#super super organised. i hate mess.

[ashstfu]

1, 30 and 31 for the ask game!! <3

what are 3 things you’d say shaped you into who you are?

my mom used to play sade on repeat for like hours on cassette tape and i think that’s why i’m like this.

what’s one thing that never fails to make you happy/happier?

dancing to my favorite songs in my bedroom!! 🕺

are you messy or organised?

i’m a virgo........

[chorusofcrows]

FIVE.

"Don't"

"I want to help."

"I don't need help."

Hero frowed at Villain. Of course they needed help, "You've been acting different. It's super noticeable."

"Wow." Villain said dryly, "thanks for noticing me, senpai."

Hero sighed, "Villain, please, cut the jokes. This is serious."

Villain suddenly swung the door open.

A long while ago, they were neat and tidy. Once, to defeat a someone common enemy together, Villain had straightened out Hero's uniform because the crookedness of it had irritated them greatly. One way to piss them off was to ruin their suit beyond a simple brush-off. The way Villain would strighten the sleeves of their suit jacket when they were ready to get to buisness was attractive.

Now, they couldn't be more different. They suffered massively from adorible, fluffy, messy bedhead. They wore loose, long athletic shorts. Villain hated shorts, even in summer. They always complained that they were too cold. They were sporting a loose grey and blue band-tee that Hero didn't recogised. They held a beer can in their hand. Villain had prefered champaine, always muttering into their glass that beer, or worse, canned beer, was for savages. Their beautiful, brilliant grey-blue eyes were now dull, unfocused, half-lidded, dark eye-bags underneath, either drunk or not used to the lighting of the hallway. Or both. A scar ran openly across their face and down their neck. It had to be new, but it looked old. Had they been covering it up with foundation this entire time, or was their mask hiding their face?

Beyond them, their apartment was a mess. Villain had always been neat, so far as to cleaning Hero's appartment when Hero was black-out drunk and Villain had taken them home (Hero still couldn't find stuff to this day, and they were sure Villain had stolen a few objects). Villain's furniture was upturned and torn, as if a rabid animal had rampaged about.

Villain stepped outside of their apartment, into the hallway. They closed the door behind them, "What do you want, Hero."

"You haven't showed up for a few months."

"Maybe I retired." Villain sneered, "You should be celebrating."

"Everyone else is. Those who aren't are concerned you're planning something to let down our guard."

"Is that why you're here?" Villain laughed coldly, "Does it look like I'm planning something?"

"You're not telling me why you're acting like this. Why your home looks like this. Why you look like-"

"Maybe it's none of your buisness, Hero." Villain snaped.

"Technically, as a representive of the Agenc-"

Villain sighed loudly, dramatically, reaching for the doorknob.

"Wait-!" Hero grabed their wrist. At Villain's glare, they let go, "Then, as you're friend."

"We're not friends."

"Well, as your coworker."

"We work for very seperate organisations."

"As your enemy?"

"Then it's definately not your buisness."

Hero sighed, "You sure you can't tell me anything? Not even a sliver?"

Villain practically growled, opening the door and throwing it closed behind them.

[suckerfordylansstuff]

Let your guard down

Request: Hello! I was wondering if you were interested in writing an angsty Steve Harrington x Robin Buckley x reader (all platonic because the reader is under 18) story where they all work at Family Video. The reader is really shy and timid. When she first started working at Family Video, Steve and Robin thought it was kind of funny the reader would just do whatever was asked of her and they would push their work off onto her so they could mess around. Then Steve starts to notice things about the reader like bruises and not having anything to eat on her lunch break or anyone to pick her up or drop her off. He grows a massive soft spot for her. One night a group of guys from school that always bully her show up and start harassing the reader, cornering her in the back of the store. They’re all bigger than her and she’s scared of them. Steve gets super protective and makes the guys leave. She’s trembling with anxiety even after they are gone and Steve calms her down and then she confesses that they bully her all the time at school. Steve and Robin start looking out for her more.

Pairing: Steve Harrington x platonic!reader x Robin Buckley

Warnings: cursing, bullying, bleeding

Notes: Hope you like the fic and sorry for taking longer than I expected, college just started which means a lot of assignments to organise and deal with. Also, sorry to anyone named Mark, it just came to me. Stay safe out there!💕

~Masterlist~

Steve had just rung up a customer when the door of the store flew open revealing an out-of-breath Robin entering the store. He wished the sweet lady who had just rented ‘The Karate Kid’ goodbye and let his eyes fall on his best friend leaning her forearms on top of the counter, trying to catch her breath.

“You’re late.” Steve simply told her.

“I know, I know. Band practice went on longer than I expected.” she took quick deep breaths to calm down her beating.

“Even the new hire came in earlier than you.”

“We have a new hire?” Robin’s memory wasn’t the best, but she definitely didn’t remember Keith telling her about a new hire.

Steve pointed towards the back of the store where a familiar figure to Robin was organizing the Halloween section they always set up during October. It took a moment for Robin to get her thoughts sorted out, but as a light bulb lit up in her mind, she was already calling out your name and saying hello as she remembered you are also a suffering student at Hawkins High.

She watched as your head lifted and turned toward her, not finding it odd that you responded with nothing more than a small wave before returning to your work. Even at school, you were one of the quieter kids, so Robin took the wave as an accomplishment.

“You know her?” Steve was the one now leaning, watching his friend’s interaction with furrowed brows. When you had come into the store just an hour ago and quietly told him you were the person Keith told him to expect, Steve was excited. He liked meeting new people and given you were fairly around his age he was excited to have another friend. But as he began showing you around, he quickly realized you weren’t much of a talker, which disappointed him. So, he was just rambling on and on about the store and its requirements while you simply nodded at his words, your eyes not even meeting his. When he noticed Robin was running late, he took the decision to stay behind the counter and assigned you the job he was supposed to have already finished, which you took without question, silently arranging the shelves.

“Yeah, she’s from school, but of course, you don’t remember her.” she smirked at him. Robin loved teasing him about his past personality, and Steve hated it.

“Will you stop it with that?” he followed her movement as she walked to the breakroom to get her things sorted out before coming back out to start her shift.

“Why don’t you go and help her out since she’s doing your section?”

“I was covering for you, smartass.”

---

So, all of your shifts went on as they usually would. You were mainly the one organizing the shelves with the returned or new tapes you would get; Steve was the one to help customers around the store and Robin was usually sitting by the register. When they didn’t have any customers, they made sure to show you some of the other sections around the store, so at any given moment you would be able to help out without any problems.

Robin usually tried to start conversations with you, mainly about an assignment you both had or complaining about an annoying teacher, but your answers were short, so after a couple of tries, she stuck with casual conversation.

This has been going on for a week. You would all come at your required times and do your jobs. Well, you did your job quietly while Steve and Robin chatted away the second they didn’t have to actually work.

Steve was confused at how closed off you were. At first, he thought it was because he had done something to you back in High School that he didn’t even remember, something so bad it made you hate him. However, he quickly realized that your closed-off behavior wasn’t just for him, you acted that way around Robin and Keith too, so he at least knew it wasn’t personal. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder why you were like that.

It was a week after you first started and all three of you were on the closing shift. You had closed the store, but you still needed to prepare everything for Keith who would open tomorrow. Robin was closing the register when she began looking around the store for Steve. She couldn’t find him anywhere so she turned to you, who were sweeping the floors, getting rid of all the dirt the customers would bring in during the day.

“Hey, have you seen Steve?” she watched your eyes drift behind her as you pointed at the same direction, before continuing your task. Robin turned her head over her shoulder only to watch in horror how he was already out of his work clothes and ready to leave.

“Well, I’m off. I have a date tonight and I can’t be late. See you tomorrow.” he waved at the two, but neither of them responded and for different reasons.

“Woah, woah, there dingus. What do you mean you’re off?” Robin’s legs quickly made their way over to Steve blocking his way out of the store.

“It usually means I’m leaving, Robin.” he scoffed, turning to look at you waiting for a reaction over this, but looked back at Robin when he saw you weren’t even paying attention to them.

“I told you yesterday that I can’t close because I have to study for a test tomorrow, Steve.” Robin’s arms crossed over her chest while Steve grimaced when the memory finally hit him.

“Well, I can’t cancel on the date, I’ll look like an idiot.”

The pair began arguing over who deserved to get off work early the most, not realizing your movement stopped as you turned to stare at them.

“I can close.”

For a second Steve was startled by the new voice, but relaxed when he realized it was you. He thinks this was the first time he had heard you say so many words at once, hearing your voice clearly for the first time.

“You sure?” he questioned you and sighed with relief when you nodded your head.

“Alright well, we have a list of what needs to be done around the store at the back if you don’t remember anything and then you just lock up with these right here.” you watched the brown-haired boy make his way at the counter and grab the set of keys you already knew where there.

“I know.” you took them from his grasp and placed them in your pocket.

“Good.”

“Thank you, seriously, we owe you.” Robin had just grabbed her stuff and opened the door for the two of them. They wished you goodnight before leaving the store and you behind.

---

That’s how it started. At first, they were really thankful you could cover for them, but as time went on they realized you were always ready to take over. Sometimes it happened while Steve was too busy to finish the work he had started because he was flirting with a cute girl. By the time he had rang the girl up and escorted her out, he went back to find his section ready and you leaving without a word. You also helped out Robin when she would inevitably forget she had to do something.

The pair didn’t question it at all. They actually found it pretty convenient, and so they started testing just how far was your limit. Whenever they were busy, talking, or bored they would assign you a task they were supposed to be doing. They were a little hesitant at first, trying to see if you would catch up to what they were doing, but you always took on the job without complaining. And since you weren’t complaining they thought it was the perfect plan. And it’s not like they didn’t do anything, they just watched more movies now at the store unbothered. And isn’t that what they were supposed to do, they told themselves, watch the movies they had to give out the perfect recommendations to customers? They were doing them a favor.

---

November had just started and you were once again over at the Halloween section, taking everything down, as you listened in to Steve’s awful attempt at flirting with yet another customer. You heard him laugh at his own cheesy joke when his body collided with yours sending you and the tapes you were holding on the floor.

Steve’s head immediately whipped around and started cursing when he saw you on the floor. He turned back to Rebecca, the girl he was talking to, to excuse him for a moment, but realized she was already gone.

“Great…” he mumbled under his breath before focusing his attention back to you “Hey, I’m sorry, I’m such an idiot. Are you okay?”

You watched him from the corner of your eye kneel down next to you, but you didn’t look up to meet his eyes, just started picking up the tapes from the floor.

“Hey, here, lemme get those.” he took the tapes from your hands and placed them in the cart you were previously using. He grabbed the rest of them and then let his eyes fall on you once more “Want me to help you up?” even though he put it as a question he didn’t wait a second to grab your wrists, ready to pull you but to your feet, but his movement quickly died down when a wince came from your mouth, your eyes snapping closed as if you were in pain.

Steve immediately removed his hands off you, looking terrified wondering what he did “Oh my God, are you okay? Did the fall hurt you? I’m sorry, let me look-”

He saw. You didn’t register his actions before it was too late, and he saw. He saw what they had done to you, and now you were scared. You didn’t expect Steve to help you up. You didn’t expect him to grab you by your wrists, the same place they used to tug you around when they threw insults in your face. You didn’t expect him to notice your pain, you always thought you hid it well. And you definitely didn’t expect him to worry and inspect upon your pain, because no one else has ever had. But he did. He grabbed your long sleeve, pushed it up, and he saw them. You did tear off his gentle grip and pulled the sleeve back down, but he had clearly seen the purple bruises on your arm.

“I’m okay.” you told him quietly, your eyes staying on the ground.

You stood still for a second, trying to decide what you were supposed to do now, waiting to see the way Steve would react as well.

“All right. I’ll, um… I’ll finish over here, alright? Go see if Robin needs any help.” you weren’t sure if you were glad he didn’t comment on it, but you left without a second thought, praying he wouldn’t make it a big deal.

---

After that incident, Steve’s eyes mostly never left your figure while at work. He always watched you do your job. At first, he told himself it was out of curiosity over the bruises, but it wasn’t long till he realized he was worried. Because it wasn’t only the bruises that picked his curiosity. Suddenly he started seeing all those things about you that hinted at something wrong.

He was able to notice your wincing more often, especially when you thought no one was looking, always caressing your wrists after a long shift. He also noticed that you never had a break during work. He tried to recall when he had last seen you have a meal here, but other than the occasional granola bar during full shifts on the weekends, you never brought anything else with you, which was a drastic difference compared to him and Robin.

When he ran it by Robin, she tried to take a more logical approach to the whole thing, but she also found it weird.

“I mean during the weekdays it could be because we’re having lunch at school, but on the weekends… I don’t think I’ve seen her sit on her break longer than 5 minutes.”

“Right? I don’t know, maybe I’m overreacting here, I mean, not everyone has our appetite.” Robin nodded at his words “But I’m starting to get a little worried here. And I can’t outright ask her because I don’t know her that well. Plus there’s no way she would answer me, right?”

“Well, collectively, we’ve only heard her say 20 words? So, no, it won’t be easy to talk to her.”

“Try and see if you could approach her more in school, see how she acts there. Does she have any friends? Maybe we could ask them?” his brain was trying so hard to find some way to help you without scaring you away.

“To be honest with you, it is a little hard to keep track of her around school. She always seems to disappear in between classes, like she doesn’t wanna be found.”

He thought his talk with Robin would be reassuring, but it ended up being anything but that. So for the rest of the day he made sure to help you out with your work and stop putting more things on your shoulders. He decided he would try to get on your good side, so he could approach you about his worries.

---

You had just helped a little kid pick out a movie to watch with his mother when loud laughter and yelling caught your attention. Your eyes shifted at the front of the store in curiosity before they widened. Your heartbeat picked up and you could barely feel your legs as they started guiding you away from them.

‘What are they doing here’ you thought. You were used to them at school, but here? How could you hide it? You can’t go out the entrance door without them seeing you and the break room is on the other side of the store. Your mind was screaming for you to hide, but as his eyes fell on you, you knew it was too late.

---

Steve eyed the group that entered the store suspiciously. He had never seen them in here before, but he remembered their faces when he was back in Highschool. Back then they were just kids, mostly getting into trouble with stupid pranks they did around school, but they build a reputation for themselves, so of course ‘King Steve’ would have them in his radar. He didn’t like them, but he couldn’t just go up to them and demand to leave the store, he would be fired.

So, he decided to let them be and only interfere if something bad actually happens.

He was helping out a sweet lady, telling her all about the movie she was interested in just so she could make sure nothing scary is in it. He spent a good five minutes doing so and then proceeded to ring her up and show her out the store, holding the door open for her, when Robin’s figure appeared next to him.

“Hey, can you deal with Mark and his little friends? I really don’t feel like talking to them outside of school.” Steve nodded at her words. Mark was the ‘leader’ of the group, the one telling the rest what to do and what not to do.

“Yeah, I will, don’t worry. Is he still as stupid as I remember him?” they made their way to the register, leaning their bodies as they waited for another customer to enter.

“Oh, he’s worse now. They’ve started picking on people a lot more, not just dumb pranks.” he watched her pick out a candy from their candy jar and pop it in her mouth.

“He hasn’t tried anything on you or the kids, right?”

“No, don’t worry. Just victims of his stupidity reeking the entire school.”

Steve smirked at her exaggeration but stopped when he realized you weren’t anywhere near his eye sight “Have you seen Y/n?”

However, before they could start looking for you, the yells coming from the back started becoming more prominent. Robin sighed at their behavior and Steve stood up straight, patting her back “I’ll go kick them out.” he made his way towards Mark and his friends and clapped his hands to announce himself as their heads came into view behind all the shelves “Alright, guys, If you don’t sto-”

Steve froze. When he saw you down on the floor, hiding in the corner while Mark stood before you, his hand gripping your hair, he nearly lost every sense of control he had in him, but he knew killing wouldn’t resolve to anything good right now.

“What the fuck are you doing? Get off of her.” he yelled at him as he pushed his way to the asshole above you, punching him across his face and when the guy stumbled, trying to find his balance again, he grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pushed him into the wall. The rest of the group started scattering and left the store quickly as they realized they had been caught.

“Steve, what’s…” Steve could sense Robin was now watching everything that was happening but couldn’t focus on anything other than Mark in front of him. He wanted to hit him again, he wanted to beat the shit out of him, but for now he had to stop, because he wasn’t his main focus, you were. He needed to make sure you were okay first and then if you gave him the green light he would get Dustin and they would hunt Mark down.

His fist was already in the air in a way to threaten Mark, and it was working. The boy in front of him despite being the horror of Hawkins High for some of the students that attended, to Steve he was still just the scrawny kid he used to see run around the halls. And Mark remembered Steve, who couldn’t remember him? So, even he knew not to test the King’s limits.

Steve’s fist slowly lowered as he once again grabbed onto his collar “If you ever try anything on her or anyone again, I will not hesitate.” he pushed him into the wall one more time before sending him forward. He watched him nearly fall on the floor before he quickly ran to the door and left the store.

It didn’t take long for Steve to come back to his normal self where only one thing was important. Making sure you were okay. Turning around he saw you still on the floor, your shoulders shaking. He could tell you were crying even though your face was angled to the floor. Robin was before you trying to access the situation, but each time she would try to put a comforting hand on your shoulder, you shook it off. He didn’t even think you were doing it on purpose, you were just scared.

“Hey, hey, Y/n? Can you hear me?” he kneeled down and spoke in a soft voice. He wasn’t sure what the best approach would be when someone is having, what he would assume this is, a panic attack, but his instinct told him ‘just don’t startle her’.

He waited for some kind of response, but you only shook harder at his words. You could hear him and you could understand him, but your body wasn’t making it easy to answer him. You wanted to say it’s fine and then walk away and never talk about this again, but you’ve been caught red handed.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything. Can you nod for me and tell me if you can stand up?” your breathing was quick and tears were falling from your eyes, but you eventually pulled through and nodded your head. You heard the boy before you let out a sigh of relief before he started speaking again “Alright, great. Robin, go and flip the sign up front, we don’t want any customers right now.” you heard Robin agree and the sound of her footsteps came next. Your eyes were closed, so you were relying on all your other senses to understand what was happening. Suddenly, you felt a cloud of warmth surrounding you, Steve was closer to you now, you realized “I’m going to help you get up and we’re going to walk to the break room, is that okay?”

You were able to let out a shaky ‘yes’ before you felt his arms loop around you and help you stand up. Without realizing it, you made it to the break room where you were sat on top of a chair while the others stood around you, trying to help you.

Robin helped you through your panic, guiding you to follow her breathing, while now with your eyes open you could see Steve run around trying to find water for you and some kind of bandage for your hand that was bleeding. After the fall you had landed on top of the moving cart and managed to scratch your hand as you tried to stop the harsh impact.

Eventually, your breathing was back to normal, your eyes were red, and the water bottle was in your hands, one of them wrapped with bandages. You were focusing on the water and not on your two coworkers, who were starring at you from across the table in the break room waiting for you to speak. You guessed Steve didn’t have a lot of patience since it wasn’t long until his voice filled your ears.

“Do you want to tell us what happened?” his voice was soft and you were thankful for that. You weren’t sure why you were expecting to hear him angry, as if he has ever been anything but nice to you, but you feared that after seeing you on the floor they would call you all those things you already knew about yourself. Stupid, weak, a bitch, like how he called you.

After a couple of seconds you were able to nod your head and look them in the eye, before speaking softly “Um… Mark and the rest, they uh… they’ve been messing with me-”

“Messing with you? More like-” Robin spoke up, her voice filtered with anger. She felt terrible for not noticing how you felt. She was never too good at filtering her words and action, so when Steve nudged her, she knew it wasn’t the time to let her emotions get the best of her “Sorry.” she motioned for you to continue, but you quickly shook your head thinking you sounded dumb.

“It’s not even a big deal, seriously.” your good hand was playing with the cap on the water bottle.

“Not a big, deal? Y/n, you’re bleeding. And I’m guessing the marks I saw on your arm were from them too?” Steve was getting defensive. He couldn’t believe you thought this was any kind of ‘okay’. He started feeling the same way he does when the kids are in danger and he wants to do anything, everything, to make you feel protected and safe.

“You saw those?” your voice was a mere whisper at this point.

“Yeah, I saw those. Y/n, what they are doing is wrong. No one should be treated like this, especially not you. If they ever try anything again, you come and tell me, alright?” you watched as his eyes met yours when he kneeled down before you once again. You could see he was genuine, and you could feel your guard being let down.

“Oh, I’ll make sure they don’t, because from now on you’re not leaving my side at school, okay? They’re not going to hurt you ever again.” Robin made a promise to herself to be your personal bodyguard at school.

You looked at both of them and then your eyes filled with tears again “I’m really scared…” you finally admitted to them.

“I know, but you shouldn’t be. From now on you have us, okay? We’re sorry for not noticing sooner, but you can truly trust us.” Steve held out his hand for you, which you took gladly.

“We want to help.”

You sniffled at their words and finally let out your first smile in front of them. Your first smile in a long time “Thank you.”

~~~

[not-poignant]

For the meme!!! 21 - 22 - 23

We love a sequential number sequence :D

21. Could you ever quit writing? Do you ever wish you could? Why or why not?

I mean, yeah, maybe one day! I don't want to quit writing, I certainly don't wish I could. I love this job! It's been my favourite ever job! It's also been the hardest fucking job I've ever done!!! But I still love it :'D

I don't want to say 'I'm never going to quit' - I don't know what the future might bring. The arthritis in my hands is pretty bad, maybe one day I'll be in too much agony to justify it. Maybe one day I'll just stop enjoying it. I don't believe in sticking something out forever based on how I feel about it now!

I can say with all confidence that I don't want to quit. The biggest flaw in this version of my job is that it doesn't pay super great for the amount of work that goes into it. BUT, it definitely pays better than working as a professional artist did, and there is growth, and amazing people do support the Patreon, so it's like...that flaw becomes less of a flaw over time.

I love this job. It wasn't one I would have picked for myself, but it's introduced me to the best people, it's something I feel I'm actually pretty good at (maybe I'm not, but this is a nice feeling to have), and it's kind of unique. I get to be my own boss (I'm a mean boss, but I'm getting better), and I get to work from home, and I can accommodate my chronic illnesses. I get to spend time in amazing worlds, with amazing characters, and then I get to reply to amazing comments and asks made by amazing people.

Like, when this job is going well, I feel like one of the luckiest people. When this job is hard I just groan a lot and take painkillers for editing headaches. But like, the good parts of this job are very good!!

22. How organized are you with your writing? Describe to me your organization method, if it exists. What tools do you use? Notebooks? Binders? Apps? The Cloud?

I'm pretty organised.

So, all of my chapters are written in Microsoft Word and saved directly into Dropbox (with offline storage as well). All of my folders are also very well organised. I have a naming system for each chapter, and everything is chained together pretty well.

On top of that I now use Obsidian for worldbuilding (it's free! Though you can pay and they deserve money for their awesome service). I used to use World Anvil but found it too clunky for my personal needs. I have about 4 Obsidian vaults now (i.e. different worlds) and they look like this:

You can see a chained folder system on the left, and the graph view on the right.

And the information in the individual files is set up like a Wiki page:

Not all of my worlds get this treatment, but Underline the Rainbow, Vexteria, Mallory & Mount and something else I've forgotten about all have vaults. Fae Tales doesn't, because I didn't know Obsidian existed when I started worldbuilding for that, lol, so all of that is in Word.

And then I will on occasion just write in notepads and in Paperblanks journals when I need to brainstorm stuff. This part of the process is especially useful when plotting, brainstorming names or titles, or figuring out the end of a story.

I don't use Google Docs (don't actually like it), Scrivener (hate it, sorry Scrivener fans), or anything else. Word has its issues, but it does well enough for me. I actually formatted Perth Shifters in Word.

23. Describe the physical environment in which you write. Be as detailed as possible. Tell me what’s around you as you work. Paint me a picture.

I write in a study dedicated to art/writing, because those have been my jobs for over 15 years. I sit at a large desk, and have a desktop computer with one monitor (I've wanted two monitors for such a long time), a decent speaker system, and a good RGB hard-drive.

It's a mess, lol.

Hang on let me show you:

I have stickers on the desktop by the immaculate WhiskeyRabbit. I have a bunch of art supplies, and art in various stages of completion (the raven is finished, Augus behind the raven is not). There's meds and supplements everywhere. I have my Metformin (diabetes meds) in front of me because I often eat where I work, lol. I have some Sank collectible toys on the subwoofer because I find Sank very inspiring. And lots of art behind me like I'm some 18 year old instead of the 41 year old I actually am.

Oh and like, some half-finished chocolate blocks, lmao. And some fingerless gloves, a tea-towel, notepads for my writing, a calculator for my wordcount, a little spiky massage ball for the muscle/fascia issues in my wrists from writing so much, and much, much more.

It's a very ADHD desk. I do not notice the mess, lmao.

To my left is my writing whiteboard which tracks my writing and the chapters I've completed for the year, and my yearly wordcount to date. It also has some pinned up fanart and gifts from readers to keep me going when things get hard! :D

--

From the Weird Writing Questions meme!

[mycurrent-hyperfixation]

Take A Chance On Me - Chapter Seven (Eddie Munson x Reader Series)

Series Summary: Corroded Coffin is lacking only one thing that could help them win the upcoming Battle of the Bands; original songs. So when a new band comes to town with a lead singer that looks all too familiar and a repertoire of original songs up their sleeves, Dustin concocts a plan that will get you to spill all of your songwriting secrets to Eddie. It’s just a few dates, right?

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Masterlist

Word Count: 8.3K

Pairings: Eddie Munson x Reader, Eddie Munson x fem!Reader

Tags: fluff, 10 Things I Hate About You AU

A/N: I honestly think this chapter might be my favourite one so far so I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it. The ridiculous word length has returned, but there really was just no way I could cut this chapter in two. I'm the kind of reader who loves a short chapter in a book, but I'm afraid I will become an author who has ridiculously lengthed chapters 😫. Also, I'm expecting all the chapters from here on out to be on the longer side just so you all know. I'm trying real hard to fit this fic in the 10 chapters I limited myself to, but we shall see if that goal eventuates or not. Also, I haven't given a name to readers band cause I was too lazy to think of a good one and now I'm severely regretting that decision cause I'm finding it harder and harder to dodge around it. As always, you guys are amazing and I love each and every one of you!!!

The shift had been busy, so uncharacteristically busy that you were struggling to upkeep a smiling disposition with the variety of customers that were seemingly becoming ruder as the day went on. The store was a mess, most of the records strewn haphazardly across the racks so what was usually organised into clear genre categories was now intermingled amongst each other.

When the final customer had been served and the line in front of the counter finally cleared, you let out a tired and weary sigh, allowing yourself a moment to revel in the silence that surrounded you. Bringing your hands up to your face, you lazily rubbed at your eyes, trying to ease their stinging. With a slight groan you pushed yourself away from the counter and begun the laborious task of cleaning up.

When the bell above the door chimed just as you had been about to make your way over to lock it, you couldn’t quite help the small groan of annoyance that left your lips. Composing yourself, you forced a smile onto your features and turned around to greet the customer.

“Hello. How can I help you tod-”

Your smile became genuine at the sight of Eddie Munson standing by the door.

“Oh, I’m not here to buy anything,” Eddie said. “I’ve actually come here to see one of the workers. Maybe you know her. She’s super pretty but is kind of mean to me.”

“Hmmm,” you pretended to think. “No, sorry, I don’t know anyone by that description.”

“Well that’s a shame,” Eddie responded, making his way slowly over to you. His eyes were captivating as they stared directly into yours, his gaze unwavering. “I’ve come to pick her up for a date.”

Your smile faltered slightly.

“Eddie, I didn’t bring anything to change in to and it was just so busy today so I’m sure I look like a mess and I-”

Eddie stepped closer to you.

“You look beautiful.”

But the collected demeanour that Eddie was still somehow managing to upkeep was a lie. Because he had thought that his spontaneity would be charming. He had thought that you would laugh at the fact that he had sprung the date upon you without any forewarning; after all, your response to his proposition had been less than straightforward itself. So as he looked upon you with your wearied expression, your posture slightly drooping and the bags under your eyes more prominent than usual, he wanted nothing more than to kick himself the utter stupidity of his idea.

But now he was so very close to you, his lips practically inches from yours so that his breaths became ragged and his heart began to race as all coherent thoughts seemed to leave him all at once. In that moment he so wanted to lean just that extra bit forwards, to close the distance that still sat between you and capture your lips within his own. But Eddie wanted to do things properly—to do things perfectly—for you, even though he had likely already screwed up a date that was yet to begin. So he forced himself to pull away, noticing the vibrant blush that coated your features as he did so and smiling softly to himself at the sight of it.

“Fine,” you relented. “But next time I want proper warning before we go anywhere.”

Eddie let out a sigh.

Next time.

“I’ve just got to finish packing up,” you continued. “Just give me one sec.”

Eddie waited for you by the door, casually leaning up against the wall as he watched you. And even though your hair was slightly messy and even though the weariness was clear within your eyes and even though you were still dressed in your work clothes—a simple black t-shirt that was slightly too big for you paired with black jeans—Eddie still found himself practically incapable of looking away from you.

“Okay, we’re good to go,” you called from the counter, your bag clutched within your hands as you began to flick the light switches off.

Eddie held the door open for you as you exited, waiting as you locked the door before making your way into the carpark. It was empty save for your own vehicle and Eddie’s van, the sight of both of them sitting side by side making your brows furrow slightly.

“Oh, should I leave my car here? Or should I just meet you...wherever it is we’re going.”

“No, I’ll drive,” Eddie hastily responded, chastising himself for not having thought of the issue beforehand. He should just call it all off, he thought, pretend like he was just joking about the date so that he could start afresh on another day. “I can drop you back home as well or...back here or wherever you want.”

You smiled at Eddie’s flustered state. “Okay.”

When you rounded the side of Eddie’s van you startled slightly as Eddie rushed forwards, grabbing the handle of the door before you had a chance to and swiftly opening it. The action was oddly touching as he gestured for you to hop inside.

“So where are we going?” you asked after you and Eddie were both situated inside the van.

“Well I thought we could maybe...get some milkshakes. And I rented a few movies so we could go back to mine and watch one if you’d like.” Eddie hadn’t realised how suggestive the words sounded until they fell from his mouth and lingered awkwardly in the air between you. “O-or we could just stick with the milkshakes. Or none of it if you don’t want.”

It sounded underwhelming now that Eddie said it out loud and he wished that he could have taken you to a fancy restaurant or a fancy bar or to anywhere that was slightly more highbrow than an old diner at the edge of town. He looked away from you, slightly embarrassed and half expecting you to simply get right back out of the car and leave. He wouldn’t blame you if you did.

“Ugh, you read my mind!” 

Eddie’s head whipped back up to look at you, wholeheartedly surprised to find you smiling widely.

“I was craving a milkshake all shift.”

A wide smile broke out onto Eddie’s face, his confidence somewhat renewed as he turned the key in the ignition and backed out of the carpark. The drive was quiet, a mixtape that Eddie had made playing softly through the speakers. And although it was quiet, it was nice to simply revel in each other’s company, the windows rolled down so that Eddie found himself sneaking glances towards you as the wind drifted through your hair.

The diner was deserted when you arrived, and Eddie couldn’t quite tell whether that fact made him nervous or relieved. The waitress was different to the one that had greeted you so warmly the other day, but she smiled widely and offered you a small wave nonetheless as she looked up to the chime of the bell above the door.

Eddie followed behind you as you took a seat within the same booth the two of you had sat at last time. The leather of the seat squeaked beneath him as he shuffled in opposite you, a wide smile spread across your lips as you eagerly looked down at the menu. Eddie couldn’t quite help himself from admiring you as you did so; the way your hair fell slightly in front of your face, the way you were so unperturbed by the fact that he had taken you to a diner for your first date.

When he heard the faint rumble of your stomach, he couldn’t stop the snicker that left his lips in time, your cheeks instantly reddening.

“I...um,” you stuttered. “I didn’t have time to eat lunch so-”

“Get whatever you want,” he responded softly, hoping that you knew that the smile he wore upon his lips was one of adoration.

Before you had time to respond the waitress had appeared at the end of the table, an expectant smile upon her features as she held a pen and pad before her.

“Can I get you guys anything?” she asked cheerily.

Eddie noticed the way you whipped your head back down to the menu, frantically scanning each item and their description.

“I’ll get a triple chocolate fudge milkshake and...” Eddie paused, pretending to peruse the menu to try and give you more time to decide. “And a cheeseburger, please.”

The waitress’s pen began moving across the pad.

“I’ll get...um...the...um,” you hesitated. “Actually, I’ll just get a cheeseburger as well, please.”

The waitress nodded, smiled, and then left.

“No milkshake?” Eddie asked.

“I thought you said last time that we would share.”

A wide smile broke out onto Eddie’s lips at your remembering of such a fleeting statement. It caused something warm to erupt within him, something that had his smile somehow growing and something that had him wishing that he had taken the seat beside you instead, if only he could sit just a little bit closer to you.

“Ah, yes, how could I forget?”

The two of you shared a smile.

“So how’s your song writing for the competition coming along?” you asked.

Eddie was starting not to like how the conversation always seemed to shift back to the competition whenever he talked with you. It made him feel like that was the only thing that the two of you shared in common. It made him feel like he wasn’t getting to know you as much as he so wanted to. But most of all, it made him feel like absolute shit for the sole reason that it would remind him of that stupid conversation he had had with his bandmates on that rainy night in his trailer.

“I’ve got a few songs in the works, but nothing that’s finished,” was all Eddie said, racking his brain for ways to change the subject.

“You should show me when we go back to yours to watch the movie. Maybe I could help.”

Eddie didn’t quite know what to say.

Because he had altogether forgotten that he had invited you over; that you would be in his trailer with him watching a movie that he already knew he wouldn’t be able to pay attention to. Because the thought of you perched lazily upon his couch, maybe a popcorn bowl sat on your lap, had now invaded his mind and was seemingly determined to stay there. Because the thought of you reading over the lyrics he had written and critiquing it had his palms sweating and his heart beginning to race. Because, mostly, the thought of you sitting down and helping him finish the lyrics he had begun would solidify the scheme.

Up until that point the tips you had given him had always been in passing. And whilst he had committed all of them to memory to implement into his songs later, it was almost as if, now that you had actually offered to properly help him, his betrayal was all the more real.

He was going to tell you, he decided. Tell you everything from the very beginning and just hope that you didn’t hate his guts afterwards. That was what you deserved, the truth, even if it was going to ruin whatever it was that had been blossoming between the two of you.

But then when he looked upon you, altogether realising that he had been silent for too long and the air between you was growing awkward, the words would not form within his mouth. This was so very nice, you being there with him, and Eddie couldn’t quite bring himself to ruin that.

“Okay,” he eventually managed to get out, hating himself a little bit more as he did so.  

He could tell that you had picked up on his change in demeanour; your head titled to the side, your brows slightly furrowed. But then the waitress was back, holding the cheeseburgers and the milkshake, and Eddie found himself letting out a small sigh of relief as your attention instead turned to the food that was placed before you.

A wide smile broke out onto Eddie’s lips at the sheer excitement that engulfed your features as you hastily shoved a chip into your mouth. You moaned at the taste, the sound heavenly to Eddie’s ears as his smile only continued to grow.

The two of you ate in silence, Eddie only picking at his food, the knot that had begun to form in his stomach making it tough to swallow much. You ate your burger in its entirety, practically licking the plate clean until it was just the milkshake that sat between you. Neither of you had touched it, the two straws sticking up from its centre somehow taunting you. In the end, the both of you leaned forwards at the same moment to take a sip, meeting in the middle as you each grabbed a straw. It was mesmerising, being this close to you now as Eddie found his gaze captivated within your own. You offered him a shy smile as you both took a sip, your faces only inches apart.

When Eddie pulled away it was with hesitation, already yearning to smell your perfume once more. He leaned back into his seat, trying to act nonchalant when his racing heart and raging blush said otherwise.

“So what films did you rent for us to pick from?” you enquired, leaning forwards to take another sip from the milkshake.

“Well the first one I got was Top Gun,” Eddie said.

“They have that on tape already? I swear I only just saw that at the movies.”

“What did you think about it? Like it enough to watch it again?”

“Nah it wasn’t my favourite.”

Eddie, who had been halfway through taking a sip of the milkshake, nearly spat it out in disgust.

“What was wrong with it?” There was more aggression in his voice than he had been expecting causing a wide smile to spread across your features as you stifled a laugh.

“What was the actual plot of that movie?” you questioned.

“I-it’s about the value of friendship and of one man’s valiant battle in winning respect among his superiors and-”

“No but if you look at the actual break down of the plot most of it makes no real sense. In the beginning Maverick is this cocky pilot who doesn’t listen to orders and always gets in trouble. Even when he gets into TOPGUN he still doesn’t listen to his superiors and fucks up a bunch because of it. And then when Goose dies it’s the most pivotal moment in the movie and when I watched it I thought ‘this is where Maverick is really going to change as a protagonist’. But Goose dying is in no way Maverick’s fault so there’s no lesson to learn from his death which basically makes Goose’s death pointless in the scheme of the movie and-”

Eddie smiled as he watched you ramble. He liked this, he realised, talking about pointless shit with you; even if your opinion was so wholeheartedly wrong. It felt easy and comfortable and altogether quite homely in a way he had not felt in some time.

“I cannot sit here and listen to you smear Goose’s name through the mud,” Eddie said, dramatically shuffling out of the booth before coming to stand at the end of it. You looked up at him, something close to surprise covering your features as Eddie leaned down, grabbed your hand within his and began pulling you out of the seat.

“I’m going to make you rewatch it and I shall enlighten you as to why it is a fantastic movie.”

A laugh erupted from your throat as you came to stand before Eddie, and for just a moment Eddie found himself incapable of looking at anything else. He could listen to your laugh for eternity, he thought, and he was quite certain he would never get bored of hearing it. Walking down to the counter, Eddie couldn’t quite help but smile at the fact that you had not pulled your hand away from his, your fingers still entwined. So he was very much taken aback to find that after he had left a few notes upon the counter to cover the cost of your meals, your touch had suddenly vanished.

“No no no,” you said as you remained by the counter, rifling through your bag until you procured your purse. “I’ll pay for my half.”

“Ah, no you won’t,” Eddie said, trying to grasp your hand once more to pull you out of the diner. You evaded his grip as you fished around for some money, the waitress having begun to make her way over to the both of you.

“Yes, I will. You said we were going for milkshakes and I had a whole burger so I’ll pay for-”

“Oh my god, is that Freddie Mercury?!” Eddie suddenly exclaimed, gasping as he pointed out of one of the window.

Eddie knew that the turning of your head was purely from instinct rather than anything else. He also knew that his window of opportunity in which you were distracted was altogether quite fleeting. So without thinking he bent down, wrapped his arms around your waist and lifted, rushing as quickly as he could towards the door with you now held securely against his chest.

“Eddie!” you screamed, the wide smile evident in your voice as laughter escaped from your throat.

“Quickly, we’ll miss him!” Eddie exclaimed, ignoring you as you beat down half-heartedly on his grip around your waist.

It was only once he had successfully gotten you outside that he finally put you down, laughter erupting from both of you as the sound filled the empty carpark. You clenched your hand into a fist and swung up to hit Eddie on the shoulder, unable to hide your smile as he dramatically threw himself backwards in an act of pain.

“You’re such a dufus,” you said between breaths.

You were close now, closer than either of you realised as your breathing began to return to a normal pace. The silence of the carpark was deafening now as you continued to stare up at Eddie and as he continued to stare back.

“Well I’m a dufus who wants to treat his girl right.”

His girl.

Those two words had your breath hitching in your throat and your heart racing and your palms beginning to sweat. Those two words had you itching to reach up and pull Eddie’s lips down to yours and simultaneously wanting to turn right around and sprint away in the opposite direction.

Those two words scared the hell out of you, but in the best way possible.

“Now we’ve got a movie to watch, and I have an opinion to change,” Eddie continued, his form leaving your side as he made his way over to the van and promptly opened the passenger door for you.

With a smile, you took his proffered hand and climbed inside.

His girl.

 

---

 

Eddie’s trailer was almost exactly like how you had pictured it to be; slightly messy, slightly chaotic and entirely homely.

And whilst there was the slight smell of weed that lingered within the air and whilst there were still rings of condensation on the coffee table and a precariously stacked pile of dishes in the sink, it was still obviously clear that Eddie had cleaned before your arrival. Cushions and pillows were placed carefully in the corners of the couch and there was the scent of Febreze mingling in with the weed. The thought brought a soft smile to your features.

Although the trailer was Eddie’s home he seemed remarkably out of place as the two of you entered, his hands flying from the pockets of his jeans to the roots of his hair before they came to rest crossed upon his chest. It was clear that he was watching you as you watched the room, and so you turned back towards him and offered him a smile that you hoped would clear the awkwardness that had begun to grow around you.

“I’ve got some popcorn if you wanted me to cook that before we put the movie on,” Eddie said, his voice slightly wobbly. He cleared his throat, trying against all hope to compose himself, not altogether too sure as to why the sight of you within his home made him so nervous in the first place.

“Okay,” you said. “But I thought you were going to show me that song.”

Eddie stilled.

He had so wished that you would forget about it; that he could get through this date without any more mention of the competition or song writing so that maybe he could pretend that this date was a date and nothing more. That there had never been any ulterior motive for wanting to spend time with you. But from the expectant look upon your face, Eddie knew that he could not avoid the topic without the transition in conversation seeming unnatural.  

“Y-yeah, of course,” Eddie said, his voice slightly softer than he had intended.

With each step that Eddie took towards his room and with each step that you followed, something began twisting in the pit of his stomach. Eddie was not one to get nervous very often, but now, having you in his home eagerly awaiting to read something he had written, it was as if he couldn’t quite get his nervous system under control. Eddie had never done cocaine—had, in truth, never done anything harder than ketamine—but he was quite sure that what he was feeling in that moment must feel similar.

But then there was you, strolling quite happily down his hallway, completely unaware to the wreck that Eddie was slowly becoming in front of you. He wanted to stop, he wanted to turn around and he wanted to lead you towards the tv and put on a stupid movie. He wanted to maybe drape a blanket over the both of you and he wanted to pretend to yawn as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders and he wanted to entwine his fingers in yours if you would let him.

But then he was swinging his door open and leading you inside to where he had thankfully had the foresight to at least make his bed even though he had not expected you to ever venture this far into his trailer. You were smiling softly up at him as he turned around to face you, still just as excited and just as expectant to see his work as you had been back at the diner.

“I like how you’ve hung up your guitar,” you said absentmindedly, walking further into the room to inspect where it was hanging upon the wall. And although Eddie was perfectly well aware that you knew your way around a guitar, although he was quite positive that you would treat his guitar with as much care as you did with yours, he still couldn’t quite help himself as he leaned over you and plucked the instrument off the wall before your outstretched hand could touch it. The action happened so quickly that at first Eddie’s shocked expression mirrored your own. He thought for just a moment that he had offended you, that you would turn right back around and leave his trailer without another word. But then you were leaning your head back, a laugh escaping from your throat.

Eddie breathed out a sigh.

“Someone’s touchy,” you teased, reaching out with your index finger to try and lay it just once upon the guitar. Eddie, a wide smile now upturning his lips, pulled it away once more.

“I can never be too careful around the competition.”

“You’re putting some ideas in my head now, Munson.”

Eddie let out a slight chuckle as he threw himself backwards upon his bed, strumming lazily upon the strings of his guitar. His eyes flickered over to you as you wandered about his room, lazily glancing over every surface until your eyes became transfixed upon his shelves.

“You’ve got quite the collection here,” you said with a whistle as you flicked through the multitude of records that sat stacked upon the shelf. “Why do you have two of the same album?”

Eddie’s eyebrows shot upwards as you pulled out one of his two copies of Master of Puppets, desperately trying to rack his brain for any kind of explanation. The truth would sound too stalkerish, he was quite sure.

“Oh, wait, this one’s scratched.”

Eddie shot upwards.

“You scratched my record?” he exclaimed.

“No! It was scratched when I picked it up.”

“I cannot believe you scratched my record.”

You opened your mouth to defend yourself once more, but upon turning to look at Eddie, you found his lips upturned in a taunting smile. With a roll of your eyes, you turned your head away in an attempt to hide your own smile, placing the record back upon the shelf before returning to your perusal. Eddie’s gaze returned back to his guitar, his fingers plucking the strings absentmindedly.

“Do you have anything that’s not metal?”

“Why would I need anything that’s not metal?” Eddie asked back.

“For some variety. Do you not get bored listening to this stuff all the tim–oh my god.”

Eddie whipped his head up to look at you as a shocked gasp fell from your lips, his eyes scanning your figure hurriedly in search of whatever had pained you. But instead, you simply turned back around to face him slowly.

“I knew it,” you said. Eddie furrowed his brows. “I knew you were hiding something from me.”

Eddie’s eyes went wide.

You knew the truth.

Although how you had come across it he wasn’t altogether too sure, for he was quite positive that there was nothing within the shelves of his records that would have led you back to the plan. Eddie’s heart began to race now, his hands sweating as he gripped his guitar so tightly his knuckles began to go white. He needed to provide you with an explanation, he knew, or at least an apology. But suddenly his mouth had gone completely dry, and he was quite positive that if he attempted to speak nothing would come out.

But then your lips were upturning into a wide smile and Eddie could do nothing other than continue to stare back at you, now thoroughly confused.

“You’re a Neil Diamond fan,” you said, procuring a record from his shelf.

Eddie let out a sigh and had to refrain from bringing his hands up to rub at his eyes, all the tension and stress leaving his body all at once. If you noticed, you didn’t say anything as you turned your attention back to his shelf.

“Oh my god!” you said again. “Billy Joel too?”

At the sight of your sheer excitement, Eddie couldn’t quite stop the small smile that returned to his lips.

“They’re my uncles,” Eddie said.

“And yet they’re in your room.”

“I promise you I have never once listened to those records.”

“Well then your missing out because your uncle has got some good taste.”

You returned the Neil Diamond record back to the shelf and pulled the Billy Joel one from its casing, practically skipping over to Eddie’s record player before placing the record gently down onto the turntable.

“No,” Eddie said, jumping up from the bed and following you. “If we’re listening to music it’s not going to be Billy Joel.”

But a song had already begun playing and your hips had already begun swaying and so Eddie found himself quite incapable of following through with his intentions, too transfixed by the sight of you dancing within his bedroom. The song was slow, one that Eddie was unfamiliar with although that came as no surprise. But then, as the vocals began, Eddie found his breath hitching in his throat at the sound of your voice filling the room too.

“Don't go changing to try and please me

You never let me down before, mmm

Don't imagine you're too familiar

And I don't see you anymore.”

Seemingly as if it were moving of its own volition, Eddie watched as his hand came up to outstretch before him, reaching to grasp your hand within his own. He half expected you to pull away, but you didn’t as you allowed him to slot his fingers in between yours. You turned to face him, a soft smile directed up at him, before Eddie pulled you gently into him. The action was slow as the both of you began to sway to the music, something thick and palpable growing in the air between you.

You were close now, so very close that Eddie couldn’t quite seem to stop his gaze from flickering down to your lips. It would be so easy to just lean forwards, he thought, for the space between you now was practically non-existent. But he didn’t, too busy revelling in the sight of you like this before him. So the two of you continued to sway as Billy Joel continued to sing, and when you shifted your head to lay upon Eddie’s chest, never stopping in your motions, Eddie thought it likely that his heart might explode. He closed his eyes, not quite believing that this was all real.

But then the song was coming to an end and your warmth was suddenly leaving him as you pulled away. He opened his eyes and followed you as you walked over and perched yourself upon the bed.

“So let’s here this song you’re struggling with.”

Eddie thought he must have done something wrong. But then there was the sight of your familiar smile being directed right at him and he felt the anxiety in his chest ease slightly.

Eddie thought about lying; maybe saying that he had forgotten the lyrics or that it was more a single chord progression than an actual song. But then he turned to look down towards you—a soft smile curving your lips, your hair falling slightly in front of your face—and he found the lies dying upon his lips. So instead he reluctantly made his way over to his chest of drawers to where a series of stray pieces of paper were scattered haphazardly across the surface. Old receipts, napkins, torn off pages of books had all been vandalised in his messy handwriting. He had thought about cleaning the space before your arrival, but the space was an organised mess that worked quite well in collating Eddie’s song ideas and so he hadn’t been able to bring himself to move anything around.

He rifled through the papers before his hand came to rest upon an old school quiz, lyrics written lazily within the margins. It wasn’t anywhere near how neat Eddie imagined your notebook to be, and so found himself growing quite embarrassed as he eventually handed the paper over to you before reclaiming his place upon the bed once more and laid down.

In an attempt to fixate his gaze anywhere but on you as you read, Eddie fixated his eyes upon the ceiling as he brought his guitar up once more and began strumming at the strings.

“This is really good, Eddie.”

The sincerity in your voice warmed him.

“Can you play it for me?”

Eddie stilled.

He had played so many concerts in front of so many people and had barely batted an eye. But now, here, in front of you, Eddie couldn’t quite fathom plucking the strings of his guitar and singing into the empty air that sat between you. His hands began to sweat, his grip upon his guitar tightening as his breathing grew ragged. But then as he turned to look at you with your kind eyes and your gentle smile and your calming presence, Eddie felt his nerves melt away, his fingers dancing across the strings seemingly of their own volition until he was playing the opening notes of the song.

“Eighteen, crazy

Pulled up in your daddy’s car

You wanna move in with me

Guess we’re off to a heavy start.”

As Eddie played—his back laying against the mattress of his bed, his guitar perched across his stomach, his gaze fixated anywhere but on you—he felt you shuffle slightly from where you had been sitting upon the edge of the bed. You grew closer now as you mimicked Eddie’s positioning and laid down next to him, the mattress dipping slightly. Eddie kept his gaze upon the ceiling, knowing that if he turned to look at you he would not be able to look away. But his attempts were in vain as the shadow of your smile became visible in his peripheral vision and he found his head turning towards you anyway.

“So if you wanna piss off your parents

Date me to scare them

Show them you’re all grown up.”

Eddie found himself quite thankful that he had gotten no further in writing the chorus for he was quite sure that if he had continued to sing as his gaze landed upon you his voice would have surely cracked. For there you were lying next to him in his bed; an image that had only ever been real in the depths of his mind. And you were so very close to him now, the heat emanating off of your skin warming his body slightly, the smell of your perfume completely engulfing him.

“It’s…um…it’s better with the drums and bass and…stuff,” Eddie whispered into the silence that sat between you.

“I think it’s really good already.”

Eddie thought as he stared at you that if he inclined his head and leaned forwards just slightly—an action that would in theory take no effort at all—his lips would be on yours. They would be soft, he was quite positive as his gaze flickered down to them, so soft that he felt like nipping and sucking at them until they were swollen from his ministrations.

“I like it like this anyway,” you continued.

Eddie’s gaze flicked back up to your eyes, a raging blush erupting onto his cheeks as he swiftly turned his head away to hide it, pretending to instead look down at his guitar.

“What do you mean?”

“I like your voice like this. Without all the drums and guitars and loudness that you hide behind.”

“I don’t hide behind loudness.”

“Well it’s still nice to hear your voice properly,” you said, and Eddie could feel himself blushing at the compliment. “Is that as far as you’ve gotten with the chorus?”

“Ugh, yeah. I’ve tried a couple different lines but nothing seems to be fitting quite right.”

“Play me the beginning again.”

Eddie hesitated as you suddenly jumped up from where you had been laying, leaning down to rifle through your bag. You procured the black notebook that Eddie often saw in your possession, and a pen along with it before you returned to the space next to him, motioning for Eddie to play. So he plucked at the strings and hummed along where he should have sung, not altogether trusting his voice as his blush persisted.

“Play the next two counts of four.”

Eddie did as he was told, distracted slightly as you began scribbling away hastily.

“Okay now play them altogether.”

Eddie began to pluck at the strings and found himself becoming wholeheartedly surprised as you began to sing the lyrics he had just sung. The sound of his words upon your tongue sounded so very heavenly that Eddie felt something stir within him, something that he could not allow himself to acknowledge lying down so close to you. He pushed the thought from his mind, trying to regain focus, until he began to play past the lyrics he had written and realised that you were still singing.

“If long hair and tattoos are what attract you

Baby then you’re in luck.”

The smile that spread across Eddie’s face was wide, paired with a slight chuckle that escaped from his throat. When he turned back to look at you an equally wide smile was mirrored upon across your lips.

“What inspired those lyrics?” Eddie asked teasingly.

“Oh, you know, just this guy I know.”

Eddie’s eyes flickered down to your lips once more, slightly mesmerised by the smile that continued to grow there.

“Play the rest of the chorus. We can finish this thing.”

“Okay okay,” Eddie said, laughing at your eagerness.

Eddie plucked the chords for the rest of the chorus before he turned his gaze away from his guitar and back to you. Your brows were furrowed now, your face contorted into a look of concentration as you hummed the tune back to yourself over and over. Eddie played the chords once more, turning his mind to the lyrics before he found his own voice filling the room.

“And I know it’s just a phase

You’re not in love with me.

You wanna piss off your parents, baby

Piss off your parents, that’s alright with me.”

Eddie smiled to himself, laughing slightly at the lyrics. He liked the song, liked how funny it was and how much it had made the boys laugh when he had showed it to them. But then he was turning back to face you once more only to find that your smile had vanished. Your face was slightly serious now, and Eddie wasn’t altogether too sure why.

“What’s this song about, Eddie?”

The question was a simple one, and yet Eddie found himself wanting to change the topic. Because of course you had seen past the layers of humour he had infused into the song. Of course you had seen past the joking lyrics to what lied beneath them; a part of himself that he had hidden away a long time ago.

The comfortable air had changed between you now, something thick and heavy taking its place instead. Eddie thought about lying, about passing the song off as just the joke that he had intended it to be. But somehow he knew that you would see past that as well, that you would always see past the lies and the jokes until there was just him and all of his tainted self laid out bare before you.

“Artists always write songs about love,” Eddie found himself saying, his voice less firm than he had wanted it to be. He turned his gaze up to the ceiling, wishing that he could not feel the heat of your stare as you listened intently. “But I’ve never…” Eddie paused, composing himself. “I’ve never had anything like that before.”

Eddie heard the shuffle of your arm as it moved closer towards him, felt the soft touch of your fingers as they entwined with his. Something in his chest eased slightly as the warmth of your skin washed over him, the callouses on the pads of your fingers mirroring his own in a way that was so oddly comforting.

“In high school I would get so excited whenever anyone would show any kind of attention to me. There were a few times when girls would flirt with me for a while and then they would invite me over to their place or they would want to come here, and we would…you know.” Eddie couldn’t say it out loud. “And then when were done they would get changed and then they would tell me to never tell a soul what we did.”

Eddie felt your hand squeeze his gently and he braved a look towards you. Your eyes were so soft as they met his, so patient and gentle that for just a moment Eddie felt like crying.

“It’s not great for the confidence having people so repulsed by you that they won’t even be seen in public with you.”

“Well then they’re missing out.” Eddie felt a small smile tug at the corner of his lips.

But the air was still slightly awkward now as neither of you quite knew what to say. Taking in a deep breath, concentrating on the way that Eddie’s hand was holding your own so very firmly, your voice filled the room.

“Do you remember when I told you that I steal the stories in my songs from other people’s lives?”

Eddie nodded, barely allowing himself to breath as your gaze flickered away from his. He didn’t quite know how the both of you had ended up like this; spilling parts of yourselves you had not uttered to anyone in years. But in a weird way he kind of liked it. He would be lying if he said that telling you about his past hadn’t eased a weight from his shoulders. He would also be lying if he said he hadn’t been immensely intrigued by the allusions Robin and Steve had made about your own past. The thought made him feel slightly repulsed by himself, but he did not stop you as you continued.

“Well that’s because my run-ins with relationships have all been very…fake.”

Eddie wanted to tell you to stop if you so wished, wanted to tell you that it wasn’t necessary that you share something deep just because he had. But then as he looked upon you, your gaze still fixed to the ceiling, he realised that maybe you were feeling the very same relief that he had just felt at having shared something that had been buried for so long. So he decided to just listen as you continued.

“The first time anyone ever asked me out was in freshman year.” Your voice was soft now and far too timid for Eddie’s liking. “It was a guy in the year above me who was on the basketball team, so of course I said yes. We were supposed to go to Olive Garden for dinner and so I showed up and I waited and I waited but he never came.” Eddie squeezed your hand in what he hoped was a reassuring way. “Turns out he’d only asked me out on a bet. Apparently the basketball team had a bet going to see who could get a date with a freshman the quickest.”

Eddie felt a rage so intense and so powerful erupt within him. He wanted to find the entirety of that basketball team and connect his fist repeatedly with their faces. He wanted to pin them down and make them hurt just as they had made you hurt. But just as Eddie had been about to offer whatever semblance of reassurance that he could, you continued.

“And then in sophomore year Tommy H asked me out and I stupidly said yes again. We watched a movie at his house but before we had even gotten through the first scene his hand was trying to get down my pants. So I left and the next day he had told everyone that I had shown up to his house uninvited and blown him in the doorway. I didn’t even know he had a girlfriend until Carol was throwing a drink in my face.”

Eddie so wished that he could do something to ease the pain so evidently written across your features. He wished that he could do anything other than simply continue to hold your hand, completely at a loss for how to do anything to comfort you. He felt entirely useless within that moment, and he loathed himself for it.

When you eventually turned your gaze back to Eddie he felt his breath hitching within his throat. Something had changed between you now, something that made the air just a little bit more breathable, a little bit more comfortable. Your gaze was intense as it bore into his, seeing him in a way he had not been seen in so long. For just a moment he felt like turning away from you. But he didn’t. Instead he held your gaze for as long as he could, moving his head infinitesimally closer to yours until your lips were inches apart.

He could feel you now; the heat emanating from your skin, the electricity in your touch as his hand still remained firmly in your grasp. His eyes danced across your features, drinking in the sight of you like this before him, so breathtakingly beautiful that if Eddie were to suddenly wake up from a dream, he would not be altogether surprised. He drunk in the soft curve of your lips and the line of your jaw and the glimmer in your eyes. Your breath was hot against his cheek now, the feeling oddly comforting.

Without thinking, Eddie brought his hand up to tuck a strand of your hair back behind your ear, his fingers brushing against your cheek as he did so. You shivered slightly at his touch, revelling in the soft caress of his skin against yours. His hand lingered upon the curve of your jaw, holding you there so gently that you closed your eyes at the touch.

He didn’t deserve you, Eddie thought to himself, not like this. He didn’t deserve the way your lips curved slightly upwards as you leaned into him further, he didn’t deserve the way his heart seemed to flutter at the realisation that this was all real. Because after everything that you had told him, after you had essentially put your heart onto a platter and entrusted it within his grasp, he was still withholding something from you. He wished that he could erase that conversation he had had in his trailer on that rainy night. He wished he could go back in time and kick himself for ever having agreed to such a stupid plan.

You deserved the truth, and Eddie knew that he had to give it to you. You would hate him, he was quite sure. You would get up and leave and he would be left behind still lying upon his bed completely still as he tried to remember this moment when you had been his for just a second. Eddie breathed in deeply, trying to burn this moment into his memory forever before he ruined it all.

“Eddie,” you whispered into the silence that sat between you, your voice entirely breathless.

“Yes?” he breathed back, quite grateful that you had spoken first for it served to prolong the moment if only slightly.

“Do you remember the song I sang at the last round of the competition?”

“Yes,” he breathed again, unable to stop the smile from upturning his lips.

“It wasn’t about Robin.”

Kiss her you fool.

Eddie wished that he had found the strength to pull away from you in that moment, just like he had managed to do back in his van after the party. But that moment felt like a lifetime ago, and Eddie could not quite fathom how he had accomplished such a feat when you were right here before him, baring all of yourself.

So in the end, he barely even hesitated as he traversed the distance that still sat between you and connected his lips to yours. In that moment he hated himself more than he ever had before, but he could not quite manage to regret his actions. For you were so warm and soft and breathtakingly delicious as your hand left his grasp and instead came up to tangle within his hair, your other hand cupping the back of his neck as you tried to pull him impossibly closer.

The kiss was slow at first, the both of you tentatively mapping the other out. It was hesitant and cautious and entirely breathtaking. He had been right, Eddie realised, your lips were so impossibly soft against his. Eddie brought one hand up to clutch at your waist, needing to feel you completely against him. You smiled slightly against his lips at the action, tangling your legs within his.

And then, slowly, the kiss became more heated. There was a hunger now that consumed the both of you, something that made you want to devour each other. You were the one to deepen the kiss first, and Eddie couldn’t quite help himself from moaning at your taste. With one hand still fixed firmly to your waist, the other cupping your face, Eddie pulled you somehow closer into him until he was suspending himself above you, your chests pressed together in such a way that he was quite sure you could feel the rapid beating of his heart.

He thought it quite likely that he could spend forever with you in that moment even though his lungs had begun to burn quite painfully and he was starting to get slightly lightheaded. The thought oddly terrified him, for he could not seem to pull away from you.

In the end, it was you who had to pull away first, and whilst Eddie found himself swallowing a disappointed groan, he was altogether quite grateful for the action as he inhaled deeply. He kept his head pressed against your forehead however, unwilling to let your touch leave him completely.

The sight of you panting beneath him stirred something in Eddie that he dared not acknowledge. He wanted nothing more than to connect his lips with your neck, trailing his kisses downwards, covering every square inch of you. He wanted to lift his shirt off and feel the slight callouses of your fingertips run along his skin. He wanted to kiss you anywhere that you would let him, touch you anywhere that you would let him until it was only you that he could feel, only you that he could hear, only you that he could taste.

But he would not allow himself to indulge in such pleasures; not whilst he continued to run away from the truth that you deserved to know.

So he pulled away, and he continued to pull away until there was just the sweet voice of Billy Joel masking the sound of your panting.

“But she'll bring out the best and the worst you can be

Blame it all on yourself 'cause she's always a woman to me.”

---

Songs Used:

- Just The Way You Are by Billy Joel

- 18 by Anabor

- She's Always A Woman To Me by Billy Joel

---

Taglist:

@alicetweven​ @juggernort @theh3aven​ @manamitoyota​ @mimiluvsualot​ @cherrypieyourface​ @kaqua​ @c0untryclub​ @goldencherriess​ @emotionaldreamer​ @givemethesleep​ @milkiane​ @miscreantsnopossoms​ @legendaryfestsoul-blog​

Series Taglist

@grungegrrrl​ @thirddeadlysin​ @boomitsallie1​ @renaroo123​ @wordsthatwaterflowersinyoursoul​ @annnnn91​ @bakugouswh0r3​ @aivilovio​ @wannabewiedzma​

[camille-lachenille]

I was looking for one (1) thing in the big box I privately call ‘random shit’, ended up emptying it entirely because of my terrible ADHD organising system (aka complete chaos) and found a forgotten hyperfixation from three years ago!

I had entirely forgotten about these ladies (Playmobil collectibles series 19) I spent way more money than I care to admit on. They all have names marked on the collection sheet and I know I had backstories for every one of them.

Anyways, from top to bottom and left to right:

Sophia (She went to the Olympics, I think. Probably worked at the Cirque du Soleil at some point.)

Josette (her story involved winning a local weight lifting competition, if I remember correctly. She’s one of those aggressively ‘healthy’ people)

Régine (she had some serious shit happening to her, and turned mad scientist/shady researcher for a secret organisation. She probably wants to take over the world)

Rebecca (She engaged in the airforce to piss off her parents, and she’s super skilled with engines)

Suzanne (Soon to be single-mum, she has a booktube channel.)

Aliénor (she’s a wandering minstrel trying to make a living out of her passion. She can and will kick your ass if you try to mess with her.)

Joséphine (I think she was a siren. Or a Fae. Anyways, she’s a not entirely human creature who made some deal for power and has a lot of scheming going on under her pretty looks. She’s also married to Régine, or divorced, or they have a complicated love-hate relationship idk.)

Mary (Named after Mary Read. She is Mary Read. She is very much bisexual. She would kill me if I tried to donate her.)

Minnie (Sorceress constantly on the verge of burnout. She’s probably lesbian.)

Here’s what I remember about them, more or less, and it made me just so happy to find my cool ladies collection again! Like, this little rush of dopamine from a long dormant Special Interest!

[mariusroyale]

Comic Papyrus

- wears heelies bc to sans it’s funny and to papyrus it’s cool as fuck

- oh u thought those guys broke physics? this dude does not follow any law of physics at all

- big boy skelebro

- like. BIG. taller than papyrus

- loves himself bc as a fusion he’s an embodiment of their relationship

- chaos. but like if you organised it

- sometimes unfuses when one of them is going thru some shit

- when unstable their voice splits in two! but most of the time it’s one (still have yet to choose a voice for this guy)

- loves to do practical jokes on people

- having sans’ enjoyment of messing with people and papyrus’ love for puzzles n japes he often fucks around with people

- laughs like both of them

- flexible!

- loves and is super good at dodging and doing flips!!

- makes jokes that he then realises are not great

- swears a bit lol

- hella tough!!

- very controlled with his magic

- better hp than sans but less than papyrus’

but marius that’s not what skulls look like from the side- bold of u to assume i care

nah but i tried drawing his face from the side like how skulls actually look. hated it

marius that’s not how you draw forearms and legs- shhhhhh…… i am lazy……

so i stuck with this. plus, not only do i like it better but i feel like it’s fitting bc when do these guys make sense. ever

parts of their design and actual fusion were v much inspired by undertalethingems, half-a-life-left and classic comic papyrus (moofrog) so kudos to them! ur art (and fics) made me wanna make this boi

[basicallyahedgehog]

@ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm I couldn’t leave this in comments! This is such a fun question!

My first instinct was that Draco would be the over organised one with the routes planned out and way more gear than they will ever need, but I think it would actually be Harry. Because neither of them have ever been on a road trip (unless you count the insanity that was the Dursley’s running from Harry’s letters) and it has to be Perfect because this is also the first time Draco has travelled in the Muggle world and what if Harry gets something wrong and Draco hates it? What if he realises that Harry is a mess and decides he isn’t worth it. (Draco affectionately clips Harry around the back of the head and assures him that they could sleep in a swamp with no change of clothes and he’d be happy.)

I think Draco is definitely the one who would argue with security staff. Because no, they chose those seats because that is Harry’s favourite number and Harry was so excited about a window seat and don’t they know what this boy has been through?? And Harry is mortified and just wants to do whatever the staff say and avoid a scene and Draco is all “I know those muggles taught you that you don’t deserve good things but you do and row seven is YOURS dammit”

They get it.

I think they’d eat at dodgy road stops and have picnics in parks with fresh bread from the little bakery in the tiny town they passed through two hours back. Because Draco grew up only eating in fussy restaurants and Harry never got to choose his food at all and this is a way for them to reclaim their youth and just eat whatever greasy, questionable sausage roll they can buy from a guy named Dave one day, and soft fluffy bread with fresh preserves from the farmers market outside their B&B the next.

After one experience with airplane food draco does insist on eating a “proper meal” at the airport cafe first, and then stuffs Harry’s backpack with sandwiches and chip packets from the overpriced airport convenience store because he knows Harry gets hungry at the weirdest times but won’t tell him. In turn Harry buys a stupid amount of chocolate bars and the biggest bottle of iced coffee he can get for Draco because the plane snacks are never enough for his sweet tooth.

This was so super fun to think about, thanks lovely friend!!

Ask me anything to fill my travel day!!

[barbiegirldream]

ouch yeah the difference between comics and movies is what created the rift on how civil war is perceived by the audience. like in the comics it was very blatant commentary since if i remember correctly the talking points were fascist and the main target were mutants for simply being born like that and it was deeply fucked up to put them on any kind of register/list because again nazi rhetoric obvious even to a complete idiot. but the movies had a lot of problems to transfer this idea, mainly i think because of:

a) no mutants, already bad plot change since the mutants were literally the main point of it all, beings simply wanting to exist in peace because they were born like that. they changed it into superheroes being the main target but the thing is with mutants it was literal blatant fascism but here the waters were muddied because none of the avengers were born like that, which brings to point

b) the avengers and mcu as a whole were trying really hard to be realistic and gritty and when you go full realism, yeah country sovereignity and oversight of powerful organisations are common and expected. when the writers tried to make it based on our reality they wrote themselves into a corner, because yeah no shit the avengers would be fucking hated to hell and back if they were real, they do whatever the fuck they want with zero oversight and no respect for any law of any country. when in the comics mutants were treated horribly even as babies then the discrimination is very in your face and no sane person would agree but when a team of random people have the power of several nukes combined in a story that hopelessly clings to realism? no sane person would say "yeah sure leave them unchecked, i trust this group of strange unstable people to never do anything bad or destructive"

have no idea if my ideas make sense im sorry i might be blabering but this was the thing that has been bothering me for a while like yeah obviously comics address real life issues all the time through smart storytelling but the mcu movies are simply not smart enough for that they just fuck everything up . idk how to explain it better but the comics have a type of suspension of disbelief (destroyed towns being magically fixed, conflicts being solved in a few issues, etc.) like old cartoon shows where after the episodic disaster the town is back to normal. but mcu really wanted to copy reality and the laws of it 1:1 ratio and it became a huge mess

exactly but also civil war the movie was a mess. cause t'challa was only on tony's side to catch bucky. peter didn't know what the fuck they were fighting for just that iron man wanted him to help contain captain america. tony grabbed him last minute cause he saw spider-man catch a car with his bare hands and figured yeah that'll be useful. a lot of tony's support hinged on being able to leverage the Winter Soldier against people. cause I feel like a lot of people forget in Civil War that most people involved were not interested in the Accords. Like yes Steve opposed them but he more opposed keeping Bucky locked up.

Natasha swapped sides half way through cause she also didn't give a fuck and she's an international super spy she was Neva signing something that would allow the government to track her actions. Black Widow the movie kinda proved this.

Once T'challa realized that Bucky was not at fault he helped him and gave shelter to Steve. In the end Steve had all his friends by his side ready to back him up and fight to the death for him. And Tony had Rhodey and Pepper... right back where he started but Steve was still in his corner.

AND after Far From Home/No Way Home I think it's safe to say if Peter was ever asked to actually sign the accords he'd have been right there with Steve punching Tony in the face.

So I think it's safe to say the narrative of the MCU Civil War ultimately shows you that Steve is the good guy in the right but since the law branded him a fugitive all these cop brained people who only ever say acab cause they saw it trending are on Tony's side

(ALSO Civil War as a movie completely disproves the premise of Endgame and I think Steve got the worst ending out of any character including those who fucking died.)

[the-royal-petals]

Sacred Oaths | Stephen Strange x Reader | PROLOGUE |

Description:

Being a SHIELD agent, you have seen some stuff; from asgardian weapons being used in bank robberies to another company trying to recreate the super soldier serum—you've seen it all.

One day you're thrown head-first into an investigation about a sorcerer named “Ashley Carrie,” wanting to know why HYDRA killed her and why they're after a book that could threaten the fate of reality:

"The Death's Reaping."

Maybe you need help from people who specialise in the weird and mystical.

Fic Warnings: Eventual Smut, Angst, Mentions of Torture and Abuse, Medical stuff, injuries, needles, interrogations. [Chapters will be trigger warned accordingly]

Rating: Mature/Explict

[Prologue] - [ Chapter 1 ] - [ Chapter 2 ]

She was going to die before she told them anything to do with the Mystic Arts. She wasn’t going to let them succeed.

Three scientists surrounded a table where a young woman sat, her hands bound with a magical relic, nicknamed ‘the Sands of Nisanti.’ It was powerful enough to restrict the power of any magic user; it can be crafted to do whatever the user wanted. In this case, to interrogate the woman. 

“You’re going to break.” A male spoke, sneering at her. In his hand was a needle, poking her arm, “and you’re going to tell us everything there is to know about the Death’s Reaping.” 

The woman pushed her body further into the chair, whimpering quietly as she attempted to cast a spell; the handcuffs glowed a brilliant green, sucking out the energy from her as she gave up.

The scientist smirked and kneeled down to her. “Struggling isn’t going to get you anywhere, sweetheart. Sit still, this will only hurt for a moment.” 

A sharp sting came from her arm as the agent injected her with whatever concoction they had made up. She felt her veins burn and squirm, attempting to expel whatever it was; but she couldn’t. Her heart began to pound in her chest as her rapid breathing increased. Her whimpers continued.

“Now, you can tell us what we need to know, or we can make this much more difficult for you. I hate to hurt you any more than I need to,” he reached for her cheek, gently brushing it, but the woman attempted to pull away, “but I have to do my job. So tell me, why are my agents dying?”

The woman sucked in a breath as she watched him pick up another needle. She could tell him the facts, right? 

“They’re not worthy.” She simply said with a staggered breath, barely forming the words, “the book choses who it wants to keep alive; it’s much more complicated than opening it and casting a spell.” 

The scientist rolled his eyes, about to approach her again.

“I’m telling you the truth.” She said, “The Patron will not allow anybody to touch it,  but whoever she chooses.” Her words came out with urgency. She watched the male set down the needle.

“So there is a higher power?”  

“Yes. Even if you harness the power; you will die doing so. She will kill you. She can and will destroy this organisation. Riku isn’t somebody to be messed with,” she said, watching him, “you’ll fail.” 

A bang came from the scientist as he shoved the table towards the door, causing the woman to jump. He moved in front of her and the needle was back in his hand again, having been given by the male next to him. “Then you will help us find Riku and harness the power yourself.” 

“As if I’d help you.” She spat, her eyes trained on the needle. “That book is connected to very dark things and will destroy reality as you know if you don’t know what you’re doing.” For a moment she paused before laughing. The male watched her confused before she continued. “Such practices are forbidden in the Mystic Arts so even if you get me to touch the damn book, I’d be killed by the Sorcerer Supreme.”

The scientist sighed. This was proving much more difficult than he thought it would. Clanging came from behind him as the agents in the room fixed the table before setting down a new tray of tools. 

“Sir, the book has killed another agent. I think we should bring it in here and get her to touch it.”  An agent suggested, peering through the door. 

He looked behind, nodding. 

Fear built up within the Woman’s chest as she watched them pull in another table. On top sat the book where blood surrounded it. Dark mist danced around the book, acting as a barrier. She knew this was a bad idea. 

The scientist moved the table in front of her and took her handcuffs off the chain on the chair, allowing her to move her hands. 

“Pick it up.” 

This was when she knew her time was up.

@strangeobsessed, @shadowmarvelartist

[ Taglist ]

[0brain0storm0ideas0]

ADHD on DUTY

1. I get distracted easily by outside stimulation (nosies, lights, people and smells) things like-oh that cat is really cute… wait what was I doing again...? When I gets distracted and It takes an few minutes for me to remember what I’m doing in the first place. Let me reload my computer brain again. Ooh now I remember. Time to focus.

2. When I begin a task and it’s too much detailed i can’t remember anything. I hear you, I see you and I have repeated things you said to me but my short time memory are really bad. If someone talks to me between a to c I have most surely forget everything I need to get done. It sometimes takes me a few rounds to bring everything i need to do a cake. “Damn I forgot the eggs. I will be right back.” 5minutes later. “Still not enough eggs?” “Sighs. It’s time for an another trip. Be right back boss.” That why I write down what I need to do in small notes and how I’m going to do this IN PICTURES! Because when I’m hungry/tired/stressed I need very easy clear instructions that in form of visual.

3. I’m an organised mess. I like having every necessary tool on the table before preforming so I don’t have to worry about getting it later or forget that it exists in the room. But! BUT! I will always try clean up after myself and put everything back where they should be. ALWAYS!

4. I can be really hyper focused of things that I really finds interesting or passionate about. That means I will ignore you or get frightened very easily when I’m in the zone. But that doesn’t mean i am being rude or that i don’t like you. I’m really into this tasks that everything just disappears around me including people and especially time.

5. The flipping side is that the things I find difficult or boring are things I can’t seams to find motivation or energy to start. No matter how much I try. It feels like I am walking on shattered glass and it painfully boring. The task are very under stimulating and I only want to get it out of the way and it will take very much time.

6. If you want me to work my best I need some kind of freedom to find a way that works for me. I have try one fit all it doesn’t work for me most of the times. I have found that Effective and Fast doesn’t mix. If you you want fast you get messy. If you want effective you can’t get fast. But you can help me priorities and organised task or give me an to do list. So I can work independently.

7. Internal clock, understanding measurement as in distant/weight that doesn’t exist in my brain naturally. That’s why I need tools as clocks and timer to do my job properly. If I don’t see an physical clock on the wall where I work. I don’t know if im too slow and running out of time. I can’t planning ahead of myself. The future is now and sure I can get the job done but if I don’t know what to do I will do poorly with my work.

8. My mood changes very easily based on my basic needs, environment and people I’m with. Sometimes I just feel deeply about things. Super happy. Super sad. Super angry. Super tired. Super hungry. Super in love. Super hate. Not everyone can handle my extreme emotional roller coaster ride.

9. I can come out as cold hearted to some people. But I don’t like passive aggressive and indirect talking (irony). Get to the point even if it hurts a little. I will appreciate you being honest then you being indirect about things. I respect honesty.

Any topics gets sorted in this category fast by me.

Loves it = we can’t talk about it enough :D

Curious of it = takes all my time and energy.

OK with it = I don’t have any option of it but it’s an nice way to pass the time with.

It’s boring = You lost me or I actively avoid it.

Hates it = Can’t stand it. Don’t want to talk about it Period.

I hate putting on an show for anyone and act like everyone else because I am very truthful with my feelings/thoughts. I talk without filtering. People also say I don’t have an poker face. Which is also why I don’t try hide my true feelings. For good and bad sometimes.

10. When I don’t know what I’m doing I get bored, nervous and stress myself out. BUT When I get too much going on I get paralysed and can’t handle stress easily.

[wishful-soda]

Would you be able to show us your writing process and how you start organised with everything ?

Of course!! Shout out to my girl @acollectionofficsandshit because she helped my ADHD brain learn how to plan shit out.

So I have a notebook that everything goes in. When I say everything I mean literally everything.

I have my rough outline where I literally just wrote out the basic progression of the story and then I break that into more in depth chapter by chapter, scene by scene planning (please excuse my handwriting in advance yall). This is where the bulk of my process is. This is where I decide what happens when and POV planning, etc.

Then I have reference notes on the season as well, and some in detail notes on certain races.

Then I also have random ass ideas or lines I’ve thought of that I don’t want to forget but also don’t know where they fit just yet. (I’ve cropped this because spoilers 🥸)

And lastly, my things I need to remember to hit. They’re all tied into my plot, but I have ADHD and the worst memory known to mankind so I have to literally write it so when I’m breaking down the next chapter, I can go “oh right, this is where this plugs in” etc. (again, blocking some spoilers 👹)

My outline is super fluid, things move and change, sometimes even while I’m writing I’ll hate something I have outlined and scrap it or think of something I love and squeeze it in, so I have a lot of scribbles and things crossed out and the pages are just not pretty in general, but I don’t think I could do it any other way. I’ve tried winging it and it’s a mess, I have to have it planned and be able to step back and see the entire picture.

I hope this was kind of helpful?? If you have any other questions, please ask I love talking about writing 🤓

[romanceforransom]

Omg you're a mentor Cat?? Ahh it's so scary at first cause you're so sure it's going to be weird but it can be so rewarding.

On my uni, the mentoring program didn't happened this year but still I, a very shy person who feels like can help with a lot, got himself two (yes TWO) mentees just because I stumbled onto them out of nowhere and we sort of linked on day 1 and well I became a mentor.

It was so scary at first cause I was so sure I was going to mess it up and they'd hate me but at one point I think we started to link and in that moment it gets so much better. So don't worry, this could be scary but can also be the start of something great 😉 and if it's not that start... Well you are doing your part :)

Aw hi Rodrigo!!

Yeah I am! It's a module more about the theory side of it?? So we have to mentor a first year for four weeks and then write up about our experience, but it's still cool to be able to do it even for a short amount of time

Oh no way that's so cool that you managed to connect with them! And two mentees? You deserve an award for your organisational skills my god. That's honestly really great though that you were able to help them out even when the uni didn't run the programme

Omgg right?? I was so anxious before we met because like being in the role of a mentor they kinda expect you to be the 'expert' right, which is absolutely terrifying ahaha. But yeah she was super nice and understanding that I was learning as we go too so it worked out ok!

Definitely! It's still quite scary but also feels so rewarding? Like she's already expressed worries that I remember having in first year so the fact I can reassure her that it gets better already feels so great 😊

Thanks for taking the time to send me this Rodrigo, it actually helped make me feel slightly calmer about the whole thing ahaha

Hope you're having a great day/night! Sending lots of hugs ❤️

[bealex]

Hi there! I’m super excited to finally be able to get plotting with everyone! This here is KIM ALEX, a 19 year old studying Dance Performance at K-Arts. He also works two jobs alongside studying (Starbucks barista and convenience store employee), so he’s a pretty busy bee. He’s a very adventurous guy, and thinks life’s too short not to try everything, so naturally he’s a bit of a mess sometimes. You can find his profile here (★), and his history here (★). I’ll leave some general info and  plot ideas under the cut, but if you’d like to plot please like this post and I’ll send you a message! I also have a discord upon request!

—INFO!

Alex was born in Melbourne, Australia and moved to Seoul when he was 15

[ Unbeknownst to Alex ] He has half sibling(s) on his dad’s side, as when Alex was conceived his dad had a pregnant wife back home

He grew up very poor, so now is pretty money conscious—he will treat his friends a lot, but won’t necessarily buy himself something he needs

He lives in Dongdaemun-gu in a two bed apartment with a roommate, however he rarely invites anyone over (unless he’s very close to them) because he’s always too busy to tidy his bedroom and he’s ashamed of it

He went to Korea International School from 2018-2021 to help him transition to life in Korea easier (plus his Korean was pretty rough back then)

His teen years were full of ‘experiences’—he wanted to try it all, which included underage drinking and smoking, staying out late and getting into some mild mischief

Luckily he never got himself into any real trouble but he didn’t do so well grade-wise (unless it was in something artsy or sporty)

He partook in a wide range of extracurriculars in school—sports clubs, dance, choir, learnt the guitar and piano—you name it, he’s done it at one point

He hates to sit still and have too much time to think, that’s when his peppy personality gets sucked up by the vacuum of existential dread surrounding life, career, money and the fact he’s not slept for more than 5 hours a night since he was a child

You’d never really know he was struggling with all that he’s piled onto his plate though, as he’s always very upbeat and positive, and pretty easy-going with most people, plus he doesn’t like to talk about his problems—that is unless you’re a very close friend of his

Currently he’s working, studying, and trying his best to fit in time for friends around all of it (while also keeping an eye out for opportunities that might lead him down the career path he’s aiming for—being an idol)

—CONNECTIONS!

FRIENDS! he’s a huge social butterfly and will befriend anyone—he’s the type to make friends with his friends friends cousins girlfriends dog, so he could really know anyone tbh 

Or enemies! While Alex typically likes most people, he’s got an issue with people who seem to have it all, or have easy lives, and yet still complain about it, or seem ungrateful—money (and those who have a lot of it) is a touchy subject for him

University connections—while he’s in the dance department, he’s 100% got friends in every single department

A roommate! Alex is comfortable money-wise, so he doesn’t live in a dodgy, mouldy apartment, but he does need someone to halve the rent with, so if you’re looking for a generous and considerate roommate, he’s your guy (just don’t look in his room at the end of a busy week pls, he’s not liable for what you may see if you do)

Someone who knew him when he was younger, whether it be a school organised pen pal, a family friend of some kind, or even someone he met online when he finally got access to the scary world of the internet

Romance—someone he had a crush on in the past, or someone who had a crush on him, maybe. Maybe even someone he’s got a trivial crush on right now! Thing is he’s horribly oblivious and even if your muse liked him/liked him back and made a move he’d never know. He’d need it spelled out with a whole ‘promise I’m not joking’ on the end

Someone he used to/still does go drinking with/goes on wild adventures with and gets into rather silly situations with (but creates incredible memories with at the same time)

[mental-health-advice]

Here’s the story. I have 2 sisters. (Older than me). One living in california, one in NY. I live in NC, so we all hardly see each other. The last time all 3 of us were together was only for a few days and it was right before my wedding. (3 years ago) the last time we spent a week+ together was 7 years ago.

I got wind that my NY sister was flying out to surprise my CA sister. I thought it’d be awesome to get in on that and for us all to be together! (Just me go, not my husband as it was short notice) awesome reunion, right?

Well, my parents both put me down about going and told me that maybe some days I should stay home with my niece and let my other sisters have alone time together, since I was imposing and wasnt ‘supposed’ to go originally. This made me Incredibly anxious about my trip and made me feel Incredibly unwanted. Instead of being happy all 3 of their daughters would have a reunion, they seemed like I wasn’t wanted and that it was wrong for me to go. Now, I’m on the trip. And it’s been super hard. These feelings of being unwanted haven’t gone away even though I’m here. I voiced these concerns and what my parents said to my sisters.

Instead of them assuring me that they do want me here and are happy I came- they just said to ignore them (my parents) and get over it. This gave me 0 reassurance that I actually was wanted here. And now I’m stuck here. 3 days into my trip (another week to go), wishing I could just go home to my husband and be where I’m actually wanted.

I told my sister on our walk that I felt unwanted and she told me I was spiraling and to get over it. I’m currently upstairs in a dark room laying alone while they all watch a movie and eat dinner. They know I’m not coming down yet none of them are up here trying to comfort me or get me to join them.

I don’t know what advice I need. But I needed to get this all out. I hate feeling so unwanted by my family when I try so hard and I’ve never done anything wrong towards them. Then again, my family’s always been messed up. I just don’t know whether I should stay, be quiet, and ride out this next week, or if I should change my flights and leave early, probably ruining the rest of their trip alone.

Hey there,

This sounds really difficult for you. You sound really torn as on hand you want to stay and catch up with your sisters who you barely see but then you feel unwanted being there and so just want to go home to your husband. This seems to be quite rational to me, the being torn part, as you don’t know what your sisters are thinking about you being there or why they are not comforting you or taking your concerns and worries more seriously.

I am so sorry that you are in the situation and that no one seems to really be listening to you. Do you usually have a good relationship with your sisters? I think it was really nice of you to fly out to see them both at the last minute but is it possible that they wanted to catch up alone for a particular reason? Perhaps they wanted to discuss something in person that was important to both of them that didn’t have anything to do with you or they were planning a surprise visit for you but wanted to get together to sort out the peculiars. I guess what I am trying to say is that there could be a million reasons why they wanted to catch up without you, but in saying this you are there with them now so why not and try to make the best of the time you guys have together? Maybe you can organise all going out to dinner or something like that, just do something that you initiate that includes all of you that you can all enjoy.  

I know that it isn’t easy when you feel unwanted or like you are intruding on something or that you aren’t comforted when you really need it, and I am so sorry that they (your sisters) are just telling you to get over your feelings. And, I am not telling you to just get over it as I know this isn’t easy to do at all or that it’s always possible to do but this is why I suggested doing something all 3 of you can take part in, something that includes all of you, something that takes the stress of you being there when you feel as though you shouldn’t be and use it as a bit of a distraction. Do you think that doing something like this may be helpful?

I really hope that this has helped a bit and please do let us know if we can help to support you in any other way!

I’m thinking of you and hope that you are otherwise going well!

Take care,

Lauren

[vmpbyss]

“you were a skater boy, she said see you later boy. you have imposter syndrome tied to a sense of inadequacy and can feel like youre not enough. you constantly have a messy room with no energy to fix it, to you its an organised mess, but to everyone else absolute trainwreck. you can be super obsessive and unable to let things go. due to this you have a tendency to latch onto the past which in turn holds you back from progress. you embody does everyone hate me or do i just need to go to sleep, you need to sleep, go to sleep you insomniac, depressed bitch.” oh.