Tumgik
#there’s just something about the difference between these two scenes
moonit3 · 23 hours
Note
How about a Yandere! Monster Mimic, where falling in love with a human reader...
(The mimic is a shapeshifting monster that can transform into an object or anyone it has seen, of course it can revert to its true amorphous form if it wants to.)
another non-human of for my blog? yes, please.
MY NON-HUMAN HUSBAND IS PERFECT!
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
➽ context warnings: male! yandere but he can shapeshift, fluffy content, gn! reader, mentioned cheating but nothing happening, also there isn’t much warning in this one.
➽ word count: 1.8k
➽ synopsis: your monster husband is the best thing to ever happen to you and there is no way you could forget him for that.
➽ yandere! mimic monster x gn! reader
➽ a/n: so you know when shows/anime have small segments inside the same episode (like saiki kusuo and the way of a househusband)? if the answer is yes, then i can tell you that i have write this since i watch them recently and got in the mood for something different compared to my past works. also, shot out to me if there is any mistaken down here!
Tumblr media
tv show!
a soup opera is at the tv and smash can’t take his eyes off the screen, not even hearing you calling him to eat. instead, he just keep changing his appearance every time a new actor show up at the scene.
“nash!” you called him, but falling to gain his attention when he doesn’t even bet an eye at you. “it’s time for dinner, remember?”
no answer, he keep watching the tv on his own as the show continues to show the leads going to a wedding between another characters. the humanoid creature returned to his original form when seeing the groom and the bride kissing each other at the altar, afterwards he turn to see you and it was easy to understand what he wants to learn about the scene.
“to make the marriage officially end, the groom and the bride have to kiss each other after promising to spend their lifes together.” you replied. “but something they don’t work together and split up after. it’s common to happen, just like it happened to my uncle and aunt.”
he nodded, taking your words to consideration before going back to watch the soup opera, but this time with a bowl of rice that he began devouring without hesitation. nash always acts like he hasn’t eaten in days, when in fact, he had breakfast and lunch not long ago.
decided that you won’t dry the dishes for now, you took a place next to nash on the couch, watching the tv with him in silence. without taking his many pairs of eyes of the screen, he pulls you closer by his crawl, making you rest your head at his arm.
a smile grown on your lips when he does that, not only that makes you feel safer, but also relaxes your mind. it’s a sweet reminder that nash cares about you, even though he never spoken a word to you and the fact of him being whatever he is doesn’t change how much you care about him.
Tumblr media
the cat
it already the third time that nash ended with his face full of cuts and bruises after another failed attempt of petting the stray cat that comes around home. you would be laughing if the whole event wasn’t sad, well at least, to his eyes.
“don’t cry, baby.” the sniff coming from the creature has become a common scene since the first time the stray cat has visited you and the cat always left after making nash’s face their newest canvas. “i’m sure that one day, the stray will become more docile and let you pet their fur. maybe even entering our house to sleep with us.”
he continues to sob regardless of yours words, but he remains still under your care when applying another band aid to his face. it’s a unique scene to have a two meter creature full of colorful band aids on his face, like he has been a victim of children’s drawing.
after you finished taking care of him, nash move away from your touch and made his way out towards outside the cabin, where he began sunbathing and stare out into the sky. to make sure he won’t get in trouble, you took a seat at the couch from the front porch, watching nash resting the sun and not giving much thought to the the wild animals that live around the cabin.
the breeze hitting your body makes you drowsy and your eyes can’t hold much longer, not after working hours and hours to fix the roof before the winter comes around. a yawn escapes your lips before you start feeling tired and your mind begging you to fall asleep after working long hours, but another side of you is forcing your mind to stay awake to spend more time with nash. and speaking of him, the monster approaches you with something in his arms.
“what it is, nash? another worm or grasshopper?” you asked, but seeing his smile reaching both of his ears confirms that it’s something even better. “show me.”
and he does. in his arms rests the stray cat that has been visiting the cabin for the past few weeks, but today it seems friendly, showing no signs of aggression towards nash as it usually does. because of that, he looks happier with the cat peacefully sleeping in his arms like a baby.
the scene itself is an adorable one, something that could easily come out from a kids’ shows and you could smile at nash for finally befriending the cat. your husband look so happy when snuggling the small animal, almost like he wasn’t crying just moments ago from being rejected from said animal.
the smile on your face grown more on your lips when you patted the stray cat, seeing the tiny animal enjoying being on nash’s laps only made you relaxed more, specially when he sat next to you to let you pat the cat even more.
“do you want to keep it?” he nodded, enthusiastic about the idea. “then, we should get a few things for the little one tomorrow when going to the town. got it?” he nodded again.
another yawn came out of your lips, making nash ware of your tiredness and he adjusted your head to be the one laying on his shoulder. even with your eyes closing, you can feel his form shape into a soft fur that makes you wonder if he knows that you love when he does that.
“im going to take a nap, wake me up in a hour or so…” and with that, you began dreaming on nash’s shoulder and he couldn’t be happier to have you by one side and the cat in the other side of his arm. the two most important things to him in the same place.
Tumblr media
the old lady and the store
“i know your secret, young blood.”
your eyes widen open when the old lady’s words reached your ears, it’s only seven in the morning and there is already a problem that you need to solve...did nash got in another trouble with the town people? you hope not.
“my secret?” you played like you didn’t know what she is talking about, pretending to be a fool is an easy job for you. “i think you are mistaken, lady. i am nothing, but a mere normal hunter that lives in the woods.”
she didn’t buy your words, not when a grin suddenly emerged at her thin lips, you could already guess the many words that she would say about nash and you can imagine how the townspeople will hunt down nash. however, you stood quiet in front of the balcony, pretending to be a normal hunter while the old lady just stared at you.
“don’t play the idiot, kid.” she got up from her seat, even being shorter than you, the lady knows how to make her presence known and scary. “i know that young hunters like you always have your dirty secrets inside those wooden cabin.”
you only stared at her, not saying any words as she walked closer to you to take a better look at how shaken you have gotten with her intimidation. it’s hilarious that a hunter would be a the mercy of an old widow lady like her, one that barely hits your shoulder, the others would laugh at this scene.
“tell me, young blood.” her voice is now like a thunder stomping inside your head. there is no other clients at the store, so she didn’t need to low her voice at you. “how many people are you sleeping with?”
.
..
….
“excuse me? i-i am not sleeping around!”
the old lady laughed at your reaction, not caring if her loudness would reach outside the market, everyone of the town knows better than spying at her. it’s clear to those who could hear outside that you have become her newest victim to her attention and curiosity.
“please, kid.” she patted your shoulder when returning to her seat behind the balcony, this time with the biggest smile you ever saw at her lips. “i know everything about everyone at this small place and i know that you have been *hanging out* around with different people by every week that you comes to the town to sell your goods.”
“you are mistaken, lady!” you tried to make her rethink about the subject, but you quickly realized that she won’t hear you, not when she already looks absolutely certain about your ‘affairs’.
“don’t worry, kid. i won’t tell your husband about it.” she winked, giving you an even big smile when referring about your so called ‘partner’. “after all, i was just like you during my young days. full of beauty and grace, ready to make anyone fall to my feet and trust me, i was good at it~”
her rambling gains an extra awkwardness when you remember that nash did took many humans forms when coming to the town for the past months with you. he would often take different appearances when accompanying you, sometimes he would resemble a bombshell girl from those old magazines or maybe a good looking man from those old spies movies that you often caught him watching instead of sleeping.
well, at the bright side of this situation. the old lady believes you are sleeping around, not that you share the house with someone not human…so things are going good for you, right?
“that’s nice to hear, lady.” your lips curves into an nervous smile when she hands the products and that you quickly put inside your bag, wanting to leave fast as possible. “but i got to go, you know, to meet one of my ‘contacts’.”
she stares at you, again with her classic smile that reaches both of her eyes, “don’t forget to tell me about it when you come back to shop!” and with that, you finally leave the market with your bag full of stuff for the incoming winter.
the path back home was a peaceful one, no wild animals has tried to approach you and the rain didn’t start yet, so nothing has happened during your walk. once you have arrived at the cabin, nash welcomed you with open arms and brought you to a hug and began acting so happy, like you haven’t seen him in years.
nash brings you inside the cabin to show that he didn’t mess with anything during your absence nor has the cat destroyed the interior like you would expected, the small feline is still asleep in the same place you saw before going to the town. showing that he did succeed with his goals, nash helped you organize the things you’ve brought around the house.
it’s always a nice view seeing him becoming taller than you to organize the higher shelves of the kitchen and the storage room. thanks to him, you don’t need to bring the ladder from the basement. and with his assistance, the two of you arranged the foods rapidly and efficiently, leaving time to the two of you relax for the rest of the day.
Tumblr media
@moonit3 writings
161 notes · View notes
larkspurglove · 2 days
Text
OH MY GODDD THE NEW TRAILBLAZE MISSION IT’S SO GOOD BUT ALSO NONE OF MY THOUGHTS ARE COHERENT AAAAA
Major spoilers for 2.1 ahead!!!!
So first off to the people that voted for Aventurine and Sunday in this poll how does it feel to be right?
ANYWAY THAT WHOLE ENDING WAS FUCKING INSANEEEE, Aventurine walking INTO the Nihility????? And he might not ever come back???? Acheron showing off the true extent of her emanator powers?????? Gallagher being the twist villain and also somehow in control of Something Unto Death???? What the fuck?!
My brain is a mess right now I’m just rotating all of the story in my brain and a hundred miles a minute. The next stuff is just going to be me word vomiting my reaction to stuff in a vaguely chronological order.
First off I LOVEEE how Aventurine-focused the Trailblaze mission was. I was kind of assuming it would be a 50/50 split between focusing on Acheron and focusing on Aventurine but it seems like they’re saving Acheron’s backstory for 2.2 or 2.3.
The little appearance of Boothill??? And how he immediately threatens violence?????? Just a silly guy I can’t wait for him in 2.2 I wanna see them fight. Also I wonder if Constance is making empty promises because it’s possible.
Back to Aventurine, DAMNNN I knew his backstory would be tragic but it’s even more gut wrenching than I expected. The reference in his achievements too??? ‘What do you want Sibyl?’ ‘I want to die.’ THE PROGRESSION FROM AVENTURINE STICKING WITH THIS UNTIL THE END WHERE EVEN THOUGH HE COULD POSSIBLY DIE FOR REAL YET HE DECIDES FO CONTINUE FORWARD BECAUSE EVEN IF WE’RE BORN TO DIE THERE’S A POINT IN LIVING LIFE AND PREPARING FOR THAT INEVITABILITY???? OH MY GOD.
Sunday’s also a scary dude. Maybe being an emanator does that to people but when he did that Harmony mindfuckery on Aventurine I was almost certain that he was going to die because of that. I was also SO pissed at Ratio for selling Aventurine out only to learn they were actually double crossing SUNDAY was insane. I’m glad he finally got to be angry about Robin’s death towards the end though, most of the downtime between 2.0 and 2.1 has been me wondering ‘man his sister just died why doesn’t he feel more distressed.’
Ngl I’m probably gonna dedicate a whole post to Aventurine in this update because 90% of the time I was playing the quest I was either thirsting over him, internally sobbing for him, thinking he was gonna die, or waiting to get back to his POV.
Gallagher is one hell of an enigma because Sunday implies that he’s made up of different ‘aspects’ of each Family member who’s died over however long the dreamscape deaths have been happening, yet he has a past with Siobhan and apparently knew Mikhail??? Like what the fuck????? How long has this been going on????
I do wish it was foreshadowed slightly better though because the most we get is him being very vaguely sad about his past and also like two people going ‘who the hell is Gallagher.’
One thing I didn’t expect to happen was for a ‘Sam is Firefly’ reveal. Like I had seen the leaks before (not out of my own will sadly) and kind of expected for it to be a 2.2 reveal. Either way yayyyy Firefly is alive!!!
I’m sad that we didn’t really have an Acheron and Welt team up, or at least that we didn’t see more of it. It was kind of hyped up to be a whole B-plot but turned out to only be a few scenes. I’m not complaining because we get a little teeny bit of Welt characterisation but I’m still sad.
I like how Sparkle kind of just shows up to either be a nuisance or a conveniently timed piece to move the plot forward. It’s very fitting with being a Masked Fool.
There’s a lot more I want to scream about but it’s all Aventurine related and I’m gonna save it for its own dedicated post.
2.1 is so fucking good 2.2 and 2.3 better stick the landing.
149 notes · View notes
whorexis · 3 days
Note
I see requests are open but if this is a sensitive topic just ignore:
kinda curious as to what you think ellie would be like comforting a partner who's going through a little bit of a depressive episode :( especially if they are the type of person to try to hide it from other people
(this might be a little self indulgent on my end won't lie but hey we all have to cope somehow)
Hey hun, I hope you're doing alright :( I know alot of people say this but it WILL get better. Remember you're not alone! I'm also open to talk to, or just be there to listen, either way I wish everyone alot of strength during these times. Stay strong💞
Remember not to buy the games, watch the gameplay instead -> how to help palestine
Rough times
ellie williams x gn!reader
Warning/s: breakdown, petnames, fluff and angst, cuddling, no use of y/n
I turned this into a little scenario/fanfic since I'm honestly bad with words, or hc's. I just let the way she might react flow.
Ellie had noticed.
Of course she had noticed, she was your girlfriend afterall. And she wasn't a complete fool.
She had noticed your usual blabbering coming to a halt. She had noticed your once hopeful face falling into a worried, numb and yet exhausted expression. Your behavior changed, too. You were fidgety, often zooned out, especially when you two were out to get supplies.
But she also had noticed the way you tried to hide it.
You were the hope of jackson — sure you weren't a literal cure like ellie, but you painted the white and black parts of the town, added colour to anything the second your face entered the scene, thats how ellie liked to call it, and it never failed to make you laugh.
You never let anything prevent you from making people happy, not even your own depression. A warm embrace, an ear to listen and a mouth to comfort. Thats what you were.
You said the words that you wished someone had said to you when you were are at the lowest part of your life.
Ellie wasn't completely different from you. She had bottled everything up, especially after she found out about joel lying to her. She hid her emotions, took a break from people and stayed in her room as long as she could, only coming out to get some food. But when you stepped in, the glass within her finally broke and she let it out. You were there to comfort her through it and you told her that no matter what, you would always be there to comfort her.
Which was yet another reason why you backed away from everything, you didn't want your own feelings to stop ellie from coming to you. You didn't want to make her feel guilty for talking to you while you were not doing good either.
But who were you to hide it from ellie? She would find it out eventually, you were sure of it.
You didn't know that it would happen so fast though.
-
She called out your name as she left a good distance between you two.
Ellie had come home pretty late, but you didn't mind. You were just sitting on the couch, reading some book you had found.
A little hum assured her that you had heard her.
"Are.... are you alright?"
You perked up at her words, tilting your head as you stared at her.
"uh, yes..? Are you alright?"
Of course you had to change the thema. But ellie wouldn't let down that quick.
"Are you sure?" This time she said your name a bit more sternly, looking down to your frame as she neared you, your book already lying forgotten on the floor "listen, I know you and I know that something is off– I just.. just wanna know—"
"Nothing is off, ellie" you didn't mean to, but it was as if you had spat these words out, venom lacing in your voice.
Fortunately ellie knew you good enough to know that you weren't mad at her. Only mad at the situation.
"Stop trying to hide— others might not notice but I d—"
"There's nothing wrong, ellie!"
"Lower your voice, I.. know something is going o-"
"I told you. Nothing. Is. Going. On!"
Pause, silence filled the air.
You were breathing slightly heavier now, waiting for ellie to choose her next words. Probably something about how she needs you to open up so she can understand you, or a simple 'just say it'. You almost let your own scenarios take over you as you gritted your teeth, opening your mouth to—
"Please"
Oh
It was so hard. So hard not to burst out crying. So hard not to throw yourself in her arms, especially after she begged for an explanation.
Her eyes were filled with guilt, but she wasn't crying yet. She was just staring down at you, biting her lip as she shifted her weight from one leg to another.
And suddenly your mouth was dry, yet so full. When you tried parting your lips, strings of saliva connected them. A strangling feeling pressured your throat.
And then you let it out. Your first sob, in a long, long time.
Ellie wasted no time offering you comfort. Sure, she was awkward as hell by these things, but she knew you knew that. She only hoped that you'd also know that she cared more about you than a little hug.
Chokes and gasps came out of your throat, eyes swelling with tears. If you didn't feel like drowning in your own tears and emotions right now, you'd probably have the time to feel embarassed.
"Shhh, baby.." she took you in bridal style, going to the bed and letting you rest on her. You hugged her back, arms tightening all around her. But she didn't mind. She'd offer you any kind of support, as long as it would make you feel better.
Her own throat soon started to feel dry and tight, but she wouldn't let that happen. No, it was your time now.
She let you cry it out, not as if you could talk anyway right now. A few sweet nothings came from her mouth as her own arms started to shake. She hated to see you like this. So vulnerable, so broken and full of sadness.
"I-it's okay, it's.. you're alright, let it out, my love"
You sobbed, hiding your face in her chest. And when all she heard were your hopeless chokes and gasps against her, she grabbed your chin, making you look into her soft eyes.
Your eyes were bloodshot, hair slightly messy and your cheeks were drained with tears, but she still thought you were so beautiful.
"My pretty baby.." she murmured, leaning in to kiss each one of your cheeks, your chin, forehead, the tip of your nose and then finally your lips. You gave her full permission to explore you, and only then, when the lack of oxygen became a problem did she part away from you.
She didn't expect you to open up. She wouldn't pressure you either, she would wait, as long as she'd have to.
"Look, it's all okay– y-you're here, and as am I, right?" A broken chuckle left her lips, fuck was she bad at this, but you just laughed. Oh that laugh.
"There it is, my highlight of the day" A glimpse of adoration crossed her face, and she had you nuzzling your head into her.
She sighed, half out of relief and your warmth against her body.
"I'm with you in this, whatever it is. I.. I wont leave your side, never."
And then, when there was no other reply than a sound of acknowledgment coming from you, she started humming a lullaby. There were no real words, nothing other than the smoothness of her voice, the vibrations of her body, and the sound of her heart.
Tiredness grew over your body, she knew. She felt you going limp, felt your eyes fighting to stay open, so with final words she allowed you to drift off into a slumber, assuring you she wouldn't ever leave your side.
"I love you"
masterlist
151 notes · View notes
chosoisamalewife · 2 days
Note
* Sees the angst tag in the masterlist * me: 😈
I request the finest dish of Sukuna and Male reader, with the drink being Angst. Sukuna had kept his Male servant around in the heian era and began to have a soft spot for him. But when he found a servant's dead body, he began to go mad. Now, the rest is up to you.
Sukuna x male!reader
A/N : I am a big angst lover so the moment I saw this request I squealed and instantly started writing
A/N : I gotten inspiration from the last of us opening for the death scene. Also Sukuna and reader had a special thing 😉😉 ALSO SUKUNA IS HEAVILY OOC
Sukuna wasn’t a kind man,well he wasn’t a man to begin with, he was a curse object that hated basically everything. He wasn’t kind at all, he was rough and mean. He was one thing that has zero weakness or so he thought. There was you he never understood why he adored you so much. You were a pesky human to him, a mere servant of his. However he couldn’t help but to be soft and patient with you. He felt pathetic every time he saw you smile, every time he saw your eyes and skin glowing in the sun light. The way you looked at everything with kind eyes, even him, a monstrous being. The way you trace the patterns all over his body, your fingertips grazing his skin gently like he was fragile glass as your soothing voice spoke. Oh your voice was something he could listen to always, it was one of a kind to him. He hated it but oh he couldn’t tell you to stop. You were a weakness to him and he hated, he hated everything about it, yet he couldn’t get rid of you.
He has even tried to, there has been many times he has thought about killing you. He has pictured it many times and many different ways, sometimes they come out of the blue. The other times is when you are sleeping peacefully next to him, his eyes starring at your resting face trailing them down looking at all the marks from him. He couldn’t help but to imagine ripping your heart out right then and there, doing the same thing you have done to him, making you feel the same pain.
You didn’t understand it either why he was so gentle to you. When you first became his servant he treated you like the other. He was cold and ruthless to you, the only person you saw he even remotely nice to was uruame. The first time that you saw something different from was when you bumped into by accident. The force of him basically knocked the breath out of your lungs. You just stared up at him with fear as he just stared down at you. You gotten on your knees "I'm sorry King. I must have been distracted I didn't see you." Your voice shook with fear. He reached one of his hands down offering it to you. You looked at him confused
"Are you gonna take it or what?" He asked without any emotion or tone to his voice. You put your hand in his helping you raise up. From there you saw him slowly began to soften. He knew the track you walked in the castle so he eventually start to intercept that track. He knew you liked to paint so he start to let you go outside to do that with his "supervision" of course. You had a favorite spot too, it was under a tree surrounded by flowers, so he had other servant set up a area for you there. He stood out there with you for the most of it he wanted to make sure you didn't run away. But that was just an excuse. He stood out there because of how peacefully you looked. He liked how you looked when you concentrate, he liked how your strong hands look holding the brush. He also did it to make sure that no one would disturb you.
One thing he hated more than how gentle you were, was the way you looked when you cry. Sukuna wasn’t a patient being which caused a lot of fights between the two of y’all. Sukuna never felt the need to apologize to anyone or anything but with you he just couldn’t help it. He felt the need to apologize especially after a bad one. Such as the recent one, he was sitting on his throne thinking of the way your eyes filled with tear before you stormed off. The way you yelled “If you are so tired of me then kill me! Do it already!”
He decided to ask uraume to make your favorite dishes as a act of him apologizing to you. When he brought the food up to your door. He could hear sniffling. He thought your were still upset so he put the tray on the floor and knocked gently on your door. "Y/N, I know you're probably still upset but here is some food. " That’s when he heard you say his name but it wasn't normal. It was odd like you were hurt. He opened the door to find you bleeding on the floor.
He ran to your body lying on the ground, the was a big gash from your chest to your torso. “Y/N, going to be okay.” He took you in his arms trying to pick you up which caused you to scream in pain. “ I know, I know but you have to let me. I have to get you help.” He tried again, your nails were digging into his skin as you screamed. “I know baby, I know.” Baby was a nickname that he has never used until now, it was always brat. He stood up half way before the grip you had on him let go and everything went silent. Your body fell limp in his arms. “Y/N” He sat down on the ground with your body cradle in his arms. He sat there just staring at the opened window. If he wasn’t late he could’ve caught that person, the thing that killed you. Or he could've killed it before it hurt you. The thing that took you from him. He’s going to hunt them but he doesn’t want to kill them. No, killing them would be to humane. He wants to torture them until their body can’t take it and give up.
He sits there for hours in the the silence of what use to be your lively room. What once was a room filled with laughter, talking, and other noises is now a room with nothing. The sound of the door opening interrupted his thought. He turned his head looking at the intruder, it was another servant. “My kin-“ the servant wasn’t even able to get the full word out before a slash went through his body. Uraume eventually came the fetch the body before leaving sukuna alone again. It began a repeated process of servants intruding to only be killed in a second
This went on for 3 days, your body started to decay but he didn’t move. He stayed there not caring about the decay or the smell. “Sukuna” Uraume opened the door gently. He stared at them with a look in his eyes that they have never seen before. Was it heartbreak, anger, madness that he didn’t want to let out. Simply because he didn’t want to disturb your resting body.
“I don’t want to fucking hear it.” He barked at them. They crouch in front of him leaving your body in between them.
“Sukuna, I think we should give him a proper burial. He doesn’t deserve to rot here.” He sat there for a second considering it. "Please" They pleaded with him hoping to get in his mind. He nodded slowly. "Where do you want to bury him"
"I know a place." Sukuna and Uraume put you in beautiful clothing before burying you along with your paint and brushes. Your favorite place became your resting place, under the tree surrounded by flowers.
For hours the quiet castle became home to thunderous yells the sound of things being thrown. No one even dared to ask Sukuna if he was okay, it was clear to what would happen. They would become like those painting of yours that he has ripped up. Those gorgeous painted vases shattered on the floor, he didn't care about the glass stabbing his feet. Everything reminded you of him and he wanted it all gone, it all destroyed and dead just like you. Sukuna's madness went as far as killing every other servant that met you. They knew that you were a weakness to him and he couldn't let them live. He made sure that only him and Uraume remembered you.
Over the course of centuries you began to fade into the back of his mind, a place that he will never tap back into. Those memories no longer had the same effect on him. They didn’t make him soft like they use to. They made him angry, viewing them as a time that he was weak. He even forgot that he was on a hunt looking for the person or curse that killed you. If anything he now wishes it was him that did it. He sees you as having a victory over him simply because he couldn't. You were his biggest regret and now you exist forvever in the back in his mind. You were like a thorn in his foot that he can never get out. No matter how much it annoyed him, it will always be there so he learned to ignore it.
131 notes · View notes
mj-ackerman · 2 days
Text
Translation of Tatsuya Endo's Interview with Katsumaru: (You can read the original here X)
Katsumaru: My wife and child are both big fans of "Spy x Family", so they were both excited for me to be able to meet you today. Why did you choose the theme "Spy" in the first place?
Endo: I didn't have any particular desire to draw a spy story or something like that, but I had always liked military kinds of things and was interested in war related things, so when I combined those aspects with the theme of "lies", it naturally ended up as a spy story. However, I haven't seen many spy movies, and for movies like "007", I've only seen one or two of them.
Katsumaru: What? Really? The information about spies that appears in the story, even for someone like me who's been an avid follower of the genre, gives an impression that it's very well thought out. How on earth did you acquire such knowledge?
Endo: Most of it is from books. And then some of it is from documentary films and the likes. There was an old movie called "Shiri" (This is a 1999 Korean film), it's about the battle between North Korean Special Operation Forces and South Korean Intelligence Agency. I liked that very much.
Katsumaru: The setting, in which the husband, Loid, is a spy and the wife, Yor, is an assassin, reminded me of the movie "Mr & Mrs Smith"
Endo: When the series was just starting, I see that title being mentioned a lot in the comments, but to be honest I've never seen it before....(Laughs). I didn't have much time to prepare for the serialization, and since it's a comedy, I thought I didn't have to be that particular about the settings as I drew it. I incorporated the knowledge I had gained from books, but since it's still a manga, I kept the "No way, that's impossible" aspects to it.
Katsumaru: I think it has a really good balance between realistic depiction and entertainment. Spies are part of everyday life, and some of them even established a "fake family" as in "SPY X FAMILY". In reality, there are cases where married couples had been living together without realizing that their husbands are spies.
Endo: That balance is what I pay the most attention to. I guess you can say it's a process of determining the "minimum level of reality" in each scene.
Katsumaru: How concerned are you about the difference between "reality and manga", Endo-sensei?
Endo: This one is difficult. It's a case by case basis, but in manga, there are many parts where I can just go "let's fake the reality at this part for the time being". When you're working alone, you don't have time to do research about this or that fact. However, in anime, you have to create much more detailed settings, so there isn't much room to put on tricks. When the anime team would ask me "What would happen in this part?" I would often reply with "I'm sorry but I haven't thought about it yet...." (Laughs).
Katsumaru: Have you not strictly defined the scene or time period the story is set in yet?
Endo: I had the image of the period setting somewhere between the 1960s and 1970s. I'm trying to explore what I can do with the technologies in this era thinking "This technology might be possible". I also have softened the reality of things, such as the political form. The cold war between the East and West is also part of the motif, but if you just tell the readers that "it's a conflict of ideologies" , it won't make sense to them. So, I put it into a form that is easy to understand as a manga, there are also some parts that I, myself don't know about after all. Similarly, in the real world, for example, spies probably have very few horizontal connections, right? Like for security reasons. However, as a manga, in order to develop the story, it was necessary for me to depict conversations between spies. All the more that this is a comedy story, so it wouldn't work without conversation. It's difficult to find the right flavor between the two.
Katsumaru: It's pretty unique that you came up with the name "Dalc" which is similar to the name of the currency "Mark" (It's Deutsche Mark which is no longer in use since 2002) used in Germany.
Endo: It's actually a combination of "Mark" and "Dollar". I often use names of places and buildings that actually exist in real life. However, I have a pretty bad memory, so I often ask myself later "Where did I get the name of this place again?" (Laughs)
Katsumaru: Is there any expert historical research or supervision of intelligence agencies involved in this?
Endo: I basically think about all the detailed settings all by myself.
Katsumaru: Since the real-life aspects are well-constructed, I thought an expert in international politics was involved in supervising this.
Endo: There are also some readers who read too deep into the historical situation, but I didn't actually put much thought into the details in writing the story. This is just a fictional country called "Westalis and Ostania" after all.
Katsumaru: In "Spy x Family", there are some Russian-speaking names such as "Anya" and "Yuri" that appears, but spies in that country uses more analog method. For example, "flash contact", in which documents are handed over to another person as they pass each other, or a "drop dead", in which documents are hidden in an agreed-upon location and later picked up by a colleague. There is also a method for communication. Although this method is considered extremely inefficient, it is sometimes considered to be highly secure because it prevents interception of communications.
Endo: So there's still that kind of analogs even now huh? Now that technology has developed and everything is digitalized, I certainly think it's much safer now. In other countries, there are organization such as M16 (United Kingdom Secret Intelligence Service) and CIA (US Central Intelligence Agency), Japan also has organizations with such characteristics.
Katsumaru: The "Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Public Security Bureau (Public Safety)", where I worked, is the counterintelligence arm of Japan. In "VIVANT" (It's a 2023 Japanese Drama), which I supervised, Hiroshi Abe and Ryo Ryusei are playing roles with these type of characters. We have obtained as collaborators people who have a lot of information and people who are in position to meet various people such as reporter.
The only problem was that we didn't have enough people. The CIA has a large number of subordinates under it's station chief, and a large budget. When I was temporary transfered to a Japanese embassy overseas, I was alone, my budget was limited, and I was also reponsible for issuing passports, so there is no doubt that working at an intelligence agency overseas with better environment had allowed me to concentrate more on my mission.
Endo: Do you hire locals overseas?
Katsumaru: There are times when we ask locals to work with us by paying them a reward. Or, we can ask them to connect us with people who has information. The Public Safety is very good at finding and training people who can bring good quality information and can do good work.
96 notes · View notes
eggyrocks · 3 days
Text
𖦹track twenty-one: anything𖦹
m.list
kuroo doesn't want to see her.
he's mad. he thinks about her and it's awful, the feeling that he gets. it's this anger that locks in his jaw and tenses his muscles and it is an aching in the hollows of his chest that pricks at his eyes and constricts his throat.
he's mad at her. every day she doesn't talk to him, it gets worse.
kuroo thought that maybe he was getting to know her better. he thought that maybe that he was starting to understand her, unlocking parts of her reserved only for those who earned it.
he thought that maybe he had earned it. he thought that maybe there was something different about the way she looked at him. he thought that when her hands intertwined behind his neck and she pulled him into her, that was it.
kuroo hates being wrong. he hates feeling stupid. he hates this gash in his chest. he hates that she made him feel this way and so he doesn’t want to see her. he doesn’t want to give her the opportunity to change things, at this point.
but he's pushing through crowds of drunken, sweaty people at a bar, and looking for any sign of her. because he can't really stop himself, because there is still some wounded part of him that is still hoping she might want him. and really, he's still oddly possessed by this urge to give her whatever it is she wants.
the first thing that goes wrong is that she doesn't answer her phone. he tries to call her, get her to meet him outside so they can talk free of the swarms of people and their echoing conversations but it goes straight to voicemail, and suddenly kuroo doesn't have a voice to say anything with.
second, when he finds her, tucked into a dimly lit corner of the bar, hidden from everyone else there and still coated in a sheen of sweat from her band's set, he sees she's not alone. there's someone unfamiliar there with her, a male frame leaning over her, caging her into the corner of the room.
something ugly beats in kuroo's chest at the sight. his first thought is something resentful and jealous and petty, and it's only cut off when he can see the look in her eyes, discomfort and ease clear as the sneer she wears. the stranger reaches up and places a hand on her arm, and she jerks away from his touch.
and that's the third thing that goes wrong.
something snaps in his gut, and his feet are carrying him towards her before he can really even process a fully formed thought. it's on instinct that a hand wraps harshly around the back of the stranger's collar and yanks him backwards. kuroo can't stop himself as he steps in front of her, placing his body between her and him.
it's just instinct.
maybe kuroo used a bit more force than needed, because the stranger hits the ground hard. he can hear it over the hum of the bar, and even more clearly, he can hear her soft whisper of, 'holy shit,' as the stranger hits the floor.
"what the fuck, man?" the stranger questions, stumbling to his feet and then quickly straightening out to size kuroo up, and then taking a step back once he does.
kuroo jerks his chin back towards the general direction of the crowd, "fuck off," he instructs, firm and bold, trying not to think of her, standing directly behind him, watching the scene unfold over his shoulder.
as if hung up by his own disbelief, the stranger stares on for just a moment before shaking his head, and turning on his heel, returning to disappear into the crowd. but not before he tosses up a pointed, deliberate middle finger in kuroo's direction.
and then it's just the two of them. tucked into the corner. and kuroo has to act before he loses his nerve. without looking at her, kuroo reaches out and grabs her by the wrist, dragging her along as he storms towards the back door of the bar.
she follows with no resistance.
it's not quite raining once they get outside. when kuroo drags her into the alleyway and turns to face her for the first time a week, there's a mist of rain that delicately fills the air between them. it almost blurs her, makes her look soft.
kuroo releases her wrist and takes a step back. "why'd you sleep with me?"
the question seems to catch her off guard. she gapes for a moment, mouth hanging slightly open like she's expecting some sort of answer to just fall from it. "i-i'm sorry," is all she manages to say.
kuroo blinks at her, desperate for her to say something more. "that's not an answer," he presses, patience torn in his voice.
i'm not good at this was the warning she had given him. he can see it now as she squirms under the pressure, hands knotting together and eyes dancing to avoid contact. she's not good at this. it looks like the words are choking her on the way out. "it's complicated, i'm complicated."
this isn't like her. for as long as kuroo has known her she has been bold and confident and sure. unbothered. it's not like her to blindly follow someone that drags her by the wrist. it's not like her to wear her discomfort on her expression like this.
it waters him down a bit. it cools his rage, to see her struggle. "tell me the truth. i just wanna understand."
it's not necessarily true. kuroo wants more than to understand. he wants go back and have it mean something. he wants her to be his, to have been his since the second his lips left deep purple marks on her skin.
she takes a deep breath, trying to steady the shaking of her voice and the trembling of her hands. "i'm still getting over a lot of things that have happened to me," she says, delicately, eyes fixed on her feet. "i do a lot of things i don't understand. i hurt people on purpose and i don't know why."
kuroo watches her breathing. her shoulders are slow to rise and slow to fall. it's methodical, the way she controls her breath. fixating on it keeps his head level. she raises her head, resting it back on the brick wall behind her. "my dad left when i was a kid. i didn't have anyone but my mom. and when you're raised like someone like that, you come out wrong. you do things wrong and the way you think is wrong."
she tilts her chin down, and finally looks at kuroo. her eyes met his, and his breathing hitches in his throat. "i slept with you because i like you a lot, and when my mom showed up it reminded me that i came out wrong. and i got scared, because i knew you'd figure it out sooner or later. so i hurt you on purpose so you wouldn't hurt me. and i'm sorry."
it's jarring, to hear her to admit it. kuroo flinches when she does. and he looks at her, her tensed shoulders and wide, wet eyes, and curses himself.
this is why he didn't want to see her. because he knew once he did, that the anger would dissipate like this, steaming off and evaporating into the mist.
he takes one, long step towards her and gentle reaches for her arm, pulling her into his chest, and she falls forward, letting him take hold of her. his arms snake around her back, holding her firmly in place, and she nuzzle her cheek into his chest, arms circling around his waist. "you're such an idiot," he says into her hair.
"i know," she mumbles into the fabric of his shirt.
"i've wanted you since i first saw you," he tells her, feeling more emboldened now that she's leaning into his embrace. "i'm not about to get scared off. i'm not about to change my mind."
he can feel her heartbeat hammer in her chest, it's erratic and fast and it increases the speed of his own. "i'll do something like this again, probably. i'll mess up. i'll do something else stupid."
kuroo figures that if that's the price he'll have to pay to keep her here, with him, in his arms, away from the people who want to use her and make her feel disposable, he'll pay it gladly. he places a kiss on the top of her head. "i don't care."
an: hmmmm. okay. idk. hmmm.
taglist: @nnnyxie @cr4yolaas @httpakkeiji @macchiatomegumi @hikikaimar @noodleswastaken @garden-of-bri @rinaheartss @infinitelytimebound @scxrcherr @eyes-ofhell @sleepy-time @polish-cereal @literally-a-ferret @crownj1min @sereniteav @kozuskitten @02shuuu @rasisarchive @marzzn @barricadesenthusiast @yvjitadori @yeehawslap @phoenix-eclipses @lcvestays @thirtykiwis @kitty-m30w @causenessus @wyrcan @rieieieieieiei @thechaosoflonging @publicbathroompanic @bedeater @rottingt1tz @rintarawr @deluluforcarlos55 @ahseyy @localgaytrainwreck @cherrypieyourface @baskin-robinhoods
115 notes · View notes
strangemagicc · 18 hours
Text
Tumblr media
Nobody Has to Know | Chapter Two
masterlist | <prev | next>
pairings: modern!brother’s best friend!Eddie x fem!Reader
summary: the next morning Eddie is adamant about ignoring you but that only lasts so long
author’s note: I think this is the longest chapter for anything I’ve ever written and I enjoyed writing it so much. There’s just something about Eddie lately. I hope you enjoy sweetness because next chapter will be a little sour 🖤 comments/reblogs and feedback is always so appreciated ! I want to hear from you 🫶🏻
w/c: 9.4k
warnings: cheating (technically not reader or Eddie), smut - oral (reader and Eddie receiving), fingering, discussions of trauma/injuries relating to a car accident
Tumblr media Tumblr media
“Oh shit!”
Eddie could hear your worry as he rounded the corner. His heavy boots loud against the plastic tiled floor catching your attention.
The fear was vibrant in your eyes when you turned to him, a quiet cry for help and he couldn’t help but chuckle at the scene.
The kettle in the popcorn machine was overfilled, smoke billowing from behind the glass doors as you stared in horror.
Charred pieces of popcorn fell into the vat, the burnt smell wafted around you and filled the air.
“Way to go Little Lipton,” he laughed and moved around you to turn off the machine.
“Alright,” he sighed heavily, “this one is going to be out of commission for a bit so we’ll need to make sure that one is always prepped with fresh kernels,” he tilted his chin to the only other popcorn machine and leaned against the counter with his arms crossed.
“Out of commission?” Your voice rose an octave, face twisted in horror. His words raising alarm.
“Yeah,” he laughed as though his next words were obvious.
“We have to clean this one before we use it or all the other batches are going to taste like shit and that’s not the easiest or fastest task.”
“He’s going to kill me,” you groaned and dropped your head.
He being your manager and a major pain in your ass since the day you started working here. He wanted things a certain way; candies lined in a specific direction, cups displayed for the customers to see, popcorn made to perfection and not burnt until it turned to dust.
“Probably not kill, just maim,” Eddie shrugged with a crooked grin and stared down at you with amusement as you collected your thoughts.
“You never told me what to do if I burnt the kernels,” you abruptly looked up at him and swatted at his arm playfully.
“That’s because I told you not to overfill the kettle and never thought you’d ignore that tidbit,” he sighed dramatically, “guess that’s what I get for thinking.”
Reflexively he moved out of arm’s reach before you could do any serious damage.
Eddie enjoyed the way your lower lip jutted out, the way your forehead creased between your eyebrows when you were mad and fuck, were you pissed.
It had been nearly two weeks since you started working at Hawk Theater, trying to save up for the new camcorder you’d been eying, and Eddie had been assigned to train you.
Or his form of training which was a lot of “this is how they want us to do it but this is what works.”
The problem was that you’d been distracted.
It was the way his smile lifted to the side and the way he tied his long curls into a messy ponytail. And sometimes, the sun would shine through the glass and hit his eyes just right, making them look like molten honey.
You couldn’t help the nervous flutters that sprung when he was near, your childhood crush resurfacing with teeth and taking hold of you.
It made it hard to listen, to remember the instructions he told you like not to fill the kernels past the very obvious line or else.
He never expounded on the or else but negative consequences were heavily implied.
“You’re such a jerk,” you rebutted but the venom fell flat, the insult sounding endearing to Eddie’s ears.
“You already knew I was, sweetheart. Don’t know why you expected anything different now that you work with me,” he began cleaning out the popcorn machine. Dumping the burnt kernels into the trash can before adding the cleaning solution to the kettle.
Your heart was still fluttering, replaying the single pet name over and over again.
“Guess that’s what I get for thinking,” you mimicked him and began helping him clean so the two of you would be ready for opening in thirty minutes.
Eddie watched you from the corner of his eye, the way your gaze was lit with mischief as you teased him and he couldn’t help but smile to himself.
“Are you two trying to set this place on fire?” Mark Huntzberger, the manager, bellowed as he came down the stairs from his office eyeing the mess you had made.
He descended with a stern, critical eye that shifted over the concessions stand and back to you.
You couldn’t help the way you shrank under his scrutiny.
“I know this may just be some summer job to you, girl, but this is my livelihood. If you can’t get it together by the end of the week I will make sure this one fires you.” He turned his attention to Eddie whose face had gone flat, eyebrows set in a straight line. Jaw tensed.
“It was an honest mistake,” Eddie interjected.
“Clean it up,” Huntzberger ordered and disappeared into the ticket booth.
“Why did I think this was going to be easy or fun?” You questioned more to yourself than to Eddie, shoulders tensed.
You tied the trash bag containing the kernels and pulled it from the can.
“Because the town fuck up works here, how hard can it be?” He nudged you with a wink.
“Move over, Eddie. Someone’s about to take your place,” you giggled and walked towards the exit doors that led to the alley behind the cinema.
“Don’t do that, it’s the only thing I got going for me,” his grin grew wider as he followed behind you.
He was all self-deprecation all the time and you began to wonder how much of it he really believed. A pang of sadness twisted in your gut.
The summer air was suffocating with its humidity and the stench of spoiled food wafting from the dumpsters.
You began to lift the bag over your head when Eddie took it from you and hoisted it in the metal canister.
“Y’know it’s not true, Ed’s,” you began, looking up at him. Eyes squinted from the intensity of the sun.
“What’s not?” He questioned, leaning against the brick wall that hid the dumpsters from the rest of the alley.
“That you don’t have anything else going for you,” you cleared your throat, “you have lots of talents-“
“Ah, yes, I am known for my natural ability to annoy and antagonize,” he interrupted and you rolled your eyes.
“I’m being serious! I mean, I don’t know many people who can learn a new song on the guitar half as fast as you. Didn’t you learn Master of Puppets in like a week?”
You remembered that?
“And what about all the stuff you know about cars? Or the random tidbits about pop culture and music? You’re like an encyclopedia britannica,” you continued.
“For all things useless,” he corrected and you poked his side causing him to flinch away from your touch.
“I mean it!” You insisted, eyes wide. Endearing. The same look you got when you were excited about something and Eddie laughed, ears turning a shade of red from the attention you gave him.
“You’re just trying to flatter me so I don’t fire you,” he joked and you continued to look up at him with a dramatic bat of your eyes, inching closer.
“Is it working?” You retorted, exaggerating the breathiness of your voice.
“Flattery always works with me, sweetheart,” he winked and turned back to the building.
There it was again.
Your heart stopped, skipped, and started again as you willed your legs to move. You watched his retreating frame, eyes boring into the back of his head.
“You coming?” He didn’t stop walking and you took wide steps to catch up with him, walking in stride back to the theater.
Before you went back through the door you grabbed his arm, eyes pouring with sincerity.
“I meant what I said, Eds,” he looked at you with a questioning perk of his eyebrow.
“You don’t give yourself enough credit,” you swallowed hard and squeezed his arm before pulling open the door, the cold cinema air greeting you.
Eddie watched your retreating frame for a moment, a little taken aback, before following you to the concession stand.
The two of you fell into an easy silence as you worked.
You wiped the counters and finished cleaning the popcorn maker as instructed by Eddie while he set up the rope dividers in between each register, making sure things were organized just as Mark liked before the doors opened.
You were ready for the day; doors unlocked and fresh edible popcorn ready for the masses. A mass of moviegoers already lined up at the ticket booth.
The two of you rested against the counter waiting for the first customer to approach when he leaned over to you, warm breath fanning your ear.
“Thanks, (Y/N).”
It was the first time he said your name. Acknowledged you as something other than Little Lipton.
The first time Eddie saw you as more than just his best friend’s little sister.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Eddie clamored into his trailer, heavy boots dragging across the worn carpet as he trudged to the kitchen and swung open the fridge, grabbing a six-pack that was nearly gone.
He spread out on the couch and chugged one can before reaching for another, eyes darting around his home. Eddie had it to himself for the week, Uncle Wayne out on another cross-country drop-off, and now the silence engulfed him.
The clock on the wall ticked loudly as the seconds passed and his thoughts clashed with each other.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Eddie tried to keep his attention on the TV as you entered the room for the fourth time that afternoon and Rick shook his head.
“Dude, I think my sister might like you,” your brother laughed as you disappeared back into your room.
Eddie scoffed at his words but the thrum of his heart would’ve given him away if Rick could hear it.
“I’d never date your sister,” Eddie nudged his arm against Rick’s, eyes trained on the video game as he sniped an enemy target.
“Like I’d let you,” he chuckled.
Eddie’s brow twisted in confusion and it wasn’t lost on Rick when he turned to him to emphasize his point.
“Oh come on, I love you man but there’s no way in hell I’d let my sister date a guy like you.”
Eddie chuckled along with Rick to conceal the sting of his friend’s words
He knew all the things that people didn’t like about him. His hair, his tattoos. The bad reputation he’d more than earned but to hear it from his best friend made it sting more.
He wondered if you saw him that way; a loser with no future. Just the town freak and he promised he’d never put himself out there to know.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Eddie pressed his palm to his eye, Rick’s words reverberated off his skull as he grappled with the feelings he’d long ignored.
The feelings that had sprouted and made a home of him since the summer he worked with you.
Eddie could still feel your lips against his, the electricity that hummed in his veins and he wished it had lasted a moment longer.
He made a mistake, a huge mistake, and winced every time he thought about the look on your face when he pushed you back into the passenger seat.
Eddie knew if it went further you’d only regret it once the sun came up and you’d sobered up. Once the realization hit that you’d slept with the pariah of Hawkins and he couldn’t live with you seeing him that way, with you regretting him.
Not when he already saw it in so many eyes around town.
He wasn’t exactly someone you could take home, someone you could brag about or show off a picture of. He knew that much, had been told that much so he accepted it to be true.
When girls got with Eddie they expected fun, they expected drugs, and a quick hookup.
Some of them never talked to him again, pretended they didn’t know him when they ran into him and others told him that being with him made them realize they’d hit rock bottom.
God, he couldn’t handle you telling him that he was your rock bottom.
Eddie decided it was better to ignore it, to ignore you. Better to pretend it didn’t happen despite the way he felt to spare himself from the regret he knew you’d feel.
Tumblr media
It was a rainy day, fat drops bouncing off the windshield as your father drove. Faster than usual. In a hurry but you didn’t know where to.
The air conditioner was off creating a layer of condensation on the windows, making your legs stick to the leather seats of your family’s beat-up station wagon.
You drew butterflies on the glass, finger tracing against the cool pane. Grin wide as your drawings exposed the gray of the sky, the way the dark clouds rolled against its expanse.
The low hum of Strawberry Fields Forever played over the radio but your parent’s voices were louder.
Angrier.
Your mom sniffled and you leaned up in your seat to see if she was crying, the length of her hair concealing her face from view.
“Mama,” you pushed against her seat with your sneakered foot but she didn’t respond.
“Jude, please pull over. I can drive.” Your mom insisted, tugging at your father’s arm but he shoved her off.
You unbuckled your seat belt and pulled at your mom’s shirt trying to get her attention.
“Mom.”
But your voice was cut off, muffled below the volume of the radio as your dad’s hand reached for the dial turning it until your ears rang.
You shrank back into your seat, lower lip jutted as you looked at them. No longer able to understand what your parents were saying, the scene in front of you a mix of gestures and twisted faces leaving you confused.
Your mother pulled on your dad’s arm again and he shoved her off, turning his head to look at her. Mouth wide as he spoke but you still couldn’t understand what he said.
Everything else became a blur of lights and pain.
Endless pain shooting from your leg and throughout your body.
Your cries wracked your body but were silent to your own ears.
The scene around you a mix of broken glass and lifeless eyes.
Then darkness.
Tumblr media
You woke in a cold sweat, tank top clinging to your body uncomfortably.
Behind your eyes, your head pounded in a steady rhythm, one that matched the way your heart was racing. Bile began to rise to your throat, the nausea that always accompanied the nightmare.
The sting of your leg a reminder of the accident, of the pain from that day.
You pressed your palms into the skin of your thigh massaging the muscle marred by a thick scar that was a shade lighter than the rest of your flesh.
It ached like it just happened, like you were ten years old again trapped in that car and you groaned trying to bring yourself back to the present. Tried to ground yourself with the distant sound of the coffee maker and the smell of burnt toast.
Slowly you came back to the present, heart settling into a steady rhythm as you glanced around your room.
Sunlight streamed through your sheer curtains in brilliant rays, yellow hues painting your walls and highlighting the dust that danced through the air.
You threw your head back against the pillow, not ready to face the day. Images of the night before flooding your vision.
Simon and Rachel, her mouth pressed to his. The way she smiled up at him, held his hand.
The scene too familiar for a random drunken hook-up.
You pressed your palms into your eyes, rubbing until you saw swirls. Until you were reminded of Eddie’s stunned face as you sat in his lap, hands on his chest. The way he bucked into you.
The way he pushed you back into the passenger seat.
“Fucking idiot,” you groaned with embarrassment, pulling your pillow over your face as you let out a scream.
You stayed concealed under the pillow, contemplating jumping into the lake and disappearing altogether. Not ready to face Simon and Rachel. Or Eddie.
You flailed your body as another wave of embarrassment rolled through you, causing your pillow to fall from your face.
The incessant buzz of your phone caught your attention and you looked at its illuminated face. The screen full of notifications that you could see without grabbing it.
Hesitantly you reached for it, eyes pouring over all the texts.
11:55PM
Simon: Guess you decided not to come tonight?
12:00AM
Simon: helloooo?
12:23AM
Simon: so you’re just going to ignore me now cos I asked you to go out?
Simon: not like we can’t do date night another time, wanted to go have some fun for once
1:03AM
Simon: so you did show up
Simon: you left with MUNSON?
2:30AM
Simon: you’re really just going to ignore me?
2:33AM
Rachel: (Y/N)?
Rachel: Simon is really worried about you
7:49AM
Simon: We need to talk
8:36AM
Rachel: Text me when you’re awake
You swallowed the emotion that arose and wondered if their guilt had kept them awake, if it had eaten at them or settled into their chest. Felt whenever they breathed.
Were they even capable of that?
Slowly you pushed the sheets off the bed and forced your legs over the edge one by one until your feet were planted firmly in the plush carpet, your back still pressed against the mattress. Your phone forgotten, lost somewhere in your bedding.
You willed yourself off the mattress and clamored out your door, mind focused on getting a glass of water to cure your dry mouth.
The throb of your head returned and fuck, why did you drink so much last night?
The smell of burnt toast grew stronger as you stumbled down the hall causing your stomach to twist into knots and you could only assume it was your brother’s fault.
“Is it really that hard to cook toast, Rick?” You complained loudly as you reached for a glass on the top shelf and turned to the sink.
Blissfully unaware that there was a set of eyes on you, watching as you whistled and filled your glass to the brim. Foot tapping to a song that only you could hear.
Eddie watched you, a little petrified like a deer caught in the headlights.
He knew he’d see you, it was your house after all, but he wasn’t prepared for how much he’d see.
His eyes traced over your legs, focusing on the swell of your ass. Watching as you leaned over the sink to get a better view of the lake from the window, exposing just a glimpse of your ass cheeks.
And it’s like you knew what you were doing, knew that he was watching and driving him just a little bit insane.
He swallowed harshly, refocusing his attention back on his breakfast. Doing his best to ignore you like he planned.
“If it isn’t little miss sunshine,” your brother greeted, words dripping with sarcasm.
You turned around to mock him but stopped in your tracks, eyes practically bulging out of your skull when you noticed Eddie and you gripped your cup harder.
Had he been sitting there the whole time?
He quietly nibbled on a piece of bacon. Avoiding your eye contact entirely.
Your embarrassment flared and god, you wanted to crawl into a hole to disappear entirely.
Blinking rapidly, you shifted your gaze from his frame to Rick.
He situated himself at the table, grabbing a plate and shoveling food onto its surface. Eggs, bacon, and the incredibly burnt toast.
“Have work today?”
“Like I do every Saturday,” you shrugged, tone bored and doing your best not to glance at the metalhead out of the corner of your eye.
You took a sip of your water, focusing on the way its cool temperature slipped across your tongue. Focusing on anything else.
“I’m not going to be able to take you to work. Mrs. Wheeler needs me to take a look at her car and then I’m picking up some extra hours at the shop.”
You had yet to overcome your fear of driving, already having a hard time being a passenger in a car. 
“Can’t mom take me?” you questioned but Rick’s head was already shaking as you spoke.
“The transmission is acting up in her car, need to look at it,” he stated around a mouth full of food.
“Then how is she getting to work?” You set your cup onto the counter sharper than you intended and folded your arms over your chest.
“She’s not, has one of her headaches again,” he gestured to his own head and shoveled more food into his mouth.
“That’s why I need the overtime and for you to go to work, we need the cash. Next deal isn’t coming in before the light bill is due.”
Your shoulders sagged, the constant stress of bills weighing heavy on you.
“I can just walk or get an uber,” you suggested with a tight smile, reaching over to grab a piece of bacon. The walk wasn’t that long.
“Your uber is already here,” he pointed to Eddie and your eyes nearly bulged out of your head.
Not happening.
“I can just walk,” you reaffirmed quickly causing Eddie’s eyebrow to quirk.
“Why are you acting like such a brat?” You rolled your eyes.
“I’m not, just don’t want to make Eddie go out of his way for me.”
You unfolded your arms and gestured absently towards him.
It was mostly true anyway, you didn’t like the idea of returning to the scene of the crime or spending the twenty minutes it would take for him to drive you to work in awkward silence.
“He’s not, stop being weird.”
“I’m not being weird,” you scoffed.  “Besides I can just ask Simon to give me a ride,” you shrugged nonchalantly, taking another bite of bacon. Rick didn’t need to know that you weren’t talking to Simon and definitely wouldn’t be getting a ride from him.
Eddie’s elbow settled against the wooden dining table as he watched you, the way you so easily lied to your brother.
“Jesus, fine, whatever.” Your brother raised his hand up to get you to shut up and chugged his orange juice. 
You reached for another piece of bacon but this time off his plate. Rick reached for your hand, shaking the piece out of your grasp, and turned to you, face twisting in disgust when he noticed what you were wearing.
“Go put some clothes on before Eddie gauges his fucking eyes out.” He wiped his mouth and waved a dismissive hand at you, chuckling at his own joke before biting into the piece of bacon that you tried to steal.
Eddie chuckled along with your brother, his pale cheeks blossoming pink and you sneered at him.
“Oh, I’d really hate for him to do that,” your voice dripped with sarcasm as you rolled your eyes and disappeared back down the hall to your room.
You pressed your back against the wooden door, annoyance making a place in your chest and overtaking any embarrassment you’d previously felt.
No, Simon wouldn’t be giving you a ride but neither would Eddie. You’d rather risk showing up a sweaty mess than sit in a car alone with him.
Tumblr media
What you hadn’t planned on was for it to start raining. One of Hawkins’ sporadic downpours graced the sky as autumn settled into its foliage.
The maple leaves had already started turning yellow, their brightness a contrast against the gray sky. The air smelled of the evergreens, the sharpness of their leaves mixing with the sweetness of the maple trees.
You took a deep breath as you continued your walk, the road feeling longer in the bad weather.
Your converse trudged through the mud splashing dirt onto the cuffs of your jeans. Your white assistant manager shirt clung to your skin leaving little to the imagination and you crossed your arms over your chest.
There was a small part of you that wished you had just taken the ride but there was a bigger part, the more prideful one, that was glad you hadn’t.
Not after the way he laughed at you, at the thought of even being attracted to you. When you’d just mauled him the night before and this would be the perfect time for lightning to strike you down.
To end your misery, the embarrassment clinging to you once again like your clothes did.
In the distance, you could hear a car approaching and you moved further into the dirt to avoid being hit hoping it wasn’t a creeper or a new serial killer looking for his next victim.
But it was worse.
It was Eddie.
Smiling at you from his rolled-down window, van driving slowly on the road's edge.
“Are you that fucking stubborn?” He asked, although he already knew the answer.
“Go away, Munson.”
You didn’t look at him, eyes focused on the road ahead.
“Simon a no-show, huh?”
You clicked your teeth, trying to appear nonchalant. Like the words didn’t dig at you.
“Doesn’t appear so.”
His shoulders sagged as you continued to ignore him, deciding to appeal to your sensible side instead.
“You’re going to get sick.”
“So?”
And why did he think you could be sensible?
He groaned and sped up only to stop the car just in front of you to block your path. You stopped in your tracks, listening as he climbed out of the driver’s seat and rounded the car.
“Are we really going to do this again?,” he questioned as he trudged toward you. Boots slamming into the mud. Curls a little wild when he looked at you.
“Do what?” You gave him an innocent smile, eyelashes batting dramatically. 
Eddie closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“Just get in the fucking car,” he stated through gritted teeth, his annoyance only making your grin widen.
“Sure you wouldn’t rather gauge your eyes out?” Your voice dropped low, mocking Rick’s tone. You dropped your smile, gaze a little cold as it met his before and you pushed past Eddie.
He threw his head back, face to the sky. Of course, you were pissed about that.
“I’m sorry, okay?” He turned to you, watching as you continued to walk away from him.
“For driving me home last night and making out with me or for laughing at me this morning?” You turned around and began to walk backward, arms lifting from your side. A little tired, a little defeated and you stopped beside his van waiting for his answer. Concealed from the rest of the road.
“Laughing at you,” his voice was earnest, “I didn’t mean it.”
You nodded, his words a salve to that wound but still, there was the mortifying way he pushed you away from him.
Eddie began to walk towards you, drawing closer. The scent of his cologne invading your senses.
“Sure you aren’t sorry about the making out part?” You questioned, eyes trained on his amber gaze as he approached.
He swallowed roughly and debated whether he should be honest and simply shook his head.
You shrugged your shoulders trying to appear flippant, to seem as though his reassurance didn’t affect you the way that it had. Heart hammering wildly, legs a little wobbly because Eddie Munson didn’t regret kissing you.
“Well that’s good, I’m glad neither of us regretted it,” you turned from him, missing the way his gaze lit up at your words. The reassurance that he needed.
“Now you can go on your merry way and pretend that you gave me a ride. I promise I won’t tell my brother that you didn’t.”
His hand was warm against your arm as he spun you to look at him.
Your shoes slid against the wet earth from the force and it was for a brief moment that you saw him before you crashed into the soft mud.
“Fuck-“ your curses were synchronized as you fell and pulled him atop of you, his weight causing you to groan from the sudden impact.
Eddie’s knee was slotted between your legs as he lifted his weight onto his forearms, brown gaze boring into your eyes. An apology on his lips when you began to laugh. Giggles filling the air around you.
You looked at the evidence of your fall, your white shirt was painted brown, ruined, and marred from the mud. Your hair was a mess of dirt that clung to your face.
Eddie was void of any dirt, the only evidence was the mud that soaked through the pants of his jeans and it was a little bit annoying.
Slowly you reached your finger up and slid it across his pale skin with a wide mischievous smile. Chuckling at the way his eyebrows married at your actions, the way his jaw jutted to this side and he shook his head.
“You brat,” he lifted a hand and attempted to copy your actions as you tried to wiggle away. His free hand stilled you, holding you by the waist his he dragged the other across your cheek.
His playful smile mirrored yours.
“You jerk, I have to get to work!” But your tone didn’t match the light in your eyes.
“I don’t think Huntzberger wants you hovering over the popcorn, let alone walking into the building, like this.”
His eyes roamed your body, noticing the way your nipples were pebbled against your shirt. The way your jeans hugged the flare of your hips as you squirmed beneath him.
Your breath hitched as he took you in, chest rising and falling at a quickened pace that wasn’t lost on Eddie.
“How much time do you have before work?” His voice was a little gruff, affected, and it took a moment for you to form a coherent thought.
Your eyes blinked rapidly, hands resting on his chest absently and you cleared your throat.
He lifted off of you and reached a hand to help you up but you pulled him down into the mud beside you.
“You little shit!” Eddie looked at himself, the mud that clung to his jacket and jeans.
“Oops,” you shrugged and leaned out of his way as he threw mud at you.
“I have like two hours,” you laughed, looking at him completely amused.
“How long did you think it was going to take you to walk?” He lay there defeated, chuckle matching yours.
“I don’t know, it was just in case-“
“In case what? You had to fight a pack of wood rats to get through?”
“Shut up,” you shoved his face from yours, mud caking his cheek.
Eddie gasped at the same time you did, realization dawning as he tackled you back into the mud.
It was like the whole world fell around you, ceasing to exist except for you and Eddie. His muddied face hovering above yours, long fingers digging into your sides as you wiggled away from him.
Your giggles filled the air and you pushed at his chest.
“Stop! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Tears sprang in your eyes as you pushed against his chest, dirt seeping further into your clothes as you lay there at his mercy.
“Say please,” he insisted and you shook your head, hands gripping his shirt,
For a moment he stopped, fingers stilled at your sides and he smiled at you mischievously. Face moving half an inch closer and your smile faltered briefly, gaze darting to his lips and back to his eyes. Their deep brown staring back at you, a light in them you hadn’t seen.
“You don’t regret it?” He questioned, needing reassurance. His breath fanning against your face.
You shook your head already knowing the “it” that he thought you regretted and he leaned closer, his lips a whisper above your own.
Shaky breaths mixing with yours.
Your heart skipped as you anticipated the first touch, your eyes fluttering closed.
Eddie pulled away, slowly. Hesitantly.
“Think we should get you back home,” he looked down at your dirtied clothes and chuckled, face hovering above yours and you tried to hide your disappointment as you nodded in agreement.
He pushed himself off of you wiping his hands along his jeans before stretching out his hand to help you up.
Your palm slid against his, caked dirt pressing against his warm hand and he pulled you against him. Sliding his hands down until they settled on your waist.
His nose traced yours as his fingers dug into your hips and he swallowed hard.
The composure he’d always managed to maintain quickly slipped away.
You tilted your face and ran a hand against his jaw, cupping his chin. Your thumb lazed against his stubbled flesh drawing circles in his skin.
“Fuck it,” Eddie’s lips pushed against yours.
The press of them made you gasp, just as soft as you remembered but more fervent than before.
His tongue pressed at the seam of your lips, swiping against yours when you opened for him.
He was sweet like spearmint and you hummed.
Exhilaration thrummed through you as you pulled him closer, arms wrapping around his neck.
Chest to chest.
Hearts synchronized, each beating at a rapid pace and you wanted the moment to stretch on.
For the kiss to never end.
Thunder cracked in the air and the two of you looked up at the darkened sky just as the rain began to fall.
Eddie looked back at you, dimpled grin wide as the first drop hit his cheek and you yelped when the first drops began to cascade against your cheeks.
He pressed a quick kiss to your lips, enjoying your surprised gasp. The way you instantly melted into his touch.
“Will you please get in the fucking car now?” 
You nodded rapidly, your hand slipping into Eddie’s warm palm. Allowing him to pull you towards his van and into the passenger seat.
Tumblr media
Your house was silent, the volume of your mother’s television low behind her bedroom door. Rick had long since left, his car missing from your driveway.
Slowly you tiptoed inside and pulled Eddie behind you like a teenager sneaking a random boy in. As though Eddie hadn’t been inside your house a million times before.
You slid the deadbolt into the door and turned to him with a wide grin, making his heart pulse with nervous energy.
His thoughts raced with uncertainty. Insecurity and god, what was he doing in his best friend’s house holding hands with his sister?
What if you didn’t regret it now but you did later?
Because you were bound to.
He was adamant you were.
Your lips made his thoughts dissipate, self-doubt replaced with a need he could no longer ignore. You both kicked off your muddy shoes, their soles landing with a soft thud against the tiled floor.
His smile grew under your kiss as you led him through the house and to the bathroom, legs moving backward as you tugged at his shirt.
Your back hit the wood of the door louder than expected and he broke apart from you, stilling to listen for any movement. His concentrated face made you giggle as you pulled him through and closed the door.
“Scared, Munson?” Your voice was teasing as you pushed him against the wooden frame and reached for the lock beside him. Twisting it until it latched.
Less than shy.
A little needy.
Challenging gaze trained on his as you pushed his leather jacket to the ground, grinning as it landed with a thud.
It was like a game, each of you teasing and feeling like you were about to explode.
He shook his head in response, crooked grin broad as he dipped his head closer to yours. Enjoying the way you leaned towards him instinctively already anticipating the moment his lips would be on yours.
“What was it you said last night?” His voice was gruff, eyebrow twitching up as he waited for your response.
You watched as Eddie traced his fingers up your arm, the warmth of them felt beneath your shirt. His pace was agonizingly slow as he created a trail to your face and rubbed an affectionate thumb against your cheek.
Your mind was swimming, eyes trained on his lips just inches from yours. Loud need surpassing any form of a coherent thought and he enjoyed how you were affected.
How you were a little dumb from just one kiss, from the press of his body against yours.
“Come on pretty girl, I know you remember,” his lips grazed against your cheek settling on the sensitive skin between your ear and your neck.
He pressed a kiss against the sensitive flesh, smiling as he felt your shudder.
“I said,” you swallowed and closed your eyes as he began to suck at your skin. The sensation driving you a little mad.
“Go on,” he instructed, breath warm against your ear.
“Nobody has to know,” your fingers tangled into his curls holding him against you. He hummed against your skin, tongue darting against the spot he just sucked.
“If you don’t want them to,” you finished, relishing the way his teeth grazed against your flesh. The way his warm breath made goose flesh sprout along your arms.
“Is that what you want?” He questioned heart hammering against his ribcage. The same self-doubt sprouting. A little mocking.
“I just want you.” He pulled away to look at you, brown eyes boring into your own. Measuring your sincerity. Not finding a hint of doubt. He swallowed hard and pressed a kiss to your lips, sucking your lower lip between his. The sensation making your toes curl and your hands tangle in his shirt.
It felt like there was electricity in the air, the hair on your arms standing on end as it buzzed around you.
The surface of his tongue dragged against your lip and you slid your own against his, matching his pace. He savored the way you tasted, swallowing your breathy moans as he led you further into the room until your ass pressed into the edge of your sink.
Eddie kissed the edge of your mouth, your jaw, your neck and lifted you to sit on the counter. Your small yelp made him smile against your skin as he pushed your collar aside and began to unbutton your shirt.
“Is this okay?” He asked, voice soft. Hands quickening as you nodded your response. The fabric dropped from your shoulders and into the sink, your breasts only concealed by the thin lace of your bra.
His cheeks blossomed red as he admired you, eyes trained on the bud of your nipples pressed against your bra and swallowed hard.
“You’re so beautiful,” his gaze met yours. Eddie’s voice sounded strained, as though he were struggling somehow and you began to push at the soft cotton of his black t-shirt. Running your hands at the patch of hair that led into his jeans up to his chest. Pushing his shirt up with your ascent and over his head, your teeth sinking into your lips as he stood before you. A new intimacy to the exposed skin you’d seen before.
It was your turn to make him shudder, to make goosebumps sprout as you dragged your fingertips down his abdomen and to his handcuff belt buckle.
Eddie’s eyes darkened as you unfastened it and tossed it aside, his fingertips tracing lines up your arms. Leaving behind a trail of electricity where they touched.
He lowered his head, breath warm against your skin as he placed kisses on your shoulder, peppering them up to your jaw.
He pulled at the straps of your bra and reached behind you for the clasp, unhooking it. Your bare breasts pressed to his chest, heat rising to deepen the color of your skin.
Eddie’s mouth was back on yours in an instant, kisses frenzied.
Need overpowering any thought as he made work of the button of your jeans while you made work of his with clumsy hands.
“Take these off,” you pushed at his chest and jumped from the counter to remove yours until you were in just your panties. Bare chest heaving with excitement.
His breath hitched at the sight of you, his hard arousal less restrained against the material of his boxers.
You kissed him again, slower. Deeper. Teeth grazing his lower lip as you stroked him over the thin material of his boxers. Smiling as he shuddered against your lips you pulled the rest of the material down.
Eddie’s hands dug into your skin as his hard cock sprang free against your stomach, the girth of it making your eyes snap open wide from the touch alone. Your pussy clenched as you thought of the stretch he would be and you needed him inside you.
He pushed your panties down until they fell to your ankles and walked you backward towards your shower, the cold of the glass door making you gasp as it touched your naked flesh.
Briefly, the two of you pulled apart.
Eddie’s pupils were blown, darkened by a different kind of hunger and breathing became difficult under his fixed gaze.
You began to stroke his hard dick rubbing your thumb against his tip, mouth-watering to have him pressed into your cheek as precum leaked down your hand.
Eddie swore he died and went to heaven as he watched you get down on your knees in front of him, your tongue dragging across the underside of his shaft.
“Holy fuck,” he breathed, bucking when you wrapped your lips around his tip. Cheeks hollowed out as you teased him inch by inch until he was pressed against the back of your mouth. It felt like you were swallowing his dick the way you pulled him into your throat, gagging as you looked up at him. Slobber collecting around his cock and dripping down his balls.
His hands fisted in your hair, watching you bob up and down his cock, dragging your hand over his shaft as you did.
Eddie whispered your name and it only made you more needy for his cum, wanting to taste his warm load against your tongue.
“Baby, baby,” his grip on your hair tightened and you stilled, eyes looking up at him with your mouth still wrapped around his cock.
“I’m going to finish before we even get started if you keep doing that,” his voice was a little strained as you pulled back releasing his tip with a small pop.
“That’s okay,” you whispered as you continued to stroke him.
He shook his head and stilled your hand, fingers wrapping around your wrist.
“Not yet,” he lifted you up and kissed your swollen lips as he reached inside the shower to turn the hot water on, steam clouds quickly filling the room.
A small giggle escaped you as Eddie hoisted you up, fingers gripping your ass. Your legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, hands twined around his shoulders as he carried you into the warm water.
Your fingers slipped into the curls at the nape his neck until his chest was pressed against yours.
Your mouths were frenetic, all teeth and tongue. An animalistic need that came over you.
His fingers gripped you tighter as you slid your wet arousal against his shaft. The tip of his cock teasing your tight entrance.
Eddie pulled away and groaned into your neck. Teeth scraped against the sensitive flesh and you moved your head to expose more of the skin to him.
His tongue slid against your pulse, feeling the way your heartbeat thrummed wildly underneath it.
You tangled your fingers into his curls bucking against him, sliding your slick folds against his length, enjoying the way his hands clutched your hips tighter. Trying to hold onto the last of his restraint.
“I don’t have a condom,” he whispered, and you stilled.
“There’s always next time,” you promised with a kiss and Eddie couldn’t believe there would be a next time.
His lips locked with yours as he unwrapped your legs from his waist, setting your shaky legs underneath you.
Agonizingly slow, his mouth trailed down your chest. Tongue swirling around your budded nipple. Pulling it into his mouth with a gentle suck.
Your head fell against the tiled wall, nails scraping at his back as he showed your other breast the same attention. Kneading the other with his free hand.
His kisses trailed down your sternum, tongue grazing against your abdomen. As he neared your mound he lifted your leg, hooking your knee over his shoulder.
Steam billowed around you and against the glass panes, separating the two of you from the rest of the world. Water rolled down Eddie’s back soaking into his hair as his tongue left an agonizing trail up your thigh until he reached your center.
You gasped at the first swipe of his tongue, bucking as he parted your sensitive flesh.
He took his time, lapping at your already dripping arousal. Humming as he tasted you.
“Sweetheart,” he groaned, returning to your thigh to press kisses into your skin. You tilted your head back against the wall, his affected voice playing in your head on a loop.
“I knew you’d be this sweet,” his voice was gruff, vibrating against your inner thigh as he sucked and bruised your skin before returning to your aching cunt.
His tongue darted in and out of your sopping pussy, enjoying the way your quiet moans reverberated off the walls.
The way you bit your lower lip to keep yourself from moaning louder.
He began to rub gentle circles against your bundle of nerves and it felt like your mind became void of thought, ears whirring with the sound of your beating heart.
You wrapped your fingers in Eddie’s hair to keep you grounded, almost losing balance as he pulled your clit into his mouth with a gentle suck.
He teased your slick folds with his finger, prodding your entrance. Gathering your slick arousal before slowly inching inside of you until your walls were wrapped around him.
Eddie’s finger curled inside of you, pressing against your spongy center. A spot you were never able to reach on your own.
It had you seeing stars, moans growing louder and you covered your mouth to muffle the noise.
He groaned, about to cum at the sight of your pleasure with you wrapped around his finger. Slowly he added another digit, stretching you until he was knuckle deep. Your juices dripped down his hand as he quickened his pace.
The lude squelching of your pussy made his eyes roll, his tongue darting quicker over your sensitive clit.
Your grasp on his hair tightened as you began to ride his face, chasing the release you needed.
You bit back your moan and glanced down at him.
Eddie Munson was on his knees in front of you, dark brown eyes watching you as you ground your pussy against his face. His curled fingers darting in and out of your cunt, mouth sucking your clit. Freehand keeping you spread apart for him.
You gripped his hair, pulling at his curls as you began to come undone. Eyes slammed shut, the pleasure deepening until it felt like your entire body was a live wire thrumming, unfurling at your center.
You moaned his name over and over, the only word you knew how to say. No longer able to form a coherent thought as your pussy pulsed with the strength of your orgasm and Eddie didn’t move. Lapping at your release, relishing at the way you tasted as you coated his tongue.
He removed his fingers from you steadily, pressing kisses gingerly to your inner thigh, your abdomen, and up to your breasts until he was standing over you.
Eddie peppered a trail of kisses along your neck and up your cheek until his lips were pressed against yours.
You hummed as you tasted your release on his tongue, dragging your nails up his abdomen and to his chest. Enjoying the way his muscles tensed under your touch.
“Eddie,” you whispered his nickname between kisses, eyes still closed as his mouth worked against yours but your lungs were desperate for oxygen. Burning for a reprieve.
You pulled away slightly and peeked up at him through your lashes. Lungs constricting for a different reason. Obsidian eyes framed by long lashes looked back at you with an intensity that made you swallow harshly. Eyebrow pointed up as he waited for you to continue, to tell him what you’d planned to say.
His face was framed by his dark wet curls as they clung to him, porcelain skin blossoming a rosy pink from the temperature of the water, and holy, Eddie Munson was beautiful.
The kind that made your heart stutter, stop, and start again.
The kind that could have you dedicate paragraphs and soliloquies to describing the intensity of his gaze, the effect of his crooked smile.
The kind that had you staring at his lips, a little dazed and you could blame it on the world-altering orgasm. Could blame it as a side effect of the billowing steam around you. A little suffocating in its intensity.
“Yes, sweetheart?” His gruff voice broke through the silence, your train of thought, nose rubbing against yours and you crooned. Needy hands pushed at his chest and spun him around until his back was the one pressed against the wall.
Your fingers created a trail back down his abdomen and through the patch of hair that led to his cock.
“It’s my turn,” you whispered against his lips and began to stroke his length.
His jaw went a little slack, gaze trained on your teasing smile. 
Watching the way you created circles against his tip, your other hand massaging his balls. 
You pressed a quick kiss to his lips and began a trail over his jaw, settling on the sensitive skin of his neck. 
Your tongue grazed his skin, enjoying the way his dick twitched in your hand as you began to nibble gently. Sucking the sensitive spot into a bruise. Eddie groaned, head tilted against the wall as his hands explored your body. Caressing your tits, pinching your nipples between his fingers. 
His hands moved to your hips as you trailed down his chest, kisses peppered down until just above his cock. You watched him from above your eyelashes, gaze trained on the dazed look in his eye as you dragged your tongue along his shaft. Swirling it along the top, the taste of precum salty against your tongue. You moaned at his taste, eager for him to coat your throat in his release. 
Your head bobbed an inch and off again, teasing. A wicked smile on your lips when you looked up at him. 
Eddie was on the brink of destruction, about to explode from the sight of you on your knees once again and this time he wouldn’t last. 
“Such a fucking tease,” he grunted, fingers rubbing the side of your mouth. Tugging until you opened wider for him. He pushed his thumb in, groaning when your tongue swiped his finger. Sucked on it, releasing it with a loud pop. He rubbed your drool against your lips, watching it bounce back into place and you were back on his cock again. Not allowing him a moment longer to think as you sucked viciously on the tip while you fondled his balls. 
Eddie’s moans grew louder and you clenched your legs together, aching for him to stretch you. The image of him pumping into you spurred you to take him deeper and you pulled him further into your mouth, cheeks hollowed out as you took him inch by inch until he was hitting the back of your throat. 
He knotted his fingers into your hair, guiding your head up and down as you began to increase your pace. Until he was fucking your face. You concentrated on breathing through your nose, your tongue swirling while your hand gripped him. Stroking in sync with the movement of your head. Slobber coating his pubes and dripping down his balls. 
“Holy fucking shit,” he cursed, listening as you gagged around his dick and it felt like you were swallowing him whole. 
“I-I’m gonna come,” Eddie stammered, voice strained. You hummed against his cock, needy for him to finish. He pumped one more time until he was spilling into your mouth, warm come hit the back of your throat. 
You continued to suck on his cock, milking every drop out of him. Ascending to his tip to lick him clean, enjoying the way his tangy spent tasted against your tongue. 
Eddie’s body turned rosy, goosebumps breaking along his flesh. The orgasm rolling through him, felt deep in his gut and he swallowed the deep groan stuck in his throat. 
His fingers were still twisted in your hair and slowly he released his tight grip, eyes opening to see you still on your knees trailing kisses over his softening arousal and back up his torso. 
You smiled as you wrapped your arms around him as if this wasn’t your first time together. Comfortable, shyness tucked away somewhere and hidden from sight.
“Hi,” you smiled at him fondly, voice softer than when you first entered the room. Eddie rubbed an affectionate thumb against the apple of your cheek, fondness evident behind his half-hooded eyes.
“Hi,” he whispered back and held you close, pecking a soft kiss against your lips. Fast as if it were a habit. 
The two of you stood there, warm water hitting your back. Shrouded in steam and under the after-sex glow. The kind of glow that painted Eddie’s cheeks a permanent shade of pink and you didn’t think he could look any cuter. 
“I’m pretty sure I’m going to be late to work,” you giggled. Not eager to move, unsure of what would happen once you did.
“Shit, I forgot that’s why we came back,” he laughed with you. This morning’s conversation felt like eons ago.
“‘S’okay,” you grinned, “Mark will be fine without his AM for a bit. Just need to get cleaned up.” You began to push off his chest but Eddie held you there and reached over for the bottle of shampoo. 
“I can help you get cleaned up,” he offered, already reaching around you and putting too much shampoo onto his palm before you could respond. He rubbed it between his hands before massaging it into your scalp.
The smell of coconuts mixed with a floral scent filled the air as you mulled, enjoying the way his fingers felt in your hair.
“Oh my god-” you groaned, neck relaxing into his touch. Eddie chortled, enjoying the way that you melted into him even more. 
“Does that feel good?” 
“Munson, did I ever mention how talented you are with your hands?”
“I think you may have given me a hint,” he retorted, heavy on the innuendos and you slapped his chest lightly.
“Something about my mouth too,” he added, moving only slightly as you lifted your hand to swat him once more. His fingers still rubbing against your scalp, suds forming and lifting into the air. 
“You’re lucky you’re cute,” you muttered into his neck and his grin grew.
“Little Lipton thinks I’m cute,” he mused but your smile faltered as you pulled away from him. He looked at you quizzically, sudsy hands dropping from your scalp.
“What is it?” 
You pressed your palm to his chest, putting space between the two of you. Taking a deep breath. 
“I’m not Little Lipton,” you sighed, drawing invisible circles into his skin.
“Or Speilberg.” You rolled your eyes because as much as you hated, or pretended to hate, that nickname there was a part of you that felt a certain fondness for it. However small. 
“It’s (Y/N),” you swallowed, “I want you to call me by name.” 
He nodded but you didn’t look at him, eyes focused on the constellation of freckles that dotted his chest. The tattoo he let your brother do several years ago. 
Eddie pushed your chin up so you’d look at him. At the sincerity that hid behind molten honey. 
“(Y/N),” he whispered, your name never sounding any sweeter, and pressed a kiss to your lips.
“Eddie,” and he never realized that his name could ever sound saccharine on someone’s tongue. How it would be to hear it wrapped in affection. A hint of budding adoration. 
He pressed a chaste kiss to your lips, to the tip of your nose before gently pushing your back into the water to rinse the shampoo from it. 
-
tag list*: @sharnnnnnn, @hsllfirescoops, @gri959, @bexreadstoomuch, @bourbonbl0nde, @mrsjellymunson, @micheledawn1975, @sweetdazequeen, @auntbaby, @vintagehellfire, @alwayslindie, @fentiibratzz, @findmeincorneliastreet, @take-everything-you-can, @kellsck, @mewchiili, @corrodedcoffincumslut, @cozmiccass, @ali-r3n, @the-unforgivenn, @trixyvixx, @emxxblog, @hereforshmut, @the-sylver-dragon, @pixxiestixs, @cosmorant, @chloe-6123, @kaita, @givemethatheart-breakingstory-rn, @brinleighsstuff, @lightcommastix, @birdysaturne, @meabhogr, @bl0ssomanddie, @hugdealer, @serenadingtigers, @fishwithtitz, @adamsbubblegumbitch, @fangfatale, @aspectsofyou, @5tud10-54r4h, @dontcrydaddy
*if you requested to be tagged but were not listed it was because your blog did not pull up to verify your age or there was no indication that you are 18+
tag list is closed
91 notes · View notes
Text
Tumblr media
This week’s writer spotlight feature is:  deadratz/@munsonkitten! They have 32 works in the Stranger Things fandom on AO3 and 31 of those are in the Steddie tag!
Our anonymous nominator recommends the following works by @munsonkitten:
the sound of silence
float among the wreckage
share the same space for a minute or two
you make me feel like i am whole again
sugar on my tongue
"In a fandom with over 20 thousand fics, it's hard to find fics that stand out, and Grim has so many that feel like a breath of fresh air for the characters. His specialty is exploring Eddie's trauma, past and present, and being patient with letting him heal in a messy, realistic way that tears your heart out and puts it back. Grim takes on topics that can be difficult to explain, like trauma and gender exploration, and puts them into words so perfectly. His fics are entertaining and heartfelt and always hot, no matter which one you open, you're in for a treat and he has some hidden gems! Regardless of what's popular, Grim stays true to the characters and it's easy to trust him with them, and that's something to appreciate!" -- anonymous
Below the cut, @munsonkitten answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!
Why do you write Steddie?
When Season 4 came out, I had lost all motivation in my old fandoms. I hadn’t written anything in months, but then I saw Eddie and fell in love instantly. As I was watching, I started to have this little thought like “is anyone else seeing this?” when I saw Steve and Eddie interact, and I ended up on AO3, reading through anything that looked good out of the 300 fics that came out in those first couple of days, and then I kept reading, and I was completely inspired. I was pulled in, and I tried to write something between volumes 1&2 that didn’t go anywhere, but I didn’t want to give up on them because there was just this pull that kept me thinking of them, and then, of course, we saw Eddie’s fate and I immediately had to rectify that in my own way. I love writing Steve and Eddie because they come from very different worlds, but as a queer punk who also played sports in high school, I know firsthand how those worlds can collide and I can relate to both Steve and Eddie and how they fit into their places as the freak/jock. There’s also just a certain coziness that comes with writing Steddie for me, like they’re familiar and something I can find safety in. They’re both complex characters with traumatic experiences and there’s comfort in that and there’s comfort in being able to process my own life through the perspective of the two of them and apply different things to their canon personalities and backstories. It really comes down to, like, even though they’ve fought monsters, they’re really just regular guys, too. They’re relatable and accessible because their lives are pretty average without the monster stuff. I don’t find myself wasting time doing tons of research about certain jobs or lifestyles as I have with other pairings in the past. Steddie has just given me a lot of freedom to do what I want.
What’s your favorite trope to READ?
There are so many tropes that I love. I think a lot of them depend on how they’re written, of course, so even tropes I don’t typically like to read can end up being really good to me. My go-to answer for this is usually pre-dating sharing a bed/only one bed, whether they’re sharing because they get paired up together on a trip; they’re laying low at Steve’s and Steve needs to keep an eye on Eddie while he’s healing; nightmares bringing them to each other in the middle of the night; or one of them just crashing in the other’s bed. I think there’s something so intimate about the way these scenes can be written, something very vulnerable that I just love. There’s a lot of trust that goes into being comfortable enough sleeping near someone else, and I think it’s a really good way to start Steve and Eddie’s relationship. I also love, love like any kind of friends with benefits situation where they’re obviously pining for each other and completely in love but try to pretend the things they do together is just “helping a friend out,” while mutually being in denial of feelings. It serves for great tension and there’s always really good pay off when they start dating.
What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?
My answer for this is really similar to the last one. First and foremost, I write what I want to read. I’m just very drawn to these kinds of fics with pre-relationship intimacy that turns into something solid between them. So I love writing only one bed and pining/fwb/friends to lovers fics as much as I love reading them.
What’s your favorite Steddie fic?
It’s hard to choose just one favorite after almost two years of reading Steddie fics, but some real stand out fics for me that I’ve read fairly recently have been Trouble Looks Good on You by indelicate, Metamorphoses by fastcardotmp3, Play it Right by stereobone, and Doing Nothing with You by redoaktree. All of these give such nice depth to the characters and their situations and have stuck with me. “Trouble” is still ongoing, but I trust Rue (indelicate) with these characters so much that I can say it’s one of my favorites without having the entire fic yet. It just hits so many of my boxes for Steddie, has all the right factors for a phenomenal fic, and stays so true to the characters in my opinion.
Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?
I have so many plans for upcoming fics, but one I’ve been trying to find time to write for over a year now deals with a lot of grief/mourning of a loved one and includes rockstar!Eddie with a good slooow burn. It’s all things I’ve somewhat explored, but want to really expand upon with this one. I feel like I haven’t written a proper slow burn, either, because I tend to do fwb situations with slow burns on the emotional aspects and admitting feelings part of their relationship, and I want to do a full slowburn in more aspects of their relationship. 
What is your writing process like?
Usually I’m inspired by something, whether it’s a situation that happens to me or something I see on TV, and I think about what kinds of stories could be told with those elements. Sometimes I take one trope and try to build a fic around it, sometimes I see a tiktok or a scene in a show and decide I need to use that in something. Other times, I just have a sentence in my head that I have to write down and it turns into a whole page and then suddenly I have 5k words. A lot of my process is spent brainstorming with friends, talking through scenarios and seeing what kinds of responses they get, other times I have an idea and I run with it and don’t tell anyone until it’s done. There are some fics I’ve fully outlined and then gone in completely different directions, and there are some fics I never wrote down a single note for. I’ve had a few fics that started as just single sentences and turned into paragraphs and merged them with other ideas in other documents. My process is kind of chaotic and always changes, if I’m being honest, but it works for me. I think it entirely depends on the mood of the fic I’m trying to write, how much research goes into it, and how long it’s going to be, and all of that. Sometimes I’ll sit down to write something fully knowing it won’t go anywhere just to get me into a writing mood. I’m really all over the place with my process.
Do you have any writing quirks?
I don’t know if this is really a quirk, but I’m the type of person who will go weeks without writing anything and then suddenly have an entire chapter or oneshot finished in two days. I procrastinate until I realize I need to do something or until inspiration really hits me and then I just lock it in and write nonstop until it’s done.
Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?
This is kind of fic-dependent. If I know for sure that I have the time and motivation for a story, I post as soon as I get chapters finished. If I know I don’t have the capacity for another long form fic, I’ll write out the first chapter and leave it in my drafts until I get a bit further on it, just working when I’m between other projects or stumped on something else. I wouldn’t exactly say I post on a schedule because it’s nowhere near consistent, but I’ve never finished a full multi-chaptered fic before I start posting. I do write a lot of oneshots and two chapter shorter fics, though, so those two chaptered ones are usually close to finished before I post them.
Which fic are you most proud of?
Hands down, the sound of silence. They’re not done yet, but ‘you make me feel like i am whole again,’ and ‘sugar on my tongue’ are also up there with ‘sound of silence.’ It’s my longest fic in this fandom (currently) and my second longest fic I’ve ever written. I put so much of myself into this fic and I’m just really proud of myself for it. There were some definite challenges with this one, with one character in the main pairing barely having any dialogue for the first half of the fic, with the other half of the pairing navigating his newfound sexuality and his life being turned upside down yet again, and I also have a few outsider POVs like Wayne, El, Robin and Hopper sprinkled in there, which is always difficult to work in for me. I’m proud of myself for doing all of that and finishing it.
How did you get the idea for the sound of silence?
This fic started as two separate documents, just unconnected pieces of different stories, both of them hitting dead ends with no hope for continuation. I had started with just a simple idea of Wayne and Steve meeting after the events of season 4 put Eddie in the hospital, and I wanted to show the way Wayne cares for the people who love Eddie, and that ended up becoming the beginning of the fic once I put all the pieces together. The other document I had started around the same time was a short Wayne POV about living with Eddie after S4 and the person he turned into after losing so much of himself. I wanted to explore the idea of someone as loud as Eddie going non-verbal for weeks to months at a time (something I explored in a different fandom, so that sort of inspired me to write SOS too), and when I finally put those together, it just felt like everything was so clear to me and I took off with these ideas.
When writing float among the wreckage, what was something you didn’t expect?
Oh boy. This one was actually difficult for me because I wanted it to be a hate sex fic, and I realized I’m just incapable of making Steve and Eddie hate each other at all. I did something like that one other time earlier when the fandom was still pretty new, but wreckage came to me nearly a year into writing them and I’d really cemented the idea of these characters in my head, and it was just… Very unexpected that I struggled to tap into that tension and hatred. It ended up being less about hating each other and more about misplaced/misidentified feelings in the end.
What inspired share the same space for a minute or two?
I think my friend Teddy actually gave me the main idea for this one. An end of the world “I’m going to die a virgin” apocalypse setting during “season 5.” From that, I just started writing and saw where it took me, and I’m happy with where I took it. Sometimes all I need is one sentence and then I have 11k words written in just a few days, and that fic was one of those times.
What was your favorite part to write from sugar on my tongue?
This is a really hard question because I love so much of this fic and it’s still ongoing so I might still write something I love even more than any previous parts. Without giving too much away, it’s probably a tie between their first smut scene in chapter 1, their club night in chapter 2, and the part in chapter 3 where Eddie’s walking down the road after he runs out of gas and has a lot of introspection about his life and how he finds safety in Steve. One of my close friends told me the writing in that last part was beautiful and I’ve since decided it’s one of my favorite things I’ve written.
How do/did you feel writing the sound of silence?
Sound of Silence was very cathartic for me. I’m so proud of this fic and it deals with so much I rarely see in fanfiction – some of the topics are unsexy and there are a lot of symptoms of mental illness that are highly stigmatized that people just might not want to read in a story. But I knew it was the story I needed to tell for Eddie, mostly, but for Steve, too, and for myself. It’s not always happy, but it’s real to me. Life can be ugly and people can be volatile and traumatized and struggle with sexual function and have undesirable compulsions, and writing that whole fic felt like a release in a way because it’s stuff I relate to and stuff my best friends have also gone through. And the comments on this fic have made me feel seen and less alone in the things I struggle with that I had Steve and Eddie struggle with, as well. I think it’s just really important to have those fics that give at least one reader some comfort in their own situations.
What was the most difficult part of writing you make me feel like i am whole again?
This fic is about gender identity and pregnancy and love and all sorts of stuff that can be hard to put into words. I’ve never experienced a pregnancy, so there’s a lot of research that goes into that, a lot of reading firsthand accounts and finding out all sorts of things that weren’t taught in sex-ed classes. It’s also been a very vulnerable fic for me because Steve and Eddie both experience gender in ways that I do, too. Every time I write about identity and dysphoria through them, I’m putting parts of myself on display for others, and that can be hard, especially when people don’t always understand. I’m very protective over this fic, and I’ve had to defend aspects of it from people who can’t always accept other people’s experiences with gender identity and queerness. That’s been difficult, even well meaning comments can come across as criticism when the writing is so close to home, and it’s been a struggle to keep my head on straight with this one. But as difficult as that may be, the pros outweigh the cons with this fic. It’s so rewarding when people DO relate to the things I write about, and it’s been validating for my own identity and I’ve been told so many times the fic has felt validating to others, too. So as difficult as it can be, I wouldn’t change anything. 
Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?
I mentioned this bit of sugar on my tongue earlier and I think it’s my current favorite, but I have so many scenes and lines from other fics I’d consider my favorites: The sun beats down on his face and arms. He’s burning, red skin and hot tears. He feels like he needs to crawl out of his own skin. To leave it on the ground and walk away someone else.  Someone who doesn’t have to deal with Al Munson, doesn’t have to deal with a town that hates him for things he didn’t do. He wants to be someone who doesn’t have to be Eddie Munson at all. He just wants to be someone else, to feel safe in the skin he wears.  He thinks Steve might be the only person who makes him feel that way, even if it’s only for a glimpse, a small fraction of his life. Even if it’s just in the quiet hours of the morning when they’re curled up in Eddie’s bed, or when they’re just two boys kissing in a bar where no one knows their names. He wants to feel like that again. Safe. 
Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?
I’m helping with a Sub Eddie Week event in April, so if anyone wants to do a fic or art for that event, you can find all info @subeddieweek. Most of my upcoming work is going to be made for this event, so stay tuned.
Thank you to our author, @munsonkitten, and our anonymous nominator! See more of deadratz works featured on our page throughout the day!
Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!
55 notes · View notes
theflyindutchwoman · 18 hours
Note
Hi I’m back.
But mad now.
WHY IS EVERYONE (expect Tim) TREATING MY BABY LUCY SO BAD!?
No one was in that room supporting her after the shooting.
Angela and Nyla treated her like shit, looking at her like she’s less then. Acting like her failing to make detective was actually her own fault!?
The way Nolan fucked up and ends up on fucking tv!? While Lucy “makes a mistake” at a scene and gets taunted!?
No one our girl is spiraling lately. The only person she has right now is Tim. He has been unwavering in his support.
I’m so mad 😤 and then I’m also nervous because next week it seems like they’re making Tim abandon Lucy!? And like wtf is that!? He better explain himself and not join the dark side. He’s all we have for her right now (unless we include Tamara but she’s MIA)
Who do we talk to about giving my baby a better support team and friends!? Jackson would never.
LUCY RISKED HER FUCKING LIFE TONIGHT TO STOP THAT GUNMAN AND A SINGLE ONE OF THEM SEEMED TO CARE! (Again excluding our husband Tim Bradford)
See, I don't know if it's because I saw that hospital scene first - I forgot about the time change so that's the only scene I caught live - but I didn't think they were treating Lucy that badly (or maybe I expected worse). She was the suspect of a shooting, she had to be isolated. That's standard procedure. We saw some of it in 1.08 when Nolan shot someone, killing him in the process. Talia had to secure the scene while he was waiting in the hallway alone. Same when Grey showed up. It's in Lucy's best interest that they follow the procedure to the letter so she can be cleared.
But that doesn't mean people weren't there to support her. Nolan and Aaron showed up for her. They were just waiting outside. Grey was asking how she was doing. The reason why Tim was able to go directly to her is because he wasn't involved in the orginal case or the pending IA investigation. And as soon as they got an update, Grey and Wesley immediately went to her to ease her mind. Now, Wesley's reaction seemed a bit harsh, but in my opinion, he was just trying to warn her of what could possibly happen in the worst case scenario so she could prepare herself. He didn't insist on doing the interview while it was still fresh or anything. Maybe he could have been more empathetic instead of matter-of-fact, but Grey and Tim's reactions balanced him. Especially Tim! I love that final scene of the two of them so much.
I'm going to circle back on the Angela and Nyla thing in another post (I have a couple of asks on that topic as well). But I will say that between the Pentagram killer + the shooting, I'm sure they were both very busy. And again, they couldn't be seen talking to Lucy either. But the look of horror and terror on their faces when Lucy fell down in that alley was rather telling.
Now, there is a part that pissed me off as much as you and that's Nolan getting on TV after messing up… The double treatment is so jarring. I miss the days where making a mistake had some consequences for everyone. The man is like Teflon, nothing sticks anymore.
Anyway, back to Lucy…. I don't think she's as alone as she thinks. She feels isolated, that's clear. I'm going to write about this later once I gather my thoughts a bit more but there was a small moment that I think illustrate this difference of perspective : at the hospital, when she was alone in that room, she saw Grey and Wesley look at her before turning away. We, as the viewer, know that Grey was asking how she was holding up. But I can see how, for her, it would look entirely different. She's in a bad place mentally and it's all piling up. And like you said, it's going to get worse before it gets better, with Tim going MIA. That said, this last scene at the hospital makes me believe that he will have a good reason for not telling Lucy. Most likely because it concerns a classified matter or something like that. I just can't picture the man who was rushing through the hospital to get to her, will suddenly disappear on her when she needs him the most. There has to be more to that story. But yes, moments like these really remind me how much I miss Jackson 😭 You can truly feel his absence. Lucy needs friends.
34 notes · View notes
thebeautysurrounds · 2 days
Text
I’ve been thinking a lot about how people’s reactions to certain queer shows and something I think we need to examine how we treat more ‘dark’ and ‘emotional’ shows versus more ‘happy’ shows in this case I’m gonna be talking about the “debate” between Young Royals and Heartstopper.
Firstly these shows exist in two different lanes, and draw in two different audiences and potential age ranges, in my opinion, Young Royals is for older teenagers (think juniors or seniors or someone who is about to graduate high school and is going into college) while Heartstopper is geared towards those who are just starting high school or in the middle of it and is in that transitional period of their lives. Obviously, if you are not in these age ranges you can still consume and enjoy these shows, But I want to discuss how people act like they both can’t exist and you can’t like both or both shows existing for a reason. I’ve never really been a fan of punching down or belittling queer media (unless it’s harmful) Queer media in all forms is still lacking (especially those mediums centering WLW relationships). That being said the debate of which show is better is honestly so tired.
For people who say Young Royals is so much better (don’t get me wrong it is an amazing show and by all means like whatever you want) but liking it more because it’s “darker and more realistic” compared to Heartstopper which is "much happier" and "unrealistic," To me is so disingenuous because firstly so what? campy shows that feature queer characters deserve to be unrealistic, What's wrong with being unrealistic? Queer media has been subject to the Burry Your Gays narrative for decades or extremely unhealthy tropes and storylines so what's so wrong with having storylines and shows that are unrealistic or extremely happy? (even though the themes in Heartstopper are realistic).
Have you thought about how that may be an intentional choice? Now bare with me here this may be my over-analytic brain at work but Heartstopper has more or less some of the same themes as Young Royals just shot in a very vibrant and colorful manner to showcase how happy and colorful young love is BUT if you actually have watched the show or read the graphic novels you would know the show and graphic novels cover some heavy themes.
SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT……
I want you to keep the song Pumped up Kicks by Foster the People in mind throughout this...I have a point I promise. Heartstopper is shot in a very poopy colorful way and in my opinion, symbolizes how when you’re young and in love everything feels warm, colorful, and vibrant. While Young Royals doesn't utilize this cinematic style they do use some form of vibrancy to convey tone and emotion. In Young Royals many of the scenes featuring Simon and Willhem's 'good moments' feature the sun especially shining on Simon when Willie is looking at him or whenever they are just in each other's company, this is especially prominent in the last scenes of the last two episodes of season 3.
So while people's criticisms of Heartstopper can be warranted (not saying you can't dislike the show) the comments that it's just so bubbly and bright just aren't true. The last season of Heartstopper saw multiple characters go through traumatic situations and it has been building up that way from the very first scenes in the first season of the show (but for the sake of time I'm only going to discuss both main characters in the two shows) Charlie not only is still struggling with being outed but is also battling with an eating disorder, this is foreshadowed throughout the first two seasons leading up to its inevitable blatant reveal when he is at dinner with Nick and his family where Nick starts to piece together why he is never hungry, passed out on the Paris trip and never finishes his food, which leads his to eventually research the signs of an ED. Nick is also still figuring himself out when it comes to his Bisexuality, while also dealing with the feelings of, feeling abandoned by his father, and having to reckon with the fact his brother is not supportive and dismissive of his sexuality and relationship.
Now before I said keep Pumped Up Kicks in mind that's because while this song has an upbeat, catchy tempo the song actually has a really dark undertone and meaning. So while Heartstopper is shot in a very vibrant colorway most of its characters and content of the show deal with dark themes and it's not all just a happy love story, and if the script for the next season follows the graphic novel closely, then we will see the characters go through even more challenges which also falls inline with the "darker" more emotionally message of the show. So to end this so it doesn't become a dissertation, both shows more or less have the same themes they just exist in two different lanes, I don't know why exactly people are fighting for one to be more valid than the other. When both can exist and be impactful to both or each audience, more queer shows need to exist where the characters are just happy and in love and I need y'all to unpack why you view more doom and gloom (for a lack of a better word) queer shows or movies are more valid than ones where the characters are just happy and have relatively in some aspects great experience when it comes to young love and figuring out one's identity. Sepreatlty why do you want these characters to suffer to find love? Why do characters have to go through something traumatic for their identity to be more valid and for you to relate and want to root for it more versus the latter?
Anyway, this was longer than I intended it to be but I just had to get my thoughts out there. TL;DR: Heartstopper and Young Royals are two great shows and if you think one is better than the other cause it has darker themes you are missing the point or probably objectively missed the dark undertones of the show, and one isn't more valuable than the other.
30 notes · View notes
tree-obsession · 2 days
Text
Aventurine, the Waste Land, the black hole, and luck- analysis on aventurine's possible fate
possible spoilers for 2.1 trailblaze mission
possible tws for suicide/suicidal idealization, mentions of slavery, and a massacre
ok there is. a lot to unpack for this mission but I would like to focus on the references to The Waste Land (by T.S. Elliot, fucking amazing poem btw) that were in Aventurine's parts?
First of all the achievements- the "Sibyl, what do you wish for?" and "She answers, I wish to die" or something like that. That is the very first thing in the poem we see- to put a long story short, it's a reference to how there was this oracle named Sibyl in Greek Mythology, blessed to live forever by Apollo. Apollo got angry after she refused to have sex with him and cursed her so that while she would live forever, her body would slowly waste away, eventually becoming dust kept in a jar. A couple of boys one day come up to this prison jar and ask her "Sibyl, what do you wish for?" and then she answers that she wants to die. This could be a reference to Aventurine, who is always so lucky but at that moment truly didn't wish to be lucky, and really did want to die. Yet he was stuck, unable to live- considering he is something of a "chosen" of Gaiathra Triclops, she could be the one who cursed him, in disguise of a "blessing" of good luck.
second, the maze scene. there were two references here, both from the fifth(fourth? it's been a hot minute since I read this poem, the details aren't all clear) part of the poem. it talks about a deserted waste land, where rain never falls, there is only lightning and rocks/sand. this matches up with descriptions of sigonia, as a desert planet that's referred to as "the unclaimed desolation", and also some of those lines are directly said in the white text that floated around the maze(which i'll be referring to as floating text from now on). the second reference was also in the floating text, which talks about how "there is another presence/person beside us", or something very similar. I don't have the direct quotation, but this is also a direct reference- within the poem, there are two travelers in this "waste land", and the narrator mentions feeling a presence that wasn't truly there. According to Elliot himself, his inspiration for this part of the poem was from an account of an Antarctic journey, where the person who wrote the account said he and his men were so out of it due to exhaustion they had begun to hallucinate another presence who wasn't actually there. this is probably referencing how mini-aventurine and present-aventurine both exist, and have existed, but the future-aventurine technically does not exist yet and literally is just popping up, clearly not "real" in the physical sense but definitely there. within the poem, there are a lot of speculations between scholars about why Eliiot decided to add this hallucinated dude in but one popular theory is that it's Christ, in disguise, which is really interesting considering The Family's Christian imagery. something to watch out for when Aventurine returns to the story (he def isn't dead, but as to when he's returning... :( i can't get my hopes up) or if anyone else analyzes this more deeply.
now, why the waste land? it's universally considered a pretty depressing poem, about how the world after World War I was torn apart and collapsing in on itself, and portrays a lot of characters who aren't living life to their fullest at all. it references many famous texts and literary works, pointing at literature as an amalgamation of all other literature and also acting as a metaphor for how everything builds off each other, so one thing collapsing could result in everything collapsing. there are a lot of references to different religions as well. perhaps the best way to put it is that Elliot was portraying a world under threat of total collapse, and asks the reader if there is anything humanity can do to save it, or if we must simply salvage what we can. the ending also implies peace is a far-off, perhaps unreachable thing since everything is so discordant. but you get the idea at this point- the poem is about decay and rotting over time. I don't have the greatest grasp on either this poem or aventurine's psyche, but the 2.1 quest revealed a lot- he is an incredibly lucky person who is in a lot of bad situations but gets out every time, and has never lost a bet (despite his life otherwise being absolutely terrible). the waste land itself could simply be sigonia, and then perhaps aventurine himself is a representation of the characters within the poem. practically all scholars agree that in this poem, all the female characters coalesce into one character, and the male characters do so too, and then there is one uniting character between the "male" and "female"- tiresias, who according to Elliot has "foreseen and foresuffered all". he is described as the most important figure in the poem by Elliot himself. Tiresias is an androgynous figure, but is referred to with he/his. he also is the only one to say "I" in the poem, and despite the fact he is blind he can see all, even the future- in mythology, he was a prophet like the Sibyl. "what Tiresias sees is, in fact, the substance of the poem", as Elliot says- in other words, what he sees seems to be the closest thing to the truth you will get.
now obviously that's pretty valuable, considering literally everyone is lying in penacony (in the livestream they said the entire guest list is filled with question marks in place of names, implying everyone's identities there were fake- other than Sparkle's, but she's a Masked Fool and will trick people just for the hell of it, so not exactly the best ally). however (this is where speculation starts) I think this could be possibly very subtle foreshadowing for Aven's return! and I know this may sound delusional but. it's established he's not dead. his stone is out, but that's quite possibly because he's next to a fricking black hole and also Acheron possibly had "freed" him, in some sense? that conversation he had with her obviously changed a lot of things for him as a character, and she said she could break the harmony's bonds on him... also, clearly if he wasn't dead while waking up next to a black hole, that's certainly a surefire way to tell his luck hasn't run out yet. the entire mission was spent establishing his luck is perfect, given by the goddess of his planet, and will never fail him. this is like near emanator-level shit- obviously not quite in terms of any special power, but he was specifically chosen by this goddess, was born on a special day, and due to sheer luck is the last one standing of his clan (apparently). literally everything was set up against him and he's only still alive due to a literal goddess-given power, which is absolutely nuts and almost overpowered if it weren't for the fact that he also seems to be in many scenarios where luck and gambling is the only way to get out at all. the massacre, the enslavement, killing his old master, the weird warlord thing that got brought up, penacony... his luck is purely for getting out of bad situations, it seems.
that was kind of a tangent. anyway! the whole mission was establishing how good his luck was. he got into this situation where the only solution is to walk into a black hole and see the other side of penacony- that is a classic example of "there is an extremely, extremely narrow chance of getting out alive". acheron did it, or something similar, so clearly it's possible- but luck and chance would be the only way. this is the cycle of his life- he's in an absolutely shitty situation, but he will get out due to luck. imo it's a terrible idea writing-wise to keep him explicitly alive up to the very end and going into a situation- alive- which he can survive in due to his luck, right after giving him fulfilling conversation with both acheron and his past self and seeing the uplifting note from Ratio... just to offscreen him, or kill him for some reason related to this "other side of penacony". it wouldn't line up with all that we know about him now. granted, I can't imagine it'll be pleasant and his mental state will be even worse at the end of it... but he'll be alive, and he's made it through a lot of hellish situations. he might not like his luck all the time, and it can be either a blessing or a curse given the scenario, but he's kind of stuck with it- until he withers away, just like Sibyl. Death does seem to be inevitable, but as of right now it's not knocking on his door.
tldr: for now, our boy isn't dead and his luck might be a curse to him but it's clearly going to keep him alive for quite a bit longer :)
tysm for reading and have a nice day!
38 notes · View notes
somehow-a-human · 2 days
Text
The Changing Bentley
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Noticed something when reading through this article again.
Finney took advantage of virtual production (VP) technology for the driving scenes in Crowley’s classic Bentley. The volume was built on their Scottish set: a 4x7m cube with a roof that could go up and down on motorised winches as needed. “We pulled the cars in and out on skates – they went up on little jacks, which you could then rotate and move the car around within the volume,” he explains.
Multiple cars? Maybe he's just referring to the Full!Bentley and the Shell!Bentley? Not sure, but it did prompt me to loop around and take another look at the Bentley throughout season 2...
Tumblr media
I know there has been A LOT of debate about the bentley in season two, and Neil has answered quite a few asks on the topic, I feel bad for the poor man we should leave him out of these debates lol. However, his answer here is weirdly worded.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Look at these two photos. I think it's clearest to see the color differences if you just look at the door panels.
SO, let's pick apart Neils answer then yes?
The Shell!Bentley had different color seat covers (brown).
The car Aziraphale drives to Edinburgh was not the Shell!Bentley, there were many photos taken from people around this shoot, so the Full!Bentley must have the black/blue interior yes?
The Shell!Bentley must have the brown interior, and must've been what they used to shoot Crowley's London alleyway scenes?
So the Shell!Bentley has the "correct Bentley exterior" and "correct seats"? Are the blue/black seats "incorrect"?
Tumblr media Tumblr media
But we know they did film with the Full!Bentley on Circus Lane for at least some of Crowley's London alley scenes as well as the Shell!Bentley. Or at least there are photos of both on location there.
Tumblr media
I then did the normal thing and went back and looked at each scene where Crowley is in the alleyway, and looked for two distinct things.
Presence of the rear door handle. The Shell!Bentley does not have one, the Season 1 Bentley did not have one as it was a 2-door and the Full!Bentley in season two doesn't have one until AFTER Aziraphale returns from Edinburgh
Seat color.
If they were filming with both the full and shell Bentleys and are as bad at continuity as some people would like to believe, then there should be some discrepancies in scenes between which cars have rear door handles and brown seats, right? Realistically if they're having all these continuity errors with color grading seat covers and such then there's got to be something here.
Shax calls Crowley and shows up: No rear handle, brown interior
Crowley after refusing to hide Gabriel: No rear handle, brown interior
Crowley sleeping in tactical turtleneck: No rear handle, brown interior
So, maybe they only used the Full!Bentley for scenes where the car is driving on Circus Lane? Well even if that's the case they had the continuity forethought to remove the rear door handles from the Full!Bentley in post because in all scenes in that location it has no rear door handles, and a brown interior, even when in motion.
We are given this lovely wide shot of the Bentley at the end of episode 2, just before Aziraphale takes it to Edinburgh and permanently changes the Bentley. No rear handles, almost looks like it may have the grey side detailing like in season 1. I think the intention with this shot is exactly to give us a good look at the car. Even the 1941 flashback shows us that the car then has no rear door handles and a brown interior.
Tumblr media
When Aziraphale leaves Whickber street we get a clear shot of him in the driver's seat with brown seats and when the car drives away you can see it has no rear door handles. Then the next time we see the car we get this:
Tumblr media
We get an adorable Yellow!Bentley moment, again no rear door handles, but when our angel changes it back, the car is a solid black 4-door with a blue/black interior. You can clearly see the rear door handle for the remainder of season 2, and from here on out the interior is always black.
Tumblr media
And if you think I'm a nutter for going on about the presence/absence of the rear door handles, take a look at these photos of the actual Bentley that was purchased for season 2, before it was painted/modified for the show. Seems a lot of trouble to go through to make a point of omitting them consistently via editing for half the season for no reason?
Tumblr media Tumblr media
What's mah point? Mah point...
Is that maybe there weren't two different cars, but the Bentley definitely permanently changed during Aziraphale's Edinburgh excursion and Crowley not only doesn't mention it, he doesn't even seem to notice.
It seems an awful big oversight to use two completely different colored interiors and not notice it or change it in post. I mean, It really wouldn't have even been that hard to just get some different colored seat covers if that was truly what was going on here.
I think the Bentley clearly changes and now the only questions I have are why, and why is it not mentioned. I am slowly falling into an abyss of differing POV's, that we are being told this story from changing perspectives, and I'm currently working on writing a few different writings detailing those ideas. If you haven't checked out my bit on the different lens filters used for filming, check that out, because it was definitely another stepping stone on the path I'm headed down.
Is the Bentley's change evidence of a perspective change/change in narrator? Is it simply that "our car" appears physically different and Crowley doesn't have any objections, so he doesn't mention it? And why is Neil being weird about it?
Let me know your thoughts!
21 notes · View notes
huntingingoodwill · 19 hours
Text
taste (d.b.)
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
masterlist
pairing: dieter bravo x personal shopper! reader
desc: you give dieter some much needed cooking lessons. he’s a terrible student.
a/n: written as a stand-alone but! if u wanna read the first personal shopper! reader story it’s right here
Tumblr media
“Tell me again,” you sighed, whipping your tinted shades off your face as you hugged the bag of groceries closer to your chest, “how did you manage to convince me to do this?” 
Dieter sauntered over, a triumphant glint in his eye as he peered at you over the edge of his sunglasses. 
“My irresistible charm,” he grinned, taking the bag from your hands. “Or… maybe the fact that you’re on my payroll? But I like to think it’s the former. You’re even starting to dress like me.” He smirked, gesturing at the sunglasses you had cinched between your fingers. 
Ever since admitting he didn’t know how to cook, Dieter had been trying to convince you to come over and give him a cooking lesson whenever his personal chef had a day off:  a thinly veiled attempt to relentlessly flirt with you over dinner. Yes, it was out of your job scope as his personal shopper, but you gave in rather easily - there was something amusing about him, something almost…cute. Not that you’d admit that to him, of course.
“I don’t wear sunglasses indoors,” you pulled the shades off his face and tossed them aside, where they clattered onto his dining table.
His eyes narrowed, squinting into the soft lighting of his house. 
“When did it get so bright in here?” 
You rolled your eyes, sauntering past him into the kitchen.
“How does someone who doesn’t know how to cook have an amazing kitchen like this?” you sighed.
You marvelled at his kitchen, all high ceilings and marble counters, with countless appliances populating the shelves. 
“A couple of shitty Netflix originals and the cost is covered," he sighed, reliving the cringey scenes in his mind. The tortured look in his eye flickered away, replaced with a smile. “So, you ready for our second date?” 
“It’s not really a date. I’m just teaching you how to cook. Out of pity.” 
“So, you pity me.” he smirked, as if that was a win, “That means you care.” 
“It means I knew you’d starve without your chef.” 
“Which means,” he smiled, pointing a finger at you, “you care.” 
You ignored him, pointedly dumping out the contents of the grocery bag onto the counter, holding up a large yellow onion. 
“This,” you said, brandishing it, “is an onion.” 
You sounded the syllables out, voice sarcastically cresting through each letter.
Dieter put on an expression of mock shock. “No. Way.” 
“Way. And you’re gonna cut it,” you said, tossing him the onion, which he narrowly managed to avoid dropping. “Think you can handle that?” 
“I can try,” he said, with an air of confidence you were not fully convinced of. 
You had decided to do something simple, as you knew Dieter’s cooking skills were lacking. Your fingers skimmed the countertop, taking inventory of what you had brought. Pasta, jarred sauce, tomatoes, garlic, onion, basil-
“I can’t try.” Dieter’s voice warbled unsteadily. 
You turned to be met by the sight of a tearful Dieter, his eyes red (well, redder than usual, and for different reasons), and glazed with tears. He held the knife in his hand, the bite of the onion’s stench wafting up from where it lay, half chopped, on the counter.
“Feeling a bit emotional?” you laughed, tossing the onions into a pan with oil and placing it over the stove.
“I’m an actor. I’m in touch with my feelings,” his voice cracked. 
You stifled a laugh, tearing off a square of paper towel from the roll. You closed the space between you two, dabbing the tears off his cheeks. Catching his eye, you suddenly became aware of your closeness, your heart thrumming. Swallowing thickly, you broke eye contact and focused on wicking away his tears, trying to calm your heartbeat. You did not date clients.
“Is this getting kinda… romantic, right now?” Dieter said, unable to hide his grin. 
Of course, even as you tried to push away the tension, he’d pick up on it instantly. 
You rolled your eyes. “You’re crying while holding a knife. And you smell like onions.” 
The corner of his lips pulled up in a lopsided smile. “Better than how most of my dates go.” 
You snorted, tossing the paper towel aside. “You really meant it when you said you couldn’t cook, huh?” 
“I can’t even boil water.” 
You threw your head back in a laugh. “Well, that’s certainly a good place to start.”
You grabbed a pot, filling it with water and placing it atop the burner. 
“Here’s how you boil water. You ready?” 
“Yes,” he said, determination lighting up his eyes as he rolled up his sleeves.
“I don’t think you are, it’s a huge undertaking,” you said, feigning complete earnestness as you pressed your lips into a solemn line. 
“I’ve been training my whole life for this. I’m ready,” he played along, eyebrows knitting together as he focused his eyes on the pot. 
“Give me your hand.” 
“I’ll warn you. It’s shaking,” he said, making his hand tremble dramatically. 
“I’m nervous too,” you said, barely able to conceal your smile. “You ready?” 
You put your hand over his, the skin of the back of his palm warm against the cold metal of his rings. You led it toward the stove knob. Holding your hand over his, you guided him to turn the knob, fire sprouting from the stove beneath the pot. 
“Wait a little while, and you’ve boiled water,” you smiled. 
“Does that mean you’ll take your hand off mine? I hope not,” he sighed, watching bubbles ping against the pot as the water began to simmer. 
“I’ll have to do it eventually.” 
“Then do it,” he challenged.
“No,” you said, keeping your hand firm over his, trying to convince yourself that you didn’t actually like the feeling of his skin against your palm. 
“Why not?” 
“Because you told me to,” you smiled, your thumb ghosting his knuckles, fingers nearly slotting into the spaces in between his. 
“I’m your boss. I’m supposed to tell you to do things,” he chuckled. 
“This is after hours. You don’t know how to cook, I’m teaching you how. If anything, I’m your boss now.” 
“Hot,” he smirked. 
“Ew,” you laughed, not feeling an iota of disgust. 
“It is getting kinda hot in here.”
“Because of me?” You smirked, taking a note from his cheesy lines. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. 
“Yes. But also physically. Maybe because the onions are burning.” 
“Fuck.” 
You turned toward the stove, the charred remains of the onions sticking to the bottom of the pan in a sticky, black blob.
“I think I’m rubbing off on you,” Dieter sighed, throwing an arm over your shoulder. You allowed yourself to lean into his side, relishing the warmth that emanated from him as you both looked despairingly upon the blackened pan. “You don’t even know how to cook now.”
“Who needs to know how to cook?” You sighed in defeat. “There's always delivery."
Thirty minutes later, the two of you were sitting at his dining table, a greasy pizza box sitting before you. 
“Are you sure this pizza is organic?” He said, shovelling a slice into his mouth. 
“‘Course not,” you sighed, picking up a slice, “But do you really care?”
“Ugh,” he said, taking another bite, “No.” 
You laughed, gazing at that little crinkle at the edge of his eye as his brown irises glowed in the flickering candlelight. 
“The candle is a nice touch,” your voice was dreamy as you gestured at the candle he lit on the dining table, the room bathed in its warm light. Maybe you did date clients. “It’s almost-” 
“-Romantic?” He grinned.  
“Hazardous,” you smirked, trying not to make any rash decisions, no matter how much you wanted to kiss him, “Try not to set anything on fire.”
“No promises,” he said, that glint in his eyes bright, even in the low light of the candlelit room. “It’s kinda bright in here, huh?” He chuckled, reaching for his sunglasses and sliding them on. 
You chuckled as he looked at you expectantly. Alright, you’d give in. 
“A little,” you smiled, putting your own sunglasses on, matching him. 
His lips formed a huge smile as he put his arm around you, the weight around your shoulders pleasant. He opened his mouth, about to make another cheesy remark when you cut him off.
“Let’s be clear,” you said, wagging a finger in his face, “I am not starting to dress like you. I haven’t fully given up yet,” you teased, gesturing at his outfit, a sweatpants and ratty hoodie combination. “I’m taking you clothes shopping next. That’s within my job scope, at least.” 
“It’ll be our third date,” he smiled, pulling you closer. 
“Shut up,” you smiled. 
18 notes · View notes
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
She is more than just my maid. She’s my friend.
MERLIN - 2.04 | 4.06
1K notes · View notes
juniperhillpatient · 4 months
Text
absolutely hilarious to me the contrast of writing happenstance while occasionally getting inspiration & drafting stuff for my next project which is… drastically different 😅 here’s a wholesome scene about the power of friendship & love 😊 ok now here’s a family of deeply hurt & flawed individuals with absolutely no hope of salvaging any of their relationships ever 💔
11 notes · View notes
larrythefloridaman · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
two very different kinds of siblings
#cpuk#took me FOREVER to make mac and al Feel Right to me and just as long to properly execute on the vibe i knew i wanted for goog always#but pretty happy with these!#cpuk alabaster uppercut#cpuk juniper uppercut#cpuk google#cpuk mac and cheese#you ever call a character by a nickname shortening of their name so long that when you have to type their full name again#it hits you all over again how goofy it is. anyway mack encheez would be an entirely normal ace attorney character name#ive been thinking about Al a lot lately. the difference between him in season one and season 2 is interesting to try to reconcile#because in season one its very explicit- he has beef with The Tournament Itself and that was the only reason he was here.#he was an ideological pacifist who was publically mocked and only came to fight in cpuk to prove a point#when a kid from uppercut village was getting bullied because of contestants mocking him and the village.#but when season two rolls around hes a 'cpuk veteran' who's always fighting at locals and bettering the scene.#which leads me to assume Al arrived to CPUK and went 'damn bitch y'all live like this?' and set to work on repairing the vibes#especially since uppercut village has been utterly ignored by the lore since his introduction and with ncct information...#im not sure it... meaningfully exists? its a part of his concept and self that informs his actions but has never mattered.#and as such with the schrodingers isekai way that submission to cpuk works in nccts worldbuilding#i think it might be. just as unreachable as eric is to thera/folk. something from another reality hes just not part of anymore.#in his second tournament appearance he sets a goal of not coming in last and then he's retiring and he doesnt come in last.#but then he comes back.#imagining this dude trying to get a ride back home to uppercut village and the driver needing directions bc hes got no idea where that is#and al realizing he doesnt. know how to get there either. and so the only place he has to go is back to the tournament.#and the sense of community identity so core to himself he's named after it falters and hes left alone#and so he begins to build a new sense of community for himself out of the new home he's been left with. makes friends. adopts new family.#living in honor of the memory of a village that never was.#at least not here.#juni knows the participants of cpuk as family. uncle cha cha. mama hoedown.#in a sense both al and juni are adopted from elsewhere into the family they know.#smthn smthn 'it takes a village to raise a child.' i am speculating myself into getting emotional about funny punch guy 👍
37 notes · View notes