#yes it's actually part of the canon ahaha

[tellmeallaboutit]

you raphael simps who write dom daddy raph because you cannot handle him as the 100% canon two pump chump bottom cringe clown are fucking hilarious and need a reality check

just saying

Thank you for your ask! (not really, no).

Oh fuck, here we go again. I'll reply to this I know I shouldn't but I will. But in all honestly, for the last time. I will speak on this subject no more.

First, canon does not say that. Canon leaves room for interpretation.

That being said, do I think canon intended for the player to interpret this way? Sadly, yes. I believe that was the intention, the way it was written and conveyed, to reduce him to a laughing stock (once again, nothing bad with being a bottom and bad in bed per se, it's about the delivery), and it worked, as per 90% of comments under any Raphael Reddit thread, YouTube video.

“Two pump chump bottom cringe clown" (c) would now remain to be Raphael's mainstream legacy. Do I still think it's juvenile to reiterate this point ad infinitum? Yes!

Do I hate it? Honestly? Yes. I personally hated this whole part, it would be dishonest of me to claim otherwise. 

Take Irenicus from BG2. Now picture that: you are the Bhaalspawn from BG2, in Irenicus's dungeon, scared shitless of him and you encounter his nymph concubines. They say: oh and by the way Irenicus is a TWO PUMP CHUMP and his dick is like SUPER small. Unreliable source? Sure.

Now the end game, final confrontation in hells, and you tell Irenicus HAHA BURN IN HELL TWO PUMP CHUMP BABY DICK AHAHA.

...

....

WTF?

After this encounter if it was written LIKE THAT I don't think we would have seen Irenicus in top-10 game villains of all time. Why would I take Irenicus seriously if his creators didn’t? And this is exactly what bloody happened to Raphael. That’s 90% of what is discussed of him nowadays outside of the Raphael girlies corner.

What I meant to say, yes, I write dom (switch, actually, but it's not obvious in the first chapter) Raphael because it's my copium. 

[tunamayuuu]

Hii!

I've seen a little bit of your Kny!bsd au through a rb from one of my mutuals, and I think I'm being sucked into a rabbit hole/pos

I love your art sososo much, and I would see it on my dash on occasion (it brought me happiness, but I never really kept up with the account, and I honestly high-key regret it), so when I saw your alt cast art, I remembered rbing the Kyōkenji x Inokana sketch you drew a while back, but I had no idea it was associated with an entire au!! I was estatic since I love the au concept, and I love both ships so much!!

Then, trust me, I was innocently scrolling through the tag when I came across rengokunikida... This man has no right being so jdbdjdbd

My thoughts immediately went to Murata when I saw TecchōGiyū, like yes he's such a pretty man, but my brain really likes to digress from the main point lmao.

Urokodaki as Fukuchi feels a little weird, but it's accurate dynamic-wise with Teruko, and Tachihara. What is Jōnō's relationship with Fukuchi in this au anyway?? It could go in so many directions I'm curious djehdhbd

I love this au sm and your art of it is delectable, so I just felt the need to send an ask your way. I hope you have a great day (⁠人⁠*⁠´⁠∀⁠｀⁠)⁠｡⁠*ﾟ⁠+

–Anon you could call 'Grace'

I might come on here from time to time, so I might as well give myself a name.

this was the first grace ask i never got to answer oh my god anyway.

thank you so much!!! i actually stopped being into bsd for a full ass year and ever since that shin soukoku doodle i made, it comforted a big part of me that felt horrible everytime i'd post bsd onto socmed knowing my more passionate works didn't get as much engagement as shitposts ahaha...

the kny-ified bsd au was and still is an au project i want to keep working on!! i have a looong list of the full cast, it's just that i always get side quests and wanting to draw OTHER things and getting into OTHER new medias i wanna draw and yeah that's why it's taken years for me to complete anything orz (i have plenty of files of the au that i never posted because they're all unfinished or uncolored and i thought i won't do my au justice if none of them were colored yk?)

i'm not an inokana fan myself but i'd love to hear your take on them! i just wanted to draw kyokenji at that time ehehe

i will always say that rengokunikida was def not my idea. it was an idea from a bsd friend! they even explained to me how it could work and i never looked back

i'm actually not sure who would take murata's role in the au because we know next to nothing about canon tecchou. michizou already takes sabito's role so.....?

ALSO I FINALLY GOT TO ANSWER THIS BECAUSE! fukuchi is not urokodaki in this au! fukuchi takes kokushibo's role

jouno and fukuchi unfortunately do not interact in this au..

i'm so happy to see my au still getting love even after the years i've been on and off in activity! comments like these fill me with so much motivation to upkeep this au!

[laundrybiscuits]

Just curious and i like hearing your thoughts on this stuff. May i ask what aspect of steddie fanon you're referring to (which don't fit IRL queer culture so accurately)?

Ahaha...okay so. IMPORTANT NOTE: fandom is not that crucial, do whatever you want, run free through daisy fields of whatever headcanons and characterizations you please. Also, fic is not real life and that's okay!!

That being said, fandom can get slightly weird about sex, especially queer sexual cultures and especially historical queer sexual cultures. I mean, I get it! Our current hegemonic understanding of sexuality is actually pretty recent; I studied sexuality from a sociological perspective as part of my undergrad degree, focusing on moral panics (gosh I wonder why Eddie's character arc appeals to me! so mysterious!), and I know just enough to know that I don't know shit. So I certainly don't expect anyone to be doing paradigm-shifting sociohistorical research for a fic. That would be ridiculous.

All of this is leading up to say that based on 1) the relayed experiences of queer mentors who were in the scene in the 80s 2) the secondary sources I’ve researched 3) personally having many gay male friends who love oversharing through the last ~15 years, I believe that if canon-compliant gay Eddie Munson is a virgin, it’s largely by choice. 

I've seen it suggested that Eddie's poor academic performance and nerdy interests would be, essentially, a dick deterrent. And like...I enjoy Eddie’s weirdo loser vibe as much as the next fan. I fully support him not being in any way smooth or cool with boys. But even when I myself was in my late teens/early twenties, many of my closest friends were awkward nerdy twinks who absolutely managed to get laid every weekend because MSM* hookup culture is eternal. 

And in the early 80s, when Eddie would’ve been in his late teens, MSM hookup culture was at its peak. AIDS still wasn’t being taken that seriously, and transmission etc. wasn’t really understood because…well, you know this story. It’s not a good story. Fuck Reagan. 

In short, I really can’t emphasize enough how certain types of sexual contact were extremely available for men seeking sex with men. A pretty young thing like Eddie could have literally as much sex as he wanted. Nobody is asking him for a high school transcript or anything about his hobbies, they’re asking if he tops. 

Now, would Eddie actually participate in the hookup culture of the time? That's a more complicated and speculative question, and not actually what you asked, but I'm going to talk about it briefly anyway.

In the 'yes' column: he has his own vehicle**, zero supervision, and a penchant for risky behavior.

In the 'no' column: the boy has at least three extremely involved hobbies eating up his spare time and energy; he's also a not-so-secret romantic.

Personally, I can see the pseudo-intimacy appealing to Eddie's tendency to keep people at arm's length, and I think it’s very plausible for him to be curious and experimental enough to want to explore a bit. I tend to land on 'tried it a few times, doesn't make a habit of it' in my backstories. I also tend to hint at the softer, friendlier side of hookup culture in my fics, just because I don’t often see it represented. 

Of course it’s like any other scene, there are bad actors and generally shitty people/situations, and sometimes the MSM scene specifically can be a bit of a soul-draining meat market. (ETA, because I am not white and neither are the vast majority of my friends and I felt increasingly weird not mentioning it even though it's not relevant to Eddie's situation: the scene is often also super racist, among other things! But that's a whooole other complicated kettle of fish, and again, not relevant to Eddie's situation.)

But there’s also space for casual sex to be part of a friendly relationship, in a way that I don’t really see in hetero circles. It’s hard to explain. It’s one of those dynamics that basically never shows up in mainstream media at all, so I absolutely don’t blame fics that don’t show it either. It’s just one of those things.

This is a step to the left, but I recommend checking out Dykes To Watch Out For: it’s practically an anthropological document depicting dyke culture in the 80s, it’s often funny as hell, and it’s just a fantastically detailed and relatively accessible window into a particular way of life that doesn’t really exist anymore. 

*MSM = men who have sex with men. It’s a sociological designation; not everyone in this category identifies as gay, bi, queer, etc. It may be useful to think about sexuality as having three distinct components: behavior, identity, and desire. The term “MSM” puts focus on the behavioral aspect, because it’s most relevant in this context. 

**As someone who has experienced several other countries' driving cultures, I just want to emphasize to non-Americans how willing many Americans are to drive for multiple hours for basically any reason whatsoever.

[bleachbleachbleach]

You've mentioned you Headcanon Yumichika as the one actually keeping squad 11 going behind the scenes as it were, and that him threatening the squad 11 lackies about cleaning properly vs Ikkaku going “lol loser don’t get caught next time” was proof, I totally agree,

And there’s more supporting subtext in the Post-TYBW chapters; like Ikkaku might be the one to bring up that “hey isn’t the ceremony at the 1st not the 13th?” to Kenpachi, but he looks to Yumi for clarification who's like “wtf that’s your job (lieutenant) to know not mine (3rd seat)?” And the joke is that haha Kenpachi STILL gets lost, while also giving time skip exposition (aka the new ranks of the 11th). But it’s also Yumi foolishly thinking his Captain and lieutenant could at least READ an invitation that is addressed to THEM, not him. Also! Notice Squad 11 is the only one there with a +1/non Captain&Lieutenant in attendance (Yumichika) and no one is like hey what are you doing here? (like not even Ichika or Hanataro got an invite to Rukia's big day lol, or at least the Official Biznezz part). Like Yumi is the official 14th lieutenant

(I think it was mentioned in one of the light novels that Lisa's first choice for her lieutenant was Yumichika and she did ask but he said no. Love that he’s the #1 pick for a promotion but is always turning it down haha even without his Shikai powers truly being known! Also, Lisa and Yumi would have been an iconic Captain/Lieutenant duo y/n?)

and in the Hell Chapter, Ikkaku gets the “honey you are going to be late…what do you mean ‘late for what?’?” treatment from Yumichika. Like Yumi has learned from the last time! He’s gonna keep track of all the ceremonies Ikkaku and Kenpachi gotta attend because clearly Ikkaku being promoted changed nothing and he was a fool for taking his eye off the ball last time lol

(Also, can I say I love how Yumichika and Ichika interact here? She calls him Chika-san! That’s so cute! Do you think they are called the “Chikas” when they hang out together? And she immediately tells him he looks very pretty today and he compliments her right back. idk if it’s cuter that 1. she genuinely thinks he’s very pretty and knows he likes to hear it 2. she’s sucking up to her teacher by sucking up to teacher's SO or 3. she’s trying to stay on Chika-san's good side because she’s scared of being on his bad (she could tell a scolding for SOMETHING was about to happen and she wanted no part lol). Also, Yumi looks AMAZING in this chapter <3)

I also vaguely recall there being a filler arc scene/omake where it’s revealed Yumichika got sent on a mission because he was sorting documents while everyone else was fighting/sleeping/training and either Yaruchi or Kenpachi was like, booo boring go have fun fighting something.

A Lisa/Yumichika division would serve so hard the Gotei wouldn't know what to do with itself. But it would also cease to have a functional 11th, so they will never know the majesty. I'm imagining a Paris is Burning division. Then they'd really know the Gotei under Kyouraku was on a different path than previous!

As to your last paragraph I feel like that might've happened to him a FEW times, ahaha. The one I remember is from the Cake Episode, and it's Hitsugaya who throws him under the bus:

[Bleach e134]

Somehow, in all of Bleach--yes, including main plotline Bleach--the thing that most canonizes Hitsugaya's vindictive streak for me is the fact that in this instance, he does not express or act in deference to one single iota of sympathy for the situation Yumichika has found himself in, despite most certainly having experienced it himself.

Also worth noting that the episode right before this one was *Ikkaku terrorizing a high school kendo team* so no one was doing shittttttt lolol

[sattlersquarry]

& now i'm covered in you (steve harrington x female!reader)

Summary: (Post Season 3, inspired by Taylor Swift's "ivy") Despite having a boyfriend, you find your feelings for your best friend Steve Harrington growing tenfold over Christmas break, 1985.

Word Count: ~6k (I got carried away ahaha)

Warnings: (I'd say this one's 18+, maybe) Language, alcohol use, mentions of sex, angst related to general unhappiness and loneliness, mentions of nightmares, and canon-typical violence. Also lots of mutual pining. Extra TW for abusive, manipulative behaviors from an OC (this is a Tyler Didn'tGiveHimALastNameBecauseHeSucks hate page).

A/N: I felt unhappy so I wanted to write a fic about feeling unhappy and then kissing Steve Harrington. It turned into this. Enjoy!

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14th, 1985

MY PAIN FITS IN THE PALM OF YOUR FREEZING HAND / TAKING MINE, BUT IT’S BEEN PROMISED TO ANOTHER

It’s a slow Saturday morning at the Family Video, and Steve Harrington wishes he were anywhere else but here. 

His job is essentially dealing with one annoying customer after another, all day, for eight hours. It’s passable when Robin’s scheduled, but since she’s still a high schooler and just works part-time, Steve is left to fend for himself a good chunk of the time.

The bright spot in his miserable existence at the video store is when you come to visit him. 

When he first got hired in October, you used to come twice a week to rent movies and talk with him. You always did a great job sounding impressed with Steve’s (albeit limited) movie knowledge when Keith hovered nearby.

As of late, the space between your visits grew significantly. And if you rented a movie, you’d use the curbside drop-off box to return it instead of coming in to see Steve. He tries not to take that personally. He rationalizes it, knowing you’re probably just busy with your classes at Roane County Community College. That was it. Nothing else.

He tries not to think about how your avoidance could have something to do with the events at Starcourt last summer. About how maybe it was related to waking up next to him in an underground Russian bunker, bloodied and bruised and drugged out of your mind. About how maybe you didn’t want to see him because you blamed him for—

Ding, ding! The bell above the door signals your entrance. Steve looks up from the returns he’s processing, wondering if he’s summoned you with the power of thought.

“Y/N!” he says, his bored expression brightening. “Hey!”

You give him a shy smile and wave.

“Hey, stranger,” you say, the gentle lilt to your voice making Steve’s heart melt. You stamp your boots, shaking snow onto the doormat. “Sorry, I know it’s been forever.” 

“Don’t even worry about that,” Steve says, waving your apology away like a pesky fly. “I know you’re busy with finals.”

You join him by the counter, and the two of you catch up a little more: you talk about your classes, he talks about his job and his misadventures in babysitting. 

At some point, the conversation shifts to relationships. Steve hopes he doesn’t sound too eager when he asks, “Are you…seeing anyone?”

He’s expecting you to say no. He doesn’t know why—you’re pretty, really pretty, and kind. And smart. And you smell nice. Long and short of it, you’re a total catch. 

So he shouldn’t be surprised when you say, “Actually, yes.”

His eyes widen. He plasters on a (fake) smile and says, “Whoa! Awesome! Who’s the lucky guy? Someone I know?”

You shake your head. For some reason, you can’t look Steve in the eye while you explain, and instead pick at your fingernails. 

“He’s from a small town in West Roane County,” you say. “I met him in my psych class. His name’s Tyler.”

“Tyler,” Steve repeats it, trying not to make it sound like a curse. “What’s he like?”

“He plays baseball,” you add. “And he’s in a band.” You start scratching at a stain on the countertop. “He’s pretty nice.”

“Pretty nice?” Steve says, eyebrows pulling together. “Y/N, you deserve better than ‘pretty nice.’” 

“He’s fine!” you say, a little exasperated, as if you’ve had this conversation many times before. You meet Steve’s eyes, something akin to defiance flashing in yours. “He’s great! I really, really like him.” 

“That’s great,” Steve says, lying through his teeth. “Super great. I’m glad you’re happy.”

You falter. Your expression twists to one of regret, for just a moment, before you turn away. 

“I should get going,” you say. “He’s meeting me at Enzo’s for lunch. But I’ll see you around, all right?” 

“Sure,” Steve says. He runs a hand through his hair. “Hey, listen, sorry if I said something to upset—”

“It’s fine, Steve,” you say. A lie. You beeline toward the exit.

You’re halfway out the door when Steve steps out from behind the counter and blurts out, “You still having those nightmares?”

You pause in the doorway. You consider just leaving, pretending you didn’t hear him. But you knew you were being a bit short with him, and you didn’t want to hurt his feelings. 

You turn back into the store and shrug.

“I mean, sometimes,” you say. Another lie. You have them every night. Nightmares where you wake up in that godforsaken elevator again. Nightmares where you watch as the soldiers beat the shit out of Steve, out of Robin, out of you again and again and again, and over and over and over. 

Steve doesn’t say anything. He studies you, honey-brown eyes shining like opal in the mid-morning light. He’s waiting for you to elaborate, so you do. 

“I was seeing a therapist about them,” you admit. “But I was tired of wasting 100 bucks a week sugar-coating the horrible truth to someone who would never know what really happened. So I stopped going.” 

“It’s hard,” Steve says. He cautiously steps closer, as if you’re a jittery animal he doesn’t want to spook. “Listen, if you ever want to talk about what happened, I’m here for you. Okay?”

Your heart twists. For a moment, you want to drop the facade. You want to tell Steve every bad thing you’ve been thinking and feeling lately. But you can’t do that. You can’t give him that burden. 

So you pull him into a hug (so he can’t see your face) and say, “Thank you, Steve.” 

He hugs you back, and you relish in the feeling of his arms around you. You want to stay like this forever. 

But you can’t, because your boyfriend is waiting for you at a booth in Enzo’s. 

Steve watches you go, a splintering feeling exploding in his chest. He tells himself it’s only because he can tell that something’s wrong, that you aren’t being fully honest. That it has absolutely nothing to do with his unrequited feelings for you, the ones he’s had since the two of you became Scoops Ahoy coworkers in May. 

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27th, 1985

YOUR TOUCH BROUGHT FORTH AN INCANDESCENT GLOW / TARNISHED BUT SO GRAND

Steve doesn’t see you again for almost two weeks. 

Christmas comes and goes, and he finds himself wondering about you and your elusive new boyfriend more often than he should. 

You visit the store two days after Christmas with Tyler in tow.

“Who’s that with Y/N?” Robin asks, peering out the store’s large front windows from the sci-fi section.

Steve looks up from the tapes he’s organizing and almost drops them at the sight. A tall, muscular guy with piercing eyes has his arm around you as the two of you walk through the parking lot. Steve doesn’t miss how you seem to sag under the weight of the guy’s arm. 

“That,” Steve says flatly, “must be Tyler.”

The two of you enter the store. 

“Hey!” you say, pulling out from under your boyfriend's arm to give Robin a quick hug. “Merry Christmas, a little late!”

“Merry Christmas Y/N!” Robin says, hugging you back. 

You turn to Steve and hesitate, before giving him a quick hug as well. You try not to think about how good his new aftershave smells: like cinnamon, like peppermint, like everything cozy and warm. 

“I’m glad you’re both here,” you say. You gesture to Tyler. “This is my boyfriend, Tyler. Tyler, these are my friends Robin and Steve.” 

“Nice to meet you, man,” Steve says, holding out his hand. He hopes the smile on his face doesn’t look too forced.

Tyler gives Steve a once-over before shaking his hand, and then shaking Robin’s. 

“Y/N’s mentioned you two,” Tyler says. He puts his arm around you again. “Says you worked in the mall together, at some ice cream shop?”

“Scoops Ahoy,” Robin says. “God, I do not miss that uniform.” 

You and Steve chuckle in agreement. Tyler squeezes you a bit tighter. You stiffen.

“Sucks that it burned down,” Tyler says. “Y/N says you were there when it happened. That’s fucking crazy.” 

“Yeah,” Steve says, eyes flicking to Robin, and then back to you. He clears his throat. “Crazy’s one word for it.” 

“Did you like, see the flames—”

“Hey,” you interrupt, before Tyler’s morbid curiosity of the mall “fire” can send you into a panic attack. “I’ve got to run to the bathroom. Is there a key, or something?”

“Nope!” Robin says. “It’s just down the hall to the left.”

“Great, thanks. Ty, why don’t you pick out the movie?”

“Sure, babe,” he says, sounding a bit bored. You kiss him on the cheek and disappear down the hall. 

“Need any recommendations?” Robin asks Tyler. “I know all about the foreign films and horror, and Steve’s big on the action-comedies—”

Ding, ding! A new patron enters the store—a pretty girl, around your age, wearing a low-cut sweater and bright red lipstick. Tyler’s focus immediately shifts, eyes hungry as he watches her walk toward the romance movie aisle.  

Robin scrunches her nose up in disgust and shares a look with Steve, who looks pissed.

“Huh?” Tyler says, turning back to the duo when the new object of his attraction is no longer visible behind the shelves. 

“Movie recommendations,” Steve says sharply. “Need them?”

“Nah,” Tyler says. He pats Steve on the back a little harder than necessary. “I’m good, champ.” 

Steve bristles. Tyler breezes to the romance movie aisle.

“Holy shit,” Robin whispers. “He was totally ogling that girl!”  

“He’s more than ogling,” Steve hisses. “Look!”

The two of them eavesdrop as Tyler flirts with the pretty patron, complimenting her lipstick, her sweater, her ass in those jeans. It’s shameless and pathetic, but the girl giggles and twirls her hair around her finger.  

“He’s a total dog,” Robin says, crossing her arms. “We have to tell Y/N.” 

Steve’s seeing red. He wants to do more than just tell you—he wants to knock Tyler down a peg. Or two. Or seven.

Before Robin can stop him, he’s charging toward Tyler and the girl. He grabs a VHS copy of Sixteen Candles off a nearby shelf. 

“Hey, Tyler,” Steve says loudly, sauntering down the aisle. He slaps the tape into Tyler’s chest. “I found the movie your girlfriend was looking for.”

“‘Girlfriend’?!” the pretty patron says with a scowl. She huffs and flounces away, shoulder-checking Tyler on the way past.

If looks could kill, Tyler’s glare would send Steve six feet under. 

“What the hell, man?” he says. “What about bro code?” 

“We’re not bros,” Steve snaps. He steps a little closer. “Have some respect for Y/N, okay, ‘champ’?” 

You emerge from the store bathroom and join the boys in the romance aisle, clueless to the tension.

“Ooh, Sixteen Candles!” you say, noticing the tape in Tyler’s hands. “I love that one!”

“I’m not watching this girly shit!” Tyler barks. He chucks the tape at you. You flinch and fumble, dropping it to the ground. “Let’s go, Y/N.” 

“Wait,” you say with a frown. “Aren’t we going to rent a movie—”

“We’ll just go to the drive-in!” Tyler says. He storms toward the exit. You follow, and don’t hear Steve calling you to, “Hold on, Y/N—” 

“It’s a little cold for the drive-in,” you say with an awkward laugh, “don’t you think?” 

Tyler looks down at you with a sleazy smile, grabbing your belt loops and pulling you flush against him (in the middle of the goddamn Family Video). 

“I mean, I know a couple ways you can warm me up. Like what you did last night…” 

Shame burns through you. You hate how Tyler talks about sex so flippantly and in front of your friends. 

You hate how he looks at you. Not like a person, not like a girlfriend. Like a sexual conquest. 

You hate how he touches you, like a possession. 

You don’t want to spend your night at the drive-in having subpar sex in the backseat of Tyler’s Ford. You want a cozy night in, with candy canes and warm blankets and hot cocoa and marshmallows and a movie you’re actually going to watch. 

You gently push Tyler away from you.

“I’d rather just stay in Ty,” you say quietly. 

Tyler’s expression morphs back to anger. 

“Fucking hell,” he grumbles. “Fine. Get your dumbass movie and let’s fucking go.” 

He leaves to smoke outside. You fidget with the hem of your sweater and watch him for a moment, too embarrassed to face your friends again. 

You feel a gentle hand on your shoulder.

“Here,” Steve says softly. He hands you Sixteen Candles. You stare down at it, unable to look him in the eyes. “Is this still the one you want?” 

You nod. Steve squeezes your shoulder and drops his hand. 

“C’mon, I’ll get it checked out for you.”

You follow him to the counter, dragging your feet the whole way. Neither of you say anything as he finalizes the rental. Steve catches Robin’s eye from across the store and gives her a look. Robin nods, interpreting the signal. 

“You know,” she pipes up, joining you two by the counter. “Steve and I only have an hour left of our shift. If you hang with us until then, we can go get food after.” 

“Sounds fun, Rob,” Steve says. “What do you say, Y/N?” 

You want to; you really do. But—

“I shouldn’t,” you say. “Tyler’s pissed, so he won’t want to wait.”

“Tell him to buzz off!” Robin blurts out. She sucks in a breath. “Look, I’ve got to be honest. I don’t love the way he treated you just now.” 

“He’s just got a temper,” you say, waving away her concern. “It’s fine.” 

You reach to grab Sixteen Candles from the counter. Steve stops you, holding both your hands in his.

All the air escapes your lungs. Steve’s touch is tender and warm. He’s looking at you with concern, empathy. He’s a gentleman and would never loudly boast about sex. He’s the perfect antithesis of Tyler.

For a fleeting moment that you aren’t too proud of, you imagine that sex with Steve in his BMW would be leagues more enjoyable than anything you’ve done with your boyfriend.

“Y/N,” Steve says, voice low. “Is Tyler…hurting you?”

“No!” you say, much louder than intended. “No, no. Nothing like that.”

“You’re sure?” Steve asks, brows furrowed. “The way you reacted to him throwing the tape—I mean, anyone throwing anything at anyone makes them flinch, but I just—”

“It’s not like that,” you repeat. “But thank you for looking out for me. Both of you!”

You want to say more. You want to admit that you’ve been thinking about breaking it off with Tyler, because you have the sneaking suspicion he’s cheating on you. You want to break down crying because he’s your first serious boyfriend and it’s not going the way you envisioned at all in your head, and you’re starting to wonder if you’re even capable of being loved at all—

Beep! Beep! Beeeeeeeeep! 

“HURRY UP!” Tyler yells from outside the store. He honks his car horn twice more.

You quickly pull your hands out of Steve’s and mumble out goodbyes, before grabbing the movie and running out of the store.

Steve frowns as you climb into Tyler’s car, the splintering in his chest from a couple weeks ago back with a vengeance. 

“Oh, that guy sucks,” Robin says, watching with disdain as Tyler peels out of the parking lot. “What are you thinking, intervention?” 

“Maybe we put a hit on him,” Steve says darkly. “Or, hell, we handle it ourselves. I’ve got my bat. Do you think Sinclair would let you borrow the wrist rocket?” 

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31st, 1985

YOUR OPAL EYES ARE ALL I WISH TO SEE / HE WANTS WHAT’S ONLY YOURS

Now that the majority of Steve’s friends are nerds, any parties he throws these days are of the D&D variety. 

It’s New Year’s Eve, and he’s allowing Mike, Dustin, and Lucas to run a special holiday-themed one-off campaign at his house. The other guests include Robin, Erica, Max, and you.

Well, you’re supposed to be there. But now it’s almost an hour after the scheduled start time and the impatient Mike started the campaign already, and you’re nowhere to be seen. 

Worry blooms in Steve’s chest as he checks the clock for the fortieth time.

“Dude!” Dustin says. “It’s not midnight yet!”

“I know!” Steve says. “I’m just worried about Y/N. She should be here.” 

“She’s probably just driving slow,” Lucas says. “The snow’s coming down pretty hard.” 

But another hour passes, and another, and you still aren’t there.

Steve slips away during the one-shot’s final battle to give you a call.

He thinks for a second that you aren’t home, until he hears: “Hello?”

“Y/N, hey,” Steve says lightly. “Happy New Year, almost.” 

You squeeze your eyes shut.

“Oh my God, Steve,” you say. “I’m sorry. I know, I suck.”

“You don’t suck.”

“I do. Totally, utterly, completely suck. I’m late.”

“It’s no big,” Steve says. He fidgets with the phone cord. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m okay. My car’s a piece of shit though and wouldn’t run, and the taxi fares right now are insane because of the holidays, and I called Tyler and asked him to drive me and he said he would, but that was, like, two-and-a-half hours ago and I haven’t heard from him since.” 

The mention of Tyler spikes Steve’s blood pressure.

“Oh. Tyler. You’re…still with him?”

You blanch.

“Oh, um, yeah.”

You can almost hear his unspoken question: But why? 

You aren’t sure why, but you find yourself verbalizing the thought you’ve had for weeks: “I think I’m going to break it off though.”

Steve tries not to sound too excited. 

“Really?” he says. “That’s good! Seriously, you deserve better. He was a total jerk to you the other day.”

“Yeah,” you admit. “He was. He’s like that a lot more than I realized when we first started dating.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Steve says cautiously, “but why exactly did you start dating him?”

Because I like you. Because I’ve liked you since the summer, Steve Harrington, but you never made a move and obviously don’t feel the same and I just wanted to be wanted for once in my stupid life—

“I like baseball players,” you say, twisting your mouth into a smirk. 

Steve’s mind flashes to the nailed baseball bat in his car trunk.

“What about guys who are burnt-out basketball players and swimmers,” Steve teases, “who also happen to be capable with a bat?”

Your chest starts to feel warm. No way he was actually flirting, right? No. He’s just joking around. 

“Hmm,” you say with a chuckle. “I’ll have to circle back about that one.”

In the background, you hear the D&D group cheer.

“Sounds like they just won, or something,” Steve says, pushing the phone closer to his ear to block out the raucous noise. 

“I wish I was there to see it,” you say. Before you lose your nerve, you quietly add, “I wish I was with you, Steve.”

The double meaning is not lost on Steve: with you, as in physically at the party. But also with you, as in I-wish-I-was-dating-you-and-not-that-shithead-Tyler. Steve’s mouth drops open. 

He’s about to ask you for clarification, or to tell you he feels the same, but you curse.

“Shit, Tyler’s here and he brought his stupid friends. I guess he’s not giving me a ride. I’m sorry, Steve. I’ve got to go.”

“Wait, Y/N, I’ll come get you or—”

Click. You’ve disconnected the call, leaving him reeling about your maybe-confession.

He stares at the phone, mind buzzing in tandem with the droning dial tone. 

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1st, 1986

OH, I CAN’T / STOP YOU PUTTING ROOTS IN MY DREAMLAND

You had wanted to break up with Tyler as soon as he came over, but he brought all his friends, and his friends brought wine coolers, and you had to spend your New Year’s Eve as the designated babysitter, making sure no one got alcohol poisoning. 

With a drunk Tyler passed out on the mattress next to you, you went to bed thinking about how you were going to end things. You drifted off to sleep, worried about what his reaction would be. 

For the first time in almost 6 months, you didn’t have nightmares.

In fact, you had quite the opposite: a rather amorous dream about someone else. The kind of dream that has you feeling flushed, your insides fuzzy and hot. 

When you wake up the next morning, Tyler is already gone, and he isn’t answering his landline. Instead of trying to track him down, you decide to make it up to your friends for missing the D&D party. You invite them to go sledding on the big hill by your apartment complex.

At some point during the festivities, you drag Robin aside and away from the others. You confide in her about your interesting dream to try and get some clarity. 

Instead, she just laughs and laughs.

“It’s not funny!” you say, glaring at her. 

“It is pretty funny, though,” Robin says with a giggle and a snort. “I mean, we’ve seen a lot of wild shit, but you having a sex dream about Steve—”

“It was not a sex dream!” you hiss. 

“Okay, whatever. A ‘romantic’ dream about Steve. Look, I don’t know what that means, but I do know one thing: both dream-Steve and real-life-Steve would treat you a hundred times better than Tyler does.”

“There’s no way Steve feels that way about me, though,” you say. You spare a glance at him further down the hill, where he’s cheering for Erica as she speeds away on her bobsled. 

“You’ll never know unless you tell him how you feel,” Robin says, playfully poking you in the shoulder. “Who knows, maybe you had that sex dream—”

“Again, NOT A SEX DREAM!”

“—because he was thinking about you, too.” 

She winks and wanders to Mike and Lucas. You accidentally catch Steve’s eye. You give him an awkward smile and turn away, praying he didn’t overhear you and Robin…

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1st, 1986 & THURSDAY, JANUARY 2nd, 1986

SO TELL ME TO RUN / OR DARE TO SIT AND WATCH WHAT WE’LL BECOME / AND DRINK MY HUSBAND’S WINE

Steve never gets the chance to talk with you one-on-one during the day of sledding. It seems like you’re avoiding him. Every time he tries to strike up a conversation, and maybe bring up your statement from New Year’s Eve, you make some excuse to go on a hot cocoa run or grab an extra hat for Dustin and his cold ears. 

Which is why when your roommate Molly joins the fun, Steve doesn’t rebuff her advances when she bats her eyelashes and asks, “Sled with me, Steve?”

“Sure, Molly,” he says with the kind of grin “King Steve” should’ve retired two years ago. “Sounds fun.” 

He doesn’t miss how Robin’s coughing fit sounds suspiciously like: “Dingus! You’re a dingus!” as he and Molly climb onto the sled. He doesn’t miss how Erica loudly whispers to Lucas, “Wait, doesn’t Steve like Y/N?” 

He definitely doesn’t miss how you look sick to your stomach, how you turn to Robin and say, “I’m not feeling well. I’m heading in.” How you make some comment about some party Tyler is throwing, how you want to rest up before you go. 

Steve doesn’t see you for the rest of the day, and although you have plans with freaking Tyler, he politely declines Molly’s offer to go to the diner for a bite. 

Later that night, however, he does see you again, in less-than-stellar circumstances.

It starts when he gets a phone call from Nancy Wheeler at 1 a.m.

“I’m sorry to call so late,” Nancy says as Steve rubs his bleary eyes, “but this is urgent.”

Panic rises.

“What’s going on?” Steve asks, imagining Russians and demogorgons and rips in the fabric of space-time. 

“It’s not Upside Down stuff,” Nancy clarifies. “It’s Y/N. She just called me, and I think something’s really wrong.” 

This doesn’t lessen Steve’s panic one bit. Cradling the phone between his shoulder and ear, Steve rushes to get dressed while Nancy explains that you called sobbing, absolutely hysterical.

“I couldn’t really make out what she was saying,” Nancy continues, “but she gave me an address. I would go get her, but my parents are out of town and have the car with them. I’m worried about her, Steve.”

Steve assures Nancy that he’s on it, thanks her for the information, and breaks about a dozen traffic safety laws to get to the address in record time. 

The address takes him to a house on the edge of town. It’s very obviously a house owned by college boys, due to the amount of red SOLO cups littering the front yard, the music pumping through the windows, and the frat-house flag waving on the porch. 

The party is loud and overwhelming. Steve cuts through the crowd, elbowing drunks left and right and loudly asking, “Does anybody know where Y/N Y/L/N is?”

His saving grace comes in the form of a bored-looking designated driver sitting at the kitchen counter.

“Is Y/N wearing a pink sweater?” the DD asks Steve. “With, like, little hearts on it and shit?” 

Steve nods, remembering how cute you looked in it earlier during sledding.

“I saw her go in there,” the DD says, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the pantry.

Steve thanks the guy and slides open the door. His heart cracks into 70 pieces when he sees you sitting on the pantry floor hugging your knees to your chest, sobbing.

In one of your hands, you’re gripping a bottle of wine like it’s a lifeline.

“Y/N,” Steve breathes out, rushing to sit next to you. He puts a hand on your back. “What happened? Are you okay?”

You continue to cry and shake your head no.

“He has a girlfriend!” you say, hiccuping between every word. 

“Who?” Steve asks, although he has a sneaking suspicion.

“Tyler!” you say. You take a swig of wine and start to slur your words. “I came over early and I found him making out with some girl. She’s been his girlfriend for three years. Three fucking years!” You bark out a hollow laugh. “I figured he was cheating, but turns out I was the one he was cheating with!”

“Oh, shit,” Steve says. He wraps an arm around you. You lean into him and lay your head on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Y/N.”

You drop the wine bottle and roughly wipe your eyes.

“I don’t even know why I’m fucking crying,” you say. “I only came tonight to break up with him anyway. And he treated me like shit. But…ugh, it’s stupid.”

“What?” Steve asks, voice gentle, as he runs a hand up and down your arm—a comforting touch. 

You suck in a breath. If you were sober, you’d keep your mouth shut. But your alcohol-addled brain doesn’t give you the chance to stop yourself.

“It was nice to be wanted for once,” you mumble. “I’m just so tired of feeling this way. Feeling so goddamn lonely. So fucking unhappy.”

You’re glad that you can’t see Steve’s face, because if you could, there’s no way you’d have the confidence to keep going. 

“I don’t know why I feel this way,” you continue. “I have you and our other friends. I have my parents. I have classmates I’m getting to know. I have a part-time job that pays well and I’m taking courses I’m interested in and I’m constantly surrounded by people and my life is good so I should be happy but I’m just not.” 

Before Steve can respond, you start to ramble: “I’m unhappy, and I don’t know what to do or how to change it. I feel stuck. Stagnant. Like I’m in quicksand and I’ll keep getting pulled down until there’s nothing left.”

For a moment, Steve doesn’t respond. Insecurity chips away, making you worry that you overdid it. You clear your throat and start to backpedal:

“Sorry, ignore me, it’s stupid—”

“It’s not,” Steve says firmly. “I promise you, it’s not stupid. Honestly, I get it. Really, I do. My life is not what I wanted it to be and I constantly find myself wondering if it’s fate or if I did something stupid in a past life and now I’m being punished.”

You bite back a badly timed joke about his tenure as King Steve.

“I know it doesn’t seem like it,” Steve adds, “but this is just a small blip in your life. A small, insignificant blip. You feel stuck now, but you won’t be forever. You have such a bright, awesome future ahead. And you’ll find a guy who treats you wayyyy better than fucking Tyler.”

“Oh yeah?” you scoff. “Like who.” 

“Doesn’t matter who.”

You look up at him, faces so close you can see every freckle and beauty mark on Steve’s cheeks. Steve has to remind himself to breathe when your nose almost touches his. 

“Like you?” you whisper, the wine making you bold. 

“Maybe,” he whispers back. His sincerity throws you off guard. 

Your eyes pull to Steve’s lips. The urge to kiss him feels like a necessity, not just a desire. 

You start to close the space between you two, but Steve pulls away. The one thought rattling in his mind is, Not now. Not like this.

“Let’s get you home, okay?” Steve says, helping you to your feet. 

Embarrassment washes over you. Of course he doesn’t want you. You figured as much. 

You’re unable to look any of Tyler’s friends in the eye as you clumsily exit the bustling party behind Steve.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2nd, 1986

MY HOUSE OF STONE, YOUR IVY GROWS / AND NOW I’M COVERED IN YOU

You spend your Thursday hiding in your room, hungover and embarrassed about…well, pretty much everything. You can’t believe your drunk ass blubbered like a baby and almost kissed Steve. You have no idea if there’s a way to bounce back from that.

Steve calls your apartment a few times during the day, but you have your roommate lie and say you’re at your parent’s house. 

Molly comes into your room around dinnertime and says, “You need to call Steve back. He won’t stop hogging the line. It’s getting desperate.” 

You drag yourself out of bed and decide to do one better: to go see him.

When you enter the Family Video, he’s slouching behind the counter, watching St. Elmo’s Fire on the miniscule store TV. He doesn’t even look up from the movie and, in a bored monotone, says, “Hey, so we close in 15—”

“Don’t worry,” you say, “I’ll be quick.” 

He straightens up and looks to you, instinctively running a hand through his hair. 

“Y/N, hey!” he says. “Sorry, I thought you were a customer. I mean, you are a customer, but I thought you were a stranger—”

“No worries,” you say. You clear your throat. “I have something for you. Two somethings, actually.” 

You reach into your bag and place two items on the counter: the Sixteen Candles tape you rented the other day and a square-shaped Tupperware container.  

You remove the Tupperware lid and reveal a cookie cake with a message in blue icing: “I’m Sorry :( ”

Steve raises an eyebrow, looking down at the cake and then back at you.

“What are you apologizing for, exactly?” he asks, the ghost of a smile on his lips. 

“For last night,” you say. “I shouldn’t have gotten so wasted. And I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you. I’m really sorry, Steve.”

Something unreadable flashes across Steve’s features. He fidgets with the Sixteen Candles box. 

“No, don’t apologize,” he says. “It’s fine, really.”

He doesn’t say anything else, and you don’t say anything else, and for a moment the only sound to be heard is the movie in the background.

“I can get out of your hair,” you say, “if you need to close up—”

“No!” Steve says, quicker and louder than he means to. “I mean, why don’t you stay? You made this cake, you should at least enjoy some of it. Right?”

That��s how the two of you end up sitting side-by-side on the rough carpet of the Family Video, backs leaning against the counter as you tear the cake apart with your hands. 

Through the wide front windows of the store, you watch the sunset dip below the horizon, painting the bottom third of the sky purplish-pink. Higher up, the sky is a dark indigo. You imagine the view from outside almost looks like a Christmas card, the two of you housed in the cozy glow of the store, its exterior draped in half-melted snow.

Between bites of cake, you two chat about everything and nothing. It’s nice, it’s easy, it’s friendly. It’s familiar. But there’s a buzzing in your ear, a pounding in your heart, and you want nothing more than to grab Steve by the collar of his stupid polo and kiss him until you can’t breathe anymore—

“Can I ask you a hypothetical question?” you blurt out, before your mind takes you to someplace you shouldn't be. 

“Shoot,” Steve says, turning to face you. You meet his eyes.

“Let’s say there’s a girl,” you say, “who likes a guy. And she’s liked him for a while.”

Steve drops the piece of cake he’s holding.

“And for a long time,” you continue, “she was too chicken to make a move, so she didn’t say anything, or do anything. But the feelings just kept growing and growing, and covering her completely, like ivy.”

Steve swallows hard. You can’t tell if the wild look in his eyes is because he’s horrified or because he feels the same. You pray it’s the latter and keep going. 

“Instead of doing the smart thing and telling him how she feels,” you ramble, “she convinced herself he only saw her as a friend, so she did a really stupid thing and dated a really shitty guy, but that shitty guy’s gone, and she needs to finally tell the first guy she likes him but that’s really scary and—”

Steve’s kissing you. You're not sure exactly how it happened, not sure when he moved closer, but now he’s kissing you and it’s perfect. 

He cups your face in his hands and kisses you like he’s fighting for his life. Like there’s a fire in his soul, blazing away, and you’re the only one who can tamp down the flames. Like he’s covered in ivy too, completely enamored with you. 

You kiss him back, grabbing a fistful of his dorky green vest. You kiss him like nothing else matters.

“Wait,” Steve says, pulling away, cheeks flushed. “The guy in the story was me, right?” 

You laugh, and Steve is convinced it’s the best sound he’s ever heard. He wants to record it on a cassette and put it in his Walkman so he can loop it all day long. 

“Yes, Steve,” you say. “You’re the guy, and I’m the girl, and I’ve liked you since June.”

“I’ve got you beat,” Steve says, grinning. “I’ve liked you since Scoops employee orientation. But I thought there’s no way you’d want to be with me. I mean, you’re you.”

“Holy shit,” you say. You think of all the missed opportunities, the wasted time. “We’re idiots. The two of us? We’re actual idiots.” 

You both laugh, and then Steve kisses you again. Outside the window, the sun sinks completely, leaving nothing but a crescent moon shining in the dark winter sky.

[zmediaoutlet]

dean/crowley and sam/crowley

ahaha well --

dean/crowley

technically you don't have to 'ship' things that are canon. :)

that said: I mean, come onnnn. D/Crowley has mUch more canon basis than just about any other "okay, I guess they didn't technically show us kissing" ship in the show. I mean the fivesome alone! But also the obviously canonical pining from Crowley, the way Dean threatens a lot but you can't ever actually imagine him really going through with killing Crowley (because he's soft with guys who've fucked him <3), the way Crowley always Gets what's going on with Dean in a way deeper and more fucked up than anyone else -- even Sam -- even maybe Alastair. The spectator sees more of the game, as they say, and what's interesting about Crowley is that he would never, ever expect to be #1 -- but what he can get at as #2 might be just as useful.

what's also fun about D/Crowley is like -- while it's obviously a mistress ship to the side of the main canon event, it's very... free? Dean doesn't have to pretend to be anything other than what he is. Of course he does, because he wouldn't be Dean without a little gloss of pretense, but like -- Crowley knows him. Crowley knows his worst shitty parts. Crowley probably has a spreadsheet with how many souls Dean shredded in Hell and has polite comments arranged for every one, which he Will Not Say but they both know he could. Dean's guilt encompasses the whole planet but Crowley doesn't give a shit about that guilt, except how he can manipulate it to his own ends, and they both know that, and it's like... all the cards are on the table, you know? In that way it may be a little bit of self-harm for Dean, sure, but he's going into it with eyes wide open and knows exactly what he'll get out of it and it's. Well, 'free' is the only word I can think of. A little corrosive maybe but lots of things have been worse.

also the dude died for Dean, which we should always appreciate as the ultimate simp move. Dean's got a bodycount stacked much higher than Sam's dick. Why isn't the meme about Dean's murderous puss?

sam/crowley

would Crowley attempt to seduce Sam? Sure he would. Would he try to get him into a place where Sam might really consider saying yes to it? Of course. Would Sam actually say yes? lolno, not unless LITerally every other option (potentially including his own death) were wasted, because--

unlike the previous ship in this ask, Sam has self-respect. rip Crowley but Sam already learned his lesson with skanky demonsex and like. He's just not that sad. Plus there's zero zero zero interest or closeness from Sam -> Crowley, and Sam's a lot of things but I really don't think he's a 'self-punisher with sex', and he obviously just finds Crowley fucking irritating, lol. He's also never gonna kill Crowley because the network wouldn't let him, but where with Dean you can hear the shouted threat as very empty, with Sam you can hear that he would REALLY LIKE TO and keeps getting thwarted. Crowley might be useful but he's not Sam's friend, and---while I fully believe that Sam can have hatesex---Crowley doesn't feel like an option he'd ever choose. Not least because he knows Crowley would try to use it as a card against him, and he's smart enough to not let that happen.

As an interesting codicil to all this, I also sorta suspect that Crowley respects Sam more than he does Dean. He'd still use the opportunity if it were given, but where with Dean it's a fun way to needle him (we'll ignore his subsequent schmoopy pining, the dope), with Sam, it feels like Crowley would really just find it a disappointment. Like, he expects better. Adds a cool element to their dynamic.

[happi-tree]

For the ship ask game hmmm... 😌 Well I already know you're not very into gothcleats but perhaps that one anyways! Otherwise... 😆 Ahaha can I ask a few?? How about hencedes, glennry, sparrow/nicky, and nark? No worries if you don't feel up for doing all of them! 💜

Hi, Bababird! Hope you're having a beautiful day 🖤🖤🖤 And yes ofc I can whip up some gothcleats for you! And the other ones!!! I am always willing to provide my silly little thoughts 😌

Alright (ha), as promised: gothcleats time!

Honestly? I don't mind it! I think there's a lot of fun parallels and intertwining themes to be found in their extant relationship, and I definitely enjoy looking at the cute fanart I've seen of them on occasion. I probably would ship it if my lesbian Scary hc wasn't so real to me! I would absolutely adore seeing them in a qpr though - I actually really like the idea of the teens all being in a qpr together. Nobody comes between Scary and her boys 😤😤😤 Nonetheless, Link and Scary have such an interesting dynamic and I feel like it's very much been a highlight over the past few episodes - I mean, Link breaking the anchor of love as an act of solidarity with Scary? Link refusing to let Scary go even as she Eldritch Blasts him? The genuine fear in Scary's voice when she thinks she might've killed Link??? It's so much, truly it is. I'm SO excited for whatever Matt and Beth have planned with their characters going forward, and while it's not my personal cup of tea romantically, I truly do love the gothcleats relationship!

Okay next up: Hencedes!

HENCEDES T4T BI4BI COUPLE OF ALL TIME!!!! NON-NEGOTIABLE!!! They are truly so much if I think about them too hard I will start crying!!! Everything about them is so fucking sweet and lovely and truly. Relationship goals fr!!! They're so strange and bizarre separately and even MORE strange and bizarre together and their devotion to each other is so so so very precious to me. Like. Their story makes me so unhinged actually I am so glad they exist. Mercedes really truly takes all of Henry's oddities in stride and he does the same for her,,, their cute little nicknames for each other,,, they would lay down their lives for each other without a second thought and I love them so much for that. I want nothing but happiness for them forever and ever and ever ok (looks pointedly at the current state of s2). I am a Hencedes stan first and a person second thank you <333

Okok next: Glennry!

In case you haven't realized. *Slaps "HUGE MULTISHIPPER" sticker on my forehead* like yourself, Baba, I also contain multitudes 😌 Anyway Glennry is SO fun to rotate around in my head, personally. I think they could learn quite a bit from each other as partners - with Glenn, Henry could get a bit more in touch with his rebellious side, and Henry could help Glenn in his struggles with emotional vulnerability. Their friendship works well as is in canon, obviously (well, s1 canon since we're not entirely sure what's going on with s2 Henry yet), but the potential of them as romantic partners is so great and so fun! They should kiss. For funsies. At least to piss off Bear Ry'Oak, if anything else <3

Up next: Sparrow/Nicky (/Spark/lovesong/highjinx/whatever other fun names exist for these two)!

And if I told you Spark was my latest obsession. What then. Literally I have been losing my mind over them for the past few days (thanks Nyx and Ivy <3) and I show no signs of regaining normalcy anytime soon!!! I just think there is SO much potential for exploring a romantic relationship between the two of them - or even something like a qpr, if you wanna go the Sparoace route! Literally could not get to sleep last night because I was thinking about them so hard. Similarly to Oakworthy, both Nick and Sparrow have such deep-seated issues regarding identity - Sparrow seems to define himself by being half of a matched set and doesn't really let himself be anything other than the Sparrow part of Lark-and-Sparrow. Nicky, of course, has. Gestures at the entire latter half of s1. And I think that if anyone can understand what either of them are going through, it's each other - and maybe they can just exist together. Without labels or expectations - not Nicholas, Jodie's son, or Sparrow, the more stable twin, or Nick, Glenn's son - just being Nicky and Sparrow and maybe also being in love. I also just think the imagery of it is wonderful - druid and demon, summer and winter, life and death, plant life and fire. Real Hades-and-Persephone type shit, which I personally love to see!

And lastly, finally, Nark!

So sorry to all the Nark stans out there but Sparrow/Nick has so thoroughly taken over my brain. I do love the idea of this ship - not only the aesthetics (hehe the demonic savior and the fallen angel), but the tragedy of it all - how the love may have been there, and in another world it may have been enough, but that world isn't this one. I have read many a Nark fic and I'd be hard-pressed to find one I didn't like, but it's not my go-to ship, personally. On another note, though, I do think Nark has some hilarious comedic potential as well - especially when paired with other ships like Sparrow/Cassandra (thank you tumblr user llumimoon for that particular piece of fanart - you know the one, I'm pretty sure you still have it pinned, Baba). But yeah! Fun ship - not my personal fave, but one that's very, very neat to pick apart and analyze!

Annnnnnnd I think that about wraps up my thoughts - for anyone who read this far, I'm giving you forehead kisses /p because that was A Lot. Thanks for the ask, Bababird!!! 🖤

[greasydumbfuck]

TRIPLY WHAMMY: The Monstrous, 🕸, and then I couldn't decide on the cat one so Tabby AND White Cat :3c

I guess that makes this a QUADRUPLE WHAMMY but that rolls off the tongue less good

math was never our strong side lets just say its cuz its from three different games. thanks for the ask babes xoxo The Monstrous this one is funny to me because as far as i know canonically frank gets to be at least two supernatural creatures. collecting that shit like he does other men's wives. anyway im not gonna be creative here and ill just say werewolf. big hairy often commits murder in a messy way and ends up covered in blood. but also there are so many long texts about how misunderstood the werewolf is as a figure. so like it fits in my mind. maybe if i got a long list of all mythical creatures and spent an hour reading it id come up with something more creative but this works too no?

🕸️

(song that reminds you of your ship) LIKE THREE actually none of them very extraordinary brave choices but im gonna go for the funniest one out of them black and white by kombi. the polish one. yeah. because okay listen. one thats just his color palette. haha. the song itself is about seeing the world in only those colors which is also very him. "life has no middle ground // love rule and divide" like okay do you hear me. please. i love assigning polish songs to fictional characters.

Tabby (are they snuggly?) right so i think meta menardi gets very cuddly and affectionate with frank because shes overwhelmed a little......... by what she feels. and now this is where it gets tricky for me because like. its not that he doesnt like it. its not that he exactly likes it either. its weird. its unusual. it takes up so much of his time for no reason and hes always got better things to do than this. but also once shes hugging him he doesnt really want to leave because as much as he dislikes it and he hates how soft she always is with him, its so... nice. so uh i guess point being meta is snuggly as hell, maybe less so when sleeping, frank isnt for the most part at least not actively but as time goes on both his enjoyment of and how bad he feels about the affection grow. ARGH i have a lot of thoughts about this specifically but i cant put them into words ever. their whole thing is just a bit complicated but in an entirely different way than frank is used to by that point. plus the more he genuinely likes her in any way the less he wants to stay because yeah sure she has some powers but she is NOT used to the level of danger he brings (the place she's a spider-person for is relatively chill) and hes reminded of that every time she holds him in any way. he likes having his arms around her in some way (standing behind her, keeping her by his side etc) and her favorite is cradling his head to her chest. like a baby. he doesnt like when she puts it like that.

White Cat (are the f/os eyes striking?) i said it once under some post but like hes got that fucking. blue-eyed people stare. so in that way yes. but also since its frank the look in his eyes is almost always a little unsettling. because of the uh you know. the war trauma and the murder trauma and the violent tendencies overall. but meta likes them, she likes the little changes in them depending on what hes thinking. subtle but there and shes always soo proud of herself to catch them. also to me (and by extension to her ahaha) hes just. in some strange way. real pretty. in turn frank doesnt think metas eyes are "striking" exactly but he does thing they fit her a lot. theyre round, warm, and with a look of naivety. like they are by all logic so common and so unremarkable really (which is fitting because nearly everything about her is - she is the common cave spider afterall!) but theres this softness in the way she looks at him that makes it special. shame she doesn't like him seeing them though.

sorry for yapping this came out longer than i wanted it to but im just so desparate to share things and do things and have them be percieved. yeah

[thousand-winters]

🍬 or ❄️??

Hello there!!! I hope you've been having a good time!!!

🍬 ⇢ Post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

Going once again with Hunter because I have some for Darius but he's hardly a popular character 😭

Well, more like him and Amity and their dynamic in general. I feel like people wildly misinterpreted Eclipse Lake, because while they fought, I would argue it ends better than when Hunter first meets Luz and the Emerald Entrails? (Not for the overachieving plot, considering the portal key, but for their dynamic I mean).

Because here's the thing: Amity understood where Hunter was coming from far better than Luz, or Gus or Willow could because they don't have the kind of background Amity and Hunter do. Amity could see her own struggles in Hunter, and while obviously she wasn't happy about how things ended up, there was never any implication she resented him for what he did.

And somehow that in the fandom became "oh, yes, Amity and Hunter hate each other, they just can't stand each other, look at how much they hate each other" and even "Amity hates poor Hunter so much, she's so mean for this", as if 1) that was literally not even true, Amity is even the first that runs and tries to rescue him in Clouds on the Horizon before they know it's Luz??? and 2) Hunter was the one who was exploiting Amity's insecurities against her in Eclipse Lake, and sure, he was desperate and his own issues were affecting his actions, but he acted worse toward her than she ever did toward him.

Like people love to take Amity not saying anything in Labyrinth Runners as her hating him when if she really did, she could have easily revealed the personal damage he did to her, but she didn't. And it's usually done in contrast with Willow trusting him but Willow... didn't actually do that? She only defended him when she had the proof that he had actually been with Gus, not before. Both Amity and Willow react to him with the same level of wariness, I have no idea why people decided to act as if Amity was oh, so mean, so distrustful, they're all besties but she doesn't allow it (lowkey this was in part because of Moringmark's comics, I think, people take them as canon when they have questionable characterization).

Anyway, somehow the opinion persists despite how clearly it is they're friends and there's no resentment between them in Thanks to them and forward. I have no idea why. Sometimes fanon just takes over people's minds for the worse 💔

❄️ ⇢ What's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best?

Oof, this is a difficult question mostly bc I'm full of hubris, ahaha. If I think a fic idea would be cool, I go "oh, I need to write this", so usually when I'm thinking I really would like to see this or that, that ends up transforming into a WIP in my files.

But oh, actually, while typing this it did occur to me I do have one. I would love to have the young Hagsquad shenanigans because that's the dream spin-off for me. It would be such an ambitious progress all things considered.

I'm, however, enamoured with the version that exists in @wills-art's mind and files about it. I trust eir vision.

Thank you for the questions!!! From this ask game

[flowering-darkness]

Your reimagining of the Reborn timeline was so cool and fascinating to read, even without me knowing the details of the game! :D And I'm glad there finally IS a happy ending for everyone 💛 (dragonsmooch)

Thank you so much, friend!!! I'm really really glad that you enjoyed reading it ^-^

..I was going to say that it isn't actually that much of a reimagining, and then I remembered how much I have to break the second timeline, because it has to go so differently from canon as written while still fitting what’s said about it in-game. So it kind of still is, ahaha. But, yes! Happy endings for so many! That's a big part of why I really enjoy the postgame of Reborn; for as dark and as serious as a lot of the events are in the main game, almost every character also gets a lot of development and closure in the postgame, and it all works out quite nicely for pretty much everyone across the board~

Thank you very much again for this ask, friend! It really means a lot that you sent it~

[ninjagirlstar5]

Protag Teruya AU - Prologue Part 1 - The Cottage Intro

The cozy little cottage where nothing will go wrong. Nothing at all!

...Probably.

No TWs apply to this current post.

The Beach (The Beginning) |   The Mart (Part 2) | The Park (Part 3) | The Tower (Part 4) | The Boardwalk (Part 6) | The Beach Episode (Final)  

Prologe Part 2 Beginning

Disclaimer: While Sannotori is problematic, it’s a thing in this AU/fic and the dynamic is not the same as it is in canon.

The Protag Teruya AU was inspired by @/anotherprofessional’s post! Beware of Void spoilers though!

The inside of the cottage was much, much bigger than the outside made it out to be and a whole lot fancier too. There was a kitchen with various household goods, bookshelves with books of varying genres that he had to force himself away to focus on their investigation, a TV that was unfortunately stuck on static (dammit) and some cool chandeliers that Mikado claims to clash with the rest of the home’s interior. Personally, he didn’t think it was horrible, it just made it obvious that whoever owned this cottage - or even this entire island - had way too much money to know what to do with it. They were about to go upstairs when someone else came down it. It was another high school girl, with long wavy blonde hair with side bangs that reached her shoulders. She wore a white and blue school uniform, black knee-length boots, and a long gray fur coat that went well with her teal earrings, which also matched her eyes. She had a little bit of makeup on but it wasn’t overdone or anything, just some noticeable purple eyeshadow and maybe a bit of blush and lip gloss.

“Hmm? Oh, hello. You’re the wizard from the Monocruise, right? I never got your name.” The girl put her hand up against her cheek but she quickly realized he wasn’t alone. “And you found someone else?”

“Yeah. Ah, I, uh, don’t have a name right now…I have amnesia.” He explained and the girl’s eyes went wide.

“Huh? Amnesia?” She asked, and he reluctantly nodded his head.

“Yes.” Mikado spoke up. “Our classmate here can’t seem to remember anything from before he woke up on the island. Not even his name or talent. Ah, also, my name is Mikado Sannoji and as guessed, I’m the Ultimate Wizard.”

“Oh, it’s nice to meet you, Mikado.” She smiled at him before putting her hand down. “Like the both of you, I’m also a Hope’s Peak student. I’ve decided to take some time off from acting to focus on my studies. And, well, when I got that acceptance letter, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to go not as ‘famous actress Emma Magorobi’, but as your classmate, ‘Ultimate Actress, Emma Magorobi.’”

“Oh, you’re famous?” He blurts it out without thinking. Both blondes stared at him with wide eyes at his bluntness and he felt his cheeks turn red at embarrassment. “I-I mean, uh, well, I’m s-sure you are, it’s just, um…” And then, a nice sound cut him off.

The sound of laughter. Nothing mocking or derisive, but rather light and carefree.

“Ahaha, yes, I am. I’ve actually starred in quite a few movies as a child.” Emma said, smiling like a weight has been lifted off of her shoulder. “It truly is a pleasure to meet you both. And please don’t worry about it. I’d prefer it if you keep speaking to me casually. I’m here to focus on school, not flaunt my status as a celebrity.” She pauses before glancing at Mikado. “Although I did expect you to know who I was.”

“I’m afraid I’ve never watched any movies, Ms. Magorobi.” Mikado explained, which only made him tilt his head at him. He wondered why he didn’t recognize Emma. Or Melody Rhythm for that matter. He didn’t recognize them since he didn’t remember anything at all. But wouldn’t Mikado have identified them since they were good enough to be scouted out as Ultimates?

“You haven’t? Oh, then I have some recommendations!” Emma was eager to talk, although her smile was quick to turn awkward. “Not to, uh, come off as bragging or anything, but I’ve starred in the ‘Harry Peter’ series as Holly Queen. It’s about a fantastical world full of magic and a coming of age story for Harry, the title character himself. Perhaps you’ll like it, being a wizard yourself, Mikado!”

“Perhaps, but fiction does not always coincide with reality. And I’m saying that as the Ultimate Wizard.” Mikado pauses for a moment before his mask shifts into a more genuine smile. “Still, once we’re certain the situation is safe, perhaps it’d be nice to unwind. I’ll keep your recommendation in mind.”

“Speaking of that…Do you know why we’re here, Emma? Apparently today was our entrance ceremony.” He asked but Emma simply crossed her arms and looked to the side.

“Well…I’m not certain. I woke up here as well. I’m thinking it must be some sort of surprise party arranged by the school.” He slumps his shoulders.

“God, I hope so…This whole day has been an emotional rollercoaster.” He gritted his teeth, rubbing his forehead to try and relieve his stress. Mikado reaches over to pat his shoulder. But Emma smiled at him, calm as she reached her hands out before her.

“Mikado and our dear friend…You shouldn’t worry so much. Look at how beautiful and blue the sky is. Something good will happen, I just know it.” She closes her eyes, as if she was reminiscing on a good memory. He tried to force away the pang of jealousy weighing heavily on his heart. “Things that were lost, things that have happened, let us put it all behind us. We should simply be thankful for the world we live in now.”

“Now that’s just cheesy.” Mikado said, crossing his arms. While he wasn’t frowning or staring at her with exasperation, the tension in his shoulders were still palpable.

“H-Hey, uh…I think she has a point anyways. This could be worse, haha…” He really didn’t want to think about how this could get worse.

“Ahahaha, sorry.” Emma said, pressing her hand against her cheek again and smiled at them awkwardly. “That must have sounded strange. It must be the actor in me. Still, Mikado…” She crosses her arms, her smile turning polite but stern. “What did I tell you? I’d rather you speak casually to me.”

“Ah…Well, it’s not just you. I speak formally with everyone, Ms.…E-Emma…” The wizard quickly goes quiet. He can’t help but tilt his head, trying to examine his mask. He wondered if it could blush.

“Ah, well, close enough. I’m going to head out now. It doesn’t seem like there’s much more that can be accomplished by staying here.” Emma puts her arms down, giving them a brief wave. “Permanent amnesia or not, I do hope you come to a name you like and reintroduce yourself to everyone. Let’s talk later over some movies and tea!”

“Yeah, that sounds nice. Bye, Emma!” He waves at her and Mikado does the same. Emma smiled at the both of them as she left. “Huh…a celebrity.”

“Don’t look at me. I’ve never paid any attention to that kind of stuff.” Mikado said, rubbing the back of his head. He just shrugged in response before taking another step on the stairs.

“Well, it’d be cool to get to know her since we’re classmates-“

“Ah- look out!!”

“Huh- oof!” He turned around in time to feel someone fall into his chest. Mikado was by his side in a second, hovering over him to make sure he didn’t fall, which thankfully didn’t happen. And despite the sudden weight, the person was very light and he managed not to lose his balance as he held onto them. “Are you okay??”

“Augh, y-yeah…I can’t believe I tripped on the stairs.” The person, a girl who was very small in comparison to both him and Mikado, answered him with dizzy eyes. He put her down carefully and she quickly got her bearings. She was wearing a plaid beret with a matching smock, a white shirt with puffy long sleeves, a gray vest, a brown skirt and Mary Janes. Her brown hair was long with bangs and her side bangs were tied together with a ribbon and she stared up at him with pale green eyes. She blushed and then smiled, holding her sketchbook close to her chest. “O-Oh…newcomers! Hi!”

“Hello. You’re here from Hope’s Peak too, right?” He asked. The girl puts her sketchbook down, although she puts her hand back up to play with her hair.

“Yes! I’m the Ultimate Painter, Iroha Nijiue! I hope we can get along!” Iroha was all too happy to introduce herself and he smiled at her positive energy.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Nijiue.” Mikado said, his mask changing into his usual smile. Iroha squeaks at the sight, a terrified look on her face. The wizard chuckles at her reaction, raising his hands. “Don’t be alarmed. My mask is simply for expressions, nothing more. For I am the Ultimate Wizard, Mikado Sannoji!” To prove his point, he makes a quick ice cube appear in his hand.

“Wh-Whoa…really? An Ultimate Wizard…” Iroha’s eyes widen, still fearful but otherwise astonished at the fact that magic is real. Suddenly, her eyes shine bright like lights. “Ooo, do you think you can make me a wizard too??”

“Hm…I don’t know. It’ll take a lot of power…” He breaks the ice cube in his hand as his face suddenly darkens. “And a price of your soul.”

“My soul?!” The painter’s jaw dropped and her face paled. The amnesiac’s face must be similar to hers because he couldn’t believe what he just heard. Iroha then turns her back on him and he can feel the gloom radiating off of her. “On second thought, I think I’ll stick to painting…”

“Fuhuhuhu, I’m afraid power like mine doesn’t come free.” He laughed as if he didn’t just admit something so horrifying at the drop of a hat. Seriously, why would he trade such power for his soul? “Even if you only want to ‘try’ it, you’ll have to give something up in exchange. There is no turning back once you start.” Iroha shudders, any interest she had in magic dissipating with the thought of giving something up. She eventually recovers enough to turn around.

“Nope, not gonna think about it. Instead, let’s think positive!” The painter turns her attention to him with a smile. “What about you? What’s your name?”

“Uh, sorry. I don’t know. I have amnesia.” He explained. Hopefully he doesn’t have to keep doing this soon. He should at least come up with a name to go by until he finds his real name or something he liked better.

“Huh?” Iroha stared at him with wide eyes. It looked like it didn’t completely register what that meant until a moment later. “Eeeeh? You lost your memory? That’s awful! And it’s our first semester and everything!” She sweats for a bit…only to bounce back a smile. “But don’t worry! Think positively! Your memories will definitely come back! Even if they don’t, you can just replace them with the happy memories you can make with us!”

“That’s…” He hesitates. And yet, if his amnesia is permanent, the only way he can recover is by making new memories, right? Even if he still had a past he didn’t know about that was attached to himself, he won’t be getting those experiences back if his memory loss is permanent. And there’s nothing wrong with making happy memories with new friends, right…? He smiles. “You’re really cheerful, you know that right?” Iroha gave him a wider grin.

“Ms. Nijiue, do you know anything about our situation?” Mikado moves the conversation along. Iroha holds up her sketchbook.

“Oh, you mean the island and all? Well, naturally I was upset to find out we’re in the middle of nowhere…” Iroha said, before tilting her head and giving them another smile. “But it’s times like these where staying positive is more important than ever. Like, it’s the first day on a beautiful island with brand-new friends! Of course I’m cheerful!”

“...So, in other words, you don’t know why we’re on this island either.” Mikado almost sounded disappointed. He noticed it but Iroha didn’t.

“Yeah, but don’t worry too much. Maybe if we wait long enough, the teachers or somebody else will contact us.” The painter then started walking down the stairs. “I’m gonna go see some other friends! See ya later!” She runs off.

“...Well, she’s quick to claim everyone as friends.” Mikado said, his mask flattening. “It’s honestly concerning how positive she is. It’s a bit…much.”

“Well…I think it’s nice that she’s trying her best to see the silver lining to all this.” He could feel Mikado rolling his eyes, even when his mask didn’t convey it at all. “Well, wanna check what’s upstairs?”

“We might as well.” Mikado walked up the stairs and he followed suit. The upstairs didn’t have anything interesting, unfortunately. Even when he recognized when a room looked like a party room or an office, it was mostly empty with nothing to make note of. There was also a balcony but there was no one there so after a brief moment of respite for the both of them gazing out over the sea, they eventually left the cottage altogether.

[obsidianstrawberrymilk]

eyy, same on the bi viktor hc and shipping helen and vik 🤝

i spef hc viktor as having not figured out being bi yet, as of current canon, but after taking time to settle into realizing he’s trans he realizes his feelings towards dudes isn’t just gender envy and he’s like holy shit, and has a bit of a crisis. spef hc that sexuality crisis occurs between the end of s3 and the probably inevitable s4 timeskip we’ll have thx to elliot’s voice being deeper during filming. the vik realizing he’s bi is probably be more then a bit complicated thx to his trauma w leonard 😔😔

imo 1) s1 viktor defo had a bit of a crush on helen 2) people take helen’s words way more harsh then they were actually meant, like i think she was probably a bit frustrated, bc viktor had been in third chair for years and the being late thing seemed like a somewhat regular occurrence, but while she’s a bit frustrated, she said the stuff she did outta tough love type thing/she)s one of those people who believes that being blunt helps people more often then not

all this partially just to say i think viktor and helen as a rivals to lover’s relationship would probably be more rivalry on viktor’s part then helen’s. there’d be mutual rivalryship, yes, but viktor would care about the rivalry a lot more then helen would which i think is absolutely hillarious

i like imagining and hoping (tho it’s obv unlikely) that viktor meets helen again in s4, bc they’re just cute

Okay yesss to all of this!! I doubt Viktor’s gonna meet Helen again in S4 but I REALLY WANT HIM TO bc it could show just how much he’s grown from S1. I feel like Helen was trying to give an honest critique ngl - we KNOW Viktor had been trying for other positions than third chair, so imo she was trying to give some honest advice that just came off as kinda rude.

So Viktor meeting her again and having that passion she said he lacked now that he’s off his pills would be so cool imo!!

Lmao yeah, I meant ‘enemies to lovers’ in the ‘got off on the wrong foot, single sided rivalry, oh shit they’re hot’ kind of way. I could absolutely see Viktor having a single sided rivalry with Helen - hey, Luther and Diego got a rivalry so now it’s his turn!

...And if that eventually turns into a romantic violin contest that ends w them leaning into each other and staring into each other’s eyes, who’s gonna tell?

I also 100% agree w you that he hasn’t figured out he’s bi yet. I feel like what happened with Leonard would make him a bit anxious to date men for a while tbh, so it would be difficult for him to figure it out. I really hope we can see canon bi Viktor in S4 (but then that’s what I said about bi Diego in S3 so ahaha), and I hope they like... actually address the trauma that leonard caused?? Bc it feels like they kinda ignored that for the past two seasons.

[linawritesocs]

austin's union birthday ssr vignette + art!

finally some content with lina's twst ocs?? :O

shjdjskdkd i still love my twst kids! i'm just not sure what to do with them currently and twst is not really my main interest right now.

also, i kinda wanna mention that i'm.. uh.. i guess you could say that i'm proud of my twst ocs' growth and development? :'D like, yes, some of them definitely still have some things to work on, but i think that one of the reasons why i don't know what to do with them is because they kinda feel like completely different people to me now? like vance doesn't break the fourth wall that often anymore and even finds that old habit of his weird, avery is a bit more honest with his emotions now and i think i've managed to show that he's a little softer now in his birthday vignette, riley is starting to show that he actually wants more attention, just from one specific person which is allen, etc. tbh that one post about their third year/graduated versions made me want to draw and write them as their older versions starting from now? i don't want them to stay the same forever like canon characters, haha.

anyway, here's the vignette! and because this is a union birthday vignette, seth won't be the one interviewing austin, we have a special guest this time <3

[ part 1 ]

[ ignihyde dorm lounge - birthday venue ]

austin: "ugh.. do i really have to do this?"

austin: "this is so embarrassing.. no, of course, i love the attention, but still.."

austin: "also, i wonder who was chosen to be my presenter."

austin: "i sure hope it's not mer-"

???: AUSTIN-SENPAAAAAIIIII!!

austin: ...

austin: "are you kidding me right now?.."

vance: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

austin: .. can i leave?

vance: ahaha, you know you can't leave. it's your birthday party, after all.

austin: well, that's it, the party's over. it's over because i said so.

vance: but i feel like the party's just getting started!

austin: *sighs* anyway, you're my presenter, right?

vance: *nods* yep! it's a great honor to be the one getting a present for you, austin-senpai!

austin: .. i'm a little scared.

vance: okay, let's see what i got for you. i don't know if you're a gamer like me, but you're, like, obsessed with technology and you're also an ignihyde student, so..

vance: here, i got this cool game for you!

vance: well, it's not really something i would play, but..

vance: for some reason, when i saw it, i felt like this is something that you would like a lot.

austin: ...

vance: .. austin-senpai?

vance: d-do you like it?

vance: i-if you don't, i'll just take it and p-play it myself!..

austin: .. hey, vance, why exactly did you choose this game for me?

vance: i don't know. again, i felt like this is something you'd be into.

vance: look, i know that a game about magical girls doesn't look like something you would like..

austin: did merrill tell you anything?

vance: um, no?? why would he tell me anything about your interests?

vance: though you two look like you're really close.

austin: why, is it because we're from the same dorm?

austin: well.. uh, thank you, i guess.

vance: wait, wait, before you thank me, tell me: do you like it?

vance: i refuse to give it to you until i hear that you really do like it.

austin: huh? what's the point of doing that?

austin: you've bought this for me, i have not choice but to accept it-

vance: because it won't be fun if it turns out that you actually don't like it.

vance: birthdays are all about fun and getting presents that you've always wanted to get! and if you don't like my present..

vance: that simply means that it's my fault for giving you something that you don't want and don't need.

vance: it's fine, i'll just restart and get something better, haha!..

vance: .. oh no, i'm doing this again.

austin: i do like it though.

vance: huh??

vance: you- you like games like this, austin-senpai??

austin: well, i'm not really into games, i'm more of an anime guy-

austin: i-i mean, it does look like something i'd enjoy playing.

austin: so yeah, give it to me. it's mine now.

vance: sure.. but austin-senpai, do you really mean it? do you actually like my present?

austin: .. y-yes.

austin: listen, it just looks cute- cool, i mean, cool!

vance: i see.. well, i'm glad to hear that!

vance: because, to be honest, if it turned out that you didn't like it and i had to play it myself.. i'd rather die, this game looks so boring.

vance: and what's with this art style? ugh, this game looks like it's made for little girls or something.

austin: .. can we just start the interview already?

[ part 2 ]

vance: okay, okay, let's see what questions i have here~

vance: here's the first one!

vance: "if you had to pick someone to be on a deserted island with, who would you choose?"

vance: oh, your dormmates don't count, by the way!

austin: i wouldn't even think of bringing someone from ignihyde with me anyway.

vance: huh? why? i thought you were close with other ignihyde students..

austin: most of them don't even understand what they're talking about or they're just boring to listen to.

austin: or they're just gamers-

austin: uh.. no offense.

vance: haha, no, i get it, i get it.

vance: you're kinda right though, i can't imagine any ignihyde students being able to survive on a deserted island.

vance: so, who would you choose?

austin: uh, let me think..

austin: honestly, i think i'd be fine without anyone's help-

vance: i knew you would say that, but you still have to answer!

austin: really, i think i would do great without other students! you know, i'm used to doing things without magic-

vance: yes, but austin-senpai, don't you think your talent wouldn't really matter in a place like that?

austin: what do you mean?

vance: sure, maybe you're good at fixing, building and coming up with all those machines and mechanisms and all that stuff..

vance: but how are you going to do all that on a deserted island?

vance: i also doubt that you'd have everything you might need with you too.

austin: ...

austin: f-fine. maybe i actually could use some help.

vance: yes, you're making progress! i'm so proud of you!

austin: why are you proud of me?..

vance: because not all people are brave enough to admit that they need help!

vance: i.. know that well.

vance: so, what is your answer?

austin: .. i have a feeling that you're gonna kill me for this.

vance: haha, why? i won't judge you and i definitely won't kill-

austin: i think i would go with riley.

vance: ...

vance: hey, austin-senpai, do you mind if i just take your present and beat you with it?

austin: didn't you just say that you won't try to kill me??

vance: oh, i won't kill you, i just want you to understand that you made a wrong-

vance: .. is it just me, or i'm acting just like a certain rsa student right now?

austin: i don't know who you're talking about, but i'm gonna agree just in case.

vance: haha, anyway! why did you choose riley-kun?

vance: be very careful of what you say, austin-senpai.

austin: uh..

austin: listen, this guy is a savanaclaw student. he also carries a bat with him, like, all the time.

austin: he's surprisingly strong, even though he doesn't look like it.

austin: he's also very good at controlling his emotions and i'm.. well, i hate to say it, but i'm not exactly good at that.

vance: ahaha, yeah, you're so scary sometimes, austin-senpai!

vance: so, this is why you would take riley-kun with you?

austin: what, did you expect a different answer?

vance: haha, no, of course i didn't!

austin: then why do you have a knife-

vance: oh, i just wanted to cut a piece of cake for you! sadly, i can't try it myself.. but i'm sure you will love it!

austin: "i'm pretty sure you're the scarier one, vance."

[ part 3 ]

vance: okay, next question!

vance: "if you were to transfer into another dormitory besides ignihyde, which one would you choose?"

austin: i'm still not over that dorm exchange program and you decide to ask me this?

vance: haha, well, i wasn't the one who came up with these questions..

vance: i don't know, maybe it will happen again, but this time they will actually send us to the dorms that we like.

vance: i'm not complaining though, last time it happened they sent me to ignihyde and it was so fun!

austin: yeah, fun for you.

vance: i wouldn't mind transferring to octavinelle too, their aesthetic is so cool!

vance: hehe, i wonder how i'd look in their dorm uniform~

vance: wait, wait, you're the one who's supposed to answer the question!

vance: so, what's your answer?

austin: .. i don't know actually.

austin: like, i don't know, i really hate most ignihyde students..

austin: but i can't imagine myself liking other dorms either.

vance: hm.. is it okay if i ask why you feel this way, austin-senpai?

vance: is it because you're an introverted person? or maybe you're just scared that people won't like you?

austin: hey, i can't say that ignihyde students like me that much.

austin: i mean, yeah, i'm sure popular, but it's only because of my talent.

austin: and of course, they should be grateful for being in the same dorm as me!..

austin: .. but i don't think i would be that popular in other dorms.

austin: technology really is my whole thing.

vance: hmm..

vance: ah, i know! austin-senpai, do you have any other interests besides technology?

austin: i do, but.. all of them still sound like something ignihyde students would like.

vance: oh..

vance: then.. what would you want your perfect dorm to be like?

austin: i guess it would be nice to be popular, but also be able to spend some time alone.

austin: i want people to recognize me for my talents and appreciate what i do for them, but also i don't want them to be annoying about it, you know what i mean?

austin: "though i don't really mind that kind of attention sometimes.."

vance: hm.. yeah, i think scarabia would be a bit too overwhelming for you.

vance: i can't imagine you being popular in pomefiore or savanaclaw either..

vance: hey, austin-senpai, what about heartslabyul? would you like to transfer there?

austin: no, thanks. i don't want to memorize all those rules that your dorm leader loves so much.

vance: haha, understandable.

vance: .. for some reason, i feel like diasomnia would be a good dorm for you. you just have that vibe, you know?

austin: !

austin: you mean.. a dorm filled with fae students and powerful magic users?

vance: yeah. sure, you're not a fae, but..

vance: you are very talented, austin-senpai. i'm sure diasomnia students would find you interesting.

vance: i can imagine you getting along with some of them too.

austin: .. you just picked diasomnia because i look intimidating, right?

vance: yes.

austin: .. *laughs*

austin: fine, sure, i'll go with diasomnia. i don't really know what else to say anyway.

vance: yay! oh, by the way, it's time for your "gift of good fortune"!

austin: huh, already?

austin: what kind of interview is this? it had only two questions-

vance: again, austin-senpai, i wasn't the one who came up with all this!

vance: anyway, are you ready?

austin: .. i guess?

austin: just do it already, but don't let anyone else see it.

vance: haha, okay, okay!

vance: happy birthday, austin-senpai!

[mj-ackerman]

Hello!! I couldn't get ahold of the spy x family light novel and was tearfully thinking of giving it up but your tl saved my lil' heart! Ty sm!! And so I'm really thankful to you for translating the yuri and anya's mission story! It was sooo wholesome and I was reeeally happy I got to read it!!^^ Also I love the damiananya dynamic so very much so the first mission was a total treasure to me too~💞 I was wondering if I could ask if you're gonna do any other mission parts too? Just asking, np if you aren't, I understand!😅 Hope I didn't annoy you with my ask ahaha~ Also, is the spy x family LN canon? Like,,,could all the stuff happening in it actually be considered as happening in canon? Btw please drink lots of water and stay healthy! I send my best wishes and good luck to you! Have a nice day/night wherever you are~(^v^)//

Hi! I'm glad that I was able to help you out! And yes, I'm planning to translate the other part of the missions, I'm actually currently working with the mission 3, it's just that I'm kinda busy with work lately, so it's taking long to finish but I'm almost done with it 😄 I hope I can finish it all before the end of this month or maybe first week of November. As for the question if the LN story is canon, yes it's canon, the timeline is actually after chapter 39 of the manga before the Great Cruise Arc.

Thank you so much for appreciating my translation work, you stay hydrated and healthy as well! Hope you have a nice day

[theleakypen]

20 Questions: Writer's Edition

Tagged by @guqin-and-flute!

Q&A under the cut:

How many works do you have on AO3? 151 as of this morning. Dang!

What's your total AO3 word count? 191,595. Hey not bad~!

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they? 21 if you separate out the MDZS adaptations, 19 if you don't. They are: The Untamed, MDZS, Nirvana in Fire, Arcane: League of Legends, Guardian, The Arcana (Visual Novel), Leverage, MDZS Cartoon, All For The Game - Nora Sakavic, Handsome Siblings (TV 2020), Children of the Consortium series - Cathy McCrumb, Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle, Venom (Marvel Movies), Me and AU (Podcast), Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells, The Locked Tomb Series - Tamsyn Muir, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Goncharov (1973) - beelzeebub, Thor (Movies), The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells, and Cris Tales (Video Game)

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 1. Yunmeng In-Laws - CQL - cowritten with @iamwestiec - far ahead of every other fic by a LOT 2. pity the fool (who falls in love with you) - CQL/MDZS - cowritten with @iamwestiec and @spacewitchbot 3. A Fruitful Correspondence - CQL - cowritten with @iamwestiec (are you sensing a theme?) 4. The Grieving of the Bones - MDZS 5. What I've failed I will not unknow / What has failed me is not yet unknown - CQL

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? I think it's a tie between my two Mo Xuanyu fics — but now my ink's blood red not black and The Door Won't Open — although Give a Comb, Take a Kiss and The River Styx is high and wide are both close thirds.

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? Like Guq, most of what I write tends to be short fluffy one-shots, so, like, most of them? But if I had to pick one, maybe this post-canon polyamorous triple drabble for Nirvana in Fire is it.

Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the weirdest one you’ve written? I do! I've written several! I think the silliest is probably my Untamed/Me & AU crossover where the crossover is actually with Selkirk, the fake TV show that the Me & AU characters are into.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I do! It's usually pretty nonstandard in some way or another? Fierce corpses, eldritch or otherwise monstrous characters, ace & trans characters, kinky stuff, not much of a focus on penetrative sex for the most part (not that I haven't written penetrative sex, mind)

Do you respond to comments, why or why not? Yes, though not on any particular schedule. I will reply either right away or months later, and there's not any method to which it will be XD

Have you ever received hate on a fic? Only once but it was that Xiyao troll that was going around being an ass to everyone who writes even a smidge of non-negative xiyao, so it didn't really bug me. I've received some "well actually" style comments as well, which are more annoying.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? I fucking hope not! XD;;;

Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! And a poem, too!

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Ahaha I sure have! See above -- my most popular fics are all cowritten ones.

What’s your all time favourite ship to write for? Well, according to my AO3 stats, it's a tie between SongXiao and ChengQing (9 fics each), although WangXian and platonic Yunmeng Shuangjie are in second place (7 fics). I think WangXian suffers from the "background canonical ship" effect in my fics, though, for the most part. But honestly, I like a lotta weird lil rarepairs so the 151 fics I've posted up on AO3 so far are mostly all one-offs.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? But, After All, I Am A Wen my beloved 😭😭😭 I'm trying, I swear.

What are your writing strengths? I think I write good dialogue! I also think I'm pretty darn good at, like, interior character work? IDK how to phrase that. But, like, conveying shit about a character's psychology in a show-don't-tell sort of way. I hope.

What are your writing weaknesses? Finishing the damn thing. ;-; Also anything that involves choreographing bodies in space absolutely destroys me. Fight scenes, sex scenes, dance scenes... I struggle.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I like it if it's done smoothly! In my own writing it varies a lot how much I insert from languages other than English, and my reasoning is mostly about flow and tone.

What was the first fandom you wrote for? In a notebook never shared with anyone I think it was Irene Radford's Dragon Nimbus series, where I think I inserted a unicorn character? First thing I ever shared online was a Yugioh fic where I inserted a dragon shapeshifter character. (I have since removed it from the internet.)

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written? Uhhhhh. How can I possibly pick??? I like most of them! I still go back and reread a bunch of them for my own pleasure :)

If you see this and you wanna do it, consider yourself tagged!

[lemonstars8583]

The Timothy idea was based on how almost nobody checks the drawers after the Seek chase and I wonder if Timothy can spawn there and how it gets ignored constantly.

I really hope that you never encounter The Eyes-Screech combo, I had and it WAS TGE WORST I NEARLY DIED TO THIS BULL. Halt-Screech would be fun as a concept but I am also scared (shaking hands)

---

Seek and Rush, divorced over plates dgdhdhdhhffh. Seek immediately pulled out divorce papers the second Rush walked into the room because it knows Rush purposely put them up there for its inconvenience.

These two are extremely hilarious together. In the relationship, they are so stupid. Rush's brilliant (not) mega brain chucks out the dumbest idea and Seek is like, "hell yeah lets do it." This is how everyone learned Seek is fireproof after they fell into the fireplace. Constantly would set up pranks for the player by setting up traps for adding fake keys.

Now that they're divorced, they (Seek) is so fucking petty against each other. They're pretty civil but Rush can't help it but bother their ex-spouse and Seek would purposely trip Rush over even if the player gets to live.

Constant soap opera worthy fights over the dumbest things, played up for dramatics since Seek can't resist pulling out the acting and Rush eggs him on with more taunts.

It looks like they're fighting, they are fighting, but in the end it's just a fun show and there's no hard feelings after. Except the collateral damage of things when they were busy fistfighting each other.

--

The Glitch as a non-canon entity is cool as a character concept. As you said, the game broke so that part of the code manifest to get anyone out as it resolves the problem.

Canonizing it would be dope but it's meant to exist outside of the game.

---

Anyway I should talk about Figure and Halt because they look cool as hell. Their designs are amazing, the roblox models are great with the limitations of designs.

Halt's blue being the same as Light's making Light' advice hard to understand since players would think that it's Halt talking to them when it's Light trying to get their asses out. For a moment too long, I thought Halt was a big cat-ghost thing since I only saw their north star looking eyes an went "yep thats a cat."

And when i actually dodged Halt's teleportation and saw how they actually looks, its just a moving disco head.

The way the light moves is reminiscent of a big ol' lighthouse at night and with the human looking head, hmmm...

Im not doing figure this ask as I am brain empty.

-----

My my, Screech was so annoying that your brain automatically nerfed them and you proceed to bring them around like a wet kitten being carried by the neck lol

-door not-anon

YES YES first of all RIP IM SO SORRY YOU HAD TO ENCOUNTER THAT AHAHA but like yesss i see seek as like. fairly level-headed, professional, chill, UNTIL something GREATLY frustrates it and it just blows a fuse, hence the very loud banging after you complete the chases. it is MAD. rush is like. constantly energetic and usually positive but also has a hell of a temper so its like. they both understand each others situation and relate to one another but. when they get mad at each other? good lord. hide the furniture or its gonna go flying HAHA, there's no real hard feelings harbored afterward but they just both need to Get The Rage Out. sometimes it even devolves into them just having fun and throwing things. seek doesn't like to show that side of itself to many (Hide is also an exception because its very grumpy too so they have Sibling Grumpy Time™ but rush's dumbass energy is like a planet's freakin orbit it just sucks everyone in.

also YES figure and halt are so cool i love them.. i like to imagine figure and eyes are friends because. well. figure's the only one who really cant look at eyes so there's hardly any uncomfortable incidents.

ON THE TOPIC OF FRIEND GROUPS!!

hide, halt, and eyes have their own little antisocial friend group. halt doesn't like having to stare at the wall the entire time they meet up to not upset eyes but it understands. they all want people to stay away from them and not violate their boundaries, Hide not liking people in the wardrobes too long, Halt wanting privacy in its separate domain, and Eyes hating to be looked at. They all get along well.

Rush, Ambush, and Seek all make up the Chasers Club (despite the fact i headcanon rush isnt actually going after the players at all, it just wants to run but if they don't hide in time it's just like "welp if theyre in the way what am i gonna do about it" but shhh) where they all hang out and talk about successes and failures in chasing down players. They tried to invite Halt but it declined. which resulted in Rush breaking into its home and forcibly bringing it. which wasn't fun for anyone (though maybe a little funny)

uhhh random jack fact uhhh he likes to practice magic tricks but is bad at it

ummmmmm that's all i have to say i love this little headcanon exchange tho its so fun sorry for the late reply this time my brain deflated