#it also made me even more unprepared for (both) endings

[sanguineed]

New profile pic yay! Also a small celebration for maybe possibly convincing our director to do little shop of horrors for our next show (if we can get the licensing)!

also extra BATS ver because I like it and I can:

[didyoulookforme]

pov: you go to matty's childhood home

just some fluffy fluff. friends to lovers. half-baked, incoherent, unedited rambles.

in my mind this takes place in the same au as this and this—my weird little world with the matty and george love triangle.

warning: grammatical errors, typos. doesn't follow any real timeline nor irl facts or events.

masterlist here

-----

to be honest, you were surprised when you got a call from him earlier that day. your flatmate had answered your phone, screaming your name across the hall to let you know that he was on the other end.

huh. that was strange.

"matty? is everything okay?" even though it had been a few years since you’d met, it was rare to receive a call from him so in your head something bad must’ve happened.

"hi! yes, sorry. everything is good. is this a bad time?” he sounded a bit nervous, this not really putting you at ease. "um, i know this out of nowhere and very last minute but would you want to come up to my mum's with me... for a few days?" he quickly explained how he wanted to go visit his family, but didn't really want to go alone as he got bored easily (understatement of the century right there) and he didn’t want to spend three whole days with only his mum and brother. oh, the agony.

"i asked george but the tosser is too busy doing something else, i guess."

"so i'm your last resort, huh?" you teased, however deep down, a part of you was delighted he had reached out, knowing that he could've easily asked anyone else to tag along.

you thought about it. you did have the next few shifts off work so it might not be a bad idea to get out of the city even if it’s just for a couple of nights. it would do you good. however you had never travelled with just matty, but what's the worst that could happen, right?

well, as it turns out, there's a lot that can happen in 72 hours when matthew healy is involved. it was almost comical how unprepared he was for this short trip. you both were are the station and he had not only managed to book the train for the wrong time, but also the wrong date—part of you couldn’t help but think that he only invited you to deal with the very complicated logistics of this huge expedition. you felt somewhat sorry for him, yet you had to laugh at the situation. he just glared in return.

in the end, the train ride was more than lovely. you didn’t do it often but when you got a chance to, you made the most of it by studying the other passengers. wondering where they might go and sometimes crafting elaborate stories for the ones which caught your eye, making you feel like you actually knew them. matty was leaning against the window, forehead on the glass, looking at the countryside pass by. he had a small notebook with him, every now and then jotting down a few lines inside.

wonder which song that will be…?

it was a bittersweet feeling visiting his family home as you felt strangely at ease whenever you came. the town was small and quiet, his mum was loving and welcoming, the house was comfortable and safe, everything which you hadn't really experienced but always wanted.

just like the previous times you'd visited his childhood house, you found yourself at the back of the house, standing by the small creek, only this time there wasn't any alcohol in your bloodstream and no george, adam, or ross to chat with. only cigarettes and him.

it had been a while since the two of you had spent some time together. the last time was when he had stopped by the cafe before heading out on tour, mentioning that your workplace was on his way to the airport and he wanted to say hi as he would be away for a few months. you were pretty damn sure the airport was in the opposite direction but forgot to fact check, though.

to your surprise, the shallow water felt warm on your fingers so you decide to dip your feet in, taking a few steps towards the middle of the stream. the air was still, the water was peaceful. coming here had been worth it.

you turn around to face matty who was busy pulling blades of grass from the ground—he had the habit of doing so whenever he found himself on a green patch. it was cute. you splash some water in his direction to get his attention, most of the droplets landing on his hair. “hey!” brown eyes squint at you, nose scrunched up due to the sunshine falling across his face. you made a hand motion for him to come join. “it feels nice.”

he looks at you a second longer, small smile tugging at the corner of his lips before placing the cigarette between them. he rolls up the bottoms of his jeans, walking into the tiny river. “jesus. i thought you said it was nice, it’s fuckin' freezing.” you roll your eyes and shake your head. always a drama queen. but eventually he is besides you, cigarette still in his mouth, his close presence making your stomach turn in some sort of way.

the bright sun and clear water remind you of the previous year when the whole band ended up at a lake during a warm summer day, much like this one. george had dared all of them to get in the lake, no clothes on. to everyone's surprise, adam was the first to strip down and jump into the water. everyone cheered, including yourself. then it was ross, then george, and finally matty. you felt your cheeks grow red at the sight of a naked curly haired boy so you quickly faced in the opposite direction, not wanting anyone to take notice. "it's your turn, love!" erm. you shook your head, "…maybe next time." he made you promise as you uncomfortably shifted from one foot to the other hoping that time would never come.

"what are you thinking about?" lost deep inside your head, you didn't realize he was looking at you. "nothing," you quickly respond before taking the cigarette from his mouth and filling your lungs with smoke. you could tell by his expression that he didn't believe you but he doesn't press on either.

you give the now rather short cigarette back to him, turning your gaze down to look at your feet and his which makes your chest tighten. you knew matty and you enjoyed his company, but being that close to him was almost too much at that point in time.

"i really like it here, matty. thank you for bringing me along." you were still staring at your toes in the water. you also notice how now he was the one shifting his body weight between his feet. "um, i kind of lied to you." you finally gaze up at him. "yesterday when i called, i...", he bites his lip, "...hand't actually reached out to george to ask him to come." a nervous laugh let's you know that he genuinely feels bad for the small white lie. you act hurt at his confession, putting a hand to your mouth only you did this to cover the growing smile on your face.

not entirely sure of what to say, you place your head on his left shoulder hoping that would be okay. it must’ve been as in return you felt him kiss your hair and the palm of his hand found its way to the small of your back. neither of you making a sound but the subtle interactions—his thumb gently rubbing against the fabric of your shirt, his forehead resting on top of your head, his breath getting faster—meant more than any words could at that point.

[pipi-un-kaki-in-pipi-land]

when tempations collide

summary: you steal Wednesday’s nail polish as a risky dare from your friends but it leads to something even more unimaginable

You screamed internally until your brain hurt as your friends laughed hysterically at the dare that was just presented to you. No, a big fat no. Stealing one of Wednesday Addams’ belongings in exchange for a dish of truffle fries that you had longed crave but couldn’t afford, on the house?

How could you possibly refuse?

Your thoughts conflicted in your mind. Surely you couldn’t turn down the irresistible, juicy, aromatic offer of truffle fries, but you had to remember that Wednesday wasn’t just your friend – she was your crush. And doing something like this could put you into big trouble with her, but you just couldn’t make up your mind.

-

You carefully peeked around the corridors of Ophelia Hall, looking out for anyone that could possibly rat you out and get you into trouble – especially since you were skipping class just for a stupid deal. You gently pushed the door open, glancing around to see if Enid or Wednesday was there, but you heaved a sigh of relief when you saw no one.

You slowly crept to Wednesday’s table, in which she had her typewriter on, and carefully rummaged through her things, hoping to find something that meant the least to her and something that she’d probably forget about soon enough. You face beamed in a smile from your protruding sweat when you found her nail polish – not like she would care anywa-

The restroom opened in a blink, and your unremarkable instincts could only run to the door like it was your only escape from your death. As fast as your unprepared legs could carry you, you made a sloppy run to the stairs as you heard light footsteps barely inches away from you.

You were incredibly foolish. What were you thinking, stealing in broad daylight?

One thing led to another, and now you found yourself panting and screaming internally in the forest with the same pair of footsteps trailing behind you, not losing pace. You continued to sprint as fast as you could, but you couldn’t see the tiny stone that jutted out of the ground that ended your fate right here and right now.

You crashed to the ground with a thud as the auburn leaves fluttered below you, but you felt something heavy as you tried to get up.

It was Wednesday, who had also crashed, but did it on top of you. Some specks of dirt dusted her array of freckles as the both of you locked eye contact in confusion.

‘I-It’s my fault- my friends dared me to do this,” You tried to shrug it off as you placed the nail polish on the side, but the ravenette wasn’t just letting you go like this. She pinned your hand to the ground that you wanted to try to pinch your nose with to stop it from bleeding from the level of hotness Wednesday was giving out right now, but it just flowed out so simply.

“Why are you bleeding, y/n?” Her eyebrows furrowed as she brushed the thick drop of blood from your nose; and she looked like she didn’t give a single care in the world about the nail polish anymore.

“When I look at you- I,” Your breath halted shakily as the both of your hands inched closer to comfort. Your insides were churning with adrenaline from her hand that was placed on your face, but Wednesday probably hated to admit it that she was feeling the same way too. 

“What? I didn’t quite hear that well,” Wednesday said as she leaned her ear closer to your face, her hand rubbing your nape gently. “Don’t need to hear anything,” you softly muttered under your breath but the ravenette clearly heard it. Your lips inched closer to her ear before whispering the lamest confession ever and pecking a kiss on her flustered earlobe, and heaving your back off the ground so you could get a better view of her flawless face.

Wednesday cupped her hands around your jaw. Oh god, the tension between the two of you was sending sparks up your spine and you felt like you would combust if you didn’t kiss her right now.

“I know the temptation is killing you,” The ravenette slightly smirked as she pulled you to her lips.

You gave in with no fail, because who were you to refuse?

[milfswriter]

hear me out... vampire rhea au smut

Y’all are thirsty asf💀

Bite Me

Vampire!Rhea Ripley x reader

Summary: Rhea comes home without feeding, you help her get her appetite straight.

Notes and warnings: smut, vampires (obviously), blood-drinking, fingering, strap-on, soft Rhea (couldn't help myself lmao).

You were getting ready for bed late at night when you heard a swoosh of air on your balcony. You turned to see non-other than your girlfriend, Rhea standing there with a smirk on her face. You let out a loud gasp, hand on your heart.

"God damn it, Rhea! I told you not to scare me like that!" You scolded, breathing heavily as the smirk on the vampire's face grew. She walked into your room, closing the sliding door with a thud.

"How did you even get up there? you can't fly, can you?" you continued to ramble about her scaring you every time she came back from feeding in the woods and pushed her away as she tried to hug you.

"What?" she let out a chuckle, "okay, I'm sorry..won't scare you again" she lifted her hands in the air in surrender before wrapping them around your waist, a soft look on her face. You let her hug you this time, sighing as your heart still thumped against your chest.

She must have caught this due to her enhanced hearing. "you still scared, love?" her hand was buried into your hair with her forehead against yours, eyes boring into your soul.

You shook your head, tilting your head to join your lips and sighing into the kiss before pulling away, entirely forgetting she went out to feed, it's completely unsanitary.

"D..Did you feed at all? you..taste fine" you wiped at your mouth to see if there was any sign of blood and she shrugged.

"I don't know, I..I didn't feel like it" you nodded, pulling her into you again and resuming your past actions.

Your tongue licked at her lips, begging for entrance and for once she let you. She pushed you on your bed, hands wandering all over your body as your tongues fought for dominance.

You were trying not to nick your tongue with her fangs and she took the chance to take control of the kiss. Her groin made contact with your thigh, eliciting a muffled moan from you as you felt her bulge. Of course she was packing, she never comes unprepared.

She gripped the end of your shirt with both hands before ripping it from the middle, exposing your bare tits to her. "And there goes my favorite shirt" you whined, slapping her shoulder as she leaned down to take a nipple into her mouth while squeezing the other, you didn't know if you could keep up with her strength tonight. She was much rougher in bed when she doesn't feed prior.

"I'll buy you ten other shirts if you stop complaining" she promised as you let out a moan, her tongue swirling over your sensitive nipple.

you wrapped your arms around her to hold her cold body closer to your warm one. She moved her hands down your bodies to take both of your pants off, revealing the also black strap she's been packing for god knows how long.

Rhea stops what she's doing to look at you, sitting up on your elbows as you stared at her squeezing lube onto the toy, rubbing the excess of it onto your pussy, fingers entering you to make sure you were properly lubed up. You closed your eyes with a moan, clenching around her thick digits before she took them out, wiping them on your inner thigh.

She pulled your legs to the edge of the bed, leaning down to kiss you hard. "you'll be the death of me" she growled, her canines pressing on her bottom lip.

"I thought you were already dead" she gave you a disappointed look at the grin you were failing to hide, her hands on either side of you, holding herself up.

"Then you'll be the life of me" you couldn't have blushed harder in a million years. You pulled her shirt up, taking it off her and pulling her face down to kiss you hard.

“Fuck, Rhea” you moaned, head thrown back as she entered you. You knew she didn't want to hurt you, but you wanted more, Needed more.

You let out a whine as you wrapped your legs around her waist, pulling her deeper into you. She looked down at you, "such a good little mortal for me, aren't you?" she smirked, her voice raspy. You nodded, unable to form words.

you pulled her head into your neck as she kissed and sucked on it. Her fangs making brief contact with your skin somehow made your orgasm approach even quicker. You felt her holding back, her breath ragged. Your fingers pulled at her hair before bringing her ear next to your mouth

“Bite me, Rhea” you whispered and her thrusts faltered, shaking her head in your neck. “please..please Rhea, bite me. Feed on my blood" black veins appeared on her face, her eyes darkening as her fangs grew even longer in an attempt to scare you off doing this to her.

You gulped as you adjusted yourself to what she likes to call her 'feeding face'. You've only seen it once before when you accidentally cut your finger while cutting tomatoes for dinner. "you can lick it off the cutting board if you want" "Fuck you, I'm not a dog".

You pulled her head further into your pulse point, "I said..Bite. Me" your voice turned cold. Why were you doing this to her?

"D..Don't start something you can't finish, darling" she groaned, your waist definitely bruising due to her strong grip to control herself.

She bottomed out into you at this point as you two basically argued, you didn't want her to desiccate and she didn't want to hurt you.

She finally gave in as you bared your neck for her. "Tell me to stop, and I will.." she assured and you hummed, nodding. She held your jaw in place as she fucked you harder.

You felt her fangs prick your pulse point, her lips sucking on your neck with a hum of satisfaction you never heard from her caused your orgasm to wash over you with a guttural groan.

You started feeling lightheaded when she already stopped, looking at you with a shocked expression. Did you just come from her feeding on you?.

She looked...hot. Your blood covered her chin as leaned down to lick the drops of blood that were still coming out. "You taste amazing..Does it hurt?" she looked concerned, even guilty for giving in to your pleading.

You shook your head, "At first..but I'm fine. Promise" she took the strap out of you with a nod.

"Stay here..gonna get you bandages. Hold this on your neck" she gave you your shirt that she ripped, she's got nerve.

A/N

This woman can do anything she wants to me.

Taglist:

@obsessedwithwwewomen @ara-a-bird @jungwoospeach

[theheirofthesharingan]

Hi there. I am sending this probably silly question because you are one of the few fans of both Sasuke and Itachi that I know, and this has been bugging me since the first time I watched Naruto.

So, Itachi wants Sasuke to be stronger, to kill him and go back to the village as a hero that killed an alleged Konoha traitor. But why does he tell him to kill his closest friend? I understand Itachi wants Sasuke to get the Mangekyou to get stronger, but this would surely make him a criminal in the eyes of Konoha. Also, I think it is unnecessary, since Sasuke could have gotten the Mangekyou after killing Itachi (which didn't happen in the end, but it was a possibility). I understand Itachi wanting to be sure, but still... He was risking way to much here.

It also does not make sense for Edo Tensei Itachi to "scold" Sasuke for being a "criminal" (he was not really scolding, but you get what I mean...) when he himself urged him to commit a way worse crime. So he says "I turned you into a criminal" but, actually, Sasuke never did what Itachi asked. I understand Itachi feels guilty for way more things than he deserves, and indeed he might be responsible for Sasuke leaving the village and going to Orochimaru to gain power for revenge... But anything that happened after Itachi's death was actually Sasuke's own decisions (decisions that came as a result of legit rage against Konoha for committing a genocide, of course).

I know Itachi was a child, traumatised, isolated and under inhumane pressure at the time. In these conditions, it is understandable that he did not make the best decisions, that he was not acting completely logically or thinking totally straight. I am not judging him in the slightest, I just would love to read your views on this.

Thank you and lots of love!

The rules of the Shinobi world are vastly different from those of ours. In the Shinobi world conflict is endless and lives hold different values than they do in ours. You may not face a trial for taking a life, much like you might not get a medal for saving one. Sakumo Hatake, for example, saved the lives of his comrades and ended up being shunned by the village, including the people whose lives he'd saved.

Itachi, after he killed his own parents, was leaving Sasuke in a place that had made him murder his own parents. Hiruzen was a weak shield and Danzo still lived in the village. Itachi wanted Sasuke to get strong, not only to kill him, but also to be able to protect himself in case Danzo made a move against him. An Uchiha, even with a simple Sharigan, was seen with fear. An Uchiha, with Mangekyo, would be formidable. Thinking from Itachi's POV, he was leaving Sasuke in a very hostile place, known for its belligerence towards Uchiha. What was a defenseless child supposed to do in case Danzo's Root came for him and Hiruzen proved useless? It didn't happen, but how would itachi know it wouldn't happen at all? Especially when Danzo did send Sai to kill Sasuke instead of letting a troop also follow them so they could take down Orochimaru, who had actually attacked the village.

Itachi had a flawed perception that as long as Sasuke lived, everything else he went through would be worth it, including his best friend's death. To him, Sasuke's life mattered, not a stranger's who might become his best friend. I believe he changed his mind later on when he met Sasuke and Naruto at the inn. He saw Naruto risking his own life, fighting for Sasuke despite being horrified of Itachi moments ago. It's probably after this that he made his mind to include one more objective to their final battle.

He also understood Sasuke didn't hate him at all. When he says 'you don't have enough hate', it's the truth, because when Sasuke learned Itachi was back and was after Naruto, he rushed to warn Naruto, but all he thought about was Itachi, their final day together before everything went wrong. And then he charged on Itachi, unprepared. We've known Sasuke to be calculative and in control of his emotions almost all the time. He loses it the moment he sees Itachi. Even if itachi tried to ignore him he wouldn't sit back. This wasn't the response of someone who had hate in his heart, but too much of emotional investment.

Yes. Itachi was always risking a lot. Him taking up the mission to annihilating his clan, then leaving Sasuke, and basically everything that followed - all of it was a gamble. Things could go either way. Sasuke had to be safe, for which he had to be protected all the time; but for him to become strong, Sasuke would have to train and practice, maybe go on potentially life threatening missions as well if he wanted to be strong enough to kill Itachi. Itachi's plan was always a double-edged sword. It could go either way.

Itachi blames himself for Sasuke's actions because he controlled a large portion of Sasuke's life. He did it unwillingly, in tears, in guilt, yes, but he did do it. Like I said above, he thought as long as Sasuke was safe it would be worth it. Itachi was somewhat responsible for Sasuke leaving Konoha, but not entirely. After Sasuke wakes up in the hospital, he challenges Naruto, because Naruto had suddenly become so strong. Even then he couldn't defeat Itachi. Then Sasuke, who had lived his whole life for the purpose of killing Itachi, was still no match for him. After Kakashi's pep talk, Sasuke even considers dropping the idea of revenge or at least struggles with it, thinking about Naruto, Sakura, and their bonding. Then Sound Four attack him. The rest is history.

After Itachi's death, while everything that Sasuke does is his own call, his own decisions, they still stem from the life Itachi made him live, and him not finding any closure. Yes, Itachi didn't want Sasuke to know the truth because he knew it would destroy him emotionally, and it happened exactly that way.

Itachi didn't scold Sasuke, he merely accepted where his plans failed. Itachi and Sasuke are very rich characters in terms of psychological depth. I'm no psychology student, but I love to read stuff here and there, and one pattern I've seen in both the brothers is that of 'age regression.'

When trauma impairs your ability to develop full emotional maturity, this is known as arrested psychological development. Trauma can “freeze” your emotional response at the age you experienced it. When you feel or act emotionally younger than your actual age, this is known as age regression.

Taken from this article. There's more to it, but I lifted the important part to answer this ask.

It's very common in how both Itachi and Sasuke respond. Many people say 'Itachi always saw Sasuke as a child to protect instead of a grown up' and he himself says this as Edo Tensei to Sasuke later on. I believe it's because, emotionally, he too never grew up beyond 12-13 and in some ways beyond four. To him he was never above 12 and Sasuke was never older than 7. All of his reactions to his life, however bad and with disastrous outcomes, are out of unresolved PTSD. It's the same with Sasuke and how he responds to his surroundings. Both of them were emotionally 'frozen' in the age they were traumatized. At the age of 12, even though Sasuke is too mature for his age, there's still the longing for his family and he remembers every single detail of his moments with them. Then after learning Itachi's truth too. I believe while he's a grown up now in Boruto, there's a part of him that's frozen in that moment when he found out about Itachi. Since Itachi isn't mentioned in Boruto and Sasuke's feelings for his family aren't the matter of discussion, I don't think I can prove this.

When Itachi saw what he'd made Sasuke - not a criminal or a monster - but a lonely, broken kid, he felt ashamed of himself. He feels so guilty because of his conscience. It's also because he was free from any obligation towards anyone after his death and was very flexible in face of new information that he admitted his wrongs.

Itachi, in fact, never realized what haopened to him was wrong too. His actions weren't spontaneous. On the contrary, they were the outcome of what was done to him. But unlike Sasuke and Kakashi, for instance, he did do many things wrong. Sasuke felt guilty for not being able to save his family, his clan, and then Itachi. Kakashi felt guilty for not being able to save Obito, then Rin. Even if it wasn't their fault. Itachi did a lot of things that were entirely unforgivable and he knew it too. So, his guilt outweighed any desire he might have had to acknowledge his trauma. He defined himself by the horrible things he'd done. Objectively, there would be a lot of nuances that you could consider, but fictional characters can never be objective.

When Hashirama praised Itachi, Itachi would never agree with him. When Sasuke called him perfect, Itachi disagreed with him. When Kabuto called him a genius/exceptional Itachi disagreed with him too.

Itachi felt nothing but regret his entire life, which eventually defined him as a person.

[lovelyiida]

types of dates mha guys would take you on :)

INCLUDES: KATSUKI BAKUGO, SHOTO TODOROKI, TENYA IIDA, IZUKU MIDORIYA

WARNINGS: implied gender neutral reader, pure fluff

MASTERLIST

WORDS: 650

BAKUGO would be one of those guys that would take you to the carnival for a date. He’d be quite shy the first hour or so being alone with you, but after you held his hand so tight on that rollercoaster he was back to his cocky self.

From mimicking your screams to making fun of your cuteness when he won you that big plushie you wanted, seeing you so happy just made him melt. even though he doesn't express that, you can tell by the way he looks at you with such softness.

after many rides, hilarious ice breakers, and enough food to put you in a coma, the both of you were beat and ready to go home.

but of course, the date couldn’t end properly without riding the Ferris wheel :)

You held onto him so tight as you could barely look out the glass. knees buckling tight together as you quivered in fear, feeling your hair blow in the wind. hearing the distant screams of other people on rides to the jackpot jingle of the carnival games.

Cursing under your breath, you hear him let out a fit of laughter.

Bakugo wraps an arm around you and pulls you into his side closley.

even though bakugo himself was afraid of heights, that wasn’t gonna stop him from protecting you and making sure you were alright. “Hey look at me,” his voice was stern and caring as his strong hands softly held your face. Hearing your whimpers of fear made him frown, “y’know if you sit here crying like a baby you’ll miss out on the view.”

Finally, you looked away and gasped in awe. The multi-colored lights danced through the shadows of the night sky, feeling like a giant looking down at the people enjoying their lives.

You smiled at Bakugo and held his hand, a light blush cascades over his face. “I told you it wasn’t bad, you big baby.”

TODOROKI would take you on a walk, it may not be as romantic as the others but I believe this one suits him the best.

See, it didn’t matter to him where the location was as long as he was with you. So walking to no random destination and just talking and getting to know each other was enough for him.

He wanted to do this every day, escape from the world just for a couple of hours and be with you.

Seeing the way you lit up about certain topics made his head skip an extra beat. From the way your hand would brush his when talking, to the way you’d bite your lip in embarrassment when attempting to flirt. It was so cute to him, this bright bubbly feeling he felt flowing through his body felt so foreign and new it should be scary, but it wasn’t.

It felt right as long as he was with you.

one day it rained extra hard, the both of you were unprepared and ran under the nearest bus stop. todoroki saw how the both of you were drenched head to toe. cursing to himself he ringed out the water from his shirt.

looking over he sees you in a fit of laughter, you were laughing at him.

he watched as you ringed out your hoodie also, you were still laughing. looking up at him you smile, face glistening from the rain and hair wet.

letting out a sigh you look away towards the rain.

"y'know todoroki, I always loved the rain."

looking at you, he smirks.

little did you know he always loved you too.

MIDORIYA will absolutely take you to a hero’s convention, no augments needed.

Since the both of you shared a common interest in heroes more than others, why not take you to the biggest convention in the city? And to say the both of you were excited was an understatement, the both of you were floored. he could rewind your reaction to him giving you a ticket over and over again.

he remembers the way you were jumping up and down like a little toddler in the lunchroom, he remembers the tight hug you gave him that made him absolutely red from the face down.

when the day came, the both of you were decked out in hero merch.

the both of you had a great time! Visiting hero to hero, booth to booth, game to game, your feet were sore, your mouth dry, and the both of you were completely tired.

Carrying heavy signed merchandise in your book bags and just having a blast overall, you were so happy to be spending your time with Midoriya sharing something the both of you enjoyed dearly. And he was too.

“I had a great time, Midoriya. Thank you so much,” you chuckle placing a small kiss on his cheek. Which made him blush super hard and stammer like an idiot.

watching you walk into your house and close the door he jumps in the air.

Like the geek he was, he thanked all might.

IIDA would take you to a fine arts museum, like the art whore you were, you were very excited.

you were in the classroom when you overheard iida talking to midoriya about visiting the art museum in the city for a special exhibition, little did he know that artist he was seeing was your favorite and you were going the same day as him.

when you bumped into him that day, you decided that the both of you would tag along together.

it may have not been a date to you, but it was a date to him. he had such a large crush on you he was absolutely delusional.

You and Iida would sit and marvel at huge paintings and have so many philosophical conversations after. it was odd having so many similar opinions and ideologies as him since the both of you never really talked until this date.

And sometimes you would goof around, the setting didn’t change the attitude after all.

Posing weirdly trying to imitate certain paintings, laughing at how Iida would totally butcher them (in a bad way lol). Or taking the most random photos or what you perceived as “common art,” like the men’s restrooms water fountain. Or that blue pen by the entrance desk (and some sneak photos of you iida took himself).

Iida had so much fun with you, so much fun that it became a regular "date" spot for the both of you.

hey guys! thank you guys for all of the support i'm getting! already 100+ interactions on my first post yay :)

make sure you guys put in some requests so that I can get to writing!

also, if you want to be tagged in things, I just put up my tag form, so don't be shy and fill that out!

- LOVELYIIDA <3

[councilman-horsemeat]

The Greatest Star Trek Characters, Ranked

I was recently reading a few articles ranking the various Star Trek characters and got really infuriated. I started punching my solid wood table until my fists were blooded and filled with splinter. Kirk, Spock, Picard- who gives a shit? There was no flavor, no spice to these lists. After taking a long walk and eating some meal, I decided I oughta make my own. Here it goes; In no particular order, so they're not actually ranked at all.

Sylvia Tilly Star Trek: Discovery is full of people whose lives have sucked, in a way which reflects their outlook on life. Some are hardened, some burdened, some both. Sylvia Tilly offers a delightful contrast to these characters. I’m not through the first season of Discovery yet, but I hope she and Michael Burnham become best friends forever.

Mobar (Fake Tuvok) Part of a criminal group that travels the Delta quadrant scamming various strangers through various schemes. Mobar and his friend Dala ended up acting as Tuvok and Janeway, fooling hapless aliens into joining the “Federation”, which meant little more than handing over their starships or cargo. Mobar ended up getting WAY into character, oftentimes chastising his fellow criminals for not adhering to Starfleet protocols. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to make him not a criminal, and in the end he went down like a chump. RIP to a legend. I don’t think he died but whatever.

Dax (Jadzia, Ezri and Curzon/Odo) Jadzia Dax, our first true look into what trill really are. The fusion of Jadzia and Dax created a woman with wisdom far beyond her years, enough to make her approach life in a very confident, laid-back way. This, along with her highly analytical mind and charm, would have made her a perfect ship’s captain. Gone too soon.

On the other hand, I really liked Ezri Dax too. I’m conflicted, because seeing what it’s like for an unprepared, naive trill to be joined (despite never training to) was really interesting, and I even wish we got more than just the one season with her- but I also wish Jadzia could have been around for the finale.

When they were temporarily joined in a trill ritual, Curzon brought a certain down-in-the-dirt, slob attitude to the usually uptight Odo. I really liked him. He could have been less of a pervert.

Bearded Geordi LaForge Beautiful. Majestic. Just a touch of rogueish charm. Too bad he only had it for two episodes and like some movies or whatever.

Mirror Sarek I understand WHY he has a goatee. They needed to make him visually distinct from normal Sarek and it’s an homage to mirror Spock from way back when. The problem is that the homage only works if you didn’t already think mirror Spock’s goatee is funny as hell. They also call him the prophet for some reason. All in all a weird guy, which means I like him.

Neelix He brought a genuine heart of gold to the crew of the voyager when they needed it the most. A rock, a true friend and a shoulder to lean on. His friendship with Tuvok allowed him to occasionally bring out a different side of the indomitable vulcan. I also liked that his eye color randomly changed with no in-show explanation.

T’pring Spock’s almost-wife T’pring probably has the quickest turnaround from “WTF why is she so needlessly brutal” to “she’s a genius and she’s so logical” of any Star Trek character. She will always have my respect.

Sela It’s just really funny to me that she had all that buildup on top of already being the return of a written-off main character’s actor. And then like, nothing happened.

Kai Winn Opaka There’s something so incredibly about Louise Fletcher’s performance as Kai Winn in the later seasons that I sometimes have a hard time putting into words. She just captures the self-righteous, holier-than-thou, but also absolutely desparate character in such a captivating way- while also maintaining this underlying confidence and power.

“Klingon Chef” Deep Space Nine’s resident Klingon chef/opera singer showed a side of Klingon culture we don’t often see - the civilian side. He truly made the most of his few appearances, and I will always love him for it.

Seven of Nine (Possessed) Maybe it’s because of Seven’s usually stoic, reserved demeanour, but seeing Jeri Ryan take on the exaggerated personalities of a Klingon warrior, a Ferengi DaiMon, and the EMH of the USS Voyager amongst others, was one hell of a lot of fun. Enough fun to end up on this list! Unfortunately, not enough for that Oscar nom. Next time!

Dr. Michael Dingo Dingo’s brief stint as nurse aboard the Enterprise-D established him as little more than a grumpy old man, but he really shone after his promotion to main cast member and CMO of the USS Pioneer. His usual snarky personality being torn down upon meeting his long-believed-to-be-dead wife went down as one of my favorite moments in all of Star Trek. His refusal to poison the crew on behalf of his madly sick captain gave me goosebumps.

Lwaxana Troi She started out as no more than “Deanna Troi’s Annoying Mom” but evolved into so much more across her many appearances. Absolutely wonderfully played by Majel Barrett, the writers explore many facets of sorrow, motherhood, and what it means to grow old. I also believe that she should have ended up with Odo instead of Nerys, but whatev.

Falow The leader of the Wadi, a gamma quadrant species that value various types of games above all else. He and his entourage visit Deep Space Nine and end up throwing the main cast INTO a highly-advanced video game where they think they’ll actually die, but it’s actually just a game. What I like most is that he truly looks like the Most Advanced Gamer. If I was a highly advanced space-gamer this is what I would want to look like.

Riker Picard’s number one actually features on a lot of these lists. They usually list his loyalty or how cool he is or whatever. I’m mostly interested in his absolutely off-the-charts adventurous spirit. He was the first starfleet officer to serve aboard a klingon ship and was GLAD to eat gagh. When he learned that a trill symbiont needed a new host he practically jumped at the chance, despite the fact that no human had ever hosted a trill symbiont before. And he had absolutely no shame in wearing his slutty outfit in ‘Angel One’. There’s many similarities between Riker and Kirk, but Kirk would never have worn it so proudly.

Horny/drunk-ish Picard Patrick Stewart’s performance as a pseudo-drunk and very horny Jean-Luc Picard in The Naked Now has seared itself into my mind forever. It’s like he’s screaming, but also whispering, and sort of putting on an accent? Deciding just how to portray the usually stoic captain so completely out of his element must have been quite the challenge, and Patrick Stewart ended up making some very inspired choices.

Alyssa Ogawa She may not have done much more than help out in medbay every now and then, but the conversations between her and Crusher were the first to show that the main crew actually DO have friends outside the “inner circle”. Does that truly earn her a spot on a list of the greatest Star Trek characters of all time? Probably not but I don’t really care and neither should you.

Grand Nagus Zek Every time he got more screentime I remembered how much I loved his dumbass voice. His shrill bleating is hilarious, and every time he shows up I can’t wait to find out what his latest scheme is. His behavior towards women is regrettable, but that’s true for a lot of Star Trek men and unlike most of them, Zek actually sort-of changes.

Ishka And who is Zek without Rom and Quark’s moogie Ishka? Despite the usual underestimatable Ferengi personality traits, I genuinely believe Ishka could have one of the highest power levels in all of Star Trek canon. Women not even having the right to wear clothes has been a part of Ferengi culture for centuries and she managed to turn it around COMPLETELY in a handful of years. If she put her mind to it, I genuinely believe she could have brokered peace between the Cardassians and Bajorans, and that’s on the prophets.

Jae Yeah, I got a bit of a crush on this frankly random Enterprise-D crewmember. I think she’s friends with Picard? She sat next to him at a poetry reading once. I’m not sure if she even had any speaking lines.

[heyhihellowhatsup0]

Project Freak - Eddie Munson x Reader (Enemies to Lovers)

Warnings:  Angsty af...Some smut...probably more if I do a part two?? 18+ Only. (Do not interact if under 18)

Summary:  You’re partnered up with the person you’d never be caught dead with. But the more you work alongside Eddie, the tension continues to build amongst eachother.

A/N: My first Eddie fic! I’m anxious af but if it doesn’t flop maybe I’ll do a part two?? Also I found the .gif on Pinterest so if anyone knows who made it DM me so I can give credit!

You tapped your pen against your desk and tried to ignore the teacher’s request. You pretended you didn’t hear it and like nothing had changed. You acted as if you weren’t just told you had a huge project due in two weeks and the teacher was assigning the partners. You didn’t just suck in a breath when the teacher told you were going to be partnered with Eddie Munson. The one guy who you couldn’t stand. 

And you knew Eddie wasn’t your biggest fan either. He always teased you in your cheerleader uniform when you walked by, you were pretty sure he started a rumor last summer about you when you and your father moved out of the trailer park and into a house, and the few times you did speak to him he gave you the dirtiest looks. It was safe to say the feeling was certainly mutual without any genuine reasoning. And now you were forced to work together.

Jason gave you an apologetic look as the bell rang and you bolted out of your seat and headed towards your locker. But Eddie quickly caught up when you were half way down the hall and tapped your shoulder to get your attention, “Pardon me, princess. A word?” he asked you sarcastically as he leaned up against your locker while you continued to ignore him, “Yeah, okay. You’re not fucking up my grade in this class so you tell me how you want to go about this,” his eyes went to your legs in the cheer skirt and then he quickly reminded himself who he was speaking to.

“That’s cute. This is like what? 14th grade for you?” You snapped at him while you exchanged your books out in your locker. You didn’t even know why you were wasting your breath on him, “How about we just divide the work up and hand it in in two weeks?” you noticed the way Eddie’s brown eyes were on you when you gave him a glare.

“No can do, princess. We have to present in front of the class. It’s half our grade and I’m not getting up there unprepared when you and I both know I’m gonna get the blame for it,” you knew Eddie was right about that. As much as you didn’t care for him, you did always feel bad how people judged and looked at him. Getting the short stick was never easy.

You let out a sigh, “Fine. Let’s meet up after school and get this over with,” you countered with a sharpness to your voice. You just really wanted this conversation to end so you could go about your day and forget you were partnered with him, “Or do you have some clients to tend to?” you sneered as if Jason didn’t buy pot for you from Eddie.

“As long as you don’t have to go cheer for guys throwing balls in laundry baskets, I’m all yours, sweetheart,” Eddie wasn’t afraid to speak back to you. Eddie could care less about your popularity. “Meet at my place at 4. I’d give you directions but I think you know it pretty well?” He knew how you wouldn’t tell a soul you ever lived in a trailer. A part of Eddie wanted to leak that information to Jason and his buddies but he had no energy to do that. So he let you keep your secret between the both of you.

You flipped him off and turned your back to him, “Get away from me, fucking freak,” you shouted loud enough for people walking by could hear as you walked away. Eddie was a prick in your mind and the last person you wanted to be spending your free time with, “Go to hell, Munson…” you mumbled under your breath as you continued your dread for this project.

Eddie watched from the distance as you walked up to the trailer and knocked on the front door. He took his sweet ass time getting up and made his way over to you spitefully. Opening the door with a grin on his face as he welcomed you with a sarcastic cheer, “Welcome home,” he teased as he extended his arm to invite you inside, “Wow, all dressed up for me?” he nodded to your uniform with a playful wink.

He couldn’t stand most of the cheerleaders but what he couldn’t stand most was how he never pegged you for one of them. You had lived in this trailer park for years and even though you barely spoke to Eddie, he didn’t think you were one of them. You would at least smile at him from time to time when you crossed paths or would drop off a casserole you had made for Eddie’s uncle Wayne when you knew he worked late. There was a side of you Eddie once saw he thought was gentle and kind.

And then your dad bought a house in a cul-de-sac and just like that, everything changed. Suddenly, you made the pep squad and were dating all the most popular guys in Hawkins. The trailer park and Eddie never existed in your eyes. You didn’t even think twice when you began rolling your eyes at Eddie in the hallway for no apparent reason. So he did the same in return. 

You pushed past Eddie with a scoff, “Let’s get this over with,” you sighed as you brought your books into the living room. You took a seat on the couch and began to open one up when you noticed Eddie was staring at you, “What is it, freak?” you asked him with a raised eyebrow.

“What’s your fucking problem with me, Y/N? Or am I just a reminder of your former life that may have been better so you project that onto me?” Eddie actually paid attention this year in psychology and he was glad he did because he saw the look on your face when he called you out for it. He was right. He knew it.

“Can we just get to work, please?” you dismissed the question as you turned the page in your book. You weren’t going to let Eddie The Freak Munson speak to you like you were a child. Even if you knew you were acting a bit ridiculous. “You don’t know me or anything about me,” you added with another aggressive page flip.

Eddie looked down at you and licked his lips and reached down for you on the couch. The next thing you knew, you were sitting on Eddie’s lap and straddling his legs and his eyes met yours, “I know you’re a fucking brat who puts way too much energy into hating me,” Eddie’s breath was on yours and your eyes went to his lips for a moment, “Why do you hate me so much, sweetheart…?” his voice was like a raspy whisper that made you tense from the inside.

“Shut up,” you told Eddie as you tried to pull away but you didn’t. You didn’t want to. There was something about the way Eddie was looking at you and how his hands were on your waist that you suddenly found yourself craving. But you were never going to be honest about that, “Why do you hate me?” you retaliated.

Eddie laughed bitterly while his hand traveled to your ass, “Because you’re a holier-than-thou, selfish brat who thinks she’s better than me,” he answered as he squeezed your ass. He smirked when he heard you whimper slightly so he did it again.

“And you’re a fucking freak and a self-righteous prick,” you seethed through your teeth when you looked at him. “Who also thinks he’s better than me,” you added smugly. It took two to play this game and you weren’t going to let Eddie speak to you like that.

“Well, well…aren’t we quite the pair then,” Eddie answered in a snarky tone with a dry laugh. He felt his cock harden up against your leg and neither one of you could ignore it even if you wanted to.

The next thing you knew, your lips crashed against Eddie’s and you were grinding your hips into him. Moaning into a kiss while Eddie’s fingers roamed through your hair. As the kiss grew deeper, so did your neediness for Eddie and your tongue found his with ease as you massaged them together with passion.

How the hell were you making out with Eddie Munson? And why were you liking it? The way Eddie’s hands traveled towards your inner thigh made your core start to ache while you sucked a harsh bruise against his neck. Your hips moved into Eddie’s where you felt his hardened cock and you could tell how big he was which only turned you on more. You haven't felt this way with any other guy. Not Jason. Not Billy. This was…different.

It was better.

“Is it pissing you off I’m making you wet, princess?” Eddie teased as he snaked his fingers into your pants. He could feel the dampness as his fingers brushed against your underwear which made his cock twitch for you, “Knowing I’m clearly the one you want right now?” his lips brushed against yours while he found your clit through the fabric of your underwear.

“Shut the fuck up, Eddie and make me cum…” you didn’t want to play his games. But you did want Eddie. You wanted him to help you reach that high and get you to where you needed. There was something about his touch that you wanted. “Please…” that was as nice as you were going to get and Eddie knew that.

Slipping his fingers inside, Eddie circled your clit tantalizingly slowly but the way you moaned told Eddie more than he needed. Smirking against your lips, he removed his hand from your pants and pecked your lips, “Well…look at the time. You better get going,” he carefully took you off his lip as he adjusted himself with a grin, “Maybe next time, be a bit nicer,” he teased.

“I…what? I said fucking please!” you rolled your eyes at him. You weren’t going to let him know how annoyed you were even though it was written all over your face how horny he had made you. He had just driven you up a wall and now…he was punishing you? “You’re serious?” you took a deep breath as you stood up from the couch.

“Scouts honor, sweetheart,” Eddie threw up his hand like he was taking an oath. He shrugged his shoulders and gave you a look, “But I’m really glad to know I can make you that wet. Guess you have a thing for freaks,” Eddie added before you slammed the door in his face, now pissed off, horny, and craving that release that you both knew only Eddie could get rid of for you.

[thefandomenchantress]

youre so real bro i think i almost cried during the episode😭😭 im also like completely stuck, because like im in huge denial that uts ace for obvious reasons, and hust. eden makes so much SENSE. but im not sure if she actually does or if its just me being biased so im super conflicted. ofc ill always believe in eden culprit or third party yntil its WITHOUT A DOUBT ace, and probably even then ill still deny it.

ive been trying to come to terms with it but man, this has just hit me oht of left field and i was so unprepared for him to be on the chopping block this early.

and yeahh, that one signular acevid interaction was my one win😭 lowkey hoping they get some more interactions throughout this trial, considering david has been the inly person to defend ace even slightly. as for acevi..yeah, im soo...it was definitely a moment! i think now i defintiely prefer them as a tragedy type relationship, especially on aces part.

I feel so bad for him thi bro he hasnt caught a break all chapter??

Chapter 2 Episode 14 Spoilers! Plus Eden/Ace Culprit discussion.

Pretty much agree with allllll of this. Eden makes more sense as a culprit to me personally, both narratively and logically, but I’m getting really scared for Ace. I was so sure the logic of him taking the tape didn’t make sense that I sorta figured everything else didn’t matter, but now the narrative is treating it like it would possibly make sense so I’m at a loss…Why would he even grab the tape?? I’ve heard every counter-argument known to man and still don’t think any of them explain it…I really wanna ramble about it here but idk if people want to see me do that again, haha. But I guess one thing I will say is that Teruko said they can’t assume the culprit worked logically, so maybe the reason will be that he took it just…because, with no real reason. That would be a little unsatisfying, but I genuinely don’t think any explanation makes sense. (Must contain rant ahhhh—)

As for Acevid, I can at least take comfort in the fact that if Ace actually manages to hold his ground for forty-five minutes, it’s probably because David (plus maybe Levi) is doing most of the talking. Like Min barely lasted twenty minutes, so Ace doubling that all by himself would be very funny and ironic for a ‘dumb’ character to do, but also kinda unlikely.

Ace seems like the type to definitely start falling apart mentally and breaking down reeeeally fast if he’s actually the culprit, so if he is the culprit I’m surprised he’s even made it this far into the trial without any major outbursts not surrounding the almost murder. He was even kinda chill (for his standards) about the Levi debacle, not much yelling at all. But all this is to say if he’s the culprit and Teruko starts grilling him for answers…yeeeeeeah my guess is he’ll end up just panicking or yelling while someone else tries to help or bring up counter-arguments. If he’s not the culprit, maybe he’ll have enough left in him to make some sort of defense by himself (I personally think Levi will try to help either way, though).

This man can indeed not catch a break. After going to a school he didn’t even want to attend, he was kidnapped, put in a killing game, had the person he thought was his friend betray him, almost got murdered, and now is getting blamed for a different murder because he had the misfortune of being almost murdered. Sure, he’s not blameless in it all, but it still really sucks for him. I’m half-expecting him to be revealed to have a version of Teruko-luck down the line if he survives haha.

[vehkian]

initial thoughts on metal gear solid 3: snake eater

i think mgs3 is probably my favorite game ive ever played. it’s tailored to me in ways i never expected. the biblical setup that you are the snake in the garden of eden, the older maternal figure you’re obsessed with and chasing a reflection of the most influential woman in your life, and just anytime there’s such emphasis on a miserable sense of duty.

every other metal gear game i’ve played so far is like a cool spy movie that goes insane at the end but mgs3 is a biblical epic. solid and raiden face some weird dudes on their missions to stop a metal gear, and raidens does go off the rails more and even faces his father at the end. and while mgs2s phallus to kill the father goes incredible it just has nothing on how three sets you up from the beginning to consume your mother. while the other two rely on insane twists in the final act three really sets you off with an awful feeling of understanding where it all ends. sure there’s a big robot and the brink of nuclear war but worse than that is knowing he’ll have to eat the boss as well. in the virtuous mission too you can feel so much how he misses her and feels totally unprepared still to be without her.

there’s still so much i wanted you to teach me

is that why you abandoned me

everytime he sees her you can see that lost puppy look he gives her. it’s really hard for me to put it into words though. the game does so good at really putting you in his shoes of being so confused and angry but no matter what staying in a haze of just wanting to get to her. his mission is to kill her and he’s able to push through everything not to follow through with his mission but to be with her. all the unimaginable shit you go through like the pain and the fury is what he’s willing to endure to be with her. he’s literally fighting through the garden of eden into heaven at the top of the mountain

the torture scene feels like a combination of the eclipse and the crucifixion even more than the eclipse already is. the boss’ most beloved son left suspended and beaten both as a necessity for her own mission but also knowing its a necessity for snake to achieve apotheosis. and for snake while it as direct as berserk he’s bound in hell made fully aware of the assault of someone beloved by him that leads into lover rival indirectly taking his eye. while it’s the mission of the boss for snake to kill her it felt more that she was unable to actually harm snake then than anything. after the cruxifixction you escape their bondage and in your escape end up facing the dead in hell. the sorrows “fight” feels directly like it’s meant to be christ among the sinners in hell in his time after the cross. it’s not until this baptism that snake is able to finish what he has to

i didn’t know where else to put this, but it feels so obvious to me that while snake eater(the song) is about both of them it’s from the joys perspective. it’s about how much she loves him and that she knows she can only be finally completed by her consumption by him. it’s a kiss goodbye. i feel like the ladder scene was where it was because it’s at that point it all sinks in for snake. he faces the end and makes his ascent into heaven. it plays again for a moment with eva but it cuts out and he stops, which felt to me like him feeling comfort like he did before with the boss but still knowing it’s still just him chasing her still. it plays again though at your final showdown with the joy. on subsequent playthroughs i’ve hid and waited for it start since it’s beyond easy to cqc her before it starts, but my first time was incredible. i spent a good portion trying to hide from her and snipe to chip away at her stamina, but once the song started kicking in i actually faced her. and it was a pretty even back and forth of slamming eachother into the ground and taking shots at eachother. a clashing of flash and sinew. and beyond the credits it’s the last time it plays. once he’s consumed his mother and lover you don’t hear it until the credits because it’s over, their relationship is over and he has to continue. when you and eva get together back in the cabin either it’s a different song playing which i read as snake i guess starting to move on, or atleast no longer try to reach for her like he did.

it’s become an incredibly personal piece to me that i already can’t stop replaying. it just perfect in its depiction of being torn from the most important person in the world. and even if it’s not a mission to kill her it’s no different to have forces beyond your control rip you from her. it had been five years. and everytime you see eachother you’re elated to the point of inaction. and the whole time you know that everytime you see her it’s a step towards the end of it all. i still don’t know how i’ll handle things though. when i leave she’ll still be here and that feels so much harder to live down than what happens with the joy

[haytham-loves-chocolate]

This conversation takes place in Haytham’s bedroom where he also does his Templar work, and you two share the room. Frustrated at the events that happened that day, you went to confront him for it. This goes along with the timeline for the game and the book.

“Why can’t you handle yourself, Haytham? Another one dead because you just decided that was best? What happened to the chivalrous, merciful-“

“Merciful? I don’t know what you are spilling out from your lips, but I’m not merciful.”

“Shay. He persuaded you to keep Achilles alive.”

“And now he has a cane to walk on.”

“And then with Connor. Your own son. You had times aplenty to kill the Assassin and decided not to.”

“He’s just a boy-“

“A boy?! A BOY?! That ‘boy’-“ You spat out, getting angrier by each time he denies. “Just killed Pitcairn, Johnson, and Hickey! You’re the one that bloody put him into jail, no trial, and then made a ‘heroic’ scene saving his ass! And since we have a runaway bastard, he’ll go for him next! Or Charles, whichever one messes up first.”

You put your hands on the desk, glaring at Haytham as you keep talking,

“You’re so reckless, just having piles and piles of Templar bodies that you have to claim for and dump into graves. You don’t even care for your friends, do you? Not anymore, not me! I should’ve went straight back home when you were gone if I would’ve known you would be this heartless… vain monster of a Grand Master! Probably should’ve parted with you when you left Shay out to the world for more Precursor stuff.”

You move your hands away from the desk, crossing your arms, feeling like the anger is dying down and more of regret showing for saying what you did to him. However, he doesn’t yell, or even talk, he stands up from his chair and goes towards you slowly, seeing his eyes stare at you.

“Honestly, I can’t believe you right now. I’m starting to believe I’m just here for nothing. That you really don’t care. What if I’m next? What if I’m-“

He presses you against his desk, looking deep into your eyes which has you gasp slightly and even unprepared as he suddenly presses his lips to yours, holding your hands and making sure you don’t move from the position he’s put you in.

You do kiss him back but it’s only one kiss as his lips part from yours. He looks into your eyes again.

“My dear, I do care for you, I always have. Now, you should be laid across my lap for such back talk, but since you’re talking about being merciful, I will do no such thing.”

“H-Haytham-“

“No. Nothing more from your mouth. Shut up and kiss me.”

His bluntness and vulgar talk completely takes you off guard, as it’s not really like him, but you comply with his demand and kiss him this time, pulling him close to you.

You both know what is going to happen tonight and it ends here on Haytham’s desk.

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things Rebel Robin (Book and Podcast) Review (Part 1 of 2)

WARNING: The following review contains MAJOR SPOILERS from the book and podcast!

If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out my other Stranger Things Reviews. Like, Reblog, and let me know what your thoughts are regarding the show or the upcoming season! :)

Stranger Things Comics/Graphic Novels:

Stranger Things Six

Stranger Things Halloween Special

Stranger Things The Other Side

Stranger Things Zombie Boys

Stranger Things The Bully

Stranger Things Winter Special

Stranger Things Tomb of Ybwen

Stranger Things Into The Fire

Stranger Things Science Camp

Stranger Things “The Game Master” and “Erica’s Quest”

Stranger Things and Dungeons and Dragons

Stranger Things Kamchatka

Stranger Things Erica The Great

Stranger Things “Creature Feature” and “Summer Special”

Stranger Things Tie-In Books:

Stranger Things Suspicious Minds

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 3 of 3)

NOTE: If you would like to listen to "Surviving Hawkins," the companion podcast to Rebel Robin, you can find all 6 episodes here.

Synopsis: As Robin struggles to survive her sophomore year of High School, she becomes desperate to break free from the viciousness of high school conformity and her depressing living situation in Hawkins. To this end, she forms an escape plan to travel to Europe (which she calls "Operation Croissant") and becomes determined to get both the money for her trip and a companion to travel with her. However, as she attempts to accomplish these goals, she begins to discover things about herself, and the people around her, that leaves her woefully unprepared for how to deal with her situation............

Observations:

I've talked before in previous reviews about which comics and tie-in novels I've enjoyed, and which I haven't. However, the one that really connected with me on a personal level was Rebel Robin. Both the book and the podcast. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since this is a coming-of-age story about someone finding their own identity in a world that values forced conformity over individualism, and is also about coming to terms with one's own sexual orientation while growing up in a town that's deeply homophobic.

I should know: I lived Robin's story in my own way.

Those of you who follow my blog know I identify as gay (my username is literally titled TheGayHimbo), but I've never really gone into my own experiences about living in denial for years regarding my attraction to men (which might have actually saved my life in high school), how I dealt with homophobia and bullying (even as an adult) and how I tried playing the same game Robin initially does of trying to "fit in" to survive before growing disillusioned and staging my own rebellion when it became clear there would always be people out there who would never accept me as I am.

This book, and the podcast, hit a lot of personal nerves. That's not a bad thing because both were not only excellent, but also managed to perfectly capture what it's like growing up as an LGBT+ teen and constantly putting up with bullshit on top of that. It also does a great job encapsulating that feeling of desiring to escape the place you've been raised in for most of your life, and wanting to explore the world. I had the same dream Robin had as a teenager of leaving the United States and traveling to Europe. Unfortunately, it's only been in the last 2 years that I've finally made that dream a reality. Maybe it's for the better though since I'm a lot more wiser about the world than I was at the age of 17.

But I'm getting ahead of myself: Let's talk about the book and the podcast.

Part 1: Robin's Journey

Do you remember Mrs. Click's history class? Mrs. Clickity-Clackity? That's what us band dweebs called her. It's was first period, Tuesdays and Thursdays, so you were always late. And you always had the same breakfast: Bacon, egg, and cheese on a sesame bagel. I sat behind you. Two days a week for a year. Mister Funny. Mister Cool. The King of Hawkins High himself. Do you even remember me from that class? Of course you don't. You were a real asshole, you know that?.......... But it didn't even matter. It didn't matter that you were an ass. I was still.....obsessed with you. Even though all of us losers pretend to be above it all, we still want to be popular, accepted.......normal.

Do you remember what I said about Click's class? About me being jealous, and like, obsessed? It isn't because I had a crush on you. It's because............she wouldn't stop staring at you. Tammy Thompson. I wanted her to look at me.

Both of these conversations Robin has with Steve in season 3 are what make up a good chunk of the plot of Rebel Robin: Her infatuation with Tammy Thompson. Her dislike of Steve (a lot of it rooted in preconceived notions about him). Figuring things out about herself and how she relates to Hawkins and the world around her.

The way the book is written reminds me of the type of John Hughes movies that came out in the 80s: Sixteen Candles (which is one of the films that plays at the theater Robin initially works at), The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, etc. All of these were stories focused on teenage identity, questioning high school stereotypes, rebelling against conformity and authority, and characters coming to terms with hard truths about themselves. The big difference here is that the book looks at these themes through a queer perspective, as well as the self-esteem issues that come with growing up in a homophobic environment.

For most of the book, Robin doesn't really put together that she likes girls. She's constantly infatuated with Tammy Thompson, but she tries framing it in her head as being interested in Tammy only because she's a nice person who's passionate and has a lovely voice. Robin also can't understand why Tammy would be interested in Steve when he barely has any interest in her.

When it finally does hit her that she's attracted to Tammy, she's completely caught off-guard by the epiphany since she's always pegged herself as a logically-thinking person:

This isn't something rooted in logic though, but emotion. I would even argue Robin's initial ignorance about her sexuality was a defense mechanism. Her whole conflict in the book is about trying to survive Hawkins High and blend in so that no one notices her. In the podcast, when she's talking with Mr. Hauser (who's one of the only people at that point who knows Robin's secret and figured it out before she did), she tells him that she deliberately makes herself average and uninteresting because it's the best camouflage. Those who try to be different don't last long, and get eaten up by the metaphorical monster that is "forced conformity" in Hawkins. Robin has seen that with Sheena Rollins, the girl everyone bullies because she's odd (which is sadly similar to the bullying El is subjected to in season 4 by Angela and the students of Lenora High School). Even though there are moments Robin considers stepping in on Sheena's behalf, she's either held back by her so-called friends, or she becomes worried that her intervening is just going to make things worse for Sheena (which, again, is similar to what happens when a teacher intervenes on El's behalf in season 4, and Angela later punishes El for it by publicly humiliating her at Rink-O-Mania).

Side Note: Whenever I see fans make stupid excuses for bullies like Angela by claiming they're children who aren't responsible for their behavior, and it was the lack of adults that's to blame, I wonder if those morons ever factor in how certain adults (like Miss Garvey here) enable people like Angela and other kids to become vicious brats BECAUSE they refuse to step in. When Robin is forced to take the bus later after her parents freak out over Will and Barb's disappearance, there are several instances (in both the book and podcast) where Robin is catcalled and harassed by other guys, and yet the bus driver refuses to do anything about it because they don't care to. "It was the lack of adults" my ass. 🙄

For me, growing up as a gay man who was also in denial about his sexuality for years (similar to Robin), I never had to deal with bullying when I was in high school. I was raised in a Conservative/Republican suburban neighborhood, and in a church that had an anti-homosexual stance, but I never got subjected to the vicious cruelty that Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, El, and Sheena were put through. For the most part, our high school cracked down hard on bullying, and I was never made to feel unsafe when I went there. I was even an AP student and never received grief for it, which is why I find it depressing when Robin tries justifying to Mr. Hauser in the podcast that she won't do AP classes because she wants to go unnoticed. She's lowering herself for people who don't care about her. I know I grew up in a different time period from Robin, and haven't had the same exact experiences she's had, but I have been in her position before of shrinking myself for others, and it is painful.

The irony is it wasn't until later in my life, when I finally accepted myself as homosexual and was moving through college and adulthood, that the homophobia and bullying I got subjected to started.

There are plenty of examples I could give, but one particularly disgusting instance I remember came from a Reddit user who intentionally went out of her way to target me on multiple occasions because I was gay (and because she saw me as an SJW) and did everything in her power at the time to diminish me, make me feel bad about my sexuality, and repeatedly tried to gaslight me into thinking there was something wrong with me. Unfortunately, she is still active online to this day, and continues the same cycle of bullying, belittling others, mocking people for caring about social issues, and then hypocritically positioning herself against bullying. Despite being reported multiple times for her behavior (which continues to be as bigoted and nasty as ever), the Sitewide Administration for Reddit has refused to do a damn thing about it (which I guess shouldn't be surprising since they've also kept up the accounts of users who've literally told others to kill themselves). This happened years ago when I was still new to the internet (having been sheltered from online discourse prior to attending college) and didn't have the skills set and knowledge at the time to deal with condescending assholes like her. I have avoided this user since, and I want nothing to do with her (or Reddit for that matter), but it's experiences like this which have hardened me and made me cynical about people and life in general.

On an unrelated note, it's why I have no sympathy for Angela when El finally has enough of her bullying and smashes her face in with a roller-skate. I don't usually condone violence, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't get some dark satisfaction in seeing this moment:

Cry me a river of blood and tears, sweetheart. You deserve it.

Getting back to the review, having read this book and listened to the podcast, I related stronglym with Robin during this. I also grew to appreciate Mr. Hauser. He's the one who encouraged Robin to be herself and not let the small-mindedness of other people keep her down. He's the one who supported her plan to travel to Europe (Operation Croissant) and encouraged Robin to find a companion to go with her because he understood that happiness and memories are better shared with others. There's a very powerful scene in the podcast when Robin is at a low point, having come to believe there's something wrong with her, and Mr. Hauser firmly reassures her that she isn't broken and that she doesn't need to change herself for others.

Hearing that, especially as someone who deals with anxiety and depression on a daily basis, nearly moved me to tears.

I wish there were others out there who had a Mr. Hauser in their lives. I met mine on Tumblr years ago, and I'm grateful to know her. If she's reading this, she knows who she is. :)

I should mention at this point that the companion podcast for the book only covers a specific part of the novel (i.e. Chapters 15-29) and they mostly focus on the conversations between Robin and Mr. Hauser that aren't in the book. They're deep conversations about what it's like living in Hawkins, how the books they're reading relate to their current situations, discussions about other characters like Steve, Barb, and Will, having to work in a rigid system that focuses on molding people into becoming productive members of society, and so on. All of it is wrapped in a mystery surrounding Mr. Hauser that Robin begins to piece together.

I read the book first before I listened to the podcast, so I already had the twist regarding Mr. Hauser spoiled, which made the build-up to the mystery feel redundant. I'm sure the podcast is meant to be listened to at the same time you're reading the book, but I don't think it truly matters which order you go in. Even if you haven't read the book or listened to the podcast, it is EXTREMELY EASY to figure out what Mr. Hauser's secret is. If you've been paying attention to what I've been talking about in this review, you've likely figured it out for yourselves.

In any case, it makes what happens to Mr. Hauser later all the more heartbreaking.

It's also the reason why Robin finally has enough when her plans get derailed, and she finally goes full Rebel Robin: She's sick of trying to survive. She's sick of confining herself to a box for people who either don't care for her, want to use her for their own self-serving purposes (i.e. her former friend Dash), or will criticize her no matter what she does. She also realizes that, for all of her scheming on Operation Croissant, it wasn't going to fix her problems:

I can relate. Recently, I got back from a trip to Italy and Greece. While I had a fun time (and brought back some nice souvenirs and pictures), the issues I've had for years didn't magically go away either. Running away doesn't fix your problems, and sometimes you have to face hard truths if you want to move on. I'm still getting there, and I'm glad Robin was able to get there as well.

The climax of this book comes off as a combination of 10 Things I Hate About You, National Lampoon's Animal House, and Mean Girls: It takes place at a school dance, there's a lot of wacky shenanigans that involve damaged property, a sleazebag who's been the antagonist for most of the story rightfully gets humiliated, and there's some kind of reconciliation. Robin doesn't exactly get what she wants (and her behavior is what causes her to end up working alongside Steve Harrington at Scoop's Ahoy), but she does get catharsis and a special moment where she can be herself with someone who also understands her. After spending most of the book wishing for that, it's at least something for her to hold onto.

Part 2: Robin's Relationship With Other Characters

We get to meet Robin's parents in this novel, who are both hippies from the counterculture movement of the 60s. Robin notes that both of them have traveled around most of their lives (which is one of the reasons she's inspired to create Operation Croissant and travel to Europe), they both have other hippie friends who've been on their own exciting adventures, they are relaxed in their parenting of Robin (to the point Robin admits to feeling like the adult in the family), and they taught Robin to question authority and not trust the government (which comes into play for her during her later adventure with Steve, Erica, and Dustin). However, when Will and Barb disappear, they end up becoming a lot more strict with Robin, confiscating her bike and forcing her to take the bus for her own safety.

While Robin is unhappy, it's understandable why they act like this, and it was absolutely the right call considering what was going on at the time. There's even a scene where Robin has a near encounter with the Demogorgon on the night Will disappears, and only barely avoids the monster:

On top of that, when her parents accidentally discover Robin's plans to run away to Europe, they're rightfully upset about it. They make a bunch of incorrect assumptions, but at the same time, this situation was avoidable if Robin had sat down with her parents beforehand and trusted them with what she was planning. I know Robin tries to justify to herself why she didn't, but even though I wanted Robin to explore Europe, I also understand why her parents reacted the way they did. Robin did not think all aspects of her plan through. If I had pulled what she almost did where I ran away during high school and only called my parents once I reached Paris, I know EXACTLY how that would have gone: Not well.

This book also reveals that Robin used to be friends with Barbara Holland back in grade school, only for them to drift apart later. There were certain factors, from Barb hanging out with Nancy more, to Barb becoming more of an overachiever in academics whereas Robin did not, but it wasn't anything bad that ended their friendship. When Barb disappears, Robin constantly projects this idea that Barb managed to get away from Hawkins and isn't truly missing (which is something Mr. Hauser calls Robin out on in the podcast). It gets pretty uncomfortable to read about, especially when the audience already knows what actually happened to her:

Barb acts as the ghost that's still in the room for many characters. Robin speculates on where she went, Nancy is later found sobbing her eyes out in the theater bathroom by Robin, and there's even a scene at the end of the book where Robin sees Nancy and Steve looking alone and scared. Even though Barb isn't mentioned by name, her presence is there:

I know that when it comes to the show, Barb's death had the biggest impact on Nancy, and it's usually Nancy's grief/guilt that gets the most focus, but I wish we'd gotten to see Robin's reaction to learning about Barb's death. It could have even been a bonding moment between Robin and Nancy when they were working together in season 4. Maybe it'll be talked about in season 5, but I'm not holding my breath.

Robin's former friends (Dash, Kate, and Milton) were a mixed bag. Milton was probably the one I like the best, but I wasn't impressed at him distancing himself from Robin later on because he was looking to date Wendy and didn't want people to spread gossip about him dating Robin. Kate was frustrating, and the way she kept trying to push Robin to date other boys (despite Robin insisting she wasn't interested) didn't impress me. Nor was I impressed with her dating Dash. To her credit, she does wise up and apologize to Robin later on, but I do find it telling that her relationship with Robin deteriorated and that Robin refers to both her and Milton as ex-friends by the end.

Dash is straight-up awful. I will talk more about him in the second post for this review, but his character struck a nerve. For all of his posturing about being an intellectual nerd, he's a sleazy womanizer (similar to Billy Hargrove) and a serial cheater. I loathe him the same way I hate Billy, Angela, and Dr Brenner.

Something I appreciated with this book is how it goes out of its way to invert the social dynamic with certain characters. I've seen criticisms before about how the popular kids on Stranger Things are always portrayed as monstrous, and the nerds/outcasts as the heroes, which isn't completely true. Chrissy Cunningham for instance was one of the most popular girls at Hawkins High, and yet was shown to be a sweet (if troubled) person. Steve, despite some initial hiccups, also demonstrated himself to be a good guy, willing to own up to his behavior and put his life on the line for others. By contrast, Henry/One/Vecna portrayed himself to El as being a social outcast growing up, and yet is not only a straight-up sociopath with no empathy for remorse for his actions, but ultimately the Big Bad of the series.

In Rebel Robin, Tammy Thompson is popular in school and has a circle of popular friends, but she's also a kind individual. She's repeatedly nice to Robin, and goes out of her way to talk to Sheena at one point to help her after she gets bullied again. By contrast, Dash labels himself as a band geek/nerd, and yet reveals himself as one of the most condescending, unkind individuals in the series. It's a major reason Robin washes her hands of him, and wants nothing to do with Dash when he shows his true colors. All of this adds a little complexity to the series beyond Popular = Bad and Nerd/Outcast = Good.

And then there's Steve himself: Even though Robin thinks about him in a negative light for most of the novel, I can only recall one or two instances where they briefly interact before the Epilogue (which is when Robin starts working for Scoops Ahoy).

I've seen fans repeatedly debate whether Steve was a bully to others pre-season 1, and the answer this book gives is a firm NO. Steve's shown to be self-absorbed and insensitive at times, but not vicious to others the same way bullies like Troy, Billy, and Angela were. He wasn't malicious, and he didn't go out of his way to torment others for his amusement. At one point, in the podcast, Mr. Hauser point-blank asks Robin if Steve's bullied her, and she denies it. Part of Robin's feelings against Steve are her projecting her issues on to him, part of it is making assumptions about him without the whole context (like when she thinks Steve made Nancy cry at the movie theater when Nancy was actually crying over Barb's death), and part of her dislike occasionally has some merit (like when Steve runs into Robin in the hallway during the podcast and acts like a douche).

All of this makes Steve and Robin bonding with one another in season 3 feels more meaningful. She gets to see a different side to Steve after constantly assuming that people don't change, and he comes to value her as a friend. She shared her secret with him (albeit under the influence of the Russian truth serum), and not only did he accept her for who she was and kept her secret, but also encouraged her to start dating Vickie in season 4. He's the friend she deserves to have.

Assuming that both Robin and Steve survive season 5, I'd love to see Robin fulfill her dream of traveling to Europe, and that she takes Steve with her. He's the true companion to have while they visit museums, cafes, the countryside, and eat plenty of croissants. 🥐

Overall, I strongly recommend both the book and podcast. Both are entertaining and quick to get through, both enhance the show and Robin's character while adding new details, and both are great examples of LGBT+ representation.

To be continued in Part 2..........

[tuiyla]

when first watching yellowjackets i was expecting jackie to be on the receiving end of some sort of cool twist. she ends up actually becoming antler queen, she’s still alive in the present day and is actually the one who sent the postcards, whatever. but the way she actually went made so much more sense tbh. they fought, they were both too stubborn to go talk to one another after. what happened afterwards so easily could have been prevented. on any other night out there in the woods jackie would have made it through the night and probably made amends w shauna eventually. neither her nor shauna had any idea it was going to snow 😭 i’m honestly so glad they went that route instead of something else because i think it makes shauna’s character and her relationship w jackie so much more devastating.

I couldn't wait to learn more about Jackie's fate but I always hoped it would end up being... banal, almost. But that's exactly why it feels fresh and novel because it's not some noble sacrifice or grandiose moment and like you I think it makes way more sense.

Because, if you're Shauna, how do you get over that? Even before we consider what later seasons will explore regarding other things that happened in the wilderness. And that's just it because if you're Shauna you don't get over that. You're forever haunted by a stupid argument that deffo did have stakes even outside of typical teen drama because don't get me wrong, that convo was raw as fuck and they threw very real things at each other. But, at the end of the day, even the stakes of that argument paled in comparison to their brutal situation. Because you can't act like you would at home, deciding to stay mad at your best friend even though you're stranded and it's Northern Ontario and Jackie doesn't even have the basic survival skills like making fire. And so she freezes even though she didn't have to, even though there was shelter right there. But nature doesn't give a fuck that the girlies are fighting or that both are too proud to resolve this conflict that same evening. That's the harsh reality of the Yellowjackets and of course Jackie would be the first to go this way. The first to die simply because they refused to adapt to that harsh reality.

I'm obsessed with how Jackie represents their old life, both while in the wilderness and of course 25 years later. Jackie is their team captain but she can't hold them together when she's out of her element. Everyone else finds their Thing but Jackie just can't exist in this new world. Looked at another way, she also represents the good side of what they left behind. I was surprised to see how many people wrote Jackie off as the stereotypical Queen Bee and mean girl when she isn't that archetype at all for me. Maybe a bit, yeah, by nature of being the popular girl and team captain but I'm used to the Santana Lopezes of the world (jk there's only one Her) so Jackie was just a normal teenage girl to me. That's the beauty and tragedy of it, because she is the normal teen girl who refuses to let go of real world norms and give in to nature. She's annoying when that manifests in not doing the chores and getting her hands dirty, sure, but she's pretty much the only sane one when the madness starts and she clings to these societal norms. (Natalie is the other sane one but that's another discussion.)

When Jackie dies, it's much more powerful than any twist could have been. Much more powerful than her living or becoming a driving force in the cult stuff. It's simple. It's nature, it's death. It's the first fall of snow and it's the death of the old world order. It's infuriatingly evitable. But, at the same time, it had to happen because of what it symbolizes. Yeah the girls, any of the girls actually could have just realized that Jackie sleeping outside was stupid af and that nature doesn't care about the girlies fighting it will kill anyone who's unprepared. And Jackie was the embodiment of being unprepared. But that's the rawness and sickness and brilliance of it, that no one did go out for Jackie. And Jackie didn't go in because she still lived in New Jersey and for that, she had to die. For Shauna, her last convo with Jackie will never not be that. The fact that she so easily could have saved Jackie will never not hang over her. She lives in the shell of Jackie Taylor's life and refuses to not do that because Jackie will never not be a part of her - or rather, idk if Shauna will ever view herself as not a part of Jackie.

I'm just obsessed with girls who haunt the narrative, ask anyone who's heard me go on about Twin Peaks or Life Is Strange (Before the Storm). Jackie is such a cool character and her and Shauna's bond so messed up and so delicious. I'm just rambling about all these random thoughts I have om Yellowjackets but basically YES I love how this show just makes so much sense thematically and that should really be a given in storytelling but damn does it feel good to actually have it.

[phantombmoll]

Hiiii 😊

Would you mind doing this one 'Kisses that mean everything to one party and nothing to the other party' for Greg lestrade x reader. Where they're detectives together and maybe nearly get caught on a stake out so he kisses her to keep thier cover but he doesn't know that she's actually in love with him?

Greg Lestrade x Reader - Executive decision

Rating; T - mild angst, heavy petting

Author note; Thank you for the request anon! Hope you like it, I had to stop myself making it all romantic! I do love romance. You've inspired me though because I also have this prompt saved to write something really angsty and heartbreaking when I'm fully back in the swing of things.

As you watched the desolate building in the distance and the figures moving around you were starting to wish that you hadn't pointed out the Delvaney brothers to Greg in the pub.

An after work pint had quickly turned into a mini stakeout. You'd told him you could report it, have Sally get someone on it. Greg was having none of it though. The Delvaney brothers had escaped arrest five times now, all either technicalities or the bank roll for high set bail. The force needed harder evidence, they needed to catch them at something with fingerprints all over it and no excuses.

There was no way you could let Greg follow them on his own. So though you were apprehensive about walking, well driving, into a fight you were both unprepared for, follow him you did.

You'd hoped for somewhere a bit busier, or somewhere with a bit more nature to it. Places like those the car wouldn't have drawn to much attention. There was no luck though, the Delvaney brothers were meeting whoever it was at the tail end of a disused industrial estate in a huge empty and crumbling building. It looked like it could have been a factory or warehouse.

"There!" In his excitement to point out a side entrance the brothers were using Greg clipped the horn. "Shit!"

You waited, holding your breath to see if the noise would draw attention. It did.

"We need to go." Greg said about to turn the key, the lights flashing and drawing more attention.

"We can't." You put a hand out to his arm to stop him. "They've seen us, if we take off it'll spook them. They'll move whatever is in there and we'll be back to square one." You watched out the windscreen as a large man began heading towards the car. You could see him cracking his knuckles.

Greg ran a hand over his face and up into his hair. For a second you were struck by just how handsome he looked slightly dishevelled. It wasn't the first time you'd thought about what Greg would look like on just waking up. In fact it wasn't even the second or the third. At some point you'd fallen head over heels for him.

"It's a lacky, they won't know us. We just need an excuse for being here." You said the man getting closer with every beat. "Driving lesson?"

"Pretty dodgy instructor bringing you up here." Greg said running a hand through his hair.

"Dogging." You laughed despite the situation but Greg was looking at you like you were a genius. "Absolutely not."

"Not dogging but here's as good a place as any for a seedy little shag in a car." Greg said, raising a brow. You couldn't deny the way your heart stuttered a little at the idea. "He won't be able to see us yet. We just need to be a bit rumpled. Maybe get in in my lap."

"No, no we can think of something else." You said looking back out the windscreen to where the man was getting closer. "Developers?"

"At this time of night?" Greg shook his head.

You sighed, in all the ways you'd thought about ending up in his lap, this wouldn't have even made the top hundred. God you hoped you wouldn't blush or flush, at least the kick up in heart rate could be put down to adrenaline if Greg even noticed it.

"Right. Executive decision." Greg said loosing his tie, undoing the top button and then running both hands through his hair to make it look tussled and messy. The sight was delicious and heat coiled deep in your belly. "Come on."

You slipped the belt off and moved to straddle him on the seat.

"You've done this before." He teased trying to ease the tension as you settled in his lap with ease.

"Where is he?" You said trying not to shift too much on his lap as your fingers came up to undo the buttons on your shirt, at least down to show casing your ample bosom. You were trying to keep your mind from wandering too, wandering to a place where you and Greg were actually getting hot and heavy in a car. Wandering to a place where the car would be steamy and the air muggy with heated passion.

You shook your glancing back towards the lacky who was about 3 foot away from the car. "This is stupid, we hardly look like we're in the midst of a passionate embrace they're going to-"

As you turned back to look at Greg his hand slid into the hair at the base of your neck and his lips were suddenly on yours. Heat spiked inside you, your hands sliding over his strong shoulders, up his neck and into his hair. The weight of him beneath you was thrilling. The idea that this was play, a ruse to stop you getting the shit beaten out of you both fell by the way side. You lost yourself in the kiss. A kiss you'd thought about, dreamed about and he was just as good as you imagined.

Greg made a noise and your hips rolled involuntarily. You should have been embarrassed but the feel of him, his hair in your hands, his lap beneath you, his chest pressed against yours completely enclosed your brain. You felt like you belonged here, wrapped in his arms.

The knock on the window brought you back to reality and you turned to see the large man who'd been coming towards the car with a sly grin on his face. You moved off Greg quickly. Embarrassment that should have been for play suddenly very real.

Greg wound the window down.

"I was going to ask what y'were doin' here pal but I think I can see." An Irish accent left the mans mouth as he gave Greg an approving seedy smile. "Look, I'm not one to stop a good time but this is private property and the boss, well, the boss thought you might be coppers, told me to move you along." He flashed a metal bar in the street light, not explicitly threatening but definitely implied.

"No, no trouble, sorry, we ah, we thought it was all just abandoned." Greg said, injecting his voice with a hint of fear. "We'll be on our way."

"About 3 miles down there's a little turning, weird desolate spot. That ain't private property and people use it all the time." The man winked.

"Thanks." Greg said starting the car. "Sorry again."

Greg wound the window up and the Irish man slapped the top of the car as it pulled away and turned around.

"Jesus that was close." Greg ran a hand through already mussed hair. You were quiet as you buttoned your shirt. "Sorry, about-" he gestured to his lips a stupid grin on his face.

You weren't sorry though, not right now when the heat of his touch was still on your skin.

"Just you said we didn't look-"

"It's fine." You said, knowing deep down that he just thought you felt awkward. Knowing that the kiss hadn't affected him the way it had you. Knowing that the memory wouldn't linger for him like it would you, knowing that his heart wouldn't ache tomorrow in the cold light of day.

[delimeful]

July 2023 Patreon Previews

Here is the end of month summary for July! :D

give me mercy no more (1)

preview:

“You can’t do this.”

Janus paused for the briefest moment at the sound of his closest friend’s voice, before continuing to pack away rations.

“Can’t I?” he asked airily, not turning around to face Virgil.

He’d known this confrontation was inevitable since they’d come up with the only possible solution to their kingdom’s problem. He hadn’t realized how unprepared he’d feel even now, with the hour of tribute rapidly approaching.

est. release date: September 16, 2023

(link)

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just a little rush (1)

preview:

Patton wiggled his shoulder through the bars and craned his neck, straining to get a good enough angle to see the other half of the clock across the room.

Enough of the clock’s face was visible that he could guess the time most of the day, except for the stretch of time in which both the hour and minute hands were out of sight. Patton wasn’t usually overly concerned about the loss; Normally, it didn’t really matter either way.

Now, when it had been what felt like ages since he’d last seen Remus, it mattered a lot more.

Of course Remus had chosen the most inconvenient timing possible to stage his latest escape attempt. Patton would smile if he wasn’t so worried.

est. release date: September 23, 2023

(link)

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a little trust (goes a long way)

preview:

Fidget knew it was a bad idea from the very start.

He shouldn’t even have entertained such a ridiculous notion for a moment, and yet somehow he’d not only done so, but he’d also allowed it to roll around in his mind until it became an entire, fully-fledged plan.

A plan that was absolutely going to get him killed.

He was crouched in the shadows of one of the supply stacks sitting on the edge of the second level, meaning he had a perfect view of the containment yard and its current resident.

(link)

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every good intention (4)

preview:

Roman had been thinking.

Contemplating, really. There were a surplus of mystifying elements to consider as of late, especially now that he’d found out about Logan and Anxiety’s secret tryst.

(He was fairly certain that platonic cuddling between a repressed nerd and an awkward emo didn’t actually qualify as a tryst, but it sounded much more dramatic that way.)

He was no Logic, but as a charming and exceptional denizen of Thomas’s mind, he naturally had wits aplenty of his own.

And so arrived his realization: When it came to the puzzle that was his interactions with Anxiety the past few weeks, there was a pattern.

est. release date: September 30, 2023

(link)

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to know that song (and all it’s words) (10)

preview:

“You hurt him,” Patton said, and he barely even recognized the sound that came out of him as his own voice.

Whatever the leader alien was saying was lost to the distant buzzing in Patton’s head. Logan’s response made it through, just barely. His voice had dropped into that icy pitch that meant he was well and truly angry, an ominous tone that made something primal and hunted in the back of Patton’s mind shiver to life.

Be ready, it said. We’ll have to fight soon.

est. release date: October 7, 2023

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the roots of something greener (1)

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The first time the child found him, Janus was already in a foul mood.

The day had started out with a light drizzle, and as the hours crept by, it had slowly grown into a far more irritating downpour.

This wouldn’t have been anything near a problem for most fae, and certainly a meager handful of years ago, Janus would have hardly spared it a fleeting thought. Even if he didn’t care to waste any magic on a simple repelling spell, he could have simply slipped between realms, abandoning that particular stretch of human land until the storm passed.

Now that he was banished and bound, however, his options were far more limited.

est. release date: October 14, 2023

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just a little rush (2)

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Remus hated to admit it, but Pattycakes had been right.

He definitely should have waited a little longer before trying for his next escape attempt.

It was the woulda-coulda-shoulda sort of regret that he didn’t usually waste time on. He was well aware of how many of his plans were bonafide bad ideas, and he generally went through with them anyhow.

The alternative was letting the fire ants under his skin grow more and more intolerable until he ended up doing the dumb thing anyway, but even more recklessly. It wasn’t so much a ‘choice’ as it was a ‘delay of the inevitable’.

After all, he was the only one getting hurt in the end, right?

est. release date: October 21, 2023

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WIBAR Intermission: Visiting Home (1/3)

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Despite the tension buzzing at the back of his skull, Virgil found that being planetside again was surprisingly… nice.

He would have preferred that it was an uninhabited area— or at least, that it wasn’t one of the only places in the universe that had aliens he really, really couldn’t afford to terrify— but he couldn’t deny that feeling the ground under his feet and the sunlight on his skin was soothing, a balm he hadn’t known he’d needed.

It wasn’t the same as Earth, not really, but Patton’s home planet was close enough to familiar that he found tension seeping from his overwrought muscles despite himself.

He shook some of the dazed contentment off, flicking a glance over his shoulder and reminding himself that if any of the locals saw him, it could spell Capital-D Disaster.

est. release date: October 28, 2023

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[kishimotomasashi]

The Sasuke and Kabuto in Orochimaru's hideout dynamic (according to ME):

Despite Kabuto being witness and participant to live human experimentation almost daily, Sasuke being rude to Orochimaru is definitely, in his opinion, the most offensive thing he's had to witness in recent memory

This is both an obvious hilarious bit of irony, but also telling of what the environment of Orochimaru's Kingdom of Atrocities normalizes to you: you're used to the very horrifying and revolting human suffering happening all the time, but disrespect??? In this house??? Going unpunished??? At frequent intervals??? Un-fucking-heard of. In fact Kabuto's not the only one who resents Sasuke for it— the other prisoners and such really do not like his status as Orochimaru's Special Boy either— he's just the only one in the position to be able to actually tell Sasuke off for being a rude lil bitch (not that he's ever listened to)

And of course as all things are, it's a little more complicated between them than "Kabuto hates Sasuke for being disrespectful all the time and Sasuke brushes him off":

Kabuto... does not hate Sasuke. He resents him, sure, and he's very often irritated by him, but he doesn't hate him. More than anything, he actually feels... reallly, really bad for him.

Sasuke came waltzing into Orochimaru's lair knowing very well that he was getting into something bad (he knows firsthand how terrifying Orochimaru can be) but he was woefully unprepared for exactly how bad it would be. It was not-even-in-his-worst-nightmares-could-he-imagine-this bad. It was made-him-frequently-nauseous bad.

And of course, Sasuke can't let any of this show around Orochimaru himself, lest he let him think he's unprepared for him. So the one who ends up being the audience for his visible disgust is always Kabuto.

Kabuto, when he sees Sasuke like this, is always outwardly shrugging about it in a "well, what did you expect" kind of way. But inwardly, he really does get it. It used to be like that for him, too. The closest thing to reassurance Sasuke gets from him is him telling him that eventually he'll get used to it (and Sasuke violently rejects that idea because who the fuck should ever get used to this)

Sasuke does, eventually, "get used to it": it's definitely in part a steady desensitization to the sheer amount of violence he sees every day but also a practiced avoidance of it. Kabuto, and also Orochimaru, notice that while Sasuke has learned to keep a blank face most of the time while making his way throughout the many more... unattractive places within the hideouts, it's due in part to the fact that he determinedly doesn't look in their direction unless he absolutely has to, and often makes longer detours so he doesn't have to walk anywhere near experimentation rooms or prison cells and such.

In a better world Sasuke and Kabuto would have gotten genuinely attached to each other during that time because whenever Sasuke was at his most vulnerable while under Orochimaru (as in injured, as in the moments where he just can't take what he sees and has to get out of there through any excuse he could come up with), Kabuto was most often there for them. He healed Sasuke, he'd bring him meals, he'd give him medicine when he was sick, etc

However, they'd both constructed enough emotional walls around themselves to prevent that from ever happening— especially since the idea of getting attached in any way to each other presented what felt like a danger to both of them: Kabuto sympathizing with Sasuke prodded at a capacity for genuine empathy he'd long since buried in order for him to work as Orochimaru's right-hand man without going insane, and Sasuke feeling any gratefulness over Kabuto being There for him was walking right into another Bond, and we know how healthy his idea of those are.

So they kept their respectful emotional distance with Kabuto choosing to focus on how much he resented Sasuke for being a little shit, whenever he could; and Sasuke made this signficantly easier for him by making a point of being a little shit whenever he could. Even after Kabuto helped him and was the closest thing to nice to him he was very rude and dismissive, killing two birds with one stone by lessening the danger of his getting attached and preventing Kabuto from maybe liking him a little more.

TL;DR Sasuke is a little shit and Kabuto is very annoyed with him about it, but there's that weird tension between them that is saying that really, this relationship should be better, but they are both actively sabotaging any possibility of it being so