#ringletted dude

[bumblingbabooshka]

Illogical Musings From 'Pathways'

[mellaithwen]

Me: I’m fine

Also me: *crying over my puppy getting his first big haircut next week*

[stevebabey]

have sum steddie! maybe modern!au, no upside down!au & a meet cute <3 | ao3

Steve sits in the booth, his foot tapping away mindlessly under the table, with half a mind to abandon the table entirely.

In fact, the only reason he hadn’t yet was because of the $20 he was hanging out for at the end. And the bragging rights, of course.

Robin had set him up on this blind date, plied him with all the promises in the world that he would enjoy it — said she’d spent a decent amount of time hunting for the right first gay date for Steve.

She also conceded that if he, for whatever reason, didn’t enjoy it, she would cough up 20 whole bucks for his wasted time. But he had to actually see the date through for the prize to be claimed.

And the bragging rights were so that Robin — with her uppity, healthy, and happy relationship that Steve was only a little bit envious of — could ease onto the breaks when it came to Steve’s love life.

So it was looking a little bleak at the moment, so what? Every stallion or… lion or whatever had their moments, right? Moments where their mane is a little uncouth and food is low and…. Where was he going with this?

The point was, that Robin got into one relationship and suddenly decided she was fit to become a high and mighty matchmaker. Never mind that Steve had reminded her numerous times that he had dated a lot more than she had.

So, for 20 bucks and the right to stick his tongue out at his best friend when she tried to meddle, Steve could stick one night out.

Besides, she was right about one thing. They weren’t in Hawkins anymore — and San Francisco had a hell of a larger dating pool than his hometown.

Still, that didn’t make people anymore for prompt for dates though, apparently. Steve’s foot taps incessantly under the table, his knee bouncing up and down in his nerves. He runs a hand through his hair and checks his watch again.

7 o’clock, Harvey’s Diner, a cute little Italian place that Steve had begun to frequent since they moved to the city, and a date with a dude called Daniel whom Steve had no idea what he looked like.

This was his Friday night plans.

His watch reads 7:12pm and Steve sighs, his fingers beginning to fiddle with the strap of his watch just for something to do. Great. He had gotten all dressed up for this? To be stood up? How was this any better than his usual Friday night plans that Robin claimed were so pathe—

“Hi.”

Someone sits down in the booth across from Steve, landing with a thump loud enough to give him a fright.

Steve’s head whips up from its focus on fiddling with his watch and— woah. Steve blinks once, twice, and feels his jaw unhinge a little, his lips parting an inch as he gazes at the stranger across from him.

Holy shit, this dude was hot.

He’s got curls for days, dark chocolate ringlets all messy and unkept spilling over his shoulders— long and probably perfect for burying your hands into. Steve flushes a little at the unexpected thought.

He has beautiful brown eyes, widened with a smudge of eyeliner and framed with long lashes. Steve thinks he can spy a smattering of freckles across his forehead. His nose is long and his lips are plush and pink and holy shit, this dude was pretty.

“Oh— hi.” Steve manages to remember his manners. Only after he fully checked this dude out, of course.

God, couldn’t Robin have given him a better warning than just ‘he’s probably your type’? Couldn’t she have warned him that this dude was ‘do-a-double-take-on-the-street type hot?’ What the fuck Robin?

The man across from him grins, wicked and alluring all at once, and shucks off his heavy leather jacket. His eyes do a once-over on Steve, taking his time to check him out— which is great because Steve is stuck on all the glorious tattoos that have just been revealed. So much skin shown in his roughly chopped muscle-tee, swirling ink all down his arms. This dude is hot.

Silently, Steve curses Robin and the 20 dollars that is totally slipping away from him. Why did she have to be right all the time?

“Been waiting long?” The man, Daniel, asks as he makes himself comfortable across the table. He pushes his hair back with both hands, using one hand to gather it into a ponytail, holding it up to air out his neck and Steve now realises he is slightly puffed.

He must’ve run part of the way here, to avoid being later than he was. Steve can’t help but be slightly endeared by that fact.

The man grins again, “Promise I was trying to be on time but, you know how the subway is.”

Steve huffs out a laugh, any annoyance at being kept waiting melting away at his date’s sincerity.

“Not too long,” Steve admits, smiling to ease Daniel’s apparent concern. Across the table, Daniel slumps a little and releases his hair, his curls pooling back around his shoulders. Steve watches, entranced.

“Well, that’s good,” Daniel smiles, eyes bright like he really means it, and his hand darts out to steal the drinks menu from the edge of the table. He looks back over to Steve, a furrow in his brows. “You didn’t order anything?”

“I thought I should wait,” Steve says with a shrug. No point paying for food if your date never shows up.

Daniel looks up from the menu through his lashes and smiles, placing his elbow on the table and dropping his chin in the palm of his hand. “Aw, you’re sweet.”

Steve is a little embarrassed by how easily the compliment makes him blush, feeling his cheeks glow lightly. Across the table, Daniel seems to revel in it, drinking in the way Steve’s face filled with colour with a cheeky smile. His eyes flick back down to the menu.

“You know,” Daniel begins, keeping his eyes on the menu, scanning it with a hum. “Chrissy said you were good looking but I think she seriously undersold you.”

He takes his eyes off the menu to trail up Steve’s body, his gaze heavy. Steve feels a delighted zing go up his spine, feels the way he preens at Daniel’s attraction. Steve opens his mouth to respond, more than ready to return the flirt when—

“Can I get you two started with anything?”

The waitress interrupts. She’s poised with her notepad, standing at the edge of the booth. Daniel perks up and nods.

“Can I get a chocolate milkshake please?” He asks with a polite smile. Steve laughs lightly at his selection and Daniel’s gaze cuts from the waitress to Steve.

“What? Not a milkshake man?”

Steve tries to contain his grin, all too endeared by the man before him. He shakes his head and raises his hand in defense. “Nothing against milkshakes just… for dinner?”

Daniel gasps theatrically and his head snaps back to the waitress. “This man has never had the delight of a Harvey’s milkshake with his dinner. Please bring us two chocolate milkshakes!”

Steve watches as the waitress dutifully writes down the order and turns on her heel, heading for the kitchen. He turns back to his date and gapes, taken aback by the forwardness.

“Did you just order for me?”

“Did you just diss milkshakes?”

Steve scoffs, but even then he can’t stop his lips from curling up into a smile. He can’t believe it but he’s genuinely glad he waited this date out. It's not at all like he was expecting. Even Robin's short description of this dude pales in comparison to the real thing. Steve nudges his foot forward into Daniel’s shin lightly.

“I did not diss milkshakes,” Steve argues, his smile widening at how Daniel’s eyes dart to the table before back up at Steve with a grin.

“Uh huh,” Daniel nods, his voice sarcastic and 100% unbelieving of Steve’s insistence. “Just wait, okay? You’ll be changing your tune soon enough. Harvey’s milkshakes are class. I’ve had a thousand of my best ideas in here, sipping on a chocolate milkshake.”

Steve grins and leans back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. Under the table, he feels Daniel’s boot nudge against his leg gently— and he laughs to himself. This has gotta be the most teenage way of flirting and he’s fucking loving it.

“You know,” Steve begins hesitantly, letting his forearms lean up against the table. “You’re not quite what I expected, Daniel.”

Across the table, Daniel scrunches up his face, his expression one of pure befuddlement. He puts his hands flat on the table and leans forward.

“Wait, you think my name is Daniel?”

Steve splutters for a moment because even though the answer is duh, yes, it’s become increasingly apparent that the man across from him is not who he was expecting. But if he’s not Daniel, who is he?

Suddenly, the door chimes and someone else is entering the diner. It’s a man dressed like Steve — on the preppy side with hair that must’ve taken at least an hour. He scans the booth and spots Steve’s booth, wandering over, his eyes fixed on the man across from Steve.

“Hey, are you Eddie?” He asks confidently, ignoring Steve’s presence on the other side of the booth.

The man — Eddie — freezes as he glances up at the newcomer and then back down to Steve ahead of him. Steve deflates a little inside as he realises abruptly what’s happened— a mix-up of wrong dates that was completely warranted because this dude dresses exactly like Steve. Steve doesn't stare too long to see if he's any hotter.

Instead, he tries to give Eddie the all-clear with his eyes. He smiles polite as he can and gives a little nod to let him know it was alright to abandon him for the date he was supposed to go on. Not to get stuck with Steve.

Eddie clears his throat and smiles, not cheeky like he had with Steve, but stiff and polite. “Ah sorry man, I think you’ve got the wrong guy. My name's Daniel.”

Huh? Steve takes his eyes off the table to steal a glimpse at Eddie (is his name even Eddie?) and something inside him burns hotly when the man glances across at Steve and winks.

The man standing by the booth wavers for a moment, glancing between them in the booth as Steve schools his expression to neutral. After a moment of silence, there's a half-assed apology as the man retreats, heading back out the door he had just come through. The door chimes again on his way out.

Steve straightens up and peers over his shoulder, watching the door slowly swing shut. He turns back to the man across the booth and squints at him. The waitress returns briefly, dropping two large chocolate shakes onto the table, topped with a mountain of cream. She murmurs something about coming back to take their order in a moment.

"Wait, so who are you?" Steve asks, gently sliding his shake closer to him. "Daniel or Eddie?"

His date —well, his new date— has already begun taking a big long sip from his own milkshake, so enamored with it that when he pulls away there's a dot of cream on the end of his nose. He swallows with a satisfied ah and grins across the table at Steve, not noticing the dairy on his face.

"I'm whoever gets me talking with you a little bit longer."

Steve grins, an endeared roll of his eye at the blatant flirting but he can't deny how it makes his chest warm. He grabs one of the napkins and reaches forward, adoring how Eddie goes cross-eyed as he watches Steve smudge away the cream on his nose. He laughs sheepishly, giving his nose a little wipe with his own hand.

"I'm Eddie." He says, finally introducing himself. He doesn't offer his hand, just gives Steve a little nudge under the table and a grin over his milkshake. "And I think you just saved me from a terrible date."

Steve laughs, giving a little shake of his head. He finally goes in for a sip of his own milkshake— and it's just as heavenly as Eddie had promised, glorious chocolate dancing over his taste buds.

Steve groans quietly, eyes bright when he glances at the other man over his glass, entirely amused by how wide-eyed Eddie has become. He releases the straw and sits back, more invested in this date than he has been in... years. Stallion's got its mojo back. Or lion. Whatever.

"I'm Steve," He responds, giving a little nudge back under the table and a grin of his own. "And I think you saved me from being stood up."

[jealousmartini]

hey bestie ! 🌜🩰 🥥 & 🦷

MY FIRST EMOJI QUESTION THINGY YAY

Home dr ver.

∘₊ ✧───────────────────✧₊∘

🌜; what are three five specific daily quirks you’ll have to get used to in your dr?

000 :: Playing with my babies (pet bunnies) — I am so obsessed with my bunnies. I think I visualise and daydream about them as much as I do think of my s/o. My precious things I love them more than words could explain.

001 :: Styling my long curly hair — I have shortish 4c hair in this reality and for the entirety of my life I have always loved and wanted type 3 curly hair. Not only is it easier to style but oh my gosh the curls are just so gorgeous I love it. I personally like having a mixture of curls too so like loose-ish curls (3b and 3c) mixed with tight ringlets (4a)

002 :: Always having my favourite food available — Now now people don't get me wrong. I do get fed quite well in this reality. But my house is an ingredients household and we usually eat what my mum either likes to eat or what is Jamaican cuisine; not really to my taste. So I really eat what I love like every full moon😭

003 :: My own art — I have many many art styles I want to draw in, in my mind but I frequently struggle with putting on paper/screen. I also have a bunch of oc ideas just stacked up in my brain. It's going to be so amazing drawing and seeing all the art I've already made in my dr

004 :: Seeing my s/o — Oh my gosh it's gonna be so freaky seeing him in person. I don't know what else to say about this dude. I mean I think about him all the time, I've been feeling seriously connected to him over time and I feel like I'm getting closer to shifting but I also kind of feel homesick whilst I'm in this reality thinking of him.

🩰; you’re stressed in your dr. what’s likely stressing you out? and how do you cope/feel better?

000 :: What's making me stressed? — Probably college work

001 :: How to cope? — Food, bunnies, TV, and Ricky. My absolute go-tos to visualise that never fail to bring me peace. I'm so excited to finally experience them.

🥥; list three specific smells from your dr and explain them.

000 :: My room — All of my clothes and bed sheets smell like fresh cotton and baby powder, so like basically Nothingness. (Baby powder is oddly soothing to me shush😓) I also always have my window open slightly to let in fresh air, and the gentle breeze usually picks up the lightest scent from my unlit candles and my lavender and vanilla soaps around the room giving it a faint gentle sweet, lavender, fruitiness to it. Not too much to be sickly but enough to make you sleepy, relaxed and at ease. It smells like home, it smells familiar.

001 :: UM IDK ILL THINK OF MORE LATER

002 :: n/a

🦷; list three dr-specific skills you plan to learn in your dr and how you’ll learn them.

000 :: Vogue dancing. That's all I've got for now

001 :: n/a

002 :: n/a

[scun-gilli]

TRT Winged Wingmen Character Descriptions

OKAY. Work is finally over (at 10pm....kill meeee) I apologize for the excessive amount of reference links and how freaking long this is.

Here are detailed descriptions of the Morningstar brothers.

We will start with the oldest and go down.

URIEL MORNINGSTAR

Hair color: White

Hair style: When he was younger, it was super long (like Sephiroth lol) but during the current story, it is short and neatly combed back. Think Connor from DBH

Skin color: PALE. LIKE A GHOST (or me lol)

Features: He looks kind of androgynous. Similar again to Connor from DBH but slightly softer. He has four white wings that come from the side of his head (around the temples) and fold over each other to hide his eyes when he's not actively using his magic. He is pretty thin and lanky. Two white wings

Eye color: He has four eyes (stacked like Stolas) That have black pupils and dark purple sclera (the sclera look similar to a starry sky with the milky way)

Magic color: Very celestial, like the milky way (like stolas)

Height: Super tall, like Sera or Valentino

Fighting style: He is TRASH at close quarters fighting or even with weapons, but he is an extremely powerful magic user.

Known abilities: [these are the ones we know of now ;)] Prophetic vision, warding, true vision (He can see the past, the true nature of souls, the prophecies written into reality and the red threads of fate)

Duty: His job is of course on the royal counsel as an advisor using his visions and conducting the thread ceremonies.

Clothing: On a day to day basis, he wears something similar to this (in fact, this is pretty close to how I imagine him in general) But in his typical white/purple/blue (more star motifs lol) tones. Also, the capelet is not present unless it's for formal occasions. Also knee high boots because I am a sucker for men in tall boots.

MICHAEL MORNINGSTAR

Hair color: blonde

Hair style: Shoulder length, typically pulled back into a half up bun hairstyle. Like this

Skin color: Also Pale like Luci.

Features: Face wise, he basically looks like Luci (without the animal features), maybe slightly sharper than luce but they overall look really similar. He is a muscle daddy, broad shoulders and abs, the whole thing. Two white wings

Eye color: Blue (now just the right one) the left eye socket is now covered with bandages but he'll eventually get an eyepatch thing.

Magic color: Gold or blue. Takes the form of little bolts of electricity (kinda like Vox ig)

Height: Still tall but not as freakishly tall as Uriel. I would say a little taller than Al.

Fighting style: Dude is a beast. Works best in hand to hand or weapon based combat (that he infuses with magic). He prefers to use his chains (think Kurapika from HxH kinda chains) or he has a sword like Luci's.

Known abilities: [these are the ones we know of now ;)] summoning weaponry (like the chains), electricity based magical pulses, being sexy, smithing (creating the armor and weapons like the armor he made for Al), battle strategy, teaching (like at the KA), convincing Al to take care of himself when needed XD

Duty: His job is the general of the royal army, writing the curriculum for the students at the knight academy and training the new knights at the academy (like he does with Al)

Clothing: He is a lot more casual than his brothers. On the daily, its usually something like a white dress shirt (no tie, only for formal occasions) and slacks OR a black turtleneck with slacks. When he is fancy, like this or something similar. He also frequently wears a cloak (like in the picture) When actively training cadets, he is in clothes he can easily move in (T-shirts/sleeveless shirts and pants) If left to his own devices, he would be dressing in sweatpants all the time.

RAPHAEL MORNINGSTAR

Hair color: light brown

Hair style: Pretty long and curly (ringlets about past the chest). He usually braids it to keep it back or will put it in a ponytail (now with assistance or magic)

Skin color: tan and with a lot of freckles (he is a sunshine boy that loves to garden and he looks like it)

Features: He looks a lot more feminine than his brothers, softer features. dimpled cheeks. Two white wings. Only one arm on the right side.

Eye color: Golden (with little flecks of green)

Magic color: Gold

Height: As tall as Alastor (who became my scale for some reason)

Fighting style: Fighting is NOT his strong suit, but when he has to, he prefers long range weapons (like spears or bows)

Known abilities: [these are the ones we know of now ;)] Extremely potent healing magic, can diagnose illnesses, green thumb, well versed in all forms of medicine (including holistic), he's well versed in nutrition and can basically find a tea for any ailment ever, he can also calm souls around him using magic.

Duty: His job is, of course, the healer. He studies medicine from all realms (he and Belphegor will get along for sure), he teaches other healers and he plants herbs and other medicinal plants anywhere he is allowed XD

Clothing: Raphael will dress both masculine and feminine. He's very fluid about it. He prefers simple clothing that he can garden in (or if he is actively healing, he wants something that is out of his way) He usually wears a cloak over his clothes (Especially after his injury in the war) but underneath I imagine something like this or this (without overcoat) I can't find a reference for his formal outfits to save my life but it would be super flowy and in earth tones. I am not too happy about the clothing reference but I am eepy and struggling to find something cute. Hell, I may make an outfit reference board at some point, but I am sweepy.

GABRIEL MORNINGSTAR

Hair color: Dark brown

Hair style: Kept fairly short, basically a big mop of brown curls. He likes to braid beads and other accessories into his hair.

Skin color: tan like Raphael

Features: He has rounder features. (for some reason Wybie from Coraline comes up) two white wings.

Eye color: Bright green

Magic color: Green

Height: Shorter than Al but taller than Luci.

Fighting style: He can fight but really prefers not to. When he does fight, he's not half bad. He uses brass knuckles or his magic. He is a very strong magic user (not quite as much as Luci or Uri but still really strong)

Known abilities: [these are the ones we know of now ;)] Can detect magic influences and can even trace it's sources, Very fast (can quickly travel between realms and is the fastest flyer), He can speak basically any language and is pretty good at reading people when he puts his mind to it.

Duty: His job is the ambassador between realms. His job is to not only be the communicator between powers but he also escorts souls into heaven for meetings with the king. He is also the voice of father, meaning that father can speak through him when needed.

Clothing: He is a huge fan of being casual (like Mike) When he is able to, he's the big sweaters and floppy pants type of guy. He also really likes jewelry. (like bohemian style. almost hippie?) But when he needs to be formal he wears something more traditional, similar to this but in greens (and is usually disheveled in some way) I am not that pleased with this clothing reference either, but I repeat, papa is EEPY.

Annnnnd we are done!!! Thank you for reading this far XD I may update this after I sleep but I will let you know if I do. This is what we are working with so far.

I can also do descriptions of Al and Luci (like outfit inspos and what headcanons I adhere to for the fic. I just wanted to focus on the bros for now)

Here you go @elkaseltzer! Thank you for your interest in knowing about the winged wingmen. This is also for @i-genuinely-dunno who requested the descriptions as well. Huge thanks to my girl, Yuzu, on X for the help with these XD

[woodsfae]

B5 S04E05 The Long Night previous episode - table of contents

Susan's feeling so much more relaxed since Sheridan got back that she took the time to curl her hair into perfect ringlets today. 

The Shadows struck back against the Vorlon assault by wiping out a planet of inhabitants who supported the Vorlons. And they did it in an unknown and unknowable way that their scanners can't even detect. 

Londo is really networking his treason now. And Vir's helping too! Thankfully everyone else seems to be taking Vir more seriously than Londo does. 

This seems so endgame! In episode 5! How high are these stakes going to go, anyway. 

Bryan Cranston is in this. Walter White is in this?? I haven't even seen Breaking Bad, but it was so culturally pervasive, yanno. Partner informs me that google has informed him that this was before Malcom in the Middle, too. Years before. ALso haven't seen that but tumblr loves Hal so I know about him. 

Sheridan sending out Susan to go look for a First One again. With Lorien! Does anyone else know about that First One that G'Kar rescued Sinclair's girlfriend Caroline (?) from when she was surveying in the area? 

An extra layer of Susan's traumatic backstory just unlocked. Recalling the time around her mother's suicide, and how her mother sent her next door saying she'd come for Susan later and then died. Susan tells Sheridan she wants him to swear she'll be with the fleet "at the end," and they have their most touching friendship moment to date! But I see that Sheridan didn't actually promise her anything, only said how proud he was of her and how grateful to have her as a friend. 

Cartagia remains astonishingly sane and well grounded for someone with as much power as he posesses. As expected. /s

G'Kar's depth perception is gone for good, it seems. The eye was plucked in twisted biblical reference by an alien to another alien who don't know earth culture, lol. 

Londo fills G'Kar in on the plan. On Narn, G'Kar will "distract" Cartagia's guard "for a few minutes" while Cartagia is taken care of. But G'Kar isn't supposed to hurt Cartagia because Londo says if a Narn harms the Emperor, Narn will suffer. So the Centauri have to do it and are going to do it. 

Sensible, actually. If that's how it ends up playing out! Londo's plans tend to come true in really awful ways, so we'll see if it goes as smoothly as he describes it to G'Kar. 

Vir has procured the murder device: a single-use epi-pen-style neurotoxin. Londo has to stab him right between the hearts for it to work, which it should almost-instantaneously, and then it will disguise the wound by releasing a sealant. 

How the hell if G'Kar meant to cause a distraction when he's in yoke and chain? Like, dude. Also the death sentence is by vivisection jfc. 

G'Kar's plan is pretty metal. As in, he breaks his chains and actually fucking thrashes Cartagia's personal guard. And the plan is going perfectly so far! Till Catagia attacks Londo in his utter saneness. 

So Vir takes care of the stabbing. 

"Almost instantaneously" apparently means "After he clutches his heart, staggers, and says: "No! I was to a god, you understand?""

"We think it's his hearts," Londo says gormlessly, really counting on the fact that Cartagia has openly talked about Centauri Prime being destroyed and the court is freaked the fuck out about him. 

The royal physician couldn't find anything, and it's just as if his hearts gave out. Londo persuades people to support his plan of leaving Narn and the Narnuans alone. Two Emperors in a row have died in dealings with Narn, so they're calling it a sign from the gods and shaking the Narnuan dust off their feet. 

And now Londo is Prime Minister and responsible for planetary security! Yay! From there the jump to Emperor is hardly more than a lateral move! :P

The White Star fleet's ships don't have names, they're just numbered. And White Star 14's captain is Bryan Cranston! He's taking his role very seriously. The Shadows' planet killer is sort of trackable with Captain Ericcson of White Star #14. Something burrowed to the planet's core, then detonated a crazy powerful bomb, and the planet is being destroyed horribly. Not everyone there is dead, but they will be within twelve hours. And their immediate planning is to predict where the Shadows will go next, not coordinating rescue for the potentially living people on the attacked planet! 

whoops. RIP in advance, y'all. 

Vir is drunk. Drinking both sides of an ongoing toast with Cartagia. He's not feeling well about himself and his actions. Because he's got more morals than anyone else we've seen at court. 

Poor Vir. He just wanted a job that was OK to work, a wife he was in love with. And would have counted himself lucky if she loved him, too. And he's having trouble reconciling that with the life he has been living with intrigue and genocide and now murder with his own hands.

Londo apologizes for treating Vir poorly at first, as though he hasn't been doing it right up till this very episode, the audacity! But his adivce to Vir is better than any of his advice up to this point has been. 

The Narnuan have started celebrating the Centauri's planned departure, with fireworks. Time to go before they get chased off posthaste. 

Ah it's the Vorlons going after the next planet, with 6 million inhabitants. The League is being told to stall the Vorlons with hit-and-run attacks while the White Star Fleet gets into position. Sheridan is going get the Shadows to be there, trick them somehow. 

Trick them by fighting to the death! With the "secret" of a base that the Shadows are meant to come attack. Which will trick them into being at the place the Vorlons will be attacking. 

Bryan Cranston swears it by Valen's name and a Minbari saulte. Delenn looks rather awed, and returns it. 

In Jeff Sinclair's name.

By Jeff, they salute each other. 

Phew, G'Kar's mostly alright. And the Narn want to counter-attack the Centauri with G'Kar leading the military offensive. G'Kar is offended at the idea of being established as a single leader, when they were previously lead by a large, diverse council of Narnuan. He refuses to be party to striking back. 

This offends the Narn dude speaking to him. "What have you endured?" he asks.

Wrong question buddy. 

G'Kar gives this the due consideration it deserves and walks away, cackling wildly. 

John Sheridan and Delenn listen to the final transmissions of the doomed White Star 14 and Captain Cranston Ericcson going out. 

Well that's s eventful! Cartagia dead, G'Kar and Narn freed. A planet destroyed, a base's capture faked by really killing a whole ship ("Are you married?" is a terrible way to inform someone they're being given a suicide mission, btw.),  Bryan Cranstron's career launched, and a Susan-Lorien field trip teased. 

out of the frying pan and...

[starthereligious]

What did Jesus Look Like?

This has been a question hotly debated among Christian scholars and theologians for decades. I'm not going to pretend that I'll be the one to figure this out, but simply compile the evidence and let you come to your own conclusions.

Before we attempt to create an image of Jesus, there are some cultural considerations to be made.

First off, we know that the modern image of Jesus with long brown hair, white skin, and blue eyes is entirely facetious. This version of Jesus is speculated to be based on Cesare Borgia, a 15th century politician rumored for years to have been romantically involved with Leonardo da Vinci. Scholars often decry this claim, since there is no concrete evidence that da Vinci and Borgia were romantically involved, but it doesn't take much to see that da Vinci probably at least took inspiration from Borgia to create his image of Jesus.

A portrait of Borgia, left, contrasted with the restored Salvator Mundi by Da Vinci (right). [1][2]

It's important to note a margin of error in both of these images. We have no way of knowing how accurate the portrait of Borgia is, nor do we know if the restoration is 100% accurate. But if you look closely, Borgia's hair clearly indicates that it normally curls into ringlets, reflecting the image of Jesus, and on the Salvator Mundi, there is a shadow indicating what may have reflected Borgia's beard.

Da Vinci and Borgia did have, at the very least, a diplomatic partnership [2] and it is widely accepted among scholars that Da Vinci was attracted to men, citing a 1467 sodomy accusation where he, at 24, was said to have consorted with a 17-year-old sex worker.

As for the actual image of Jesus, we do know some things for certain. Jesus was described as a Jewish Galilean in Rome-occupied Israel/Palestine*. He held no Roman citizenship and was a second-class citizen due to his heritage. Many theologians draw connection between this position in society under occupied rule and the current conflicts in occupied Palestine; to say that Jesus was Palestinian is, therefore, both honors his Jewish heritage while placing him as a symbol of resilience against an oppressive system [see 3 for a great article by a Palestinian Christian about this!].

We know for certain where Jesus resided and his heritage; it's a major point in many stories of the Bible. Our question becomes-- what did Jewish Galileans look like 2000+ years ago?

Richard Neave, a forensic anthropologist, paints a very different picture of Jesus than that painted by da Vinci or Michaelangelo. Using an Israeli/Palestinian skull dated back to the 1st century, he created a digital reconstruction of a man that may have, hypothetically, been one of Jesus' neighbors.

A 2001 digital reconstruction of a first-century Israeli/Palestinian skull.

This is likely the closest we'll ever get to the image of Jesus, and it corresponds pretty closely to the only description of Jesus, which is present in Revelations 1 14:15.

" His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. "

This description is of Jesus after he had risen, but some scholars take it to mean that his hair was wooly in texture.

So what did Jesus actually look like?

Well, we may never know his exact appearance until we meet him ourselves. According to the Bible, he was just a normal, poor-looking dude from 1st century Galilee, born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth. The question becomes what people looked like back then, 2000 years ago?

[buy me a coffee]

[1] [2] [3] [4]

* I am not fully educated on the Israel/Palestine conflict; the Bible describes Jesus' homeland as being Israel, but the word Palestine is just as old historically, and the Bible is not a historical text.

[lovelyrotter]

official cervidae strilonde headcanon post go

a firm and universal headcanon of mine is that all the human kids are racially ambiguous to the point where you could say 'that one looks xyz' and always be partially correct. some of them are less or more white passing than the others but none of them are 100% anything esp white. even dave. ive liked too many interpretations over the years to just pick one or a few to spin as my own plus i think thats kind of a cool concept wrt ectobiology

stuff about dirk

very warm undertones. burns THEN tans. defined cupids bow and epicanthal folds. cute-ass button nose that sticks up a little

vitiligo patches on his face, elbows, between his fingers, knees + feet. hes gotta be strategic with the sunscreen and watch his b12 (hes so sick of fish)

BIG round eyes and long lashes. his eyes startle ppl when they see them the first time

intersex trans man

asthmatic. youre made out of your OWN paradoxical ghost slime and you roll yourself asthma. great job idiot

thick kinda wiry hair. his natural hair type is big springy ringlets but he discovered hair straighteners and drag queen grade hair gel on earth c

facial scars from drone attacks, decapitation scar from dave

stuff about roxy

very cool undertones. has some hyperpigmentation around his eyes. freckles! no cupids bow, hooded eyes

long nose with a deep bridge that just kinda waterfalls of his brow bone. think of the elves from dragon age tbh. hes rlly elegant looking

one of his canines is crooked

flushes really easily, kinda hates it

perisex trans man. egg crack is highly conditional. SO bisexual

hair seems to always curl up only at the ends

subconciously let his godtier ascension remove all his own drone scars. he feels better without the reminder

stuff about dave

warm undertones. he has albinism so he needs to be very careful in the sun. uneven mouth shape because of a scar

has a pair of perscription shades but barely touches them in favour of the aviators. his eyes WILL cross if he doesnt wear them dude cant focus ever

can make his eyes as round as dirks. squints a lot and is usually heavy lidded

fairly certain hes a perisex cis guy. very gay. loves men

broken nose left the bridge permanently crooked. same shape as roxy but with a more defined brow

facial scars from strifes with Bro

would have freckles if he had any PIGMENT. if he didnt have albinism he'd have roxys skin tone and dark auburn hair lol

stuff about rose

neutral undertones. tans super easily and doesnt seem to ever burn. no cupids bow. dirks button nose

facial features are mysteriously reminiscent of a cat

thick hair in springy ringlets like dirk. she straighens out her bangs just enough to let her wrangle them into Something presentable

feathers and fur allergy rip.

her eyes are super sensitive and even gentle makeup can irritate them

also really sensitive to smells and scents. suspects some kind of something with her lungs but results are inconclusive

[thestobingirlie]

the way so many people draw eddie with beautifully sleek neat ringlet curls. its like they truly believe that a poor 19/20 year old dude in the mid 80s was following a 10 step curly girl hair routine.

that dude was using 2in1 or 3in1. he considered it fancy if he brought separate shampoo and body wash, even if they were still the cheapest options on the shelf.

he’s not just a teenage boy in the 80s. he’s also a metalhead. that boy is crusty lmao.

eddie tries to time his showers to spend as little time in there as possible, and it’s not like wayne has any hair lol. 3n1 is just good sense in that household.

[karmic-vibes]

If I Can Dream

4 - Skies More Blue

cw: gender dysphoria

Year: 1985

Steve and Eden continued dating, much to the surprise of all the teens in Hawkins. Throughout their six months of being together, Steve had tried to move their relationship further, but Eden kept pushing it off. Steve was respectful and always listened to her, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little annoyed.

One afternoon, once Wayne had left for work for the night, Steve and Eden were making out on the bed. Steve was trying to undress his girlfriend, but she nervously pushed him off.

“Okay, okay, sorry, sorry…” he sighed. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Eden said. “Sorry…”

“No, it’s okay,” he lied.

“No, it’s clearly not. What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing, Ed, just drop it.”

“But, Steve–“

“I said it’s fine, Eddie. Please, just leave it alone.” Eden rolled her eyes before placing a kiss on Steve’s cheek and getting up from the bed. “Leaving me?” he teased.

“I have band practice, dingus, you know that.”

“I thought you said it was cancelled this week?”

“No, Steve, that was last week.”

“Oh… sorry…”

“It’s fine,” she huffed as she threw a sweatshirt on.

“Aren’t you gonna be hot in that? Well, hotter than you already are?”

“Nice.”

“Thank you,” he smiled proudly.

“I’ll be fine. If I get too hot I’ll simply take it off. Not the end of the world, Stevie.” Steve quietly giggled. “What?”

“Nothing, I just like it when you call me that.” He got up from the bed and wrapped his arms around Eden.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah…” He kissed at her neck, making her quietly hum. Steve began to suck a mark into her collarbone, but she quickly shoved him away. “What now?”

“Dude, Wayne would kill me if I had a hickey.”

“No, honey, he would kill me.”

“Yeah, but then me.”

“He wouldn’t have the guts to kill you.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because, Eds, you’re absolutely and completely, utterly terrifying.”

“Don’t you forget it. I gotta go.” She kissed him on the cheek, grabbed her guitar and headed for the door.

“Uh, Eddie, wait!” She stopped in her tracks and raised a brow.

“Yeah?”

“I know it’s not really your thing, but do you wanna go to prom? O-Or at least consider going?”

“Yeah, Steve, I figured we were going anyway. No way in hell you’d ever let me live down missing prom.”

“Hey–“

“I’ll be at Gareth’s if you need me.” She kissed his soft lips one last time. “Bye.”

“Bye…”

While it was short notice, Eden still managed to get herself prom-ready. Despite Steve never properly asking her sooner, she always figured they were going regardless. After all, she wasn’t about to deprive the most popular guy in school of going to prom—that would just be cruel.

She was searching the thrift stores for weeks on end before she managed to find the perfect dress. It was a black, floor-length dress that hung off her shoulders with shear sleeves cuffing partway down her arm. The gown was A-line, ruffling near her shins all the way to the floor, showcasing the red ribbon detailing on each ruffle. On her own accord, she added a thick red ribbon around her waist as a makeshift belt, and to compliment the details on the lower part of the dress.

Eden had stolen some of Steve’s hair supplies, and over the coming weeks, learned how to properly maintain her hair. She took the time to section off her hair and tended to each ringlet that fell from her head. While she was tending to her curls, her bangs sat in curlers with the hopes to gain a little more volume.

Her make-up was simple, similar to the Snow Ball. She applied eyeliner, mascara, and blush, but instead of gloss, opted for a red lipstick. It wasn’t much, by any means, but it was enough for her. Regardless of what she did, she knew Steve would love it.

Before Eden stepped into her dress, she spent a grueling amount of time binding down her chest. Steve still didn’t know how she felt about herself, for several reasons. For starters, she wasn’t able to properly articulate everything or fully explain why she did some of the things she did (like binding down her breasts or withholding sex because she didn’t want him to see said bound chest). Then, on the other side of the coin, she thought he would leave her.

Eden couldn’t bear the thought of losing Steve, especially over something like this. While she couldn’t control her own thoughts and feelings, she could control what her boyfriend saw. As far as he was concerned, he’s dating Eden Munson—just a ditzy freak who likes to play Dungeons and Dragons and make music with her band. He didn’t need to knew she preferred being called Ed or Eddie, he didn’t need to know she bound her breasts, and he certainly didn’t need to know that she identified as a man.

Once she secured her bandage, she put on her dress, adjusting it accordingly so the Ace wrap wouldn’t show above the seam. She popped on a pair of red flats, clipped on all her jewelry, slid on all her rings. She was ready—as much as she despised staring at herself, she forced herself to be ready.

Around five, Steve pulled up in his car and let himself into the trailer. Wayne had just woken up from a nap and greeted the young boy at the door. Steve was holding the corsage box in his left hand and a bouquet of poppies in his right. Soon, Eden emerged from her room, bringing tears to Steve’s eyes.

“Wow…” he whispered. “How do you get more gorgeous every time I see you?”

“I could ask you the same,” Eden smiled, heading for the fridge to grab Steve’s boutonnière. “Hi, by the way.” She quickly pecked Steve on the lips before giggling and wiping off the lipstick residue. “For you, dingus.”

Eden retrieved the red rose from the clear box and pinned it to the lapel of Steve’s black tuxedo. Steve did the same with the matching rose, sliding it onto Eden’s wrist.

“Oh, and for you.” He handed her the bouquet, smiling fondly.

“Thanks, honey. Wayne, would you mind putting these in some water?”

“Not at all, E. Have fun tonight, you guys.”

“We will!”

“Harrington, back by–“

“Eleven, I know the drill.”

“Good. Have a great time. Stay safe!”

The two went to the dance, where it was more or less a repeat of the Snow Ball. Eden encouraged Steve to go with his friends, he said he wouldn’t dare do such a thing. Billy pestered Eden, just to get under Steve’s skin. And the lovely couple only danced to the slow song of the evening: Love Me Tender, by Elvis Presley.

Steve held his date close as Eden’s cheek was (willingly) smushed against Steve’s chest. Eden’s arms were linked under Steve’s, forcing him to stay close to her. Steve’s eyes were closed as he rested his head atop of his girlfriend’s, smiling into her hair. The world melted around them, as it always did when they were together.

That night, when Steve drove Eden home, he followed her inside where the two began making out on Eden’s bed (a regular occurrence for the past few months). While Wayne said he wanted them home by a certain time, he knew he would be out at work by the time they got home. He trusted Steve that he’d get his niece back on time—he had never given him a reason not to.

Steve had thrown his jacket to the wind as he hovered over Eden, hands resting on her hips. Her hands were laced in his hair, hips on either side of him. Steve pulled her closer, hand snaking under her dress, slowly traveling up her thigh. In a panic, Eden pushed him off and sat up on the bed.

“Is it me?” Steve spat.

“What?”

“Is it me?”

“Is what you?”

“Why won’t you sleep with me, Ed? Huh? Are you worried that I’ll give you something? Genuinely, what is it?”

“No, that’s not it at all.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s me, Stevie. Okay? It’s me, I’m the problem.”

“How on earth would you be the problem? You’re perfect, Eds.”

“I’m far from it, Steve.”

“What?”

Eden’s eyes began to tear up. She bit the insides of her cheeks as she refused to make eye contact with her boyfriend.

“Do you ever feel like… like you’re not yourself?”

“I used to.”

“How?”

“I don’t know, I just felt like I was hanging out with the wrong people. Being someone I wasn’t, y’know?” Eden slowly nodded. “Why do you ask?”

“I don’t…” She let out a frustrated huff before wiping her tears away. “I don’t feel like I belong in this body, Stevie. I don’t feel like I’m myself.”

“Are you okay? Did you take something when I wasn’t looking?” He placed the back of his hand to her forehead, quickly being swat away by Eden.

“No, I didn’t take anything, idiot…”

“Then why do you not feel like you’re in your own body?” Eden gently tilted her head at the naïve boy, eyes soft and glassy.

“Steve…” She barely croaked out, moving down the neckline of her dress, revealing her bandages.

“Oh…” His eyes widened.

“Oh…” She adjusted her dress and wiped her damp cheeks.

“Come here.” He had her stand up, turn around, and began unzipping her dress.

“Steve, what on earth– did you even hear what I said?”

“Yeah, I did. Slide your dress off.”

“What? No.”

“You need to take the wrap off… it’s cutting into you… let me help.”

“Steve–“

“Ed, for Christ’s sake, let me help you get this shit off.”

“You don’t… you don’t care that I’m not a girl?”

“Why would I care? I love you and I just want you to be happy.”

“You love me?” Eden turned around to face her boyfriend in disbelief.

“Duh. Spin, come on.”

“You-You don’t wanna break up with me?”

“God, no.” He unraveled the stretched out material and threw it to the ground, carefully averting his eyes from Eden’s chest. “Ed, if this is why you didn’t sleep with me, you could’ve just told me.”

“It’s not exactly an easy thing to tell people, Steve.” She had thrown on one of Steve’s basketball shirts he had left behind ages ago.

“You look sexy in my shirt,” Steve said, trying to lighten the mood. “And thanks for trusting me enough to tell me…”

“Thanks.” Eden rolled her eyes before involuntarily chuckling.

“So, Ed…” Steve stepped closer and rested his hands on her waist.

“Steven?”

“Since you aren’t a girl… what should I call you?”

“I like Ed and Eddie…”

“And how should I introduce you?” Eddie pursed his lips, knowing exactly what his boyfriend was getting at, knowing what he wanted him to say.

“However you want to introduce me, big boy,” he replied, pushing Steve’s buttons.

“Oh? Big boy? How would you know?” he teased.

“I’ve heard things, Harrington.”

“Good things?”

“Oh, very good things.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah… you know, you should show me, sometime. For scientific purposes. I need to confirm or den–hey!” He chuckled as Steve playfully tackled him onto the bed. The two began sloppily kissing in between giggles.

“I’ve been trying–“ Kiss. “To show you–“ Kiss. “For the past–“ Kiss. “Six months, stupid.” Kiss.

“Pardon me–“ Kiss. “For not wanting–“ Kiss. “To get attached–“ Kiss. “To someone who might leave me.” Kiss.

“Leave you?” Steve sat up. “Why would I leave you?”

“Because I’m a dude? Keep up, Stevie.”

“Oh, wait, you were serious about that? About me breaking up with you?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“You didn’t… you didn’t know I’m bi?”

“How on earth would I know that?”

“I don’t know, I-I thought it was obvious!”

“Well it’s not!”

“Okay, well, regardless, can we fuck, or are you gonna hold out until we’re married?”

“Married? Hmm, I like the sound of that, Harrington.”

“Munson–“

“Jesus Christ, Steve, yes! Trust me, it’s been killing me as much as it’s been killing you!”

“Oh, thank god.”

[convallaria-coterie]

[kirk-says-wah]

𝐃𝐢𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐄𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 - 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟔

Pairings: Kirk/Lars, James/Dave

Tw: torture, murder, blood, gore, violence, kidnapping, drugging, cannibalism

You can also read it here

The bar has only just opened when he gets there.

It’s a new joint in between a sandwich shop and a tattoo parlour, and it’s got a sophisticated vibe most bars don’t have nowadays. It’s definitely a step up from the bar he originally met Dave in.

He opens the door, the bell jingling. There’s a guy on the other side tacking up a poster, but James hardly glances at him, just gives an awkward smile and carries on, getting up a picture of Dave on his phone.

He approaches the bar cautiously, and the bartender gives him a funny look.

“Um-“ James starts, unsure of how to go on. He obviously looks as nervous as he feels as the bartender rolls his eyes, drops the glass he’d been cleaning.

“What can I get you?” he drawls, long black hair pinned behind his ears.

“I er..” James tries again, bringing up his phone. “My friend has gone missing. I was wondering if you’d seen him around.”

The word friend lies thick on his tongue, but he gets the feeling that maybe outing himself won’t get him the answers that he wants.

The guy looks at the picture for a moment before shrugging.

“Yeah I think I saw him. A few nights back.”

James’s heart skips in his chest, and he nods, pocketing his phone.

“Do you remember where he went?”

The guys sighs, picking up a glass.

“Look kid, I have no idea. I’ve slept since then.”

James can tell he’s not telling him everything. He pulls out his wallet, grabs a fifty from the sleeve and presses it into the bar top.

“Please,” he says, pushing the note forwards. The guy looks him over for a moment before smirking, taking the money off him.

“He left with a couple of dudes. Must of been about half eight.”

That makes no sense, Dave wouldn’t have stood him up to go out with other people would he?

“Do you know what they look like?” James asks, trying hard to get as much information as he can.

The guy shrugs, drying a glass with the tea towel over his shoulder.

“I have no clue,” he says.

James sighs, mutters his thanks, only to be stopped about a foot away from the bar.

“Wait,” the bartender says. “One of them was abnormally short. Like five foot four or something.”

James nods, frowning. “Thanks,” he says, before heading for the door.

The guy from earlier is still there, now pinning up a poster on the bulletin board, and James slows down to read it.

There’s a picture of a young guy under the word missing, long brunette hair that falls in ringlets around his face, a toothy smile. James finds himself gravitating towards it.

“Hey,” the guy says, turning to James. “Have you seen him at all?”

James shakes his head, feels a bit bad that he has nothing to offer.

“My friend has gone missing too,” he says, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Was he last seen here?” the guy asks, smoothing a hand over the moustache over his face. He’s got long brown hair past his shoulders, wearing a denim jacket with the sleeves cut off.

“Yeah,” James says, nodding.

The guy nods in understanding, fumbling with the papers in his hand.

“Jason, my friend, he went missing at a bar not far from here. It seems to be a common thing.”

James’s eyebrow quirks.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that there’s been people going missing for months, but the cops haven’t got any leads so they’re not looking into it. They told me that Jason’s a grown man and can go missing if he wants to.”

“Man, that sucks. I’m sorry,” James offers, wiping a hand over his cheek. “What do you think’s happening to them?”

“Beats me,” the guy says, flicking his hair over his shoulder. “All I’ve found so far is an eye witness saying that Jason left the bar with two guys.”

“That’s what the bartender said happened to Dave,” James replies, eyes darting back to the poster.

He wonders if maybe this Jason and Dave have met the same fate. Maybe they did just decide to run away. But that doesn’t seem likely. James doesn’t like at all where this is heading.

“Apparently, one has curly hair, and the other is really short,” the guy says, shrugging.

What? James doesn’t want to even think it, but he knows two people who fit that description precisely. But no, they can’t be involved with this, can they? They’re the normalist people James knows. He can’t help the uneasiness that settles in his stomach, and all of a sudden he wants to puke.

He’s probably just over thinking this. That description could be anyone.

“Name’s Cliff,” the guy says, holding his hand out.

James takes it, shaking it lightly.

“James.”

Cliff smiles, though it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“How long has your friend been missing?”

“Two days,” James says, before tacking on, “he’s actually my boyfriend.”

They’ve never officially called each other that yet, but James finds it’s fitting, and he already feels like Cliff isn’t one to judge.

Cliff smiles again but it drops quickly.

“Jason’s been missing just over a week.”

A week? That’s such a long time to not know what’s going on. James hopes he’ll be able to find Dave before it gets that far.

“I’m sure we’ll find them,” James says, though he’s not sure he believes it himself.

Cliff points at the poster to the number at the bottom.

“You hear anything, you call me, yeah?”

James nods, taking a picture of the number for safe keeping.

“I’ll let you know,” he says, before giving a small wave and a bye before leaving.

All he can think about is the two guys and their descriptions. He can’t shake the bad feeling that’s stirring in his gut.

He knows what he has to do next.

— —

Dave wakes with a start, cold water landing over his head, soaking him to the bone, and he gasps, wriggling in the chair.

Lars smirks, drops the bucket, pushes the pads of his fingers into Dave’s chin.

“Had a nice nap?” he sneers, spitting in Dave’s face.

Dave doesn’t reply, just stares back at Lars defiantly.

Kirk stands off to the side, feeling a bit uncomfortable. As he watches Lars, he can’t help but think back on Dave’s words. Does Lars really care about him, or is he just using him?

Lars turns to him, gives him a brilliant smile, baring teeth, before letting go of Dave’s face, watching him tilt back slightly.

Kirk smiles back, though it’s not very genuine. He doesn’t really feel like playing up to Lars’s emotions right now.

“We’re gonna try something new,” Lars declares, taking a few steps away from Dave.

Dave’s eyes are closed as he pants, trying to suck air through his lungs as he starts to shiver, water dripping from his nose.

Lars plugs in a wire into the wall, the end snipped off to expose the metal inside.

Dave’s eyes snap open, watching Lars’s movements.

Lars clicks his tongue, twiddling the wire between his fingers.

“You up for that, Davey?” Lars hums, stepping forwards.

Dave’s starting to shake, head moving backwards and forwards.

“Hmm?” Lars asks, now inches away from Dave.

Dave moans out a last attempt, a plea for Lars to stop but Lars just sets his jaw, quickly pressing the open live wire against the back of Dave’s neck.

Dave’s reaction is immediate, eyes screwing shut as his whole body spasms, shockwaves of pain making his whole body tense and shake.

Lars keeps it there for a few seconds before finally lifting off, and Dave exhales loudly, slumping in the chair, eyes rolling in his head.

“I said,” Lars grits out, hovering the wire over Dave’s shoulder. “Are you up for that?”

He presses down again and Dave seizes, a cry spilling from his lips as his whole body trembles, jaw clamped tight as he shakes from head to toe until finally Lars lifts the wife off.

Dave heaves, throws up, bile and water puddling down his front, and Lars laughs, claps Dave on the shoulder right over the burn that’s starting to sizzle.

Kirk just watches, unsure of what he should be doing. Maybe he should take the wire and have a go too? Only, this seems to be Lars’s thing, and he doesn’t want to overstep.

He can’t believe he’s even thinking of that, it’s not like Lars has ever hurt him before. Not properly. Not like he’s doing to Dave. But that doesn’t mean he never will.

He thinks back to a few nights ago when Lars said he loved him, and most of him believes that, but a part of him can’t shake loose Dave’s comments.

It leaves him just sitting on the table next to Dave, twiddling a knife between his fingers, blood crusted between his nails.

Lars carries on a few more times until Dave finally passes out. The last time he presses the wire into skin, there’s the sound of crackling, like bacon frying, and when he pulls away the air is filled with the sickly sweet smell of burning flesh. Dave is red all over, temperature high, sweat mixing with the water dripping off of him.

His muscles are still contracting and spasming long after he’s passed out, and Lars pushes at him to see if he’s really unconscious.

“Well that was fun,” Lars declares, pulling the wire out of the wall.

“Can you please not try to kill him yet,” Kirk sighs, jumping down from the table, the dagger still between his fingertips. He presses two fingers to Dave’s neck, jumping slightly at the heat he finds there.

His pulse is weak and thready but still there, and Kirk sighs with relief.

“Just remember we’ve got ten grand not to kill him yet,” he says, and Lars sighs dramatically, twirling a piece of blood crusted hair around his finger.

“You really take the fun out of everything, you know that?”

That comment hurts a lot more than it should, and Kirk can’t help but recoil slightly, fingers dropping from the heat of Dave’s neck.

His emotions must be playing on his face because Lars frowns, dropping the unplugged wire to the floor.

“C’mon baby, you know I don’t mean it,” he says, making grabby hands, and Kirk, as stupid as he is, can’t help but fall into his arms, letting Lars bundle him up against his chest.

Lars pecks his cheek lightly, tucking a piece of hair behind his ear.

“I love you.”

He sounds sincere, but doubt still crawls into Kirk’s gut and makes him nauseous. He swallows, kisses Lars gently to try and get rid of the uneasy feeling.

Lars kisses him back, cradling his jaw as his other arm dips to hold Kirk’s waist.

“Cmon,” Lars says, when they pull away. “I’ll let you pick what we do next.”

[midnighthangintree]

Eyes Outshine the Horizon Line

Chapter 3 - Wild Waters

“Thanks dude. Really.” Jonathan sassed before going up to his room as well. Eddie didn’t bother looking towards anyone still at the table as he left the palace and towards the rocky shoreline where Eddie was left alone with his thoughts. He just wanted to be out there on the sea already, looking for her. She haunted him and it wasn’t like he remembered her face. All he remembered was an outline of a woman with fallen ringlets. That was almost every woman. Eddie longed for even a glimpse of her, wondering if her eyes outshined the horizon line. He just wanted her real, and next to him. He foolishly wondered if he waited on the shore just long enough, she would just appear before him. Soon enough, his legs moved him before he had time to think anymore. Eddie found himself on a ship and sailing to the next few islands over. He would find her himself, even if it killed him.

Read on AO3

Read on Wattpad

[wizard-finix]

3, 6, 9, 17, 18 or whichever of those you'd like 😻

WOO LETS GO

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

I have to say Stygian Ringlet, even though that is the most kudos/hits one I have hahaha

Outside of that, for this year I'd say Snake in the Grass and some of the P3/SpyxFam I worked on! I helped brainstorm for Takaya and Jin and also outlined a Shinjiro origin chapter, but it's not really written yet.

6. Favorite title you used

Snake in the Grass. I like how it applies to Warriors for the context of the fic :)

9. Favorite pairing you wrote for this year?

Platonic Flora & Dark Link! I wasn't expecting that to end up being a whole oneshot, but they made a surprisingly cute friendship.

17. Your favorite character to write this year?

Warriors from Linked Universe! He's very different from the other Links, but I enjoyed the challenge. I kind of ran away with the "Roy Mustang" characterization, and I think it accidentally cemented him as one of my top favorites among the Chain. (I also have a half-written NG+ AU for him, and I want to post that at some point as well as finish Snake in the Grass)

Shinjiro was a very close second for this question, though

18. The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?

I'd say the Investigation Team for True Crime Special, I haven't been able to do much more than surface level interactions since the fic focuses so heavily on Ren. I think they turned out alright, though! Yukiko's having a great time lmao

Thanks for the ask dude!! :D

[pinejayy]

Self ship headcannons for me and Itto!! :)

SFW (NSFW will come later ;3)

-Whenever we go out, with the gang or not, he always makes sure to show me off to everyone, like I’m some kind of trophy (I pretend to be annoyed by it but he knows I think it’s sweet)

-When we first met, like encountered each other in public, he was absolutely amazed by me. Mainly because instead of being a crimson Oni like him and having red markings and horns, mine were black.

-Sometimes he’ll just randomly come up to me and trace my face with his fingers, only stopping and realizing what he’s doing when I start to laugh.

-One time when I took him out stargazing, he tried his hardest to name more constellations than I could (we were having a contest) but I won…he only got two.

-One thing that Itto loves the most about me is how many scars I have. He thinks it makes me “totally awesome and cool” that I’ve been tough enough to have those scars and endure them.

-He also loves how curly my hair is. When we’re cuddling, he’ll sometimes just pull on a ringlet of my hair, and watch it bounce back; he does this repeatedly.

This are completely sweet!!! I love them okay!! And I love self ships, I even have some headcanons of my self ship with Gyokko uwu

But dude!! You did a wonderful job!! And I can’t wait to hear the NSFW ones uwu ❤️❤️

[emblemxeno]

Spicy news: Rosado (the one with long pale hair in ringlets and triangle buns) uses “ore” and has a male voice actor, Reddit is theorizing they’ll be like Forrest

The dude-looks-like-a-lady trope returns, perhaps?

Tho I've also heard that the specific seiyuu, tho a dude, is famous for having a high enough voice that lets him play women characters. Maybe trans!!! I wonder how this'll go, Rosado looks super cute and fun.