks.

You really did feel like you were about to catch on fire that evening.

Two days later, in the desks of Mrs. Click’s class, you tapped your pen on the back of your hand as it rested over a loose-leaf sheet of paper that had scribbled lyrics that kept popping up. It was like catching butterflies with the words. They came and went, difficult to grasp and hold onto if you didn’t have a pen handy. 

That passion in your heart, burnin' in your eyes

You look at me and, babe, I wanna catch on fire

It's buried in my soul, like California gold

You found the light in me that I couldn't find

The words “CHORUS” were written in sloppy big letters in the middle of the page. You scratched your head with the back of your pen, pouting as you tried to reach unknown corners of your brain for any kind of inspiration.

You had been on literal fire writing the first stanza. The words flowed freely and quickly and without remorse that perhaps it was cheesy that a boy in high school who you envisioned a life with had inspired those lyrics. 

When you look at me and I can't find the words

When the sun goes down,

And the clouds all fade

You looked back to Eddie in hopes something would appear. He was the reason for the song, the whole why as to why those words had made their way to the page in the first place. You watched as he scribbled something of his own, dropping his pencil onto his own desk before suddenly turning his head around and meeting your eyes.

It would be a lie to say that you weren’t caught off guard. Seized in the midst of your contemplation, in mid quest to squeeze any more inspiration out of the being that was Eddie Munson.

He smirked, mouthing something but you couldn’t do anything back. You could barely make out his words. He made you all choked up. Your cheeks started to burn again at the simple thought of him. His smirk, his pretty face… it all disappeared as he turned his head back around.

 He really had to choose now to be a good student?

You munched on the tip of your pencil before eying your page again. And as a light went off, you felt like scribbling something new. 

So when I'm all choked up

When you look at me and I can't find the words.

~

"You keep staring lately." 

Eddie took you by surprise, making you jump as he appeared behind you and laid his  chin on your shoulder.

"I always stare… you’re my boyfriend, Eds," you pointed out, tightening your grip on your piece of paper where your lyrics had been written—hoping he wouldn’t see it.

"Then there’s something different to your stare," he offered, leaving his place at your shoulder to step in front of you.

You grinned, shaking your head and smiling before leaning in for a kiss.

There was something so cheesy about being one of those couples you had once snickered about in the halls. Love had not reached you then. It hadn’t filled every part of your being with the pure adrenaline and immense pleasure it could provide by looking at the one you loved. It had never been obvious to you before that what those people had, you now did too and it was something you would never trade for the world. 

"Maybe it’s just because you’ve finally realized how desperately in love I am," you whispered against his lips and Eddie thought he could melt right there. He too had felt that love. He knew the Earth could swallow him whole and he would fly up to a heaven knowing that the girl of his dreams had loved him back. 

Instead of answering with words, he brushed a strand of hair that had fallen onto your forehead, gently pressing a new kiss to your lips.

"I love you so much" he breathed out, leaning against you as your foreheads touched. The bell sounded–the passing period was over. Eddie backed away, raised his arm to lay over your shoulders and the two of you bounded off to class for the fifth hour of the day.

~

Eddie's bed was filled with random papers, scattered pencils, and mini figurines—your two bodies mingled in the middle of it all. Your chin rested on his bare chest while your legs were tangled up together.

You watched him frown as he dropped the paper he was holding and blindly tried to find another one. He wiggled under you in an attempt to fetch a half-crumpled piece of paper from the other corner of the bed, succeeding after a minute of struggle.

You chuckled at his theatrics. He was never one for subtlety. He moved the paper away from his face to meet your eyes and grin back at you.

"How's that campaign going?" You murmured, almost too scared to break the silence.

For the past thirty minutes, the only noise that could be heard were the rustling of the trees and the uneven buzzing of the fridge coming from the living room mixed with yours and Eddie's pencils scribbling on paper.

It all started an hour and a half ago, when you both couldn't sleep. You thought that maybe tearing each other's clothes off and moaning the other’s names would have been enough to put you to sleep—but there you were at 2 am, after having cooked a box of cheap mac and cheese that had been bought so long ago it expired in a week. You were wearing the shirt he had been wearing that day while he was just in his boxers.

You still felt guilty for laughing at him when hot cheese splashed onto his chest, slightly burning him. You had been a laughing mess when you scolded him for not wearing a shirt while cooking. It was dangerous, you had to chuckle at the act as it was so abundantly Eddie. 

But now the bowls rested empty in the sink and Eddie was focusing on his campaign while you continued to think of the song that haunted your very being. The melody wasn’t catching. The lyrics weren’t forming and the ones that had stuck, from earlier that morning, loomed over your head like a big raincloud. 

Sleep was still far from both your eyes.

"It’s going well," he beamed, lifting his head while you perched yourself off him to steal a kiss.

You leaned back into the position you were in and watched as he began to work again. He grabbed a D&D figurine from the box he had almost fully emptied on the bed minutes prior. He inspected it, trying to find any specific detail that could be scoured for ideas before diving back into his paper and scribbling something new.

You couldn’t keep your eyes away from his face. To the way his tongue slipped between his lips in focus, or how he drew in his eyebrows, and tapped the tip of his pencil to his temple.

He scrunched up his nose before using the little space left on his chest next to your head to erase his scribbling.

You sighed in content. Tracing circles on his skin with your free hand, you had to force your eyes away from his face to look back at your page of writing.

The lyrics slowly began to take shape. The melody wished to fly from your mind and out from your lips, the tune familiar to him. Eddie had heard it for two days straight and couldn’t place it. He knew it was new. He knew it was original.

Your hums broke Eddie's train of thought and he brought his attention back to you, a figurine still in his hand as the pencil wavered in the other. 

"You keep humming this tune lately. I don’t recognize it," he spoke. 

You felt the joy of songwriting leap from you. There was a grin on your face that threatened to hurt your face. You were certain that you were smiling so hard that the strain in your cheeks was unnatural. 

"That's because I made it up,” you admitted. “It came to me that night at the arcade." 

Eddie's face lit up. He dropped the paper he was holding to give you his full attention. Everything in his hands disappeared and found refuge on the floor. 

"I've started writing lyrics to it as well," before you could even try and say something else, anything else to sell him your song, he was already wiggling himself away from the bed and walking to his guitars scattered around the room. 

He didn’t have much, but what he had was certainly enough. 

"Electric or Acoustic?" He asked, hand on his hips as he pointed to his most precious possessions.

"Acoustic… It’s 2 am, Eds, you don’t want to wake the whole trailer park," you chuckled.

"Who said I was plugging in an amp?" He turned to you, eyebrow quirked high in judgment before you gave him a flat face. He was joking. 

"I'm still going to pick Acoustic," he rolled his eyes before grabbing his black guitar and settling with it on the carpet.

He waited until you followed him. Eddie patted the floor in front of him as if to say, ‘hurry up, we haven’t got all night.’ So, you sat right in front of him with your paper delicately placed between the two of you. Lyrics now exposed to the world, the melody was beginning to be strummed without rhyme nor reason, just talent and the sheer excitement of producing something new. 

"What’s it about?" He questioned aloud as he started fiddling with the strings and pegs.

"You.” 

Eddie’s fingers froze in place. Head raising to meet your eyes, his face brightened and he gave you his best grin before muttering:

"Will you sing it for me?"

Butterflies fluttered in your stomach as they caught the lyrics. 

"Ok," you cleared your throat before reaching for the paper on the floor. You already knew the lyrics. They had been burned into your soul by this point because it’s the only thing you’ve been able to think about for 48 hours. But, you needed something to distract you from his burning gaze. "You ready?" 

“To hear you sing? Always,” you blushed. His hands were already clasping his guitar, impatient to hear you.

"Also, it's far from being finished–"

“Sweetheart,” Eddie let out a breath,  “just sing,”

“Alright,” you shifted on your spot "Ok,"

"Ok," Eddie repeated with a smile. Nodding, as if to tell you everything was going to be just fine.

"That passion in your heart,” you sang in the way you imagined you could hear it on the guitar. The rhythm and the pacing; all of it was to be done without the chords but the silence of the room and the tonal shifts in your voice. 

“Burnin' in your eyes. You look at me and, babe, I wanna catch on fire,” your head was low, eyes fixed on your lyrics as Eddie's jaw almost dropped to the floor, his heart beating in his ears.

"It's buried in my soul, like California gold, you found the light in me that I couldn't find," he thought he was going to melt right there on the carpet of his bedroom floor as the words sunk in.

"So when I'm all choked up, but I can't find the words," you raised your melody, knowing you hadn't any lyrics to this part yet. You weren’t sure what would fill the space when your mind stopped working and all that was left was the loud, thumping of your heart and a mind that raced to find the words that Eddie Munson made you feel. 

"When the sun goes down and the clouds all fade," you let out a bit more, until you stopped and finally gathered the courage to stare up at him as the words disappeared from mind. 

"I think I've found lyrics for the next verse, but I'm not sure yet," you commented, dropping the paper on the ground again, meeting Eddie’s starstruck eyes with clarity. 

You waited for him to say something, anything, that would make your anxiety about sharing this piece of work with him go away. But when he didn’t reply, his eyes just stared wide at you, mouth agape, heat climbed up to your cheeks and you suddenly felt shy. 

"So… what do you think?" you barely mumbled under your breath. 

"Are you sure this is really about me?" He asked, jolted that someone would write a passionate song about him.

"Yes, silly!" you took the lyrics on that loose-leaf sheet of paper and slapped at his chest lightly. "You've been judging me for staring at you too much lately! I'm sorry to say, but you inspire me and if staring at you is going to get me to write, then I’ll do it forever." 

A bright smile appeared on his lips and before you knew it, his guitar was on the floor and he was kissing you.

"What's the next verse?" He muttered in between kisses, hovering over you as you reached to get the paper back. 

"Tonight's scenery," your eyes scanned over the page and back to his eyes. You never wanted to look away from them, pools of honey that melted with his love for you. They were softened by his smile, you had to steal another kiss before you could read the rest to him.

"Lovers in the night, poets tryin' to write, we don't know how to rhyme, but damn we try"

"How are you so damn good at writing?"

"Because you inspired me," you tucked a rogue curl behind his ear.

"We’ve got to show this to the rest of the band!"

"It's not finished though!" you shrieked at the possibility of those boys witnessing this song in its incomplete nature. "It's far from being finished!"

"That's alright!” Eddie brushed it aside. “We can at least work on the melody with them if you'd like? We don't have to show them the words just yet."

He was so sincere. So honest and considerate. It made those words jittery on your fingertips; an itch to write again and put down more of what Eddie meant to you. 

“Ok,” you nodded at him, a smile of your own creeping its way onto your face. “That would work.” 

~

“This is useless,” Gareth pointed out, throwing his drumsticks to the floor and tugging at his hair. “Without Eddie were never going to get the proper rhythm, no offence Y/n.”

“Non-taken,” you shrugged, biting your lip as you looked down to your instrument. 

It was a cheap blue and pink electric guitar you had gotten two christmas’s ago. It suddenly felt heavy, hanging by the strap wrapped around one shoulder. It wasn’t as near powerful or clean sounding as Eddie’s ‘second sweetheart’. The notes didn’t sound as graceful and as Rock’N’Roll as his warlock did. Your fingers tapped on the side of it, you occasionally played it as a backup for Eddie’s, never even attempted to lead using it. 

It didn’t make the situation any better that you didn’t know how to play like Eddie, and that factor seem to aggravate the mood even more.

You knew that if Eddie had been absent with a reason, it wouldn’t have affected this rehearsal one bit. You had practiced multiple times without him before: like when he got caught up in detention or what ever odd side quests Eddie Munson was up to that week.

But this time, something was wrong and it was buzzing in the dusty Hawkins air, slithering through the streets and making people double lock their doors at night and barely leaving their homes. The paranoia was becoming unsettling, and it was starting to bubble in the stuffy air of Gareth’s garage.

Eddie had gone missing for two days now, he had left you soon after your last campaign, and you hadn’t seen him since. It didn’t help that Wayne Munson wouldn’t answer your calls and that Dustin Henderson refused to answer any of your questions. He’d told you a vague ‘He’s alright, don’t worry’, before scurrying off and getting into Steve Harrigton’s car, leaving with unanswered questions and mixed feelings.

No one wanted to tell you the truth and you had gotten answers from no one. 

The rest of the band knew as little as you did. 

There had been a murder at the trailer park, and Eddie had gone missing.

You also knew it wouldn’t be long before the police came at your doorstep to ask you about Eddie. You were just grateful Wayne hadn’t let your name slip.

Great.

Just great. 

“You know what,” you spoke up, breaking the heavy silence. “Let’s just cancel band practice today,” you removed the guitar strap from your shoulders, heading to put it back in your case. “I don’t think any of us can focus.”

“Yeah,” the boys muttered, watching you leave without another word. 

They all knew this was taking a toll on you, and all felt like they could use a good rest anyways. 

You missed Jason, his gang and Lucas by luck that day.

~

“Hey, do you hear that?” Eddie jumped, a faint whisper of a voice making the hair on his arm spike, goosebumps tumbling down his spine. 

The upsidedown was already a creepy place, and the last thing Eddie needed was whispers to start haunting him–he seriously didn’t know how much longer he could last in this place.

“Hear what?” Nancy turned, her torchlight lighting up Eddie’s face.

“I thought I heard a whisper,” Eddie muttered, eyes squinting from the light aggression. 

“Didn’t hear anything,” Robin concluded and continued her walk through the dodgy forest.

Eddie recognised this place, they were already far from lover’s lake and were almost by the main road, not far from where you lived. 

He bit his lip as he thought of you. He hated not telling you anything, but he knew it was to protect you. He couldn’t risk that the the evil he was wittnissing first hand to get to you, or hurt you in any way. He knew he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if anything were to happen.

“Eddie,”

He jumped like a startled cat, the whisper had been clear, sharper. 

“This time you guys must have heard it too!” He whined, gulping when everyone turned around with annoyed looks on their faces.

“Litsen, we’re not going to make it far if you keep stopping because you think you heard something!” Steve grumbled towards the metalhead, the aggravated look on his face becoming more serious. Steve’s hand was impatiently resting on his hip, now covered by Eddie’s battle jacket.

“I don’t think! I heard it loud and clear!” Eddie spoke up, matching Steve’s tone. “It called my name.”

“Great, now were loosing Eddie!” Robin whined before taking a step towards him and snapping her fingers in front of his face. “Get it together, Munson! We have to find a way out of here!”

“Right, sorry,” Eddie shook his head and continued his walk, pushing away what ever was happening to him–and ignoring the unknown whispers that nagged at his ear.

“Eddie please, answer me,” your fingers gripped the side of your talkie, in hopes that maybe, just maybe he would answer you. 

But by the fourth time you called, the talkie unwinglingly dropped from your hand, tumbling from your bed to find a new home on the carpet of your bedroom floor. 

Eddie had been missing for four days.  

Four days of escaping Jason, four days of trying to squeeze an answer out of anyone. 

“Eds, where are you?” You whispered to yourself, closing your eyes as your head fell straight into your pillow, clutching it at your side as you tried not to cry.

You hadn’t left your room today, only muttering a thank you to your mom for lying to Jason when he came at your door, again.

Things were leading to nowhere and the rumours were doing nothing good for your spiralling thoughts.

You lifted your head up from your pillow, sighing as your eyes caught a polaroid of you and Eddie. It had been taken by Gareth right after one of your gigs at The Hideout. You remembered Eddie asking you to do his eyeliner a few hours prior. You had neatly applied it all around his eyes as if he had been Billy Idol prepping for a concert, but after shredding his guitar like freaking Jimmy Hendrix on that small crooked stage, he looked more like a slanky raccoon than a rockstar.

His arm was wrapped around your shoulders, your hair was as wild as Eddie’s, going all over the place from the hour of performing. Both your eyes sparkled with some kind of after show high, but yours held something else entierly as you looked at Eddie. You looked so in love it only reminded you how much you cared about him.

About how much he means to you.

Stop. You decided it was enough sulking for one day. Swinging your legs on the side of your bed, socked feet touching your soft carpet before you snatched your notebook and pen from your nightstand, throwing it on the floor before taking your acoustic guitar from it’s spot on your wall. Your eyes barely caught the ‘This machine slays dragons’, spray painted in pink–done by Eddie himself on a rainy afternoon.

You sighed as you crossed your legs, resting the guitar on the edges of your thighs before starting to tune it, mindlessly twisting the pegs as you tride to push the ache from your heart away–maybe even channel it into words and music. 

You opened your notebook, hoping to find something to save you, but it was just a reminder. The song still rested on the white pages, words mending together in pretty loops of letters. You had almost finished it before he vanished, and even if writing music had been the last thing on Corroded Coffin’s mind, it was the only thing that could keep you from spirialing. The only thing that kept you sane in this mess of a situation. 

The page you were staring at had been wrinkled by your aggressive erasing during the past few days. The pencil writing of your most recent words were already smudged from the tears and constant doubting on the way it sounded with your melody.

But all I really know, you're where I wanna go, 

And maybe, just maybe if you had told him these words before you would know where he is. Maybe you’d be with him and help him sort through this mess.

 ~

A week.

A week of silence.

And Hawkins had crumbled under your feet.

Your grip tightened on the cardboard box filled with clothes to donate. You had gone alone–sent by your mother who had been too busy to go herself. You tried to calm down your nerves as you walked in through the large double doors of the gymnasium. You didn’t know why anxiety was munching at your stomach, threatening to swallow you whole–but the bad feeling was rising in your chest and you couldn’t push the intuition away.

You caught a glimpse of Dustin talking to Wayne, frowning when the conversation didn’t look very joyous. Dustin had his fist closed, handing something you couldn’t see from that far to the older man sitting in front of him.

“You should give it to her yourself,” Wayne mumbled, pushing away the boy’s hand away. 

Dustin blinked, shock seeping through him at the suggestion. God he didn’t know how he would even tell you.

And just like that Dustin found your eyes. You were already looking at him from the distance–eyes wide in silent question–maybe also fear; he couldn’t be sure, he couldn’t know until he actually talked to you. 

He gulped.

Dustin’s face held nothing but anguish and the closer he was to you the better you could see the tear stains on his cheeks and the slight glaze in his eyes.

He didn’t have to even speak. He didn’t even need to voice it–the look in his eyes said everything that needed to be said.

Tears prickled at your eyes and you felt the sudden erge to throw up. The feeling rose and your heart physically started to ache–was that what grief felt like? Was that the feeling that came crashing onto your body like waves onto cliffs.

You didn’t even know what Dustin had said. It was all a distant echo, a distant voice in a parallel reality–muffled by the way your body’s reaction.

You caught some words. Sentences that didn’t ease the feeling.

‘He talked about you t’il the end.’

‘He didn’t want to put you in danger.’

‘He really, really loved you.’

‘He left this for you’

You didn’t know how long ago he had left. How long you had been standing there–Eddie’s pick necklace resting against your palm. 

But it was long enough for you to register the sudden feeling of loneliness, washed up from the storm on the shores of your mind. 

Your other half was gone.

~

"This is um- the song" You zipped up your bag, slipping out the tear-stained paper you had spent the last few days blankly staring at. Maybe hoping it would bring him back.

Jeff grabbed it without a word, giving you a tight smile. You could see he had been crying too.

You looked away as his eyes started shifting across the paper. You looked at the small window of Gareth's garage, the sunset bringing the rays of golden hour across the musty room.

If he had been here, everyone would have taken a break and you would all be watching the sunset. You'd be wrapped in his arms giggling to some dumb joke he made about whatever was on his mind.

But that wasn't the case.

And everything felt so dull now.

You looked around. You were slouched onto an old green bean bag chair, the one you and Eddie would fight over every single band practice, but now he wasn’t there to fight you for it–you had the dirty, half empty and wrapped up in duck tape poor exuse for a sagbag all to yourself. The used up thing didn’t even look appealing anymore, and you hoped Gareth would throw it away for your sake. 

The garage’s owner was blankly staring at his cymbals, drum sticks barely hanging from his hand and threatening to drop on the carpet. He looked like hell, not much of a difference from his band mates if you were honest.

Jeff's bass was hanging low around his shoulders as he read, tears nudging at his eyes.

"You- you wrote this?" The strain in his voice was evident. "For Eddie?"

"I wrote it with Eddie, but I want to change a lyric, before we um, do anything with it."

"Yeah go ahead," he blinked the shock out of his eyes.

The lyrics felt so beautiful, so magical. To him, you and Eddie had been nothing but one of those high school couples that would either go on to get married, just to have that classic white picket fence life or end up breaking up before graduation. Nothing more, nothing less.

But as he looked at you wiping tears off your cheeks he realized it was so much more, and it had always been so much more.

The both of you were never going to fall into either of these two options. The two of you had always been the odds one out of the pack, the whole of Hawkins had been a witness to they way your crazy minds worked–but your relationship didn’t just hold on your similarities. The two of you had been in love, truly in love. Like the type of love Aragorn and Arwen shared, or the one in the stupid movies channel six passed on friday nights. The ones poets wrote about and people died for. 

You were meant to be rock stars together as you crossed the world. The two of you were supposed to be the pillars of this band, the glue that would hold everything and see members come and go. He didn’t know why it took him all this mess to realise. 

"You want to read it?" You looked at Gareth who looked up from his drum set with a blank expression.

"I'd rather hear you sing," he muttered.

"Alright,” you cleared your throat. "Can you-" You were about to ask if he could play the guitar for you but remembered that was Eddie's job. Jeff played bass, and Gareth was on the drums. "Nevermind," you took the decision on your own–you’d do it accapella.

You weren’t bad at guitar, you knew how too strum a few simple chords, but you weren’t Eddie.

"When the sun goes down" your voice cracked and you had to close your eyes to keep focus "and the band won't play," your words felt heavy in the room, and a sad smile adorned Jeff's lips. "I'll always remember us this way," you continued, and suddenly Gareth started playing the rhythm that you had rehearsed two weeks prior. Jeff started on the bass, and as they started duetting–your eyes fell upon Eddie's guitar.

You picked it up.

You grabbed the guitar from the corner of the room, hanging it on your shoulders and attempting to keep singing as you plugged it in the brand new Marshall amp–a gift from Gareth’s mom to the band. 

You thought that maybe Eddie would be proud–proud of all of you for continuing music even if he wasn’t there.

"Lovers in the night," Gareth picked up the pace on the drums, and you desperately tried to follow the rhythm, hanging on to what Eddie had taught you. "Poets tryin' to write, we don't know how to rhyme, but damn we try," it took everything for you not to cry. “But all I really know, you're where I wanna go," You closed your eyes in anticipation of the next line, the one you had written just yesterday, "the part of me that's you will never die"

"So when I'm all choked up, and I can't find the words" Eddie was peering up at you with the brightest smile you had ever seen. "Every time we say goodbye, baby, it hurts" Your fingers glided over the guitar strings, Eddie knew you were fully into the song but he just had to stop you.

"What?" You smiled as his hand reached the guitar and his other your cheek.

"I cannot believe you wrote that about me"

You giggled, "is that so bad about?"

"I love you," you could have stared at the giddy smile across his face for ever.

"I love you too,"

"And I love the new lyrics, please continue, I'm sorry I've cut you off" He sealed the moment with a kiss, before leaning away and sitting patiently in front of you again.

"When the sun goes down, and the band won't play," the memory was cut by you opening your eyes again.

The sun might have been setting a beautiful color upon the walls, but the garage felt so much darker without him. Without his voice.

"I'll always remember us this way"

~

"So what inspired you to write this song?" The interviewer pursed her lips before settling her papers back onto her lap, fixing her glasses before staring back to you.

You looked down at your skull bracelet, sad smile forming upon your lips.

"Isn't it obvious?" You quirked an eyebrow, hiding behind humor to stop the bubbling feelings.

"Love?" She smiled back and you nodded your head. You wanted this conversation to end like it usually did. You always gave the same answer; Love.

The same music with cheeky gazes and smiles always followed;

‘Is it anyone we know?’ 

‘Is he in the band?’

‘Are they famous?’

‘Are you in a relationship?’

You never answered. Gareth, Jeff or the latest addition to the band would change the subject–but as the crowds grew, so did their curiosity. You knew you couldn't hide from the eyes of the public much longer.

"Yes, but we all want to know more,” she urged on, her tone staying sweet and comprehending. “You once said it was one of Corroded Coffin's most personal songs if I’m not mistaken." 

There it was. You were alone–no boys to help you change the subject with a joke or random statement about the song. You looked at your shoes for a brief instant; maybe trying to sum up the courage and push away the feeling of dread. Attempt to mend the hole in your heart, just for a few minutes. After this you could leave back to your hotel room and find a way to drown your sorrows.

When you didn’t reply, she continued.

"I can't help but notice that there's a certain sadness to the lyrics?"

She hit the bull's eye.

"Well," You looked up, meeting her gaze. Maybe it was the unspoken comprehension of a woman towards another–the subconscious bond that created itself just by your similar place in the world that made you more comfortable to share. Maybe it was what caused her to spot the hidden meaning–or maybe it was just her journalist mind that picked the song apart, ready to latch onto any information you were ready to hand over.

"What people don't usually realize is that the song takes a turn,” you shifted uncomfortable in your seat–you had never gotten this personal in an interview before. "It starts out as this love song. Two soulmates who can't believe they've found each other," Eddie's pick necklace felt burning hot against your chest, the ring you had slid on the chain too–a diamond ring that belonged to Eddie’s grandmother. 

You remembered the moment you had discovered it. You were going through Eddie’s room accompanied by Wayne, trying to naviagte around the ruins of the trailer and scavenge for anything that was left plausible to use or donate. Boxes of random objects and clothes laid in between all the mess and you had already managed to find his guitar–releif when it was in perfect condition, left untouch by the damages of the earthquake. Which now hung on your living room wall, preciously behind a glass frame.

Your attention had been caught on the broken closet while Wayne was going through the drawers of the small desk. The earthquake had broken one of its feet; making half of the drawers hang open with clothes tumbling out of it. You had organized his shirts and jeans already–piling up the ones you could keep and the ones you could give away or give to the corroded coffin boys to share upon themselves.

Your fingers gripped the handle of the third drawer–and you'd only realize this after but it was probably the last time you’d have any a glimpse of sanity in your bones; if you had even any sanity left since he passed away.

If you were honest with yourself you didn’t even really know what this drawer contained. He had never really opened it in front of you and you couldn’t say that you had much curiosity towards it before. You half expected it to be his sock drawer–but your breath caught in your throat when you slid it open.

A collection of souvenirs–mainly of you, laid at the bottom of the hard wood. Photos, souvenirs, concert tickets, boxes with what you assumed even more trinkets and things he collected since the start of your relationship.

You gulped in a pour attempt to push the tears away. 

You started sorting through the collection papers and polaroids–everything bringing memories that were dug deep into your brain’s memory, hidden behind other memories of Eddie. You already knew you’d keep everything, probably throw everything in a box and sort it out in the comfort of your own room–when Wayne wasn’t there to see you crumble even more as you gazed upon Eddie’s collection.

There was a mediumish wooden black box nestled in the far corner of the drawer, and it immediately caught your attention–like something pulling you towards it, screaming for your acknowledgment.

The box wasn’t heavy in your hand, it almost looked like the boxes Eddie used to store his extra special drugs and you expected that to be the content. Eddie hid drugs everywhere in the trailer in a poor attempt at covering up the fact that he wasn’t a drug dealer in his spare time. That if the Hopper or some other dumb officer ever came around they couldn’t possibly find everything he hid. 

But even if there was, most probably a zip-lock bag with some kind of funky psychedelic powder or pills hidden inside–you still wanted to be sure. You fiddled with the unlocked buckle, and pushed the lid open; but you were met with no drugs. 

Instead there was another black box. A small squared box draped in black velvet. You frowned, it… couldnt be? No. You refused to even think about the idea–this was again probably one of Eddie’s weird drug hiding spots.

This must have been something even more special than the special K.

With trembling hands you grabbed it, fingers wrapping around the top of the box and popping it open.

You blinked, all words dying in the back of your throat. You didn’t trust your voice, but your mind had talked at loud on it’s own.

“Um, Wayne?” Your voice was definitely shaking, and he immediately turned to face you. “Do- um- what- huh-” You couldn’t formulate a proper sentence, and you watched Wayne’s expression soften when his eyes caught what was in your hands. 

His mother’s engagement ring.

“So that’s where the little devil’s kept it,” Wayne almost laughed, almost chuckled at the absurdity of the unworldly situation. Your frown deepened and your heart raced to your ears, you couldn’t formulate one single thought and Wayne seemed to take notice because he continued, “we found it in a box a few months ago, Eddie was adamant of keeping it,” Wayne weighed out his words, wondering if he should continue. He knew well enough this was going to break you even more, but now that Eddie was gone, he couldn’t keep the subject of his conversations with his nephew to himself, “to give it to you someday.”

Wayne had insisted that you kept it. That it was meant for you and that he’d have no use of it–that it would be collecting dust in a drawer when Eddie wanted you to have it, when Eddie had kept it stored in the back of his closet for you.

You had worn it on your ring finger for months–as if he had actually given it to you himself. As if he had made it past graduation and got down on one knee, locking your lives together forever.

Gareth had caught you speaking of him one too many times at bars. You would have one drink too many, some guy had probably made a move and you shoved your hand towards his face, drunkenly rambling a life you wished had been real.

But your drunken and fuzzy mind always caught up with the fact that you were lying. That your fiance wasn’t really on a trip and you weren't just at a bar with your best friends to celebrate being engaged and soon to be married- and that's when the tears became uncontrollable.

Gareth-the usually sober one often found himself attempting to dry your tears, trying to sober you up on the floor of the dodgy tour bus or in some hidden corner of the bar if the bus had already been taken hostage by Jeff and his latest conquest.

But when fame rolled down at your doorstep you had to remove the ring from your finger to keep any unwanted rumors away.

And right now you couldn’t just open your room’s mini fridge to scavenge for anything that could take the pain away from your chest, you had to continue that interview.

"But then the song becomes a requiem," you continued, trying to keep your voice from wavering. You watched the interviewer face almost fall, her mouth opening into an 'o' as she pieced up the lyrics together.

You thanked the stars she was being respectful, maybe even understood.

Soon enough the interview was finished, and neither Jeff nor Gareth or the world was ready for what you did the next time you stood on stage. 

Because for the first time in years you spoke his name.

For the first time, you told the world who this song was about.

[cheesiestburger]

Together.

꩜ Part 1 (you're here!) ꩜  Part 2 ꩜

Pairing: barbarian bakugou x reader

warnings: none, reader and katsuki are both 15 in this part

wc: 1.1k

a/n: fantasy a/u, constructive criticism is welcomed, this is my first time writing a fic so any advice on improving is appriciated! <3 reader and katsuki will be aged up in further parts.

𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜

‘‘Y/N, your father has asked for you’’ the girl stood at the bottom of the tree, looking up

‘‘Yeah just a minute’’ you strain, sawing at a branch with your knife. You are currently up a cherry tree, removing any dead or diseased branches (an issue that has spiked lately- your tribe is making use of the  fruit trees surrounding your current campsite, dismay to some, joy to others).

The girl -your new maid- stayed at the bottom of the tree, on the ground. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, clearly nervous. ‘‘M-miss, he says you must come now.’’

‘‘Y/N is fine. And i said i'll only be a minute’’ you grit your teeth, looking down at her. ‘‘Move out of the way, the branch is about to fall.’’

She stumbles to the left, narrowly avoiding the branch. You jump down, calling over to someone to take the branch away. ‘‘You okay? You seem on edge’’ you ask the girl, lottie, her name was.

‘‘yes mi- Y/N.’’ she replies. You raise a brow, but dont push. She was captured in one of your fathers raids about a month ago. You chalk it up to still being skittish- most captives are. 

‘‘You should be grateful, y’know. Most of your people end up in fields or some other labouring job. You're lucky.’’ you tell her, though, you're not sure ‘lucky’ is the right word. You, at the current age of 15, have been through a total of 12 different maids- now onto your 13th. It wasn't your fault, you would say to your father, they were all simply not good enough at their jobs! He would only laugh, amused, in response. ‘Or maybe you are too headstrong, my hellraiser.’ he would reply. 

He was the chief of your tribe, your father. He was strong, not just physically, but mentally too. Among the other barbarian tribes he was one of the most respected chief’s, given the name ‘dregris the reaper’ for his renowned capturing of servants and taking of crops, reaping villages and kingdoms alike for all their goods. ‘‘Yes o-ofcourse Y/N, i wasn't being ungrateful i just- i was only making sure- your father’’ Lottie began rambling, perhaps fearful she would be put into the fields, or even executed, for her ‘rudeness’. You held up your hand, silencing her.

‘‘Yes, yes, all is forgiven’’ you roll your eyes, turning to walk towards your fathers tent. ‘‘What did he want again?’’ you question.

‘‘The games will begin soon, he wanted you next to him when they start’’ lottie informs you

‘‘SHIT’’ you completely forgot about the games. How did you manage that? Everyone has been prepping for them for weeks! It's been non-stop work, decorate, gather, make, you should know more than most, having been in charge of most of it!

The barbaric games were held once every 5 years, as a symbol of the unions between yours and other tribes. This time, it was your tribe that had been chosen to host, a great honour to all involved.

𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜

You clumsily settle yourself into your seat (beside your fathers), hoping your face/body paint doesn't look too rushed or has smudged.

‘‘There she is!’’ you hear your father call over, turning your head to see him only to be surprised to see 3 others alongside him. ‘‘My daughter! These are the Bakugou’s, our closest allies. This is their chiefess, mitsuki,’’ he points to a tall, well built woman, with spiky blonde hair and red eyes, she smiles towards you, ‘‘their chief, masarau,’’ your father now points to a man with brown hair, and soft eyes, though you could see they were intelligent,  ‘‘and their son, katsuki’’ he points lastly to a boy your age, though a good bit taller. He was evidently strong, and looked the spitting image of his mother, with sharp carmine eyes, framed by spiked blonde hair. He stares at you, smirking slightly.

You stand and smile at them all, eyes lingering on katsuki before darting to his parents. ‘‘Welcome’’ you smile, ‘‘I trust your journey wasn't too troublesome?’’ you asked.

Mitsuki stared at you and suddenly let out a hearty laugh ‘‘Stars, Dregis, she speaks like a princess! Was she tutored by some duke?’’ True, you were considered extremely well- mannered for a barbarian, but your mother insisted you were given lessons on how to be, she valued manners, and your father greatly valued her- giving her everything she could wish for.

He laughs ‘‘ ‘spose, more like some poor old noble who happened to be taking a walk in the woods’’ the elder bakugou's laugh with him, all walking closer towards you as they seat themselves to watch the games. You are all sitting in front of a large dome-shaped cage, your father to your left, katsuki to your right (his parents to his right), all the other chiefs joining beside. Two men enter the cage, their names are announced to the crowd, and they begin to fight. You feel a nudge to your right arm.

‘Hey, idiot’ Katsuki asks you ‘What's your name?’

You internally facepalm at your fathers one-way introduction, and answer ‘Y/N.’ Returning to watching the fight. The men finish and a victor is declared and gets to move on to the next round. Two women are brought in next, and their fight begins.

𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜

The games finish, and Everyone gathers towards the feast. Your father at the head of the long table, reading himself to give a speech.

‘Many thanks to all entering the the games today, and to all who contributed to setting it up! and may there be many more in the future to come!’ there was a deafening cheer from all at the table and tables surrounding it.

The rest of the evening was a haze; eating, dancing, celebrating, but you do remember feeling as though you were being watched. Like someone was observing you. It was unnerving, but there were many ‘suitors’ as your father called them, no doubt wishing to court you. You shrugged it off and enjoyed the rest of your night.

Nearby, katsuki watched as you danced and weaved between people, eyes nY/Nr leaving your figure. He was intrigued by you, and wanted to learn more about you. He headed towards you, and asked for a dance. You agreed, curious about the boy.

Unbeknownst to the two of you, your father was beginning to argue with another tribe. The Jurzac tribe. Only when a chair was thrown, did the pair of you look over, seeing what was happening, everyone prepared themselves for a battle, before the Jurzac chief spoke.

‘THIS MEANS WAR, DREGRIS’ and he leaves without another word, his tribe following. The atmosphere is tense, the air thick. A war between tribes ment only one thing.

Death.

𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜𖦹꩜

a/n 2: hope you enjoyed! next part should be out soon, ask box is open.

[kirishwima]

This is a kinda self insert thing but uh-

What if the jjk boys come hope one day to see their S/O taking down stickers they had on their wall. But putting up the stickers was one of the last activities they did with their family when they were younger. The boys knew this so they're super confused and stuff but their S/O is just like "Well, I figured they were really childish and if we're going to live together you probably wouldn't wanna see them everyday."

I'm so awkward, I'm sorry 😅

aweee sweetness thats so cute 🥺🥺 my room also used to be full of those glow in the dark stars i loved them

i cant really think of a way to format this into a SMAU BUT here's my thoughts on how they'd react on the matter!

Gojo would come into the room to tease you (like always) before noticing what you're doing, his grin immediately fading.

"Woah woah woah, what're you doing? Those looked so pretty why're you pulling them off?!"

When you explain why he just frowns, crosses his arms over his chest. He scoffs when you say they're 'childish', bending at the waist to lean closer to you.

"Babe, do you forget who you're gonna be living with? I love those silly stickers. Love 'em more 'cuz they're part of your story. So c'mon, let's get some tape and put them back up, hm? Oh! Better yet, let's add more!!"

...aaand that's how you end up with a wall full of various stickers, and whenever Satoru sees a sticker sheet he likes, he buys two pairs-one to put on his students' exam sheets when grading, and one to put up on the wall alongside the ones from your childhood ✨

Geto leans onto the door frame, observing you for a long moment, before asking "What're you doing?"

When you explain he just nods slowly, already scheming something behind those dark eyes of his.

"Baby, are you sure that's what you want? You know I don't mind one bit if those stickers are up there or not. If anything, I'm pretty sure the girls would love 'em."

When you insist he doesn't push it, lets you take them off the wall. The next day though when you get home, you find the wall the stickers were placed on has now been painted over with chalk paint-essentially turning the entire thing into to a black board, Nanako and Mimiko gleefully drawing flowers, bunnies, writing scribbles up on it with pink and blue chalk.

Suguru stands a few feet behind them, and though he's not writing anything right now, you can see a couple doodles clearly made by him up on the wall, his palms stained white and pink and blue. He turns to you with a grin, nodding for you to come closer.

When you do he hands you a few different colored chalks, kisses you on the cheek.

"I know those stickers held a ton of memories for you-so I figured since you took them off, we could make some new memories. Together."

Nanami comes home just as you remove the last sticker, noticing you piling the removed stickers on a nearby table. He frowns at your actions, asks you what it is you're doing. He...doesn't say much when you explain it to him, merely nods. You might've thought he didn't care-though you'd be wrong.

Later that night, you find Nanami at the living room, a file opened up on his lap, a clear film inside it where he oh-so-carefully sticks the stickers you'd taken off of the wall, delicately placing them so they resemble the constellation they were shaped like when placed onto the wall.

You lean over him to see what he's doing and he casually turns and kisses you, smiling.

"These mean a lot to you. Just because they're not placed up on display still doesn't mean they deserve to be discarded."

So that's how you end up with the so-called 'memory file', wherein you place little bobs and trinkets from your life with Nanami-ticket stubs, polaroid pictures, and of course, those stickers.

[rottenpumpkin13]

now, we know about the first class idiots and their toxic relationship with queen’s blood…but what about fort condor?

Why Fort Condor Is Banned From The SOLDIER Floor

• The game pieces are tiny and easy to lose, which becomes annoying when people want to play but the board game is incomplete. Irresponsibility on its own would've been fine, but this peeves Angeal immensely, who began disciplining the Seconds and Thirds with cruel and unusual punishment.

Zack lost half the pieces one time, which is how Lazard walked in on Angeal using Zack as a mop to clean the floor. • The Fort Condor board itself can be used as a weapon. People have been known to grab the board mid-game and slam it into their opponent's face. This is how Sephiroth got a concussion and the reason Genesis was shoved down the trash shoot immediately after. • Genesis has no patience. He has been known to take his sword and smash the board when he's losing, usually when provoked by Sephiroth who finds it funny how the red in his face matches his coat. • The Fort Condor pieces can be used for bullying. Since the pieces go missing frequently, people have to replace them so they get them custom made to look like their coworkers. Zack got the condor to look like Cloud one time. Cloud thought it was a chocobo. This angered Cloud greatly. It took three hours to remove the chocobo piece from Zack's nasal cavity. • The SOLDIERs (+Cloud) started playing against each other and forming teams, which reaped animosity in the workplace. Kunsel put out a hit on Roche's head (or a shave on his head). Zack locked Angeal in a broom closet out of spite and made him miss a whole mission. Sephiroth and Cloud couldn't walk past each other without trash talk. And the entire Third Class revolted against Genesis and spray painted his office door metallic silver with the words "WE LOVE SEPHIROTH" • The threats Lazard heard when he walked by the lounge were getting ridiculous, and most of them were said by Sephiroth. The most unsettling ones he's heard from him are Sephiroth: "I will use your femur as a back scratcher." Sephiroth: "I will superglue your nostrils." Sephiroth: "I will make a beaded necklace with your teeth." Sephiroth: "I will electrocute your kneecaps." Sephiroth: "I will salt your eyeballs and lick them repeatedly." Sephiroth: "I will stalk and pursue you for the rest of your life, becoming so ingrained in your subconscious that you see me whenever you go and obey me like a puppet." • He barged into the room after that last one and found Sephiroth already knocked out with a fire extinguisher and Cloud standing over him going "I panicked" • This coincides with the reason watermelons are banned. Angeal brought one back on a mission one day and put it in the break room. Sephiroth and Genesis were playing a round of fort condor, Sephiroth realized Genesis was cheating, went to the break room, grabbed the watermelon, then proceeded to shove Genesis' head inside of it. • Sephiroth is stupidly good at Fort Condor and it angers people. Lazard himself played a round against Sephiroth once and felt indescribable rage. He had to sit there with Zack fanning him with a magazine until the desire to staple Sephiroth's hair to the floor subsided. • Two games ended in crime scene tape and one of them had Zack's chalk outline in it. • Lazard wouldn't bat an eye if he saw someone on their break playing Fort Condor Online, but the last time he saw that it was Zack trash talking a ten-year-old child online who was winning. 

[sable-dream]

I see a lot of 'diy gear' around so I'm surprised I've hardly ever seen bleach dyed shirts! They're honestly one of the coolest, easiest, and relatively inexpensive ways to make discreet gear - especially if you're like me and you can't exactly find shirts of your theriotype being sold.

Tutorial under the cut!! :3

What you will need:

A black t-shirt, preferably 100% cotton (avoid polyester and spandex)

Bleach

Water

Sidewalk/blackboard chalk, or a chalk pen

A paintbrush to apply the bleach

A disposable cup

A bit of cardboard or plastic to put under the shirt (to prevent the design from bleeding through onto the other side)

GLOVES and other safety gear (ie, a mask and goggles)

fabric paint, not puffy paint (optional but if you're heavy handed like I am it helps so you can fix screw ups)

SAFETY:

Work in a well ventilated area.

Wear gloves, goggles, and ideally a filtration mask when handling bleach.

WASH YOUR HANDS thoroughly after handling the bleach and do not touch your eyes or face before washing your hands

Be mindful of chemical reactions that can occur when mixing bleach with other cleaning products - never, ever, EVER mix bleach with anything containing ammonia as it can react and create toxic chlorine gas.

Keep bleach out of the reach of pets and small children, and if you have small animals like birds or rodents, work AWAY from them as the fumes can damage their lungs.

Make sure you read the back of your bleach container so you know how to handle and dispose of it safely.

Process:

Slide the cardboard into the shirt, adjusting it so you'll be drawing on the side you want your design on.

Use the chalk to draw your design on the fabric - don't worry about screwing up here, it'll wash out later. (If you want to, you can digitally draw your design, print it out, then trace the back with chalk and press it onto the shirt to transfer the art)

Put on your safety gear (ESPECIALLY your gloves) and move to a ventilated area (I did this on my back porch)

Carefully pour some bleach into your cup, then cut it with water. Remember that the more water you add, the more of the solution you'll need to apply to get your design to show up.

Apply the solution over your sketch using your paintbrush. You might need to apply it multiple times if your bleach solution is less concentrated.

Once your satisfied with your design, let it sit for 20 minutes to allow the bleach to fully stain the fabric.

After 20 minutes, rinse out the fabric under cool water. Make sure you're wearing your gloves as you do this so you don't hurt your skin.

Wash your shirt in your washing machine by itself, otherwise the bleach might transfer to other laundry. Put it in the dryer after or hang it up to air dry.

Clean up your area, wash your paintbrush out thoroughly, throw the cup away, and then remove your gloves to scrub your hands with soap and water.

Once your shirt is clean and dry, you can use fabric paint to touch up any mistakes. I used black paint to remove excess lines and white to give my design eye shines. Follow the directions for fabric paint on the back of the bottle, as the instructions for washing it can be different. Don't use puffy paint, the touch ups will end up raised and it'll look funny.

And there you have it! :D DIY gear shirt for all your alterhuman needs >:)

[bejeweledblondie]

The Great War

Alex Keller x F! Reader

Summary: Alex gets caught red handed with Farrah while on FaceTime with Y/N & has to make it up to her when he returns

Warnings: angst, cheating, I saw the Eras Tour movie last night & I got inspo from the Midnights set

Your stomach was in knots, Alex had never usually missed your scheduled FaceTime call, but when he did he always had a good excuse. The risk of calling was sometimes a matter of exposing his location to the enemy. You wanted Alex to come home safely. But this time he had no valid excuse, & didn’t have any reasoning as to why he didn’t call. So here you say on FaceTime in silence with him as you ate your now cold dinner. Trying to get an answer out of him was like pulling teeth. He only gave one worded answers with no emotion.

“Are you okay babe?” You asked with concerned tone putting down your fork. His job was beyond stressful & you could tell something was weighing on his mind. You chalked it up to him being stressed out from work, attempting to calm your anxieties.

“Just tired.” He replied shrugging his shoulders. A knock at his door drew his attention & he suddenly perked up. Confusion ran through your veins as you watched him suddenly not be “tired” anymore. “My love, Price is here to talk. I love you & I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He said.

“I love you too. Goodnight handsome tell Price I say hello!” You replied blowing him a kiss. You got up from your seat to put your plate in the sink thinking Alex ended the call. That was up until you were in your kitchen & heard soft moaning coming from your desk. Immediately your heart started to pound, & a pit of anxiousness started to form in your stomach. You slowly walked into your living room & sat down at your desk. As soon as your eyes were on the screen you had to cover your mouth from admitting a loud sob. Alex was on top of another woman, kissing her. You knew exactly who she was. The girl he told you not to worry about, the girl who occupied your time with him, Farrah. You removed your hand & wiped the tears that rolled down your cheeks.

“Alex?!” You sobbed out. He froze while Farrah turned to see the phone on his desk propped up still on FaceTime. “How could you do this to me?!” You screamed out of anger & feeling of betrayal.

“Sweetheart I-“ He was rushing to his phone to start some ridiculous excuse for his actions. You immediately turned off the call & let out a painful wail. Your whole body shook as you crumpled to the floor. A part of you was almost thankful you hadn’t officially fully moved in with him. You were due to move in next week when he returned. Your body felt rigid & frozen as you sat on the floor staring at the wall in front of you.

The constant vibration of your phone going off started to blend in with the background noise of your air conditioner. Alex knew your heart was glass, you told him how fragile you were from past relationships & he shattered it into a million pieces. He was just like the rest of them. It stung like a thousand wasps stinging you over & over again. The conversations of him reassuring you that there was nothing going on with him & Farrah replayed in your head like a movie stuck on replay. You wanted to slap some sense into your past self & tell yourself to trust your gut.

You decided to take the next days off from work, & notified Price to tell Alex to cut contact. Time & space were needed for you to heal. But even with all of that you felt like you were in the shell of your former self. You were dragging your feet everywhere, & everything reminded you of Alex. The ghosts of his presence haunted you everyday. Dark bags started to form under your eyes & your hair was starting to become dull. No amount of product or even sleep could improve your health.

After a few weeks you slowly started to function somewhat normally. You took up a new hobby, painting & were able to start your healing process. It helped you get out of your apartment but still be able to be alone. So here you sat, in the local park painting. Keeping to yourself & living in your own bubble. Soon a dark shadow appeared overhead, blocking your natural lighting. Groaning to yourself you looked up to see the familiar pair of beat up Vans. You didn’t even bother to look fully up.

“What do you want?” You grumbled angrily at his presence. The audacity of this man astonished you.

“I want to talk.” He replied softly. He knew he royally fucked up. As soon as he looked up at the phone to see her face on the opposite end heartbroken. Instant regret hit him like a freight train. What was even more difficult & added more stress was the lack of trust he had now developed with his team. After you had texted Price asking for him to speak to Alex & word got out at what he had done. Trust was completely broken, because if you could cheat on your beloved how could you be trusted in a life & death situation.

“I don’t.” You replied bluntly, starting to put your art supplies as the park was now ruined. You got up on your feet & went to go leave. He hand grabbed your wrist preventing you from walking away. “Let go of me.” You commanded trying to wiggle away.

“Please Y/N.” He begged. You looked into his eyes, they were as equally as sad looking as yours. When he grabbed your wrist you felt the same electric touch as you did the first night you met. The angel & devil that sat on your shoulders were in a full out war trying to figure out to give him a chance to redeem himself. “Just give me ten minutes.”

“Fine.” You replied. The both of you chose a small bench that overlooked the pond. For a moment the two of you sat in silence. Then you turned to look at him. “You really hurt me Alex.” You softly said trying to prevent tears from spilling. “And to think now naive I was. I wanted to marry you.” He just stared back at you speechless.

“I know I hurt you.” He replied. “It by far has to be the most regrettable thing I’ve ever done in my life. Knowing I destroyed you-“ you cut him off.

“You’re only sad because you got caught.” You snapped. “If you truly cared about me & loved me you wouldn’t have kissed her.” Now you were full on sobbing. “Just please be honest with me.”

“That was the first time I kissed her.” Alex said. “I swear on my life.” He said in a serious tone. “We had a strictly professional relationship, I had empathy for her situation & it snowballed form there. She kissed me first & my fucking stupid self continued it.” You just sat there staring out at the pond trying to soak in Alex’s words. “I was a selfish prick & thought about myself over you.”

“Why did you try to find me Alex?” You whispered out.

“I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t get to see you one last time.” Alex said. “I wouldn’t know how to be able to move on if I didn’t get to say what I had to.” The two of you sat in silence again as the sounds of nature filled the air. You both watched an old couple in a small row boat go past clearly on a date. It reminded you of the time you & Alex went kayaking. His canoe tipped over & while you were trying to help him you fell on top of him.

“That reminds me of when we went kayaking.” You softly said. “I still think you yanked me out of the canoe.”

“Hey!” Alex said defensively. “I did not you just fell out.” You had to stifle a laugh thinking about it. There was still of piece of you where all you wanted to was wrap your arms around him. You missed him, beyond words. He was your whole world.

“Alex.” You started & looked at him. He turned to you & placed a hand on your cheek. You leaned tenderly into his touch that you missed so dearly. “I miss you.” You whispered tears now falling again. He placed another hand on your waist & pulled you in for a deep kiss. Once you unlocked lips your foreheads rested against each other.

“I’m right here my love.” He whispered. You two survived the Great War.

[sablesdolls]

My third LPS custom repaint and the final bunny of the triplets!

I wanted to make a rabbit with this fur pattern (which, i found out, is also named "sable"!).

A bit of my process below!

This is what she looked like before:

First I removed the factory paint with acetone. I liked the brown base layer so I didn't paint over it. Instead, I coated the LPS in a layer of Liquitex Matte Varnish applied with a makeup sponge to create a bit of "tooth" on the surface of the vinyl. I tried to photograph the result here:

I did this because I wanted to apply the dark brown gradients with chalk pastels. Unfortunately my chalk pastels are pretty cheap and unpigmented so I ended up sponging dark brown craft paint on the face and blending it out using a makeup wedge. One nice surprise is that the varnish base helped the paint apply smoothly and opaquely!

I'm really pleased with how she turned out 🥰

[crj-200]

How do u get banned from the chalk art festival 😭

i saw people using rubbing alcohol to thin their chalk and paint with it so i wanted to try but i used water instead because that's all i had at the time. water made it too thin so i had to use a bunch of layers, but it turns out the water made the chalk permeate into the concrete WAY deeper than intended and i didn't realize until my art seemed to be sticking around longer than expected. the organizers tried pressure washing and using solvents on my square to remove the chalk but it didn't work so they accused me of using oil pastels (explicitly prohibited) and not the approved chalk they gave me so i got banned. it stuck around for about 9 years, the entire time being located on a kids' interactive fountain thing, and it finally faded away completely last year. on top of all of this you have to realize it was a parody of that French beach painting but with characters from media i liked as a 14 year old. i stained my city's downtown with various steven universe, adventure time, and h*talia characters for 9 years using nothing but children's sidewalk chalk and water.

[welcome-to-the-neotheater]

Non-Comprehensive List of Things I Love About AJR City Savers

AJR WEBISODE: CITY SAVERS (youtube.com)

keep reading because loooooooooooooooooong post

0:00, I love the implication that they are spending 3/4 of their waking hours on this club and they don't have any free time between that and the band

0:12-0:15, he's holding this box with his bare hands normally for a few good seconds here, and only at the end does he decide that its actually super radioactive and he jerks his hand away from it really fast

0:20 Yeah that's going to help get the paint off

0:23 The old logo looks really weird to me after being used to the current one

0:30 he is so fucking proud of himself for putting a leaf into the trash can

0:35 "We founded this city savers club to protect this fine city we live in", the protection of course being kicking a piece of cardboard about 5 feet

0:38 "We start off at 4:30 in the morning, first item on the agenda, song" They're singing songs for the public, (specifically, the "youth" , 1:10) at 4:30 in the morning, "first item on the agenda"

0:48 none of the children are paying any attention to his song, the only one who even looks at the camera is a parent who, if anything, seems unimpressed

0:52 they did this shit in public

1:06 great camera work there

1:13 "We really feel like it gets our message across"

1:20 this is entirely useless

1:35 Does he have a meterstick? How does he know?

1:37 There's no god damn way they can hear him inside their fast cars, probably with windows up with him speaking at slightly above speaking voice

1:42 "Morning Deb!"

1:46 Outfit change from previous scene, these are different days. He does this regularly.

1:53 "NO!"

1:57 He's no longer doing something useless, this is actually disruptive, as you can tell from the honks

1:59 Unless one was added in the jump cut, you can see in the previous shot there was not, in fact, a baby blue jay's nest right there

1:59 What purpose does the word "baby" in "baby blue jay's nest" serve? Correct me if im not up to date on bird knowledge, but aren't all nests built by adult birds build the nests for their babies? Is he trying to say that the baby blue bird built the nest? I don't think baby birds can build nests. Is he just referring to the fact that the birds that live in the nests are babies? This is either redundant or wrong.

2:05 "I've submitted my application for the city savers club almost a dozen times now... I really hope I get in this month". He has been applying to enter this "club" (it has 2 members and does nothing of value) for almost a year.

2:17 Jack checks behind the curtain as if there's any way Adam was just hiding behind the curtain

2:22 Ryan is already so bored

2:28 I counted a 5 second pause before "What?"

2:40 Their brother attached a headshot in his resume as if they wouldn't know what he looked like.

2:43-48 this is just great

2:05-48 Jack and Ryan have created this fake club and have, for almost a year, been holding this over their older brother's head and having him submit formal applications to join his younger brothers' fake club and they have been denying all of them. If that isn't the most sibling shit out there, I don't know what is

2:48 "Graffiti" is a child's chalk drawing

2:55 "Can't get this out", he's using his shoe to remove washable childs chalk from the street. "Can't get this out" have you tried water??? They have to make that shit so it's easy to get out of children's clothes, and so that it washes away when it rains, if this "graffiti" is such a problem get some water and spray it

3:01 "Surprisingly pigeons don't just eat breadcrumbs". Look, I've never been to New York, but if the pigeons there are anything like seagulls, it should be 0 surprise to someone that's grown up there that the pigeons will eat whatever you give to them.

Idk what those are (skittles?) but they don't look like you should be feeding them to pigeons

3:07, they're feeding chunky peanut butter to the pigeons. naturally

3:12 LEE!!!!!!!

3:18 He runs away immediately after hearing they're going to try to put that sweater on him

3:20 They were already talking to him at an unreasonable distance apart but now even more so as he's gone entirely off screen and they continue to talk normally to him for I counted 7 seconds.

3:27 The cut off "Lee-". How long did they do that for?

3:29 Gotta love the "we're saving the world!" music that comes in here

3:30 Pre 2020 mask

3:33 All of the water has fallen out of his hands before he reaches the plant

3:37-41 I don't know if this was planned, I don't want to know if that was intentional

3:52 Wow! Look at this plant!

Throughout the entirety of this video they do nothing actually helpful for the city (yet continuously act like they're saving the world). Their "good deeds" are either entirely pointless ("traffic control", trying to get rid off the paint with his foot at 0:20, "singing for the youth", "watering" that plant) or actually slightly harmful (blocking some car because of an invisible blue jays nest, refusing to let their brother into the club, feeding shit to pigeons that they should not be doing, trying to get rid of a child's drawing)

Jack stated in an interview once that he's actually afraid of pigeons

Adam is a climate activist now, and I like to think that stemmed from not being allowed into city savers

Damn did I write a lot for a video under 4 minutes. I feel like one of those people that keeps interrupting movies to talk about deeper meanings or explain the jokes now.

[olderthannetfic]

https://olderthannetfic.tumblr.com/post/744363402559995904/reading-the-anon-abt-the-doll-hobby-not-having#notes

More BJD wank.

People using alcohol markers on their dolls. Just... don't.... don't do that. Also, people complaining that the alcohol marker doesn't wash off the doll anymore. Yeah, who'd have guessed that using alcohold markers on a highly porous material would end up not being removable. Also, don't use oils. Do not use any paint strippers that contain oil. And only use water soluble glue.

People who sell some of the most beat up looking dolls, chewed limbs, broken pieces, yellowed to hell and back. And then expect $$$ and even more than full price of a new doll. Generally it's not particularly offensive, but by the Gods if it doesn't get obnoxious when someone starts whining that nobody wants to buy their trash heap.

The fujoshi discussion was also quite ripe. It's no secret that probably 80%+ of the regular BJD hobby is women, and a lot of those women like men. The fujoshi discussion gets brought up ever few months? Years? And it's stupid every time. I remember the most recent incident being started again by a transman who took special offence to the large amount of M/M doll couples, and started getting angry when people dismissed his very misogynistic reasons as to why it's bad. Then tried to flip it around to homophobia and transphobia against him specifically, when all the people just told him to stop treating fujoshi as an insult and blah blah, you know the drill. People didn't buy it that he didn't just wanna admit defeat, but it kinda fizzled out when some other trans people entered the discussion, and some gay/bi men who also said that this was a stupid discourse. Also a few pretty heartfelt experiences by women explaining why they preferred male dolls over female dolls.

"Put a trigger warning on your amputee doll characters." Not a big discourse, but a few people talked about how they had gotten comments or DMs about tagging their dolls who represent amputees with trigger warnings. General consensus was "Fuck those people." To make this extra clear, these were just amputee characters, not horror or gore.

Did I mention Nazi dolls? Because there has been several rounds of drama around Nazi dolls. Most people agree that Nazi dolls, aka full Nazi uniform with the armband are a huge fucking no-go.... BUT, some people try to argue that "Well if you depict the doll as a disgusting pig wearing a Nazi uniform..." Yeah, that was a long wank session.

The honestly kinda an pointless argument about "Are you racist if your dark resin doll face-ups look ass?" The argument is basically around dolls with dark resin tones who receive... unfortunate face-ups. The issue here is that in many cases the people getting called racist are really just bad at doing face-ups, which is especially hard on dark resins because it's hard to layer colors without it looking ass if you don't know what you're doing, and the main medium is just pastel chalks. Combine that with sealants that might leave behind a whiteish sheen with the topcoat, and you end up with a real ashy dusty looking mess. While we're on face-ups, generally a lot of face-ups just objectively look like ass when you're not a professional face-up artist. It's just what happens when you don't know what you're doing and still learning, because you don't wanna spend $$$ on sending it to an actual artist. It's really fucking hard layering colors, and then painting over it to get details when you're just not that experienced yet.

Also thanks to the one person in my last anon mentioning "Dollshe" and his wait times: Dollshe is a doll maker who's infamous for his year long wait times, and constant "sales." Apparently the dude bought himself a big fancy car, while people were still waiting for their dolls. Some wait times have exceeded half a decade. Guess what though! People still decided to take the chance. He's apparently closed shop now, and there are probably high double or low triple digits of people who haven't gotten their dolls yet. Not sure what his average price point is/was, but a quick check, the front page is filled with dolls starting at 800 going up. (So like 700-1 500) https://olderthannetfic.tumblr.com/post/744582859159945216/744363402559995904reading-the-anon-abt-the-doll-h#notes Also, yes, Anon is 100% correct. Smartdolls are basically just considered "honorary" BJD's because they fall under the same idea as the VOLKs dolfie dreams, and their creator just copied the idea. But generally, most people wouldn't refer to SMD's when speaking about BJDs, unless specified. Since they are vinyl you do not have the same artistic freedom as you have with resin dolls, which you can customize heavily with various mediums. They also aren't as available for custom face-ups, and apparently the creator has a bit of an ego problem when it comes to that as well. Another piece of drama: The joints of these dolls are internal skeletons as already explained. The problem a lot of people faced is that the joints would break quickly during posing. Under normal circumstances you'd maybe assume you could get some customer service to replace the broken joint, or at least be able to buy one for free. WRONG. You had(have?) to buy the entire skeleton just to replace one broken joint. I also think there was a time where you couldn't even get a replacement skeleton, and were left with a broken doll. Fun fact: Originally the "Smartdolls" were also supposed to be robotic, that's what the "Smart" originally referred to. That then got downgraded to a concept doll that got a bit of automated head shaking and limb moving, which then ended up with the creator backtracking and claiming "Smart" stood for "Social media art doll." Also, while we're at it, he also made a cochlear implant disability device for his dolls. A pretty significant amount of HOH/Dead-BJD people criticized the inclusion of said device because of some medical issues of it. And guess what! Banhammer. I also re-checked the story of the disabled person who got banned, and then made the creator post a "They aren't made for disabled people." The doll the disabled person struggled with was a male doll, but because the male dolls were so rare, they didn't have a male skeleton, but the female standard. Meaning the skeleton inside the male doll shell was female, and the skeleton didn't properly match up with the vinyl male-doll shell. Which was one of the main reason they struggled so badly to reattach the limbs. Bonus story: The creator has a real culty following, he has/had joined a few facebook groups around smartdolls. Apparently people noticed a pattern that he'd throw random tantrums in the groups, leave, and then the entire group had to grovel and praise him to get him to rejoin.

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