#the kind of friendship where you never worry about being too ‘weird’ for them because they straight up dont care if youre weird

[hanzajesthanza]

“what does geralt get from that friendship…”

another post examining the weight of geralt and dandelion’s friendship… because i don’t think people recognize how painful and debilitating loneliness can become.

the witcher as a deconstruction of the genre takes fantasy tropes to their most logical ends—it asks us to consider what The Lone Swordsman feels, looks into the humanity in a Cold-Blooded Killer. and it turns out he’s not cold-blooded at all.

that despite some superhuman abilities, he laments and worries and curses himself, just like any other worker of any other profession. just as the farmer is scorched by the sun, the washerwoman’s back aches, and the scholar goes half-blind studying, a witcher deals with all of the pains and annoyances and dangers of his job in a mundanely human way.

but the farmer, the washerwoman, and the scholar have something the witcher does not have—they’ll always be seen as human and part of their society. at the end of the day after enduring all of their labor, they have their wife to caress, festivities to attend, and taverns to frequent. but for a witcher? after the killing is over, what does he have? no one and nothing. not even a thank you. he is met with fear and hatred everywhere he goes, baseless bigotry and dislike.

I did my job. I quickly learned how. I’d ride up to village enclosures or town pickets and wait. If they spat, cursed and threw stones, I rode away. If someone came out to give me a commission, I’d carry it out.

so he faces not just loneliness, but being deliberately ostracized and cast out from society. geralt can’t even find a polite word in most settlements, much less a friend.

‘(…) Tell me, where should I go? And for what? At least here some people have gathered with whom I have something to talk about. People who don’t break off their conversations when I approach. People who, though they may not like me, say it to my face, and don’t throw stones from behind a fence. (…)’

this kind of loneliness is not a mere inconvenience. it’s completely altering to your self-perception and ability to see the positive in the world.

each day is not lived, but endured.

day in, and day out—forced to the most difficult and lowest labor in order to survive, and knowing that were you to die, no one would search for your body, few would miss you, hell, they might even spit “good riddance”.

in this situation, to find a friend, is not only friendship, but a rescue.

without dandelion, geralt may have drowned—drowned in solitude, amidst a sea of strangeness.

‘(…) And I’m alone, completely alone, endlessly alone among the strange and hostile elements. Solitude amid a sea of strangeness. Don’t you dream of that?’

No, I don’t, he thought. I have it every day.

because dandelion is not only a bright soul, characteristic rippling laughter and the strum of a lute, but someone who will intently listen to geralt, someone who mutually enjoys his company.

‘(…) you almost jumped out of your pants with joy to have a companion. Until then, you only had your horse for company.’

someone who doesn’t see him as strange and at the fringes of society at all, but as an utterly normal man.

and doesn’t impose demeaning, sappy sympathy onto him, but sobering and realistic “quit your bullshit” which ridicules the very thought that he should internalize societal hatred.

Do you know what your problem is, Geralt? You think you’re different. (…) [You don’t understand that] for people who think clear-headedly you’re the most normal man under the sun, and they all wish that everybody was so normal. What of it that you have quicker reflexes than most and vertical pupils in sunlight? That you can see in the dark like a cat? That you know a few spells? Big deal.

dandelion isn’t “willing” to accept geralt for himself—he already has accepted him. and to him, it’s no difficulty, it’s nothing worth discussing, because he sees no abnormality and no strangeness in him.

while others “prefer the company of lepers to witchers,” dandelion has already offered geralt to share his room and board. not out of sympathetic pity, not out of fetishizing curiosity. because… they’re friends.

and what else does this friendship save him from?

not only from others, but from himself.

worse than enduring others’ apathy and hatred is one’s own thoughts—the darkness and negativity which builds from witnessing and experiencing such behavior.

dandelion’s ability to counter and dispel geralt’s pessimism and self-flagellating tendencies—again, not out of pity, but out of friendship—is undeniably invaluable. someone to rescue you from your darkest thoughts, when you begin to spiral.

and in this darkness, all you can do is cry. you cry, beg for someone to help you, please—

Help! Why doesn't anyone help me? Alone, weak, helpless – I can't move, can't force a sound from my constricted throat. Why does no one come to help me? I'm terrified!

to be alone, the saga reminds us, is worse than a death sentence. to be alone is to “perish; stabbed, beaten or kicked to death, defiled, like a toy passed from hand to hand.” to be alone is to suffer, and to be with someone is to save them from that suffering.

'(…) I wouldn't like anything bad to happen to you. I like you too much, owe you too much-'

'You've said that already. What do you owe me, Yennefer?'

The sorceress turned her head away, did not say anything for a while.

'You travelled with him,' she said finally. 'Thanks to you he was not alone. You were a friend to him. You were with him.'

it is true that geralt has saved dandelion countless times, helped him, gotten him out of some scrape… but to ask what did geralt get in return? are you kidding me?

did you ever consider that it is dandelion who saved geralt?

by being with him. by being by his side. by being his friend.

indeed, dandelion has rescued geralt, countless times, from the yawning jaws of endless loneliness. he’s helped him, chased away the danger of geralt’s own rumination. and he’s gotten him out of scrapes, his own insecurities and bitter helplessness.

so what does dandelion give geralt? what does geralt get from their friendship?

an amusing question. what one gets from friendship is the friendship itself. and that is more than enough.

[yesimwriting]

something about bestfriend!felix who's so used to the world bending over backwards to please him that he seems entirely separated from the concept of boundaries.

it's one of the few things about him that remains unspoken because it reminds those in his social circle that no matter how much influence or money they might have, someone has more. and that someone is felix catton.

he's never weird about it, there's just this rule that everyone learns to pick up on and never mention. if felix wants to go out for the night or do anything socially with someone, it's customary for that person to cancel any other plans.

it might be more of an issue if felix's proximity didn't feel like sunbathing on an early summer day, but it does. so he's used to not having to work to get someone where he wants them.

until you.

despite your friendship still being relatively new, the two of you have bonded enough for you to accept his presence instantly.

felix didn't call before coming over. you answered the door after two knocks, grinning as soon as you saw him standing there. you didn't even think to ask about the lack of notice, you just invited him in and made some comment about how you were just studying.

he told you he didn't mind if you wanted to keep studying, that he brought over his own textbooks just in case. even though you were set up at your desk, you moved your supplies over to your bed so that you could sit with him.

it started off as separated as the two of you ever are, just your bent knee pressing gently into his lower thigh. your shared restraint dissolved quickly.

you're practically laying down, back partially supported by a wall and two pillows, felix's head resting on your stomach as you comb your fingers through his hair. he's holding up a textbook for you with one arm, fingertips absentmindedly brushing against your bare leg.

he breaks the silence with a sigh. when you don't respond, he turns his head and presses his lips against your thigh. your nails freeze against his scalp. "felix."

"lovie," he replies, tone as scandalized as yours. you sigh, and he can practically feel your eye roll.

felix grins, turning his head look up at you. he knows he should be good about this, about you, but he's not accustomed to practicing this kind of restraint. he's preoccupied with terribly soft thoughts of closer when he blurts out the question, "come out with me tonight?"

it's only a question by technicality, his eyes bright as if you've already agreed.

you press your lips together, and the hesitance in the look jabs at him. he brushes his knuckles against the side of your leg like that might tip the decision. "i have an econ test on monday."

the excuse deflates him. it's only friday, and even if it wasn't, you don't need to worry about your grades. there's a naturalness to your schooling, you grasp everything almost immediately. any personal selfishness aside, you don't need a weekend of studying. it's objective fact.

you're still watching him, expression unsure. "y'know too much studying's bad for you." your lips part, but before you can say anything, felix is shutting the book he'd been holding up for you.

he extends his arm, his palm covering the upper half of your face with the palm of his hand. you laugh out his name. "what? your eyes need the rest." you shift, still giggling as you halfheartedly try to push him off. "you'll get a headache."

your fingers wrap around his wrist. "you're my headache."

he lets out a mock gasp before pulling away entirely. felix doesn't miss your slight pout as he sits up. "actually?"

you're chasing after him, sitting up and attempting to grab his arm. felix lets you. "no." you squeeze his arm to you. "i meant it in a you're my best friend way."

"that so?" you nod innocently, all wide eyes as if to say see? i have no intentions of being anything other than a perfect angel.

felix pretends to contemplate forgiveness, then, with no warning lays down. you're not given a chance to deliberate what that means before he's tugging on your arm. he mumbles a brief, explanatory, "c'mere," as he pulls you into his chest.

you listen, moving to rest your chin against the side of his chest. your arm's across him. felix's shirt has ridden up right where your fingertips naturally rest. the bare contact makes goosebumps break out across your arms.

"go out with me tonight," he tries, voice soft. you have to drop your gaze to keep from immediately melting and agreeing to whatever he wants. "c'mon, think it's good for you to take a break every now and then."

you lift your head up just enough to glare at him. felix shifts his leg, pressing it against yours. you push back gently, just enough to reciprocate the gesture. "so you're saying i'm a friendless loser that only ever goes out when you make me?"

"i'm saying," he extends the syllables to buy himself some time to think, "i have to go, and i won't have any fun without you."

you find it hard to imagine that felix catton ever has to do anything he doesn't want to. you're also confident in his ability to find fun at a party. "you have farleigh, and oliver, and annabel--you'll be fine without me."

his hand is on your back, fingers tracing lazy patterns against the fabric of your t-shirt. "i don't want anyone else." the soft whine in his tone paired with his slight pout makes him seem smaller, like a little kid that just needs to be wrapped up. "i want you."

"you have me."

felix frowns, "doesn't feel like it."

you're losing. "do you really want me to go that badly?"

he smiles, feeling the crack in your resolve. "we'll just go for a little. have a drink or two, then y'can sleepover if you want." you do like sleeping over in felix's dorm. "and then tomorrow we can do whatever you want--study, watch a movie, dinner."

a sleepover and a saturday. this no longer feels like a loss. you smile, "deal."

felix's available hand finds your hip. "that's my girl."

the comment makes your face feel warm, you drop your head to rest on his stomach to hide any potential signs of being flustered. he'd tease you to no end about it. "i should get up, start getting ready."

he runs his hand down your back, "it's not until later." he moves his hand back up slowly. his thumb starts traces circles against your shoulder. "we've got time."

----

omg bestfriend!felix blurbs are everything to me,, if you have any thoughts about bestfriend-verse pls lmk,,

also?? might have to write a full fic for bestfriend-verse

taglist; @vader-is-hot @spiritofbuddha @getosangie @freyafriggafrey

[keerysfreckles]

omg hii i haven’t requested stuff before anywhere so idk if i’m doing this right but 😭😭 i would loveee a luke castellan imagine where it’s like an angsty friends to lovers with a happy ending… kind of like the song friends by chase atlantic idk sjdieie (ps i loveee ur writing ur so talented)

brutal — luke castellan

pairing: luke castellan x fem!reader

warnings: use of y/n and she/her pronouns (yknow the drill), slight cursing

a/n: did i watch mamma mia twice today? yes. will i watch it again tomorrow? yes.

masterlist !

꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱

y/n l/n wasn't sure why luke castellan was acting weird. was it something she had done? maybe it's his time of the month. she'll never know because she's too afraid to ask. she hasn't seen the hermes' boy all day, and wasn't going to bother looking for him now.

y/n was supposed to be mad at luke. the two have been inseparable since they both arrived at camp. so she was pleasantly surprised when luke had just shoved her off whenever she asked if he was okay.

the girl busied herself this evening by collecting hay bales to bring to the stables. this was usually grover's job, but he was with percy and annabeth on a quest chiron gave them earlier that week.

she wasn't expecting any visitors, so to say she was taken aback by luke showing up would be an understatement.

"what are you doing here?" she asks, not bothering to look up from her wheelbarrow of hay. she continued filling it while luke walked closer to her.

"i wanted to check on you. you seemed to he distancing yourself today."

y/n scoffs, "i haven't been the distant one."

luke rolls his eyes, "what are you talking about?"

y/n doesn't respond.

"you think i'm the one being distant?" luke asks.

y/n shrugs before responding with sarcasm laced in between her words, "i figured since you haven't talked to me all week, and every time i asked if you were okay you'd turn around and avoid answering me. that's just a guess."

"i'm not trying to avoid you," luke responds, yet y/n scoffs again, not believing a word the boy says.

"you don't believe me?"

y/n finally looks at luke, "what was i supposed to think? that we were fine? while you were busying ignoring me and making me feel like a shitty friend?"

it's luke's turn to stay silent, which only makes y/n groan and go back to her task at hand. luke follows her. he grabs her shoulder to try and stop her. y/n only shrugs him off.

luke takes in a deep breath, "do you want to know why i've been so standoffish with you?"

"only if you don't avoid me this time, sure, have at it," y/n doesn't stop walking, and she can only assume luke's following her as his voice doesn't falter.

"i started realizing i have feelings for you," he pauses and y/n takes the silence to turn around. she drops the wheelbarrow and faces luke.

"i'm not used to it okay? so i- i figured if maybe i ignored you the feelings would go away. gods it's stupid, believe me i know. it hurt to see you get so upset."

"so why didn't you just talk to me about it in the first place?" y/n questions.

luke shrugs, "i was worried it'd ruin our friendship."

"oh so ignoring me wouldn't ruin it either? okay," y/n turns back around and starts pushing the wheelbarrow in the direction of the stables again.

luke runs his hands over his face in annoyance, "y/n can you please just listen to me? this is hard okay? i'm not used to liking anyone, especially not you."

y/n stops again, but doesn't look back towards luke.

"especially not you," luke repeats.

"would this be a bad time to say i've liked you since i first got to camp?" y/n still hasn't turned around, and her voice is quiet as she plays with her fingers as a distraction.

luke chuckles, and y/n can picture a blush is appearing on his cheeks.

"i wouldn't say it's the best time, but definitely not bad timing," luke jokes.

y/n finally turns around, with her arms crossed. luke has his hands in his jean pockets. the pair awkwardly stand four feet away from each other. the silence between them is defeaning, and they both know it.

four feet turn into three.

three feet turn into two.

two feet turn into one.

luke brings his hands up to hold both of y/n's cheeks.

"what are you doing?"

"kissing you."

before y/n can get a proper response out, luke pushes his lips against hers. it catches the girl by surprise. she kisses back, because she isn't an idiot, and her hands hold onto luke's wrist. luke pulls away first, and can't help but laugh at y/n's frazzled state.

"you alright?"

"i hate you."

but luke knew she didn't mean it.

[bonny-kookoo]

Jungkook

+1 Chance | Short/Oneshot

In which some people get an extra life.

Tags/Warnings: pro Esports!Kook, Teenage crushes to ???, SFW, Short, Open ending, all around fluffy

Length: 2.2k Words

A/N: Yes I'm still writing on existing stuff dw. Just a random valentines day drabble. Not proofread.

—--——--——--——--——--🩷--——--——--——--——--—

You met Jungkook in summer, many years ago, when the sun was hot and your friends turned out to be nothing but situationships.

You’d been seeing the hints of their friendship not being of honest nature for a while now- but as a young girl barely about to graduate a year later, you didn’t want to be alone during your allegedly best years of your life. So you ignored the warnings one after another, always found excuses as to why their behavior was totally justifiable and normal, even if deep down you knew that you were just trying to convince yourself of that.

And then, you met him- a guy showing you honest kindness for nothing asked in return.

It was hot, sun burning, and you’d tried to get out the pool- but your small strawberry floaty had kept slipping from underneath you, making it hard to find the strength to get out of the large pool in your ‘friend’s’ backyard by yourself- when suddenly, a hand had grabbed the red item to keep it still, so you could properly hold onto it for a moment.

“Here- let me help.” He’d said, black nail polish chipped. And you’d taken on the help, too tired to really care about the fact that your friend had told you to just ignore her brother’s ‘weirdo friends’- him clearly being one of them. “Want me to help you get out? The sun is pretty hot right now, you should get out soon.” He had worried a little, and you'd nodded, pushing yourself up on the ledge after having let go of the floaty, finally having been able to escape the pool with his help, as he made sure you wouldn’t slip or end up back inside because of your strength leaving you.

You weren’t sure back then where your friends even were at that point. But somehow, it was like a moment of realization- a clear sign you couldn’t ignore any longer. “your uh.. friends went to watch a movie upstairs now, in Kate’s room..” he says, watching you sit down in the shade, drying yourself with a towel you brought.

“..thanks.” you’d mumbled. “I.. Probably should go home now.” You’d shrugged, feeling ashamed and embarrassed to ever having trusted these people at all. All they did was use your kindness and clear need for just someone to talk to and befriend- and you’d willingly accepted that, blinded by the glimpses of happiness they’d made you feel every now and then.

They knew how to manipulate you- keep you happy and clingy enough with occasional treats never given too often.

“I mean.. I can drive you. It’s late.” Jungkook had offered you. “But we’re also missing a fourth player for mario-cart right now, down in Kate’s brother’s room.” He’d jokingly told you- something that had given you hope.

“..but won’t it be weird?” You’d worried. “They don’t know me.”

“Well, everyone’s a stranger when you first meet them.” Jungkook had laughed, as he gave you a towel from close by, both of you having slowly walked back into the house. “I’m Jungkook. Just in case you didn’t know. “ He’d introduced himself, smiling like he’s the sun itself.

And little did you know that on that day, as you gave him your name, you both also set the foundation for much more than just a friendship.

—--——--——--——--——--🩷--——--——--——--——--—

“So you two have history?” Your friend asks, sitting across from you on your hotel room floor, both of you occupied with making sure your freshly applied nail polish dries well. You’re on a weekend trip for just the two of you, to take some time off the stressful life and to nourish your friendship a little.

“Not really.” You shrug. “I wouldn’t call it that. More so.. An awkward friendship when I was younger, before I moved away.” You answer, explaining your situation as to why Jeon Jungkook, one of the current top e-sports players had greeted you when you randomly ran into each other today in the hotel hallway.

“Oh, so he was the guy you had a crush on when you were younger?” She teases, never forgetting anything it seems like- not even a random confession during a childish game of never-have-I-ever. “I knew it. Damn, you were so close! Imagine your life if you’d bagged that guy.” She swoons, having made it known time and time again that she wouldn’t pass up any opportunity to ‘get her hands on those abs’ if she ever had the chance to do so. You know this is simply a joke, but still, her words do make you think.

How would your life have turned out if you got with him?

Would he have chosen to go against his parents’ advice to just keep his hobby as, well, a hobby, or would he have accepted their wishes to instead study something more steady, to earn a position in a stable company? You’ll never know- but despite that, its still interesting to just humor that idea for a moment.

“Hey, maybe there’s still tickets for the tournament!” Your friend chirps up, having noticed her nailpolish having dried by now, phone fetched and disconnected from the charger as she swipes and inputs her passcode to unlock it. “Or I’ll ask if we can have my brother’s tickets, since he didn’t go..” She mumbles, texting him most likely now.

“It’s.. I don’t know, we wanted to go out for dinner though.” You mumble, checking your polish for any imperfections. “You don’t even like gaming that much.” You also add, teasingly so. She rolls her eyes.

“Just cause I don’t play them, doesn’t mean I cant enjoy watching someone play them instead.” She argues. “Also, you can watch the game- I'll watch the pretty boy.” She winks, making you laugh with her, when she receives a text, phone falling out of her hand for a second before she can pick it up again. “Oh- he said we can have them!” She chirps up, clearly excited. “As far as I know they’re free seating- so if we’re early, we get to choose where we wanna sit and watch.” She explains, texting him some more while you contemplate.

This is dumb. He probably has a girlfriend, a life of his own, hell- you have a life of your own now, far away from him. There’s no reason for you to try and test your luck like this, but you’re also a fan of the game he’s competing at. So, maybe..

Yeah. You’re totally not doing it for him. You’re just going to watch the gameplay.

What’s the worst that can happen?

—--——--——--——--——--🩷--——--——--——--——--—

It’s not even the next day yet, but you already see him again.

On your way down to the reception desk, mission clear in your head to muster up the courage to ask for another pillow instead of sleeping uncomfortably like this, you’ve barely exited your room when your eyes meet again in the hallway.

He says your name. His voice has gotten deeper after all those years, you notice. You nod, and he smiles, the turn of the corner of his mouth pulling your attention to the twin piercing he has placed there, silver rings piercing right through his skin. “It’s been a while.” He offers, hands in the pockets of his pants. He must’ve been out with his teammates, smell of faint cigarette smoke clinging to him as you walk a bit closer.

You nod. You feel awkward, all dressed down like this, having gotten reader for bed hours before, trying to find sleep without the extra comfort another pillow would bring you. “how are you?” He asks, and again, you nod.

You hate this. You’re still terrible at talking to people. “I’m good.. and you?” You answer, avoiding eye contact. Of course he’s obviously doing good- great even, about to bag thousands of prize money tomorrow when he’ll surely win the tournament.

“Good. Great even, now that I.. anyways, do.. What’re you doing here?” He wonders, clearly happy to initiate smalltalk. “vacation or work?”

“vacation. With.. a friend of mine.” You tell him, toes digging onto the fluffy slippers you brought on this trip for yourself. “like.. a girl’s weekend.” You explain, and he nods.

“Yeah.. guess you gotta leave the men at home sometimes to unwind.” He jokes.

“hmhm. Well, she had to- I don’t, you know, have anyone, so I’m flexible.” You tell him, and that seems to make his eyes sparkle almost like you’ve challenged him. Which you didn’t- so why does he look so energized now.

“Cool! I mean.. yeah.” He nods to himself, before he seems to realize something. “Oh hey, if I interrupted you or I’m holding you in a conversation, don’t mind me! You look like you were on your way somewhere-“ he starts, pointing down the gall to the elevator. “But uh.. if you wanna go down, there’s a bunch of drunks down in the lobby, just a warning.” He offers, making you deflate.

“Oh.” You hum, defeated. Well, maybe you cal roll up your sweater or something.

“If you.. I can go with you, if you’d like.” He offers. "I’m still pretty fit. Still boxing. So.. I can be your meat-shield basically.” He jokes, making you giggle, his eyes brightening up at the sound and sight.

“I.. that would be nice, actually.” You accept, and he happily walks next to you into the elevator at that, faint music drowning our the heavy buzzing of the mechanics.

“so uh.. how’s your family?” He wonders. “is your dad still making your mom’s life harder every day?” He jokes, but you shake your head, smiling fondly.

“No, they surprisingly settled these days. They’re.. on a trip themselves. For valentines day and all.” You explain, and Jungkook nods.

“romantic.” He teases, and you giggle, nodding along.

“they.. ask about you a lot. It’s kind of funny.” You tell him. “I can only ever tell them what I see online though.” You shrug.

“You.. know what I do?” he wonders, and your eyes widen as you look at him.

“are you kidding me? You’re the top player at my favorite game.” You say, making his expression moron into one of both wonder- and slightly bashful.

“I uh.. didn’t know. Guess I’ll take that as a compliment.” He laughs it off. “I.. have a tournament actually, tomorrow.”

“I know.” You nod, elevator doors opening. “I’ll be there. With my friend.” You say.

“Oh wow.” He chuckles. “I better win, in that case.” He.. flirts? As he walks towards the reception desk with you- drunk group of friends luckily only being loud, but not aggressive. “where will you sit?”

“its.. free seating, so I’m not sure.” You mumble, before you ask the lady at the desk for another pillow for your room number.

“I could probably reserve some good seats.” He says, and you smile.

“You really don’t have to.” You reassure him, when he suddenly asks the lady for something else as well- a flower from the last bouquet left over from the hotel’s valentines sale for the guests. She happily gives it to him, free of charge, before she tells you that housekeeping will bring you the pillow shortly, before she resumes her own work again, letting you and Jungkook walk back into the elevator.

You’re not sure what you think of this- but junkook has liked flowers back then, so why wouldn’t he still like flowers now. Or, maybe he’s staying here with his girlfriend, and he’s just wanting to gift her something on his way back to her- it’s valentines day, after all.

“I’ll.. can I have your number? To text you where you’ll sit tomorrow.” He asks, and you nod, walking into your room to fetch your phone, showing your number for him to type into his own, screen cracked a little in one corner. “awesome. Now then, the only thing I gotta do is..-“ he starts, slipping the phone in the pocket of his pants. “-ask you to be my valentine?” He wonders, holding the flower out to you. "Don’t have to say yes. I’m a big boy, I can take rejection.” He jokes.

“Can I.. ask why?” You wonder, and he grins, shrugging.

“I feel like, maybe the universe is trying to tell me something.” He simply answers. “..giving me a second chance, to ask you out for real this time.”

“wait.. you mean-“ you stammer, and he nods.

“I had.. kind of a huge crush on you back then. And, seeing you again.. it all just.. flared up again. Exactly the same way.” He confesses. “I’m not.. asking for something big. Just one date- and we’ll go from there.” He asks, and you slowly take the flower from him, smile on your lips as you think about his words. Fate, huh? A universe’s second chance? What are the chances?

You decide you don’t care.

“okay.” You answer him,-

And his eyes sparkle brightly, while he smiles at you like you’re the sun.

—--——--——--——--——--🩷--——--——--——--——--—i

[luvring]

I'm completely obsessed with your Touchstarved headcanons, if it's not too much trouble, I was wondering if you could do headcanons of Ais falling in love with the reader/MC??

And maybe then do something similar to Vere, if it's not too much trouble

(sorry for my English)

AIS FALLING IN LOVE

gn!reader | it's almost valentine's day guys. THANK U!!! i'm glad u enjoy them ^___^ this got... long. but if u still want vere feel free to remind me and i'll probably make a post! ^^ i'm always inspired by these kinds of ideas...

it's more of a slow burn because he teases you but you brush it off as his personality rather than anything serious

he's intrigued by you! he finds your company entertaining if nothing else, or at least that's what he tells himself. whether you throw his banter back at him, or stutter at his quick flirtations, ais can't help himself from making up excuses to find you

one moment that sets an alarm off in his head is after he's gotten into some bar fight. the bruises and blood on his knuckles, scratch by his collarbone, and the way he winces when you touch his shoulder get your attention easily. he tells you he's fine, that he's dealt with worse, and that the other guy got totally knocked out, but you pull him along anyway to take care of him.

but ais hasn't had someone take care of his injuries in. a long time. so he's stiff and awkward despite your friendship at this point. his eyes follow your every move, and he doesn't even realize it until your eyes meet. you ask a simple "what?" and he tries to play it off by saying "nothing." ("you're cute when you worry." etc etc LOLL)

and you scold him, because seriously, can you just like, not get into fights. one day someone's going to break your nose or something, and then what? what're you going to do when you try to hit on someone and you're still recovering from a black eye?

you're saying it absentmindedly, making jokes to lighten the mood. but something about the way you carefully graze your fingers across his skin and bandage him gets ais Thinking. and it's really weird because he's silent, and he's never really silent when you try to joke with him, so you go quiet too, and now he's thinking even more, and have you always furrowed your brows like that when you're focused, have you ever been this close to him before?

i don't think i'd make this moment The moment of realization. it's sort of an introduction

other moments i can think of would be ais watching you get along with his pets, you catching him by surprise by fucking with him (some sort of prank), and the first time you guys are like, serious and sentimental for once.

. okay. the vere thing. fwb that got too close is different (in my opinion) to him just having an honest crush and wanting a relationship btw. the avoidance would be him not knowing what to do/being insecure rather than not wanting a relationship. in my mind at least.

ais with a crush is... Intentional. with the things he does. the signs he gives you. like from an outsider perspective, without your own insecurity or nervousness, it's Glaringly obvious.

more touchy. but he makes it casual and you start questioning it like ...? maybe he's just more comfortable with me because we're friends! (you're nervous because his arm is resting behind your head on the couch like woah) (doesn't move his leg away when your legs keep touching)

of course if you don't like physical touch his feelings would show up in different ways anyway. asking if you want to tag along to buy some things. remembering that book you bought and asking if you finally got around to reading it or if it's collecting dust on your shelf. or maybe it's moments where you ask him something about his past as a half joke, fully recognizing it isn't something anyone else really knows, and he tells you anyway.

still teases you though. obviously. you ask him to open your water bottle and he opens it then pretends to waterfall it into his mouth. takes a sip when you aren't looking but makes it really obvious he did when you look at him. at some point you knock on his door, ring the doorbell, call him, etc. and he takes like 5 minutes to finally let you in. and you're like what's your problem and he just shrugs like oh i didn't hear you (loser burnt his food and was trying to hide it + the smell before you saw)

anyway. i think ais falling in love is subtle moments that build up. glances that he doesn't turn away from when you make eye contact (he smiles and pretends like it's casual). teasing that's teetering on flirting, straight up flirting that for some reason doesn't get called out by you. him looking for you at the bar and relenting from a fight because you swear to god, you'll get such a huge headache, he'll be indebted to you for 3 weeks. him taking you home and making sure you feel alright in the morning.

and there's this tension because he knows, and you think you know, and he knows you've noticed (he isn't trying to hide it) but neither of you are saying anything about it and at some point someone's going to blurt out a confession and there's going to be a kiss and joke about How long that took and!!!

being in a relationship with him is basically what i've said. like you guys were already acting like it before you finally got him to say he wants to be your boyfriend LOL. just some pet names thrown in, official dates, no hesitation in affection you were scared about before

nia when do you think he'd say he loves you. ...! Haha. awesome question

realizing he loves you is easy enough. i can see different possibilities for that. at some mundane moment where he's watching you work on a hobby and explain it to him, or getting ready to go out and asking which outfit looks better.

orrr when you walk in on him doing a bit/prank and immediately play along without hesitation. when he witnesses you threatening/challenging some guy on his account (if you're the type to do that). no matter what, you ask him about it and he's kind of awkward because he thinks it sounds silly LOL

but saying i love you is different to realizing + showing it with his actions. That's where his hesitation sets in in my opinion. because he can be sure he does, be sure you love him, but saying it out loud isn't really something he's done before, and it's a sign this relationship is Serious y'know.

it's going to take...A While... if you wait for him to say it first. you're probably better off just asking to talk about it at that point, like, about your guys' feelings and saying i love you y'know. you can both promise to say it at the same time and then when neither of you say it accuse the other with "oh so you hate me?" before laughing and actually saying it! think about it. silly!

but if you say it that's different. maybe written in a card (he stares at it for a long time and debates what to do), casually while saying goodbye (he watches you leave and replays it in his head), saying it in an intimate setting (he stills and looks at you before smiling/laughing a little and commenting on how you beat him to it (he's grateful))

"love you" over "i love you" guy when it comes to casually saying it btw. also a big fan of annoying you, you saying "i hate you," and replying with "love you too."

sorry friends i have to stop here because my laptop is Quite Literally slowing down/lagging when i start typing atp in the post. somebody help me

@lost-lonnie @screaming-wea-sel @dreamtydraw @respitable @semifilms @hexcoeur @cvhenia @mitskiologist @leiiii-i @sweet-milky-tea705 @khalixvitae

[royalsunshinehotel]

The Kid (SFW Alphabet)

SFW alphabet template

A/N: two days until we meet the Kid 🐒🐒🐒🐒

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

He's not the most affectionate boy, he's got a vendetta he hasn't got the time. if he did feel comfortable enough to show affection, I think it would be minor, like leaving notes for you if he wakes up before you do.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

The Kid is a solid best friend, if not a bit weird. You actually have a reputation for feeding stray cats in the neighborhood, and one day, you catch him taking some of the cat food for himself.

Unacceptable. You take him in and share some scraps you brought home from your job at a kitchen in the hotel. It's undying loyalty after that.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

I fear the Kid loves cuddling. He's erring on the side of 'touch-starved', so when the two of you get more physically intimate, he'll have to have skin-to-skin contact as much as possible. I can see the two of you in bed, and he'd rather pick you up and take you with him than have to go do a random chore by himself.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

He's a survivor, first and foremost. He's never let himself think more than 2 days ahead of what he's doing at that present moment. If he had the luxury of daydreaming, he'd be married to you already. But he doesn't, so he won't.

I think he's alright with cooking, and okay with cleaning. He's hardly ever home to do it, though.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

He would ghost. Not before staring sadly at you, and making sure you 'know' what he's doing [leaving for good]. He's not a big talker, but he won't leave you in the dark.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Getting married is for rich people, he's just gonna stay with you forever and be yours.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

He's more rigid and businesslike when you start going together, but you've got to show him about being gentle- lead by example.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

The Kid is a stranger to hugs, but once you introduce him to the delights of physical contact, he's all about it. He hugs you hello/goodbye, and if you guys are ever out with friends, he'll be hanging off you too. His hugs can range from intense, to comfortable- like he's trying to be a favorite sweater or hoodie.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

The Kid doesn't say it until the two of you are in a situation where he thinks he might not get the chance to say it to you again. 🥺

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

He gets pretty jealous, but he doesn't do much about it unless you give him a signal that you want out of the situation. He loves you, and he trusts your mind.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

I worry that his kisses are either soft and chaste, or absolutely firey and all-consuming. It depends on the day he's had - you're somehow always surprised. He likes to kiss your lovely mouth and your forehead. He's a fan of when you go after the area by his ear, he's absolutely weak for it (and you).

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

I think he is pretty comfortable. He's kind of the type that can observe even the smallest details, but kids are perceptive - and can tell he's not a threat. 👁️👁️

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

I think he likes to sleep in. 'Early' for him is like 9am-10, but this is only because he's out until 2-3am. Things are slow, comfortable, and the two of you like your long mornings together.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)\

I think he's usually at work, depending on what you do, whether you're working with him, or nearby. It's pretty bright and busy in the city at night, and he likes to be at least one block away from you at all times, in case you need him (or he needs you).

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

I truly think he's never gonna do that. You know him by his actions, and by how he treats you and makes you feel. Maybe you'll get a first name one day, but that's not the main goal for the two of you right now.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

I feel like he's not the type to fly off the handle unless he's been sitting on it for fifteen years, and he's planning to assassinate his mother's murderer, it's okay. Like anger really isn't in his daily range of emotion.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

I suppose it depends on how chatty you are with him. I think if it's words you say- he might as well get it tattooed on his chest. We know that Kid has a sharp memory, and this applies to you, the same as everything else.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship

I think it's gotta be the time you formally asked him on a date. Once again, I think he maybe forgot he didn't say yes verbally. He just kind of stared at you, until you said "yes?" It was the first time in the long time he hadn't been stuck in his head in a long time.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Oh you guys are young and poor in a big bad city, he's so protective it's almost embarrassing if it wasn't warranted. He's very much the type who would want you to have a gun or weapon with you (and he'd show you how to use it), as well as possibly putting a tracking app on your phone (and you his, ofc). He doesn't want protection!!! He wants to protect you !!! Ahhh!!!

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

I think once he gets a grip on what a 'date' and 'relationship' is, he's all about it. He'll be writing, making lists, and making sure he has things organized how he wants it, because he loves you ! And this is what you do for people you love!

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

He needs to stop leaving piles all over the apartment. Piles of towels, piles of clothes, piles of groceries. This man needs to learn to put things away!

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

I think he probably hasn't seen himself in like a year. He's seen himself in reflections in the kitchen, but other than minding his hair and making sure there aren't any knots, he's not really concerned with his looks or general well-being at all.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Oh, you're a part of his soul. He didn't realize it, but you were always there.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

We see a little of this in the trailer, but i do think that Kid has a gang of street cats that he feeds. They love him and they tend to group up when he's around. They follow him home, they watch in the dark whenever he's out. The cats love kid.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

I think he's perceptive and he won't enjoy someone extroverted. Careless or malicious with your actions is a big no as well.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

I don’t know how else to say it, but I think majority of the nights, he’s the little spoon. In some form, you’ve got to have your arms around him.

[ghosttotheparty]

‘hey, how’d it go?’

‘uh. not great.’

‘shit. tell me.’

‘ well, it started kinda fine. she kept, like, looking at my neck, but she didn’t say anything. but we got along pretty well.’

‘ did you hook up?’

‘ well. we were going to. but it was… i don’t know. weird.’

‘weird awkward?’

‘yeah. like it just… jesus, i don’t know. it felt wrong? but not, like, wrong wrong, just. weird.’

‘sure.’

‘it was like we didn’t know what to do.’

‘how far’d you get?’

‘we made out. but when i went to take my shirt off, she said— i’m not exaggerating— oh my go-od.’

‘jesus, steve.’

‘yeah. honestly i don’t even know why i fucking bother.’

‘what do you mean?’

‘ i dunno. guess i knew i’m fucking ugly now, i guess i just kinda… i don’t know. hoped it wasn’t that bad. but i’m an idiot, so.’

‘jesus, steve, shut the fuck up.’

‘huh?’

‘you’re not— fuck, there was so much wrong with all of that, oh my god.’

‘eddie.’

‘no— okay, alright. steve. you’re not ugly.’

‘she recoiled, eddie.’

‘okay, well, cindy alden is a bitch. i remember her from school, she’s always been awful. don’t laugh, i’m serious, she’s terrible.’

‘okay, eddie.’

‘you’re not ugly.’

‘i’m…’

‘steve. you’re not ugly. your scars are cool.’

‘think you’re the only one that thinks that.’

‘well my opinion is the most important, so.’

‘okay, eddie.’

‘look. your scars are metal as fuck. even if you don’t think so.’

‘…’

‘when you see my scars, do you think they’re ugly?’

‘wha— no, of course not.’

‘so why do you think yours are ugly?’

‘…i dont know.’

‘have you actually looked at your scars? taken a really good look?’

‘i don’t really want to.’

‘look at them. now.’

‘eddie.’

‘come on, stevie, humour me.’

‘…okay. i’m looking.’

‘have you noticed how they, like, kinda swirl a little bit?’

‘…noticing that now.’

‘don’t they kinda look like storm clouds?’

‘…’

‘steve?’

‘yeah. a little bit. guess that’s… kinda cool.’

‘and the colours? aren’t they pretty?’

‘you’re trying to make me feel better about myself.’

‘yeah. i am. aren’t they pretty?’

‘…yeah. i guess.’

‘and our scars match. that’s pretty cool. they’re like friendship bracelets.’

‘some fucked up friendship bracelets. but yeah. it’s kinda nice that i’m not the only one.’

‘you’re not ugly, steve. even with your sick-ass scars, you’re ho— you’re so cool.’

‘yeah? you think i’m pretty, eddie?’

‘…anyway. don’t worry about what cindy alden has to say. you’re good. and you’re not an idiot.’

‘okay, eddie.’

‘don’t okay, eddie me, i’m serious. you’re pretty smart, steve.’

‘okay, maybe i’m not an idiot, but i wouldn’t go so far as to say i’m smart.’

‘well, it’s a good thing i’m not asking you, isn’t it? don’t sigh at me. you’re smart.”

‘eddie, i don’t mind being the dumb one of the group, it’s fine.’

‘no, it’s not, steve. you’re not the dumb one. just because you’re not a science nerd or something doesn’t mean you’re not smart.’

‘in what way am i smart?’

‘you’re observant as fuck, steve. i’m serious, you are. dustin and robin told me about how they only realised the russian code was coming from hawkins because you were the only one that recognized the music in it.’

‘…’

‘we only figured out we could communicate from the upside down because you heard dustin. no one else heard him.’

‘you guys thought i was crazy.’

‘yeah, until we heard him too, and then i thought holy shit, this guy’s got ears like a fuckin’ bat.’

‘…’

‘you knew how to drive that rv right away.’

‘didn’t have much of a choice.’

‘what i meant was that you’d never driven an rv before.’

‘…‘s true.’

‘you’re really smart, steve. you’re… resourceful. and intuitive, and observant, and it doesn’t matter if you don’t know science-y shit.’

‘…okay.’

‘and even if you weren’t smart, it wouldn’t matter. you’re more than your body and brains, stevie.’

‘what else am i, eddie?’

‘jesus, where should i start? …okay. you’re really sweet.’

‘sweet?’

‘so fucking sweet, steve, you’re one of the nicest people i know. even in high school, you were nicer than the other douche bags. and now you’re… you’re kind, steve. even if you’re being bitchy. you’re kind, and considerate, and patient when you need to be.’

‘…okay.’

‘and you’re… you’re funny. i know all the kids make fun of your jokes, but i laugh at all of them.’

‘thanks.’

‘you’re a good friend.’

‘am i?’

‘remember what i said about you being observant?’

‘yeah?’

‘i swear you can walk into a room and just… know. like, if anything is wrong, you pick up on it immediately, it’s insane. and you always know exactly what people need. you’re… safe.’

‘…safe?’

‘yeah. safe. everyone’s totally comfortable around you. the kids fucking adore you.’

‘really?’

‘yeah. the other day we were hanging out while you and robin were at work, and erica sighed very loudly and complained that she missed you.’

‘erica said that?’

‘erica fucking sinclair said, and i quote, i miss steve.’

‘…that’s really nice.’

‘you’re a good guy, steve, seriously. you’re selfless and brave and kind, and i love how you look after everyone, and how your eyes light up when talk about your sports, and how you get all mushy about the kids when they’re not around, and—’

‘…’

‘look. you’re, like, the best. and it— it breaks my fucking heart to hear you talk about yourself like you’re some piece of shit.’

‘…’

‘steve?’

‘…’

‘fuck, are you crying?’

‘…no?’

‘fuck, steve, i’m—’

‘eddie?’

‘yeah?’

‘i… i have to tell you something.’

‘what is it? are you okay?’

‘…i’m falling in love with you.’

‘…what?’

‘i’m sorry, eddie.’

‘no, don’t hang up, stevie— you’re— are you sure?’

‘yeah. i’m sure.’

‘but you… what about the girls?’

‘i was… i was trying not to— to fall for you, but you… fucking christ, eddie, you’re so…’

‘so?’

‘so good. you’re so perfect.’

‘fuck.’

‘im sorry, eddie.’

‘don’t apologise, stevie, i’m— i’m in love with you too.’

‘…say it again.’

‘i’m in love with you, too.’

‘holy shit.’

‘are you okay?’

‘i’m okay. i’m… can you come over?’

‘…to yours?’

‘or— or i can go to yours, i just— i wanna see you.’

‘you do?’

‘i wanna… i wanna kiss you.’

‘fuck. fuck, fuck, ow, okay, i’m—‘

‘what just happened?’

‘i fell off my bed, i’m fine, i can be there in a few minutes.’

‘are you sure?’

‘holy shit, steve, yes, i’ll be right over.’

‘okay.’

‘okay.’

‘wait, eddie—’

‘yeah?’

‘…i love you.’

‘fuck. i love you too. i’ll be right there, stevie.’

‘okay.’

[pilferingapples]

OK my random question for you to think over is— If you could schedule some bonding time between Jean Valjean and any one of Les Amis, which Ami would you choose? Who would he click with/who would help him out the most/who would be the best most helpful Buddy for him to have ??? Or would you need to pick multiple Amis?

(This may or may not be related to a future fic idea I have planned. I have asked myself this question but currently do not know the answer, so I am curious about your thoughts! You always have great Les Amis takes)

OK before I get into this, I want to be clear that I think Cosette does an AMAZING job with Valjean's emotional Everything, but (a) she's a kid (b) she's HIS kid (c) no one person, no matter how close or important, can ever supply all of another person's emotional needs, even if they're a lot less traumatized than Valjean to start (d) a major problem with Valjean is Social Isolation, which only people Besides Cosette can alleviate (e) that is just the start of the issues that Cosette can't and should never have to handle alone! So no consideration of adding Other Friends to Valjean's life should be taken as an insult from me to Cosette (and I know you wouldn't , but people get weird). Cosette is a star.

Also: I am in all of this assuming a setting/ series of events leading to Acquaintance that does right by both parties ; importantly, that means Valjean is sure, somehow, that none of these men are romantically interested in or romantically interesting to Cosette. Maybe it's post- marriage, maybe it's an AU, maybe Whatever. Valjean's not doing his Lion With a Dog routine about it.

OK THAT SAID, let's Consider:

Enjolras: if they met outside a barricade, I can see them getting along very well! Unfortunately, that's because without pressing political action or conversation be thrown at them, I can imagine them both just sitting quietly and reading or being lost in their thoughts for as long as they're hanging out. Even GIVEN a political topic, like..Valjean is not gonna argue with anything Enjolras says and Enjolras is already gonna say it and they are just...gonna continue to Agree and then go back to Quiet Reading Time. Parallel Play For The Cats. Valjean will think Enjolras is a pleasant young man, Enjolras will think Valjean is a restful older gentleman, they will go to the library at the same time every Wednesday and nod hello and read in chairs near each other and never talk. Probably exactly the kind of interaction Valjean wants, and not at all what he needs to get out of his routine.

Combeferre: a very strong option!! assuming they've gotten talking about Nearly Anything, Combeferre can find the Fun Conversational Trivia in any subject. I bet Valjean would LOVE to hear about how steam engines work and the latest discoveries about bees or rubber or tinctures of opium. Valjean might be willing to tell him Cool Gardening and Metallurgy Knowledge and Combeferre would LISTEN. Combeferre is sharp and cutting about Interests and Ideas, but shows no signs of being someone who wants to get more emotional or personal with people than they're already setting up. This could be a great Hobby Buddy friendship and that's something Valjean really needs! Potential Issues: if they DO run into the sort of conversation where they're debating ideas, Combeferre does not seem to have an Easy Mode. IDK how much Valjean would be willing to enter Debate Thunderdome about politics or social issues; I worry greatly that he would shut down in Automatic Defense System Mode. But if they can work around that, Combeferre could be so good for getting him interested in the outside world!

Prouvaire: Much as above for Combeferre, except Prouvaire is already something of a gardener, DOES have a Gentle mode for debates, AND is goth, which would surely speak to Valjean's " some alive people like to be in coffins too" soul. Also lbr we know Prouvaire is on the 420 Crew in any era and it might do Valjean some real good to get baked once in a while. Strong potential here.

Feuilly: HE'S LIKE THE SON VALJEAN MIGHT HAVE KNOWN, or the grandson really-- as I recall, we've done the math and figured out that Feuilly really might be in the right age range to be one of Valjean's nibling's kids. I don't know how much Valjean has ever considered international politics but I bet he would deeply resonate with the plight of refugees and the displaced, which after all is a lot of the real issue. And maybe from there they can even get into how this is all systemic and Valjean might start to understand how he's not Uniquely Horrible if these injustices happen to so many people!!! A Little !!! Possibly!! Either way,they can get earnest and emotional over just wanting everyone else to have a better deal than they got. Go Team Lower Class Orphans Too Good For This World !

Courfeyrac: listen Courfeyrac's a delight and all but..he's just very bourgeois student. He is. Even assuming we're in the best situation where he and Valjean are talking politics and social issues enough for Valjean to NOT just mentally write him off as Standard Student Guy, I suspect Courfeyrac's many charms are just the wrong ones here. I'm not saying they can't get along, I think Courfeyrac can probably get alone with nearly anyone,but this is gonna be one of the harder options for any real connection.

Bahorel: you know I was all ready to go on a big ramble about how this could go multiple ways until I remembered the ONE THING, THE ONLY THING that gets Valjean to really open up and talk about his past is watching a younger man make horrible life choices that could get him arrested, never mind about trying to get Valjean to open up, Valjean is gonna trauma-dump on Bahorel so hard in the first fifteen minutes of them actually hanging out. And unlike Montparnasse, Bahorel pays attention and gives a damn about other people, and he is SO ready to get into how the legal system is pure evil and screws everyone over. Hating the legal system is a major component of his personality! I had honestly not really realized it until making this post but wow this will, eventually, be So Good for Valjean's mental health. (I am perhaps being a little silly here but I do think, on consideration, that Bahorel's over the top Everything would be on balance kinda reassuring for Valjean; plus there IS the goth factor XD Bonus points if it's a Better Post-Barricades setting where Bahorel's taken in Gavroche and they can bond over Unexpected Child Acquisition)

Legle: For Legle, see Courfeyrac, I'm afraid. You KNOW I love Bossuet so very much but he speaks 90 percent in too-smart-by-half puns and references and his entire social presentation depends on knowing how to parlay a bourgeois social skillset into Endless Crash Space. He's super weird and an incredibly good guy For Real but I don't know if Valjean would put enough effort in to realize that! Like with Courfeyrac, I feel like this would just be a Polite Acquaintaceship. Open to being convinced otherwise though!

Joly: ..ok I know Joly is also Student Guy as heck, but he's also direct and enthusiastic and overtly sweet in a way that Courfeyrac and Legle aren't. I can see Valjean enjoying his company somewhat the way he enjoys Cosette's actually-- here's someone who will be cheerful and chattery about things that he, Valjean, does not really know or care about. I still don't know if they'd connect on any deeper level but I could buy Valjean actively noticing and enjoying Joly's company.

Grantaire: HAAAAAHahahahhahaAAAAAHHHAHAHAHAHAH *runs out of breath* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAAAAAA hahahaha nooooo. No. Nooooooooo. Grantaire talking to Valjean would go about like Grantaire talking to Javert in the I Mis Miniseries. Grantaire will talk! You cannot stop him unless you are named Enjolras! Valjean will nooooot care.

...Writing this up has made me reflect on what I think Valjean really needs out of a potential friend and it's - someone to do the talking - shared interests, or new interests they can be enthusiastic about while he nods ahead - a willingness/ ability to get HIM to talk at least sometimes ?? maybe?? - shared goth vibes or at least the ability to understand that sometimes u__u you just gotta be in a coffin now u__u - ABSOLUTELY MANDATORY overt disdain for The Rules this is why Fauchelevent was SO good for him but I think he also needs someone who is not in life debt to him! he needs to know he can socialize with Kind New People and Not Explode!!

....and this is a long post so I'm gonna save more Valjean rant :D I am pretty sure you and I will discuss later anyway!! Thank you for the random question!

[mickedy]

do you have strong feelings about minnie? the way disney writes her bothers me severely, i'm trying to find out how to write her better and i'd like help!

she's always written as nothing more than a mickey genderswap, they have the exact same character strengths and flaws, i want to write her like how ortensia is written to oswald or daisy is written to donald (in. ducktales 2017 at least when they dont feel like being . so toxic.), theyre character foils and they work better together

for example daisy is more practical and sassy and headstrong?? while donald isn't very practical he is very emotional and in the moment and isnt as ambitious as her he's just a guy

but minnie doesnt compliment mickey in any way their relationship is just Same Braincell Teehee

and its like every time disney TRIES to have friction between the two its usually making minnie less interesting than mickey in the sense he's going off the walls insane and she has to fold her arms and make him stop, w donald and daisy donald has to ground daisy sometimes but minnie can usually do no wrong ever??

i want to write minnie as mickey's foil in a similar way because she's always a copy and paste mickey and she deserves so so so much more, but im also worried that making a foil for mickey would stray too far from minnie's personality range?? which is why i keep referencing donald and daisy specifically because they have similar personalities but still manage to be foils, and i ALSO dont want to make her copy and paste ortensia, WHILE ALSO NOT MAKING HER JUST LESS INTERESTING MICKEY AS THEY DO SOMETIMES by just writing her as feminine mickey without the character flaws he has, so its a really weird balancing act here

You hit the nail on the head with a lot of points here. I've always found Minnie to be the MOST sidelined out of the 5 in terms of characterization. She's almost always written as "girl mickey", very interchangeable with him, not really developed with her own personality in mind independent of her relationship with Mickey.

I guess on a lot of levels I consider Minnie and Mickey to be like... really sturdy nuts. They have these extremely tough shells surrounding them, they are two of the most private people you will ever meet. Outwardly friendly, outwardly pretty boring and unemotional, a pretty vanilla flavored couple at any way you look at them.

But, we don't really get to see what goes on under that shell. What they're like in private. My favorite stories with Mickey are the ones where they crack open the shell, even just a smidge-- and we get to look on the inside. What we see is almost always the same. Above all else, Mickey cares about his friends. Mickey cares about his friends so much that he would take a bullet for each of them. He would give up everything. Friendship means more than anything else to Mickey Mouse.

On the flipside, we don't really get that same introspection with Minnie. I can't think of a time where they let her be emotional, like that. She's sweet and patient and polite and filled to the brim with goodness and kindness, but that's just what her shell looks like. She's very, very reserved. Like Mickey, maybe even moreso.

A lot of this is definitely because the writers don't really care about Minnie on that level, because she's Woman and she's Girlboss and whatnot. When they show her being emotional, it's pretty much always played up for laughs because Women Are Emotional amiright wink wink nudge nudge 😁🔫 <- (he does not know he is playing into misogynistic tropes)

But I like to think she just has these incredibly sturdy walls around her character. You will most likely never get to see what her private self is like in the entire time that you know her. I seriously doubt Minnie's actual friends know that much about her.

Mickey cares about his friends, but what does Minnie care about...? Where Mickey is an optimist, I consider Minnie to be a pessimist. That is a very strange claim to make, I know. But I think the reason we never see her walls break down is because... there'd just be more walls. She's such an incredibly reserved individual, she'd rather stick her hand in a paper shredder than admit that she's got feelings.

She's pretty no-nonsense in that regard, too. Mickey is a compassionate guy, but Minnie is more quick to lash out and start kicking and yelling when someone pisses her off. Tying back to the whole "friendship is Mickey's emotional core" thing... friendship is definitely not Minnie's.

I'm not saying she's not friendly. She's incredibly friendly! She's such a sweet and affectionate individual. But it's all very much an outward thing. I think, if you're looking for a "foil", that's definitely where they clash in that regard. Mickey is a plain, unassuming guy who-- at his core-- is sweet and silly and compassionate, and motivated by his love for his friends. Minnie is outwardly sweet and silly and compassionate, but doesn't have that same motivating factor, the deeper you look.

In the end, this is all really my interpretation of Minnie's character. Because she is definitely a victim of misogynistic writing, which sucks 🤷‍♀️ But I do think there is a lot of potential to make her and Mickey clash a lot more often than they're shown to... because, they don't really show themselves to anybody! That sort of intimate exploration of their character is something that really only comes out with each other. Which leaves a lot of room to mold their inner personalities into something much more interesting...

[buddiebeginz]

In the beginning of this season we had Chris talking about Shannon and how it didn't matter if he wasn't being serious about the girls he's dating because all people did was leave anyway. They kind of wrapped all that up in that episode but I feel like there was a lot more to that scene than just the surface stuff.

This could have been just a convo with Eddie and Chris or even just Chris and Buck but instead it was all three of them. They put Eddie in that scene for a reason. Because it's not just Chris that's afraid of everyone leaving it's Eddie too.

More accurately Eddie is scared to lose the one person who knows him better than anyone else (think about who was there during the worst parts of Eddie's ptsd) and who was not only there but saved Eddie during the shooting. Buck is who knows him and who he depends on not just as a friend and partner but as a co parent. Just look at when he was worried about Chris this season he went straight to Buck to talk about it and ask for help.

What if Eddie has known about his feelings for Buck since he almost died in that well. If you watch that ep what he sees in his flashes of memory are predominately Buck and Chris. And what did he do after that? He added Buck to his will. Sure it was to make sure Chris was safe and looked after but if you watch and listen to Eddie when he tells Buck about the will it's clear that he was trying to say I love you to him in the only way he felt he could. Also if the will wasn't that big of a deal why did it take him a whole year to even tell Buck about it?

We've been so focused on Buck and his jealousy and insecurities (rightfully so given his past) we haven't been talking about how Eddie has a lot of those himself. What happened with Shannon scarred him a lot especially where Chris is concerned. She hadn't even been back in their lives all that long before she died and it clearly still impacts them both.

If you look at how few relationships Eddie has had since then and how he always seems hesitant to be vulnerable or invest much of himself in them this is why. I also think it's because his heart already belongs to Buck. These relationships to me have all feel very hollow like we're watching a guy just go through the motions. I mean look at how he broke up with Ana.

I think it's very likely that Eddie knows how he feels about Buck is more than just friendship but 1. He doesn't think those feelings would be reciprocated. 2. Even if they are I think Eddie is going to be scared at first to risk their friendship and change things. To lose the one person who has been a constant since he came into it. But I think Eddie's biggest hesitation will be Chris. He knows the kind of bond Chris and Buck have had so I think he would be worried about doing something to fuck that up. He still likely blames himself over Shannon's death and blames himself for why his son doesn't have a mom, so he'll likely be scared to risk losing the only other parent Chris has known.

Ultimately I do think we're going to get canon Buddie (probably not until season 8) but I do think this is one way they could drag the story out for a little bit. Like we could have Buck with his whole jealousy thing which leads him into figuring out his sexuality and at some point during all this in season 7 he'll have his Oh moment.

Eventually Eddie either finds out about Buck's feelings for him or Buck tells him and maybe we even get a kiss between them but then Eddie stops it and says he can't do it he can't risk what they have for something they might have and lose.

So into season 8 they're a little weird around each other until Buck decides to start dating a guy and we get to see Eddie being jealous and realizing he doesn't want to be without Buck anymore (and can't stand the thought of him with someone else). And this forces him to have to deal with a lot of the stuff he's never really dealt with from Shannon's death. Maybe we get some Frank scenes. Or maybe some Eddie and Maddie scenes because despite what the show would have a us believe I do think they hang out sometimes. But at some point maybe towards the end of season 8 we get one of those big sappy romantic gestures where Eddie tells Buck he loves him and he's always been his person. I'd also love it if season 8 ended up with Buck moving into Eddie and Chris' place. Buck has always been searching for where he belongs when his home is right there with his boys.

[blouisparadise]

Upon request, today we have a rec list of BL fics where Harry is a bit of a fuckboy. If you enjoy our rec lists, please be sure to like and reblog the post to spread the word.

Happy reading!

1) Every Time That You Get Undressed (I Hear Symphonies In My Head) | Explicit | 12009 words

Note: This fic has mentions of BH.

An AU in which Harry is the typical frat boy who doesn't believe in love but falls for the insecure mess that is Louis. 

2) Deflower Me | Explicit | 20154 words

Louis is a proud virgin, and no matter how much society tries to make him feel like a freak for not acting on his natural urges, he doesn't suffer from his lack of experience. He has never felt drawn to someone in a way that made him want to get involved sexually with them, and he isn't planning on rushing himself so he can get some because people think it's what he should do.

In walks Fratboy, the Serial Haunter of His (wet) Dreams, who thankfully has a little business going on that might be just what Louis needs.

3) The Way The Storm Blows | Explicit | 21649 words

Louis doesn’t have a habit of thinking about Harry’s dick.

That would be weird, seeing as they’re best mates, and they share a flat, and they’ve spent holidays at each other’s family homes. Their friendship hasn’t ever risen to a point where Louis should want to see his mate’s dick, and he’s happy to keep it that way.

Except, all that Louis can think about is exactly that. The size of it. The shape. The amount of people it’s been in.

Maybe it’s the tequila talking, or the fact that Louis’ just recently walked in to an eyeful of Harry taking turns on some slags that he’s never seen before, but. Louis’ mind can’t stop obsessing over the idea.

4) Even The Best Laid Plans | Explicit | 25190 words

Louis wants to have sex with someone and decides Harry is the perfect alpha for the job.

5) Up To No Good | Explicit | 26525 words | Sequel #1 | Sequel #2

Harry doesn’t think of himself as a womanizer, not at all. Sure, he enjoys sex, enjoys how women feel underneath him, and by some people’s standards he has sex with quite a lot of people, but that’s no reason to tell him that he can’t have a female PA anymore.

It’s especially no excuse for giving him a male PA who’s possibly the most gorgeous boy in the world who won’t even let Harry look at him for too long.

Sometimes Harry hates his life.

6) Pretenses That Bind | Explicit | 27560 words

Harry’s the school’s playboy. Everyone wants to fuck him and be him. Teachers and parents are no exception. Louis is gorgeous and a year below him. He’s known for being funny and kind and an all around nice guy. He’s been lusting after Harry for years now, just like everyone else. But he see’s what other people don’t, and he knows there’s more to Harry than meets the eye. He’s dying to uncover the layers that make up Harry Styles.

7) Fake It Till You Make It | Explicit | 28777 words

After a serious error in judgement causes Harry to lie to his frat brothers about being in a relationship, he begrudgingly enlists his best friend’s omega roommate to help keep up the charade. There’s only one small issue…

8) If Ignorance Be Bliss | Explicit | 30429 words

Uni AU: Harry is too experienced, and Louis just wants to get to experience him.

9) Nicotine | Explicit | 32345 words | Sequel

“We’re two different types of people, Liam. He likes sex and drugs, I like theater and tea. Trust me, we’d never date.” Except they would, they do, and neither of them plans on letting go anytime soon.

10) Sleeping On Our Problems | Explicit | 67429 words

Louis sleeps with Harry and they have more than just catching feelings to worry about.

11) Where You Lay | Explicit | 86038 words

When Louis's upcoming heat threatens his success at his new dream job, he asks the best (and only) person he can think of to help him through it: his best mates' best mate, Harry Styles.  Harry reluctantly accepts, and together the two navigate a strange friends with benefits relationship that quickly turns complicated.

12) Baby Heaven’s In Your Eyes | Explicit | 120925 words

A sixth form!AU where Harry is the fucked up bad boy with too many problems, Louis is the perfect rich boy with too much money and their schools are right across from each other. They meet at a party and that’s the last (and maybe the only) thing they need.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

[thequietkid-moonie]

Hello bro, I came to request again about yandere Puella Magi Madoka Magica platonically of course, with stoic reader yet gentle and mature who is always get hurt, it's either hurt badly or just a little so the reader need a bandage. And the reader was like "Oh this? It's fine." Its up to you if you want the reader became magical like them or not. Thank you for hearing my request. You can refuse it if you want.Oh and Thanks for making my day became good. Sorry if my English sound weird, it's not my first language. (⁠・⁠∀⁠・⁠) take your time!

Stoic, gentle and mature darling doesn't mind getting hurt

[ YANDERE HEADCANONS ] [ Mami, Madoka, Sayaka, Kyoko & Homura ]

[ Puella Magi Madoka Magica ]

This was quite interesting to write! Aaaand I finally stoped procrastinating haha

I don't think this is my best work but I still hope you like it!!

Even when your relationship with them probably just started as a friendship the craving need to have you around at all times grow slowly in their hearts

Honestly, their live became a complete caotic mess after just getting to know Kubey, even before making a contracts just by knowing about the witches was enough to bring troubles to their lives. For everyone is dificult, all of them try to deal with it in their own diferent ways but when you came to their lifes, even if you were just friends with one of them, is going to be imposible to don't end up involved with the rest of them

While Mami and Madoka wanted to give you a warm welcome to their friends group Kyoko and Homura wanted you away from them, it was a quite rough start (specially for your more serious and stoic attitude), but at the moment you start to showing them your maturity and showering them with care and gentleness, all of them quickly become more dependent and needy of you

Once they got involved with Kubey they entire life become a mess, constantly having to fight against the witches and having to take care of their soul gem, making sure none of them get corrupted by the despair, there is too much stress in their lifes and Kubey's annoying insistance doesn't help, so when you came and treats them with gentleness and care, being aware enough to actually undestand the seriousness of the matter and trying to bring them comfort (directly or indirectly), recognizing their hard work and treating them as what they are, poor young girls that are forced to fight to death, and even so you never treat them with pity, truly caring for them, is just imposible to don't want you around all the time

It goes to the point where your presence alone is comforting enough, as if at your side were the safest and most comforting place in the entire world, as if at your side nothing else exist aside from just you and them, your arms are made to perfectly match them, holding them with the gentleness the world have forgotten and your voice is like a soft lullaby, even if your expression is stoic they can feel the warm and soft love you have for the in every word and actions of yours

That is why the panic take over them when they found out that you actually don't mind if you ever get hurt, small cut or a serious injury, it doesn't matter for you, insisting that you can just treat the wound later, the problem is that even if you don't mind they do

They live putting their lifes at risk everytime they go out fighting witches, they constantly get injured and have to suffer from the battles and all of that is worthy because they now have you, now they have a reason to continue fighting if that reason one day dissapear non of them will be able to continue, that is why even the smallest scratch makes them get alert, but if you don't mind getting hurt that just make their work of keeping you safe more difficult

Mami is the one who tries to have a calm talk with you about you actually shouldn't ignore this kind of things (but is obvious how her worry grows with each word), Madoka and Sayaka tries to convince you by telling you the risk you are putting yourself into, while Kyoko and Homura are more aggressive, almost willing to force you to promise to tell them whenever you get hurt, even when you only get the smallest scratch

Your safety is one of their top priorities, so you don't taking it seriously puts them at the edge; the more you insist on ignore your safety the more controling and possessive they become, not wanting to take the risk of something happening to you

[aromantic-diaries]

Hiiii just wanted to tell someone this because I don’t feel comfortable saying it irl ;;;;

I have a lot of feelings (in general, don’t read into my use of that words) about my Best Friend so this doesn’t really feel new in terms of intensity, but there’s been a development with her that really just depresses me. She was dating someone for a month or two and they became official today. I’m happy FOR her, I definitely am, but the feeling of being left behind hits SO hard. Especially in context with the rest of our long friendship and various things I’ve had to come to terms with in relation to her.

She’s always been someone I can really, REALLY talk to. In 2023 we’d started being much more open with each other in a way where I/we could talk about aspec stuff, especially because she relates to a lot of it. And now this… Nothing changes for us, but like. It all happened so suddenly.

I’m jealous of both of them. Jealous of her for being able to enter a relationship that seems to be so fulfilling for her, and jealous of him for getting to spend so much time with her, and jealous of them for being so…normal. They just really like each other and go on dates. I’ve never met him, but I’m pretty sure I’d act weird like I usually do to strangers. I’m scared she’s more proactive about setting up dates with him than she ever was to hang out with me. I feel so dumb discovering that I’m not as over that as I thought I was.

I feel like I need some kind of outlet to talk about her and sort myself out but all of my friends know what my art looks like. The internet’s been feeling claustrophobic lately. Thank you from a loveless aroace 💚

Hey, I want you to know that you're not alone in feeling like this. I too worry about my best friend eventually finding a partner and putting our friendship aside and this is probably one of the most common aromantic problems. Unfortunately there isn't much of a solution to this problem but I suggest discussing it with your friend and letting her know how you feel about this whole thing. Writing it all down is a good first step in processing your feelings and I'm happy that I came to your mind as someone you can tell this to, I'm glad I could create a safe space. I wish you the best of luck and I hope you can resolve this issue. I believe in ya!

[mushroom-snake-coding]

The Human Friend: Mr. Teal Eyes

Part 4

Does anyone ever wonder if Sophie had a friend in the human world? It never mentions anyone in the books… but I wrote something where she would meet a human friend.

(Hey guys, this is going to be an epic chapter. This is less human, being honest. But that’s what makes it so exciting. Read parts 1, 2, and 3 if you haven’t. I’ll try posting those on some way they are more easily accessible.)

“MISS FOSTER!” Mr. Sweeney’s annoying voice rang out throughout the room as he pulled out Sophie’s earbuds. “Have you decided that you’re too smart to pay attention to this information?”

Yikes, he didn’t need to embarrass Sophie for just some earbuds. Pri would wear her headphones, too, if they weren’t so visible. It was so loud here, and the stupid lights weren’t helping. But, Sophie was needing a bit more help, right now. Pri and stood closer to Sophie. Mr. Sweeney didn’t notice as he was too distracted in berating Sophie.

Pri had noticed teachers were meaner to Sophie. Most people seemed to hate her, probably because they were jealous. Pri partially understood why they would be. The way Sophie talked about the Lambeosaurus, like she was a scientist at like Harvard or something, Pri was a bit jealous too.

But she got past those feelings after a year of friendship with Sophie. From being partners in AP Environmental to being friends throughout the rest of high school, they were inseparable.

However, that wouldn’t last long. Sophie was going to college next year. Pri was still surprised that Sophie was offered a full Scholarship from freaking Yale. Although, Sophie rejected because neither her nor her parents needed the attention.

But anyway, Pri was a Junior while her friend was a Senior, so this would be their last year together. The two were going to make the most of it, so they applied for the same class. (Sophie needed the science credit, while Pri needed an Elective credit.) The only bad part about their plan is that it included Mr. Sweeney, and some annoying classmates.

“Nice job, superfreak,” Garwin Chang—a boy with no sense of insults—sneered as he shoved past them. “Maybe they’ll write another article about you. ‘Child Prodigy Teaches Class about the Lame-o-saurus.’”Seriously, this guy needs to figure out some better insults, not that Pri wanted him to insult Sophie, but dang is he bad at that.

Sophie looked slightly amused, as if she could read Pri’s thoughts. Pri loved that Sophie was so good at reading her like that. Talking wasn’t necessary to get her point across, when she was with Sophie.

“Hey Soph, do you wanna go look at the cool crystals, instead of worrying about him?” Pri asked, having a very avid interest in minerals. Sophie looked like she was about to say yes, but then she was staring at someone behind Pri.

A tall, dark-haired boy who was reading the article about Sophie. It was from when Sophie rejecting Yale. She and her parents werd upset about it, and Pri would be too, with the invasion of privacy. Suddenly, the boy looked up at Sophie. And before they knew it, he was right next to them.

“Is this you?” he asked Sophie. He looked around fifteen, maybe sixteen, or Pri was just incredibly short so that could be why she thought so. His voice was kind of weird though, like British, maybe? It had to be somewhere in Europe. He also looked… weirdly perfect. Like, not that Pri liked this guy, but he looked a bit too good for a teenager. Also what was the weirdest part were his teal eyes. Like these were full on teal, must be some cool contact lenses.

Pri zoned out a bit so she didn’t hear most of the conversation. Both of them seemed fine ignoring her existence. Rude, okay. They were talking about dinosaurs, now. This dude was talking about how the dinosaur nearby was an “absurd” depiction. Well not that Pri knew for sure what dinosaurs looked like, but how could this guy think it’s weird, when it’s the literal thing they always depicted as dinosaurs. And also, she hasn’t heard many people say the word “absurd”. He was strange.

A bunch of kindergarteners walked in, and they were LOUD. Pri covered her ears, and quickly put the headphones that rested on her neck onto her head. She looked at Sophie and the boy who were both rubbing their temples. Yeah, kindergarteners were loud. Pri understood that. But Sophie and the boy were staring at each other, weirdly. Their voices were now whispers, but Pri still heard them. Her headphones weren’t the best quality not going to lie.

“Did you…hear that?” the boy asked. Sophie paused.

“Who are you?” she finally asked.

“You did—didn’t you?” the boy leaned a bit closer to Sophie, looking like he only wanted her to hear. And he was almost successful, except Pri heard the last part. “….Telepath?”

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait WHAT? Was he asking if Sophie was a telepath??? No, that’s crazy. He’s crazy. Those were only things for superheroes or something. Though, Sophie looked very wobbly. Pri put a hand on her shoulder, to steady her. Sophie did not look good.

“It’s okay Sophie. I’m here to help you. We’ve been looking for you for twelve—”

“SHUT UP!” Pri yelled as Sophie looked like she was about to vomit.

Suddenly, Sophie jerked away and ran outside. Pri ran after her. The boy also chased them, but Pri wasn’t focused on him. She was more worried about her friend, who ran through the courtyard, past the fountain, right in the middle of the street.

Pri stopped on the sidewalk, watching in horror. What Sophie hadn’t noticed was a car headed straight for her.

Quickly, the car swerved, hitting a streetlights . The sound was so loud. Pri’s relief didn’t last long when the streetlight was about to fall on Sophie. Then there was dust.

The dust cleared, and Sophie was frozen, holding the light up with… TELEKINESIS???? Pri just stood there in shock. The light suddenly dropped and the boy yanked Sophie out of the way. They said some words Pri was too shocked to process, and they both glanced at her and the driver of the car, then ran.

Pri snapped out of her shocked state and followed them. They didn’t notice. She wanted to see what was going on with her friend and this…mystery boy.

They were in the San Diego Zoo parking lot. Pri hid behind some cars and went into her listening-focus mode. This guy was trying to convince Sophie that she was an elf, and that it is apparently weird to have brown eyes. Also, Pri could have sworn this dude disappeared for a second, but it was probably just her.

But then, something shocking happened. The boy held out a thing, a familiar thing. Last fall break, Pri went to Mr. Forkle’s, Sophie’s nosy neighbor’s, house. She never told Sophie but she stole a pen, or at least what she thought was a pen, at the time. After going home that day, Pri tried to write with it, but there was no tip. Pri assumed it was broken, but kept it in a drawer because it was pretty, plus she really liked crystals, which it had on the end.

The boy had the exact same thing. Where did he buy it? Pri stared at them. The boy was saying something about concentrating and how it’s important. Then he held up the… pen-thing to the light. A beam glowed out of it. That was kinda neat. He took Sophie’s hand and stepped into the light.

THEY WERE GONE!!!! THEY TURNED INTO FREAKING PARTICLES AND WERE GONE. Pri froze. Where the hell did they go? Pri tried to stand where they stood, but it didn’t work… they left.

The smoke from the recent fires must have been getting to Pri. No way, they could have done that… and she realized she was going to be in a lot of trouble if Mr. Sweeney realized she was not in the museum. Still, in shock, she walked back to the museum, where they were already loading onto the bus. Sophie wasn’t there.

The rest of the day was a blur. Her mind was filled with questions. How did they disappear like that? How did Sophie hold the streetlight? Could Sophie… read minds? It was crazy… but it would explain a lot: how Pri could barely lie, how Sophie always got along, and her constant headaches.

If that were true, could Sophie hear all the thoughts her mind came up with, all the initial jealousy or weird thoughts? Did she hate her? No… Pri was supposed to be getting better at this. Sophie stayed friends with her for a year. But, Sophie always had headaches. And thoughts weren’t anything you could block with headphones, they were constant. Was Pri the cause of Sophie’s constant headaches? What if she was? What if Sophie didn’t like being around her? What if being around her was painful?

These thoughts continued on the way home. As she went through the door. She saw her dad in his office. He worked from home, on his computer. He greeted her.

“Hey baby, how was school?” Pri was still in a bit of a dazed state.

“Good, it was fine.” Pri simply replied.

“Okay, I’m going to pick Arjun up from tutoring. Are you coming?”

“No.” Pri responded, “I have homework.” Arjun was Pri’s brother. He had tutoring for ELA after school each day. Pri understood why, ELA was hard. But she definitely had other things to think about.

She heard her mom’s car come in. And the door from the garage opened, making that distinct squeaky sound. Her mom was in her company’s shirt, with a lanyard around her neck, and the perfume she miraculously kept fresh all day.

“Hey babes.” her mom kissed her cheek. “How was school?”

“Good,” Pri again responded, “we had a field trip.”

“Oh yeah, was the museum good? I know you love crystals.”

“Yeah, the minerals were cool.”

Her mom then went to kiss her dad. Pri went upstairs. She searched her drawers hastily. The pen-thing had to be around here somewhere. Surprisingly, it was right where she left it. That was a first. She never thought she could keep something in place for more than a year.

She held it up, the same way the boy did, and sure enough there was a beam of light. Pri stumbled back. That was weird but kinda cool. She had now made a plan to try to step into the light. But she would have to do this carefully because she didn’t know what was on the other side.

She remembered what the boy said about blue eyes. She had some contact lenses somewhere. It was for a Halloween costume a while back. She found them in one of her drawers. She washed her hands and put a drop of the contact lenses solution on each. Then, she inserted them.

She then held out the pen-thing. She remembered his repeated warnings for Sophie to concentrate. Pri didn’t know exactly what to concentrate on, so she tried to concentrate on herself. The pen-thing did its beam, and she stepped into the light.

———————————————————————

Now i hope you all liked that. This one took me a bit more time to make since I kind of got ahead of myself. I kept picturing all the writing that would come after this, instead of this moment itself. There was definitely a lot of back and forth. But it is written and I am very excited to write the next part. I don’t have much of a plan after this, but I will continue, until I find a satisfying conclusion.

And no, I don’t have a sibling named Arjun, if you are wondering.. Arjun was the first Indian-boy-name I thought of. (Though I may know an Arjun irl. I don’t remember). No, Pri did not pay attention to Fitz’s name. Or what the pathfinder was called. And yes, minerals are cool. (Yes there is a difference between minerals and crystals. Pri likes studying minerals, but she refers to them as crystals because that’s what other people think are cool. And it’s not technically wrong, a crystal is a part of a mineral.)

So far here’s my next title. (Also these will all probably be in Pri’s pov)

The New Cities

Sophie’s secret buddy

Hope you all have a fabulous day. ❤️

[navnae]

I think when the group would get out of the upside down they’re closer than ever. Nothing really changes when everybody starts to hangout except Eddie is a new addition to the group and he’s automatically adored by everyone. His charisma drew people in immediately and overall he’s just an amazing person to be around. Steve grows closer to him the more they start to be around each other but they never really have an alone moment until Eddie suggests. Unlike all of the old friends Steve has had in the past he didn’t feel like he had to act like whole different person around Eddie, he didn’t have to put on a facade to fit. Eddie was so down to earth whenever they talked. All the conversations flowed casually and there was never a single second where Steve felt like he was being examined underneath a microscope because of every little thing that he did or said. Eddie allowed him to be free for once in his life without any judgement. Steve slowly started to feel some kind of attachment to Eddie and if he wasn’t around Steve would feel a little down about it. It didn’t click to Steve that he had other friends outside of the group but that was another thing, did he even consider Steve as a friend. He asked himself that question a thousand times and every time he answers he would end up hurting himself. Those days of Steve being mean replayed in his head making him think Eddie wouldn’t be friends with him. Just because he changed doesn’t erase what he’s done.

Steve knows how relationships in his life works, they’re always going to end with him being alone and them resenting him for the rest of time. Eddie didn’t look at him with hate so Steve was under the impression that they were friends but he didn’t want to slap that label on them just in case Eddie thought otherwise. When Eddie asks him to hang out again Steve already had the question on the tip of his tongue. He watched Eddie talk as if he was movie that he could watch for hours, his voice filling the room beautifully as he spoke, his eyes glistening because of the lamp light that was in his room. Steve felt at peace for the first time in his life and he wanted to feel this way for little bit longer even if it wasn’t going to last long. Eddie noticed Steve was being silent the looked at him with a confused expression.

“What’s wrong?” Eddie asked worriedly. Steve bit his lip as he created his sentence in his head not really sure how he would say it.

“I need to know something.” Steve said softly. His heart was beating out of his chest. Eddie kept his gaze on Steve, letting him know that all of his attention was on him.

“Okay. What is it?” Eddie started to look even more worried. Steve took a deep breath before he finally spoke.

“Are we friends? I know it’s stupid and it shouldn’t matter but for the past few days I’ve enjoyed spending time with you b-but not in a weird way. I just wanted to know because I feel like we get along really well and we always have a good time-“

“Steve,” Eddie said in between a laugh as he placed a hand Steve’s shoulder. Steve didn’t expect to ramble on like he did but his mind was all over the place and he really needed to get an answer. Eddie smiled widely, “ I like spending time with you too and of course we’re friends. Do you think I’d let anybody just come over where I lay my head?”

“No… I guess not. I just didn’t want to build something that’s one sided and most of my friendships have ended pretty badly. This time I don’t want that.” Steve trailed off. He was saying too much now he was positive that Eddie didn’t want to be friends with him anymore.

“And that won’t happen because I’m not like your friends in the past. I’m not going to shut you out, I’m always here to talk if you need anything because that’s what friends are for, okay?” Eddie whispered. He placed his hand on top of Steve’s. A soft smile appearing on his face as he looked at Steve.

Steve’s breathing hitched at the sudden feeling of Eddie’s hand in his. Another thing that Steve liked about Eddie was if he felt strongly about something he wasn’t afraid to say or do it. He held Steve’s hand with no shame despite the negative things society would say about them if anyone caught them like this. Softly touching Steve’s skin like he was something fragile, he too his time with Steve it took him so long to be open with anyone especially another guy. Hesitated squeezing Eddie’s hand for a few seconds until he gave in and held it. It felt like weight was being lifted off of Steve’s shoulders. Steve smiled back and like always it was a genuine smile with Eddie. He didn’t ask Eddie if he could sleep in Eddie’s bed it just happened somehow. Eddie offered his bed and both of them laid in it talking about how the world was going to shit as they speak but none of that mattered because they had each other. Both of them were feeling sleepy as it hit midnight. Steve noticed Eddie fell asleep first as the light snores came from him and his hair falling over his face messily, he looked cute. Steve reached his hand out to push the curly strands behind Eddie’s ear and in his sleep he leaned into the touch. Steve smiled at the sleeping boy then removed his hand before turning over to his side of the bed.

He prayed that this friendship would last because for once he felt so good and understood.

Eddie changed Steve’s life forever.

[yasmindifference]

I feel you on the Steph thing. I do occasionally come across Steph fics I like (theres a really good AU one where she and Tim are both trans and meet at a shelter run by Jason, the bat stuff is there but honestly kind of secondary), so I haven't blacklisted the tag, but I struggle with most of them as well. The way many authors write her, she's constantly overstepping Tim's boundaries and if that were treated as a bad thing by the narrative I'd be ok with it - but usually the people writing this don't seem to see anything wrong with it. I'll read much darker stuff than that with pleasure, of course, but generally I like it when the author *knows* that what they're writing is fucked up, and not just normal besties/couple behaviour. One good one I read has Steph overstep a boundary in an early chapter, but then get called out for it and properly apologise, and that I like! But yeah. There's a lot of weirdness around her.

(don't publish this ask if you are worried about attracting the attention of people who want to get mad at you, I totally get it! That's why I'm on anon after all lol)

For me, the really big issue was how...one-sided her dynamic with Tim was. I saw a lot of fics where Stephanie was constantly insulting Tim and usually hit him at least once (because he'd been inconsiderate/thoughtless) and talked about how lucky he was that she put up with him. And if that's a mutual dynamic, it's fine! Playful insults and casual violence are just how some people relate!

But I never saw fics where he insulted her back and I never saw fics where he hit her. She would punch him in the face and he would apologize! Then the narrative would go on about how awesome she was and how lucky he was that she tolerated his thoughtless behavior. He never so much as shoved her in return.

And I think I've talked about this before, but personally I hate being called dumb, so the fact that she was constantly calling him a moron (or mean takes on his name like "boy blunder" which I hate with the power of a thousand burning suns) as just like, a casual nickname...that would've been enough on its own tbh. Again, it would be one thing if he reciprocated by calling her names, but he never did!!!

Apparently a lot of people enjoy that as a friendship dynamic, because I saw their friendship portrayed that way in a lot of fics by a lot of different authors...but for me, it just reads as super toxic. I literally just wanted to leap through the screen and pull Tim away from her! Especially when she acted this way towards him in front of other people and they'd just be like "admit it, you had that coming." That is extremely not for me.

Like you, I don't mind reading dark stuff when there's awareness for it, but the way the narrative in those fics would lean heavy into how Tim was being a bad friend (usually because he was uncommunicative/left Stephanie to worry by keeping secrets/etc.) just made me incredibly uncomfortable. So. Here we are lmao.

(But I totally get you on the boundary violation stuff, too! There was a lot of that.)

Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone, anon! ♡