#I'd say he's either neutral and says he supports you so long as you get your ass back to fighting you goddamn maggot

[some-pers0n]

"All of the mercs would be homophobic and racist" NO THEY WOULDN'T!! You mean to tell me that nine mentally ill hired killers, all of which coming from a game that's hellbent on taking old and tired tropes and cliches and subverting them in new and funny ways, would just be generic bigoted people because of the time period??? My guy WHAT!?

#The lack of creativity is unmatched #Being real here I don't think any of them would be bigoted #That includes Soldier and Scout #Scout would just add it to the list of things to make fun of you for. He doesn't find it offensive or gross but just ammo for insults #Taunts them about going easy on him because they were so distracted by his hot looks or something #Meanwhile Soldier...hm bit on the fence about him #I'd say he's either neutral and says he supports you so long as you get your ass back to fighting you goddamn maggot #Or he'd be really supportive and instantly pat you on the back and give you a warm smile while going about how this is the land of the free #and it's your god given right as an American (he's convinced you're American) to be free and that love isn't sinful #tf2 #Honest to god I think writing any of them as racist or homophobic is misunderstanding these characters and world so bad #sp-rambles

[yanderes-galore]

Hi, I hope you're having a good day/night <3 could I request a romantic TFP yandere starscream vs TFP yandere megatron with human darling? I'd love to see your dynamic now in TFP😭 Either in concept or scenario. Thank u

- Anon 🫧

It's very similar if not the same to other Starscreams and Megatrons but I'll see what I got :)

I struggled a bit on this as it's been a bit since I've seen Season One of TFP but I hope you enjoy! Not edited so it may have spelling errors.

Yandere! Starscream vs Yandere! Megatron

(Transformers: Prime - Human! Darling)

Pairing: Romantic - Rivalry

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Cybertronian/Human pairing, Abuse of power, Dehumanizing behavior, Kidnapping, Brief stalking mention, Possessive behavior, Rivalry, Trauma, Violence, Attempted murder, Forced relationship/Pet dynamic.

For the most part they're the same as other versions of Megatron and Starscream.

It's just Megatron is out for most of the starting obsession.

The obsession for both of them also takes longer due to you being human.

Since Decepticons usually see the fleshy creatures as some sort of pet.

Things most likely start when Starscream assumes "rule" of the Decepticons.

Megatron is stuck on life support and is unable to be a part of the concept for now.

You most likely meet Starscream first because of this.

It would take some time but he may eventually see you as a needed asset.

This could be for a number of reasons.

You could be associated with the Autobots, which means you have information.

Or maybe you're a researcher, which means... again, you have information.

That would be the primary reason for why Starscream would take you onto The Nemesis ship.

Starscream would plan and watch you, maybe even asking Soundwave to record your routine.

He wants to get all the information he can before he takes you in.

When Starscream eventually makes his getaway with you, information is all he really wants.

That is until he realizes he can vent his frustrations about Megatron using you... along with feel powerful by bullying you around lightly. (too much and you could break!)

Honestly, Starscream's obsession is a lot like the fic Power Trip I made a long time ago.

TFP Starscream would use his human to feel like he's stronger over someone.

I imagine he has some trauma due to Megatron and uses you as an outlet.

When he's done using you for information he doesn't plan on just letting you go.

During your interrogation he learns he can keep you as a "pet".

Afterwards that's exactly what he does.

He'd purposefully make you praise him and be loyal to him.

He can't hurt you as you're fragile and squishy.

The most you're hurt is maybe bruising and scratching as he's so large.

He hits you wrong and you go flying.

Most of your "relationship" with Starscream is him dehumanizing you.

Soon he feels daring and even makes you say you love him.

At first it was to see how far he can push you... but hearing you say it made his spark shudder for a moment.

Safe to say he becomes addicted to hearing you praise him and say you love him.

Even if to you it's all rehearsed.

This is the life to him, ruling Decepticons and holding his lovely human pet.

That is until Megatron awakens and takes back the role of leader.

I'd imagine this is where the rivalry begins.

However... first Megatron has to like you.

Megatron most likely learns about you through Soundwave and the fact that Starscream keeps clutching you so close in order to hide you.

In an attempt to hurt Starscream, Megatron takes you.

He can tell you and Starscream are close which he finds really weird.

At first Megatron thinks he should just kill you.

Then he hears you've been made into a pet... one loyal to the Decepticons.

Honestly, he has to applaud Starscream for managing to tame a human.

So instead of removing you, Megatron keeps you in a hanging cage.

You're just in sight to make Starscream remain obedient.

Megatron doesn't entirely fall for you until later.

He mostly just enjoys seeing Starscream look so distraught and seeing how obedient you are.

Again... you're used for a feeling of power.

How Megatron treats you is very similar to how he treats you in this concept.

Like Starscream, he uses your forced loyalty to stroke his own ego.

Megatron likes to think of you as his human pet.

Who knows, maybe if you say you "love" him like you did with Starscream, Megatron may grow more attached.

As time goes on, Megatron decides you'll thrive better in a larger cell.

Soon you have your own "enclosure" on The Nemesis, one where only Megatron gets to look at you.

Megatron also learns how to care for you through Knock Out and Soundwave.

He may even be able to threaten some info out of Starscream.

While at this point Megatron has claimed you for his own, he allows Starscream to see you in order to keep him behaved.

By this point Starscream doesn't care about ruling anymore.

He just wants you back, then he'll even leave!

Starscream may even wonder if he should attempt to take Megatron offline again...

He was close last time... this time maybe he'll succeed.

Unfortunately... Megatron isn't willing to have Starscream leave with you.

You know belong to Megatron, not Starscream.

Megatron keeps you in your enclosure, closely watching over you and speaking to you.

Meanwhile Starscream plots on how to steal you out of it.

Starscream may even create a plot where he has the Autobots storm The Nemesis all so he can take you in the aftermath.

It's unfortunate that you're stuck between the two....

You thought Starscream was bad, but now you have Megatron too.

There's two ways this could go.

Megatron exiles Starscream in order to keep you... or Starscream manages to run off with you.

Even then, there's still a chance you could fall into the claws of the other Decepticon.

Even when exiled... Starscream will just convince the Autobots to help him somehow if he says a "human is in danger."

Or if Starscream runs with you, Megatron won't stop searching until both of you are found.

Even if the Autobots save you some how, now both Decepticons are competing on who can locate you first.

Ever since meeting Starscream... your fate has been sealed.

You fear it may be too late to escape once both of the Decepticons are attached.

#yandere transformers #yandere transformers prime #yandere tfp #yandere tfp megatron #yandere tfp starscream #yandere megatron #yandere starscream

[deepspacedukat]

Worthy

And Spock wins the plot bunny sprint. 🖖

Cross-posted to AO3 here.

~*~

Spock & Reader (platonic)

[A/N: This can be any Spock you want, but in the interest of full disclosure, I did write it with TOS Spock in mind.]

Warnings: Mentions of a break-up (not between reader and Spock), tears, emotional hurt/comfort, friend relationship, Spock is a good friend, supportive Vulcans are supportive.

~*~

"Lieutenant? You have seemed distracted today. Are you well?" The calm, neutral voice of the Enterprise's first officer startled me out of my stupor. I'd thought I was alone in the turbolift - finally free to trudge back to my quarters at the end of my shift and cry myself to sleep. Had Spock been there the whole time? If not, when did he get into the lift with me? Had I been that out of it?

"I'm fine, sir," I murmured, but the conspicuously raised eyebrow told me that he didn't believe a word.

"Forgive me, but unless I am mistaken, the puffiness around your eyes indicates the recent presence of tears. And you never call me sir when we are off-duty," he stated, and although I knew he was just expressing his concern, the formality of his observation in a situation like this drew a rueful huff of laughter from my throat. I was certain that I'd either confused him or made him even more concerned about my well-being.

Taking a slow, deep breath, I nodded my head and halted the turbolift.

"Perceptive as always, Spock." He'd been my friend since the year before I'd been assigned to Enterprise, and since I had nobody else aboard who I felt like telling, I figured I should go ahead and tell the one person to whom I told everything. "He broke up with me...said he couldn't handle this 'long distance stuff,' to use his own words."

At this Spock's brow furrowed.

"I was under the impression that he was merely opposed to the labeling of your relationship as romantic. The two of you were, to quote you, 'keeping things casual.'" He sounded as confused as I felt.

"We were, but...I guess a casual relationship just...wasn't what he wanted anymore. Not when it was long distance, anyway," I muttered crossing my arms protectively over my middle and leaning against the turbolift wall. "He wants to stay friends, though. I agreed. It hurt, but I agreed. I can't make him care for me more than he does."

Lowering my head to hide the reemergence of my tears, I took another deep, steadying breath and tried to blink them away before they could fall.

A large, warm hand grasped my upper arm, a gentle sensation that made me look up.

"If he was not satisfied with the devotion you harbored for him - that was evident whenever you spoke of him or to him - then he was not worthy of you," Spock murmured, soft brown eyes conveying more compassion than I'd expected from one so controlled as he.

This time I couldn't stop the tears that dripped down my cheeks.

"Thank you, Spock." My voice sounded watery and small, but I knew he wouldn't mind. His mother was Human. He'd probably seen her cry before, not to mention the rest of the Humans he'd served with.

Standing straight and clasping his hands behind his back, Spock lifted his chin slightly and spoke with more gravitas than I'd heard before outside of the Bridge.

"As you are my friend, I believe it is my honor and privilege to host you in my quarters for what is colloquially termed a 'girl's night.' I may not be the same gender as the name implies, but I have been told that what matters on such an occasion is the quality of the friendship. I believe I am correct in saying that ours qualifies."

I was so stunned that I didn't reply immediately, but Spock continued.

"Disregarding the lack of nutritional content, I believe ice cream would be an appropriate substitute for a meal, as well as wine. As per the terms of a 'girl's night,' I am also quite open to listening to the ways in which the ending of the relationship has caused you pain and providing comfort at appropriate moments–"

I couldn't help myself. I knew that Vulcans weren't big on physical touch, but Spock had allowed me to hug him before. Throwing my arms around his waist, I let out a wet giggle against his shoulder, making him break off mid-sentence.

"You're too good to me, Spock."

He wrapped his arms around me, holding me close as I sniffled quietly.

"It is my duty as your friend to support you. I believe it would be customary after a terminated relationship to offer to hide the body, but he is not worthy of the effort of such a venture," he said against the top of my head. "I take it you would not be opposed to a girl's night?"

I shook my head wordlessly, and he redirected the turbolift toward the floor housing his quarters.

~*~*~

Taglist:

@akamitrani @android-boyfriends @attention-bajoranworkers @bigblissandlove1 @darkmattervibes @emilie786 @groovyqueer @horta-in-charge @live-logs-and-proper @rookietrek @slutty-slutty-vulcans @starrynightgardens @toebeans-mcgee

#deepspacedukat fic #fuck it #why not

[sixofpomegranates]

☠︎ Tutor ☠︎

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Carver!Fem!Reader

Word count: 13K (it's a long one | That's what she said.)

Summary: Trading tutoring for guitar lessons, Reader’s hopeless crush on the towns freak doesn't seem so hopeless after all.

☞ Picture does not describe the looks of the reader!

A/N: !Body & Skin color Neutral! Reader! IMPORTANT: Jason is also still alive. Reader is Jason's cousin and grew up with Robin as her best friend. They worked together with Steve at Scoops Ahoy.

CW: Smut, Fluff, Angst 18+| Eddie (Bullying/Self-Deprecation/Feeling of not being good enough) It is implied that Eddie has ADHD or is at least in the spectrum, [y/n] (Rich Parents not supporting your dreams/Shady family wealth-white supremacists) Mentions of Vecna/Chrissy/S4/Near-death experience/Scars/Nightmares, Pining, Drugs & use of (Weed), Making-out, Fingering, Penetrative Sex (Virginity/Loss of virginity, Unprotected, Creampie)

Pinning my tutoring flyer on the board in school, I sigh. Another year of tutoring to have more than this couple of peanuts my parents consider my pocket money, I guess.

Fun fact, it's called pocket money because it's little enough to fit in your pockets, even if Dad gives it to you in pennies.

But okay, I want something, I'm eighteen, and I am able to earn the money for it. Sure, my uncle and aunt just bought Jason a new car because our family name's soaked in wealth, and apparently, we think that the price of a dead girlfriend is exactly the same as for an Audi 5000CS Turbo Quattro; but okay...

If anyone in my family would know that the disaster that was March and the giant earthquake were actually a real-life boogie man coming to collect teens; and that there was something the kids I tutored over the last years called 'The Upside Down', I'd get my guitar lessons paid within the blink of an eye...

But Robin, Steve, and Nancy were very clear about why I've got to keep it to myself.

So no hero status or guitar lessons for me, only tutoring either a child that Steve will adopt the second it comes into his five-mile radius or a stupid jock that will try flirting with me every session and stare at my cleavage instead of his books.

Simply not fair.

As somebody reaches past me to grab my flyer, I jump so severely that my headphones fall off my ears, and the smell of marihuana fills my nose.

"Jesus," I mutter, turning to the person behind me and meeting the face of Hawkins's most hated man. Eddie Munson.

March has fucked up everyone; me being particularly jumpy and having my walkman on all the time is actually one of the better outcomes.

Eddie is now hated by most. They couldn't link him to a satanic cult (Just officially named him a freak and loser that likes dungeons and dragons, which seems to be a gateway drug to demon worshipping now...) and with the government and Chief Hopper's help, they also stopped trying to convict him of Chrissy's murder, but the town hates him.

They still believe he has something to do with it, whether proven innocent or not.

How he still makes it through the day, a big smile on his lips, truly baffles me.

"So, you're tutoring?" he asks, not looking up from my flyer. I nod. "Yeah, need the money."

"You only tutor the freshmen or..." "Everyone's welcome," I smile, turning off my music. "Even the full-on, nonconformist metalheads."

Cocking his head, he raises his eyebrows. "You really think you could help me pass chemistry with Kaminsky?"

"Depends." "On what?" I grin. "If you pay for your lessons."

Faking a heartbroken reaction, he giggles. "And that after I saved you from being demobat food. I'm a hero, y'know?"

Shrugging, I pin another flyer on the board. "Well, Munson, what can I say? We are living in a material world, and I am a material girl."

Eddie pulls a face as though he is about to vomit. "Gross, don't Madonna me."

"I Madonna as much as I like to," I laugh, punching his chest gently. "So, chemistry, anything else you'd need help with?"

That is when the bell announces lunch. I watch the metalhead tense up before me but still trying to play it cool.

"Uhm, we can talk about it while having lunch," I offer, but he shakes his head. "Nah, I- They throw stuff at me when I enter the cafeteria, so I'll just relax outside a little," he tells me, still smiling, but his eyes can't hide anything.

He's afraid.

"Yeah, sure," I smile back. "After school?"

The hallway starts to fill with students, and Eddie becomes visibly uneasy. He already begins removing himself from the conversation, turning around only to lift his flyer. "After school," he calls over to me and vanishes in the crowd.

*****

After school, I wait outside for Eddie, having him see me and smile from afar, ditching Dusting and Mike while they're still talking to him and running up to me.

"Hey, Carver," he says teasingly, making me smile. "Hey, Edward."

He nods, knowing he deserves the comeback. "You shall be forgiven."

"Okay, business talk. What classes do you need help with?" I ask, looking around. My parents insist on my cousin driving me home for safety, and I really want to avoid Jason seeing me with Eddie.

"Well, chemistry is currently the biggest problem. Have you heard of Kaminsky's All-or-Nothing Test?" I nod. "That's the one you have to take if you screwed up every other test-" Realization washes over me. "Oh, Eddie."

He smiles at me apologetically, cheeks turning a little pink.

"Why didn't you say something earlier? I- We could've studied together."

He shrugs. "To be fair, I know we were in the Upside Down together and stuff, but I didn't think we'd know each other enough to ask."

True, we don't. I'd only ever seen Eddie from afar in school or at the mall. And before all hell broke loose with Chrissy's death and those bat-things nearly killing him, I'd actually been massively intimidated by him.

He is loud, handsome, and definitely a little crazy; that had been enough to keep me away.

But since the Upside Down... That place and all that comes with it – let's just say it helps you forget your social status and makes you become allies even with the handsomely crazy ones.

"I- I still would've helped you if you'd asked. You have to graduate this year, or else-" He interrupts me. "I know. I just didn't want to be a burden. Like, 'Oh, you killed a bat for me, now I have to study with you.'"

"You're not a burden, Munson," I tell him, looking into his warm, brown eyes.

"Heard different things before, and you only say that because you haven't tried studying with me yet," he grins. "So, how much per lesson?"

"How bout a deal?" I ask him back before all bravery can leave me. Eddie's lips split into a gorgeous but mischievous smile. "Oh, I'm good at dealing."

"I swear if you pull out your lunch-" Before I can end my sentence, he's already pulled out the black metal box containing his drugs.

"Eddie, you're not paying me with drugs," I tell him sternly, forcing him to put the lunchbox back into his backpack.

"It's good stuff," he tries to assure me, but I shake my head, hardly able to bite back a grin. "And I still don't want it."

After a final try at handing me the metal box, he shrugs, putting it away.

"You play guitar, right?" I ask him as if I haven't been part of the most metal concert the Upside Down has ever experienced. "How bought instead of paying me, you teach me? I wanted to take classes with that money anyway."

He blinks at me a couple of times before letting out a loud, excited laugh. "Y-Yeah. Totally. I- I taught it myself, so if I can learn it, you can learn it."

"Cool," I answer. He scratches the back of his head, echoing me, "Cool."

We stare at each other for a moment, somehow not knowing what to say. God, this is awkward, isn't it? Am I making it awkward?

Quickly clearing my throat, I announce, "I'm babysitting Mike and Holly tonight, and the Wheelers always allow me to bring company. So, bring your books, and we'll see how bad the situation actually is."

Eddie smiles, as he almost always does. It is actually quite distracting. "Okay. Uhm, then I meet you there at...?"

"Six," I blurt out, then giggle a little anxious. "Six. Great," he chuckles in reply.

Before either of us can say another word, our attention is drawn to a small group of jocks, Jason being their leader, on their way to us and their cars.

"I'm gonna drive the kids home," Eddie tells me, still smiling as if he could hide the real reason he wants to leave. I grant him the illusion of having fooled me, smiling, "Okay. See you tonight."

I watch him hurry away, get Mike, Lucas, and Dustin – including their bikes – into his van, and drive off. Jason rushes now closer, having seen us from afar. He lays his arm around my shoulder, pulling me uncomfortably close.

Maybe I'd felt safe being protected by him when I was five, but now I only see the always returning, dangerous paranoia in him. The way he brutally beat Lucas, saying he protected Max but left them both behind as the Upside Down ripped through the old Creel house... He isn't the same person he was before Chrissy died anymore.

"Hey, was the freak bothering you?" I struggle out of Jason's hold, walking to his car. "No, he wasn't, and don't call him that."

He opens the car, throwing his backpack into the backseat. "Come one, [y/n]. You know this guy's a satanic cult leader and murderer. Think of what he did to Chrissy."

It always spins back to this. It always becomes religious. Religion, whichever you pick, can be beautiful, but unstable people will always find a way to turn it into a weapon for their insane reasoning.

"He didn't do a thing to Chrissy, and you know it," I tell Jason, hating that I can't just explain everything to him. I honestly don't even think he would believe me. He's too far gone.

"I know what I saw," he insists as we sit in the car, harshly gripping my wrist. "Around him, things happen. Strange things, evil things."

His fixation on Eddie never eased, even after he was proven innocent. Jason believes in everything being the fault of the sweet metalhead, simply because he was in the wrong place, with the wrong person, at the wrong time.

"You need some serious therapy before this whole town joins your bullshit again, and we have a second Salem witch trial on our hands," I snarl at my cousin, ripping my wrist from his grasp.

The more delusional he becomes, the more violent even his slightest actions become.

"I'm just watching out for you," Jason tries to explain, driving out of the school's parking lot. "Do me a favor and don't," I ask of him, looking out of the window.

My conversation-ending tone, however, isn't enough for him. As if he could frighten me with his tough-guy act, he threatens, "Stay away from Munson, or I'm telling your parents."

I nod. "Well, in that case, I'm telling Aunt Iris and Uncle Frank of how you faked a house break-in to hide the aftermath of your School's Out Party '84."

The discussion finally dies. Jason turns on the radio, listening to the religious station he's recently so obsessed with, and I continue staring out the window, watching cars pass us by.

*****

After getting Holly to say goodbye to her parents, I tuck her in and walk into Nancy's bedroom. I sit beside Robin on the bed while Nancy does her makeup at her vanity.

"Hey, Nance? You think you could borrow me your notes for Kaminsky's class?" I ask as she is done putting on mascara.

"Yeah, here," she smiles, handing me her pink folder. "So you're really tutoring tonight instead of going out with us?"

I roll my eyes, laughing. "And I am babysitting, so you can go out."

"And we're very thankful for that," Robin snickers, styling the mane of the little plush zebra on Nancy's bed. "So, who's the poor soul fucking up chemistry?"

"Eddie," I answer, looking at the folder to avoid meeting their eyes.

"Oh, so it's that kind of a study date," Nancy says, and I meet her grin through the mirror.

"What? No. He needs help with Kaminsky's All-or-Nothing Test, and in exchange, he'll teach me how to play guitar," I begin explaining myself, but Robin nudges my arm, rolling on her back.

"Funny, 'cause when Steve needed tutoring, you were very clear about not being into trades, even when he offered you free ice cream."

"She's right," Nancy giggles, agreeing with Robin.

"No, she's not. I worked at Scoops myself, so I didn't need free ice cream. Eddie plays guitar exceptionally well, and I wanted to pay for classes with the money I would've earned. Two birds with one stone."

"And it has nothing to do with you having the hots for Munson?" Robin asks me deadpanned, and I fall silent. I feel my face heat up and shake my head.

Rolling back onto her stomach, Robin smacks my arm. "Oh, come on. [y/n], we grew up together. Journey, Led Zepplin, Dio, Black Sabbath... The phase when we were thirteen, and you were dead set on marrying Eddie Van Halen? How you drooled every time Munson passed Scoops when we were working?"

Nancy laughs loudly, and I shrug, regretting always telling Robin everything, although I know she can't keep secrets for longer than thirty minutes.

"So... I may have a type. That doesn't mean I have the hots for Eddie," I blatantly lie, Robin raising her eyebrows and grinning at me. "Which Eddie? Ours or Van Halen?"

"Fuck you," I cuss, making her only hug me and laugh at the fact that I never really curse.

Knocking on the door, Steve comes in, scanning Nancy up and down. "Hey, are you ready to leave? Mike is talking to El on the phone, and I'm getting really bored alone downstairs."

She nods, and so we all make our way downstairs. I send Mike to his room, telling him to call Eleven from the phone upstairs and walk to the front door with my friends.

Steve opens the door, almost bumping into Eddie, who was about to knock. "Munson," Steve says, surprised. "Harrington," Eddie replies, also greeting the other two. "Robin, Nancy."

His eyes fall on me, and I smile, "Hey. You got your books?" He nods, lifting his black backpack. I step aside, letting him in, "The living room's to the left. I'll be there in a second."

As Eddie can't hear us anymore, Robin grins, wiggling her eyebrows.

I ignore her. "Bye, guys. Have fun." "You too. Do nothing I wouldn't do," she cackles. I raise a brow as she hugs me. "Do I need to remind you that you're gay?"

Sticking her tongue out at me, she drags Steve to the car, Nancy already warming it up.

"Isn't Eddie coming with us?" he asks, confused, Robin wiggling her eyebrows again. "He and [y/n] are having a study date."

Steve's mom-mode kicks in the second he hears that. "Should we stay and help them study?" "Go to the movies," I insist. "Please, I can't work with you eyeing us down."

"You're staying in the living room and do nothing any of us would do. Except for Nancy. You can do what Nancy does," Steve tells me sternly.

I raise my eyebrows. "So, I'm allowed to have a shotgun and shoot Vecna?"

"No?" he asked me as though I'm completely nuts. "You can study. Nothing else."

"Yeah, no dirty couch sex," Robing calls over, making Nancy look mortified. "Robin," she exclaims, then looks at me with a pleading gaze, "Please don't have sex on my couch."

"I hate all three of you," I tell them, closing the front door just in time to hear Robin call after me, "Nah, you love us."

Shaking my head, I return to the living room, where Eddie is busy walking and looking around.

As he notices me, he grins. "I like this place." I smile back. "Yeah, the Wheelers have good taste."

Stretching his arms out, he spins slowly in the living room. "It's so big. I mean, look at this. All of this is the living room, and nobody sleeps here."

"Your uncle sleeps on the couch?" I ask without thinking, quickly regretting my question.

Eddie's cheeks become red, and he stops what he's doing. "Folding bed, but it's a good one..." he tries assuring me, voice falling flat with embarrassment.

I smile at him, sitting down on the carpet and unpacking my study materials on the coffee table. Grabbing his hand, I make Eddie sit beside me and hand him Nancy's pink folder.

"Y-You have a pretty handwriting," he compliments me while flipping through it. "Oh, those are Nancy's notes. She's so anal about them," I tell him, handing him some of my notes for comparison. "That's mine. Not that clean."

After staring at them for a few seconds, he looks at me. "Huh. Like yours better."

"Charmer," I say, my face becoming hot again. To distract, I hand Eddie my chemistry book. "Here."

"What are we doing?" Eddie asks as I hand him a bunch of sticky notes.

"We're transferring my notes into your book. I like to use those to write down simplifications, extra notes, and explanations, and then I stick them on my pages. I also color-coordinate the highlighter I use with the color of my sticky notes. I believe it's more comfortable to learn if it's easier on the eyes..."

Feeling Eddie stare at me, I stop talking, look back at him, and ask, "What?" He chuckles, shaking his head. "Nothing, just... thanks."

*****

"Wrong again. Maybe we should focus on-" After hours, I finally feel my patience running thin. "Eddie?"

"Huh?" He asks as though he hasn't been staring at me for the last five minutes.

Fuck, am I so boring that he starts zoning out?

"I was talking to you. I- Can you please try to concentrate?" I ask him, smiling, trying not to sound offended.

He nods, stretching a little before leaning over our books again. "Totally. Yeah. Sure. Sorry."

As he answers the question wrong again, a deep frown appears on his face. I sigh, putting my pen down. "Okay. How bout a break? I'll need to get Mike to go to bed anyway."

He nods, almost relieved, and I make my way upstairs. After some debating and a non-verbal threat, I take the phone out of Mike's room, and it's lights out as his parents requested. I know he'll still stay up some hours reading his comics, but I'm willing to let that slip.

When I come back into the living room, Eddie's gone. Instead, he sits outside on the porch, smoking.

"Hey, is that marihuana?" Of course, it is. He smiles at me charmingly. "It's just a little pot to help me concentrate," he says as if I wasn't about to jump his throat.

A wave of anger rushes over me. "Are you even taking the whole thing seriously? I mean, I've been sitting in there for three and a half hours, trying to teach you something, and the first chance you get, you run outside to get high."

I walk back inside, starting to pack my stuff. I apparently thought too highly of Eddie due to my years of crushing on him. I should've known he wasn't taking it seriously, but I just made a fool out of myself.

I hear fast footsteps behind me. "Hey, hey, [y/n]. Look, I'm sorry. I really just smoked some to concentrate." I turn around, and Eddie steps closer, pleading, "[y/n], please. I have no reason to lie to you. I promise I want to learn."

"Didn't seem like it," I murmur, and he nods.

"I- I know. It's- I struggle to focus, always have. If something isn't interesting enough, my brain just shuts off and then does silly little things it finds more interesting – like counting the little daisies on your top."

We both look down on my shirt and then at each other.

"Please, let's try it again. I swear, no more drugs, and you get me on my best behavior," he asks of me, giving me this distracting big smile again while he cups my cheeks.

"Okay," I nod, without even thinking twice. "Okay?" I nod again. "Okay, Munson. Sit down."

We sit back down, and for the next minutes, I could swear he tries really hard. But as we start working on a practicing sheet with many questions on it, his concentration seems to crumble again.

"I- I'm sorry. I think I mixed the questions up," Eddie mumbles, angry at himself.

"You always keep looking down on the next question while solving the one above," I observe, and he nods. I hand him an empty piece of paper. "Here, try that."

He holds it up, confused. "A piece of paper?" I take it, laying it over his worksheet. "As a divider. We cover the next questions, so you can't look at them."

From here on out, it actually seems to work. Yet, I yawn, exhausted from the hours of work before.

"I'm hopeless, aren't I?" Eddie asks, grinning at me. "No. I'm just tired," I answer. "You're actually doing well."

His grin becomes wider. "I so do not believe you." He gives me a gentle shove, making me giggle, "I'm serious. Especially now that we stopped you from mixing up the questions."

"Do you think I'll pass the test?" This time Eddie seems more serious; there is no smile on his face that would indicate that he has any hopes for it. "If you study enough... I mean, Kaminsky's tests are super hard, but like, I'll help you as much as you need me to."

"Nice way to say that I'm fucked, Sweetheart," he coos, hand moving up to my face again. His cold rings burn on my hot cheeks. "You have to study for your own finals. I can't have you hold my hand through my own mess."

"Eddie, I have my studies down and don't mind helping you," I tell him, although I'd rather whine as he removes his hand. I wish he would've left it there.

"Hey, you know what my mom made me do whenever I wanted to achieve something?" I ask him, taking one of Holly's green sheets of crafting paper and folding it in half. "Goal cards. Write down the reason you want to graduate."

"The reason? I'd say because I'm twenty and can't repeat class again?" He deadpans, making me shake my head.

"Not like that. I meant the hopes you have." Licking my lips, I admit, "Like, when I was thirteen, I made one, saying I wanted to learn how to play guitar. Inside I wrote that I was doing it to become a famous musician and marry Eddie Van Halen. Even glued a picture of him in it."

Eddie is quiet for a moment, then bursts into laughter. I shove him. "Stop laughing. I'm trying to help you here."

He nods, whipping away some tears, "Uh-huh." "Fuck you," I tell him in fake appall.

Eddie collects himself, shoving me back and mocking me, "Oh, such big words from such a proper little lady."

As calmness returns to the room, he grabs his pen and the card, opening it. He stares at it for a while, pen ever so often pushing onto the paper, but no words come out.

"Do I have to write it down?" he asks me, a little defeated, this time without a smile. "If you want, you can tell me, and I'll write it down for you," I offer, and he hands it over to me.

Eddie is silent for a while, caught in deep thoughts. Suddenly he says, "I- I want to graduate, so I'm not ending up like my dad."

I look up at him, not yet writing. He continues to explain himself, "He dropped out, married his high school sweetheart, and just barely got by with petty crimes or – you know – selling drugs and stealing cars. Then mom died, and he just spiraled, became violent..."

As his voice loses its strength, I ask, "Where's he now?"

Eddie shrugs. "Does it matter? Prison? Maybe dead?" he says. "Uncle Wayne took me in after CPS contacted him about my dad breaking my arm when he was high... He told his younger brother to fuck off, and we haven't heard from him since."

We're quiet. I don't know what to say. I can't even remember his parents. I only know the version of Eddie that he is now.

"I changed my mind," he then says, tapping on his goal card. "Write that I wanna be a better nephew to Wayne... Don't wanna be a burden anymore, a fuck-up."

I shake my head. "Eddie, you're not a burden. Your uncle loves you."

He nods. "And I only disappoint him. I can't even fucking finish high school. I sit in my room all day, preparing for my D&D campaigns or playing guitar. I sell drugs to assholes that love beating the crap out of me for being a freak, and now I am also a satanic cult leader with demonic powers that murdered Chrissy and two other guys I didn't even know... Yeah, [y/n]. I totally don't sound like a burden."

I'm shocked at how low Eddie seems to actually think of himself. Behind this always smiling and joking façade, there seem to hide years of self-hatred and a, probably trained by his father and the school system, thought of being a worthless burden.

"You took in freshmen, nerdy little kids that don't fit in. You let them be part of your club so they wouldn't have to be alone or get bullied," I argue, having him shrug. "Somebody had to. People can be real assholes."

"You saved Hawkins." "Not like I can tell anyone about it."

I smile a little, "Well, you also saved me from those bats, almost getting killed while trying." "Matter, of course. Everyone would've done that."

I shake my head, "No, they wouldn't, and you know it. Jason didn't care for Lucas or Max, even though he claimed to have beaten Lucas to protect her. He just pissed himself, ran away, and saved his own ass."

Eddie gives me a half-hearted smile and lays his hand on mine, patting it several times. I close the cart and hand it to him. "How about you keep your goal card and write something inside it once it feels right, okay?"

He nods, putting it between the pages of his book where I think it will get forgotten. Then he opens the book on one of the other chapters, pointing at something.

"Can we go over that E cell stuff again?" He asks, clearly wanting to change the subject. I nod. He's been open enough for one evening. "Sure."

After learning for another hour, I fall asleep, face on the coffee table. When I wake up, Eddie is gone, only his leather jacket draped over me like a blanket. In my book, I find a small note asking me to study with him at his place on Friday.

*****

"You call me, and I'll pick you up; my number's on the back," Jason lectures me as he holds his car in front of the Munson trailer, handing me one of the phones from his duffle bag. "I'm meeting with friends, but should you need anything-"

"Don't sell your soul to the devil, and please call me. Yeah, I know," I interrupt him, eying the mobile phone in my hand. "Those things are starting to become really small, or am I crazy?"

He sighs, hating that I am going to spend the day in the trailer his girlfriend died in, with the guy who was the last to have seen her alive.

"Seriously, [y/n]. The minute he tries something, or you realize you're in a circle of blood with strange symbols drawn around it-" "Yeah, because that happens so casually often," I interrupt my cousin again.

"This is about your safety," he tells me as though I am unreasonable. "No, this is about you being paranoid and needing therapy," I answer, grabbing my bag and getting out of the car. "Thanks for driving me. See ya later."

I walk over to the trailer, knocking a couple of times. After a few seconds, Wayne Munson, Eddie's uncle, opens the door.

"Yeah?" he asks, holding a baseball bat behind his back. A safety precaution, I understand but disklike that he has to have.

"Hi, Mr. Munson. I'm here to see Eddie." He eyes me up and down, and I add, "I'm his friend. I help him study."

He looks over my shoulder, nodding to Jason's car with his chin. "And your friend in the car? That's Jason Carver, that little bastard," he says, highly suspicious of me.

"He's my cousin. My parents want him to drive me around since the earthquake," I explain, and his face becomes softer. "I'm sorry, Kid. I-"

I interrupt him with a smile. I understand why he has to be protective of Eddie after all that happened. "No, don't worry. I'm not crazy about that mental case either," I say. "Uhm, can I come in? I'm afraid he might get out of the car if we stay out here for too long."

Wayne lets me in, closing and locking the door behind me. From Eddie's room comes the sound of an acoustic guitar playing 'Sweet Leaf', one of my favorite songs.

"Eddie, your friend is here," he calls down the small hallway. I join him, calling, "Hi, Eddie."

We hear some rummaging and cussing, then Eddie practically rushes out of his room, only wearing his boxers.

"Hey, [y/n]," he greets me as I instantly look the other way, feeling my face burn like fire.

"Son, put some damn close on. You're in the presents of a lady, for God's sake," his uncle scolds him, and after a millisecond, Eddie cusses like a sailor.

"Shit, fuck. Sorry, I just woke up. I- It'll only be a second," he tells me, and from the bumping sound, I figure he almost ran into his bedroom door.

"Uh-huh. Take your time," I tell him, finally looking in his direction again as the door closes.

"Now, [y/n], can I offer you something to drink?" Wayne asks me, and I shake my head. "No, thanks. I'm good," I tell him, looking around the living area I know pretty well in both this dimension and whatever the Upside Down is.

It is scary to think that the portal simply closed, not leaving an ounce of trace that it ever even existed.

My eyes fall to the folding bed, open in the middle of the room. Eddie's uncle rushes over, taking the blanket and pillow and putting them inside the couch's storage department.

"Sorry, he didn't tell me he'd expected someone," he explains, embarrassed, folding away his bed. I smile at him, shaking my head. "Don't worry. Really."

The awkward silence is broken by Eddie coming out dressed in black, ripped jeans and a washed-out band shirt.

"Hey, hi," he greets me again. "Hi," I answer.

"I- I made the study cards you told me to," he explains proudly, and I grin. "Do they work?" "I think so. C'mon."

With his hand on my back, he escorts me to his room, signaling me to sit down on his bed. I, instead, only put my bag there and look around his room. In bright daylight and without the risk of dying or Robin screaming that we need music to save Nancy, it's actually nice in here.

It helps that it's also cleaner than last time and smells like air freshener and fresh linen.

"Edward, the door stays open," Wayne calls into the room, just as I pass a pile of clothes next to his closet, to look at the small, hand-painted figures that I think belong to his dungeons and dragons game.

I turn around, looking at Eddie. "So, the door stays open," I tease him jokingly, and he nods, becoming red while scratching the back of his curly head.

"Yeah. When something happens again, Wayne can give me an alibi saying he saw you the whole time during your visit and that you were okay."

My smile instantly vanishes, and I begin to apologize, "Oh, right. Sorry, I didn't think of that. I thought it was because-" "Because I'm having a pretty girl in my room?" he asks, tilting his head and stepping closer.

My breath hitches as he backs me up closer to the wall; I bump into the dresser behind me. "Naughty girl," he whispers with a mischievous grin as he cages me between his arms and his dresser.

I shake my head, becoming dizzy, "I- I- I didn't-" He chuckles, "I'm just teasing you, Carver. Calm down."

I am almost disappointed as he steps away, truly having only teased me. I turn my back to him before he can see the look on my face, but my gaze meets a mirror, showing me my pout.

Silly. It's silly that I'm sad he wasn't actually flirting with me. I focus on the guitar hanging in front of the mirror. Sweetheart, that's what Eddie calls the guitar. I begin chewing on my bottom lip, telling myself that I don't need this metalhead to like me back.

It would be too difficult anyway. Especially in fucked up times like these, where we don't know when Vecna returns.

Doesn't make me want Eddie any less, though...

"You like her?" Eddie asks behind me. I nod, suddenly feeling his hand on my shoulder, moving me back to the bed. "Well, not gonna let you touch her just yet. You need to learn acoustic first."

As I sit down on his bed, Eddie takes the black acoustic guitar full of band stickers that was leaning next to it and kneels down in front of me, showing it to me.

"This is Honey. She was my first guitar, first love, if you will," he chuckles. "She's pretty," I whisper. Eddie nods, "Glad you think so, 'cause she's yours now."

"What?" I exclaim, making him laugh. "Don't look so shocked," he says. "You need a guitar to practice on."

"But she's yours." He nods again, laying the guitar on my lap. "And she's been painfully neglected for years now, especially since I bought Sweetheart. Now take her and be good to her."

"Thank you," I whisper, following the outline of an old Metallica sticker.

As I look up, mine and Eddie's eyes meet. He'd been watching me closely. We grin at each other a little stupidly, and I feel my heart race like it's trying to win a marathon.

"I made you something," he says suddenly, jumping up and grabbing a bunch of small cards from one of his drawers. "Those are the different chords and where you have to put your fingers."

On the cards are drawn guitars necks, dots on the exact spots where my fingers need to be. "These are awesome, Eddie. And you really made those cards for me?"

He nods, cheeks turning pink, "We have a deal, after all. And if I teach you how to play guitar, I damn well will make sure you're becoming a real star at it."

I put the guitar aside and take his jacket out of my backpack, awkwardly and completely flustered, handing it to him. "You forgot your jacket at the Wheelers' home a couple of days ago."

"I didn't want you to freeze," he says, throwing it aside. "Why did you leave?"

"Because I know the reaction people have when they see me. I didn't want Mike's parents to think I was there to sacrifice their kids or have them be mad at you for letting me in."

I bite my lips again. "I wish you would've stayed. We could've gone home together." "I could've driven you home..." he smiles for a second before it vanishes again. "But people know my van, can't have you be seen with me."

Before I can stop myself, I say, "I don't mind being seen with you, Eddie."

He stares at me, touched, chocolate brown eyes becoming glassy, "T-That's a C. You think you can play it?" he quickly asks, swallowing hard and handing me one of the cards as a distraction.

I take the guitar but struggle with my finger placement. Eddie notices it and crawls behind me on the neatly made bed.

Hands on my waist, he makes me sit between his legs and helps me hold the guitar correctly. "Is that okay?" he asks, looking at me over my shoulder.

I nod, and he takes my fingers, placing them on the strings. As they are placed, he hands me a pick and helps me play that note. It sounds correct, and I smile at him. Eddie smiles back at me as though I just performed a concert for him.

"There you go, rockstar," he chuckles, placing my fingers differently again.

For a while, we play the chords, and I become more and more comfortable with his arms around me. It feels nice. Safe and calm.

We're both ripped from the moment as Wayne knocks on the open bedroom door. "Hey, you two. I'm going to work. Can I leave you both alone?"

Eddie nods, barely acknowledging his uncle. "Uh-huh."

"Eddie, are you sure-"

This time he looks up, interrupting his uncle, "Yes, Wayne. We're just playing guitar and studying a little. I promise nothing shady will happen." Eddie looks at me, "Right?"

I nod, assuring his uncle, "Oh, yeah. Absolutely not. I'm also getting picked up later."

The man nods, hand running over his head. "Okay. I- I'm just worried."

"I know," Eddie tells him, this time seeming to accept and understand his uncle's worries. They share a serious look that shows concern and affection.

Then Eddie smiles again, pointing at the polaroid camera on his dresser, "Hey, can you take a picture of us?" He asks, having his uncle nod. "Sure, son."

"That's okay for you, is it?" Eddie whispers into my ear, making goosebumps appear on my skin. I grin, nodding lovesick.

After taking a picture of us, me seated between Eddie's legs, the guitar in our hands, Wayne hands the picture to his nephew, wishing us goodbye, "It was nice to meet you, [y/n]. See you in the morning, kid."

"Oh, I'm gonna keep that one," Eddie whispers delightedly, looking at the picture.

I put the guitar aside, trying to look at the polaroid. "Why?"

"No reason," he tells me, standing up. I follow him, "Why, Eddie?"

"Because you look cute in it," he says, but this isn't enough for me.

I try to grab the picture, but he holds it up. Therefore, I stand as close to him as possible, standing on the tip of my toes to reach it.

Eddie wraps an arm around my waist, starting to spin us around. "Care for a dance, milady?

"You're so weird," I giggle, unable to reach the picture, but holding on to his wrist.

"Oh, Sweetheart, I'm completely insane," he tells me, stopping our spinning. "Now sit down and tutor me."

He softly pushes me back on the bed, and I make myself comfortable, looking at my own study cards while Eddie sits down next to me, going through his own. I have no idea where the polaroid picture went, but I sure hope I don't look ridiculous in it.

After two hours of learning together, Eddie lies back, staring at the ceiling. "I need a break."

I put the guitar aside and join him. "Same. My fingers are killing me."

"Yeah... Takes some time till you build up calluses," he chuckles, taking my hand into his, gently kissing my sore fingertips and stealing my breath. "Pretty soon, your pretty lil fingers will look like mine."

I don't know how he does it, but Eddie makes my heart beat so fast I feel like becoming dizzy; he always had me wrapped around his finger in that way, even as I only knew him from afar.

He's everything that my parents taught me to avoid, but I want to admire him forever.

"So you think I'll pass the test?" He asks me with a crooked smile, luring me back into reality. "Hm... I'd say I'm 99.9% sure," I smile, making him nod bothered as he lets go of my hand.

"Yeah, still room for me to fail." I prob myself up on my elbows, assuring him, "Well, I believe you'll make it."

A grin creeps over his features, making me certain that mischief is brewing together a plan under his curly mop of hair. "Would you be mad at me if I'd smoke one as a reward?"

I shake my head, and he sits up, grabbing a pre-rolled joint from his cluttered nightstand. "Do you want to...?" He offers, lighting it and taking a hit.

I shrug, uncertain since I've never done something like it before. "Uh... I- I don't know."

He looks at me with a serious face. "Hey, I'm not somebody that's pressuring others into things. I just thought... Would you want to try it? Now would be your chance, and it's safest to get high for the first time when there's somebody with you who has experience and watches over you."

I sit up as well, nodding. It isn't like I never wanted to try it.

"You sure?" He asks sternly, trying to avoid a reaction of mine that is solely based on the need to impress him.

I nod again. "Yes. Please."

Eddie leans over, holding the joint's butt to me. I lean forward, lips on the joint, taking my first pull; his eyes are on me, face as close as possible to inspect me.

"There you go. Small hits, baby," he coos his instructions. "Hold it, and now let go," I do as he says, coughing a little due to the smoke in my lungs. "Burns a little, I know."

It is hard not to stare as we lock eyes, his chocolate brown ones metaphorically bringing me to my knees. He has me smoke half of the joint, and as stupid as I feel for thinking like that, it feels intimate.

The way his big hands bring the joint back and forth between us, the gentle way he coos and praises me, and his eyes, his eyes are on me, so fascinated and intrigued as though I am one of the dirty magazines he unsuccessfully tried to hide under the bed.

I love that gaze of his and want to find a way to make it stay, although I probably just over-romanticize it because of the pot and my crush on Eddie.

As he puts the joint's end into the ashtray on his nightstands, I let myself fall back onto his mattress. "This feels nice," I say, feeling wholly carefree and peaceful for the first time since Vecna.

Eddie lies down beside me, explaining, "Yeah, it's the good stuff. Knocks us out for a while, perfect for relaxing."

We lay on our sides, facing each other. As he reaches out and brushes his knuckles over my cheek, I notice some ink on the back of his hand. I take it and read, 'Clean bedroom. [y/n].' on it.

I like my name on his skin; a weird thing to feel, but it fills me with a bit of pride.

"You forgot that," I tease him, pointing at the to-do list on the back of his hands. He chuckles, "Baby, I wasn't in school so that I could clean up."

I sit up, looking around. Then I giggle. "Okay..." "Hey," Eddie warns me in fake appall. "I even changed the sheets today."

I'd noticed the sweet, floral smell of the linen under me earlier, so I nod. "I appreciate the effort," I tell him, laying back down and kicking off my shoes.

"Where will life take you after graduation, Carver?" He asked as I make myself comfortable on his mismatched set of pillows.

"Where will it take you?" I ask back, but he quickly dismisses my question. "We both know I'll stay trailer trash, now answer me."

I sigh, saying my secret plan out loud for the first time, "I'll take the trust fund I'll gain access to once I have my diploma and run."

He furrows his brows. "So you'll leave us?"

"I meant that metaphorically," I say, making him look confused. "My family had different funds set up for me when I was born. One for high school graduation, one for college, one for marrying, and one for when I have children – a son, to be specific..." I explain.

"That sounds like a very thought-through version of manipulation," Eddie concludes, angered, seeming disgusted by my family's forced conforming.

"It is. I grew up thinking that I have to achieve all these set goals, but now..." Another sigh escapes me. "We don't know when Vecna will return, and every fight becomes more dangerous. I don't want to go to college and become a rich, famous, whatever. I don't want to play happy housewife for an upper-class jock my parents pick for me.

"If I die, I want to be able to look back and know I chose my happiness instead of social obligation."

My whole life, I'd been the perfect, preppy, old-money daughter my family had wanted. I exceeded in school, never went to parties, and stayed away from 'bad apples'. But I'd almost died, and as the weeks had passed, I came to realize that I would've left a life of unfulfilled dreams behind. One I'd only lived to make my parents proud.

"You thought about that a lot, huh?" I nod. "Ever since the bats attacked us."

My hand wanders over Eddie's stomach, resting on a spot I know is now holding a serious scar. He'd gotten it while protecting me from the bats as I'd tried to lure them from the trailer.

"Does it still hurt?" "Only sometimes. At least I have some very metal scars now," he jokes, hand coming up to my thigh.

Under my clothes, I hide some scars as well. It's not like I am ashamed of them. Why should I be? But they need to heal and fade enough to stop looking like bites first – as my family believes they come from an accident caused by the earthquake.

"What about yours?" Eddie asks, and I nod. "Same here. Do you sometimes dream of the Upside Down?"

"Aren't we all?" he chuckles, pushing down the trauma we all experienced. "It took me a while to even realize that all that actually happened, and when the wounds stopped hurting..."

"It'll get easier," I assure him as his arm moves up to my waist—another spot where a scar rests. I'm surprised he still remembers all of the spots.

"Right, wasn't your first rodeo," he remembers. "So, what are you doing with the money? Your trust fund, I mean."

I grin, biting my bottom lip, "You know the retail park between Hawkins and Derry?" "Who doesn't?" he laughs. "I wanna rent a space there and have my own music store. Sell instruments, cassette tapes, records... All of it."

Eddie's eyes become wide, sparkly. I seem to have piqued his interest. "Sounds amazing." "You think?" I ask, and he nods. "Totally. We'll always have music, so you'll always have a job there."

Either his reaction, his touch, or the pot – maybe all three of the things combined – have me smile. I prop myself on my elbow, hand dancing over the letters of his old Black Sabbath shirt.

"If you're not too set on becoming trailer trash..." I start, feeling his heartbeat under my fingers. "I could always use a good business partner who loves music."

"Be careful with those words, Sweetheart," Eddie warns me, propping himself up as well. "'Cause if you mean them, you'll never, never, ever get rid of me."

As he begins towering over me, I whisper, "Sounds good to me."

And just like that, his lips collide with mine. I feel like bursting into flames, like I am losing my mind, and as though I only imagine this moment. I let myself fall back into the pillows, taking Eddie with me as he crawls on top of me.

The kiss is heated and longing. Eddie's hand cradles my face, wanders upwards, and his fingers tangle themselves into my hair. I gasp into the kiss as he tugs on my hair, my hips jolting up due to the literal electricity he created within me.

Suddenly the kiss stops. Eddie sits back up on his heels and looks as though he just violated me. "I- I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you. That wasn't okay. You're high, you're-"

I sit up as well, embarrassment almost making me dizzy as I admit, "That had nothing to do with me being high. Did- Did you just do it because...?"

He shakes his head so harshly that I fear he'd give himself whiplash. "Was looking for a chance to do that for a while now."

I can't believe his words, asking, "Really?"

Eddie nods, looking me up and down as he licks his lips, "Jesus, you're so fucking pretty. Makes me dizzy."

We giggle and smile at each other childishly. I'd never thought he'd be interested in someone like me. I'm not an innocent, happy-go-lucky, preppy cheerleader like Chrissy was. I'm not a cool, not caring what people think of me – metalhead like him.

I am basic, normal. I go to school and do my homework, I listen to all types of music, mostly not even caring for genres since I mix through them all the time anyway, and I dress uncoordinated, solely based on what makes me happy that morning.

I've always thought I was invisible, one of the nice girls you see for five minutes in a movie and have totally forgotten about by the time the credits come on. This had given me some advantages as we saved Hawkins but socially made me feel out of place...

Eddie leans closer again, making me back onto the pillows, his knee between my legs. "That okay?" he asks softly, and I nod.

He towers over me, making my heart beat irrationally. He's so beautiful, and the fact that he wants me has me forget everything, even my name. I push myself up, cupping his cheeks; our eyes lock as he looks just as surprised and overwhelmed about all this as I am.

This time, I kiss him. His lips are soft and gentle as he kisses me back, hands carefully roaming my body as though I'm made of glass. I kissed a few guys before, but none of them had ever made me feel like this.

It feels so right. Like I was made to be in Eddie's arms, being accepted although coming with nothing else to offer than myself.

As our kiss becomes messy, something I've never experienced before, our hands become greedy and inquisitive. As my nails dig into his upper arms, Eddie's hand cups my clothed breast, groping it harshly.

As I moan into the kiss, he chuckles, kissing down my neck and plastering its skin with hickeys and soft love bites.

I moan again, hips jolting up and causing me to whimper as I accidentally rub my most sensitive area against his thigh. "Fuck," I softly cry, repeating the motion once more.

Pecking my lips softly, Eddie places himself now entirely between my legs. I can feel his erection through our clothes, right where I want him most.

"Nice, huh?" he asks teasingly, rolling his hips against me and enjoying how my eyes roll back.

Our lips find each other again, and while we sloppily begin making out again, our bodies move in unison, friction having us moan and gasp into our kisses.

As his hand sneaks under my shirt, cool rings kissing the warmth of my body, I stop Eddie. Propping myself up a little, I stammer, embarrassed, "Can we just- I don't- I never..."

I've never done anything like this before. Before today, I never kissed somebody with this much passion, never let one touch me like this. I've never felt this need, lighting my body on fire, before... And it scares me. I am not sure if I want to go any further than this.

Eddie smiles and softly chuckles. He leans down, kissing my cheek. "No worries. Rule one of being high is not to make big decisions when high. Have two tattoos proofing that point."

Somehow, I expected him to be mad at me.

"So you're okay with just kissing?" I ask, concerned, but he drops onto his elbows, forehead against mine. "I could do that for a lifetime."

Turning on some music, which plays softly in the background, we fall into another kiss, and another, and another. At one point, Eddie even has me sitting in his lap, hands groping my ass as he bucks his hips against me.

Only as our lips are sore, we cuddle on his bed, lips still coming together for little kisses from time to time.

I fall asleep in his arms, feeling safe and happy; I dream of this moment lasting forever.

*****

The next time I open my eyes, it is dark around me. I hate being in the dark, I become nervous and scared. Time has shown me over and over again why I should stay away from the darkness, but Eddie's chest, slowly rising underneath me and his arm around me, have me calm.

Closing my eyes again, I try to go back to sleep.

"She was supposed to be home hours ago, old man!" An angry voice yells outside the trailer.

"Listen, I am sure there is an explanation-" an older voice tries to communicate calmly but is interrupted.

"I don't give a shit about your excuses. You and that satanic scumbag-"

The older raises his voice warningly, "Hey, be careful what you're saying."

Eddie moves underneath me, laying on his side and pulling me into a hug. Suddenly he jumps up, turning on the lights. "Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit."

"What is it?" I ask sleep-drunkenly. "We fell asleep, Sweetheart. It's 5 a.m.," he explains loud but softly.

I jump out of bed the second my brain processes his words. "No!" I exclaim, looking at the radio alarm on Eddie's nightstand. I pull on my shoes, Eddie throwing over his jacket.

"[y/n]! [y/n], are you in there?" The angry voice from before yells, and I have a realization. "Fuck, that's Jason," I tell Eddie, who nods, handing me my backpack.

We rush outside and see Jason and his friends in front of the trailer. Wayne stands there on the steps, a baseball bat in his hand. They're all looking at Eddie and me.

I look back and forth between Wayne and Jason. "I- I'm so sorry. We fell asleep, I-" "I called you a hundred times," Jason interrupts.

I push past Wayne, walking down the steps. Eddie's uncle keeps him in the trailer, not letting him out.

"I just told you I fell asleep," I answer my cousin as he walks closer, looking at my disheveled appearance, then at Eddie's.

"What have you done to her, Munson?" Jason growls, and I step between him and the stairs. "He did nothing. What's wrong with you?"

He's clearly drunk and out for confrontation with his favorite victim.

"Fuck, you smell like a distillery," I mutter, having to look away to catch a huff of fresh air.

"We're leaving. Wait till Aunt-" my cousin tries to threaten me, grabbing my arm and walking us to the car. I shake my head, interrupting him. "You're drunk. I'm not letting you drive me."

As I try to pull my arm from his grasp, he hardens his grip. "[y/n]," he warns, trying to drag me to the car. "No," I exclaim, trying to stop walking, but Jason becomes rougher. "Ow."

"Hey, don't grab her like that," Eddie calls over, forcing himself past his uncle.

"Or what, Freak? What satanic monster from hell do you want to summon here in front of everyone?" Jason asks, irritated, fumbling his keys out of his pocket, a little cross keychain on it.

By now, half of the trailer park residents have noticed what is happening. All looking, nobody intervening.

"Man, just- just let go of her arm," Eddie tries to reason with Jason. "Please, you're hurting her."

As he takes a couple of steps closer, my cousin raises his keychain. "Don't come near us."

"Eddie, it's okay," I tell the sweet metalhead, then look to his uncle, who has his baseball bat equipped. "It's okay."

"Are you sure, girl?" Wayne asks me, concerned, but I nod.

"Yeah. I..." I finally can escape Jason's grasp and look at him and his friends. "Is anyone of you guys sober?" None are, so I sigh, "Kay. Give me your keys and get into the car."

Jason obliges since me driving the car means he gets what he wants, and I leave with him. I have the drunken jocks get back into the car, noticing that one had held a wheel-wrench the entire time.

I buckle Jason in the passenger's seat, make sure his friends buckle in as well and grab the wrench. Shaking my head, I look over at Eddie and his uncle, waving at them and trying to force a smile on my lips as I got into the driver's seat.

Leaving the trailer park, the drunks in the back fall promptly asleep, while Jason seems to calm down, experiencing an adrenaline crash. He tells me the addresses of his friends, and I drive everyone home.

"I was worried," he explains, head heavily resting on the headrest of his seat.

"I know," I sigh, having just dropped off the last one of his friends.

"I miss Chrissy," he mumbles, and I watch him take out the little velvet box he carries around everywhere. "I thought we would be together forever."

Jason had planned on proposing to his high school sweetheart after graduation. Chrissy was dead for months now, but he still carried the ring around.

I look at the broken shell of a man beside me. Jason had lost his mind when he'd lost his girlfriend. Our family believes he just needs time, but he desperately needs therapy.

He wasn't always like this; he was a good guy; we grew up like siblings – Yeah, sure, he was a little douchey sometimes, but he was the guy nice to mostly everyone—a preppy, old-money boy.

His moral compass hadn't been broken before he came into contact with Vecna's darkness.

"Eddie didn't hurt Chrissy," I tell him, but he looks at me with tears in his eyes. "I know what I saw."

I can't tell him about the Upside Down, which makes me helpless. I have to sit between the chairs, see Eddie being hated, and watch my cousin lose his sanity, and there is nothing I can do about it.

"Look," I start, carefully thinking of how to phrase my sentences, "I know what you saw. I know how it looked like and how much it scared you, but Eddie was solely at the wrong time in the wrong place when... when Chrissy and Patrick were attacked."

Jason looks at me in disbelief, his eyes wandering down to my neck, where he notices the marks left by Eddie.

"So that's how it is," he says disgustedly, sitting back in his seat and refusing to look at me again. "You let the freak fuck you, and now you're excusing him and his actions. You're choosing him instead of your own family and friends and completely disregard his victims."

"That's not what I'm doing, Jason," I say. "If- If you really think there is something evil and satanic going on... Maybe the monster hunted Chrissy and Patrick, and when it attacked, Eddie just happened to be there."

He shakes his head. "Munson is a vessel. I don't know when he became one, but I know what got him there... This satanic game and the music he listens to."

"Jason, Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy game. It's like being the main character in The Hobbit. You know we loved that book when we were younger. It's harmless, and Eddie is basically a sweet nerd with rough edges. And his taste in music...

"It's just metal. You know it doesn't make you a murderer. You secretly bought me my first Black Sabbath cassette tape when Mom and Dad forbid me to have it."

He ignores me, angry tears in his eyes while he continues to fidget with the velvet box in his hand. I start the car and drive us to my place. I am too tired and frustrated to drive any more than that.

*****

"[y/n], do you have any idea how worried we were?" my father yells angrily, Mom agreeing. "You stay out all night, and your cousin has to pick you up from a trailer park."

I sigh, pressing my palms onto the cold kitchen table. "Come on. He was drunk as hell. I had to drive him and his friends home. You can barely say he picked me up."

Jason had used the hurt he felt from losing Chrissy and our talk in the car to unload all his paranoia of the night on my parents, then went to bed in our guest bedroom, leaving me to pick up the mess.

"Still, your behavior-" I interrupt my Dad, "I know. I made a mistake, and I am sorry. Can I now please go to my room?"

"No. I don't want you to see that boy anymore." "What?" I ask loudly.

"This Munson kid has caused enough harm. I will be damned if I let you end up like Chrissy Cunningham," Dad yells determent, making me shake my head.

"Eddie had nothing to do with Chrissy's death."

"We don't know that for sure," Mom says, trying to be the calm voice of reason as my father becomes angrier by the second.

"Yes, we do," I argue. "Jason has been spinning out of control for months now. Why isn't anybody in this fucking town questioning his bullshit accusations?"

Mom hands my father his coffee, and he takes it to the living room. Simply leaving the discussion like he always does. Then she sits down beside me, trying to hold my hand.

"People wouldn't find it so easy to believe if the Munson boy hadn't given them so many reasons to."

I let out a sarcastic laugh, then scoff, "Funny, 'cause when people tried to – very rightfully so – suspect that our family's wealth comes from decades of slavery and human trafficking, you both told me that foolish people are willing to believe everything just to run their mouths."

"[y/n]..."

I shake my head, so angry at my family's hypocrisy, "You're not treating Eddie fair. You're judging him and his character through his upbringing, social status, and nonsensical rumors from an unstable family member."

"Hun, I know you like that boy, and dating a bad boy sounds exciting for girls your age – I know, I've been there – But boys like that have the power of ruining your life."

"You don't know him, Mom," I tell her, tears in my eyes. The Upside Down had thoroughly messed up my relationship with my family. "When the earthquake hit Hawkins, I was with Eddie and our friends. If he hadn't been there, I would be dead now. He saved me."

Mom looks at me, shocked. I've refused to talk about the accident until now since I still haven't thought out a perfect lie. I see the pain in my mother's eyes, I know she loves me, and after so many died due to the earthquake, it terrifies her that I could've been one of them.

"Mom, Eddie's a little weird, sometimes completely bonkers, loud, and obnoxious, but he is neither dangerous nor bad for me."

She presses her lips together, trying not to mess up her perfectly applied lipstick. Then she nods. "Go to bed. We'll talk once you have had some sleep."

I go to my room, locking the door behind me. Dressing in some fresh underwear and an oversized band t-shirt my mother hates, I lay down on my bed.

It's already light outside, soon, my dad will go to work, and my mom will pop some uppers and drive around town, spending some money on things we don't need and thinking about what to serve for dinner.

I wonder if I would've ever noticed how dysfunctional our family is, even with all our money, wouldn't I've gotten involved with Will's vanishing?

Would I've ever known how much more important my happiness is than following my family's plans and traditions?

Knocking on my bedroom window pulls me from my thoughts. On the tree branch in front of my window stands Eddie.

"What are you doing here?" I ask as I open it, letting him in.

"I wanted to see if you're okay... And I brought your guitar," he smiles, turning the strep across his chest and putting Honey into my view. I'd forgotten the guitar in my hurry.

"I'm sorry, [y/n]. He grabbed you really hard. I- I should've defended you," Eddie says, hands running up and down my arm, causing goosebumps to appear.

"Jason was drunk and with his friends. They were only looking for a reason to hurt you," I tell him as he hands me the guitar, and I place it on the floor next to my vanity.

I turn on some music, not too loud to annoy anybody, but loud enough to hide that I wasn't alone. Eddie, meanwhile, starts snooping around, almost reminding me of a puppy being in its new home for the first time.

"Now that's a preppy room. I've never seen a preppy room, but this one..." he chuckles, his big button eyes filled with amusement. "I know. Mom decorated it."

He looks further around while I sit down on my bed. As he opens my closet door, a poster of Eddie Van Halen has him crack up before he goes on a deep dive to see all the things I hide in there from my parents.

"Now, that's more like you," Eddie exclaims, pulling out my old working uniform. "You know, I always walked by Scoops Ahoy when I was at the mall... Always hoped to see you."

With butterflies in my stomach, I watch him hang the uniform back into the closet. "I saw you walking by a couple of times. Why didn't you talk to me?"

He shrugs, walking to the end of my bed. "I chickened out. I mean, would you've actually talked to Eddie 'The Freak' Munson, or would you've called for Harrington to protect you?"

"I would've loved having you talk to me," I assure him, and he begins to grin. "Careful; I might start believing you had a crush on me, Sweetheart."

I crawl to the end of my bed, pulling Eddie down by his jacket. His grin becomes bigger before his lips press down on mine. I shuffle back to my pillows, pushing his jacket over his shoulder and throwing it aside. We kiss again as he makes himself comfortable between my legs.

Eddie breaks the kiss, whispering, "I need to leave before your parents come in and find us like that."

His knuckles brush over my cheeks, a soft smile on his lips, and I realize that I don't want him to leave—the quite opposite, actually. I want him to be even closer to me.

"My door's locked," I tell him with a cheeky grin. "They think I'm sleeping."

His softness quickly begins harboring an aura of mischief. "Naughty little thing," he whispers, pressing his lips against mine.

The kiss becomes rough and demanding as Eddie growls into it, starting to explore my mouth with his tongue. After hours of doing nothing else last night, his hands on my body and lips on my own feel natural. My fingers glide into his curly mane while I start rocking my hips against him, searching for friction.

An excited whimper leaves me, and I reach for his belt. "N-No, Sweetheart," Eddie stops me gently. "We have no condoms."

"Pill," I exclaim, needier than planned. "I'm on the pill." He raises his brows for a second, and I add, "I started taking it as part of a feminism phase Robin and I had."

Eddie props himself up, looking at me, insecure. "And you're sure you actually want that? I'm not really the upper-class jock your parents want for you."

I'm looking up at this intimidatingly looking metalhead, smiling. Looks can be so deceiving. "I know, and I like you better that way," I tell him, watching his self-doubt melt away and replace with a contented smile.

Pulling his shirt over his head, he tosses it somewhere in my room. I goggle at his naked chest, the tattoos, the scars, the happy trail. I'm close to tears, and I don't know why; my body feels like I'm being lit on fire; all I can think of is how badly I want him.

"I want you," I whine, hips moving up against nothing. "Please..."

Eddie leans down, pecking my lips for a moment, "I know, baby. I want you too." As he moves back up, he grabs the hem of my shirt, waiting. I lift my back enough so he can take it off me. He tosses it over his shoulder, eyes locking with my breasts.

"Shit," he mutters under his breath, eyes wandering across the room for a moment. As he looks at me again, he licks his lips. "You're so beautiful."

He drops onto his elbows, kissing me again. Eddie's hands roam my body; thighs, stomach, breasts; there is no place he doesn't explore. So at one point, his fingers glide over my clothes pussy.

I try to move into his touch. Eddie chuckles, pulling my panties aside and letting his fingers run through my folds. He grunts into the kiss, moving up a little, "Holy fuck, Sweetheart. You're so wet."

I nod, embarrassed, swallowing a loud moaning the second he touches my swollen clit. He shushes me gently, pecking my lips, then moves his fingers to his mouth. They glisten in the morning sun, and as he licks my wetness from them, I become dizzy for a second.

Eddie grins at me, fully aware of the effect he just had on me. He comes closer again, kissing me and letting me taste myself on his tongue. Then he kisses my neck, wandering down and stopping at my breast, gently sucking on my left nipple while playing with my right one.

I struggle to stay quiet, hating the thought of having to wait any longer. "Eddie, please," I whine, hips jolting up and meeting with his clothed erection.

He grabs the waistband of my panties, making me lift my hips to help him remove them. They are quickly thrown aside, my hands on his belt again. This time I'm triumphant; Eddie climbs off the bed, taking off his jeans, underwear, and shoes.

I bite into the pillowy part of my bottom lip as I'm met with the view of his hard, veiny cock, making him chuckle and kiss me playfully all over the face as he climbs back on top of me.

Guiding his cock up and down my pussy, he coats himself with my arousal, using it like a natural lubricant. "Ready?" he asks, and I nod, grinning excitedly.

Lining up with me, he pushes in slowly until he fully bottoms out inside me. My eyes press shut, and a whimper leaves my lips at the stinging. My nails dig into the skin of his upper arms. Eddie doesn't move anymore, giving me time to get used to the new, stretching sensation.

"Doing so good, baby," he whispers, kissing my cheek, the corner of my lips, and then me fully. I melt into his gentle touches, hands stroking up and down my sides.

"So beautiful," he grins. "And all mine." I nod. "All yours."

Eddie begins to move, making me feel so full, that I think I'm about to break in two, but instead, every thrust of his makes me feel alive.

I want more, figuring out how to meet his thrusts, moving against him. Our breathing becomes louder, moans and praises are spoken with hushed voices.

Eddie doesn't pick up the speed, my bed already threatening to give us away. Instead, he becomes harsher, administrating long and deep thrusts that make my eyes roll into the back of my head.

I moan loudly, arching my back. In an instant, his hand covers my mouth. "We need to be quiet, baby," he reminds me quietly but doesn't stop pounding into me for even a second.

I moan into his palm, holding onto his wrist, so his hand doesn't move from my mouth. "I know. I know, don't worry. I'll make sure they don't hear you," he promises with a low grunt as he rolls his hips into mine.

Our eyes lock, his gaze full of lust and admiration. Sweat makes his hair stick to his forehead. His thrust become more demanding, and I hear my own wetness every time he rocks against me.

As control seems to escape us, Eddie's deep, husky moans become louder. The secrecy of having raw sex that I was taught would get me to hell before marriage feels so filthy, yet it is heaven.

My nails dig into the flesh of his back, and his lips press kisses against my shoulder and collarbone, occasionally biting into it. Tightening around Eddie, I  am on the edge of my orgasm.

"Fuck," he moans. Our eyes meet again, his hand still over my mouth. I lift my hand as he curses again, clasping it over his mouth.

His hips stagger at this before a moan vibrates in my palm. I come right then. I fall apart into millions of pieces and am put back together a new person—a free one that doesn't care about any social status anymore.

If this is wrong, if this is sin, I want to be amiss for the rest of my life.

A deep growl is muffled in my palm as Eddie comes, both of us silencing the other's moans as we ride out our high.

As his hips still, our hands retreat. Stupid, exhausted grins on our lips; he kisses me and pulls out. I whimper at the sudden emptiness, having him chuckle and lie beside me.

Eddie pulls me into a tight embrace, and we just lay there, wrapped around each other for a few minutes, listening to nothing but our breathing.

My head rests on his chest, fingers circling his tattoos and dark pink scars. We're both sweaty, but neither of us cares. This moment is perfect.

"[y/n]?" Eddie whispers into the silence, hand locked around my waist to ensure I stay put.

"Hm?" I hum, looking up at him. "Your parents want you to stay away from me, right?" He asks, insecurity, sighing deeply as I nod. "Figured."

"Eddie..." I whisper as he sits up, grabbing his boxers. He shakes his head, pulling them up. "No, they're right. You'll find better, deserve better."

I stop the curly-headed metalhead before he can dress any further. Hand on his arm, I lean close. "Don't say that. I- It's only until we're graduating. Once I get my money, I'll move out, and we can be together... If you still want that."

He looks at me for a second, then whispers, "Your family will be furious with you." I nod. "Yeah, but they'll calm down once they see how happy I am... I hope."

I don't have much faith in it, but I refuse to live the miserable life my parents approve of. Eddie's tongue swipes over his lips while he is thinking; I can visibly see the cogs turn behind his chocolate eyes.

"So, that would make one month where I don't get to hold, kiss, or even talk to you," he says emotionless.

"Is that okay?" I ask, unsure. We are rushing; the decisions are way too extreme for the little time we spent like this.

But like I said, Vecna could return at any moment. We could die faster than we seem to be rushing. I have to go all in and live.

Eddie turns to me, the knuckles of his ringed fingers brushing offer my cheek. "Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens," he hums a familiar quote, proving him to be a soft nerd under all his leather and chains.

"I have been head over heels for you since I was seventeen, and until everyone thought I was a murderer, I never even dared to look at you for too long. I can handle loving you from afar for a month."

My heart skips a beat as I echo, "Loving me?"

Pressing a kiss on my lips, he chuckled, "Seriously, if you haven't picked up on that by now, you're the one who needs a tutor."

He pushes me back into the pillows, climbing on top of me. Insecure all my life, I absolutely don't mind being completely naked in front of Eddie. He makes me feel safe and like it doesn't matter what I look like.

"Shit," I cuss, remembering his test. "How are we going to study for your test?" Kissing the tip of my nose, he smiles, "We don't. I can handle my studying, [y/n]. I'm a big boy. You just keep practicing with Honey, so I can have a jam session with my girlfriend soon, okay?"

Girlfriend. I am Eddie 'The Freak' Munson's girlfriend.

My life has been full of titles until now, the cheerleader, teacher's pet, Jason Carver's cousin, golden child, tutor, babysitter... But this is the first one that I feel proud of, the first one that feels authentic.

➤ Here is Part 2: Girlfriend

#eddie munson x reader #eddie stranger things #eddie x reader #eddie munson angst #eddie munson #stranger things fanfic #stranger things smut #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x fem!reader

[class1akids]

I have mixed feeling about certain ppl entering the fight

On one hand I want a origin trio moment on the other bakugo has already done alot and has fainted twice while todoroki I feel like should do more (I don't really know why he fainted considering he didn't get to injured fighting dabi maybe bc of the mental toll?) and should have an op fight scene and power up (also I'm curious what afo would say to shoto considering what he has said to endeavor)

I also don't like the idea of everyone gathering to help like certain ppl sure but if you start putting in pros then the spotlight being on first year's isnt convincing like yes their strong but to the pint of completely outshining pros? But then again I don't want to see a bunch of pros idc about fighting

I'm really just hoping this fight ends soon bc it's really getting dragged out 😭

Yeah, I fully understand that many people wanted this fight to be Deku vs Shigaraki to turn to Deku + Shigaraki vs AFO. Or that only Class A shows up.

But in the end, what is happening is thematically sound. On the one hand AFO vs OFA - if we talk about quirk power - is their logical conclusion. AFO found home in a new host, one that's capable of accruing more power. OFA on the other hand, grew beyond it's physical vessels and has become more of an idea of heroism - one that Deku embodies and one can be chosen by anyone. A true network of power.

But as much as AFO is at the source of Tenko's misery, Shigaraki's criticism of hero society stands valid. Hero society didn't make him a villain, but did nothing to save him either. So while Deku went to the extremes to save him, a sole pillar can't do everything. Which is why it's important for Tenko to see not only that a hero has come, but that the society he hated so much for its passivity has all shown up for him. Not just heroes, but even civilians pitching in.

Now, I'd be very surprised of course if this one wave of heroes could end the fight - we are clearly starting with some of the weaker / less combat oriented heroes and students. On top of that, if they kill Shigaraki's body - how can he be saved? So I feel like the fighting will be to hold AFO away from Izuku until his time is up again, but not to kill him. Just like Shouto needed his family's help to stop Dabi, how Ochako needed a lot of support to reach Toga, how Katsuki needed everyone who protected, revived him and every blow dealt at AFO to be successful, it makes sense for Deku to also need the support.

It's a test of Deku's faith of whether Tenko can still be saved and everyone else's faith in Deku's judgement and moral code. Tenko will probably awaken to see so many hands reach for him.

As for Shouto:

Yes, he's not injured. The story emphasised however that Phosphor is an incredible burst of power, but comes at a cost of stamina drain. His first Phosphor blast froze over an entire citiblock that was on blazing hot fire. His second blast neutralized a nuclear bomb, the size of 5 kms. Not to mention that he was continuously using ice and fire during the mad dash with Iida from Kamino to Gunga. So he probably passed out from overexerting his quirk. And I'd say based on what we've seen in Ch 351, he may not just countered Touya's blast, but may have absorbed it.

I wouldn't be a least bit surprised to see Shouto come out of it with a quirk upgrade.

I'm like 99% confident that he will show up, and we will get some further closure on the Todo-fam plot, possibly also a quirk combo with Endeavor AND Touya. (Because I still think Spinner, Toga, Dabi, Compress showing up at the battlefield would help awaken Tenko - who just proclaimed himself the hero of the villains).

Now, how short or long his highlight might be - only Hori knows that - but I think we will get at least one big highlight move from Shouto that serves as some kind of cap of the family plot. If we are lucky, we may get an actual hero name chapter, like Katsuki got GEMGD after his "Rising".

As for Katsuki, I just can't really imagine Hori not bringing him in if everyone showed up. He spent 90% of his endgame brooding over Izuku, and Izuku had a hot minute of rage about his death, plus the catapult move - but they haven't really interacted truly. Bakugou hasn't interacted with anyone from the class either. So I think Hori knows that those are moments fans want and he will deliver them.

He's spent a lot of time with the pros he cares about - Endeavor, Hawks got ton of content, Hawks lost his quirk - so for both of them, I expect more emotional closure than big fights. All Might is probably done fighting, but again, he had no scene with Deku yet - so I think he'll be back too. The rest of them, I expect mostly on the background - like they were at Gunga, at Kamino, Floating UA etc. And for the kids to get the highlights.

It's very unpredictable how many chapters are left - Aizawa just announced the start of "Phase 3". I think Phase 1: was Ch 343-379 - so about 36 chapters from the initial division, until Deku and Shigaraki left the Floating UA. Phase 2: 380- 419 was 39 chapters. Now only Hori knows how long Phase 3 will be, but I note that Deku still hasn't even had a Rising chapter.

I guess we will just have to wait and see.

#c1a asks #bnha manga spoilers #bnha manga leaks #bnha speculation

[dqllzdqys]

• MHA pro heroes and how they met you / reader <3 •

Okay, so, plz request things, I need ideas for content :'). Requests are allowed just about anything thats, 1. Legal 2. Consensual and 3. That I'm comfy writing.

This part contains Hizashi Yamada & Aizawa Shouta.

This is how Bnha pro heroes met GN!Student!Reader :))

Nonbinary/gender fluid/ gender neutral Student reader. (platonic)

• Hizashi Yamada ° Presentation Michael.

You met him on the first day, you were walking with a kid you went to middle school with when he ran right into you while turning a corner.

"Oh shi- shoooot... Aha, you okay little listener?" He asked, reaching his hand out to help you up. You take it and he pulls you up with ease. "Yup! I'm okay! How about you, hope you didn't get hurt" you said. "I am A-Okay little listener! Anyways, yo ha go, hope to see ya soon!!" He says speed Walker by down the hall.

You did indeed see him again. He came in during the end of 3rd, you believe, period.

"SHOUTAAAA!!!!!!!" he yells making you wince slightly. "OH! Sorry little listener. Hope your okey, again, haha!!" He says in a softer tone. You nod and continue drawing/reading/writing. "Mic, what do you need." your homeroom teacher says, err, asks (?) Monotone in his voice. Yamada-sensei walks closer to his desk. "I met the cutest little listener earlier, so polite aswell!" He says, too quiet for you to hear if you had been listening. "okay?" Aizawa-sensei replies. "and, I was hoping to yk..maybe....read their file with you??" Aizawa groans.

He ended up convincing Aizawa to read it with him.

He gets you small gifts whenever you get top test score, or do the best in training that week.

Normally its a ring or neckless, but he's gotten you a few bracelets by second year.

Nemuri calls him "Dadmic" whenever they talk about you in the teachers lounge.

• Aizawa Shouta ° Erasurehead.

• you met during the Sports festival, surprisingly, you and shinsou, aka your best friend were against each other and they had to call a tie between you two.

• You throw a punch to his nose and he almost immediately kicks your ribs. you kick his leg and he falls a bit, you go to use your quirk but he's back up. He throws a punch and your pretty sure your nose broke. "L/N how much do you hate [bad person / bad parents name] ?" He asks, you stay silent. "Hm.. Getting smarter aye?" You still stay silent. He attacks again and your sure you and his hands are busted. Its more a street fight at this point. You throw a kick and he stumbles. He gets back his stance and kicks your side again.

•this went on for like, another ten minutes before Mic yelled out.

• "OKAY LITTLE LISTENERS, ITS A TIE, LETS NOT KILL EACHOTHER, HAHA!" He yells out. you sigh in relief. "Good one hito" you say walking off to recovery girl, him following behind you. "thanks n/n, same to you." He replies.

• Aizawa walks up to you and shin after your in civilian clothes and walking to the gate.

• "Hey, N/N wanna go get coffee at the Cate cafe?" Hitoshi asks. "Oh, which one? Kitty frappes??" "Yeah, or we could go downtown to meowing maids to see snowflake. Either is fine." He replies. "L/N. Shinsou." You hear a gruff voice say from behind you. "Hey Monona we were- ...uuhm, hi?" Hitoshi says to the person. "Uuuhhh, hello??? You need something?" You ask. "Yes, I'd like to ask if you'd want me to be both yours, and shinsous mentor." Your eyes open slightly wider. "y- woah.. Wait. You as in pro hero Erasurehead wanna train the 'villains' of class 1-b?" Shinsou asks in shock. "Yes." Erasurehead says. "Oh my god... Oh my god. N/n. N/N. BROO..." Hitoshi says in shock. "Uuhh, yeah uh, yeah.. Mr. Uh, Erasurehead uh, me and toshi would love that." You reply still shook.

•thats how you and hitoshi ended Up outside the 1-a doors on a fine Monday morning.

AAAAA THIS IS SO FLUFFY, I HAD A LOT OF FUN WRITING THIS <333

Btw, thanks for all the support on our last post !!!! I'm so exited RN ur all so sweet !!

Anyways, I won't rant for long, just drink water and eat something if you haven't <3

Akiia

#Bnha #Aizawa Shouta #Eraserhead #Hizashi Yamada #Present Mic #MHA #Anime #How they met you #Dadzawa #Dadmic #Platonic Aizawa x reader #Shinsou is in the Aizawa one #Platonic Hizashi Yamada x reader #platonic x reader #familial relationships

[wejustvibing]

hi, just wondering if you made a mistake when you replied saying “ isn't that the point? helping? because i don't think this 70+ year old crisis needs more AWARENESS and LEWIS is the right person for that CTA.”

the palestinians themselves have expressed numerous times, the only way they can change the media narrative is if people post and post and post on social media. for people not to stop sharing and speaking out. i’m sure as well all aware, it is just the public speaking out at the moment, not the media, not the global organisations and not the governing bodies of the world.

so just wondered if you made a typo, bc as said above, the reason why celebs are held to such a high pedestal is bc they have the global reach through their following, even if it changes one persons mind, allows one person to read up on the palestinian history etc, that’s why people are calling on celebs to speak out bc they have the reach we don’t. this isn’t a war, and i won’t hide my stance, this is a genocide being committed by the settler colony israel as i am sure many people agree with. so i think people are allowed to be disappointed when someone they admire remains neutral when there is no neutrality in this particular situation. however that being said, it flags the question of why people expect lewis as a bipoc to be the spokesperson when the other 18 drivers haven’t even shown a neutral stance let alone any support for the palestinian people.

may the Palestinian people be victorious and their martyrs rest in peace

wasn't a typo.

i believe celebs do not have the power to undo decades old damage. celebs don't know half the shit going on in the world. they don't have the education, world view or the time for it and that's the sad reality. it's always a losing cause waiting for celebs to come through. most of them don't even handle their own social media. unless it's the only thing they're doing, leaving their day job and focusing only on social issues. maybe then they can do it? i don't know. if they still manage to make a point to post on social issues, it's a plus and if those issues align with what you care about there's nothing like it.

but so no, they should not be held accountable for such important matters. it's political leaders and policymakers who need to be held responsible. changing media narrative isn't celebs' job either. media is either bought by those in power or they're creating their own narrative. genuinely this issue is so much bigger than any celeb, not just lewis. the generations old xenophobia and islamophobia will not be undone by social media posts of your favorite celeb or mine. general public has more power in that regard than celebs i'd say because we're rooted in reality and more in touch with what's going on.

yes, fans have every right to be disappointed. what's annoying is they're conveniently coming for the only person who has always said something? is that fair? and was he really 'neutral' or leaning heavy on peace? or are we just saying this because he mentioned the colonizer country by name? he's saying that targeting innocent people needs to end. he's always maintained this stand: ending the suffering and saving the children. if fans don't agree, it's their choice. just as what he decides to post is his choice. as long as he's not promoting genocide i still don't understand why he's getting all the heat. there's a lot to be done, yes. but can i expect lewis to do it? no.

my heart breaks for Palestinians and I've seen and heard what their relatives are going through from close proximity. i'm just praying for peace.

#anonymous

[tobiasdrake]

One last task to take care of before we infiltrate Fort Fleshy.

I was twiddling them earlier when I was flying around the map just to see what I could find. This place is definitely an intricate combination lock.

Could be the key to releasing Duke Aventry. Might just be Roro's porn stash. Either way, we won't know until we've cracked it. Personally, I think we should forego the lock and just bring Yolande in to blow this support column to hell.

Sure, we can also do that. Yoyo knows everything and is loyal to no one, so there's no reason she wouldn't assist us but no guarantee that she would either. Worth a shot.

Your swamp is a maze and I hate it. Give me useful information or I'll make your other eye look like the one I'm wearing on this necklace.

...

I mean. Good afternoon, Yoyo. What a pleasant day we're having. Could you possibly help me break into your sister's porn stash?

Yep. Got it. Just like the Watchmaker. Not motivated enough to directly assist us but also not motivated enough to put up with the violence that's going to ensue if you don't. One whole "Not My Fucking Problem", served and delivered.

I've seen these runes before. I remember wondering what they were about. But the Roro Heist was so long ago, I'd forgotten.

Thanks, Yoyo. This was a fairly neutral level of non-assistance. Your cauldron didn't even tell me anything new; Just reminded me of answers I've already witnessed.

Here we go. The most closely-held secrets of the embodiment of evil incarnate....

...are a backdoor into this vault we've already been in. Okay but why tho.

What is even the point of this? The combination to the lock is written on the wall, and if you take that combination to an island off the coast and enter it into a secret crypt, it will open a passage to bring you right back here but now the treasure's unlocked.

This is the most roundabout key I've ever seen. Only a truly despicable mind would come up with something so needlesly convo-

...

Oh.

That's what the convoluted circuit loop lock is guarding? Roro makes this whole trip every single time she wants to write a new entry?

Well. We did not find her porn stash. Instead, we found her daily workout regimen. An awkward way to get your steps in but credit where it's due, it means she can't skip out on the routine.

Hold up, she repurposed your journal into her own? That is a whole new layer of domineering.

You need to get out of this relationship, my dude. Like. I think it's pretty clear at this point that she does not respect your personal space at all.

There is a vacancy. We butchered the creature that was occupying it, so if you want to go back, you can.

Oh cool, new Ferry ticket.

Honestly, not 100% sure why Aventry wanted us to come here. Unless this is the place he has fond memories of or something.

I dunno. We'll smash and grab first, then sift through the loot and figure out what we're supposed to do with it later.

Oh shit, it's Roro's private residence. That's what he gave us. I guess that other place was just her work office.

...do you think she'll be happy to see us? I guess there's really only one way to find out. *clears throat* HEY BESTIE--

How have you been? Raised any cool horrors lately? I saw your sister the other day, she seemed to be doing... adequately.

Anyway, we gotta talk about your boy. You're keeping the leash wound a little too tight and--

Okay, but was it really your journal? He had it first. How does that saying go? Two wrongs balance each other out and make everything ultimately fine.

But also that's lame and I prefer it when things are unbalanced in my favor, so now I need to rob you even more.

You heard her, team. We're looking for a locket. Fan out and--

Oh, yeah. We're old pals. It's just too bad she keeps her place in such a miserable state. Look at this place. Bones and flesh just lying strewn about.

I'd offer to help clean up but honestly, that sounds like too much work. Zale, you're pretty good with clutter, why don't you sweep the place.

There we go. Nice and spotless.

Ah, this brings back memories. There's something nostalgic about it. You never really forget your first armed robbery.

Pleasure doing business with you.

You know, we have to stop meeting like this. You going about your day. Me, beating the shit out of you and taking your things. It's getting stale. Why don't we do lunch sometime or something, just for a change of pace?

I think we hurt her feelings. Do... do you want to talk about it?

Uh, Roro says you're fired, by the way. Can't say I've ever been given a gift-with-purchase for a robbery before but she handed me the pink slip right along with the locket.

Yeah, I thought it was weird too.

Better luck in the next life, man. Hope the person waiting for you will treat you better.

#sea of stars #drake plays sea of stars

[loveofbots]

hii this is my first time asking so im a bit nervous hehe

i'd like to request swerve x autistic GN human reader bc we don't get enough swerve or autistic readers...

specifically how he would comfort reader during/after a sensory overload? had one recently and just need some comfort hehe

(fyi sensory overload is like the name suggests, too much sensory input at once which can lead to anxiety, irritability, discomfort, all that not so fun stuff)

please ignore if you don't write for this sorta stuff tho, i understand :)

thanks! <3

- Raft

Dawg you like me fr, gender neutral, autistic, swerve simp /lh

Thank you so much Raft for blessing me with being able to write for my husband swerve

Warnings: mentions of sensory overload, hurt/comfort

Swerve had invited you to the opening of his bar. You were excited to go and support your partner Swerve, although deep down something was uneasy.

Like a pit weighing your heart down the feeling of dread continued to creep up on you as the hours ticked by. As much as you tried to push it aside, it stayed and festered in you. Trying to focus on positives you remembered that it would be all of your cybertronian friends there. They were all very conscious of your personal space (minus whirl) so you would be ok.

But the noise… the lights… it was getting too much. Sitting at the bar you started to drift out of the conversation again. The clinking of glass making you flinch and laughter making your muscles tense to a painful degree.

You wanted it to stop so bad, but you were frozen in place by social obligation. Walking out wasn’t necessarily an option either. You were a long way from the ground and with your jaw glued shut by anxiety, you couldn’t ask anyone for help.

Skids noticed you first, seeing your knuckles white as you gripped the glass you were holding for some sort of grounding. The blue mech quickly informed Swerve, who’s attention landed straight on you. He blamed himself for this situation you were in. Damnit! He knew he should’ve brought some noise cancelling headphones!

“Y/N.” Your eyes flicked up to meet his optics. “Are you okay?” Of course not. You kept stimming uncomfortably and we’re getting a headache.

Shaking your head in reply, unsure whether or not you were coming off as annoyed at the moment. It didn’t matter, Swerve had concocted a plan with Rung just for this sort of thing. He left Skids in charge of the bar, not even saying a word to any of the other patrons in the bar.

Instead your lover gently scooped you up, being careful to avoid jostling you to much. The sturdiness of his frame was a welcome one, and the change of position gave you enough motivation to at least become comfortable in his grasp. The minibot toted you out of the bar and the noise of the crowd faded away.

You still didn’t speak, but Swerve’s kind words were beginning to ground you back to reality.

“There ya go. Deep breaths hun, it’s okay now. I’ve got ya. The party will be fine- I was showing Skids how to mix drinks all fancy earlier. You know the flips with the shakers that you like so much? He knows how to do that too! So he will entertain everyone until you’re rested up. No hurry babe.” Most would think that his constant rambling would upset you further, how wrong they were. You lover’s speech was like a sweet little lullaby.

Reaching the habsuite he set you on the shared berth, not bothering with the lights except for one lamp in the far corner of the room. He set you upon your throne of soft blankets, pillows, and favourite toys. Swerve was quick to pick up anything you could stim with on shore leave, so you were stacked with everything you needed. The short mech only disappeared for a moment to return with some water and your favourite comfort food. He set them beside you to, not pressuring them on you.

“Come here sweetspark.” Swerve shuffled over onto the birth and let you climb onto his chassis. “Take as long as you need.” He was such a sweetheart, so kind. How did you score such a heartthrob?

Unsure at first, his digits brushed your cheek. When you didn’t pull away his derma quirked up into a smile. “There’s my wonderful softy. Feeling better already? Wanna cuddle?”

After nodding another quick yes, Swerve got the two of you comfortable for recharge, or to just simply watch you do something calming. You had Swerve, and he had you. And that was the most wonderful thing he could ask for.

#i know when I’m overstimmed I shut down #for like an hour #transformers #mtmte #tf #idw #maccadam #sfw #swerve’s #swerve #lost light #ll x reader #requests #nonverbal #autistic!reader

[neoyi]

Hoo boy, so how long before we get potential discourse on how this comic contradicts the established Crash Bandicoot timeline?

After all, Crash Purple/Spyro Orange had Ripto and Cortex meeting prior to Rumble ever being a spark in Toys for Bob's eyes.

I would say spin-off games in the series are kind of loose in terms of the canonical narrative, but Crash Bandicoot has kind of been an exception to that rule, in that characters first appearing in the forty billion racing spin-offs seem to return (Oxide) with implication that said spin-off happened, or the rest of the games supported extensive cutscenes and an actual plot that it stands to reason that they could all feasibly have happened canonically.

Rumble seem to follow in that; there's no plot to be found within the game, but these comics have served as nice bits of lore for us to chew on. There's not much to hone on, but would I not be a foolish student of Crashology to leave even the shallowest narrative uninterpreted? Unexamined? Left to rot in the sun like that?

I never bought the idea that Crash Bandicoot 4 was meant to be a thorough reboot of the franchise sans the OG Naughty Dog games, because there really wasn't much to contradict that latter games after Crash 4 still couldn't happen. Dingodile joining up with Crash's team (at the least, pragmatically, he seem to be a neutral force here driven by circumstances more than anything) might be the closest cutting off point since he's working for Cortex come Wrath of Cortex (Crash 4 never explains why he quit the ol' mad doctor's group, he just did for some reason), but now that Rumble's out, particularly with this comic, I'm now beginning to wonder if this is the creators' way of essentially wiping the slate as clean as they could and starting the franchise off from scratch.

And I think it needs it.

Oh, for sure, I'd argue it's yet another reworking of the franchise (Crash of the Titans kind of felt like one, even if, as far as I know since I never played it, they don't technically disown the timeline prior to its release) to revitalize and retool the poor series yet again, but this time, there's been a decade long gap - long enough for fans to lament what could have been, what we wished, and eventually, move on from it (well, some of us anyway.)

I was ready to call the franchise dead in the waters by, like, Year 8, wistful that they didn't get the send-off it deserved. Fact of the matter was, the last few games or so have just been a complicated, hot mess. Nobody seem to know what the hell they wanted to do with Crash the moment it fell out of Naughty Dog's hands. Not from lack of trying (and some developers did try), but it lingered around as either a pastiche of the OG game, a wacky-for-the-sake-of-wacky that varied in tolerance with its humor, or a sea of Dreamworkian pop cultural references - it was a mess. It was a HOT. MESS.

THIS comic, however, seem to signify that yes, come Crash 4: It's About Time, the whole ass franchise, after a decade of nothing, whih came after a decade of identity crisis, meant not only is this semi-reboot expected, but is downright necessary.

You could arguably just make A New Crash game that fittingly continues where it left off without acknowledging any of the past games, but with the assumption that it all happened, but ripping off that loaded, blood-chunked bandage for something visibly new, is probably the best this series, at this time, is going to get and ultimately needs.

Cut off the excess and start from where it was at its most simple, then slowly reintroduce the latter Crash elements. It does suck, if you are a fan of the latter-era Crash fans, to essentially be told after CTR that the rest of the games after is potentially no longer canon (Crash 4's announcer during the end credits certainly lampshades it, too.) This comic pretty heavily cements it, but man, it already does it so much better by introducing Ripto back into the Crashverse in just two pages of a comic versus an entire GBA game where he and Cortex... somehow share a universe and just... team up, I guess???

Of course Ripto crashes the party via a portal. Crash and Spyro's worlds are two vastly different places that sharing it together, while not impossible in the right hands, is tonally contradictory. Spyro's world is fantastical whimsy, Crash is sci-fi madness.

And it isn't like latter Crash characters cannot return. Crash 4's ending showed that absolutely CAN be the case.

Guys. GUYS. Nina's still here. Those two awful chicken announcers are still here.

The OG Crash games never really had the deepest stories, with only literal floating heads occasionally spouting the next motive. Having Crash 4 start from there WITH an elaborate narrative is probably the best starting point. There is no reason why any of the others cannot return in new, interesting roles while paying lip service to their older roles.

Setting aside complicated feelings on reboots notwithstanding, Crash Bandicoot really did needed a reset button, and if it means retooling the established canon in a metaphorical Crisis of Infinite Earths way, then so be it.

So yeah, the comic basically told us Crash Purple/Spyro Orange did not happen. And damn it, I think that's for the best.

On a final note, love this panel. For sake of gameplay, you're allowed to pick whichever character you want, but Rumble's lore seem to imply that villains stay on their end while, presumably, the heroes stay on their side. I guess Ripto serves as a third wheel who decided to muck things even further.

Also, I think Brio is saying Spyro's Japanese translated name, which is amazing cuz' anyone with basic Spyro trivia knowledge knows Ripto's name came from how the Japanese letters look when spelling out the purple dragon's name.

#crash bandicoot #spyro the dragon #neoyi talks #this has been the best Crash Bandicoot has EVER gotten in so long #I don't know how long this train will last but I will be a passenger for as long as they go this route and keep that consistency

[gryphonlover]

I was just thinking recently about how to be an ally to my queer friends on tumblr. Do you have any suggestions? What kinds of things would be supportive and gender affirming to you? How can mutuals support you?

The good news is that asking those questions is one of the most important parts of being a queer ally. 👍 Now this does get a bit long because I'm trying to explain as much as possible to give you a solid idea of how to approach things, so I'm putting it under a readmore.

General Advice

One way you can communicate that you're an ally is by making that clear on your blog. This can mean displaying an image like the straight ally flag, or just saying that your blog is a safe space for queer folks. I don't know how other queer folks feel about the straight ally flag, but I'm of the opinion that it's a great communication device, which is really what all flags are for in the first place.

Most queer folks will have their pronouns in their blog. It could mean that they're transgender or intersex, or it could mean that they're just an ally to those folks. You can't tell unless they let you know, but it's usually safe to say they are an ally at minimum. This means that putting your pronouns on your blog can signal that you're a safe person. It also frees us from the awkwardness that is asking for someone's pronouns, although it should be noted it is always better to ask than to assume.

Reblogging/liking content that's queer-friendly is another good way to show support. It tells people that you're safe and friendly, with the added bonus of interacting with a queer Tumblr's content. I'm of the opinion that it's good for everyone to mingle as long as no one is hurt in the process. I don't really see straight, cisgender folks do this, and I think it's probably because they don't really know any queer folks or they don't feel comfortable engaging with queer content. It can be awkward, but I think the only queer stuff I'd recommend straight, cisgender folks to avoid putting on their blogs is discourse, especially if it's nuanced because that gets really messy really fast and you might not have context for what's going on. But if you like a gay fanfic, or someone you know took some beautiful photos of pride? You're probably fine hitting the buttons on those.

Something that's recently popped up is a significant increase in bots distributing spam in queer tags. A lot of this spam is designed to look like transgender people in sexually suggestive and/or explicit photos. If you spot a post like this, and you're sure the account is a spam account, it's best to report it. Reporting the post and/or blog as spam and then blocking the bot account is the best thing you can do. If you're not sure, then just block the account and a queer person will probably come along and take care of it later. The bots are very problematic because they're taking advantage of the people whose photos they've acquired and they're putting mature content in the community tags without any content warnings.

If you don't understand a queer label, slogan, etc. you can either look it up on a queer wiki (like this one!) or just ask a queer person. Personally, I am more than happy to explain what I know if someone has a question. A lot of other folks are, too. They will let you know if your question is rude, but in general it's better to ask with a genuine desire to understand than to assume anything.

Supporting Me Specifically

I don't have my legal name listed online for multiple reasons, such as internet safety and the fact that it is a gendered name. I ask people to either use my username or call me Gryphon if they want to use an actual name I go by. I don't respond to names that aren't mine, so if you try to use anything else it just won't work. :)

In English, I generally prefer that people refer to me by using "they" instead of "he" or "she" because it's gender neutral. This is obviously an issue in gendered languages. In these cases, I normally use neopronouns. In Portuguese this means using "elu" instead of "ele" or "ela." It might take some practice to get the hang of, but it's the thought that counts.

Adding on to the previous bullet point, I don't normally use other gendered terms to refer to myself (with rare exceptions). In practice, this means replacing "man" or "woman" with "person." The same goes for honorifics. Instead of being "Mr" or "Ms" you should use "Mx." In Portuguese this means using "senhore" instead of "senhor" or "senhora."

I'm asexual. This means I'm not straight or gay, and is not something that will change if I have a partner. Straight, gay, and lesbian are, unfortunately, gendered terms and thus I do not use them. More detailed information is on a need to know basis.

TL;DR: The best thing you can do to show support is avoid using gendered language when you talk to or about me.

If you've read this far, I hope I've been able to give you some practical advice. If you have more questions, feel free to drop those in the askbox, comments, tags, etc. I've got plenty of time to write out explanations for people these days.

#askbox chats #askbox anon

[sugurushimura]

What character alignment would you give to each Yotsuba member? True Neutral, Chaotic Evil etc.

just a disclaimer, i'm no expert on dnd alignments, lmao. i kind of just read a gamerant article to remind myself what they are. i do, however, have many yotsuba opinions...

i'll go ahead and say that none of them, in canon, fit into the "good" category imo. some of them might be pleasant and even sometimes compassionate, but in order to be as rich as they are, you have to hoard a certain amount of wealth, which is selfish by default and pretty much defines who they are. i like the idea of shimura and possibly others becoming more good-aligned after the kira debacle, but they don't have very long to do that considering the murder. none of them are very chaotic, either, so it comes down to either neutral or evil/lawful. so...

higuchi is neutral evil. he murders without regret and while he has some idea of personal morals and what have you, ultimately he's not devoted to much other than his own gain.

namikawa is proooobably also neutral evil? he's not evil on as big a scale as higuchi - i don't think he'd kill anyone if left to his own devices - but he's out for himself and fundamentally doesn't care if others are hurt for the sake of his career.

ooi is... lawful evil, i think. he has, in my opinion, a certain idea of duty regarding his place in yotsuba, and this influences his thinking during the kira debacle. he very actively participates in the meetings and doesn't seem to have any issues killing competitors - although i don't think he's thrilled to kill hatori. he's relatively less evil than namikawa.

mido is just plain neutral (i would say true neutral, but i've been led to believe by my dnd friends that true neutral actually means something else). follows rules but only out of necessity and has no personal reverence for them; takes part in the meetings of death out of necessity but is secretly against it and dislikes killing others.

takahashi is also just neutral for similar reasons to mido. i think he's a better person because he was more obviously opposed to kira and was visibly disturbed by hatori's death, but not enough to get himself a spot in the good category. another victim of capitalism...

shimura is lawful neutral. although he has, like, some amount of morals and could become a good person, he isn't majorly motivated by compassion or selflessness in any meaningful way. he is very much a stickler for following rules... and the law... not that it did him much good...

kida is lawful neutral. he's very, very big on rules when it's up to him and cares about thinks like structure and consistency. i put him in neutral because i don't think he's thrilled to be killing people, but he could be put in evil; we can't really tell based on canon whether he likes the yotsuba kira or is just hiding his misgivings. personally i go with the latter, but otherwise i'd put him in lawful evil. he's definitely not the most pleasant guy.

hatori is neutral. although he does support kira, i feel like he's just in over his head and doesn't realize the gravity of what's going on rather than being malevolent like the other kira supporters in the group. he's basically out for himself but doesn't particularly want to hurt others.

thanks for the ask!

#asks #Yotsuba #Kyosuke Higuchi #Reiji Namikawa #Takeshi Ooi #Shingo Mido #Eiichi Takahashi #Suguru Shimura #Masahiko Kida #Arayoshi Hatori #anonymous

[prowerprojects]

(Modern Tails anon) {Don't worry, I totally get the need to vent. We all have our feelings on things, I'll try to my best to follow up with my own word vomit.} Heh, as long as he's doing something other than typing on a pad, that's seems to be enough for some people. /s (Archie didn't exactly do him better either; with everything else that was going on in it, but at least he had a few personal shining moments in it. IDW, Modern really hasn't had a definitive story yet. One that covers all his aspects and show his future potential, not just smarts and gadgets.)

Probably doesn't help that characters with superpowers tend to have a bias, compared to more "normal" ones. (I mean, Tails isn't normal either, but I think you get what I mean. Kid genius trope struggles.)

Hmmm, probably have to chalk that up to SoA localization changes; which omit the whole bullying thing and downplayed his inventor aspects pre-Adventure/Sonic X. Early cartoons playing hard into the 'kid' side didn't help either. (Underground completely removing him for real siblings certainly was a choice after AOSTH and SatAM went on about him and Sonic being surrogate brothers. At least the OVA balanced everything.)

Yeah, some are missing the point why Nine is the way he is and his current arc. As curious as I am about potentially seeing a "main antagonist" Tails, I can't help but feel it might hinder Modern Tails' outlook more or give even further wrong impressions of his character, especially in tangent to Sonic. (Frontiers is just words until we see what happens passed this game onward. I did sneak a look at the DLC leaks, and well, let's just say a certain trend of his we keep joking about continues and leave it at that. xD)

This is what I also mean about him interacting with other characters. How would he be as THEIR partner for a while? What if he took leadership and inspire others, just like Sonic has. What does he learn from those experiences? Considering he doesn't have personal contempt for most characters, him being mostly neutral allows him to talk virtually with everyone rather civilly. Including Eggman's robots. (Ah, someone else with the Tails and Sage vision. xD I'm hoping with their similarities, it leads to a cool dymanic between them, I don't quite see them fighting each other as much as Sonic and Eggman do.)

Heh, we don't talk about Sonic's admiration of Tails very much, or how they keep each other centered and it often leads to that lopsided view. Yeah, Sonic 'raised' Tails; more as guidance than the traditional parental sense, but Tails is one of the main reasons why Sonic is still alive. Sonic values Tails' opinion, even if it doesn't always align with his. His support and planning is why Sonic can succeed in his heroism. (Sonic isn't dumb by any means and can handle himself well, BUT can you say his adventures would have gone smoothly or quickly without Tails' help? Do you not think he enjoys Tails' company regardless and supports him with all his heart? Do you think why the dude who generally prefers solitude considers this fox close enough to be described as his family? Their bond has multiple layers, years of trust and is still evolving. Focusing and giving all the credit to one side of the team is disingenuous to both.)

Thanks, anon!

I wonder if idw would do something with Tails at all... maybe in a couple of years we'll see. I have other thoughts on idw, but I should stop myself because thinking about it too long is a bit upsetting. (I wrote an entire paragraph about him in the Metal Virus but. I should really stop thinking about it)

I'm really hoping we get a Tails-centric story in that 900 issues special, and if not, at least have him be a supporting character for someone he doesn't usually interact with much (so basically anybody who isn't Sonic). I looked at the list of the writers and I honestly have no idea who I'd want to write for him, since a lot of them only did a couple of sonic stories at most.

Technically Tails does have superpowers, he can fly and he's fast... but a good chunk of the cast also has those, so it isn't something that seems so special anymore. So he only has him being a kid genius to set him apart and yeah, I guess it isn't as awe-inspiring as being able to throw cars with your mind or set things on fire.

Yep. What I was trying to say in the last post, is Tails's backstory being kind of hard to figure out just from playing the game is the reason why the western adaptations were able to change him so much in the first place. (At least that's what I meant by "that's how we ended up with Tailses who thought math was hard"). Though maybe if those adaptations did have his game backstory elements being more prominent somehow, it would have created a different image of Tails for a lot of people in the west...

Interesting that the bullying thing was included in Stay Sonic, which is what the Fleetway comics is (partially) based on, and it is a part of his backstory in the comic as well. His bullies were other foxes, just like in Origins/Prime. (Kid genius thing was not included though, hence "Pixel Brain")

(Also it's interesting that aosth started to bring in some of the aspects of his game characterization by the second half of the show. The whole episode dedicated to him being a genius, and then his technological abilities do occasionally come up later on, him fanboying over a pilot and flying a plane in another episode, people occasionally commenting on how freaky it is that he has two tails, stuff like that)

Honestly I don't know what else I could add on the Nine thing, I genuinely don't believe he would be the final antagonist. If he does end up as one, I have no idea what it says about the actual Prime Tails, how are we meant to read it? (Also I just generally have a bit of a distaste for how fandoms would see a traumatized and hurting kid, who is maybe kind of angsty and isn't the best at managing their feelings, and immediately go "Oh evil! They're soooo gonna be a villain!" I understand it could be really cathartic to see a character who's been wronged and hurt to turn the tables and be unhinged and calling the shots, but 1) often in the end it ends up being self-destructive behavior, 2) while it could be cathartic for some viewers, and technically it's a plot that has a right to exist, the fact that it's a trend that I've noticed makes me feel like people associate mentally ill teenagers with being evil, which is not great (though maybe I'm reading too much into this), 3) I just genuinely think this isn't where Prime is going)) Tails could make for a terrifying antagonist, I'm just really struggling to imagine what could actually drive him to villainy.

Tails and Sage... my first thought was "Oh they're definitely gonna make them rivals. Considering that Tails used to battle Eggman, isn't that a bit of a downgrade?" But then I actually started thinking about it, and now I want it. I have some ideas, but the actual dynamic would really depend on where they take both of those characters after Frontiers. But it could be really interesting, and more importantly, different from the rivalries that we already have!

Yes, Sonic and Tails! As much as I would love for Tails to interact with other characters, he and Sonic do have a great dynamic together. Honestly I don't think I have anything to add. It reminded me of the recent Sonic Channel story, at the end Sonic says something along the lines of Eggman being the unluckiest person in the world because of all the people not to lose their memory, it was the two of them, which means he's definitely going down!

#sonic doesn't look before he leaps not because he's reckless he just knows tails would catch him #tails #hmmm I wouldn't call this one a rant #I've chilled out #project.txt #miles tails prower #tails the fox #sonic #how much sonic trusts tails is amazing to me #it really balances out tails's own admiration of sonic #i feel like being friends for so long had influenced sonic as well. the not looking before leaping thing from before was a joke but #I do think that knowing that he always has tails in his corner does influence some of his decision-making

[aggold15hi01]

My own thoughts and opinions on Allisha Gray and her villainous era

📝 ⚠️ Disclaimer: This blog post is entirely based on my own views as a "Neutral" (I don't know FYI) and a "Biased" Allisha Gray Fan whom she had her own set of prejudices and views about her favorite player.

~Sincerely, a "Neutral" and a "Biased" fan of AG 🤙

P.S In my own opinion--I'd think in my own opinion all of the USA States should have an emoji of their own flag represented each of the states in my own opinion therefore I could have probably used the Hawaii Flag in my own opinion. (Again, no "True" offense to everybody out there whom they are reading this blog post on my own Tumblr)

In my own opinion--I am sure Allisha is going to enter her villainous era ever since the trade from Dallas to Atlanta due to the reason that Coach Vicky Johnson had messed up the relationship between both Allisha Gray and Dallas Wings and to add the insult to the wound--Lish had been feeling under-appreciated for way too long during her time with the Dallas Wings and NO "True" Offense to any of the Atlanta Dream fans and Las Vegas Aces fans out there but in my own opinion--I do think Allisha would be a better fit for Dallas Wings as if they did truthfully prioritize her properly then she would have been in my own opinion been in the same route as how Sue Bird had spend most of her time in the WNBA with the Seattle throughout the season where she did played as a (Now former) basketball player.

Plus speaking of Allisha and the Dallas Wings--if you are wondering why did she left Dallas for Atlanta; one of the reasons she did truthfully left Dallas is not only when former coach VJ had said something about how she criticizes how Allisha didn't played well against the Las Vegas Aces back in June 2021 additionally she said she (Allisha) isn't properly used to the defense system she had drawn up for the team to utilize it properly and to add the insult to the wound--Vicky had even said the 3x3 Basketball qualification had even caused a delay on Allisha's mindset plus this does really makes me want to truthfully slap Vicky across the face for saying that and then criticizing about how Allisha didn't know how to play very well and I also want to slap the general Greg Bibb for the way he prioritize Arike over Allisha and yet having to let Coach VJ to coach for two years in a row when we could have seen a coach like Brian Agler or Latricia Trammel and then things would have gone differently; everybody.

Plus I do really think Allisha deserves better especially I do wish that there is a team in Honolulu, Hawaii just so she can truthfully go there but again . . . I truthfully doubt Allisha did wanted to go to Hawaii to continue on with her basketball career but I really didn't want her to truly simply be only appreciated if she either goes to a very popular team or worse; when she is gone. (No way, Jose. Also sorry if I did truthfully triggered you by giving you a scare on the last part but this is my blog so I do have the "Truthful" rights to truthfully say something about Allisha Gray as she is one of my favorite players FYI.)

Honestly, I do really think Allisha deserves so much better in my own opinion--and although she may be with the Atlanta Dream now: I'll still forever supporting her no matter where she goes and I do think she does deserves better during her time with the Dallas Wings but I'm still not feeling deeply happy about the part where Greg Bibb decided to prioritize Arike and let go of Allisha Gray for good in my own opinion.

My personal choice on "Allisha's villainous era" playlist: (All songs are entirely based on my own personal choices):

-Fight song- Rachel Platten

-Get out of my way- Kylie Minogue

-About a girl-Sugababe

~Maniac-Girlicious

~Fighter- Christina Aguilera

-Disaster- Jojo

#my own post #my own words #my own writing #my writing #my own thoughts #personal #text post #text #allisha gray #my own views

[bluebellthesponge]

didnt justin force britney to get an abortion???

no? anon i have no idea where you are getting that idea from, it's either from tiktok drama accounts or you're just getting information from poorly worded headlines

britney's abortion was both a mutual decision they agreed upon together, but ofc britney's decision really only matters at the end:

"In the book, Britney writes, "I loved Justin so much. I always expected us to have a family together one day. This would just be much earlier than I'd anticipated." But, she says Justin felt they weren't ready, because they were too young -- both were around 19 at the time. According to the book, Britney says she was "conflicted," but after some difficult, emotional discussions, they both agreed getting an abortion was the right decision."

(x)

"'I’m sure people will hate me for this, but I agreed not to have the baby. Abortion was something I never could have imagined choosing for myself, but given the circumstances, that is what we did,' she writes."

generally i dislike going to tabloids for sources mainly because they have clickbaity titles/tend to have dubious sources, but many sources are basically saying the same thing so i think it's reliable-ish. i know her book releases tomorrow so feel free to add anything else/correct me on things

it's weird that i noticed the discussions of britney's own book is being reduced to only talk on her and justin. why is the public still obsessing over some teenagers'/young adults' relationship from two decades ago? britney should be able to speak about her relationship of course it’s her life, but this weird obsession with tabloids, which are ran by like 40 year old adults, turning two at the time young pop stars' relationship into just some "juicy gossip" is really icky imo considering 1. people already obsess way too much about the personal lives of celebrities especially weirder when they were like barely adults and 2. this book is about britney!!! also be supportive of her beyond discussions of her and jt’s relationship!!!

people need to take the actual time and effort into reading and realize these are humans who are so multifaceted and complex, not characters we can oggle at like popcorn entertainment

this book isn't even just about their relationship, she talks about stories before and beyond their relationship like her music, her family, the conservatorship, and other relationships

basically it’s a story of how two 19 year olds, who had tough discussions about what to do ended with both agreeing together that getting an abortion was the best decision at the time

so it’s really fucking weird to me when i hear people in real life talk about this very personal experience that britney is sharing (which is her right) turning it into a big celebrity gossip of “justin made britney get an abortion!?!?” which no joke is how a person i came across in real life and one of my local radio deejays worded it

i want to state i am extremely happy britney is finally able to speak about her story in her book i really am. i love her music and to know what she's been through with how her father and family has treated her is heartbreaking. this woman has been through a lot and has been silenced and ridiculed for so long that she deserves and can be able to speak about her experiences and that she is brave to talk about her more traumatic experiences and how it affected her especially with how shitty her family and label has treated and exploited her

i know i am an nsync fan so i am probably biased but my attitude towards justin is sort neutral tbh. i really only care about nsync's music rather than his solo work, but how justin spoke about her after their breakup was really fucked up and him cheating on her during their relationship was also not cool. my attitude towards justin is mainly neutral, i like his music and think he’s talented but same time i don't care enough about him beyond really nsync and he can be annoying esp when you’re watching old nsync interviews because it’s a 19 year old white boy from 2000, but i don't care if people hate him. go hate him or like him or have mixed feelings about him i really don't care. you are able to come to your own conclusions. i truly can understand people not wanting to like him though lol

i could care less about their current relationship of whether or not they talk to each other anymore, i think they don't, but i do know britney recently danced on instagram to one of justin's songs and that justin apologized on social media or smth like a year back which i know that these comments don't really matter in the long run but i do think are interesting to note

and please if i said something wrong feel free to correct me!

#anonymous #asks #sorry for the rant on this but i think people just fail to realize #that these are human beings and not some juicy gossip characters to watch #also considering the fact there are more important things going on in the world #i don’t like how people only get super focused and suddenly caring when it’s only celebrity drama which is ://

[the-land-of-eternal-winter-novel]

Chapter 24 - The Conflict of Interest

When he reached a more populated area, Radek managed to find his soldiers again. He approached his personal guard.

"Would you like to join me? I'm trying to uncover some secrets."

"Coincidentally, that's also what I plan to do, but I don't believe we're talking about the same thing."

"Well I think my mother is hiding many things from me, and she might be involved in something..."

"I was more concerned about what is happening in the empire right now, Sire. You know I've been following you because I respect you, but this doesn't mean I'm on your side, politically. Considering the new emperor, I can't bring myself to support the empire anymore. I tried my best to be neutral, but I can't anymore."

"And what would you like to do now?" Radek became concerned.

"I've been listening to many points of view. Recently, I've become familiar with the revolutionaries, particularly the newest movement. They wish to expose this corrupt emperor, and I'd like to know everything, or even help them."

"I personally find those people very untrustworthy. I wouldn't want you to become radicalised."

"With all due respect, I think being a pacifist like yourself is more harmful in this context. I'm resigning from my position and joining the revolution. I doubt our paths will cross anytime soon."

"What can I possibly say?... You're free to do whatever you want. I can't force you to agree with me. I really hope we won't have to fight against one another."

"Thank you for your understanding." he said, saluted respectfully and left.

Radek was thoroughly confused and disappointed by the encounter, wondering how much more betrayal and division was there to be. From the place he was at that moment, he was easily able to find his city, although the journey wasn't short.

The children had long arrived at their grandmother's castle, confused and scared. They questioned her, but she only explained to them that it was safer for them to be in that place rather than out in the open, with their mother. It wasn't long until Elena and Kęstas saw them. Elena hugged them, relieved that they were safe and healthy, but she soon noticed that Svetlana was missing.

"Where's your mommy, Petya?"

"Those soldiers kicked her out of the sled!!" he yelled, being heard by his grandmother from the other room.

"Is that what really happened?"

"Yes, and it's your fault!"

"Don't talk to me in that tone, boy! I told my soldiers to take her back to where she came from. They should've followed my orders to the letter."

"Why did you separate them from their mother?!" said Kęstas.

"I can take care of them better. In no time, the revolutionaries will search for her, so I made sure they won't come after the children. If she were here, they'd come after us. You wouldn't want that."

"We wouldn't want my sister wandering in the middle of nowhere either!" shouted Elena. "She's supposed to be ruling the empire!"

"Why do you say it as if it's a good thing? If she were able to rule, she wouldn't have gotten herself in such a situation."

"So you left her in the wild?!"

"I didn't want her to get lost, only to be far away from us and from her home. It's the gurads' fault."

"Have them search for her to repair their mistake, then!"

"I did this when you two disappeared. You came home of your own accord, in the end."

Elena sat up suddenly, walking towards the door.

"I'm searching for her myself!"

"You're not going anywhere!" the queen restrained her. "If anything happens to you we're doomed! At least Svetlana already has three heirs."

"All you care about is power, power, power!!! Can't you think of your grandchildren as grandchildren and your daughter-in-law as your daughter-in-law without bringing in politics?!!"

"Of course I care about them, that's why I brought them to safety. As for daughters-in-law... I never said I was very fond of them."

"How can you speak like that?!" said Kęstas.

"I'm just saying, I wished the best for Radek and you. I'm not going to pretend I like your decisions."

"Do you think I'll stand you insulting my wife?"

The queen seemed surprised her son opposed her.

"That's too mild to be an insult. I just said I didn't like them, which I don't. You'll see, I'm saying this because I love you."

"You can't love me and hate my wife."

"I don't hate her, that's a strong word. I just don't like her, and I'm honest about it. And it's not about Elena, it's about the whole family, Svetlana, their crazy brother, their lazy father, and so on. They've done our country harm and you act like I should be happy I'm forced to be allied with them because not one but two marriages of my sons."

"At least my brother isn't crazy enough to kidnap children!!!" Elena snapped. "And my father wasn't lazy! What did you expect him to do, manage this kind of civil unrest that we have now, all the while struggling with a terminal illness and raising three children as a widower?!!"

"I didn't have an easy life either, and I'm handling everything perfectly!"

"Didn't you gain independence? What more do you want?"

"I've told you: I wish that somebody capable ruled the empire, not cowardly pacifists, not ruthless dictators!"

"Name one person you'd like to see on that throne!"

"Before today's conversation I was even considering you. Too bad you prefer to defend them."

"They're my family."

"So? You so desperately wanted to get away from them."

"I've matured in the meantime."

"You should mature even more, seeing as you need to respect your elders." the queen said, not knowing how else to counter her.

Elena left the room with her nephews. Kęstas stayed a little longer to talk to his mother.

"I know the situation is overwhelming, but you needn't treat everyone as your enemy, especially not your family."

"You, Radek and the children are my family."

"We're your blood family, yes. But Elena and Svetlana are your daughters-in-law."

"But you made these decisions without wondering if I agreed. I don't like that our political enemies become the people who try to rule my household, through my sons, then my castle, then my city, then my whole country."

"You're exaggerating. They're not conspiring against you. They're not your enemies. With all due respect, never talk to them like that again."

"You're like your father. You already have all the power, yet you still find ways to restrict what I can do or say."

"That's not what he did at all. He just told you to stop bossing him around, because he's the one who actually rules the country."

"You're taking sides now, aren't you? Ungrateful sons!..."

"In a marriage it shouldn't be one against the other."

"What do you know about marriage? Barely passed the honeymoon and you're such an expert!"

"I'm not even claiming to be an expert. But I did know that your relationship with dad was falling apart. I noticed, and it hurt me, too."

"You know why that is? There's no such thing as a happy second marriage. I really loved Radek's dad, but he died. Sadly, you can't replace people. So I dropped the thought that I should expect love should I get remarried. I met your dad, and he seemed smitten with me. I fell in love with this country, so, of course, I did accept to be his queen. We got along for a while, but one can only take so much when you realise that not only did the initial romance fade off, but even the power you sought through such a union is being taken away from you. That's why I wouldn't have let you marry a princess from the empire."

"My motivation for marrying Elena were not at all political. I was ready to live with her as a peasant. As for your power, it was never yours in the first place. No wonder dad complained about your being controlling, if that was your mentality."

"Leave me alone and come back when you figure out how to talk to me as if I'm your mother, not your school mate!"

Kęstas left, thinking about all the memories of his parents fighting. He was conflicted, as he loved both parents, but now he wished he had taken his dad's side, feeling thst his mom had changed for the worse during the years. He went to Elena's side, trying to comfort her.

"What did she tell you?"

"She has many problems and I don't think she told me her real thoughts in her rant. Leave her be for now. Just know that I completely disagree with her. It shouldn't matter what she says, I chose to be with you and she can't control my decisions."

"She's up to no good. I hope Sveta is safe right now. It's beyond me how somebody can betray her family like this. Let's say I get why she doesn't like me, but what could Sveta have ever done to her? Or maybe she's the only thing standing between her and power. If Sveta disappeared, Radek would be regeant until Petya grows up."

"I hope she doesn't think of this kind of thing!"

"But what if?"

"I'd protect you first and foremost. I wouldn't want her to go to prison or the like, but if she tries to harm us... I can't believe this is happening to us!..."

At the same time, at the revolutionaries' camps, the young soldier was trying to talk to people about his suspicions. He approached Melynė.

"I think I might join your group..."

"Why is that?"

"I can't trust our leader anymore. He seems not to actually care about us poor people, but about putting himself into power."

"Isn't that what they all do? You'd do good if you joined us, we just want independence and reform. Since we got independence, we're working on reforms of all sorts. You could benefit way more from something like this!"

As he befriended her and the others, he became convinced to leave Mantas and join the original movement. Sava quickly noticed his assistant's absence and notified Mantas. The two didn't reprimand him directly, but they watched him, checking if he tried to steal some followers.

"If I'm still going to be a sniper, I need an assistant. That kid got easily persuaded. I'm searching for a new one." said Sava.

"I know how to shoot a sniper rifle, too, you can be the assistant."

Sava wanted to refuse, but he just said:

"Is there anything you can't do?"

"Jack of all trades."

"...master of none. Stick to leading the crowds."

"You're witty. I like that."

When Sava announced his need for a new sniper assistant, Radek's former soldier offered to get the job, jumping at the opportunity. They almost forgot about the young soldier until he began making many friends within the other groups and slowly spreading ideas counter to them.

"Ainārs, how about you tell the others what you just told me!" Melynė suggested to him.

"I'm not good at speaking in front of a crowd..."

"I'll begin, then. Ainārs learned a few secrets about the third movement while he was there and he'd like to share them."

"As you know, they wish to kill the emperor and conquer the empire. But I have a theory. I heard them talking about who killed the first revolutionary leader. The blamed the emperor, because he was the richest, but I think even a poor revolutionary could've gotten the poison, but by stealing. He tried to blame you, but what if it was him? The scientist we read about in the papers also died right at the same time. Maybe he killed both the revolutionary leader and the scientist!"

This started to spread to members of the third movement as well, some of which did leave. Ainārs hadn't expected this, but he embraced the newfound fame and found more evidence for his theories. It was then that Sava and Mantas began watching him more closely.

"The kid isn't as innocuous as we thought."

"Then we'll treat him how you treat a traitor." said Mantas.

"What is your plan this time?"

"You'll see."

#the land of eternal winter #my novel #draft 1 #chapter 24