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#halloween is about death
daily-rayless · 2 years
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Death and the Maiden
Death and the Maiden is an ancient artistic trope that plays off the idea that a woman's destiny is to marry. If she doesn't marry in life, then Death will claim her as his bride. There are other ideas at play, but that's the surface reading. You see it all over the place, like in Romeo and Juliet.
I don't really think Asch and Natalia qualify for Death and the Maiden cred, no matter how you assign the roles.
But I've written many English papers, if I want something enough, I can stretch things around until it's justified.
At first glance, it makes sense to make Asch Death. Death is almost inherently male in this set up, at least historically. He's “killed” the original Luke/Natalia's childhood; he has the somber red and black clothes and he's initially aligned as a villain, an outside threatening force; there's the masculinity, the implied violence, the fact that their marriage was always his idea. And being reunited with him makes Natalia grow up, in a sense dying to her old self/dependence on him. When he does die, that could be seen as Natalia's final emergence out of her childhood, an end to innocence and, by extension, a symbolic maidenhood.
But, you know, canonically Natalia really loves ghost stories and I think she'd dig being Death more than Asch would. Her biological dad even walks around with a scythe, come on.
Furthermore, twice the idea of Asch dying is closely tied to his love for Natalia. Remember the Tower of Rem? Asch is determined to die, and who do the Dark Wings blame this on? He doesn't want to see Natalia die.
The other time is in the sealed chamber on Eldrant where he makes his last stand. Luke begs him to live and, by invoking Natalia's name, extracts an insincere promise that he'll return. Asch knows this is insincere, so, as he says it, he would be thinking about what? That he’s going to die -- the very thing he says once Luke is gone. 
The Asch manga takes things a step further by having him reflect that his suffering and death will be compensated as long as Natalia flourishes. Really, his death leading to Natalia thriving is much more about rebirth than Death and the Maiden but the point is his love leads him into death even though he was dying anyway.
But it's Death and the Maiden, am I implying Asch is a maiden? That is his business, do not tease him. Taking the idea of innocence/maidenhood out of the literal sexual realm, I would argue Asch qualifies because he dies so young. Which is at the heart of the Death and the Maiden tension – Asch's death represents a life full of hopes and possibilities that are cut short before adulthood, before fulfillment, before full maturation.
Finally, if you can't get past the idea that Death is supposed to be masculine and the Maiden is supposed to be feminine, let's all take a moment to appreciate Thomas Cooper Gotch’s Death the Bride and call it a day.
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jabberwick · 18 days
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Human Bill Cipher
(Based on Alex Hirsch's "canon" design)
And just to be clear, writing dissertations at me justifying why he should instead be a conventionally attractive twink will involuntarily cause me to draw him with even fewer teeth.
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afewproblems · 8 months
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Season Two Halloween AU Part Five
Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four
Synopsis: What if Eddie had been at Tina's Halloween Party in Season Two? Featuring Steve!Whump, Stancy Breakup, and Eddie just trying to keep up with all these new revelations about who King-Steve actually is...
Huge huge HUGE shout-out to Jess @strangersteddierthings for being my sounding board and letting me send such long messages full of spoilers!! I can't thank you enough!
***
“Dustin, what the hell are you doing here?” Steve says as he hurries towards the kid, he looks around as though expecting another person to follow behind him. 
“I can’t find Nancy or Jonathan, you’re the only other one who knows about--”
The kid, Dustin, tilts himself to look past Steve at Eddie with suspicious eyes, “you know”.
Steve freezes, his shoulders a rigid line of tension as Dustin steps around him to head for the screen door.
Eddie had to give it to the kid, he certainly had guts just waltzing in here like this. 
“You still have your bat?” 
Steve looks from Dustin to Eddie and lowers his voice to mutter something that has Dustin shaking his head rapidly.
"The one with nails, Steve".
"Your what?" Eddie blurts out, forcing the other two to turn towards him. Dustin full on glares. His eyes narrow in irritation while Steve's face pales before smoothing out in that same guarded expression from earlier.
Dustin steps closer to Eddie and crosses his arms over his chest, "who are you?"
"Dustin--"
"That was a rule," Dustin cuts across Steve, smacking the back of one hand into the palm of the other, "no one else gets to know, and I can't tell Max, so you can't just tell him--"
Steve jerks his head as if slapped, a flush building on his cheeks and ears, "I haven't--Eddie's not, I don't--"
Dustin waves his hand dismissively and turns towards Eddie once again. 
"Look, it's cool that Steve is expanding his social circle but you should leave".
The attitude on this kid.
Eddie holds out a hand at Dustin and laughs but it tumbles out with a tinge of hysteria, "I'm sorry, I'm still stuck on the whole Nail Bat thing?" 
Steve groans, his head swings back and forth from Eddie to Dustin as though he's not sure who to answer first.
He sighs and runs one hand over his face, roughly from the slight wince he makes as he brushes the black eye, "look," Steve barks out, "he's a friend".
Something in Eddie's chest warms at the words despite the incredulous scoff that threatens to tumble out. Steve Harrington, friends with Eddie Munson? 
Dustin snorts, "you don't have friends? I only ever see you with Nancy and Jonathan".
Steve flinches slightly at the words, but Dustin carries on talking, brushing past Steve to the house.
"We don't have time for this, I've been looking for you guys all day and now it's dark and there are lives at stake--"
"Je-sus, okay, okay," Steve takes three long strides to catch up to Dustin and steps in front of him, he reaches out for the kids shoulder but seems to think better of it and instead runs the hand through his hair.
"You said lives are at stake?" 
It's like a switch is flipped in the kid, he whirls around on Steve, a stream of near gibberish falling out of his mouth at a mile a minute, Eddie can hardly follow it.
"And now he's this big," Dustin hisses, throwing his hands nearly two feet apart from one another.
Steve holds up his hands, "okay, Christ, how do you know it's not just a lizard, Dustin?" 
"Because its face opened up and ate my cat, Steve".
Steve looks up at Eddie, meeting his gaze with a nervous laugh, "listen, Dustin, uh, he watches too many B-Monster movies, I'm just gonna take him back to his house".
Now Eddie wouldn't say he's necessarily a, 'go-with-the-flow' kind of guy, but he can roll with the punches --any Dungeon Master worth their salt needed to be able to think on their feet when the time came. 
Which is probably why he opens his big fucking mouth. 
"I mean, life and death situations with cat-eating Kobolds sounds exactly like my kind of night fellas". 
Steve frowns and tilts his head, staring at Eddie while Dustin perks up, his eyes widen in surprise.
"Kobolds? You play D&D?" Dustin says skeptically, pushing past Steve to make his way up to Eddie now.
Eddie laughs at the question, "kid, I run the D&D club at Hawkins High". 
Suddenly it's like there's a different kid standing in front of him, his face lights up in wonder and he opens his mouth to continue when Steve makes a sputtering noise behind him.
"Henderson," Steve bites out, hands on his hips, "I swear to God, if you interrupted us for some Halloween prank, you're dead".
He stands there for a moment scowling at the pair of them before turning on his heel and walking towards the house.
"It's not a prank," Dustin huffs defensively, his arms cross over his chest and his face scrunches into a frown. 
He looks up at Eddie briefly, all good will from the D&D revelation earlier now forgotten as Dustin follows Steve's path towards the door.
Eddie sighs, he could just leave at this point. Either this is the most elaborate way someone has ended a smoke session with him, or the weirdest role playing game Eddie has ever found himself in the middle of. 
But something about the fear in Dustin's voice has Eddie lingering beside the abandoned loungers. He bends down to pick up the forgotten joints and puts them back in his lunchbox before putting the lunchbox back in the backpack. No sense in letting some perfectly good jays go to waste. 
The screen door slides open again revealing Steve, who blinks in surprise, "you stayed?" 
Eddie shrugs, "I said I would, didn't I?" 
Steve nods, and ducks his face, but he can't quite hide the smile that blooms, his eyes crinkle at the corners for the briefest moment before it falls.
"Listen, I know that it sounds like a load of shit--"
"Understatement," Eddie cuts in with a shake of his head.
"Yeah, but you need to know, if you come with us, you're in it. I'm not joking, this is your chance to just walk away". 
It's almost as if Steve is pleading with him, and it's then that Eddie notices what Steve has gripped between his hands. 
A fucking baseball ball bat, studded with nails that have been haphazardly hammered into the end of it.
Eddie looks from the bat, to Steve's face as Dustin steps out of the house now with two walkie talkies in his hand. He reaches for Steve's backpack and unzips it to place them inside before zipping it up again. There's a grim determination on both of their faces that Eddie has never seen on another person in real life and suddenly he's speaking without thinking again.
"Well, what are we waiting for?"
***
Eddie swipes a shaking hand through his sweat matted hair as he watches Steve and the rest of the party move about the Byers living room. 
As though mere hours ago they didn’t just fend off a group of flower faced creatures hellbent on entering their fortified school bus to tear them apart.
It was crazy. 
It was absolutely batshit that all this time there were creatures from another dimension running around their sleepy little backwoods town. 
Eddie shudders at the memory of the sounds they made, the horrible grating wails like metal on metal, echoes in his mind. 
And now…a person was dead. Mr. Newby.
Eddie had met him once while buying a used amp at the Radio Shack just a few months ago. He was nice, asked about the band and what instrument Eddie played. He had even offered to help Eddie get the amp out to his van.
And now, he was dead. 
Mr. Newby would never take Joyce out for another date, he would never walk into his job and help take inventory, he would never offer a helping hand or piece of advice ever again.
Eddie can't help but think about how close they had all come to ending up like Bob, how one of these things had almost crawled into the bus.
What if they hadn't been called away? Bob had a gun and that hadn't been enough to stop the pack of creatures from…
Eddie looks to Steve.
Steve who hasn't stopped pacing the Byers living room since Hopper herded all of them into the house. 
He takes five steps to the window at the front of the room, and five steps back to the door of the kitchen, again and again.
And suddenly, things make so much more sense. 
The strange haunted expression on Steve's face Eddie would see between classes whenever he thought no one was looking.
The way the three of them, Jonathan, Nancy, and Steve never let the kids go anywhere without a ride. 
The way Steve had looked at his empty pool yesterday.
Things happen in the dark, in the woods.
On the fifth pass, Eddie reaches out to Steve and catches the hand closest to him. 
Whatever trance Steve was in dissipates, leaving him to blink once and look down at Eddie's hand before slowly curling his fingers more firmly around Eddie's and squeezing gently. 
"How're you holding up?" Steve asks quietly as he drops Eddie's hand to pull a dining chair up to where Eddie is seated on a beaten up recliner. 
Eddie scoffs at the question and shrugs, "when I figure that out, you'll be the first to know".
Steve nods, a small half smile climbs up his face. 
It drops as he looks across the room at Will.
Jonathan kneels beside the couch, talking quietly to his brother, who stares blankly at the ceiling while Nancy watches on beside them. 
Eddie's eyes follow Nancy's hands, the way she hesitates to touch Jonathan before eventually giving in and draping her hands over his shoulders. 
He looks back at Steve who also seems to be watching Nancy. He breathes out a long sigh and shakes his head, before turning back to Eddie.
"If it makes you feel better, you're taking it better than I did the first time".
Eddie raises one skeptical eyebrow and smirks, "I highly doubt that--"
"I ran away," Steve cuts across him with wide eyes, "I almost left Nance and Jon with a monster, one of those things that took Will," he holds Eddie's gaze for another beat before dropping it to the floor.
"So, don't sell yourself short". 
Eddie opens his mouth to tell Steve he should take his own advice but Hopper suddenly makes his presence known once more as he closes the door to Joyce's room behind him and walks back into the living room. 
"Okay, we may not have backup on route for a few more hours--"
"If they're even coming," Mike scoffs from the corner, "who says they believed you anyway?"
"Listen, until we are told otherwise, we need to sit tight," Hopper barks, sending a glare Mike's way. 
Hopper deflates slightly, as though realizing who he's talking to, and takes a deep steddying breath which he releases slowly through his nose, “we can't just charge in without backup--"
"If we sit here on our asses those things will eventually make it to town, you saw the tunnels Hop," Dustin bites out this time, shooting his own fierce glare at the chief as he stands beside Mike.
"They'll tear everything apart," Max says softly from the floor. She's settled against the back wall of the living room against the collage of drawings that Will had completed in his frenzied state, Lucas sits closer and takes her hand in his own.
"Oh no," Steve mutters under his breath, he spares Eddie a glance before standing up from the chair, "no, no, we can't fight these things by ourselves, we're outmatched here Henderson". 
"Not if we know how they work," Mike insists. He walks towards where Max and Lucas are sitting, nearly stepping on the pair of them in his haste.
"Jesus Mike," Lucas hisses under his breath while Max settles for stomping her foot against Mike's own. He jumps at the sudden pain and the three of them dissolve into vicious bickering and name calling until Steve and Nancy pull the kids away from each other. 
"Okay, just, keep going Mike," Nancy tells him, once everyone has settled down once more. She gestures to the drawings taped up around the room. 
"As I was trying to say," Mike sneers at Max who scoffs and crosses her arms, "what if it's all connected, the tunnels, the dogs, Will?" 
No one speaks, the words seem to hang in the air as all eyes move to the couch where Will lays  wrapped in blankets and staring unseeing at the ceiling.
Mike continues, "this all started after that day in the field--" 
"And if he was infected," Dustin interrupts with a gasp as Mike nods rapidly, pointing at him and then the drawings again.
"It's like a virus, connecting him to this, this--"
"Hivemind," Lucas supplies, his voice hollow as he stands up to join the rest of the kids, "like what Mr. Clarke told us".
"Okay, okay, slow down God Dammit," Hopper huffs as he lifts his hand to pinch his fingers into his eyes.
"Hivemind?" Steve says slowly, as though rolling the word around on his tongue, "like bees?" 
Dustin blinks once, his face morphing in surprise, "kind of, it's like a superorganism made up of several others all working together, one collective consciousness". 
"A Mindflayer," Eddie whispers, just loud enough for the kids to turn their heads towards him.
He's been quiet for so long, sitting on the sidelines of this group that had clearly worked together in a crisis before. It was almost like listening to Jeff, Gareth, and Grant in a Hellfire session, watching them work out a trap in real time before executing their plan. 
It would be endearing if there weren't actual monsters running about.
"Holy shit," Mike breathes out while Dustin darts off towards the bookshelf in the corner.
He flips up some of the drawings until he finds what he's looking for and loudly crows, "yes!"
Dustin marches back to the kitchen table and slams the book down on the surface before flipping several pages. He slaps the back of his hand on the page in triumph as he sends Eddie a confident grin. 
"This isn't a game kid," Hopper sighs but steps closer to look at the book nonetheless.
"But it's the closest metaphor we have," Dustin argues back.
"Analogy," Lucas says as he steps towards the table, a shit eating grin pulls at his mouth as he catches Dustin's eye.
"Fine, analogy, whatever!" Dustin mutters, a red flush climbs up his neck until it settles on his ears, he slaps his hand on the books again, "can I get on with it or do you have more vocab for me?"
"Dustin," Nancy sighs, reaching out for his shoulder with one hand, she gives it a slight shake, "what would this even tell us?" 
"Well," Dustin turns to Nancy now and points at a section below a horrifying drawing of a humanoid man with a squid for a head. Four tentacles point in all directions while its hands wield a terrifying glowing orb. 
It's not something that Eddie has thrown at his players in years now that he's managed to figure out how to balance his encounters properly. 
Because Mindflayers…were horrific.
"They're basically from another dimension, and they travel to different worlds to conquer other species that they see as inferior to themselves". 
"Conquer," Steve breathes out beside Eddie who can't help but shuffle closer to brush his shoulder against Steve's own.
Steve gives Eddie a brief smile before looking back to where Dustin and Hopper are arguing once again. 
Eddie lets his gaze drift only to find Nancy staring at him curiously, her sharp blue eyes flit from Steve and back to himself, the weight of her gaze makes Eddie want to pull away from Steve but he holds his ground and stares right back. 
Nancy offers him a tentative smile, which does nothing to ease the sudden tension in Eddie's chest, feeling as though he's been caught. 
He could easily explain this away, despite the rumors running rampant at school about Eddie, there is no way anyone would believe the same would be true of Steve Harrington.
Eddie ignores the unhappy weight that settles in his stomach at the thought, he let himself get way too close, way too quickly. 
Besides, there wasn’t a chance in hell that Steve was, that he could be…
Eddie shakes himself and moves away, lamenting the loss of Steve’s warm shoulder as he lets Hopper's voice pull him back to the matter at hand.
"Okay then," Hopper nods, looking around the room. 
"How do we kill it?" 
***
They have a plan.
Or at least, half of them do.
Going based off a thirteen year olds hypothesis that their friend is basically a spy for a creature from another dimension -which in hindsight is definitely not the craziest thing they’ve experienced today.
Is it something that Eddie would have never come up with in his wildest dreams? Undoubtedly.
But that was before a girl with literal mind-powers showed up and tossed a dead demodog through the Byers window.
Jesus Christ. 
So, with El and Hopper on their way to the lab, the rest of the party busies themselves by packing the Byers Station Wagon for the drive to Hopper's cabin.
They have to flush this thing possessing Will out of him before it's too late and the cabin is far enough out of town that whatever happens hopefully won’t affect anyone else.
Eddie tries not to think too deeply about what that might mean.
He manages to find another portable heater in the Byers basement and hauls it into his arms before turning around to walk back up the stairs.
When Eddie reaches the landing his heart stops for just a moment when he realizes he can't see the kids. He takes another step into the kitchen and breathes out a sigh of relief when he sees the four of them huddled around the kitchen table with the still open Monster Manual. 
Eddie pauses for just a moment when he spots a Hawkins County map beside the book. 
It's covered in red marker.
An intricate design of lines ending with two circles…both around areas outside of the city center. 
Eddie shakes his head and keeps moving, much to the visible relief of the kids as he makes his way to the back door. 
One problem at a time.
He knows that Steve is around here somewhere, he was helping Jonathan carry Will to the car while Joyce and Nancy gathered as much rope from the shed as they could carry.
God, it's so dark now. 
Eddie understands what Steve meant before, the way the trees rustle in the wind and the moonlight catches on animal eyes that shine in the dark. It's enough to put him on edge as he makes his way around the Byers property. 
Every snap of a branch was a demodog prowling in the brush, every distant howl was a monster coming to drag him into the Underdark.
He shivers and keeps moving, fighting the urge to look over his shoulder every few steps.
Eddie finally makes his way to the shed, peering inside only to startle as Nancy's voice floats through the cool November air. 
"Thank you, for staying with the kids," she says quietly.
Eddie freezes where he stands with the heater in hand. He knows he shouldn't be here for whatever this is, listening in on yet another private conversation between Nancy and Steve but his feet remain planted in the earth. 
"Yeah well, I might be a shitty boyfriend, but it turns out I'm a pretty damn good babysitter," Steve hums so casually that Eddie wonders if it's really him speaking. They’re on the other side of the Byers shed, Eddie can almost make out their shapes between the uneven slates of the wood.
"Steve--"
"It's okay, really," Steve takes a deep breath, "you should go with Jonathan". 
"Steve," Nancy's voice is wet this time as she speaks but Steve hushes her with a sigh.
"It's okay Nance,” he pauses for a beat, “all I want is for you to be happy, and I don’t think you’ve been happy for a long time”.
“What about you,” Nancy whispers, so softly that Eddie almost misses it this time.
Eddie hears the sounds of footsteps and the rustle of fabric, a muffled sniffle and several whispered words that he can't make out from this distance. 
The whispering goes on for another minute or two before they fall silent, only the sound of cicadas and frogs echo in the midnight air around them.
Eddie takes this as his cue to begin to loudly walk over, purposefully grinding his steps into the gravel and walking more heavily than he normally would.
He comes around the corner of the shed to find Steve holding Nancy, his head on top of her own as she presses her face into his chest. 
Eddie clears his throat and watches as Nancy steps away from Steve. He lets her go, both of their movements lighter than they have been in days.
"If you guys checked the shed, Joyce said it's now or never".
Nancy nods and walks over to take the heater from Eddie, giving him a warm smile as her gentle hands brush his own, and huh --he kinda gets it now. How Steve could have fallen head over heels for this secret badass girl, Nancy Wheeler. 
"Thank you," Nancy smiles and Eddie sputters, running his now free hands through his hair.
"For what, I didn't--"
She raises a single eyebrow, and looks from Steve, before bringing her gaze back to Eddie.
"For being there, for all of them". 
With that, Nancy walks back towards the house leaving Eddie to feel as though he missed a lot more of that conversation than he should have. 
***
They finish refortifying the Byers house, boarding up the broken window that El had tossed the dead demodog through. Eddie adds one last nail and hammers it in before stepping back to admire their handiwork.
Steve lowers his hand from where he held the board in place and shoots Eddie a grin before he collects the box of nails from the floor and turns to put it on the coffee table.
"Steve?" Eddie says quietly. He doesn’t need to really, the kids aren't paying attention to the pair of them, but this is just for Steve. Eddie doesn't need four pairs of eyes staring at him as he tries to say this.
"I just, I'm sorry about Nancy".
Steve tilts his head in confusion, but Eddie keeps going.
"If we do make it out of this, I don't want you to think you were a 'shitty' anything". 
Eddie winces as Steve's eyes narrow slightly.
"I'm guessing you were standing by the shed a lot longer than we thought," Steve says slowly as he looks back at the kids and takes another step even closer. 
Eddie winces at being caught and nods, “I was looking for you originally to see if you guys needed any more help, and then I heard voices and just,” he shrugs, “I wasn’t sure if you’d be okay or not, after that”.
“And for what is worth, you definitely have changed,” Eddie offers with a sly grin, “I don’t think anyone would have expected Steve-the Hair-Harrington to use Faberge, let alone let us plebs in on his secret”.
Steve’s mouth opens and closes before breaking into a wide grin, a startled laugh falling from his mouth, growing in volume until Eddie can’t help but join him.
Steve raises his hands to run over his face and into his hair as he looks at Eddie, the grin on his face softens slightly the longer he looks.
Suddenly, his eyes harden and the look of determination from yesterday takes over. Steve squares his shoulders and breathes out a strangely broken sigh before he reaches out for Eddie's hands. He takes the hammer from him and sets it down on the coffee table beside them.
"My Nonna told me once," Steve whispers, using his hand to point into the middle distance, "Steven, people will come in and out of your life all the time, and the ones that are meant to be there will stay, and if they go, then it wasn't meant to be". 
Steve breathes out a sudden nervous laugh, "she was so straightforward and I loved that about her".
Eddie doesn’t dare to breathe as Steve shakes his head.
"And you, you stayed," Steve continues softly, "and I just…" 
Eddie's own breathing picks up as Steve leans closer, enough that Eddie can count the freckles on the bridge of his nose.
"Fuck what Dustin said, I think I need more people in my life like that". 
Eddie's eyes widen slightly as the words begin to register. No, no way, this can’t be happening.
He lets out a strangled laugh and leans away from Steve’s space, “more friends in your life right?”
It all happens so quickly after that.
Steve freezes where he stands. His face moves through several expressions, some so brief that Eddie can’t quite tell what is going on before it smoothes out once again into something blank; Steve lifts his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose before dropping it to his side and nodding.
“Yes, right, friends, duh,” Steve laughs but it's not at all like the bright wild one he let out just a few seconds ago.
This one was dull, hollow.
Eddie opens his mouth to say something, anything to wipe away the horrible emptiness in Steve's eyes but Dustin suddenly pushes past Eddie to grab the sleeve of Steve’s jacket.
"Steve!" Dustin says frantically, "Steve, we have a problem!" 
The sound of a car door slamming outside catches their attention and a sinking feeling begins to form in the pit of Eddie's stomach. There's no way Hopper and El would be back from the lab yet, and Jonathan said they would radio if there were any changes. 
So who the hell was outside?
Part Six
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and for some peeps that I think may be interested! @steddierthings @steddie-there @steves-strapcollection @henderdads @stevesbipanic @spooky-brakers
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grotesquelly · 2 months
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If you think making Stephanie and Tim being forced to quit spoiler and robin by their respective parents makes Crystal and Jack bad or abusive parents there’s no hope for you
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solara-bean · 1 year
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Death x Halloween Costume Red Riding Hood! Reader
( Reader is an artist/writer with extreme burnout )
( I really tried not to write this oneshot but goddammit he's got me intrigued 😫)
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Halloween in Far Far Away was always a blast. Townsfolk filling the streets in their best tailored costumes, kids running about with candy and on the hunt for more. The weather was always the perfect temperature, too, with just enough chill in the air to wear heavily layered costumes without too much of a sweat. Which is why Y/n had adorned a long, beautiful, bright red hooded cloak over a simple, yet regal outfit. Unfortunately, their perfect look couldn't mask how shitty they felt.
For the past decade or so, they'd been one of the kingdom's most renowned creatives. Their works ranged from colorful illustrations, kids books, paintings, murals, YA novels and a few spicier adult novels that got much popularity to their embarrassment.
Needless to say they were a jack of many trades, and yet they've been able to create nothing for the past year and a half. Everyone had figured that the great artist was just taking a well needed break. Which was true for five months until they tried to make something and nothing happened. No spark. No idea. Nothing happened no matter what they tried or what medium they attempted to mold into something new and exciting.
It eventually lead to a depression that left them barley leaving the house, vowing not to do anything fun until they got an idea. Well until their entire friend group dragged them to this tavern's Halloween party in a costume that one of them conveniently had in their size. Yeah this was definitely a premeditated scheme to get their groove back. And as much as Y/n appreciated that they couldn't find the energy to leave the bar and join everyone else drunkenly dancing and singing on the dance floor.
Y/n sat in a big heap of silken red on the barstool looking down into their glass of Victorian Orphan Tears, a fruity drink made specifically for the holiday. They kept pondering on where their magic had gone. Had they used themselves up? Was this the end of their career? Would they have nothing else to show the world before they died?!
A few of their own tears were about to join the orphan's when they heard a soft whistle amongst the tavern band's melodies. Confused, they blearily glanced at their side to see a large, darkly hooded figure. They would've flinched if they had the energy to. No one had sat next to them all night due to the gloomy aura they'd been emitting. Yet here sat a mysterious stranger, who soon turned upon sensing their gaze, whistling halted. Y/n was met with the face of a white wolf. Wolves weren't uncommon in their society but something about those eyes jarred them. Those rich, blood red eyes. So bright that their costume couldn't dare be called red ever again. Y/n wasn't aware that they'd been locked in long moments of eye contact until the wolf leaned close enough that their noses almost touched. He made a soft but audible sniff.
" Mmm that smell..."
Y/n shivered at hearing the wolf's deep, gravely voice. It was all they could hear as if they weren't in a large room full of party-goers.
"...So sweet..."
"I..uh..what???" Y/n managed to mutter, slowly but surely pulling themselves back to the present reality, but the world aside from the wolf still remained blurry.
" Your drink."
They blinked. " Huh?"
" Your drink." He pointed at their glass. " It smells amazing. What is it?"
" Oh...Oh! My drink. Yeah uh this is Victorian Orphan Tears. It's a Halloween special drink."
" Hm, I'd better get one now before the night's over."
They nodded and looked back into their glass. Surely the wolf would would want to leave their gloomy presence and this was were the interaction would end. But no he stayed after his drink was served, enjoying three long sips.
" Mmm, that is as tasty as it smells. Glad I found an autumn drink without pumpkin spice in it. No offense if you're a pumpkin lover yourself, Little Red."
" Hm? Oh no offense at all. I've got nothing against the flavor but I can see how it can get overwhelming this time of year. There are other spooky flavors out there."
The wolf let out a light chuckle, pearly white fangs twinkling as bright as his fur.
" Yes exactly. I for one would love to see more cherries next halloween."
" Cherries?" Y/n snickered almost into a chuckle of their own, a rare reaction for them these days. " What's scary about cherries?"
The wolf grinned slyly.
" Well, there's nothing seemingly scary about them. So they usually get overlooked as a cute little fruit. But then you squeeze 'em just right into a glaze and they look just like blood. Even so you can't help but want to take a bite. Then you realize how good it is and can't get enough. By then your mouth's already stained red as if you did actually consume blood." he finishes, taking another sip of his drink.
" Wow, I guess cherries are a good fruit for Halloween." they say, taking sips from their drink as well.
" I'm surprised you hadn't considered it. You know with your costume and all. It's the perfect shade of cherry red just like the actual Little Red Riding Hood." he leans in a bit and whispers. " Though I'd steer clear of her tonight, I hear she's trying to copyright her likeness like Fairy Godmother did."
Y/n chokes a nearly spits out half their drink.
" Wait really?!" they panic looking around the room for a similar red hooded figure.
The wolf throws his head back in a guffaw.
" Oh man." he catches his breath. " I'm sorry. I just wanted to see how you'd react.
Y/n catches on and playfully punches his shoulder.
"You jerk, I thought I was in legal trouble for a second." they finally manage a full laugh.
" I know I know, but you seemed so down. Thought a good laugh might help. "
" Yeah. It did actually. Thanks."
They get caught once again into prolonged eye contact, now with something softer between them. The wolf is the first to break.
" Oh forgive me. I've been rude."
" What? No you haven't." they almost said ' you've been lovely ' but stopped themself in time before coming on too strong to a guy who was probably just making friendly small talk. They hadn't been looking their best lately and worried tonight wasn't an exception. Their friends' makeover only barely made their dark circles disappear.
" No but I have. I've been rambling on with you as if you're not here with someone."
Their brows shot up.
" U-uh. I'm not here with anyone. I mean! I am technically with my friends. So yeah in a way yeah." ' smooth real smooth Y/n.'
The wolf raised a brow, intrigued.
" I see. But you're not here with someone as a couples costume kinda thing?"
" No. Who would my partner come dressed as anyway?" they asked genuinely confused. ' What kind of pair would that be? Little Red & Granny? Cute and funny but not romantic partner material.'
The wolf stared intently, amused grin spreading.
" The Big Bad Wolf." he said in a low tone.
Y/n eyes widened with embarrassment. ' Oh God! I'm so stupid of course that would be it!!! ' Apparently self induced seclusion plus whatever magic charisma this guy had was enough to turn their mind to mush within a few minutes. Luckily the Tavern band's leader got everyone's attention on the mic.
" Hey hey how's everyone feeling tonight?!" a loud drunken applause came in response from the crowd. " Great cuz we're nearing the end of the night." a not so pleased ' aww' responded with one ' boo ' that Y/n hoped wasn't one of her friends. " Alright settle down, let's end the evening off with a slow but sensual number."
Soon enough the band filled the room with a tune that got the crowd coupling onto the dance floor. Some more sober than others but all having a good time. Y/n couldn't help the tinge of envy at seeing all of them so happy. But they were pleasantly surprised when they noticed the wolf extending a hand ( paw?? ) to them.
" I know it's a bit on the nose. But would you mind if I played the part of your wolf tonight?" he asked. His hood was off now, revealing cute slightly lowered ears that looked soft to the touch and ruby eyes filled a hint of vulnerability. How could Y/n say no to such an adorable face.
They smiled and took his hand. It was much colder than expected but still a little warm. His obsidian claws gently clutched the back of their hand, careful not to scratch.
" I wouldn't mind at all."
They joined the rest on the dance floor. His other hand pulled them in by their waist just enough to leave some space in-between them as they swayed to and fro. From the outside perspective they made quite the pair. Their cloaks flowed into a wonderful shade of red and black with every spin. Onlookers thought that the two were apart of a couples costume and hadn't just met. Y/n didn't notice any of them, even her friends who caught sight of them after not finding them at their stool. No Y/n didn't notice at all because they got lost in the wolf's red eyes again. Would any paint be vibrant enough to replicate its color?
" You know. You seem really familiar. Have we met before?" he asked, looking down at them while still taking the lead with ease.
" I would've remembered if we met before." those eyes were unforgettable, unless they were contacts, but his voice surely was real and no way in hell they'd forget it. " I've been in the newspaper a few times though." they said sheepishly.
" Wait...are you Y/n L/n?"
They nodded, kind of surprised that he guessed correctly that fast.
" Oh man I knew it! I love your work by the way. It's mesmerizing."
Y/n's pride and joy began to rise.
" Really?"
" Of course. You capture the radiance of life that most people overlook."
" Huh. I've never though of it that way. Thank you."
" No thanks needed. I'm merely speaking the truth. I'm glad that you're taking a break. You've done so much over the years."
Y/n's mood immediately dropped and they looked away, going back to the dark place they had been in not too long ago. The wolf caught on.
" Are you alright, Y/n?" he asked. They could clearly hear his concern. He deserved an honest explanation.
" I'm not taking a break," they admitted. " I'm stuck."
" Isn't that the same thing?"
" No. Breaks are by choice. This is different. I can't get out of this rut no matter how hard I try."
" Then don't try. Just don't make anything and let it come naturally."
" What? I can't do that."
" Why?"
They were starting to get really upset now. Why didn't he get it.
" Because I'd be letting everyone down." they met his gaze. Despite how much he seemed to not understand, his stare was serious and knowing.
" Wouldn't letting yourself down be more important?"
Y/n felt everything stop, realizations and questions coming in at once. It took them a while to notice that the music had stopped, everyone was getting ready to leave, yet the wolf held onto them until their thoughts settled.
" I think your friends are coming to get you." they followed his gaze behind them and sure enough, the gang was approaching. " If you're not busy later tonight. Come meet me by the woods. There's something I want to show you."
He kissed the top of their hand before letting them go and departing swiftly from the tavern like a shadow.
Y/n's group wanted all the details on the mystery wolf but were a bit too tipsy and tired to keep up. Y/n wanted to get everyone home safely, but the responsible parent friend of the group took charge. They heard the wolf's proposition and sent Y/n on their way to finally getting some action. But not before a stern talk about strangers, and safety and giving them a pocket dagger. Honestly Y/n could ask for better friends.
As promised. The wolf was waiting by the woods, cloak flowing in the wind. He smiled when saw them. He offered them a hand and they took it once again.
" I have a confession to make." he said as the two strolled through the forest.
" Yeah?" they couldn't help but stare at how the moonlight perfectly illuminated his fur. It was as if he was made for the night.
" I wasn't smelling your drink..."
Y/n stared at him confused and thought for a minute. It hit them once they saw the mischevious look in his eyes. Heat began to rise to their face. He chuckled at their dumbfounded look.
" The words slipped out before I could stop them so I tried to cover myself. To my luck the drink was sweet too."
" I can't believe you'd sniff a total stranger." they palmed their face with their free hand that had been chilled by the night air.
" Well technically I didn't have to try. My nose is pretty strong. Though I will admit there was some conscious effort. People with scents of life like yours due tend to catch my attention."
" Scents of life?" they asked as the wolf took the lead in front to guide them through a narrow path of trees.
" Yes. It's a bit complex but I'd describe it as a mix of sunflowers, lilies and tulips but," he glanced back at them," yours has an extra hint of vanilla, very soft and sweet."
The heat that had started to fade came back with full force to Y/n's face. They weren't wearing anything that smelled like that. There's no way they'd have a natural scent like it either.
" That's nice but I doubt I smell like that."
The wolf let go of their hand to jump down a sizable dip in the path.
" Trust me you do." he held out his arms to them. Although unsure at first if he could support their weight, they soon jumped down. Once caught, the wolf held them close to his chest, gaze deep and grin wide. " You possess the sweetness of life that I adore dearly."
There was no doubting his truthfulness with the look in his eyes and softness of his voice. Y/n was content enough in the moment that they wished it lasted longer but he put them down and lead the way again.
" Unfortunately it's starting to fade away. Which is why I've brought you here."
Before they could ask they saw the answer in front of them. They were on a small cliff and beyond it was the expanse of the forest with a valley in the center. Y/n was already entranced by the breathtaking view before they noticed light begin to peek over the horizon.
" Ah we're just in time." said the wolf at their side, leaning against a tree arms folded.
The sun slowly rose, chasing away the dark. The valley began to wake with a new life, colors coming forth as flowers bloomed. With the sun came warmth as well, getting rid of the chill that Y/n had gotten use to. They weren't sure how long they stood there, but birds started to sing as the night turned to morning. It was all so beautiful that they wanted to find the words, write the words and maybe even paint them, but as usual nothing came.
" You see Y/n. I think I know what's got you stuck," the wolf began, Y/n had almost forgot he was there. " You began creating things for the enjoyment of yourself. Those creations then became joy for others. But as time went by, you started to only create to make others happy. To fit their expectations. You used up more of yourself than most people do in their lifetimes. Am I making sense for far."
They nodded, still unable speak.
" It's a frustrating dilemma. Frightening even. But take the sun for example," he gestured to the light that was now brighter than before," It's a creator too. It's light gives way for all sorts of life to prosper. Yet at times it can be too much for some to handle. Or perhaps a few clouds get in the way and it's light can't shine through. And in moments like this, it creates little things that most wouldn't know to appreciate. Even so, the sun doesn't care. It travels across the sky shining endlessly."
He walks up to them, places a hand on their face and wipes away tears they hadn't noticed were falling.
" You need to create for yourself. Whether you feel its good enough or not I'm sure people will love it. And if not, you'll have more than enough love for it. Just go easy on yourself and take your time."
" But...what if I'm running out of time?" their voice came out quiet and shaky.
The wolf continued to hold their face. He held a gaze so caring that they wanted to melt into him.
" Don't worry. You're not going anywhere any time soon."
While Y/n almost took that assurance as normal, wanting to remain in the bliss of the moment, something was different about it. In fact everything felt different about him. Wait who the hell was he anyway?!
" Who are you?"
His smile dropped into a frown, as if he wanted to stay in the bliss of the moment as well. But this was reality and they deserved the truth.
" I'm Death."
There was a long moment of silence, both remained still. As if reading their mind he continued.
" Yes seriously. And no I'm not messing with you this time."
Y/n managed to find their composure.
" Wow uh...nice to meet you."
" Hah, you're taking this well."
" Not sure how else I'm supposed to take it. Might freak out later though."
He laughed again. His hands had traveled down to theirs without them knowing. They didn't mind. They found comfort in them despite now knowing why they were so cold for someone with fur.
" That's very kind of you. It's always nice having some be calm around me. Though I'm sure you know that I mean you no harm."
" Yeah," they smiled up at him, " You've helped me a lot actually. I think my spark's returning."
" Good," he let them go, going back a few steps, " Then my work here is done."
" Wait!" they grab his hands. " You're leaving?"
Death's shock of their suddenness then turned to a saddened look.
" Yes. I've already interfered more than I should. It would be best if I go now. I'm sorry. I was really having a lot of fun with you."
" Then stay a little longer." they pulled him in closer. " Please?"
" I..." he hesitated, pondering over something he knew he shouldn't. " I'll always be around so I could come visit when I can."
Y/n beamed with joy.
" That would be great. I look forward to it." though they couldn't help but push further. " But are you sure you can't stay a little longer right now?"
Death thought on it. He knew he should say no. He'd already been taking too long of a break. But their eyes were pleading to him and their hands were so warm. The souls of the dead weren't going anywhere he supposed, but it'd be a lot of overtime.
" I guess, but on one condition."
" Anything."
He regained his signature sly grin and leaned in closer.
" I want to be the first one to see what you create next."
They gave him a warm smile in return.
" I'd love to. I think I'm writing mood right now."
" Oh?," Death's ears perked up and his tail wagged a bit. " I hope it's another novel then."
" Huh, I didn't peg you for the YA type."
" Yes I like those too but I was thinking of your other ones."
" What other o-" then it hit them. " No..."
Death grinned, fangs and all.
" Yes."
" No. Oh no! You read those?!" they put their flaming face in their palms, silently cursing their friends for convincing them to publish those spicy books. " Oh god I could die right now."
Death laughed and pulled them into his chest, giving comforting pats on the back.
" Sorry that won't be happening anytime soon. And I'm having too much fun with you anyway."
That morning Y/n went from someone who feared Death to someone who welcomed him. They learned surprising things about him as well. Like how his fur was so soft, he liked to be scratched behind the ears and he tasted oddly of cherries.
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lawllight · 7 months
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lazycranberrydoodles · 2 months
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a short fully colored lan wangji animatic from march of last year that i didn't post??? yes please! / feat. Death Couldn't Tear Us Apart by LVCRFT
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granny-griffin · 8 months
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listen I don’t think easter was a pagan holiday but if it was then like, so what?? it’s christian now?? let’s do halloween next
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mpekamitzii · 7 months
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Girl you're not looking so well
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varilien · 9 months
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(character uses they/it) i keep wanting to start posting my ocs over here again and then Just Not Doing It so uhhhh !!! some stuff from february, had a dream about knives that made me think of a plant oc with a constant power output so extreme that it generates a deadly radiation field around them. because of that they've been living alone this whole time, avoiding contact with other living things, and over the years they've learned how to suppress that output for short spans of time or "safely" pour out the excess in order to be safe to be around, though they ultimately prefer their solitude due to a history of bad experiences with humans. they're very blunt, spiteful, and curious
@whatever-you-can-give-me suggested lr would make good friends for them since they are 🤝 about being extremely hard to hurt lol
also! wrote like 2k about they and razlo's first meeting below the cut if anyone's interested in some good ol violence + gore :3
that was a fr content warning btw read at ur own discretion:
Chance encounters with violent strangers out in the open desert are nothing new to LR, even when Livio purposefully had tried to find the quietest possible route to travel.  It’s not even necessarily surprising to run into someone a little to the left of human, someone a bit bigger or stronger or more durable than they really have any right to be.  The Eye aren’t the only ones designing freaks on this planet, that much is obvious, evidenced sufficiently by the odder fights LR have ever gotten in.  
And this one is shaping up to be one of their oddest fights yet.
Livio hadn’t seen the fucker coming, occupied as he was with the slow realization of why this stretch of road doesn’t see much use anymore: a creeping heat across his nerve endings unrelated to the overcast, evening suns, the taste of metal in his mouth, and a deep-rooted nausea twisting up his guts.  Radiation sickness.  He’s dealt with it before, and as unpleasant as it is, it’s hardly enough to slow him down too bad.  
It’s damn distracting, though.  A good enough excuse for not noticing them hiding up along the rockface above his head.  Not a good enough excuse to keep Razlo from tagging in, especially after something’s pierced straight through the back of his neck, nearly taking his head clean off.  
Razlo rolls for cover with a strangled sound, blood gushing from his forced-out throat and foaming at his lips.  Even with his senses jarred and his vision blurred, it'd take more than a near-decapitation for his instincts to be overridden.  He's slinging out a Punisher before he even knows what he's up against.  
There's a blur of motion to his right as soon as his sights are raised.  They're probably surprised Razlo's still standing, but so was everyone else who's gotten a lucky shot at him.
He can track their motion by sound alone.  They're sloppy.  Feet hitting the cracked earth in hard thumps, every one a warning that Razlo can aim a spray of bullets at.  And by now Razlo's healed enough to notice and wonder why the hell his head is still so fucked up.
At least now he can mostly see them when he turns, hanging back a ways, out of Razlo's reach.  Shorter than him by a head and a half, covered toe to tip in layers of sun-bleached rags, save for their face.  That's hidden behind a tall, curved mask, shaped in a way that looks an awful lot like a tomas' crest, with the false eye markings to match.  Even the glass for the lenses is opaque.  The only part of them that’s exposed is their left hand, extended delicately aside to keep Razlo’s blood dripping off it from getting on their clothes.
Razlo physically tries to shake out the buzzing in his skull that only gets worse by the second, only to notice the foul smell of burning meat and risk an instinctive glance down at his arm, where his flesh has started to bubble and steam seemingly on its own.  He looks between his arm and his opponent, the way their body tenses and head begins to tip, shaking hard, simultaneous with his skin boiling that much more fiercely.  
Something clicks in his brain.  There’s no way.
And no time to find out.  This time when they dart in he’s expecting it; he takes a swing at their head, and they dodge right into his follow-through, slamming his Punisher into their skull with a crunch and a wet sound from their throat.  They drop, like he’d expect them to, like anyone would.  And like no one does, they just roll out of the way and onto their back, braced to spring back up again.  Razlo puts his boot through their ribcage before they get the chance to.  That should be the end of it, too, but the fucker just keeps kicking, trying to get away, the only sound they make being the gurgle of their lungs filling with blood, and they keep kicking.
At this point Razlo doesn’t even have a plan anymore.  Needless to say, he doesn’t go up against an awful lot of guys who match him in the department of being a pain in the ass to take down.  Razlo's just starting to come up with a new idea when those long arms swing up, claws digging into and making ribbons of his right leg.
Razlo curses and tries to pull away, which only makes them hold on even tighter.  He's staring that four-eyed glare down when that burning feeling across his whole body raises in pitch again, and it's the sight of his flesh starting to disintegrate around their fingers that finally makes him back off.
Razlo rather gracelessly falls on his ass in trying to take a step back, not expecting his right leg to simply break off halfway down his thigh.  He scrambles back a ways, ready to keep going, missing limb or no, but— they aren't following him.  They're collapsed in the sand, limbs akimbo as they fight to draw a full breath.  Razlo watches with morbid curiosity as his severed leg dissolves into nothing more than an off-colored patch of sand beside them.
All that angry tension has gone out of their body, leaving them limp and motionless except for the stutter of their chest, and Razlo can hear the damp gasps muffled behind their mask.  By all rights, it should look like more of a struggle.  They should be dead, really, but from where Razlo is sitting, it looks a lot more like they’re just taking a rest.  He feels more sure of that when they roll their shoulders back a bit, arms braced in the dirt as they delicately arch their spine.  There’s some sharp popping sounds, and a little exhale from them; setting their ribs, Razlo figures.  He’s had to do the same thing before.  Once they can move their arms more effectively, they start to gather themself up into a seated position, bones and joints still crackling like popcorn here and there as they go, til they’re all the way up, with their hands resting in their lap, looking far too fucking comfortable for the fight they’d just had.
"You're not dead."
Their voice startles Razlo despite being as soft as it is, and his gaze flicks up to that mask, just slightly tilted to the side, orange lenses glinting in the harsh sunlight.  They don't move at all that Razlo can see.  Even their breathing has evened out enough to have become imperceptible under their heavy shroud; if they're in any pain still, Razlo sure can't tell.
"Nope," is all he says, or can manage to say.
He scrubs at his eyes with the back of his hand, blinking hard a couple times to scrunch up his face in the hopes his nerves might start feeling right again soon.
Another wave of nausea hits him, but his stomach was empty before the fight even started, so he leans forward to put his head between his knees and dry heave for a while.
The whole time, he's aware of his little opponent continuing to sit in silence, watching and eerily unmoving, even when Razlo manages to sit up again and wipe his mouth with his wrist.
"The fuck's yer deal, anyways?"  Razlo asks.
"'Deal'...?"  They echo.
"Couldn't exactly kill you, either."
He wasn't expecting them to spill their life story or something, but he was thinking he'd get something more of a response than their head tilting back the opposite way.  There's not a lot to work with here in trying to get a read on them, but Razlo feels it's safe to hazard they're probably just pretty damn confused, the same as him.
"You kinda smell like a Plant.  M'not an expert, but I've met two others."
Now that gets something out of them.  A tiny wiggle of their head that makes the pieces in their mask rattle.
"I wouldn't know.  I've only met me."
“Huh.”  
Whether it’s a confirmation or rebuttal hardly matters at this point.  He’s feeling sure enough that his assumption was correct, now, anyways.
"You, uh…"  Razlo has to pause for breath.  Unlike the thing across from him, he's having a hell of a time getting his back.  "You're the one making this radiation field?"
"Yes."
"Any way you could turn it down?"
They say nothing, though Razlo feels suddenly that he's being studied very intently.  And shortly after, slowly, slowly the fire in his cells begins to go out, and he can spit the worst of the sourness off his tongue.  Eventually he can't feel any radiation left at all, though his body's had a rough enough time from the dose he got, he'll be getting the sickness out of his system for a while yet.
Regardless, Razlo’s fingers twitch against the triggers when he hears that mask rattle again, and his eyes are on it in an instant.
"You didn't answer my first question," Razlo reminds, cautiously.
More silence, for a while.
"You wanted to hurt me."
There's no malice in the statement, at least that Razlo can tell.  Just the simple facts.  Still, he narrows his eyes.
"You started it.  Figured it was mutual."
"That's true."
Razlo grins.
"So, what now?  Regrow my leg, and get back to not killing each other?"
"If you'd like to."
That gets a laugh out of him.
"Nah, I think I’ll pass, if it’s all the same to you.”
“It is.”
That much is obvious.  They stay put, seeming transfixed on watching Razlo’s leg grow back, only a little more slowly than any of his other injuries, now that he doesn’t have the radiation to slow him down.  It leaves him feeling itchy and achy all over, and he’s got a bad hunch that right ankle doesn’t have the best chances of coming back right.  Once there’s enough of it to fuss about, he gets his foot in his hands and starts experimentally rolling it on its hinge, checking that the range of motion is right.
And still, those orange lenses glint at him curiously.  They don’t flinch or look away when Razlo considers them in return; he guesses they don’t know it’s not polite to stare.
“What's yer name?"  Razlo asks.
"My name?"
"Don't tell me you ain't got one."
The silence that follows is pretty self-explanatory.
“I’m Razlo.”
He can just make out the sound of them mumbling his name under their breath, like they’re not sure how it’s going to come out.  Almost warmly, almost shyly, they manage to say: “hello, Razlo.”
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rel312 · 1 year
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Been a while since I’ve checked back on the Heartstopper comics and ohhhh my goddddd
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Why have I missed this?? This is so asofoirjdk cute!!!
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cozylittleartblog · 8 months
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🍂 AUTUMN SHOP UPDATE 🍁
Been working on this one all August, I think it's my biggest shop update ever! I could ramble, but I'll let the new merch speak for itself. Please consider picking up a freebie sticker with your order, I have… like 150 of these things 😂 Thanks, stickerapp.
✨ FREE SHIPPING ON ALL STICKERS IN THE US ✨ FREE SHIPPING OVER $35 IN THE US
🛒 SHOP HERE!!
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I finished The Fall of the House of Usher last night.... Sooooo good! Highly recommended for fans of Mike Flanagan and/or Poe. Each episode is themed to a different Poe story and focuses on how one person dies, reminds me of how Hill House was structured where each episode focused on a different kid's experience in the house and how it affected them as adults. Although in Usher they're all terrible people and you can't wait to see how they bite it 💀 so it's way less emotionally draining and honestly really fun. Also I really liked the gore, I thought it was pretty artfully done. The second episode is definitely my favorite! (Major tw's for gore, horror, sex, and animal cruelty/death. It's a horror series!)
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trick or treat :3
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you get a treat!
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alxlxlx · 2 months
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mama's boy - dominic fike
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driftingballoons · 2 years
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Downside of living in the pokemon world — work doesn’t end just because your life does
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