UPDATED ON JULY 2017

Hey LOK fandom, if you’re like me and DIEHARD ship Kai & Jinora, I 10/10 recommend the fan fiction:

Anchor by words-with-dragons

It is a pirate AU where Kai is the captain of a pirate ship and Jinora is an upperclass citizen whom Kai kidnaps for ransom, from her rich father Tenzin.

It is ABSOLUTELY FIRE! The characters are so well written, the plot is supreme and super angsty, the hatred to friendship to romance development - ICONIC!

Just wanted to share 😊

Is there a skill you’ve always wanted to master someday, but kept procrastinating on? A language you started learning – then abandoned? A topic in class you’ve never quite grasped? Or maybe you just want to expand your horizon and try something new? Distract yourself from your usual studies?

This challenge is the perfect opportunity to achieve that! Pick a skill and see how much you can improve and grow in 30 days – or really start working on your to-read list (I know those books have been piling up), your portfolio for that dream job in Illustration you want, or your blog you’ve been meaning to post more original content on.

Self-growth and development are so, so important, which is the main reason why I created this challenge.

The idea of this challenge is that people from all communities come together to gain knowledge, add skills and just have fun with the amazing amount of resources out there. This way, we can all support and motivate each other, whatever field you might be interested in.

Post an introduction with the hashtag #30dol with your goals and expectations for the month (starting June 1st), and what your current level is. (Of course, you can join in later as well, but it’s fun to start a the same time!) In the end, you’ll be able to compare and see how much has changed!

Rules:

choose a topic or field you want to concentrate on

post an introduction to #30dol 

define your goals or aspirations

update daily or weekly, we want to hear from you! ♥

post a picture, a sketch, or audio, whatever you deem fitting to show us all your progress for the day/week

Here are some ideas for you:

bullet journaling (read about it here on @emmastudies, here’s an amazing online course on it) 

books/reading (if you don’t have a personal to-read list, here is one with the best books of the 20th century, best series with a gay plot/subplot, and books everyone should have read at least once)

coding (here are some sites to learn html, css, data science, python 3, java, etc.: x x x x)

design/illustration ( stickers and illustration, character illustration, Ink Illustration, 45 best adobe illustrator tutorials, 

business/freelance/open your own shop (tips on how to open your own sticker shop, digital skills: web analytics and marketing)

languages (apps like lingodeer, duolingo, lingvist, busuu, blogs like @lovelybluepanda. there are also so many pdfs and amazing websites out there depending on your target language!)

online mass education courses (edx, coursera, skillshare, futurelearn where universities and professionals teach you about their subject - be that astronomy, engineering, ancient greek history, artificial intelligence or medicine!)

social media (learn to take iphone photos for your tumblr or instagram, and here’s a great post by @studyquill on how to start and maintain a studyblr!)

photography (travel street photography, find photographers you admire like annie leibovitz or henri cartier bresson and read about their path, or browse youtube channels like negative feedback which specialize on photography)

creative writing (there are tons of workshops online - you could also try to set yourself a piece or word limit similar to nanowrimo) 

culinary (check recipe websites, or challenge yourself to try one new recipe a day, or dedicate the month to a specific cuisine)

music (learn music production, andrew huang has also made a video on how to start making music here)

film and filmmaking (karsten runquist’s channel is wonderful for film analysis,  learn about cinematography basics here and film history here)

painting (acrylic painting, sketchbook illustration. you could challenge yourself to fill an entire sketchbook/create a piece every day or week, or to improve a specific technique) 

Every resource linked is free (if you click on the links you can get Skillshare for free for two months and cancel anytime), so all you need is some free time and lots of motivation!!

I’m very happy to be announcing this to you all, and will be working on my Japanese for this challenge – so excited to see what you all and I will do and how far we can come!

Use #30dol as the general tag, and add your field (your specific subject, or writing, painting, lang(uages), pho(tography), film, book, design) to find people doing something similar! Though honestly one of the things I’m most excited about is the multidisciplinary aspect - we are such a brilliant and colorful community :)

Have fun guys!!

Forget me not

It’s been about a year since my last Miraculous Ladybug fanfic list. Given the fandom is three years old and season 2 is right around the corner (hopefully), I believe it’s time to relive and explore some of the best fanfics the fandom has to offer. By no means is this list comprehensive. Many fics aren’t on here. (I’m working on a list for newer fics, so stay tuned!)

Rainy Days by @thelastpilot (Not rated) A storm rolls through Paris and refuses to let up, so when a water fearing cat is rescued by the kind efforts of his designing classmate he starts to pay a little closer attention to someone he should have always known better.

he’s not a siren by @miraculousturtle (Rated T) Merman AU. Their meeting is orchestrated by fate, conducting them one at a time to step on the stage. With the flick of the baton, in time, they will sing the same song, but only if they aren’t swept away by the ocean’s mighty waves.

An Unexpected Surprise by @sweetprincessluck (Rated M) Adrien Agreste. Age 26. A successful international supermodel, currently changing careers to a CEO of a fashion empire. Was born and raised in Paris, had moved to the USA 6 years ago, came back for a visit. Kind, handsome, lonely. Had experienced a lot, had seen even more. Had nothing left that could surprise him anymore.Except, maybe, this - a small, blonde girl, with emerald eyes and freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose – a splitting image of his mother Lillian Agreste, excluding, perhaps, the freckles.Her name was Emma. Emma Dupain-Cheng, to be exact.

Obsession by @kryallaorchid (Rated T) Miraculous has unintended side effects. A chance encounter leaves Chat Noir in Marinette’s magic hands. Scritch and scratch, this kitty has needs. MariChat. 

Smoulder by @midnightstarlightwrites (Rated T) In which Adrien loses a bet and becomes an underwear model, Marinette loses her mind, and the whole fiasco starts a fire which might lead to the pair discovering their identities.

Retrouvailles by @gigiree (Rated G) There’s an art to telling stories. There’s an art to ending them. Just know that saying “the end” is just another way of saying it’s a new beginning. When she says goodbye, her luck is gone. His has just begun.Tattoo and Flowershop AU!

Over the Wall by @imthepunchlord (Rated G) The accident, while unintentional, was costly. For her wrong doings against Chloe, Marinette is sent over the wall to die. But instead of death, she winds up in a strange, unnerving world. Good thing she’ll have a cat to watch her back in this bizarre place.

Chasing the C/h/atwalk by @runningoutofink (Rated T) Paris. The city of lights, love and fashion. Follow the progress of Marinette Dupain Cheng as she enters the extremely competitive world of Reality television for a chance to be the winner of Project Runway: France.

Lucky Us by @geek-fashionista (Rated T) -AU- Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s life isn’t going as planned: twenty-six, recently dumped, and running her parents’ bakery. The highlights of her day are the emails sent by her mysterious pen pal, Chat Noir. That is, until handsome model Adrien Agreste starts swinging by the bakery after hours. But how is he to know the Ladybug he loves is standing right in front of him?

Guardians by @wintermoth (Rated T) In the year 2015, Marinette Dupain-Cheng said yes to Tikki, the kwami of Creation. Two days later, Adrien Agreste said yes to Plagg, the kwami of Destruction.For the first time in over a thousand years, the cat and the bug were starting fresh. (immortal AU)

Découvrir by @xiueryn (Rated M) A decade apart and he still remembered her. Marinette contacts her childhood friend in hopes of rekindling their forgotten relationship despite him being a celebrity, only to assume him to be someone else entirely. AU.

Bare Necessities by @reyxa (Rated M) Art School AU where Adrien is the nude model in Marinette’s human figure class. Major sin warning but it’s more awkward than sexy. Definitely not for little ears… or eyes I guess…

Serendipitous Fate by @skaylanphear (Rated M) Adrien is excited to reveal his true identity, while Marinette is terrified. But Master Fu says they can’t afford to be distant any longer. Chat Noir and Ladybug are meant to work in tandem both in and out of uniform, their strength stemming from the bond created between them. Yet, teenagers are sometimes better at dancing blind than running with wide open eyes, even with the steps laid out before them.Steps in the path of an expanding world. Apart, they’ll flounder. But together, they might just stand a chance.

Tikki’s New Friend by @panda013 (Rated G) The dog was easily the height of his chest, and the young woman walking it could have only come up to his shoulder. But she was just cheerfully walking along beside the dog, chatting and laughing happily with a redheaded young woman. The dog was a big black beast—he didn’t know the breed then, nor did he particularly care, but it whined pitifully when its equally dark-haired owner paused to read a street sign. She just giggled and reached out a hand to ruffle its fur, and the giant’s tail wagged happily.

heartstrings by @zenwisterias (Rated T) one of marinette’s rare unlucky days turns into something treacherous. thanks to a certain cat, the real danger passes, but there are other things to be more afraid of. her heart, for example, might be one of them.

The Ladybugs and the Bees by @bullysquadess (Rated M) This originally started as a fanfic about periods and just devolved into crack.

You Don’t Know Me by @ferisae (Rated T) When Ladybug suffers a near-fatal accident and is presumed dead, it is up to Adrien - who has discovered Ladybug’s secret - to help her through her painstaking recovery and reacquaint her with herself. All this while trying to save Paris on his own without losing himself in the process.

Satisfaction Brought It Back by @siderealsandman (Rated E) Most people rekindled friendships with people from high school over Facebook or Twitter. Most people met for coffee, shared pictures of their bratty children, and sent old friends Christmas letters once a year. Marinette was clearly not most people as she had somehow hooked up with her former high school crush on a bondage dating website and didn’t know it until he was standing in front of her with an identical look of bemused embarrassment plastered all over his pretty face.

A Werecat in London by @i-am-thornqueen (Rated M) After an unfortunate encounter with an akuma while in London on a business trip, Chat Noir is forced to deal with the unexpected consequences. Can Ladybug help him return to his normal self, or will he be stuck for the rest of his life getting in touch with his wild side?

tangled ribbons by @demistories (Rated G) Marinette is a small studio dancer who wins a scholarship to a summer long ballet intensive. Adrien is a famous ballet dancer who would rather be at home than at said intensive. The end of the summer will bring about a showcase that could make Marinette’s career, if she can ignore Chloé and focus on something other than Adrien.

The Space Between Us by @chassecroise (Rated T) What’s a ladybug to do when her kitten becomes a cat?

Accident of the Evening by @thatwriterchickrachel (Rated T) Adrien Agreste, rumoured royalty, just wants a normal life. But one night on the run he meets Marinette, a normal girl, with a normal life. Marinette can’t believe it. Her long-time celebrity crush had crashed into her life and was now hanging out with her and her friends in between his busy schedule.With the Annual Parisian Masquerade Ball approaching, and an announcement sure to change everything looming over them, the two young adults begin a friendship and a double life.

Emergence by @artisticflutter (Rated M) They were only teenagers, but they are no more. Forced to awaken to new powers, both find themselves codependent on the other in order to survive and escape from their captors. They are Ladybug and Chat Noir - they are Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste. Part One of a possible series.

The Lights that Lead Us Home by @oceanspray5 (Rated G) Based on @piku-chan’s Cinderella AU on Tumblr. Marinette remains at the Palace to train as a noble and Adrien takes on more responsibilities as King. The wedding is planned for the Prince and his Princess and despite any outside meddling forces, goes off without a hitch.

Le Chat Noir by ParadiseAvenger (Rated E) Le Chat Noir was the most popular strip club in Paris. Marinette could explain how she wound up there the first time, but she couldn’t explain how she kept coming back.

The Wingman Visits by @niuniente (Rated M) When Chat Noir finds out Ladybug’s real identity as Marinette, he also discovers her huge crush for Adrien. As a gentleman he is Chat Noir offers to be a wingman between Marinette and Adrien, trying to get them together.

Sealed away by @ashesandhoney (Rated T) Five years ago, Ladybug left Paris and left Chat Noir to learn how to keep it together on his own.Marinette is back in Paris with an internship at the Agreste Fashion house trying to get the spring show up and running and as much as Adrien appreciates having a friend at work, he’s distracted by Ladybug’s return and more Akuma attacks than either of them have faced before.Something big is coming and nothing can stay sealed away forever.

Cut from the Same Cloth by @baneismydragon (Rated T) When Gabriel notices that Adrien is collecting various supplies from his office, he assumes that his son has finally decided to show an interest in the family business. However when he tries to show his support by showing up at a school presentation, things quickly spiral out of control and everyone learns more than they bargained for

Désolé by @pozolegirl (Rated G) ‘The Cat’s out of the Bag’ as Adrien would say, and now Marinette and Adrien must work through their emotions during this new reveal of identities, all while Hawkmoth is hot on their trail and not about to let them slip away from him, taking matters into his own hands.

Sing the Song of Sailing Sirens by @princessofharte (Rated T) Adrien Agreste is the Pirate Lord of the High Seas, chasing a British flagship until Le Chat Noir is blown off course into a green storm.

This is not a complete list of the best fics in the fandom. Many of these authors have written multiple fanfics for this fandom and they are all amazing. Indeed, many of the fics on AO3 with the most hits, the most kudos, and the most comments were other fics not mentioned here but completed by many of these authors. Every work of fanfiction is amazing. If you want to help encourage writers to write more awesome fanfiction, please leave a comment on their works. It can be as short as “This is great!” Seriously. We live off validation.

It’s not narcissism if I add in my own fic here, right?

Was there anything I missed? Leave it in the reblogs and spread the word so that others–including myself–can read it!

Saw this somewhere else and felt the need to post it cause no one else ever really tells you this stuff

☁️ maybe some of your favorite fics your mutuals have written

congrats on 2k btw 🤍

just a heads up that this is a long list lol, and thank you 💕

**majority of these blogs & their works are eighteen plus and over, please abide by their rules

@babyboibucky

devil’s mark | bucky barnes x fem!reader

don’t you worry (your pretty little head) | bucky barnes x fem!reader

deserve better | bucky barnes x fem!reader

@babycap

no vacancies | steve rogers x fem!reader

come and sit in my shade | sam wilson x fem!reader

@belladonnabarnes

extra syrup | bucky barnes x reader

@belowva

(un)cool | bucky barnes x fem!reader

don’t look back | bucky barnes x fem!reader

i wanna make you hungry (then i wanna feed ya) | bucky barnes x fem!reader

@bitchassbucky

CTRL | dark!bucky barnes x darkfem!reader

@blackberrybucky

if you ever want to be in love | sam wilson x fem!reader

as long as i’m here, no one can hurt you | bucky barnes x fem!reader

for the glory of love | thor x fem!reader

@bloomingbucky

attitude problem | bucky barnes x fem!reader

@bucksfucks

clementine | steve rogers x fem!reader

the ink on your skin | steve rogers x fem!reader

@buckysbiota

optimist | steve rogers x reader

@buckycuddlebuddy

ever since new york | bucky barnes x fem!reader

wicked tongue | bucky barnes x fem!reader

trilogy | bucky barnes x fem!reader

@certainaesthetic

spilled coffee | sam wilson x woc!reader

misconstrued and mistaken | sam wilson x woc!reader

2 am waltz | bucky barnes x woc!reader

@divine-mistake

‘till death blooms us art | sam wilson x fem!reader

helios, his modern muse | steve rogers x fem!reader

@golden-bucky

still into you | sam wilson x reader

@gwenavibra

wicked heart | loki x fem!reader

do you want me, love me, hate me? | steve rogers x fem!reader

@jurassicbarnes

take a chance | bucky barnes x fem!reader

sundress season | andy barber x fem!reader

some nights | steve rogers x fem!reader x bucky barnes

@mickey-henry

knowing my fate is to be with you | bucky barnes x reader

you’re the best book i ever read | bucky barnes x reader

@my-divine-death

it’s brooklyn baby | bucky barnes x fem!reader

@roger-that-cap

jack pendleton | bucky barnes x reader

on your desk | natasha romanoff x fem!reader

our olive branch | wanda maximoff x fem!reader

lover | sam wilson x fem!reader

what a lovely dream it is | wanda maximoff x fem!reader

@samwilsons-pillowpecs

crazy, beautiful | bucky barnes x fem!reader

enigma | sam wilson x fem!reader

@starbuckie

soda pop | bucky barnes x reader

keeping me warm | bucky barnes x reader

@strawbeariefaerie

smile for the video camera | harvard hottie x fem!reader

museum melodrama | harvard hottie x fem!reader

@sunstalgia

introspection | steve rogers x fem!reader

safety net | steve rogers x fem!reader

@thefanbasewhore

i never hated you | bucky barnes x fem!reader

@winter-james

strings | bucky barnes x fem!reader

there’s so many more but there were the ones i could think of off the top of my head <3

💛🌼 join the sleepover 🌼💛

Coulda Fooled Me, Man [s.h.]

Fandom: Stranger Things Pairing: Steve x reader Word count: 5.2k Warnings: season four spoilers, fluff, fear of water/drowning, mention of blood, slight love triangle with eddie bc i can’t help myself, gaslighting you all into thinking the Wheeler’s have a front porch, deviation from canon towards the end

“More water,” you groan, a close relative of a whine, more to yourself than to your friends. Looking skyward, as if your salvation swirled in the twinkling cosmos, you ask, “why does it always have to be water?”

“Aww, don’t worry. I’ll hold your hand if you get scared.” Eddie teases, hands squeezing your shoulders softly from behind. You ignore the jab and instead focus on the comforting touch, though fleeting.

You continue. “If I see one more boat after tonight, I’ll be gagged.” 

Eddie leans into Robin beside him with faux secrecy. With a square mouthed cringe, he whispers loudly, “Wait ‘til I tell her about the cruise tickets I bought for the gang.”

You direct a glare at him, veins heating up. While you’re mostly sure that he’s joking, there’s no sooner time than the present to start practicing trust issues.

“Watch yourself, Munson.” Dustin chides with a cheerful grin, the sight alone aiding in further soothing your nerves. “There’s a fire in those eyes that’ll flame that perfect hair to a crisp.”

“Hey, look at me.” Steve enters your line of sight, draped perfectly before you so as to block out the rest of the world. Your body starts to cool under his brown eyed gaze, a new heat taking place at your face. He knows more than anyone here your struggles with swimming, and water in general. “You don’t have to do this. You know that right?”

“And let you go by yourself? No way.”

“Well, I won’t be going by myself.”

“You know what I mean, Harrington.” Your eyes almost pierce his in a glare. Since the inception of your childhood born friendship, there had never been a time you and Steve let the other go about something scary alone. Like in kindergarten, when your grandfather died. Steve came to the funeral service, his hand etched to yours the entire time, like it belonged there. Or in the sixth grade, when Steve needed to get braces. You returned the favor and held his hand throughout the entire procedure, even if it proved to be a nuisance to the dental assistants assigned to him. “‘To the moon and Mars,’ remember?”

A shy, reminiscent grin tugged at his lips. His eyes escape yours so he can look down and shake his head with a huffed laugh. They find yours again easily, voice soft. “I remember.”

“Then let’s do this.”

Steve and Eddie work on preparing the boat, each of you taking turns boarding. Robin goes first, bracing each of her hands on Steve’s and Eddie’s heads as a makeshift railing. Nancy follows, and you decide you’ll go next, despite the leaf-like trembles embedded in your clammy hands.

Lifting a hand out to grasp yours, Steve squeezes your fingers tenderly as he helps you aboard. The hand braced at your back, probably Eddie, adds stability to your body as the boat ebbs under the added weight.

You can only breathe again once you’re seated, perched on a bench across from Robin and Nancy. 

“I thought you said there was only room for four!” Dustin exasperates as Steve and Eddie join you and the girls. 

Steve throws a fake apologetic glance to the boy as he tucks himself in beside you. Eddie’s on your other side, all three of you packed onto one bench. The comfort rate is low, but you have to admit you feel safer tucked between them. Less possibility for your body to be jostled by the waves, that way.

As Robin and Nancy begin to row you away from shore, Steve is quick to check in. Leaning closer to you, he scans your features—and definitely detects the existential fear splattered on your face like spaghetti sauce after a cafeteria food fight—before saying “Okay. How are we doing?”

If he hadn’t already seen the blatant terror in your brow, perhaps you could’ve gotten away with lying.

“Oh, totally terrified.” You say with faux cheer, throwing a delusional wish to the stars that your forced smile will somehow trick your mind into feeling more calm. “But it’s fine. I’ll be okay.”

Like a switch, those final words enhance your hyperfixation on the waves carrying you to the middle of the lake. How they ebb and flow, tilting the boat in a slow waltz at midnight. Except your partner keeps stepping on your toes. The heel of your shoe is two twirls away from perfectly snapping in two. A loose thread of your lovely laced gloves hooking onto their wristwatch’s spine.

Until the sun comes. Its warmth cradles your cheeks, spreading through the rest of your body in a tropical gradient. You’re seated at a gimmicky vacation themed cafe, a coconut punctured with a straw perched on the white wicker table before you. The sundress adorning your body hugs you perfectly, as if designed with you in mind. You’re safe. Content. Perfect, even.

Back to reality, you look down and realize Steve’s hand has nestled with yours. Fingers tightly tangled. As your eyes catch his, he throws you a small smile, eyes squinted with reassurance. You force a smile back.

“Um, guys?” Eddie mumbles distractedly. You quickly avert your gaze from Steve, embarrassed, thinking he was speaking to the two of you. That changes when you actually look at him, though, his eyes locked onto the compass cradled in his palm. Being right next to him, he shows the device to you first. “Is this supposed to be happening?”

With a perplexed lilt to your brow, you use your free hand to take the compass in your grasp. Your other hand retains its tight grasp on your True North, while you watch the compass needle haphazardly scramble in search of theirs.

You lean in, closer to the center of the boat with the compass tilted skyward for your friends to see. They crowd in, all of your heads nearly pressed together as you take in the phenomena.

Dustin’s voice crackles from the walkie. “Guys, what’s going on?” A pause. “Come on, talk to me. What’s going on?”

Robin responds, hands tucked around the device. “Uh, Dustin, your compass has gone from wonky to wonky with a capital ‘ahh!’”

If possible, the sky grows darker than before. Steve slips his hand from yours, and you watch, stunned, as he starts to untie his shoelaces. “Whoa, hold on. What are you doing?”

“Somebody’s gotta go down and check this out.” His arm jostles against yours as he struggles to move with the limited occupancy. This hardly phases you, however, limply ebbing against his shimmies to remove his shoes and socks. You’re discreetly shaking your head before you realize it. “Unless one of you four can top being a Hawkins High swim co-captain, and a certified lifeguard for three years, then it’s gotta be me.” No, it can’t be. “No complaints, all right?”

“Weird time to be bragging about your aquatic achievements,” Eddie relents from your other side. “But I won’t stand in your way. Roll a natural twenty, man.”

Steve is visibly confused by the reference. “Thanks, man.”

You’re frozen, staring out at the darkened waves. Thinking of what lurks below, what Steve could run into down there, sends your pulse into overdrive. Luck would truly be on your side if you don’t need to call a rescue squad by the time this night ends. If it ever does, anyway.

Steve enters your line of sight again. You want to say it’s because he knows you so well and can detect even the slightest quirk to your brow, but you’re sure the anxiety is just emanating from your being in droves at this point. Max can probably see it all the way from the shore. And that’s without binoculars. “Hey,” his voice is so soft around the edges it makes your tear ducts burn. “I’ll be fine. I’ll come back to you. I always do.”

All you can do is nod with a forced smile, not trusting your vocal chords to fray and unravel at the smallest tug of pressure.

With one last squeeze to your shoulder, Steve is standing and shedding his shirt. He tosses the yellow crew neck to you. You’re staring at him again, but for a different reason. This given appearance wasn’t foreign to you, but it also wasn’t as familiar as you’d want it to be. 

Your nose begins to burn.

“Gross,” Robin chimes in, flicking the newly lit cigarette from Eddie’s fingers. He watches, disappointed, as it dives into the water. 

“Is now really the best time for that?” Nancy admonishes.

Eddie flails, and you catch his wrist right before it can make contact with your face. “Have you been alive today? I would argue that now is the perfect time for that!”

Steve looks down at the water, the trepidation written so plainly on his face you could mistake him for a post-it note. Before you can stop yourself, you’re latching onto his wrist. He cranes his head to watch you over his shoulder. “Be careful, yeah?”

Twisting his arm in your grasp so he can squeeze your wrist, he says, “of course.” He looks at the gang. “Stay out of trouble while I’m gone?”

“No promises!” Robin gushes, sugary sweet, flicking another lit cigarette from Eddie’s clutches. He smacks his leg and curses under his breath.

Steve sends you one more meaningful look before he’s swallowed by the waves. The anxiety increases by tenfold without him pressed against your side. You wring your hands together to trap their tremble.

Quiet befalls the group, your only background noise being the oceanic soundtrack which trickles around you in micro pecks. The longer you wait, the more convinced you become that Steve isn’t coming back. That you’ll never get to see him again. Laugh with him again. Hold him again.

Maybe you should’ve told him how you felt when you still had the chance. You tug his sweatshirt closer to you.

“Hey,” Eddie lowers his head, nearly tilting it sideways, to meet your gaze. His fingers tap your temple gently. “How’s it going in there?”

A faint exhale escapes your nose, the lamest excuse of a chuckle you’ve ever heard. You appreciate the concern. “Hanging in there. I just hope he’s okay.”

His lips tilt to the side in a reserved smile, but you also notice a freckle of forlorn acceptance in his eye. Voice dropping into a whisper saved for you, he says, “You really care about that guy, huh?”

Your heart skips, peeking at the girls across from you to make sure they’re still engaged in whatever conversation they might be having. They look drawn into their own world enough that they didn’t hear Eddie, but you wouldn’t be surprised if at least Robin didn’t have one ear directed towards you. Drifting back to Eddie, you say quietly with a chuckle, “of course I do. He’s my best friend.”

“Coulda fooled me, man.”

Lips parting to respond, a dull shriek escapes instead, as Steve breaks through the water’s surface with a gasp. The rest of the gang is startled, too, Eddie clutching to your shoulders in a panic. You think his scream was the loudest, if your ringing ears have anything to say about it.

“I found it,” Steve announces, taking two final breastrokes to reach your side of the boat.

“You found it?” Nancy echoes excitedly.

“I found it.” He repeats, hypoxicated disbelief on his tongue. Hands clutching to the boat’s rim to give his arms a rest, he says again, “yeah, I found it.”

Relief breaks out into hives across your skin in the form of goosebumps, coming down from the overheated peak of your anxiety. The sigh nearly deflates your body, lips tugging up into an agile grin. Your fingers grasp onto his, the look on your face contagious enough for Steve to mirror it.

“Dustin, you are a goddamn Einstein.” Robin says over the walkie with a happy fatigue. “We found the gate.”

“It’s pretty wild,” Steve says while you all wait for a response from the teens at shore. He braces his arms atop the boat. “It’s more of a snack-size gate than the mama gate, but, still, it’s pretty damn big.”

That’s when your heart stops. Or that’s how it feels anyway.

Steve suddenly propels downward, as if tugged by the ankle. His white-knuckled grip on the boat keeps him afloat, but the force of whatever grabbed him had caused the boat to violently bob. Everyone clamors to stay afloat. Sweat immediately gathers at your hairline, and you feel as if all the bones in your hand could shatter from the deathly chokehold you retain on the bench below. A barely there whimper nestles into the back of your throat.

Then he’s gone. Steve. Forced back into the water against his own volition. Hands flayed in a panic, they’re the last things you see before he’s fully taken under. 

The last word to fall from his lips is your name.

“I have to go in.” The words are spoken shyly, despite their willingness to come out, a reluctant admittance to your new fate. Your plea is hardly heard over the screams of your friends, still reeling from Steve’s being reeled under the current. Fingers grasping Steve’s sweatshirt to tug it over your body—your biceps had been getting cold anyway, exposed to the chilly nip of night’s teeth—you speak louder this time around. “I’m going after him.”

“Are you insane?!” Nancy screeches. “No, I’ll go.”

“Well, gate’s at the bottom, isn’t it?” The words dribbled from your lips quickly, eyes flickering between your friends and the dark abyss beneath. “Isn’t this the one time that not knowing how to swim should come in handy?”

“The lady makes a fair point,” Eddie agrees, only to endure an arm smack from Robin.

“Not if she actually drowns!” She all but shrieks.

“I won’t!” You argue, trying to mask the clear anxiety zapping your veins. “I’ll just toss myself into the water, sink for a little bit, then boom. No harm done.”

“Just stay with the boat.” Nancy pleads. “Please.”

“Yeah? Well, the idea of something happening to Steve freaks me out infinitely more than some water. End of story. I’m going in.” You were running out of time. God only knows what’s happening to Steve on the other side. 

Everyone is silent for a beat. 

Until Robin holds out a hand, a begrudging, almost knowing, smile painting her lips. “Fine, you stubborn idiot. But you’re not allowed to let go of me. Got it?”

Next thing you know, you’re in the water. It burns your eyes to keep them open in the dark, lurky murks, but it would help to know exactly where you’re drowning yourself to. Robin keeps one hand tightly latched to yours, as if melded by superglue or a dress zipper that refuses to budge. She pushes the other through the vast depths, kicking her legs so you’ll get to the bottom faster. You try to mimic her movements, unsure if they’re actually helping or not. It may sprinkle speed into the passage, but the distraction of doing something with your body might be playing tricks on you.

That’s when you see it: the gate.

Like an oasis surrounded by a sea of sand. A blue accent wall meant to bring life to the otherwise dull color palette of a hospital. Steve, spotted within an instant of searching a voluminous crowd.

Red glow seeping through the black branch-like coils awaits you, roaring faintly with the eerie moans and creaks of the upside-down. You’re scared, but intrigued. It draws you in.

Emerging from the water, you catch sight of Steve. You can finally breathe again.

Until you hear his screams.

He’s overtaken by these bat-like creatures which swarm his being. They’re above him, beside him, on top of him. Some bite and tear into his flesh.

Not for long.

Swinging at one with a nearby branch you’d found, you spit out a “go back to Hell!” as it unlatches from Steve and soars to the ground with a thunk.

“I think we’re already there!” Eddie hollers, taking down another one.

You all take turns batting at the bats until they’ve all succumbed to your willpower and determination to save Steve. Exhaustion melts into your bloodstream, but you power through. For him.

Magnetized with unnerve, you’re by his side the second the last bat hits the ground.

“You’re here.”

Unable to take your eyes off his sustained injuries, the blood seeping from his wounds—he should be okay, just needs to be bandaged up. Maybe Nancy wouldn’t be too bummed to donate her scarf to a greater cause—you’re only able to grant a customary glance at his face before you’re looking down again. He receives the muttered response, “where else would I be?”

“You came after me,” he points out, like he’d just connected the largest, most obvious pair of dots that you’d have to be a dufus to miss. 

Color yourself a dufus, you guess. “I know.”

A hand grasps your wrist, softly. His hand. “You can’t swim.”

Eyeing the contact before slowly scrolling up to his eyes, you respond. “I know.”

His brow creases upward briefly, the slightest flicker of emotion. All freedom of movement within you is suddenly lost, unable to tear yourself away from his gaze. From his hold, his fingers still wrapped around your wrist. The touch is firm, grounding, as if his eyes aren’t enough confirmation that you sit before him. His thumb crosses your skin so feather-light it almost tickles. Flamed heat warps your cheeks and neck, like you’re leaning in to blow out your birthday candles and overestimate the distance.

You assume time to move differently in the upside-down, but a local clock could tell you years had passed—and you’d hardly bat an eye.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

You’re in the woods now, surrounded by the brush of big trees, and under the sound dampener of Skull Rock. Demobats had overpopulated the place the gate had dropped you at, so you had to get out of there. A collective sigh of relief is felt and heard through the gang.

As you separate from the tighter protective coil you’d been wrapped in with one another, you notice Steve moreso stumbles from the group. He braces against Skull Rock’s jaw. 

“Stevie?” you try, making it to him faster than you ran to escape the demobats. “You good?”

“I’m fine.” He mumbles, an obvious lie. Slumping further into the rock, he repeats, “I’m fine.”

“Okay,” you say with a gentle finality. Gentle as a sunflower, you grab his forearm with one hand, using the other to brace against his bare torso. Tugging him down in hopes he’ll see the point, you mumble, “sit down, you liar. You’re losing blood.”

His chuckle is faint, but still floats into your ears with a warm whisper. You both lower to the ground, his hands clutching to your arms as a wave of pain seems to rush through him. 

Scooting closer, you brush a hand over his cheek. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.” Turning to Nancy with what you hope is a charming smile, you say, “hey, Nance. Looking radiant. Got any important plans for that scarf?”

With a reluctant grimace, she hands it over.

“I’ll buy you a new one the second we get back home. Promise.” You assure, taking the garment from her hands.

“You better,” she jabs, its edges softened by the humorous quirk of her lips.

Steve’s already staring at you when you turn back to him. You quickly avert your gaze, pulling him away from the rock so you have enough room to wrap his torso. “Okay, let’s get you patched up, huh?”

As you’re wrapping Nancy’s scarf around him, he gets to his knees to match you, arms raising from his sides.

You make the mistake of looking up.

With his hands braced behind his head, his arms form two mirrored triangles; a glimmering diamond in this otherwise desolate sea of barren ash and decay. His biceps are flexing due to the pose. Chin tilted towards the sky, his Adam’s apple is more pronounced and his neck, elongated. Eyes closed, lashes feathering his cheekbones. His pretty lips are parted, presumably in pain, but you can’t deny he looks good. You can’t control your cognitive functioning, especially around him.

He looks like a Greek god.

You quickly finish tying and knotting the scarf around his wounds, hoping that the snickers you hear to the right aren’t directed at your obvious ogling. 

Though they definitely are.

Especially when your eyes catch Robin’s and she wiggles her eyebrows at you.

“Okay, good as new.” You tell Steve quietly.

He slumps back against the rock at the news. Dropping his otherworldly supermodel  pose, he squints his eyes open. Clearing your throat, you back away slightly. You can’t get too far, however, his hand finding your wrist again. You wonder if his fingers will leave a permanent mark on your skin with the home they’ve found there. A brand, or a tattoo. His voice is still weak, but definitely stronger than it was mere moments ago. “Thanks.”

“Always,” you return, lips curving at the sight of his scrunched nose. He’s so adorable.

Eddie pops the bubble, shrugging off his jean vest and handing it to Steve. “For your modesty.”

Steve nods in thanks and starts to throw it on, when your voice stops him. “Oh, wait. Here.” Gesturing to his sweatshirt on your body. “You can have this back.”

His hands reach out to hold yours in place, effectively stopping their movement. “After you stunk it up? No way.”

You’re gobsmacked for a second, trying to register his playful jab. Then you scoff, shoving his shoulder gently since he’s still likely in pain. “If I stink in this thing it’s only because you put the stench there in the first place, Harrington.”

“You’re probably right,” he relents, and you laugh for the first time since boarding that godforsaken boat. As you help him put on the vest, his smile is blinding. 

Like sticking a bottle of sunshine into a darkened closet.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

After establishing the next step of your escape plan, which was to walk to Nancy’s house and arm yourself with the guns she kept tucked away in her room, you began your trek through the woods.

You strode along the beaten path through the wilted trees with Robin and Nancy, hopping and stepping over Vecna vines as you went. Small bouts of laughter and strategy bounded past your lips the whole way. The reassurance of this new plan had seemed to brighten the group’s soul, bolstering your confidence to the point that you didn’t need to spend your time chomping your nails down to the root anymore. 

Steve and Eddie stay farther back behind you three, engaged in their own conversation.

About you.

“So, Y/N’s a real Betty, isn’t she?” Was how Eddie had chosen to approach the topic.

Steve immediately gets defensive. He tries to conceal it, waiting a beat longer to mimic casualty, but Eddie sees it on his face the second he finishes asking the question. “If you’re trying to ask for my blessing or something, the answer is no way in Hell.”

“Okay,” he draws out awkwardly. “Pushing aside my hurt feelings for a second, I mean no harm. Just having a conversation, is all.”

“Bullshit,” he jabs gently, eyes momentarily flickering to you to make sure you’re alright. He watches your head tilt back, laughing at something Robin said, and his lips tug. “Look, you don’t have to beat around the bush, man. I know you’re into her.”

“Duh, I have eyes,” he scoffs. “But I know true love when I see it, so I’m making the most selfless sacrifice here to help you use your own peepers.”

“True love?” Steve echoes incredulous. “What are you on about, Munson?”

“Look, the second you went under, and I mean the very second, that girl dove in headfirst after you, Harrington.” He watches Steve’s eyes immediately flicker to you. “She was the one leading the charge to come and rescue you, and she can’t even swim, man! We all tried to make her stay with the boat, that we would go in her place. You know what she said to that?”

Steve is breathing harder now, eyes flitting between your joyous figure and Eddie faster than a movie projector fluttering through frames. He can only shake his head in response to Eddie’s query.

They’re both halted in the path, Steve waiting with baited breath at what Eddie has to say. If Steve was expected to focus on his motor skills and you at the same time, he’d stumble and break his ankle if he so much as thought about that damned gorgeous smile of yours.

“She said,” Eddie pauses dramatically, before frowning. “Well, actually, I can’t remember.” Steve deflates, throwing his arms up exasperatedly. Eddie continues, “but, basically, she said that losing you would’ve been scarier than setting foot in any body of water. Any. Body. Of. Water.”

Steve’s eyes soften so much they begin to feel fuzzy. Chest cavity warm, as if someone put a candle in him like he was a jack-o-lantern. He can only see you, a physical diagnosis of the retina where his heart would only continue to beat from watching you.

“Now,” Eddie continues, more gently. The sight of Steve Harrington in love was endearing, to say the least. “I don’t know what happened between you. Why you’re not together anymore. But, I’d get her back.”

“‘Get her back?’” Steve echoes again, looking at Eddie again. Though not for long. “We never dated.”

“Coulda fooled me, man.”

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Relax finds your muscles later that night, at the Wheeler residence. The real one, not the abandoned grayscale remake. Outside, the cool air is a welcome inhaler to your lungs, the inexplicable smell of Spring like a refreshing glass of pink lemonade. Ice knocking around its container like a wooden wind chime.

“There you are!” A voice gushes. Peeking over your shoulder from your being braced against the porch railing, you see Steve. Flowers begin to sprout in the front yard. They wind and intertwine with one another, vine-like in their trail up your legs to ascertain your heart. He grows closer, and the vines tug. “I was worried about you.”

With a soft grin, you roll your eyes. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m fine.”

“Oh. Y/N.” He pretends to only acknowledge your presence now. With a point to your body, he justifies, “I was actually just talking to my shirt.”

You guffaw and shove him. Though he sways from the force, the grin on his lips couldn’t be any more gleeful. “Always some kind of trick up your sleeve, eh, Harrington?”

Tossing an arm around your shoulder, he looks into the dark night alongside you. “That depends. Does it annoy you?”

You consider the question. “Occasionally.”

“Then yes.”

Full chuckles resonate on the porch, both yours and Steve’s shoulders shaking in tandem: palm trees in motion. Appreciating his warmth, you lean into his hold. His fingers tighten around your shoulder a fraction, tugging you closer. Though his bandages are fresh and his face has been rid of the dirt that once caked his skin, leaving only disinfected cuts in their wake, he doesn’t smell too great. You’re also certain you don’t exactly smell like a rose garden, despite receiving similar dirt removing rituals as Steve. It’s hard to care, though, his hold on you feeling so destined.

You feel the weight of his head press onto yours, and he asks, softly, “seriously, though. You’re okay?”

“I am.” It’s the first time tonight you’ve been able to say that and actually mean it. “Or, I will be, at least. Nothing a good nap can’t fix, at this point.”

He hums in agreement. “Ain’t that the truth.” With a soft sigh, he begins “tonight was,” only to trail off, shaking his head lightly against yours.

“Mental?” You try with a lifted brow.

His head tilts further into yours for a beat, as if considering the response. “Yeah, that’ll do. More like, that times, like, a million, but yeah. That’ll do.”

“I’m just glad we all made it out there alive.”

He hums again, further tightening his hold on you. As if you’d slip away, a receipt in the wind, if his grasp was too light. Before the topic can get too serious, and, because this is what Steve does, he cracks a joke. “Now if only I could take a damn shower. You especially.”

Expecting the punchline, you just smirk. “Oh, that’s real nice of you, considering I spent most of today fearing for your life.”

He removes his arm from your shoulders, bracing his elbows on the railing to mirror you. His arm is pressed so tight against yours you’d think they made one ligament. Shimmying that shoulder into yours, he says, “that’s cute. You care about me, Y/L/N?”

“I’m not too sure, anymore. You’re kinda mean.”

“If I’m mean it’s only because you put the mean there in the first place.” He tries to echo your jab from earlier in the day. You sputter at his failed attempt, and he scrunches his face up in disappointment at himself, which only makes you laugh harder.

“You’re such a character, Stevie.”

He hums, before offering nonchalantly, “I’ll be any character you want me to be, so long as you get to play my love interest.”

You’re stunned into silence. All you can do is blink up at him.

“I love you. Really.” he says more seriously. “Like, I’m in love with you.” he chuckles to himself. “I think I’ve always been in love with you. I’m just an idiot, and, well, it took another idiot to help me figure it out.”

That’s when you realize. “Eddie.”

Steve nods. “He’s really got the hots for you.”

A knowing smile stretches across your face. “Maybe so, but I’m kind of in love with my best friend, so.”

His face relaxes in relief for a beat, before it scrunches up. “Kind of?” 

“What?” you offer innocently, turning to fully face him. Mirroring your actions, a smile sparkles in his eyes, shaking his head to himself minutely. Perhaps it’s just his addictingly overwhelming presence playing tricks on you, but it feels like he’s inching closer. “I mean, I haven’t even kissed the guy. How can I know if he—”

A welcome interruption, Steve’s lips on yours. His hands, gently cradling your face like you’re the damn most precious thing in his world. The words die on your tongue as his licks into your mouth, a soft hum of content coming out instead.

Warm and bright, you feel like you can see the sun rise behind your eyelids. Orbs of orange marry yellows of the most magical hue, footsteps tracing the horizon in their dance to the top. Though they burn their fingertips on the sun’s surface, nothing compares to the way they burn for one another. With one another.

“To the moon and Mars, yeah?” The words tickle your lips, soft and sweet. A secret sealed behind his padlock heart. 

You never knew you always held the key until this moment. Trapped between your fingertips like a magician with her dog-eared quarters.

“To the moon and Mars, Harrington.”

jamesmydeer’s masterlist

characters i write for

james fleamont potter

just go

sad hc

secret admirer

birthday hc

fight hc

remus john lupin

as much as I do

gee, i think you’re swell

sirius orion black

royal! reader hc

ten galleons

random hc

no sleep till new year

royal raffoler

sick hc

regulus arcturus black

secret relationship hc

james sirius potter

passing notes

all

seeing you walk down the aisle hc

jealous hc

first kiss hc

You’re The Cutest

Summary:Peter just loves when you wear his clothes

“Is that my shirt” -#13 for @starksparker Summer Writing Challenge

“Shit.Shitshitshit”You quickly ran around your room trying to find a clean shirt and any type of bottoms.You didn’t care.You were about an hour late to school and the only reason you woke up was because your boyfriend had been blowing up your phone with texts and calls.Five missed calls and forty-five text messages to be exact.You didn’t tell him you were missing school,which you normally did so he was probably freaking out

Keep reading

Honestly no wonder every song is such a bop in tgwdlm,

They’re all villain songs!!

AUs

Some of my favorite AUs and some blogs that have them (only including series’)

Hogwarts

@whyistomholland - Lesson Learned

@underoossss - Of Love and Magic (Harrison Osterfield)

@parkerprotectionprogram - Oppugno

Roommate

@h-osterfield - Yellow Roses (partially)

@madmadmilk - Ground Rules

@marvelouspeterparker - Roomates

Mob

@thedaydreamingwriter - Her Romeo, His Juliet

@sarsmusings - Call Your Bluff

@itstomsdarling and @bi-writes - Notorious

@thewiseandfree - Call Me King

Royal

@starsholland - A Journey of Lost Souls

@itstomsdarling - If you’re my Romeo then I’ll happily drink the poison

@holland-ish - The Selection

CEO/Boss

@hazthediv - The Proposal (Harrison Osterfield)

Best Friends

@h-osterfield - Yellow Roses

@madmadmilk - DOMINO (side note: this is literally the coolest idea for a fic with the readers-choose-plot thing and it works so well and the story is flawless so definitely check it out)

@midtownsparker - Fortune’s Fool

Enemies

@h-osterfield - Remember When

@softspideys - Time After Time

Soulmate

@moondustparker - Flicker

@softspideys - Time After Time

@hollandroos - Red and Blue

Superhero

@softboy-holland - The Magic School Bus

@pparkerwrites​ - Secrets