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gay-dorito-dust · 2 months

Note

Soft Dami is my favorite, especially when he has a partner or friemd and hides it from his family.

This became a ‘Batfamily trying who Damian is hiding from them.’ Type fic.

Damian hates sharing. Absolutely loathes it.

He already bore a shared moniker with his older siblings who -for the most part- have moved on to bigger and better things, creating their own versions of justice as vigilantes, leading teams of their own.

He shared a lot with his siblings and has come to hate the phrase sharing is caring, to Damian it was nothing more then a phrase that was so overused and abused by the likes of Dick and Jason, so much so to the point that the word had lost it’s dictionary meaning.

So when he entered in a relationship with you, Damian vowed to keep your name out of his mouth within the presence of his family. Which at first was extremely hard as all poor Damian could think about was you and how blessed he was that you’ve given him a chance; He had to bite down on his tongue a most of the time whenever he was asked if there was anyone at school that he had taken a liking towards.

Of course he has someone he’s taken a likening to, you. However he couldn’t let himself falter so easily and only scoffed at the question as though it was beneath him, before then reminding everyone at the table that he was only at school for academics and honing his artist skills, nobody in that rathole of a school could ever hold his attention for longer then five minutes.

Luckily his family believed this excuse and let the dropped the topic not long after, much to his relief in knowing that he was spared another day from ever having to share the one person in his life -outside of his family- that he cared deeply for.

However luck tends to run out and the glaring fact that his family was sharp as knives- especially Tim- at detective stuff, so much so that in retrospect Damian knew he shouldn’t have been as surprised as he was the day his siblings eventually figured out everything…

‘He’s…smiling.’ Dick looked back at Jason, Tim, Duke and Steph before looking back at Damian who was subtly smiling down at his phone. ‘Oh my god he’s actually smiling.’ Dick repeats as Jason shoves him out of the way to get a better look.

‘He’s smiling alright, but what about.’ Jason said.

‘Or who.’ Steph piped up and the others looked at her.

‘Wanna elaborate on that Steph?’ Jason asked, raising his brow and she shrugged. ‘I’ve been noticing recently how Damian’s been more on his phone than he’s ever been since getting one.’ She begins. ‘He never engages in the group chat, not once but here he is, using his phone and smiling at whoever’s on the other side. Damian is actually talking to someone.’ She finishes, feeling happy at the fact that Damian had opened his heart to at least someone

‘Or he could be planning a murder.’ Tim said sarcastically and Steph playfully punches him in the arm. ‘But let’s go with the idea that he’s talking to someone for convenience sake.’ He adds on, rubbing his arm.

‘How do we prove it though?’ Duke pipes up, catching the other’s attention. ‘We’d have to somehow get Damian away from his phone long enough for us to check but the question is,’ Duke then looked at Jason, Steph, Tim and Dick, ‘who’s going to be the one to lure him out while the rest of us have a look?’

‘I think we should take a-‘ Dick was greeted with a face full everyone’s pointed fingers aimed in his direction like guns. ‘Vote.’ His face fell as his siblings gave him false sympathies before shoving him into the library with Damian and slamming the door behind him. Hard.

‘What do you want Grayson.’ Damian said, the smile upon his face now gone the moment he realised that he was no longer alone to freely text you, at least not without someone looking over his shoulder.

‘Oh hi Damian.’ Dick greets as he moves towards him, taking note of how he kept his phone close to his chest, almost as if he was hiding something he didn’t want anyone else to see. ‘I overheard Bruce this morning saying that he had something to talk to you about, something about implementing harder training modules for you?’ Damian practically perked up at this and Dick found his opening and honed in on it by shrugging his shoulders. ‘I’m not entirely certain that’s the case, so I’d double check with Bruce if I were you.’

Damian looked at his sibling for a long period of time and sighed. ‘Fine, I shall check in with father but Grayson I swear to god if this is a lie…’

Dick crossed his heart. ‘Scouts honour.’

‘Tt.’ Was all Damian uttered before leaving the room, not realising that he had left his phone on the plush couch in the library.

Bingo dick thought as Jason popped his head in through the doorway. ‘Is little Robin gone?’

‘Little Robin is gone.’ Dick confirmed and watched as Jason’s head disappeared as he, Steph, Tim and Duke came into the room, closing the door for extra measure in the instance Damian realised his fault and comes running back with his sword to skewer them all.

‘Now,’ Stephanie rubs her hands together maniacally, ‘let’s see who our Damian has been talking to.’ She then picks up the phone, expecting it to be locked but to her surprise, it wasn’t, she gasps.

‘What? What is it?’ Tim asked, trying to get a look at the phone screen.

‘He’s left his phone unlocked. Rookie mistake.’ She replied and Dick, Tim, Jason and Duke only stared at her, unamused.

‘Just…tell us who he’s been texting so we can put this to rest.’ Duke said as the others agreed, the anticipation was killing them at this point, but so would Damian if he comes back just when they were so close to discovering the truth.

‘Okay, okay sheesh, I’ll look.’ Steph said and looked away from her brothers and back down at the screen, looking intently before her face became one of confusion as he read the contact name aloud. ‘My treasure.’

Dick blinked. ‘What?’

‘Give it here.’ Jason snatched the phone from Stephanie and it wasn’t long for his face to be one of confusion as he looked towards his other siblings, holding up the phone. ‘The contact name is literally just my treasure. No photos of them, nothing.’ He tells them as Tim snatched the phone from him.

‘I could find us a name in under five minutes maximum but-‘

‘What’re you doing with my phone, Drake?’

Tim, Duke, Steph, Jason and Dick froze upon hearing Damian’s voice, followed by the unsheathing of a sword.

‘Should we run now or?’ Dick asked.

‘Running sounds good.’ Duke agreed.

‘Running sounds great.’ Steph joined in.

‘And it has beneficial effects on the body.’ Tim chimed.

‘Running it is by unanimous vote.’ Jason then said as all of them sprinted for their lives as Damian chased them out of the library, sword in hand, and eyes full of fury and other conflicting emotions.

He knew he made the right choice in changing your contact name on everything, but knew if they had been given just a bit more time and looked deep into his photo album, they would’ve saw a beautiful portrait of you that he drew a while back that would’ve gave everything away.

#dc imagine #dc x reader #dc x you #dc fanfic #dc fic #dc comics x reader #dc x y/n #dc fanfiction #damian wayne x y/n #damian wayne x you #damian wayne imagine #damian wayne x reader #damian wayne imagines #damian wayne fluff

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tswwwit · 9 months

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Lol omg at your last ask because imagine dippers under some truth spell and ends up spilling a bunch of secrets that Bill already knew and had stashed to use for later

This is no longer 'last ask' relevant because I had this partially written in my drafts for like a million years - but a Truth spell on Dipper would be very interesting!

So I took this prompt and didn't really answer it except in some ways.

Here's a thing!

“You never bring me any souvenirs.” Bill complains. In an all-too-whiny tone, and an all-too-close lean into Dipper's personal space.

Plus, it's a blatant lie. One Dipper shouldn't respond to.

He does anyway. “I literally brought you harpy feathers last week.”

“Doesn’t count! That was for a ritual you wanted to pull off!” Bill sounds miffed, though he also plants a palm on Dipper’s head and starts ruffling hair. “Now where's the emerald from last March? Or like, the headdress from that cult with all the rabbit bones? The good stuff."

Dipper grunts. He focuses on navigating back out of the cave, turning the clay tablet over in his hands.

Figures Bill would remember all the times he did get something. His memory is excellent. And he’s greedy, because a new toy every time is a big ask.

What does Bill expect, anyway. Not every situation Dipper gets into has something to bring back. What could he even offer? An ear taken off every monster he has to fight?

Wait, no. Bill would love that.

Dipper makes a face. “You've just proved that it's not ‘never’. With examples."

"Sure, but when’s the last time it was cool?”

Dipper sighs. No point in arguing. Bill could go on forever about how 'unfair' it is that he doesn't get trophies from every trip, or trinkets from conquered lands, or, again, ears from every enemy. When he’s decided to complain, no reasonable argument will shake him out of it.

“Too bad, then. You’re only getting some gifts.” Dipper shakes his head rapidly to dislodge Bill’s hand from his hair. "It’s hardly the worst thing that’s ever happened to you."

“Hey! I could argue that it’s related! In fact -”

Dipper tunes out the rest of Bill’s ramble, rolling his eyes. Listening with half an ear to Bill's ongoing tirade about being a poorly kept man, and unappreciated in his time.

Despite how much he already has, Bill always wants more. Somehow he sniffed out Dipper’s latest excursion, showing up right at the end and looking for ‘loot’.

Which Dipper, by all rights, should prevent.

Anything magical falling into Bill's hands can cause chaos, no matter how innocuous it seems. The flower incident alone is reason not to hand Bill anything, ever, and the fact that Dipper still does sometimes should be appreciated, damn it.

Bill's complaining on and on, but whatever. Eventually he'll get bored.

In the meantime, Dipper turns the clay tablet around again with a frown. He found something interesting, at least.

Whatever this is, it’s definitely not a language he recognizes. The script is strange, scrawled in different directions. For all he knows he’s holding it upside down. He hopes Bill doesn’t notice until he’s figured out -

"Whatcha got there?" Just as expected - and right on time.

Dipper feels the tablet yanked out of his grasp, unfazed. He doesn't break his stride.

"I found it in the lair, after... you know." Charred bones, explosions - Dipper wishes he could use, like water, or something, but mastery over even one element is powerful as is. "Anyway, that monster was collecting a lot of weird magic stuff, and this was the only interesting thing it had." He shrugs. Then, because Bill will like it, adds, "So... to the victor go the spoils?"

“Now that’s the spirit!” Bill gives him a grin, holding the tablet up to squint at it. Thankfully not turning it around. One point for Dipper, on not looking incompetent.

Still, if anyone can read it…

“What language is this?” Dipper not-so-subtly leans over, trying to peek around Bill’s arm.

"Old Draconic," Bill says, without missing a beat. Humming to himself as he apparently reads the text. Perking up a bit, smile widening. "Oh, hey! Iambic pentameter."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing, sapling. I just wish when people did the whole 'ancient poetry curse' thing, they'd get a little more creative. You never see hexameter! Or tetrameter! Not even a tasteful use of spondee.” Bill sticks his tongue out. "Come to think of it - I don’t think anyone’s done a prose epic that made the reader wanna tear their eyes out since Joyce."

Sometimes with Bill, you have to read between the lines. The long, irrelevant babbling lines.

"Just tell me if I need to get Ford or not." Dipper says, flat. He rubs at the bridge of his nose.

Among all the other stuff, Bill said ‘curse’. Never, ever a good sign.

Though the monster he just took down wasn’t a dragon, and that wasn’t really a ‘horde’ so much as something resembling the contents of the Mystery Shack, there’s absolutely no good thing about a curse. If Dipper somehow triggered it -

Great. As if hanging around Bill alone didn’t invite enough bad fortune, he’s picking up parts of his own stupid curiosity.

"Nah, don’t bother with the loser uncle!" Bill waves his concern away, amused. “This is just purple prose! Buncha ‘oooh, bad things’ll happen if you mess with my stuff.’ Totally boilerplate spellcraft with some flowery wording.”

With a shrug, Bill dismisses the whole thing. Which includes chucking the tablet over his shoulder, but Dipper manages to snag it before it falls and shatters into a million pieces.

“Typical dragon horde enchantment. All bluster, no burning.” Bill keeps walking without a care in the world. “They’re full of hot air!”

“So I’m not cursed,” Dipper prompts, catching up to him. “Aside from you, I mean.”

“Flatterer,” Bill says, slightly warmer. He continues, shrugging. “No reason you would be! No dragons in the area, and the warning sign there’s too old. By my guess, the original horde was raided centuries ago! Just another piece of random crap that got dragged into that junkyard." And he ruffles Dipper’s hair again, in the second-most annoying way. "You’re stuck with me, though.”

Dipper ducks and twists, thus freeing himself from the minor torment. “I think I can live with that.”

One would think that chatting with a demon - one as cryptic and ominous and aggravating as Bill - would only cause irritation, at best.

It still does, of course. But when it comes to Dipper, Bill… sometimes lays things out straight. On occasion. Especially when he’s instructing, doubly when it comes to magic. Like he’s trying to pour all the facts he can into Dipper’s brain, overfilling the cup.

If his goal is to overload this one mortal mind, though, he'll have to work a lot harder.

Dipper gets out his notebook, while Bill looks away, and pretends he didn’t see it. Yet another poorly-veiled lesson, with Bill obviously trying to plant seeds re: actually casting curses. Tough luck managing that. His subtle lean towards chaos might escape the unwary, but to Dipper? Bill’s way too transparent.

The fact is, that Dipper absorbs things fast. Even Bill will admit it, sometimes without being prompted.

That Includes stuff Bill doesn't even know he's teaching.

Bill’s also rambling on about historical curses, and how often these things backfire, or misfire. It’d almost sound like a series of unconnected, gossipy anecdotes, if it weren’t for the extra technical details.

And Dipper’s not falling for it. As far as he's concerned, his first curse was his last one.

But then…

Even if he’s not going to use the knowledge, there's no reason not to learn it. Knowledge about making curses can also be used to break them, after all. Taking all the facts Bill smacked a ‘For Evil Purposes Only’ sticker on and using them to shatter an evil plan would be very satisfying.

They’re nearly out of the cave at this point, so Dipper figures it’s fine to let his guard down a bit. The monster's dead, all the traps were cleared out on the way in - everything should be fine.

He clicks his pen a couple times, and asks Bill to repeat that last thing, about the life drain. It gets a snort of amusement, but Bill’s more than happy to elaborate at length. Dipper struggles to keep up with Bill’s rapid-fire speech; he's trying to make this intentionally difficult, damn it.

Bill leads on with careless gestures and an uninterrupted stride. Getting ahead of Dipper by several meters, but Dipper’s got to note down what he says before he has to do something awful, like ask Bill to repeat himself.

Dipper is, in fact, so busy trying to write in shorthand, and walk, and not hit a stalactite with his face, all at the same time, that he sort of loses track of where he is.

And okay, maybe he trips over a rock slightly, and nearly faceplants, bonking against the sudden curve of a wall with a swear.

Dipper takes a step back, rubbing at his forehead. Annoying, but, whatever. There were a few traps around, but he pretty much cleared out the cave on the way in, so it’s probably - oh, hell.

Not fine, he dropped the stupid tablet.

Great. The only really interesting object, shattered into half a dozen pieces. So much from saving it from Bill; Dipper himself fumbled the bag.

He backs up to evaluate the damage -

The stone sinks under his foot, and something goes ‘click’.

With a start, Dipper raises a shield without thinking, arm jerking up as he wills his magic into the gesture. It's solid enough for something done on reflex, but an impact hits hard on his side, with sudden, stinging pain.

And a pretty hard impact, at that. He didn’t get it solid enough, damn it, wasn’t expecting something physical -

Dipper wheezes out a breath, slumping to the ground and clutching his stomach.

Alright. So. He got most of the traps.

He sits down, and lets his head thump back against the stone, teeth bared in a grimace. Stupid. Should have been paying attention.

The commotion makes Bill turn his head, blinking at Dipper sitting on the ground.

Then - because he’s an asshole - he starts laughing.

“I know I’m fascinating, sapling, but really?” He tuts, setting fists on his hips. “Not sure if I should be flattered that you’re obsessed with me, or disappointed that you’re dumb enough to walk right into a wall.”

Dipper sucks in a breath, gingerly touching his side. Doesn’t seem like - he glances down. Sure, it stings, and his shirt’s torn, a long, shallow cut on his stomach, just near the old scar. But that’s about it. Over to his side, an arrow rolls against the ground, stone head clicking against the ground.

Over by the cave mouth, Bill’s cackling. God, he’s a jerk sometimes.

But he must not have seen the trap set off, too wrapped up in his own stupid bullshit, or he’d be less of one. Dipper knows that for a fact. Though he’d really, really prefer he’d never had that experience.

“C’mon, kid. If you’re not even more brain damaged from your bump, let’s ditch this joint.” Bill jerks his head over his shoulder.

Dipper hugs himself around the torso, grimacing. Not bothering to respond. His heart is still pounding, or he’d have a retort ready. Adrenaline’s helped him out in a lot of situations, but not with talking. He’ll get up when he’s ready.

“What, you smash your skull open or something?” Bill raises one arch eyebrow.

Though Dipper knows why Bill’s like this, it’s still deeply annoying. He shakes his head in lieu of a reply. In a second, he’ll be calm enough to tell Bill exactly what he thinks of his incredibly poor bedside - and cave-side - manner.

“Figures. Can’t leave you alone for five minutes without your guts spilling everywhere.” Bill clicks his tongue, folding his arms and stepping forward. “What’s the damage?”

“It hurts.” Dipper says, through gritted teeth. Then pauses. Wait, he meant to say - He shakes his head rapidly, only for more words to force themselves out, unbidden. “I got cut again.”

Again, not what he intended. Dipper lowers his chin, teeth clenched. What the hell, he shouldn’t have said that. Bill’s mocking aside, maybe he did hit his head a little too hard. Once Bill gets the mockery out of his system, he’s going to be a total pest about it, too.

With a huff, Dipper slumps. Settling in for a sulk, waiting for the next jab - But there’s no insult forthcoming. Or argument.

In fact, Bill’s gone totally silent. Which is super weird.

Dipper looks up at the cave entrance, expecting a comment or a question, or at least a huge grin. He tenses up, hunching over.

And meets a frozen, unsmiling face.

Bill dropped his arms, they hang limp by his sides. His expression’s gone blank.

The next moment, he’s right in front of Dipper, kneeling and tugging at his arms with alarming urgency.

“Alright, lemme see.” Bill’s face is very close. Though he’s trying to pull his arms away, Dipper resists out of sheer surprise. Bill growls, eye darting around until it lands on the arrow. “Oh for - Really can’t leave you alone for five minutes. Move.”

Another pull, less hard this time. Like he’s trying to ease Dipper’s arms away.

“Wh- Hey!” Dipper plants a foot against Bill’s chest, but that hardly stops anything. He raises his arms. Holding them up, in fact, like he’s at gunpoint. Where’d this come from. “Don’t get upset, I’m fine.”

“Ha! Good one, sapling. Who’s upset, exactly?” Bill says, teeth bared, and in a deeply upset way. He tugs Dipper’s shirt, up, fingers tracing the cut before pressing into his stomach. “I’m just wondering if I need a replacement mortal this soon into your miserable existence. No big deal!”

Okay, this is too much.

Dipper struggles up, despite Bill trying to shove him down again. Bracing himself on the cave wall, and glaring. “Calm down already.”

“I’m perfectly calm.” Bill says, through gritted teeth. At best he looks miffed, but he’s at least stopped trying to make Dipper lie down in the recovery position or whatever. With a glare, he tugs up Dipper’s shirt, prodding at the shallow cut. “What the hell, kid. I thought you said it hurt!”

“Ow.” Dipper’s stomach jumps at another poke. He smacks Bill’s hand away. “It does, alright? Quit poking.”

Bill doesn’t seem impressed. His fingers trail over the larger, older scar on Dipper’s left side, then glares at Dipper’s stomach like it’s insulted him. A beat, then - “You don’t usually complain.”

“I-” Okay, true. Dipper glares anyway. “Shut up.”

He doesn’t complain because it’s the only option. For all that Bill whines and teases and taunts Dipper, all the time, about being some ‘fragile mortal meatsack’, already rotting before his eyes, he really doesn’t like it when it’s brought forcefully to his attention.

God, he shouldn't have said anything. Ninety-five percent of the time, there isn’t any harm to mention. But when Dipper does ends up showing he is kind of… mortal, and it’s small, he just. Doesn’t bring it up. For all that they bicker all the time, he doesn’t like to make Bill upset.

Bill grunts, mouth turned down at the corners. He stands up quickly, folding his arms. His lip curls up in a sneer. “If you wanted attention, kid, there are way better ways to-”

Oh, fuck that. Dipper flips him off, and starts storming off.

God, this is stupid. Whenever Dipper ever breaks a bone or something, he gets teased about being so weak and vulnerable. Which he is, but neither of them like the reminder.

These days, it also comes with some weirdly maybe-sincere ‘kiss it better’ thing that Dipper then has to disinfect. A lot of hovering, and rambling commentary. Sometimes creative descriptions of how much worse it could have been, and Dipper never needed those, at any time. Bill gets oddly fixated on such random little moments, and it’s just -

Dipper doesn’t like it, is all. Bill gets the way he gets, it’s a lot, and it’s easier just to avoid it. If he were a different guy - a human guy, or even mostly-human monster- Dipper might try to talk to him about it.

But Bill’s a demon. Not normal, barely sane even on his best days, and worse, he’s Bill, so. That conversation would go precisely nowhere.

Behind him, he hears said demon approaching, fast. Stupid jerk. He should be as tall as his real form. That’d be fair. More accurate, too, and then Dipper could properly stomp off without Bill catching up so easily.

Already the bastard is by Dipper’s side. A tall, irritating presence. Hovering close without grabbing on, which adds to said irritation.

Dipper leans away, but Bill catches him around the waist and drags him in.

“Don’t get so grumpy, sapling, you’re fine! A little nick in the outer layer rarely killed anyone since they invented antibiotics.” Though he pinches Dipper’s cheek, he yanks his head away with a grunt. Bill sighs. “Everything’s a-okay here! Looks like I don't have to find a replacement just yet.”

Bill’s an idiot. Dipper scoffs, though an unpleasant feeling crawls in his gut. “Oh yeah? Who would you replace me with?”

“Eh, not like I got anyone specific in mind.” Bill waves that off, nonchalant. “But I have options! Lots of options.” He bumps a hip against Dipper. “Keep that in mind before you go charging off into obvious traps.”

This goddamn liar. Dipper elbows him in the side, because the asshole deserves it.

Not that Dipper’s worried, or anything. From what little he’s heard of Bill’s exes in the demonic rumor mill - Bill’s been, as they say, less than successful. Already Dipper’s outstripped his longest by years.. Bill can lie day in and day out about his options, put on a brave face - but they both know he’s not going to find this again. Not easily.

“Good luck finding another husband, asshole.” Dipper says with appropriate derision. It’s annoying that Bill even brought it up. There’s a good riposte in there, somewhere - but while his brain is coming up with an insult, his mouth runs on automatic. “But I was really worried that you would last week. I couldn’t stop thinking about it all day until you sent a dick pic. It was weirdly comforting.”

Bill turns toward him with genuine surprise. He even blinks a few times, no retort emerging, and Dipper looks back at him with equal surprise.

Until his mind catches up with what he just said.

Dipper digs his heels in the ground, slamming to a halt. Clapping both hands to his mouth, eyes wide.

Beside him Bill nearly trips at the sudden stop, flailing for balance with a swear.

Shit, shit shit. Dipper really didn’t mean to say that. He knows Bill’s not looking around, that he’s not interested. Cynically, that he couldn’t manage it if he was. Last week was just a one-off anxiety, like all the others Dipper’s brain comes up with when it gets too much free time. Totally irrational, and really hard to stop fixating on.

Bill keeps staring. Not angry, just confused, for long enough that Dipper wants to shrink into the ground and melt into nothingness.

Then he asks, “What the hell, Pine Tree?”

“I don’t know! I don’t know why I thought that. I don’t know why I said that.” Dipper cringes into himself, grimacing and ducking his head. He runs a hand over his slightly sweaty face. “I didn't even want you to know I got hurt.”

At that, Bill snorts. “Oh, please. I’d have seen that first time I got your shirt off. You can’t keep secrets from me!”

Dipper folds his arms, internally seething - and his stupid mouth moves to say, “I’ve done it before.”

This time, the silence is tense.

Dipper wipes his sweating forehead again, not daring to meet Bill’s eye. God he shouldn't have -

Before he can think, he blurts out, “I think something’s wrong.”

“Probably!” Bill agrees, with a smile just a little too sharp. He takes Dipper’s face in both hands, eye narrowed. “Hold still a sec.”

As Bill’s eye flickers blue, and the magic between them surges - Dipper squirms a bit, but. Well. If anything’s wrong with him - magically, anyway - Bill’s the best one to diagnose it..

Bill tilts his head to one side, then the other. After a moment, his mouth twists up into something unpleasant, eye glowing slightly brighter for an instant.

Then he sighs, and lets Dipper go. His expression is neutral, except for the slightest downturn of his mouth. His lips part like he’s about to speak, then twist up into a grimace.

Uh oh.

Whatever Bill saw, he didn’t like it.

“What?” Dipper pats his head, then his chest. If there was something weird, magically about him, he - wouldn’t be able to tell, actually. He’s too close to get a good look. Oh god, what if he did hit his head too hard, and something in his brain is bleeding, or worse. “Wait. Am I dying?”

“Worse! You’re telling the truth.” Bill claps his hands together. Though he’s smiling again, it’s brittle and annoyed. “Don’t suppose you know any curse breakers that aren’t your great-uncle?”

“Not really,” Dipper admits. Bill's words catch up to him, and he bites his lip. Then, because the situation deserves it, “Fuck.”

Protection curse. The tablet.

Damn it.

A part of a horde, from a long time ago. Messed with. It should have been something less awful. Like warts, or sprouting plants from his skin, or a big fireball. Pretty much anything else would be less awful.

Truth curses are rare, they’re difficult as hell - but judging by the words spilling out of Dipper, he’s caught a pretty strong variant.

Of all the curses that could hit him. Why this one.

Hell, maybe it’s intended to be the worst curse possible for the ‘thief’. That would explain how targeted this feels.

And knowing Dipper’s luck, that part was explained on, like, the back of the tablet.

“Welp! Good thing I’m not short on contacts, kid.” Bill grapes his shoulder, shaking him a bit, before he trails an arm over Dipper’s shoulders. “Who wants some fumbling idiot uncle to fix this kinda spell, anyway?”

Dipper would! If it was feasible. He makes a brief attempt at shrugging Bill’s arm up before letting his shoulders slump.

The idea of Ford hearing about this is….

Dipper sucks in a breath through his teeth.

Ford really would have a way around this. He'd certainly have the best intentions, Dipper’s certain. He'd...

Also not have the best sense of boundaries.

Though he'd be doing it for the right reasons, he'd ask the wrong questions. Out of concern, and arguably valid worry; he's never fully believed that Bill can't influence him. Despite how many times Dipper’s tried to explain it to him, Ford just can’t wrap his mind around certain truths.

With this curse, though. Between poor social sense, the Pines curiosity, and what Dipper might blurt out, while compelled to answer -

On this, Dipper agrees with Bill. They’ll have to find something else to break this.

In the meantime, he’ll manage, like he has all the other times his life has sucked. Hardly the worst case scenario. If Bill had been cursed - someone who lies like he breathes - Who knows? Give it a few days, and he might just explode from all the backed up bullshit.

“Wait.” A horrible thought strikes. Dipper reels on his husband, eyes wide. “Are you okay?”

“What, me? I’m a perfectly moral human man,” Bill says, resting a hand on his chest, lifting his chin with pride. “A boring sentient mammal who’s never found curses entertaining.”

Yep, Bill’s fine. As always, it’s Dipper who gets the short end of the stick.

He breathes in slowly, and lets it out.

Yeah. Still sucks. He’ll deal. Cursed, but not dead. In danger, but not the worst - and his husband’s being annoying, which means he’s perfectly fine. There’s a solution too - it’s just going to be a huge, annoying process getting to it.

“So,” Bill says, slowly. Drawing the word out in a long string, while he finger-walks his arm up around Dipper’s shoulder.

Uh oh.

Speaking of annoying…

“Watch it,” Dipper hunches his shoulders, not daring to look his idiot husband in the eye. “You’re this close to sleeping on the couch for a month.” Not a big enough threat, Bill’s still thinking- “Or for a year.”

“Oh, sure,” Bill says, in a distracted tone. His fingers pause on their walk, one ‘leg’ poised on Dipper’s clavicle. They hold the position for a long moment, tapping out a little marching step - and seconds later, his palm slaps down on Dipper’s shoulder. “So, Pine Tree! How do you feel about this ‘Bill Cipher’ guy?”

Though Dipper resists, and he really tries to, the words slip out past his teeth, his lips form the sounds -

“I love you.” God. Damnit. He clenches his fists, as Bill’s sheer smugness radiates from him like heat. “And I’m thinking about shoving you off a cliff right now.”

When Bill paused, Dipper thought he might have fended this off. Wishful thinking, really, Bill’s almost impossible to stop. Dipper used what leverage he had, but all he’s managed to avoid are the worst, most invasive questions.

When it comes to Bill, that’s pretty close to a win.

Not that it’s going to feel like one.

Bill has, in fact, been encouraged. Now that he’s heard something he likes, he leans in like a weird creep. Dipper can practically hear the leer in his voice. “And on a scale of one to ten, how handsome am I?

“Ten point five,” Dipper needs to loosen his jaw or he might break a filling. Being pumped for information is bad enough without pumping up Bill’s already ridiculous ego. “You bastard.”

Bill’s chest puffs out, there’s a strut in his stride. The grin is so wide now Dipper’s pretty sure it should hurt- and if he dares to pucker up, he’s not getting lips on his awful face. “And am I the most clever and sexually amazing guy in the universe or what?

This time, Dipper snorts.

“Definitely not.” He ignores the sharp, indignant sound next to him, tilting his head in thought. “For one, there’s succubi and incubi, so. Sexually, you’re not even on top amongst demons.” He glances over at the offended ‘o’ of Bill’s mouth. “And I know you’re not the most clever, because I win our debates nearly half the time. Maybe you’re up there, but not the most. And that’s just the surface level stuff.”

Dipper doesn’t have a complete cosmological view of the multiverse, but he has learned a lot. Mostly stuff he picked up from his husband, and demonic gossip. It’s absolutely enough to go on a long, long ramble about how Bill most likely doesn’t rank number one in anything. If Dipper avoids the topics where he actually is.

He’s barely fifteen seconds in before Bill starts scowling, with a grumpy hunch to his shoulders - But screw him.

Dipper starts smiling, just a bit. Then, to be a dick, he adds,

“The ten and a half is just me, anyway. To the average human, you’re maybe an eight..” Dipper continues, over another spluttered protest. Again, true; not everyone likes the slightly inhuman maniac cyclops look. “Six with your personality.”

Bill groans. “Ugh, you pedant.” He squeezes Dipper’s shoulder, jostling him slightly. “C’mon, you know what I meant! What’s the real - “

“Don’t ask questions if you can’t handle the answers,” Dipper warns, jabbing Bill in the chest. So far it hasn’t been too much, but it could be. Time to draw a line. “I will suck so much fun out of this for you.”

Bill Cipher, unintentional teacher once more. Now Dipper knows the curse isn’t about perfect truth. When he can deliberately misinterpret a question’s intent, and can go on tangents - that means he has loopholes. There might even be more, if he tries.

And if they can’t get this settled soon, he’ll need every one of those he can find.

“Clever brat.” Bill’s frowning, but he can’t disguise the amusement in his voice. His eyebrows wiggle, his arm hauling him close - "Go ahead, then. Anything else you wanna share?"

"I know two and half ways to kill you, Bill Cipher." Dipper gets right up in his face. He won’t let Bill push this any further. "Don't tempt me to use them."

Being face to face like this, Dipper watches Bill’s eye go wide - ha, didn’t expect that, did he. With that threat, he’ll -

Start cackling. And weirdly, turn a little pink. Dipper feels all the momentum he had whoosh out of him like sad balloon animal.

“Boy, you are a saucy one!” Bill whistles, low. He places his hands demurely on his cheeks, fluttering his eye at Dipper with amusement. “Oh, yeah. Talk deadly to me.”

By this time, Dipper figures he should be used to stumbling into demonic flirtation. Only it turns out it’s basically fractal in nature, and he keeps running into new and newer edge cases.

“Fun as this is - we gotta get you cleared up, and no time like the present!” Bill’s calmed down enough to scoop an arm around his waist, leading Dipper onward. “Can’t have you babbling everything to everyone, y’know?”

“What, you don’t want me telling you everything?” Total bullshit. Dipper elbows him in the side. “I thought you wanted to get in my head.”

“Hey! I didn’t ask for our game to be set on ‘beginner’ mode. That’s boring.” Bill flicks his fingers - but he’s got his ‘evading questions’ look on. “You’re lucky I’m so- oof.”

Another elbow, harder this time. Bill grunts, but capitulates. Rubbing at his eye briefly, he sighs.

“So! How many of my secrets would you say you know, Pine Tree?” Bill tightens his grip on Dipper’s waist, tugging him closer. “And I’m talking about the ones that I wouldn’t enjoy getting out in the world.”

“More than I can count.” Dipper says without thinking. Then, with thinking - “Oh.”

Dipper hadn’t considered how much Bill’s taught him, before this exact moment. How much he’s learned. Even unintentionally. Especially unintentionally.

Crap, even his threat before was kind of -

Shit. There’s definitely, absolutely, no way can they go to Ford about this. Total recipe for disaster.

“See? We both got liabilities in play here.” Bill moves easily as Dipper picks up the pace. If anything he’s amused, and not feeling nearly as urgent. Another reason he’s an idiot. “All we gotta do is get you patched up quick, and no more loose lips sinking ships! Easy-peasy.”

“It better be,” Dipper mutters. Nothing ever goes right for him. And by extension, them.

“Trust me, kid! I got this handled!” Bill snaps his fingers - and smacks Dipper’s butt with a wink. “I know some guys!”

#answers #Not my best work but I haven't posted in a while so here's a thing!#I will get better at writing I swear #There are references to the whump fic in this just so you know #It is canon that Dipper didn't die but the how and the aftermath are for the sequel #Anyway whump sequel is going decent and I have some ideas for other stuff #Don't worry Dipper Ford wouldn't even think to ask you the questions you're worried about #He assumes that Bill would never ever let you know those facts #And technically Bill never told Dipper either of those two and a half ways but you learn a lot from being married for a few years #I don't have any more interesting tag facts other than that don't expect a timely sequel to this because I have so much stuff to complete #I hope it's at least fun to read!

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mistercrowbar · 5 months

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Heya! Firsr I wanted to say that I love your art it always makes me smile when I see it. I'm trying to learn how to draw, and eventually want to be able to draw stuff like yours. Do you have any tips/ advice on how to improve on drawing characters?

I could give the Fine Art Answer and go on about drawing from observation, from photo reference, making master studies, gestures, linear perspective, colour theory lightning composition etc etc etc but really

Let obsession grab you and ride it

I’ve known plenty of people whose art skills took off because they got into D&D and wanted to draw their OCs and they kept drawing and drawing and learning along the way. It can start as simple as, how do I draw my character making a really angry rage scream, and so you go to a mirror and make silly faces and draw from that. Then it can go to, I want to draw my OC and their party in that funny scene we RP’d at the tavern, so you start grabbing references for the interior of such a place, dabble in that perspective thing to lay out the bar, find references for the pirate NPC’s parrot, add some other elements just to frame everything nicely and bam, you’ve drawn yourself a full scene, got experience in drawing interiors, and learned some avian anatomy.

I do emphasise starting small and having fun. I illustrate full time for a living so that’s why most of what I post is silly sketches, I just wanna get the ideas out there without stressing myself. You wanna make art a habit, you want to make it something you look forward to doing, instead of getting wrapped up in thinking every new work has to be a masterpiece. Try to learn one thing at a time and add it to your repertoire instead of lumping a bunch of lessons in at once.

One thing specifically for characters, don’t jump right into making a reference. They’re likely to evolve the more you draw them as you get a better handle of what traits you want to emphasise or details that kinda get forgotten. Like, look at Aldiirn, I’ve had him for 3-4 months and he’s put on at least 30lbs lmao but also a bunch of other changes to emphasise round shapes like nose eyes hair. No one’s holding a gun to your head to keep things consistent.

So yeah! You can crunch and do the master studies and learn quickly, but if you’re just in it for you, have some fun! Draw your blorbo a million times and try branching out for one new thing here and there. If you are just starting out, it could be helpful to learn the basics of constructing a head and general body proportions. I don’t have any tutorials to recommend but I’m sure there must be something on youtube.

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thesupreme316 · 11 months

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a bunch of headcanons of the reader has a kid and has to take the kid to work a lot but the wrestler(s) with a crush on them help out and they get together??

darius martin x female reader? action andretti x female reader? dante martin x female reader? hook x female reader? ricky starks x female reader? lee moriarty x female reader?

AEWS Stars Having A Crush on A Single Mom:

Pairings: Darius Martin X Fem!Reader, Dante Martin X Fem!Reader, Action Andretti X Fem!Reader, Hook X Fem!Reader, Ricky Starks Fem!Reader, Lee Moriarty X Fem!Reader, Eddie Kingston X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1.5K

Supreme Speaks: hiii, thanks to @hooks-martin for the request! this one has been sitting in my drafts because I just kept changing stuff so I hope everyone enjoys it. if you a momma out here, I appreciate you cause you def do a lot, you are wonder woman. please remember that you are loved and appreciated.

Warnings: I refer to children as demon spawns and gremlins jokingly, MY GRAMMARLY AND THE N KEY DOESNT WORK WHEN I NEED IT TO, GIFS are NOT mine, not proofread so not too loud

Taglist: @hooks-martin @hookerforhook @wwenhlimagines @sheinthatfandom @eddie-kingstons-wifey

Darius Martin:

THIS MAN WOULD ABSOLUTELY MELT AT THE SIGHT OF YOU WITH YOUR KID

Darius always admired you, but eventually that became a big crush

Completely simps for you and your kids

Will do anything that you say or ask

In my mind, he is that man that stepped up into a father-figure/male role model in your child’s life

Him taking the task of watching your little gremlin (I mean blessing…same difference) very seriously

Never lets them out of his sight, will spend almost all his money on them, and will try his best to give a good experience every time they go to work with you

Starts spending time with them outside of work as he understands being a single mom is hard and will do anything to lighten your plate

YOUR KIDS FUCKING LOVE HIM cause why not? Plus he always buys them ice cream

Eventually, you notice and you absolutely fall in love with the way he accepts your kids

One day, after dropping the kids off at your house after a day of fun, he makes his move

“I wanna be in their lives more and I want to be in your life more. I really like you and I want to have more with you.”

Needless to say that y’all establish your family and are starting to add one more to the mix

Dante Martin

I feel that just like his brother Dante would also take the task seriously

But because Dante is younger he wouldn’t know how to really “help out”

Definitely read a couple of books to help

So he would do what he could; watch your kids while you work if he didn’t have a match or just distract them while you had to handle something

To them; he quickly becomes that cool older brother who can do flips

Dante begins having a crush on you because of how nurturing and attentive you are to your kid(s)

He’s just worried about you not seeing him in the same light (if you are older)

You like him because of how sweet he is and that he really tries his best to help you

To ask you out, I feel like he would ask the kid(s) more about you and your interests

After asking for the child(rens) blessing and their invasive questions, he would ask you out

IT WOULD BE REALLY CUTE Like he would use the kids homemade cards to ask you out on a date

You: *reading the card(s)* Mom, you should go out with Dante?

Dante: I mean the kid’s got taste

Action Andretti

I feel like he would be very similar to his Lad comrades

Will be attracted to you at first from a far and come around to making his feelings known

He gets hella nervous around you (like would stutter and not make eye contact)

But would be shook to find out that you have kids or a kid

He wouldn’t wanna feel like he’s adding more to your plate

Offers to watch your kids or take them to get something to eat while you work

You guys would have little date nights as either his or your friends offer to watch the kid(s)

BUT LISTEN

I think that your child(ran) would pressure you into asking you out

“You know mom likes you, right? But then again she likes Dylan too-“

Before they could finish their other sentence, Andretti runs straight to you and asks you out

Andretti: *out of breath* I just had to ask you out before Dylan did

You: I don’t even know a Dylan. But I would love to go out with you

Hook:

LETS GET THIS STRAIGHT: HOOK LIKES MILFS (as do I) AND IDC WHAT YOU SAY

Likes you because you are a strong woman and then fell even more in love when he found that you’re a mom (a great one at that)

But he would never show it; he’ll try his best to keep his feelings at bay so he doesn’t add pressure to your life (and because he’s not a verbally emotional person)

Also he thought his actions would speak for his words

I think kids like Hook for the simple fact that he doesn’t talk much; Would let your children do whatever they want to a certain extent

If they did something outta pocket, he’ll just look at them and they’ll stop

You were amazed and you just automatically started going to Hook to babysit/watch them while you’re working

He always keeps snacks, juice boxes, and coloring books in his backpack just in case

Remember how I said that he doesn’t show his feeling and his actions speak for him? When that all changes when he has a talk with your son

Demon Spawn: Do you like my mom?

Hook: Yes

Demon Spawn: Well, can you tell her? She doesn’t think so and she doesn’t understand us guys

Would ask you out with your favorite flowers

“I thought my actions were speaking loudly but I think I need to be straightforward. Will you go out with me?”

Ricky Starks:

THIS MAN IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOO ARJHGAJFHGJKAFDG

He also likes MILFS (again so do I call me)

Before knowing you had kids, he would actively flirt with you every damn day

When he found that you had kids, the flirting became more provocative and direct

“So….do you want another kid? With a handsome and charming man?”

Your kids love him because he helps pick out their outfits, he’s funny (always give them material to roast someone), and he genuinely cares

Like Darius, he will take the responsibility very seriously

In his eyes, it’s like they are his kids too (that was apparent after he signed a permission slip for a field trip)

Keeps a close eye on them backstage and takes them to basketball games

Constantly takes you out on dates; genuinely believes that you guys are in a relationship (PDA, spending nights together)

You always thought that you weren’t good enough for Ricky; but he quickly shut that shit down

“Listen, you are my woman, always have been. You are a great mother just like how you are a great girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend? We never confirmed our relationship.”

“I thought it was obvious but if you want we can go to the bedroom and confirm it now.”

Lee Moriarty:

THIS MAN IS FUNNY IDC WHAT YOU SAY

I feel like he would have that one uncle that is everyone’s favorite

Developed a crush on you because you gave him a jersey

Loves to give your kids piggy back rides (or make Big Bill give them), fake wrestle, and race them around the arena

Will do TikTok challenges with your child and make you join them

Will also let them watch a little of South Park

He’s a confident person but when it comes down to you; he don’t know how to act

He’s the type of person who will get shy around the person he likes

Like Hook, your children will ask if he likes you, to which he responds “Is it that obvious?”

And with them having big mouths, they say, “Mom! You should make him your boyfriend! He like likes you!”

Next time he comes to watch your kids, you ask him out, making him blush

“*in disbelief *You wanna go out with me?”

“Have you met yourself? Of course I want to.”

And then you kiss his cheek, making your children gag

Eddie Kingston *Bonus* I had to include him

THIS DUDE THIS DAWG

He’s aware that he has feelings for you but he doesn’t let you know outta fear of rejection (He thinks he’s being obvious and you’re not interested)

If you ask him to do something, he’ll do it while saying no problem; does not want you to lift a finger while he’s around

Will fight to the death for you and your kids

Always give (sometimes unsolicited) advice to your kids and gives them the hard truth

“Stawp that running around; ya motha don’t like that” (I can hear him sayin it exactly as I wrote it)

They always appreciate how upfront he is

Treats your kids like their his own

Tries to attend their games and award ceremonies

Will brag about their achievements to Jon and anyone else

Back to his crush on you; Eddie fully believes that you don’t like him back and just see him as a friend

Until you tell him about your feelings

“Eddie, you’re a great person: handsome, funny, real, and a sweetheart. I genuinely want you in my life as more than a friend.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth doll.” And then he gives you a kiss

Your kid: EW

“No one told you to watch dawg.”

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oldfashionedmorphine · 10 months

Text

hi friends!! i’m super excited to share Will’s perspective from the scene in the basement all the way back in chapter 4 of i’m a wreck (without you here)!!!

i highly recommend reading chapter 17 first!!! 😉

(it’s 2.7k words! oh and psa for anyone who has read my story so far—especially if you haven’t read this chapter in a while: i have gone back and fixed some things i didn’t like cause as much as i loved this chapter, i published it before i was 100% satisfied with it…but it works better now! also idk why but i kinda like Will’s pov more 👀)

🎵🎶 and look!! i even picked out songs!!! :D

tagging my fans: @across-thestars @boahey @magentamee @daydreams-in-the-moonlight @greenfiend @rebellius @booksandpaperss @castelobyers @total-serene560 @wheelersboy @sparks-olivarpente @hazmatazz @suzieburself @unrepentant-byler-shipper @quarter-pasteleven

Enjoy!

Cause It’s the Only Thing I Wanna Do

June 22, 2004 11:47 pm

“—I really wanna know how you’ve actually been, you know, from you.”

“Well, uh...” Mike starts to say, but then he pauses, eyebrows lifting, eyes wide—it looked as though he were trying to figure out where to start first. And then Will watches Mike pour himself another shot, slamming it down fast, and sucking his teeth before he continues, “Well...I live in an apartment, it’s not terrible. Rent is a little expensive where I’m at, so I have a roommate—he’s a law student and I rarely ever see him—but anyway, I had a lot of financial mishaps over the years, so I never quite got out of the cycle of renting to own anything...or heck, even live alone. But it doesn’t really bother me though—I have a cat, her name’s Josephine—that was her name at the shelter and I thought it was cute so I kept it—and uh...definitely no girlfriend…”

Definitely no girlfriend?

The way he had said it raised a tiny little flag in Will’s mind. And then there was a pause between Mike’s words—Will almost found the nerve to ask him to elaborate, but then Mike shakes his head slightly and he’s back to speaking, “And the weather is pretty dreary. Both Nancy and Holly were convinced I have depression. They’re probably right. They said the weather only makes it worse. It does get lonely sometimes too—my relationships—well, nothing ever sticks. Honestly, it's mostly sucked, but I can’t bring myself to leave.”

Will pulls his knees to his chest, he wasn’t sure what he was expecting to hear, but hearing Mike talk about feeling lonely and how his sisters were convinced he had depression didn’t sit well with him. Once upon a time, back during the darker days of being so incredibly furious because Mike had left him behind, there were times when Will had hoped he was miserable, but eventually he grew out of that mindset after his heart hurt less, and over the past couple years, whenever he thought of Mike, he liked to imagine he was happy somehow, even if it was without him. And all the things he knew from afar—the things Nancy had told him—were all positive because she had never once mentioned anything about depression, she only informed him of the highlights. Simple stuff like Mike getting a new job or how he had sent gifts for the kids, and he knew about the cat, just not her name, but of course each time Nancy would also add a little something to the effect of ‘You know, I think he misses you, you should try talking to him—I have his number if you want it’, but of course, he couldn’t do it. He wanted to call, but too much time had passed…and it wasn’t like Mike ever tried to reach out either—Nancy had his number too, so she probably offered it to Mike at some point as well. Ultimately, it felt like the damage was too severe to ever recover from. And it was also very hard to believe that Nancy was really telling the truth—that Mike actually missed him—and not just meddling to make family gatherings less awkward. Maybe she had hoped that if the two of them were friends again, then her brother would be more inclined to visit. Perhaps a selfish motive, but if that was the truth, then he could understand why she would try and make the effort. In the end, Will thought it was best to leave it alone, because there would be less chance of getting hurt again that way…

And when Will realizes Mike had left him a short window to speak, he takes it—he wants Mike to know he's listening. “Why not? If it sucks, why not move somewhere else? What’s stopping you? It’s not like you haven’t done a big move before. Just go somewhere more affordable,” but Mike’s face was still sour, so Will makes a small attempt to provoke a smile with a teasing tone, “and with better weather.”

“I dunno. It’s stupid when I think about it now, but I pissed everyone off back when I first moved—and then you wouldn’t talk to me anymore—I guess I just felt like it all had to mean something.”

Will quirks an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Mike keeps his eyes cast down at his hands, fidgeting with an empty shot glass. “I mean, that me living there, in Seattle, couldn’t be all for nothing. And I only realize now that I was being so fucking stubborn about it. It’s just that...half the time—half the time I was embarrassed that I didn’t live up to my parents expectations. I could have been more—or something. Something more. I had really hoped being somewhere else would have helped, like when people talk about a ‘fresh start’, but I just feel like—I dunno, like I’m going through the motions.” He scoffs. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but...if twelve year old me could see me now I’m sure he’d be pretty disappointed. I let myself get knocked down because of a couple dumbass choices—any normal person would have dusted themselves off and tried again. But not me.”

“Oh…” Will murmurs. He wasn’t sure what else to say.

“Not me...or I dunno, maybe I was just punishing myself.”

Again he watches Mike pour himself another shot of vodka, filling it to the very brim this time, almost to the point it spills over, and as he brings the shot to his mouth, some of the liquor drips onto his shirt and the floor. It was clear Mike’s coordination was wavering with each additional shot. And then Mike offers to pour Will another, but he shakes his head, refusing—Will knew his limits. Three shots of vodka was more than enough, possibly too much, because he was definitely feeling it. If he drank any more he’d regret it in the morning. Not to mention he wasn’t a big fan of getting drunk to begin with. He always feared he’d end up like his deadbeat dad if he wasn’t careful about pacing himself when it came to alcohol.

Mike sets the bottle back on the coffee table. “You probably know this, but I was also holding a major…major grudge against my dad for the longest fucking time because of his—well, cause of all those things he said.” He chuckles, which Will found to be a bit unsettling considering what Mike was saying. “At one point my mom even said that he was ‘sorry for everything’ and that he wanted to try to ‘make amends’…part of me thought she was just saying it to force me to apologize first, but I still couldn’t face him even if it was the damn truth. Like, I just couldn’t trust that he really felt differently after everything—well ‘cause, all those horrible things he said—the things he implied…even about you, they might as well have been…about me. Y’know? I mean, they were…they are, he just didn’t know it. And I really didn’t think he’d still be sorry if he knew about that.”

Wait—what? Did he just—

Will was stunned, though he wasn’t sure he heard him right. Because it wasn’t like he had said the words outright, yet it sounded a hell of a lot like he was implying that—

And now Mike was looking over at him, full of panic, with the kind of expression you’d expect from someone who just revealed a truth they never meant to share. His eyes remain locked on Mike, but the longer he stares at him the more confused it makes him, so Will drops his gaze to the floor and tightens his arms around his legs. No matter how Mike’s face seemed, it wasn’t confirmation of what he thought he heard—hopes he heard.

Out of the corner of his eye, Will sees Mike reaching for the vodka again, this time drinking straight from the bottle. Part of him wanted to snatch the bottle away from Mike—I think you’ve had enough, mister, you’ll regret another drop—except he can’t seem to move a damn muscle for some reason.

And after a moment Mike sighs, setting the bottle down. “Of course, I don’t exactly know how he would’ve handled the news—I mean, obviously I never told him—or anyone from back then—”

But what else would have upset his father so much? What could it possibly have been that he never told him…or anyone else? Drugs? No, because he said it had something to do with me too, so that can’t be it, not to mention the way he emphasized—

Mike hiccups. “As I say this now, you’re the first I’ve—”

Okay, but I’m the first what? I need you to say it!

“—and of course I never let it go with him...but then...it was too late. The option to even think about—well, about finally forgiving him...and telling him the truth about me—”

The truth about—okay, yeah, that has to be it—Ted must’ve said a bunch of homophobic shit to Mike and I was roped into the mix somehow, because Mike said his dad ‘implied horrible things’ that involved me, yet all of it also applied to Mike? So then he must’ve meant that he’s gay…or maybe he’s bisexual? What else would make Ted Wheeler lose his shit? What else would he want to conceal for so long? And that still had to do with me somehow—cause it sure as shit wouldn’t have been over video games…plus…no one—not Nancy, Holly, Karen, El, or any one else—has ever once mentioned anything to me about Mike having a girlfriend since…high school…

“—cut all the bullshit, but...it didn’t. And I didn’t even go—didn’t even go to his funeral. I didn’t deserve to. It’s stupid—or I’m stupid. And now with Nancy—I didn’t—fuck—I didn’t even...consider...that I had so little time left with her. And...my options were taken away...again. I could have—I could have...seen her more. I know we weren’t always...the closest, but she—she definitely made more effort than me—if I had just...been less of a dipshit and forced myself to visit...but now—well, I can’t do that anymore. She’s gone, Will. She’s really...” Mike pauses, then he whispers, “gone.”

And then Will looks back over at Mike—he was using his sleeves to dry his eyes, but his tears were relentless, continuing to spill over, and with snot also dripping from his nose. The mere sight of Mike in this state elicits tears of his own, as well as an overwhelming urge to comfort him, to offer him a shoulder, but when Will starts to inch closer to him, he hesitates. There was a time they used to hug, but what if Mike didn’t want to be touched?

Fuck it—he can push me away if he needs to.

Will must have caught him by surprise with his sudden impulse, because now Mike’s looking at him with glossy bloodshot eyes as a shuddered gasp escapes his pale lips. And then Mike starts to tremble as though he were on the cusp of shattering into a million pieces. But for a single selfish second, as Mike was falling apart right before his eyes, Will can’t help but marvel at the sheer impossibility of the situation. At how close he was to Mike. Their knees were now pressed together and the scent of his shampoo was so prominent—citrus and mint—mixed with a hint of alcohol coming from his breath. But the moment passes and then the instinct to wrap an arm around him kicks in, to draw him even closer. Mike’s head immediately falls onto Will’s shoulder and his sobs grow louder.

And between sobs and sniffles Mike starts stuttering, “I’m n-never gonna see her again—ever. Never hear her voice—see her s-smile. Never—and I missed out—the pictures—her! Never, n-never—I’m so stupid—stupid—” Without any warning, Mike moves to throw his arms around Will, seeming desperate as he grabs onto his shirt, pulling at the fabric so intensely that threads begin to snap, threatening to rip the seams apart entirely—hey, I like this shirt—except Will couldn't find it in him to make Mike stop. All he can do is try and hold him and hope that it helps. And when Mike starts to beg softly into his ear, the words tug even more at his heartstrings, “Please, please—don’t go. Please, you can’t go. Please, please s-stay—ple-please don’t go. I don’t want—I don’t want—don’t leave me again. Please, please don’t—don’t—don’t—” then Mike tucks his face into the crook of Will’s neck, his pleading words becoming too muffled to comprehend.

Will tries to ignore the small part inside of him that feels betrayed for allowing himself to get this close to Mike and risk his heart all over again. And he briefly thinks back to when he held that number in his hand, debating with himself for hours before he pushed a single button—before he ever left that voicemail—because he knew exactly what would happen. It was a slippery slope and the stakes were high. But of course, a larger part of him wanted Mike back more than anything, so he had set aside his fear and from the very second he dialed his number, he was all in—heart unsheathed and vulnerable. And now here he was, sitting on the floor of an old familiar basement, more than a little tipsy, with Michael Wheeler drunk and trembling in his arms, begging for him to never leave him again.

But tomorrow Mike would wake up and not remember any of this. And if Will were to ask him about it, he’d reply that he didn’t mean anything he said. That it was all a mistake. That it was only extreme grief and copious amounts of vodka that made him utter such words, but Will tries to ignore every invading thought. Thoughts driven only by fear—a defense mechanism designed to shield his heart by preparing him for some hypothetical worst case scenario like last time. Because something inside him was fully aware that he had slipped over that edge and he was falling once again for the idea of spending the rest of their lives together. And that maybe he wouldn’t survive this time if it all went wrong.

But it won’t. Not this time. This time it’ll be different—no more hiding.

“Hey, hey...it’s gonna be okay. I’m here...” Will whispers to him as he brings a hand up to stroke the back of Mike’s head, his hair the slightest bit damp to the touch, and then slowly his shaking begins to subside. “I know it hurts. But it’s gonna be okay... maybe not right now, but someday.”

Mike’s sobs taper off until the only sound filling the space in the room was REO Speedwagon’s Keep On Loving You;

“…When I said that I love you, I meant that I love you forever…”

Will rocks him gently side to side, humming the song as if it were a lullaby. Eventually Mike grows heavier in his arms and Will realizes it would be better for Mike to sleep in a bed, so he tries to rouse him. “Mike?”

No answer, so he tries again, giving him a little shake. “Mike…Mike?”

“Hmm.”

“Come on, let’s get you to bed—”

He groans at the suggestion.

“You can’t sleep like this, come on…”

Mike mumbles—it sounds like he was asking him to stay.

“I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

He finally manages to help him up, but they only get as far as the sofa bed right behind them. At first they both stay sitting at the very edge, with Mike still trying to hold onto Will, but in the end, Will gently eases him towards the pillow and he goes out like a light.

Will tilts his head as he leans over him, then reaches a hand out—at first it was to simply push back the hair from Mike’s eyes, but right after, he caresses his cheek with the back of his hand. Even with puffy eyes and tear-soaked skin with splotches of red, he was beautiful. Maybe more so now than ever before.

And Will felt guilty for wanting to capture Mike in such a dark moment. But that feeling didn’t stop him from picking up his sketchbook off the floor and opening it to an empty page…

#byler #byler fanfic #byler fanfiction #iawwyh

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eddiesbigolepp · 2 years

Text

let me help you

synopsis: cheerleading practice was taking a toll on you, and when eddie picks you up he notices how spent you are.

pairing: eddie munson x cheerleader!reader

warnings: 18+, smut, crude language, swearing, touchy eddie, perv!eddie, unprotected sex

word count: 3484

a/n: this reminds me of like bring it on where the boy cheerleaders help the girl cheerleaders stretch and they’re madddd close

the groan you let out when you finally make it to eddie’s van is loud. and the slam of the door rattled the car, pulling him out of his jam session. he looks over at you, turning the music down with a sympathetic smile. he places his hand on your thigh, “everything alright, sweetheart?” he questions rubbing circles into your knee.

“just tired, and my legs are killing me,” you mumble turning in your seat to face him better. you get comfortable, almost as if your laying on the seat. “can we just… go to your place?” you ask looking over at him.

“yeah, yeah for sure.” he answers, squeezing your thigh once more before pulling his hand away to put the van into drive. he drives cautiously, scared that every bump will make your legs hurt that much more. the music is kept quiet and he can see you from the corner of your eye looking at him.

“what is it? you like my face or something, honey?” he laughs, his eyes flashing over at you quickly as he takes his turn.

“i’ve just never seen you drive like this. you’re so concentrated.” you giggle, “i won’t break if you go over twenty-five miles per hour.” you joke and smile up at him.

“you will,” he frowns looking over at you and squeezing your thigh one more time, “now sit tight were almost there,” he smiles turning the corner onto the long street that leads to the trailer park.

the moment he puts the van in park in front if his trailer you open the door and step out to stretch. he watches you from his seat and sighs. “is there anything i can do to help?” he asks as he pulls the keys out of the ignition.

“let me borrow some clothes so i can shower?” you ask turning your torso to face him with a big smile. “pleaseeee,” you add batting your lashes as he hops out and walks around to your door.

“come on, lets go get you a towel,” he smiles grabbing your bags and leading the way. your face is all smiles until you start walking and he notices quickly. “i’ll go turn the water on, you pick whatever shirt you want, and i think i might have some of your underwear somewhere,” he says muttering the last part and scratching his neck.

you slap his arm and laugh, waiting for him to unlock the door so you can finally try and relax. he walks inside, holding the door open for you. you beeline straight to his room to look for a shirt. you rummage through his drawers looking for a specific one before standing up and looking around the room.

your eyes freeze on the wall behind his bed. the ‘normal’ stuff is on there, posters, pictures, the handcuffs. but something black is hanging next to the cuffs.

you walk over, and eventually crawl your way over. you pull the piece of fabric off the nail in the wall and hold it up. your face goes bright red as he walks through the door to check up on you.

he had your panties hanging on the wall, like a damn trophy. “heheh.. i thought they were cute,” he chuckles grabbing them to try and hide them.

“i lost those like three weeks ago! you can’t just take them because you think they’re cute,” you frown and he comes over to press his hand to your face.

“but theyre so cute and they’re your only black ones its only right that they stay here.” he jokes holding them up with his finger.

“but i think theyre cute, thats why i bought them,” you answer trying to snatch them back. he pulls his hand away and heads to his drawer. he grabs the metallica shirt you were looking for and another pair of your underwear, pink ones and smiles.

“theres a towel in the bathroom and the water is hot so go shower and stop running up my water bill,” he laughs turning your body around and pushing you out the door. “i’ll be in here when you’re done.” he smiles flopping onto the bed, not before hanging up his trophy again.

you shower quickly, it was mainly you standing under the hot stream of water trying to warm up your muscles hut it was no use. once you stepped out you felt worse than before.

he noticed once you walked through the door. usually you’d bring your uniform neatly folded and would place it in your gym bag. but it was all crumpled in your hand and you tossed it on your bag and went straight to the bed.

“didnt help, huh?” he says opening his arm for you to lay on his chest.

“not at all, coach is driving me crazy with all these drills, we need to focus in technique not stamina, he’s too worried about what his wife is making for dinner to realize that.” you complain and nestle into his neck.

“let me help you doll,” he says and you shake your head. “come on don’t t be like that, this isn’t something your can sleep off.” he says again and you sigh.

“i don’t know how you could help though,” you frown up at him.

“i mean, doesn’t stretching help with soreness. heard that in health class once.” he says, looking down at you. when you look up at him he swears he can feel your pain through your eyes.

“thats not a bad idea..” you mumble and you sit up. “come here,” you say pointing in front of you.

“okay what do i do?” he questions crawling to that spot and sitting on his knees.

“im gonna do a spilt on the bed, just push my back down, okay?” you explain and he nods with a smile. when you spread your legs and push your body flush with the bed his shirt rides up and he can see your pretty pink panties. he sighs, knowing he shouldn’t be thinking like that when you’re in so much pain but its such a great view.

“push harder i cant even feel it eddie,” you say, muffled voice pulling him out of his daze and he pushes down a little more.

“sorry, princess. this better?” he says, consistently pushing down on your shoulder blades.

“mhmmm,” you mumble, followed by groan as you feel the strain in your thighs. “okok, lets do a different stretch.” you say sitting up and moving him over to the side. you lay down in your back and stretch a little, pushing your hands up toward the wall and he watched you, curiously and patiently. he also watches how your shirt rides up a little showing your panties again.

“okay, im going to lift my leg and your going to put it on your shoulder and push it down toward my chest, got it?” you explain again, and he nods, swallowing slowly as you lift your leg in the air. he slots himself between your legs and leans over, using his body weight to help you stretch out.

“well hello there,” he chuckles at your proximity and you turn your face away, blush dusting your cheeks. “what? you act like we’ve never been in this position anymore.” he chuckles grabbing your face and turning it back. “is it helping?” he questions.

“yes a little, i think we’d have to do this for a while for it to help,” you sigh.

“i can help you stretch everyday babe, my new pastime, forget hellfire club,” he jokes and you roll your eyes at him.

“switch legs, baby” you mumble. as he pushes off of you, you let your leg fall down his chest slowly to his thigh and you can see his face heat up quickly before he lifts your left leg over his shoulder and leans down again.

“you’re gonna be the death of me, doll face.” he grumbles into your ear and nips at it after.

“eddie stop it,” you whine as he starts kissing your neck.

“what? im just taking my payment in advance,” he chuckles kissing your neck again. hes pushing your leg deeper and you can feel the contours of his crotch against yours. you can feel yourself flutter against him as he presses open mouthed kisses again your throat.

“okay, okay, eddie,” you start, but you’re cut off by your own groan. “eddie lets switch stretches, im gonna cramp up,” you make up some lame excuse and pull his face away by his hair. his hips jut forward quickly when he feels the sting and he pulls back slightly.

“alright alright were switching,” he says before smirking darkly and licking a stripe up your throat and pushing himself off of your body with a wink.

you’re frozen for a second, eyes closed but you know he’s looking you up and down, with your leg still rested on his shoulder you sigh and shove him back with your foot playfully.

“i’ve told you before violence is never the answer.” he says, faking a pained voice. “now whats the next stretch, babe?”

“don’t make this one weird, munson. were gonna do the same thing but with both legs…” you mumble, knowing that this might lead to something else. but who’s to say it won’t be a good time?

“i can’t make any promises, sweetheart,” he smirks pulling both your legs up onto his shoulders and looking down quickly. “definitely not with this view.”

“you dog!” you laugh grabbing a pillow from his bed a throwing it at him.

“hey! what am i meant to do when you tell me to get in this position, with your pretty little panties and in my shirt?” he says, trying to dodge the pillow to no avail.

“i don’t know help me feel better instead of thinking so dirty!” you giggle and pull him down by his face. “come here already,” you mumble pushing your hand through his hair and kissing his lips quickly. he leans in and reciprocates, already enamored by the situation.

“i love how bendy you are,” he mumbles, leaning back into kiss you.

“is that my one redeeming quality?” you quip holding his face back with your hands.

“among other things, yes. now let me kiss you,” he whines and pushes his face through your hands and presses your lips together.

“take off. your shirt, babe.” you mumble kisses interrupting your sentence.

“i thought you told me not to make it weird?” he smirks.

“i changed my mind,” you say bluntly. “what do you need help or something?” you say pushing him back and taking you legs off of his shoulders.

“i mean, if you’d be so kind.” he chuckles sitting back on his heels. you roll your eyes and and readjust yourself onto your knees and push his shirt up his torso and off his chest.

“have to do everything myself,” you mumble jokingly and roll your eyes. “im broken don’t you know?”

“im sorry, princess. let me help you then,” he grins darkly pulling you flush against his chest and kissing you sweetly. he lays you back down before unbuckling his belt and slipping it out of the loops.

you stare up at him, legs pressing up against each other as you watch him toss the belt behind him haphazardly and crawl over you. “here lets get this off of you,” he says tugging on shirt. he manages to wiggle you out of it and the smile that grows on his face its blinding.

“my girls!” he exclaims, leaning down to kiss your breasts and lays himself on them. “i think were done here,” he mumbles into your chest, ending his sentence with a peck.

“you were supposed to be helping me with my sore legs,” you frown bringing your hands up to comb through his hair.

“have to do everything myself,” he mumbles, mocking you with a laugh.

“you jerk!” you laugh back pushing him off of your body and starting to get up to look for your shirt.

he sits himself at the edge of the bed and turns you around to face him. your stood between his legs and he’s looking up at you sweetly. “don’t leave, i’ve still got to stretch you out,” he chuckles watching your face go bright pink at his analogy. he snaps the band of your panties against your hip. you squeal slightly and roll your eyes.

“whatever eddie,” you mumble and straddle his lap. “are you gonna stretch me out or what?”

“wow, sweet little cheerleader just wants her word rocked…” he trails off leaning back onto his hands, “its a good thing you’ve got someone who can help you out.” he smiles, laying back onto his elbows and admiring you. you watch his eyes trail down from your face, to your chest for a while, then your panty covered core. his eyes on you makes you squirm in his lap, and he feels you through his jeans.

you lean forward to kiss him and he lays back completely, one hand on your back, the other slowly creeping down to your ass. you giggle into the kiss and put your hands in his hair. “you know this is just like a butterfly stretch,” you mumble pulling back for a sec.

“is that what your thinking about at a time like this?” he questions and watches you laugh up a storm.

“maybe if you took your pants off,” you say pulling at the waistband of his pants with a cheeky smile.

“you’re such a sweet talker, you know that?” he says bring his hand up to stroke your face quickly. “help me out?” he questions, and you lift your body up to hover above his as he unbuttons his jeans and shives them down quickly.

“i want my world rocked? you’re the one walking around town with no boxers on.” you giggle looking down between your bodies. hes hard, super hard, already leaking and his tip is redder than your face.

“its laundry day!” he defends himself.

“yeah you’re such a good job doing your laundry right now,” you mumble, sitting straight into his member and smiling at him mischievously.

“the death of me, you’re gonna be the death of me,” he groans, kissing you harder than before and using his hands to press you against his chest firmly. you grind down on him, trying to get a rise out of him but he knows what he’s going to do to you.

“sit up,” he says and you follow directions quickly. he admires you for a moment, even if you wriggle in his lap to get a reaction out of him. he just holds your hips in his hands and rubs circles into them. “you’re gorgeous, truly.” he mumbles pushing himself up so he’s sitting with his chest flush against yours.

“too bad i’m gonna wreck you tonight.” he smirks lifting you off his lap and standing up in one fell swoop. he turns and lays you on the bed and spreads your legs wide. “you’re gonna be sore everywhere after this.” he chuckles darkly before peeling your panties off with his teeth.

the moan you let out is whiny and so high pitched and it makes his cock jump in excitement. he presses the soaked panties into his nose and watches you turn dark red, almost purple at the sight. “no need to be embarrassed sweetheart, just enjoying your sweet, sweet, smell.” he teases throwing the panties into his top drawer before focusing back on your cunt.

“missed this little thing,” he mumbles kissing around your core before diving in. he’s quick with his work, already lapping at the bundle of nerves that has your leg already shaking. and you cant handle it. him helping you stretch was like the ultimate tease.

you thought about having him help you stretch at practice, and having to wait a whole two hours until you could touch each other again. you groan when he starts using his fingers and reach for his hair. you were practically ready to explode over his face but he pulled away, already reading your tell take signs.

“you suck! why’d you do that?” you whine sitting up onto your elbows with a pout on your face.

“because,” he starts, pausing to lick his fingers and waive his face, “im supposed to be helping you stretch, remember?” he jokes pushing your body off the edge of the bed and lifting your right leg up and over his shoulder again.

he leans in to kiss you and you can feel his member prod at your entrance and he shudders. “gotta get in there,” he mumbles to himself and looks at you for confirmation. even when he was desperate he’d ask permission, sweet boy.

“come on, eddie, please hurry up im gonna die if you don’t stretch me out!” you exclaim, using your left leg to push his hips in closer.

“fuck-” he grunts feeling his cock rub between the folds of your core before using his hand to quickly stuff himself inside of you. “so warm, so goddamn tight-” he grumbles starting to pump him manhood inside.

the slow pace he started with started to escalate quickly and before you know it, he was jackhammering into you, desperate to get some relief after being egged on for so long.

“god eddie, you’re so-” you start to speak but you’re cut off by your own moan, the spongy part inside of you being abused. he smirks into your jaw, proud he found your sweet spot on such short notice. he starts to kiss and suck on your neck again, focused on leaving you a reminder for the morning.

“tell me what you want, princess.” he mumbles kissing the soot behind your ear. “come on, doll. moan into my ear and tell me what you need.” he says, pounding into you harder at the end of his sentence.

“ahh, i want you to- oh my god!” you cry out reaching above your head to grab at the sheets.

“no god, just me honey,” he chuckles.

“rub my clit, please eddie, rub my clit, you do it so good. pleasepleaseplease!” you beg, using your free hand to tug at his hair.

“as you wish,” he smiles, pulling his head back to kiss your lips and he reaches his hand down to rub against your bud. you moan right into his face and it makes him grunt and thrust harder. “come on, baby, cum on my cock, i know you want to.” he says grinding into you like it was his job.

“im gonn- im gonna cum for you,” you mutter grinding back onto his hand and his member for dear life.

“someones cockdrunk, i’ve corrupted you. my sweet little cheerleader girlfriend is crying on my cock.” he chuckles, thrusts getting wilder and more random as he starts to feel his climax come close. the moment you squeeze him in a vice grip, he’s coming undone.

“eddie- im cummi- so hard! im cummin-” you whine out in a broken sentence as he ruts into you.

“god i fucking love you,” he says with a final thrust that explodes out of him. he pulls out quickly letting his cum paint your stomach in long streaks.

you’re laid out on his bed, covered in his cum, eyes closed, mouth open panting, leg still hanging onto his shoulder, and hands still gripping the sheets for dear life. he looks down at your core, fluttering around nothing. and theres only one thing running through his head.

“i love you,” he smiles and watched your eyes open and face flush immediately. his smile widened and he leaved down to press a sweet kiss to your lips.

“i love you too, eddie. always.” you giggle holding his face in your hands. “maybe i’d love you a little kore if you cleaned me off so we can sleep.” you joke rubbing your thumb on his cheek.

“right!” he says shooting up and walking out the door, “be right back!” he calls out to you. you can hear him grab a couple things on his way back. “towels, water, and a snack!” he smiles walking back over to wipe you off.

“there, lets get you some clothes yeah?” he asks quietly.

“no, just come here.” you mumble pulling him onto the bed and rolling him onto hid back so you can lay on him. you pull the flat sheet over your bodies and sigh.

“still sore, huh?” he laughs quietly, rubbing your back slowly.

“yeah,” you frown and look up at him, “i guess you kept your word.” you joke and roll your eyes.

“id never lie to you, doll face,” he says pressing a kiss to your lips, “now sleep, i don’t know how you’re still functioning tight now,”

#eddie #eddie munson #eddie stranger things #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson x cheerleader!reader #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x reader #stranger things #eddie munson smut #perv!eddie #smut #stranger things 4 #stranger things smut #stranger things imagine #stranger things x reader #ST4 #st4 eddie

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youremyheaven · 29 days

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Hello, Purva bhadrapada, Leo stellium native here, I also wanted to add that I think purva bhadrapada, since it is Brahmin caste is probably more prone to this, then punarvasu and finally vishaka, who in my experience is the most materially/self interested Jupiter nakshatra, which is why we see it in so many celebrities compared to the other two, especially purva bhadrapada.

I've always been at the role of teacher/smart one since I was a little girl, I've always been a bit parentified and I think that comes out a lot in my relationships with nodals, since I'm the one who has to keep things in control, now that we are on the topic, I'm gonna trauma dump about my Magha sun, mula moon friend 😭

I don't want to bad mouth her since I do still have affection for her, but this woman put me through so much. One time she face timed me whilst she was drinking, she got so drunk and then started driving! She face timed me whilst she was drunk driving talking about how sad she was, all whilst I could hear all the dangerous turns she was making, so I called her mom to come get her, I couldn't do it myself cause I live too far away. The next day she wouldn't stop complaining about how pissed she was that I called her mom on her, talking about how she got in trouble, but what was I supposed to do? WATCH HER DIE ON CAMERA?! She made me the villain and not our other friend who she also face timed, who is also nodal.

Another time, she was dating this dude and SHE ALWAYS DID WHATEVER HE SAID FOR NO REASON, one time we were all hanging out as friends, a whole ass group of people, and this girl started sucking this mans dick in front of us 💀😭 like they were not slick in the slightest, I caught sight of it and then I tried to politely tell them to stop before the others noticed, she did not stop and others caught them, to which they all collectively said "Wtf? Stop please" AND THEN SHE COMPLAINED TO ME ABOUT THIS? HOW DO YOU WANT ME TO TAKE YOUR SIDE? 💀

Another time, I was really busy with some work but she texted me about how suicidal she was feeling and how she wanted to attempt, I stayed with her the whole night trying to talk her out of it until she just stopped talking to me all together, I panicked and spent hours debating whether to call someone, since I don't know if she really attempted something, but I didn't want her to be mad at me again. It was one of the most anxious nights of my life. Eventually, she called me and said she was fine 💀 I SPENT ALL THAT TIME WORRIED AND SHE DIDNT SAY ANYTHING! that was my breaking point and I just cut contact with her after that

The worst part of all of this is that she never took any interest in my emotions or any of the problems I had, in all the years of friendship we had I only opened up to her twice and I regretted it immensely both times. She never took any time to take care of me, and would always accuse me of telling her what to do after giving her advice THAT SHE ASKED FOR!

Anyway 💀 yeah it was traumatizing

💀💀💀💀 I'm glad you've cut her out

My Swati Sun, Magha Rising ex was somewhat like this. He texted me saying he's having a panic attack and does not know what to do (at like midnight) and then after I text & call him mad worried, he does not respond. He texts me back the next day afternoon saying that "it was just a spur of the moment thing, I'm alright" like wtf??? He always kept me on edge with his mental health stuff and I was always made to feel like I'm on suicide watch only for him to turn around and be like "oh I'm over it now bc I've drunk away the last thought I had in my head"

He once video called me at 8 in the fucking morning because he wanted company while he smoked

Let me just say that there was a clear imbalance in our relationship bc I had to watch out for him while he did batshit stuff and I could never do the things he did and expect him to have played the supportive role 😒

There was another Magha Moon girl I used to know who completely did unhinged shit, she jumped from man to man every week (not slut shaming, just pointing out poor choices) in India, the arranged marriage system prevails and she received a proposal from some 5'2 30 yr old (when we were like 21) who was loaded 💸and her family rejected the proposal and she was already dating some deadbeat loser. Guess what she did after she broke up with the deadbeat loser many months later?? She started talking to the 30yr old guy who came to her house with a marriage proposal 😭and literally 2-3 weeks later he publicly announced his desire to marry her at the wedding of a mutual relative and she said "I'm not interested in marrying you" PUBLICLY, it was super shameful for the families and all parties involved bc like ??? what on earth was she thinking??? he made his intentions clear from the get go??? did she think she could hook up and rebound with the guy who contacted her family with a goddamn marriage proposal??? and she played the victim when in reality throughout their 3 week tryst she led him on and on and on, why didn't she say she would never ever marry someone like him?? so embarrassing lol

There was a Magha Moon guy who I had mutual friends with and he's a complete deadbeat loser. He hasn't finished his degree (he was my senior at uni) he's broke as hell and all he does is go on road trips and drink till he drops and he had the audacity to ask my friends if I'd be interested in seeing him and I was like 🤢🤮ew no and he literally repeated this process every month no joke. He's asked me out more times than I can count, he's made our friends ask me on his behalf a billion times and I'm like ??? how oblivious or lacking in self awareness do you have to be?? He always told them that he thought I was "hiding" my interest in him 🤮🤢🤭so idk I feel like Nodals can be supremely delulu

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respectthepetty · 1 year

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I’m new. Ok. And only just watching BAD BUDDY and erm….. colours. Obviously they have different over shirts at school anyway! Pran- red over shirt and Pat - Blue over shirt.

But before I embarrass myself with trying to do a theory - I have come to your Holy corner of the interweb for your colour expertise and knowledge because I can watch any shows without looking at colours and barriers, mirrors and windows. Like.

Help. 😅

Anon, I knew Bad Buddy would eventually come up because it was rich with colors, so I was prepared to cushion this answer with good meta before I dropped the landing:

I updated my master post of colors to add more color-coded queer shows <- Shameless Plug

@dribs-and-drabbles did an amazing job analyzing the colors in Bad Buddy, which every post can be found here -> this awesome link!

@shortpplfedup examined Bad Buddy through the lens of Romeo & Juliet and compared the common themes between the two *chef's kiss*

@miscellar wrote about the tropes Bad Buddy leaned on to tell a compelling story, but admits to being "garbage at tagging [their] own stuff," so the linked post has some links within it of their posts.

I gave you all of this beforehand because . . .

I didn't like Bad Buddy

It's not the show! It's me. I became very frustrated in the last quarter, so I zoned out and refuse to rewatch it. HOWEVER, I will give you a quick Bad (Color) Buddy post since you were brave enough to ask about this show.

In general, Pat is a Blue Boy (loyal and stable - he kept that guitar for a very long time), and Pran is a Red Rascal (stimulating and passionate - he fell first).

Even their parents were color-coded, but the switches in colors, and the barriers gave away some of the underlying issues between the parents.

But when Pat thought about it, the love (and the color exchange) was always there between them, right? They are sleeping on the other's color.

Because when they met on that roof at the end of episode five, they had already exchanged colors, multiple times

BURY ME WITH EPISODE FIVE!

Even when they were fighting, the love (and the colors) were there. Pran is wearing Purple Pair (when Blue & Red mix), and Pat has the red name tag.

But the second their friends found out about their love, their colors morphed into the darkest timeline versions

But they figured it out, only for Pat to GET SHOT with his Blue Boy Squad while wearing both his and Pran's colors and love

So Pran continued to show up at the hospital in his man's blue to give him love and support, only for Pat's family to show up trying to give him love (in red)

It was okay though because when Pat got out of the hospital, he declared his love for Pran in front of the whole school while wearing Pran's color

So we were all lead to believe all would be okay . . .

But shit goes sideways outside of a Trader Joe's when Pat and Pran run into Pat's family

They run off to the beach to live Kinn and Porsche's dream out where Pran falls even more in love with his Blue Boy

Then they have sex on their colors because they were already sleeping on them since day one

But they decide to BREAK UP because they realize their parents will never give them peace or relief due to the long-standing beef between them. But it's okay *cries into my pillow* because the ladies got their happy ending.

Ink is a Yellow Yal (communicative and creative) and Pa is a Green Gal (optimistic and relaxed).

They exchange colors and love because they aren't complicated and just want to be together while not making us cry.

We get a time jump and see Pat wake up in the . . . red? But that's Pran's color.

Then we see Pran getting ready with his red and . . . blue comforter.

They both attend a class reunion, but are distant with each other not speaking to the other one since they are no longer even friends

BUT IT'S ALL A LIE

As if the colors didn't give it away before the reveal, and we find out they have been together THIS ENTIRE TIME

So they slut it up right in front of Nong Nao's salad

And live happily ever after having sex on every surface of their apartment like they deserve, exchanging colors for all their lives. Amen.

Thanks for the ask, and I hope we never forget that Pat was shot ON CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!!!

#Bad Buddy #Pat x Pran #the colors mean things #color coded boys in love #episode eight was when it got wild

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loustat-0 · 4 months

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Hello, hello it's me 👋🏽

Okay so, there's something you mentioned about Claudia on this post here:

(Sorry, for some reason it's actually not letting me add the post link. So maybe if you want you can add it in your "answer" post so others can check that out as well)

I can quote you though: "I also believe Claudia has the mind gift which effected the process" In reference to ep 5 -- we all know what scene.

I wanted to ask you, can you expand on what you meant in saying you think she has the "mind gift" AND how did it effect the process, or why do you think it did?

-- One of the reasons why I had such a strong reaction to that statement, is because while it's possible that I may be living under a rock about it. I have yet to see anyone else even mention it. And there's a very specific scene in the show that always stumps me, and I always considered something along those lines may be possible. But I just haven't seen literally anyone else talk about it. So I've just kept it to myself. So I'd love to know what your meta, or theory or analysis is on this --

Okay so first of all Claudia can block Louis out of her head and I think a young vampire fledgling who is 19 years old can't do that . Louis himself wasn't able to do that even though he was older than Claudia .

When Claudia goes out on a date with Charlie , charlie stated that he can't do it with Claudia because she looked so young but Claudia convinced him otherwise & it looked intense she wasn't being a cute girl on her first date she wanted charlie & she got him to do it with her . Either charlie was so attracted to her that didn't mind the age 😬 or Claudia used some mind gift on him . I think she didn't know if it's a power or not yet . At that point she just did it anyway.

But In Ep 5 when she came back to the house to take Louis I think she knew she had the power she didn't know what it was but she knew she could use it on Louis or even Lestat . I think if she wants to use it intentionally to get something she would do it very well . She came in & created a situation in which the argument started first between herself & Lestat & then she got Louis involved . She damn well knew Louis is Lestat's trigger point she damn well knew Louis wouldn't leave Lestat without seeing him actually hurt him or Claudia she damn well knew Lestat wouldn't let go of Louis easily . Go back & look at how Claudia is talking to Louis in his head in comparison to how she said some stuff louder , her eyes get bigger & more determined & angry while she's talking to Louis in his head . And when Lestat said read her Louis she changed the subject completely on Lestat's insecurities instead of her own . Which eventually blocked Louis to not be able to read her at that moment . And then she gave the last shot : let's be vampires with vampires worthy of your love . As if I'm the only one who is worthy of your love not Lestat . And Lestat couldn't do anything even when he yelled as if he was trying to take his mind out of control of Claudia's mind but he couldn't .

When Claudia went to the pharmacy she wanted a drug which was very dangerous & forbidden especially if you're a 14 year old kid . She wrote on a piece of paper & the pharmacist just gave it to her 😯

Both in the books & on the show She convinced Louis to do something he didn't like to do . She made him believe he wanted to kill Lestat while Louis didn't want that & if he did , he wanted to do it for Claudia . Louis hurts Lestat just to protect Claudia . After Louis killed Lestat on the show he became hateful of Claudia for awhile and Daniel called it out & we saw how Louis pushed Claudia to the wall & also in one of Jacob's recent interviews about S2 he mentioned that they're having problems . In the book when Louie took Lestat to the swamp he started to actually understand who he had killed it's the same on the show Louis realized what actually happened after Lestat was dead . As if he was under some kinda influence to that . In the book when Claudia was slitting Lestat's throat Louis wanted to jump in but Claudia yelled at him to stay away & do nothing so again some kinda mind gift I sense here & there .

Most importantly , in the recent trailer Armand who is the master of mind gift himself told Louis that she's good at shielding her thoughts & that's coming from Armand so he might have sensed something too . And I personally think even in the book Armand noticed that & besides wanting Louis to himself he killed her off Bc she would have been a threat to herself & Louis & himself & others .

#asks #claudia de pointe du lac #claudia iwtv #iwtv speculation #iwtv spoilers #interview with the vampire #iwtv #louis de pointe du lac #lestat de lioncourt #amc iwtv #amc interview with the vampire #iwtv 2022

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leggyre · 11 months

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hi all! sorry, this is going to be a bit of a sad post.

I just want to share that Nano passed away today. He was a very old bun at 9 years old and we just couldn't keep it up with his increasingly difficult health issues.

As of right now, I'm not asking for consolation or any words of comfort. It's the first time I'm dealing with a loss of this scale, of something I've loved so dearly for so long, that I'll never get back.

I'm still coming to terms about how I feel about it. There were so many times I felt like meeting him was fate. And to be honest, I still do. I set out to adopt a classic white bunny(because honestly that's the only color I had ever seen in the place before) but between all the sleepy or hungry babies there was a little black mischievous boy hoping around and approaching people who gave my finger little kisses and I just couldn't leave him there. We didn't have any boxes or cages to carry him in so he got to pee on my lap on the way home lol

The first time he licked me after that day, something I thought would take ages to happen after lengthy Bunny Research(tm) telling me so, was maybe within a few days or a week, but what made the moment as special as it was for me was the fact I was sitting on the ground, having a breakdown, crying my eyes out. I have a really hard time using the word love to others because I'm never sure of my feelings and I don't want to say it without meaning, but from then on I had never been so sure about how much I loved him.

I have a lot of other stories like that. He helped me learn a lot about myself. He gave me company at my worst. I missed him so much when I had to stop allowing him on the bed to take a nap with me because one day he just decided peeing there was okay. I laid down on the floor on the most uncomfortable positions for the longest time because he had fallen asleep in my arms. I did that this morning, after I was told he might not make it when we went to see the vet today. It didn't even feel like anything was wrong, really. I kinda thought maybe we shouldn't go and I could keep doing that tomorrow. And the day after. And the next. But every time he woke up and shuffled around it was so easy for me to tell he was uncomfortable, trying to find a way to lay down in a way that would ease the pain. He didn't look any different to most people, but I memorized every single kind of motion he ever did.

And it's funny to think that he knew me the same way. He knew exactly what me shutting off the computer sounded like and that it was the perfect time to beg for snacks and attention. He knew when I was hiding something for him. He knew exactly where I walked so he could leave the god damned piss traps in the way when he was mad at me. He knew that if he kept poking his nose out the fence long enough I'd come back eventually to pet him more even if I had already walked all the way to my bed and laid down. And he knew that he could come to me for comfort whenever he felt scared or in pain. He trusted me so much and that meant the world to me.

Just to add one weird, maybe funny thing that's gonna keep me pondering forever; one day, years ago, I wished that I could be the one to take any pain he'd ever feel. Since then, I kind of took note that we'd have our sickest days together, and often in similar ways. It's most likely confirmation bias, but I do like to think I did manage to take some of his pain from him.

Well. My plan was just to share the news and go on with my day. Think about stuff. Couldn't keep from writing this much, though, so I just decided to let it all out anyway.

Again, I don't want any comfort. I will always love him, the things he taught me, and the memories I'm blessed with. I will be okay.

I want the thought of him to keep bringing joy into my life, because that's the thing he's always been the best at. The second best was destroying specifically videogame related cables.

heres some shenanigans to brighten up the mood :]

and here's a cute pic from years ago as well 🐇💞

#the newfound text tag #cw: death #tbh he singlehandedly made me obsessed with bunnies #i tend to get more attached to things i relate to and #turns out rabbits are Very Autistic

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enigmalea · 1 year

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Why I Contributed to FujoGuide

If you follow me here or mastodon you may have noticed that I've been reblogging/boosting a lot of posts for something called The Fujoshi Guide to Web Development (@fujowebdev). There's a good chance you followed me or know me from the Dragon Age fandom where I run communities, events, and zines and write fanfic, and you might be wondering why the sudden and drastic departure from my normal content. Why would a writer contribute to something related to webdev? Why have you stopped seeing thirst for Dragon Age characters and started seeing… whatever a FujoGuide is?

The answers to those questions (and more!) are below the cut.

My Coding Journey

I wrote my first lines of code in 1996 (yes, I'm old AF). It was the early days of the internet and tutorials for how to make your own websites were literally everywhere. You couldn't go more than two clicks without finding a how-to written in plain language. But it was painstaking and tedious. CSS didn't exist yet (literally, I started coding about six months before it was released) and even when it appeared it wasn't widely adopted or supported.

It was the "glory days" of Geocities, Myspace themes, Neopets, and Livejournal. If there was a cool site, you could use HTML and/or CSS to customize it. I honed my skills by coding so many tables character profiles for RPs, creating themes, painstakingly laying out user info pages, and building my own site.

Gradually, things changed. Web 2.0 showed up with locked down profiles and feeds you couldn't customize, free website hosts became more difficult to find, and point and click page builders became the way of the web. Shortly after, I took a long break from fandom; frustrated and disappointed with site closures, lost communities, and general fandom wank… it felt like it just wasn't worth it anymore.

I eventually came back, and when I did it meant customizing themes, figuring out how to create tools for my communities, coding tumblr pages (and learning they're not really supported on mobile), and looking at automations for my common tasks. One day, I woke up and thought, "I'm going to make a Discord bot… it can't be that hard."

So, I did it.

An Unexpected Friendship

About a month after I launched my bot to the public, I received a random Discord message from @essential-randomness. A friend had told her about my bot, and she was working on BobaBoard which needed volunteers. I was shocked. First, people were talking about my bot. Second, I wasn't a real coder. I didn't know anything! I just googled a bunch of stuff and got something working. I had no idea what I was doing.

She assured me it was okay. She was willing to teach me what I didn't know - and most of all, that she wanted my help. I took a day or two to think it over, and fatefully filled out the volunteer form. I didn't know if I could be useful or how I could be useful, but I wanted to try.

Programming Is Awful

In the years months that followed, I spent a lot of time in @essential-randomness' DMs complaining about programming… at least once I realized she wouldn't judge me. I was still very much doing things the hard way, taking hours to update a site to add a single link on all the pages. I knew there were easier methods, but I either couldn't find them or once I found them, they were filled with dense jargon which was terrifying.

"An all-in-one zero-javascript frontend architecture framework!" Is that even English? "A headless open-source CMS." Cool. Sounds good. "A full-stack SSG based on Jamstack extending React and integrating Rust-based JS." Those sure are words. With meanings. That someone knows. Not me, though.

I spent so much time looking at what sites claimed was documentation and losing my mind because I had no idea where to even start most of the time. With @essential-randomness' encouragement, I kept at it, experimenting with new things, and jumping in headfirst even when I had no idea what I was doing. And I was so glad. Where I used to struggle keeping one website updated, last year I managed to deploy and update 7 websites. Yeah, you read that right. It was amazing.

The new stuff made it all much, much easier.

An Idea Is Born

Meanwhile, we spent hours discussing why it was difficult to get fandom to try coding. Part of the barrier was the belief you must be some sort of genius or know math or that creative/humanities people can't do it. It is also partially coding communities being unfriendly to newbies and hobbyists; a culture which often thrives on debasing people's choices, deriding them for not understanding, and shouting rtfm (read the fucking manual) and lmgtfy (let me google that for you)- all of which are unhelpful at best and humiliating and abusive at worst. The tech dudebro culture can be unforgiving and mean.

The number of coding-based Discords I've left far outnumbers the ones I've stayed in.

We determined what fandom needed was a place for coders of all skill levels to come together to help and support one another; where they could learn to code and how to join open-source projects they love, and where they could make friends and connections and show off their projects whether they were new or experienced programmers.

And thus… Fandom Coders was born.

What About FujoGuide?

Of course, running a coding group and working on BobaBoard together means we spent a lot of time talking about the state of the web. We both lamented over poor documentation, jargon-rich tutorials, and guides which assume a baseline of knowledge most people don't have. What we needed to do was provide tutorials which start at the beginning… from the ground up (what is a terminal and how do I open it?) without skipping steps. What we needed to do was make those tutorials fun and appealing.

I don't remember exactly the journey it took to get us here if I'm honest. I have no clue who said it first. But I do remember I first started thinking about anthropomorphizing programming languages when we attempted to cast the languages as the Ouran High School boys… and again when I suggested we do a [TOP SECRET IN CASE WE DO IT] group project in Fandom Coders to help people learn about programming.

What I do know is that as last year ended, @essential-randomness became laser-focused on creating our gijinka and moving forward with FujoGuide… and I couldn't say no.

Okay, But… Why Contribute?

To be honest, it's not just that I was around for the birth of the idea. It's ALL of the things in this post - the culmination of three years of frustration trying to figure out what I'm doing with coding, of wading through dense documentation, of wanting to give up before I even start. It's three years of dipping my toes into toxic techbro culture before running away. All added to decades of watching the web become corporate-sanitized, frustratingly difficult to customize, increasingly less fun, and overtly hostile to fans who dare enjoy sexual content.

To sum all of this up, it's the firm belief that we desperately need a resource like this. Something that's for us, by us. Something that builds fans up, instead of tears them down; that empowers them to create for themselves and their communities what no one is creating for them. It is a project I'm deeply passionate about.

And I can't wait until we can bring it to life for you all.

#FujoGuide

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uncommondumdum · 7 months

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Reposting the Kai lore here just cause I can,, quick info/ other stuffs I forgot to add:

Kai is basically a Coyote fanboy oc that I made back in I think… August??

Yea.

Kai’s name was thought of from the way Coyote’s name was pronounced. The two sound very similar.

His full name is Kai Odie.

Kai was born on the 15th of the 5th. Idk what year tho.

Also some of my ocs timeline and Kai’s timeline aren’t the same,, there’s other timelines out there but they all still have zombies in them.

The timeline takes place before it died took place around the 1990s-2011.

Kai has also somewhat improved as a person,, he’s pretty chill nowadays…I guess. I mean,, less mean that’s for sure.

He beefs with ppl/things a lot tho,, it’s literally ez to get Kai to hate u,, u could be a Taylor Swift fan and he’d hate u for that. 😭

Kai is basically pretty friendly tho,, sure. He murdered a bunch of zombies and possibly people but that was out of self defence. He wouldn’t murder anyone on purpose, unless it’s Midnight Shadow or it’s someone that wants to harm him.

Kai wore glasses when he was a kid due to poor eye sight (not being able to see from distances) until he was a teen,, which he just started wearing contacts (even tho it’s semi dangerous to wear those) …this did somewhat give him the reputation of him being the “smart nerdy” guy but he later proved them wrong.

Kai’s also deaf as well,, he wears a hearing aid although it’s unnoticeable. He got this from putting his headphones on max volume and plus other people playing loud audio/screaming into his ear when he was a kid. O and he knows how to read lips as well and he knows sign language. (He didnt get the hearing aid until he was 17,, his parents thought he was deaf because of the fact he had a hard time hearing them directly unless they yelled sooo yea) Kai also just turned off his hearing aid whenever he didn’t want to hear sum however with the zombie apocalypse he kept that on 24/7 cause he didn’t want to risk not hearing sum and dying from it.

Kai also wears earrings, he used to wear black earrings but now he wears cherry earrings, the only reason why he’s wearing cherry earrings of all things is because of Coyote.

Kai actually also has a tattoo on his back where it’s just Coyote’s name in a rlly rlly fancy goth font. Forgot the name but yea. No one knows about it except for Coyote. They actually got the tattoo together and have matching tattoos.

Kai has average strength, sometimes it works out in his favour, sometimes it does not. Mainly depends on who he’s fighting though.

when Kais Mom first saw that Kai dyed his hair gave himself whatever that pink and blue thingy is called that covers his other eye she tried cutting it off however Kai just kept on refusing to do so, which ended up with him getting grounded and Kai’s Mom kept on trying to convince him to get rid of but no matter what she said he just kept it. Which,, made her rlly mad and her hatred for Kai only grew more and more the more she looked at him. Kai’s Dad however just didn’t care and eventually convinced Kai’s Mom to just let him do whatever he wants since he thought that if he was happy then he’d get better grades (very weird logic god damn) and so she did. But she still secretly hated him. (Kai’s Dad was also old and just simply did not give a fuck about what happened anymore. The Mom was also old but she had more care then the dad did.)

But however there was a deal,, Kai can keep the eye cover thingy if he only put it in a feminine ponytail or pigtail/kept the hair rlly long and he agreed. This deal was made by Kai’s Mom and she did it behind the Dads back.

O yea speaking of that,, during the apocalypse in his timeline, while he was asleep he was attacked by a zombie and he got half of his face infected. He was able to cure it tho. Gud thing it was where the eye cover thingy was so it’s ez to hide.

Anyways spoiler for night 3 under here

ok so the only thing that’s different here is that instead of Coyote being the traitor it’s Kai.

The deal in question (and betrayal) basically went like this:

Shadow:

“I’ll get u out of here if u help me make deep night strong and stuff.”

Kai:

“ok 👍”

(Literally after he meets Coyote and the others and night 3)

Kai:

“I change my mind I hate u I hope u die.”

[EXPLODES THE ENTIRE PLACE]

Now,, Kai didn’t intend or plan to explode the place on purpose. He wanted to keep the cabin in shape however with the way Midnight Shadow planned it all out he had no choice, he had to explode the place with what he had on him to try to kill Midnight Shadow.

When Murch found out that Kai betrayed him he basically just started hating on Kai and being a big meanie to him and Coyote had to go and defend him every time but that only just made Murch hate the both of them. Except,, not only is it hatred from the betrayal. It’s jealousy.

He secretly wants Coyote, but with Kai being there for Coyote more then he himself is. He grew jealous of him.

So yea.

#majority of this is copy pasted from Twitter #this is basically where I’m goin to be puttin all mentions of Kai lore and stuff

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monkeydluffy19920 · 9 months

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Reasons to love Mugiwaras: Usopp

It’s been ages but here we are again, back with the series where I share thoughts about why I think a certain (main) character is popular in One Piece.

This series is mainly focused on the canon material but there might be bit about fillers/movies as well to make references on and since it’s impossible to include every single detail here, I try to pinpoint certain things but feel free to add stuff if something is missing :)

The very first time talked about Sanji and then I wrote about Nami. This part is inspired by Luffy vs Usopp amv (when I realized I haven’t pondered Luffy vs Usopp much in past). Now let’s continue the journey and talk about what makes Usopp popular and lovable character (in my opinion).

This long post might include some unorganized thoughts, repeat and perhaps spoilers, so you’ve been warned!:D

So first thing first about Usopp, in general. He is a great storyteller, a little cowardish but a great friend. Main reason I like in his character is that Usopp is very human. He isn’t the strongest one in the crew, has lots of things he is afraid of but he has a big heart and isn’t afraid to show his emotions.

Like other Straw Hats, he has a sad past too. There isn’t much told but we learnt that Yasopp has been in Shanks’ crew for a long time and Usopp’s mother died of a illness when he was a kid. Hard to imagine this poor guy had to grow up all alone (basically) and he started lying at a early age.

It’s very heartbreaking to realize that reasons behind his "Pirates are coming”-thing was that deep down the little boy just wanted that his father could return back and he just tried to cheer his sick mom. He could’ve stopped after his mom passed away but maybe it was his way to handle the loss of both parents.

But I think it was really adorable that even though the villagers did seem annoyed by Usopp’s “prank”, then eventually when he didn’t do his daily basis (after beating Kuro) the villagers kept wondering where the sniper was, so this became sort of a “tradition” in his village. It’s great though that his friends a.k.a other members from the Usopp Pirate group decided to keep the traditions alive.

Oda’s way to write characters is amazing and Usopp isn’t an exception. It is clear that Usopp has had a very steady development. Whereas lying and cowardness is partly used as comical reliefs and “running gags” of his, at the same there is much deeper meaning behind his behavior. Lying and storytelling is important part of what makes Usopp who he is and someone would say it’s not healthy but it’s probably where how tends to mask his flaws. We learn later in that deep down Usopp has lack of self-worth and fear of getting abandoned which results that especially before Time Skip he was afraid of unknown and saw himself as a burden due to his physical weakness

Further thoughts are written in “More thoughts about Luffy vs. Usopp-post” but his pride was one of the reason why things escalated with Luffy so badly back then but also the constant fear of not being enough fed all these decisions and he in burst of emotions decided the crew will be better without him.

Another reason for Luffy vs Usopp fight was his dream. When entering the Grand Line Usopp told that his dream is to become a brave sea warrior since he idolizes his father Yasopp a lot. However, after his real journey on the seas begins so begins his inner crises because what stands on his way are the limits. So, before the Time Skip he wanted to be something he wasn’t.

Usopp knows that brave warriors are incredibly strong and fearless (like Dorry and Brogy, the giants from Little Garden who greatly inspire him) and back then he was well aware of the reality (that he isn’t yet ready to be one) and that hurt him and fed his fears and self-esteem problems even more.

This theme has been going along with Usopp throughout the story. So, although Usopp had learnt slowly to push back his fear and stand up for his nakama in tight situations (for example in Alabasta he was beaten to pulp and still refused to give up and stayed with Nami in Skypiea although Enel was a threat), at the same time they were adventuring, the inner doubts kept stacking, until it exploded badly in Water 7 arc. It’s because he tends to compare himself to the others, especially the Monster Trio (who literally have the monstrous powers).

The robbery of the Skypiea money and the suggestion of replacing Going Merry were definitely the final straws for Usopp and things escalated. Luffy apologized in middle of the bickering but Usopp wasn’t ready to give up on the argument and then challenged him to a 1 vs 1 (perhaps partly to test his strength but mostly because he really wanted to fight for Merry’s future).

Despite being already heavily wounded Usopp didn’t fled from the duel although he could’ve easily trolled them and escape. He still stood up for his policies. Deep down, he didn’t want to back off although he probably knew that Luffy would win eventually. The loss put his remains of self worth into zero point but then on the other hand, later he wanted to help to get Robin back (but was too ashamed to face his captain after the loss and the arguments) so he became an ally as Sogeking

This disguise made him braver but again he was put face to face with his fears and limits when he got almost killed by Jabra. Sanji comes to save him but instead of scolding, the cook motivated him to realize that they need Usopp to trust himself instead of hiding behind the alter ego he created and this is the moment when Usopp started to realize he has unique strengths too.

So, it’s after Enies Lobby that opened Usopp’s eyes for good. After it he starts to see also his strengths (of course sometimes he still gets surprised by his skills but now he is even more skilled). He already proved to be very fast as a battler, very intelligent (good with gadgets, Nami’s weapon is great example of this) and a very talented sniper. Then after Time Skip Usopp became a source of inspiration in Dressrosa and on top of that he has always been admired by Chopper (who believes his stories). These are some positive influences that has made good for Usopp’s self-esteem.

That’s not the only character growth though, Usopp has had in my opinion quite steady development throughout the series. First one is in his very own arc. There are more thoughts about it in Emotional slaps in One Piece-post but shortly said Usopp tries to tell Kaya the truth about her butler but gets an emotional slap instead. Lying has been a silly entertainment for him but now backfired him, after all it’s hard to be taken seriously if you tell stories all the time and suddenly burst out “the truth”.

Well the slap may have been a “wake up call” so after Syrup Village he gathered his bravery to stand up against Kuro in order to protect his loved ones but then later Usopp’s next big step was in Arlong Park when fools Chuu with his ketchup trick and plans a story how he barely survived and then realizes (when comparing himself to others) that no, he is now a pirate and he needs to do something, literally since his nakamas fight in the frontline too. So he faces his fears, challenges Chuu and wins and this is the first fight he survived all alone! (a great achievement especially when coming to the fact that his equipments were at that time still “rookie level”)¨

Perhaps his interest in building gadgets roots partly from his poor self-esteem. He wants to become stronger too and knows how to build things so why not using the skills for it (let’s not forget that he offered to help Nami to build her a better weapon).

Another of Usopp’s time was to shine in Thriller Bark when he turned out to be immune to Perona’s ghosts whereas even the Monster Trio (whom he idolizes and compares himself to) couldn’t. Then when they were separated by Kuma and after Ace died, Usopp became very determined to find a way to help his captain and rejoin and did show lack of fear when meeting scary obstacles.

After the Time Skip he has changed a lot in a good way. He is now stronger and more confident. He still likes to lie every once in a while but it’s not always to feed his self-esteem, more like force of habit and to entertain (and for comical reliefs). In other words the matured Usopp doesn’t lie just to feel good about himself (now he knows he is a important piece of the Strawhat crew and knows he has abilities to fight off even scary enemies) like he used to.

As a crewmember point of view, Usopp has always been a good handyman in the ship but not only that, he has also been good with mechanics and therefore has had potential even before Enies Lobby. He can be the responsible adult but also there is this kid-hearted side of his where Usopp puts up with shenanigans.

Luffy and Usopp are definitely best buddies and and sometimes they have these moments when they share one same braincell *laughs* They also share one common goal: to reunite with Red Hair Pirates crew. Despite the good and close bond, Usopp took a long time before he started to see Luffy more as his actual captain than a close friend.

It is mostly because in some ways they are complete opposite: Luffy is physically strong and has an impulsive and carefree nature whereas Usopp tends to hesitate more and has more knowledge and agility instead of muscles. Like written earlier, Usopp had difficulties to keep up with Luffy’s spontaneous and carefree nature.

One of my favorite panels from the whole series is when Usopp takes off his mask and reveals himself to Luffy. He tries to act cool and denies he didn’t come for Luffy’s sake (although he partly did, because he wanted to help too with Robin’s retrieval and didn’t want his captain to give up, since they were so close to their goal). What probably made this whole scenario more powerful was that Usopp knew how to get Luffy back to the fight and he didn’t hesitate with the motivating, even though they were separated and even offered himself to face Lucci to spare Luffy although he knew he wouldn’t stand a chance. That’s loyalty and bravery, just like when Usopp was beaten into pulp in Alabasta and still stood against Baroque Works once they mocked Luffy.

What probably makes their nakamaship even more unique is that their arguments lead to the breaking point but they later both understood what to do in order to fix it.

Zoro and Usopp, when it comes down to this duo, Usopp admires Zoro’s strength and skills (and at the beginning probably is a bit scared of him) and usually seeks protection from the swordsman who seems sometimes to get a little annoyed by this. However, Zoro already showed his loyalty to Usopp in Arlong Park arc where he was ready to slice Nami after hearing she killed Usopp.

Zoro constantly keeps encouraging Usopp to face his fears and for example doesn’t let him off the hook when they decide by random who is joining Luffy’s shenanigans and also in general probably Usopp sees Zoro as the big brother and the voice of reason too.

Zoro is almost like a mentor to Usopp. Even though the swordsman isn’t that kind of guy who’d show outside the feelings but one can see that he was concerned when Usopp left. Obviously he also wanted the sniper to rejoin but first he demanded a proper apology from the Usopp because of disrespecting their captain (so Usopp could undersrand the consequences of their duel). It sounded ridiculous for some of their crewmates first and even Luffy was ready to welcome Usopp back without bigger fuss but it was very important moment for Usopp to realize this is now the real deal and made him set his pride aside.

Interesting detail between these two was that Oda made this “role swap” in Sabaody Archipelago. There Usopp (who usually seeks protection from Zoro) is now the one who protects the swordsman and even tried to reason him not to go on the battle (when Zoro was badly wounded), basically it could’ve been anyone who carries Zoro but Oda chose Usopp which is great in my opinion.

Nami and Usopp get well along together although sometimes the sniper is afraid when the navigator gets angry but aside of the comical reliefs, Nami is like a big sister to Usopp and they share lot in common: both lost their moms, both are easily afraid of the unknown and both use gadgets in combat. On the other hand they both have been great peer support to each other and determined to quit being so dependent on other crewmates and become stronger.

It is clear that Nami greatly respects Usopp’s skills with mechanics otherwise she wouldn’t have trusted him to build her a weapon so she could battle for Vivi’s sake in Alabasta. They are often showed as together they are preventing Luffy from doing stupid things by beating him up but on the other hand they are also an efficient duo ending up into various problems in the field (like fighting Enel or when they ended up to explore Thriller Bark with Chopper, “the coward trio” and the latest, when they fought together in Wano against that headbutt-character).

More importantly, both are very human in their nature (for example when Ace died both were very concerned about how Luffy will cope with an emotional trauma) and for example understand how hard it is to keep up with the rest of the crew. Both of them also show openly emotions in good and bad.

Usopp also is aware of Nami’s past (since he and Sanji were the only ones who listened to Nojiko’s story) so for example he got upset to Brook in Mermaid Island arc where Brook dropped unknowingly an insensitive joke about Arlong

So, they do share a special bond and therefore if someone then it’s Nami who understands Usopp’s struggles especially when it comes down to keeping up with the other stronger crewmates and that’s probably why she felt so emotional because of Luffy vs Usopp events (she could definitely feel his pain when he felt the guilt of not being able to protect the money that got robbed by Franky Family but there she proved that money isn’t her priority number 1 and showed much more concern in Usopp’s wellbeing).

Sanji and Usopp, when they first met they ended up arguing (because Usopp didn’t think Sanji treated them equally) but things change in time and they too start to see each others’ good sides.

Oda makes an interesting way to portray their nakamaship: Usually Sanji acts like he cares only a little for Usopp, but then on the other hand the cook has sacrificed himself in Skypiea for the sniper’s and Nami’s sake and back in Enies Lobby Sanji saved Usopp from Jabra. Sanji was even willing to stand up for his captain and kicked Luffy and told him not to say anything reckless.

Maybe is another running gag it’s seen often that the cook will fearlessly rush into battle while dragging a terrified Usopp with him. Eventually, in Enies Lobby Sanji was the one to ultimately inspire Usopp to see the value inside himself saying that while he (Sanji) was physically stronger and could do what Usopp could not do, Usopp possessed skill to save Robin and could do what he "couldn't do".

Re-reading Water 7 and Enies Lobby after WCI arc made me understand that Sanji and Usopp have actually much more in common that we thought: both had very isolated childhood without parents, both have had difficulties to keep up with others’ pace (Sanji in past, Usopp in the present).

Who knows maybe seeing Usopp fighting with his insecurities and especially using in the mask reminded Sanji of his own “iron mask” and the pain behind wearing it. Perhaps this was the reason Oda first made Sanji to convince the others to not to reveal Sogeking’s real identiity (although probably most of them knew who he was) and later choose presicely Sanji to be the one with the speech in Enies Lobby.

Interesting detail in this setting was that this became a parallel to Arlong Park where Luffy told that he can’t do all things, and now there is Sanji who openly admitted he wasn’t able to win Kalifa (and got bailed out by Nami), only for her and Usopp to be bailed out by Sanji in turn when the wolf man was way too strong for them. It’s just still amazing the way Sanji puts all his trust in Usopp to help them free Robin by telling the sniper: strength comes in many different forms and that even the strongest crewmembers are depending on one another to survive.

Chopper and Usopp also have their special bond and they too adore each other’s skills. Chopper keeps buying Usopp’s tales but also sees him as his hero. Both of them are openly showing their emotions and are human in that side.

Because Chopper idolizes Usopp, it was hard to him to get rejected by the sniper when Usopp left the crew and Chopper later caught up and tried to talk him back there without good results. After the Luffy vs Usopp fight Chopper had really hard time because he was forced to choose between his job and friends (when Sanji told him not show pity on a fallen man but later Chopper decided to go with his heart leave Usopp some first aid kit so he eventually chose friendship kindness and what he thought was right at that moment.

Sogeking was basically the embodiment of Usopp’s tales and probably he didn’t realize who was behind the mask. Chopper loved Usopp’s alter-ego too though.

Usopp and Chopper are easily terrified (along with Nami) but even though they are usually scared, the sniper and the doctor make a great fighting team. A great example was that They defeated Miss Merry Christmas and Mr. 4 in Alabasta.

Usopp and Chopper form the “Coward Trio” with Nami and although it’s partly a running gag, there again is some things that combine them and it’s their human nature and (outside chopper) their pretty human strength.

Usopp and Robin needed a little time for their nakamaship to develope. Probably because of Alabasta he was a bit afraid of her and her devil fruit powers (especially when she joked about her speciality to be assasinations). So Enies Lobby arc did also good for their nakamaship.

Usopp was always willing to help Robin in Water 7 but since the circumstances were a bit difficult he had to do it in a disguise and didn’t even hesitate although he was facing Blueno who is powerful. By that time Robin wasn’t aware of the crew being split up but despite that Usopp still told her to “have faith in Luffy”.

Just like written earlier, I think it was crucial for Usopp’s character development that Oda made him to be the final piece to the puzzle to help Robin escape from Spandam. This strengthened their bond for good and it’s not the only time, also in Dressrosa Usopp saved her from being a toy.

What I like the most in their nakamaship is that although Robin loves to tease Usopp with her dark jokes, she also treats him with a big heart, like motherly. It’s headcanonish but I think for example that Robin helps Usopp and the rest of the “Dork Trio” collecting bugs and stuff.

Usopp and Franky had a very rocky start since the cyborg’s family stole Strawhat Pirates’ money and beat the sniper’s butt. Then Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Chopper caused a ruckus on Franky House so Franky decided to return the favor by kidnapping Usopp (who at that point had left the group.

Suddenly they started to bond, mostly because they started to talk about ships and it was Franky who managed to make Usopp realize that Going Merry was way beyond repair despite the sniper tried to repair the ship. Despite they didn’t know each other for a long time, Franky was definitely impressed by Usopp’s skills since the cyborg later asked him to join the Franky family.

After Franky joined the Strawhats these two began to bond even more. They both love mechanic stuff (i.e both love to build stuff and Usopp is usually the tester when it comes down to Franky’s inventions) and they enjoy maintaining the Thousand Sunny together and Franky for sure has taught Usopp a lot about shipwrighting since he heard Usopp took mainly care about Going Merry.

It’s probably just another running gag but Franky compares his bounty towards Usopp’s a lot and frankly spoken he should have at least a bit better bounty in general compared to the fact that he has loads of knowledge (previously held Pluton blueprints) but that’s another story to tell later.

Brook and Usopp didn’t have it easy too since Usopp was terrified of Brook when they first met. He was openly against the musician to join the crew but once he heard that Brook and Laboon had a connection and after events in Thriller Bark in general, Brook gain Usopp’s trust.

Although they get well along, a couple of times Usopp has become annoyed by Brook’s careless behavior: in Punk Hazard when he was eyeing Nami’s body (when Sanji was swapped into her) and when Brook accidentally made that joke about Arlong in Mermaid Island.

Jinbe and Usopp, the sniper was understandably hesistant about Jinbe at the first time since Jinbe is not only a former warlord but also was part of Arlong’s Pirate crew. Despite all that the sniper ended up supporting his captain's decision about Jinbe joining their crew and after they’ve known for more, Usopp has admired Jinbe's attitude and strength and eventually encouraged him to join the crew while calling him Boss Jinbe.

I think from after the Syrup Village and Enies Lobby, one of the most crucial arc for Usopp’s development has been Dressrosa because there he managed to unleash his Kenbunshoku Haki. It was literally a crucial shot because Luffy and Law were in edge of becoming toys.

Let’s not forget that chapters ago he shot one of the Merry's cannons and perfectly hit his target and the crew managed to escape from Alabasta because he landed a shot on a marine ship which made it crash into another giving them an escape route. So as said earlier, Usopp has always been very skillful with gadgets and incredible speed. At the first glance slingshot as a weapon doesn’t sound powerful but now to think about it: to land a shot perfectly you needs to be able to lock the position of your target, calculate the exact angle and force and usually you are also put into pressure. So, Usopp is one of the best examples of underestimated power and indeed deserved all the praise in Dressrosa.

His character history still has room for questions that could have answers such as what disease did Usopp’s mom have? (like could it be cured in future if Chopper’s dream about being able to cure all diseases became true?) or how it will be when Usopp meets his Yasopp for the very first time after a long break? It seems like his dad left when he was very young so probably he mostly knows him based on what his mother Banchina told about him.

Aside from sharpshooting, lying skills and being good at engineering (especially with handheld weapons) Usopp has other talents too such as being a skilled artist and according to sbs he has also is good with hairdressing. He is also good with gardening because he learnt in that island to cultivate pop greens.

I think one of the funniest running gag is that Usopp is a scaredy cat but one thing he is not afraid is bugs especially spiders. When Nami and Sanji screamed their lungs out because of the tarantellas (while they were looking for South Bird) Usopp casually took that 8 legged thingy to his hands. Hard to say whether his skills in arachnology has come in handy in general but I do like the headcanon that him and Luffy (and Chopper) love to collect bugs together and play with them when they have some spare time.

All in all, if one should sum up this huge post (that again got carried away *laughs*) it’s that Usopp has made a long journey to the point where he is now standing. He started as a hesistant youngster and has grown now to a strong and (almost) fearless pirate and one day he’ll definitely become the brave warrior of the seas (although he already is one).

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traumaboyexo · 18 days

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So I really loved @ciozio's happiness au, which is why I decided to completely ruin it by making and adding this fella.

SIFGRIN: HAPPINESS AU DIVERGENCE

You might have seen him around in ISATCord, I call him Sifgrin. This is basically a Happy au divergence where I add this awful terrible new character.

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR FULL GAME AHEAD

SUMMARY OF SIFGRIN

Originally, he was just meant to be a bastardized version of Hapfrin. At his core, he still is, I just added more to him.

He acts as a sort of enabler to Hapfrin's shenanigans (there's an Au that does this better but bear with me). He really is as awful as he looks, smile, size, etc, like a massive troll or ogre. He refers to Hapfrin as "Boss", or "Big Boss", basically telling him that he's just here to help, knowing stuff like the lost island, the stars, loops etc.

Unfortunately, he doesn't actually know about Loop's existence, and Loop doesn't know about his either, that is until mentioned.

He has a rest spot near the nap spawn, but it's mainly just some huge rocks put together as seats.

He has the same looking cloak and hat as Siffrin, but his coin is badly bent out of shape and his dagger is too blunt to cut anything. He deals in deadly explosives now as result.

While he often speaks in lame simple terms, the truth is he's incredibly clever.

ORIGIN

Sifgrin is effectively a Hapfrin from an alternative Happiness timeline. However, he never had a Loop, neither did he ever wish to become one. Rather, he kept looping, over and over, learning and trying and getting more powerful. He kept trying to make everyone smile and refused to drop his, even once. As the universe cracks and rots, so does himself. His face begins to contort, growing awful wrinkles from smiling so much. His maniacal laughter episodes for longer and longer, outstretching his jaw. And as he got more powerful, his body grew to accommodate the changes.

Eventually, the universe began to burn away from so much looping, time and space cracking at the very seams.

Until it was nothing but the abyss. With one last dying breath, the universe gave Sifgrin a passageway into another world, seeing as it could no longer fulfill his original wish.

(Artwork needs to be change, make him bigger)

Anyways silly divergence au did you know 1 out of 12 people like him the one is me the 11 is everyone else, pending further number changes. Will need to add more details and stuff it's a work in progress and stuff

#ISATHappyAU #ISATHapfrin #Hapfrin #ISAT Happy Au #ISAT Happy Au Sifgrin #ISATSifrgin

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mariyekos · 27 days

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2024 Writing Count

Oh yeah! I've talked about it on Twitter, but I don't think I've mentioned it here: I'm keeping track of my fics/wordcount for 2024! I did it back in 2021, and then kept track of it for a few months in 2023, but this year I'm back at it again with more detail than ever.

Here's what it looks like. The further I get the more I add onto it as different things come to mind. I love color coding things, so I have a system: 0 word days get red, 1-99 word days get yellow, 100-499 word days get light green, 500-999 word days get medium green, and 1000+ word days get dark green. I also highlight the end of each month in blue to make it easy to see, and milestones (like hitting 50k in January!) are in blue!

More details, including a view of all days, beneath the cut!

Month-by-Month

January was my best month so far. That's when I started the longfic I'm currently plugging away at, which got me most of that word count. As in, it got me over 50k of that word count, because once I realized I was so close to 50k not just for the month but for a single fic, I powered through to the end. January was a month where my main focus was getting ideas down rather than shooting for top-of-the-line quality. You can't fix a fic that isn't written, so step 1 is to write! Right now I'm actually going through what I wrote and re-writing it, which is slow work but worth it.

February was okay. March was a bad month for me, and where I finally lost my "1 word a day" goal. You can tell how hard I was struggling in the middle there, which was from a combination of lack of sleep, lack of time (work and FFXIV prog were exhausting, plus I was trying hard to get through FFVII Rebirth before being spoiled (I failed)), and lack of motivation/inspiration. I got absolutely slammed by doubt and feelings of inadequacy, combined with some realizations about my longfic which means I had to do a MAJOR overhaul that I was absolutely dreading.

April was pretty good! I got slammed by motivation to finish a fic that I'd struggled with before and finally finished and published it. I'd been hesitating because I felt like I was getting that vibe out of another fic, but after struggling with that one I went back to the one I'd eventually publish and had a blast. It was very self-indulgent and I've realized that that's okay! I've rambled vaguely on this blog about it, but it was the fic where I knew I was diving deep into a fanon interpretation of a character that's not really seen in canon, and was worried about how it would be received.

In the end I decided whatever. I know it's fanon, but I love that fanon and clearly other people love that fanon too, so I decided I'd just post it. It has a lower kudos:hit ratio than my other fics but honestly? I don't care. I had so much fun writing it and I got two (2!!!!) whole comments on it so I'm over the moon. If my writing makes even one other person happy, that's fantastic. This fic I decided was ultimately for me in the end, and internalizing that it's okay to be self-indulgent has helped me a lot. When you're okay with self-indulgence, it frees you from a lot of worry and you just get to be happy writing the stuff you love.

Of course, I'm not completely over that. I still really want to get things right. I still do check over things to see how well they align in canon and to try to fix characterization and so on. I still want my fics to be good- it's just that I've changed my standards for what a good fic is to be more about quality than being an exact replica of canon. My current fic (the now 88k Time Travel Fic) is undergoing a massive overhaul right now as I not only improve micro-level things like grammar and phrasing, but also as I work to improve macro-level things like overall flow.

That's the sort of stuff that I think makes me a better writer. It might not always lead to very high word count, but I don't always need to have high word count. Sometimes a low wordcount day where I feel like I improved my craft is more than worth it.

Take these two days in April- ~250 words a day, lower than my monthly average of 1,050, that I'm perfectly fine with because I did more than 504 words worth of work that day, IMO. You can see on the second one that I finished Before the Nightmare, which is one of the DMC novels. That day I didn't get in many words because I spent my time researching instead, and that was worthwhile! On the day before it, I spent time revising the timeline and outlining things rather than adding to the main body of the fic itself, which again I think was more than worth the time! Having WCs is a good method of tracking things. I'm a numbers person. Seeing big numbers makes me happy. But there is more to writing than just working on the stuff readers are going to see! More that is important and improves your craft! Which is why I decided to include outline counts, for one. That and I'm the type of person who writes full sentences or even paragraphs into my outlines that I will take almost word-for-word into the fic itself so I might as well attribute it to the day I wrote it, rather than the day I copy-pasted it in, y'know?

How The Tracker Works

Some other stuff you might notice are the following:

My notes are a mix of me commenting on what I wrote in the fic and me commenting on whatever's going on in my life. For example, on January 17th I wrote "Went back 2 boys fighting convo" which is about what I wrote in the fic, whereas on January 25th I wrote "Super sleepy. Too late" and on March 2nd I wrote "FFVII Rebirth is amazing." which is instead about why I only wrote so much! Going back to my 2021 word count, I found my notes to be a really interesting snapshot into what was going on in my life at the time, so I don't mind making it a mix of both.

In the above, you can see that the Daily WC doesn't equal the Diff (End-Start WC), because in the comments section I mention that I wrote 3675 for another fic. (The 3675 is from the Fic in the Fic box there, while the 801 is from my Time Travel fic, which is the one with 80k words). But on days where I work on multiple fics I'm usually feeling active enough to be happy to do the very simple math of adding two things together, so I don't mind having to combine a few. If you check the picture above this one for March, you can see that the Daily WC = Diff. for every day that has a Start and End WC. The ones where there isn't a start or ending WC is because I just used the word count function in my document program since I wrote so little it was easy to figure things out.

There's also the Fic List section way back in my first picture, which just includes every fic or fic-adjacent (i.e. tumblr posts where I basically wrote a mini-fic that I will one day turn into a proper post) included in the main word count area. I also included the number of days I worked on each by occurrence. Given the way I track things it does mean that a few fics will be missing a few days because I can only mention one in the fic box (while having it function) so only one gets counted per day, even on days I work on two, but it's close enough that I think it's still a good way of keeping track! I copied the document Geryon partway through the year once I started some major restructuring so that one's split in two, but for the count I made the function count both Geryon and Copy of Geryon so it's just up in Geryon. The reason it's split is that I decided to automate that section rather than doing things manually, which means it include the - day and splits Geryon in two which I wouldn't do if I was doing it manually.

2021 Word count Document

As you can see, things were a lot simpler back in 2021. Both in terms of visuals and things I was keeping track of. One of the biggest changes from 2021->2024 was the addition of the Start and End word counts for each day. When I was doing 2023 I realized how much I hated doing the math in a separate tab, deleting it, fixing the formatting, and then putting the number into the daily total.

Then while talking to a friend (@/dithorba) about word counts, she showed me her document which had a start/end count on it and I felt like my eyes were open. So often I would get to the end of the day and realize I had math to do but would put it off, then do it again, then again, and then trying to figure out my word counts would result in a ton of going through document history, restoring documents, checking word count, restoring it to a different version, checking word count, etc. It became a chore that messed with my totals. (Which is funny because I actually love math! That specific math just was a sticking point for some reason). Then Monse/dithorba showed me the way and I decided I'd add that into my document, even if it "clutters" it up a bit by adding extra rows. I still kept Daily Wordcount separate from the total though, since sometimes I'll work on multiple fics so the start to end count on one fic doesn't represent all the writing I do in one day.

2024 Daily Totals So Far

I got so close to all greens for April and I'm really bummed about missing it because I just plain forgot to write more on my one yellow day. Yeah I was struggling a bit, but I could've written more and forgot to make sure I'd hit 100 before going to bed. Oh well. It was a really good month otherwise. I'll probably revise the color scheme in the bottom row later on so it's more evident which word counts had the most days per month, but for now it works as-is.

Last but not least, here's a link to the twitter thread where I go on about this year's writing. It technically starts in December of 2023 because I turned my thread about my longfic into my thread for all my fic writing in 2024, so whoops to that, but good enough.

This post could be longer but it's long enough as it is, so I'll leave it like this for now. Maybe I'll come back and edit it with more information later. I'll probably RB with additions a few times in the year too!

#erurandomness #eruwrites #erubabbles

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