#//i will say this is exaggerated in that i did have some food sensitivity with higher doses so i adjusted my meals accordingly nbd

[spectrumspace]

prescribed meds: weehee hehee i fine :D prescribed double the dose: :D prescribed triple the dose: :D prescribed quadruple the dose: THE SIDE EFFECTS D:

[saturngas]

fake profile of him on tinder

[🪐] you find a fake profile of gojo on tinder

pairing: gojo satoru x reader

genre: sfw, a bit suggestive

warnings: crack ?? (just me trying to be funny); established relationship; use of gender neutral pet names; gojo is so unserious and can't keep his hands off you

word count: 1.3k

..

..

the sound coming from your phone interrupted your rice ball making. it was a calm evening, your boyfriend was in his office organizing and finishing the pile of paperwork he decided to ignore for a week, while you were at the kitchen making dinner.

you quickly washed your hands before picking up your phone, frowning immediately at the display of the message sent to you.

hey, I don't know what kind of dynamic you have with your boyfriend, but I find his profile on tinder

"what the actual fuck..." you whispered. you certainly did not question gojo's loyalty to you. he was the most perfect partner you could have ever asked for. an unavoidable feeling was boiling at the bottom of your belly as you kept reassuring yourself that this was some kind of lame prank or maybe gojo was ridiculously hacked.

all pessimistic thoughts were easily erased the moment you looked closely at the screenshot attached with the message your friend sent. the pictures presented on the profile were badly cropped screenshots from gojo's instagram public account. the resolution was bad as hell, you almost wanted to laugh at this pathetic fake profile.

the additional information was false too. you knew gojo damn too well to know he doesn't use the words displayed, just as the hobbies and interests were so inaccurate. gojo's occupation as business man? his height was 6'1? his favorite food was spicy yakitori? this is a joke.

still, you wanted to make extra sure this was completely fake, and maybe tease your boyfriend for being an easy target.

"hey handsome," you said with a soft smile as you entered his office. gojo looked at you as if you were his savior, certainly finding a new excuse to stop working.

"hey sweetie pie," his bright smile immediately warmed your face. of course this sweet man was openly and deeply devoted to you. there is just no way he could have an account in some dating app.

as you unlocked your phone and searched for the screenshot, your legs took long strides to finally position yourself on his lap. gojo unconsciously wrapped his heavy arms around your waist, snuggling his face down your neck. he took an exaggerated deep breath, sighing contently at your aroma.

"look at what I found,"you said as softly as you could. you didn't want to come off as angry for something that was obviously out of his knowledge.

with tired eyes, gojo gave a quick glimpse at your screen, which was a little too bight for his own good. you noticed the moment his lips let out an almost inaudible whine. your finger moved quickly to reduce the screen brightness. his poor sensitive eyes.

"baby what are you doing in those apps!?" his voice was laced with unmeasurable sadness, a big pout on his pretty face. he was so dramatic, of course he would say that. "is there something you want to tell me? why did it have to be this way?" his arms locked you in with a tight grip, his large hands dancing around your body. his baby blue eyes were looking down at you with so much betrayal, you were so bad with him.

you couldn’t help but laugh at his dramatics. "please satoru, a friend of mine sent me this," you showed him your previous conversation with your friend to calm him down. his pout lessened, but his grip on you stayed the same.

at the reassurance, his lips started lingering soft kisses along your neck and shoulder, making you giggle and place a small peck on his soft hair.

"stop distracting me toru and answer me if this is you." you tried with a stern voice. he hummed. of course it wasn't his profile, but gojo would actually die if he didn't tease you.

"what if it is, sweetheart?" he said amusingly. his lips wouldn't leave your skin. he didn't care about this fake profile, he just wanted a moment with his darling after the agonizing paperwork he did. he only finished three papers.

"satoruuu, stop playing and tell me," you whined out loud, earning a tighter grip of his toned arms and a bunch of kisses aiming at your collarbone and exposed skin of your chest. "im gonna start crying if you don't tell me the truth."

"nah uh baby, only I can say that."

his mouth never seemed to get tired when it came to giving you kisses. his lips moved to your chin and jawline, wet kisses now on your cheekbone as his teeth threatened to gnaw on your skin.

"satoru stop. im starting to get mad," of course you weren't, your giggles and burning cheeks said otherwise. but gojo didn't have a stop button when you were with him. you started mumbling angry words that couldn't come out complete because gojo now started attacking your mouth.

"baby please stop talking and let me kiss you hard," your boyfriend said with a loud whine when you moved your head to the opposite side to avoid his lips. a large hand of his came to your legs and grabbed them with force to place you completely on top on him. one of his arms gripping your legs while the other was around your upper body, his hand grabbing your face. gojo was so unserious. he wasn't paying attention to your rambling about what now? a fake profile of him on tinder?

small whines coming from your lips were quickly silenced by his loudly expressed smooches. the white haired sorcerer hadn't seen you since he locked himself in to try and finish the boring part of his job. each second that he passed without you, he felt several cells dying in each of his organs, which may have led to him slowly shutting down if it wasn't for you storming into his office.

gojo's lips moved softly around yours, his tongue impatient to enter inside your mouth and start dancing around your own. your free hand moved to his soft white locks and pulled slightly. he let out a small moan that you savored deliciously.

he was distracting you so bad from the main reason you even came to see him. he was so damn good at it and you were so weak for him.

"baby okay, stop for a second," you said between his lips, but since he didn't have any intentions to move, you pulled gently at his hair to pull him away. "just look at this and you can go back to kiss me okay?"

"but I already looked at it, sweets~," a long whine escaped from his lips.

"yeah but analyze it and ponder over it."

gojo side eyed you so hard you wanted to chuckle at his face. the tall man finally grabbed your phone and stared at the screen intently. he squinted his sparkling blue eyes even though the screen brightness was set at the lowest.

a few seconds passed when the boisterous laugh that your boyfriend let out almost startled you. his head went flying backwards as his chest moved in sync with his addictive guffaw.

"sweets if you actually believed this I fear we need to have that pretty little head of yours checked," he was so dumb. "this is so poorly made. I hope this person doesn't get any bitches."

you couldn't help but crack a smile at his comment and lightly smack the back of his head.

"I know satoru, but I just wanted to make sure you were still in your senses," you took your phone from his grasp and tossed it somewhere on his desk as you came closer to his pretty face, a boyish smile playing on his features when you caress his sharp jawline.

satoru was glad you were done with this senseless concern as he resumed to kiss you vigorously.

[louciferssacrament]

Okay, spreading some positivity!! And feel free to send this to other folks too 🥰 What is your goofiest BuckTommy headcanon?

Mexi Heyyo!!! 🥰🥰🫶🫶

What are you doing in loucifer’s sacrament? 😉😉

I’m sorry I had to make the joke, please don’t block me 😂😂

Goofy head canons, hell yes, let’s go!

Okay, this is an autistic Tommy household, let's keep that in mind for the rest of this to make sense.

•••

Tommy always had a sensitivity to sounds.

He would always get distracted and agitated by the sound light bulbs made, he could almost hear the electricity running through them.

As a child, he even went through a faze he thought it might have been some freaky mutant power.

As an adult, he came to the conclusion that he just hates some sounds and that’s okay, that doesn’t mean anything is wrong with him and that doesn’t mean he is gonna turn into a power hungry super villain who is gonna suck the electricity out of all of California till someone stops him.

Bu he is always cautious to bring it up whenever he is in a new relationship. The response vary from “it’s just in your head” to “you’re exaggerating it”. So he doesn’t tell Evan when they first start dating. He just comes up with the most ridiculous stuff to get out of spending the night in the loft.

“It’s the loft bed, I used to fell out of my bunk bed when I was a kid, gotta go sleep in my first floor bedroom bye!!”

Buck eventually notices Tommy flinching when he sits near the lamp downstairs and changes all the light bulbs to ones that don’t make a sound and let’s Tommy keep his secret.

With that fixed, Buck is unaware light bulbs aren’t the only problem. Something else is bothering Tommy, but it's not constant like the light bulbs were. He just goes around turning on and off all kinds of appliances when Tommy’s around to test out his reaction. He even takes notes on a clipboard, it’s all very scientific.

“Why did you turn on the blender, it’s empty?”

“Just making sure it still works.”

“You just used it five minutes ago, your smoothie is not even half finished!”

He eventually figures out it’s the vacuum. Whenever they spill something they need the vacuum to clean off, Tommy will volunteer to do the dishes to soothe himself by focusing on the steady stream of water or he’ll put on earbuds to try to smother the grating sound. He’s a helicopter pilot and he makes car engines purr, he is around machine sounds all the time. But the sound vacuum makes is just all wrong and he can’t even explain it to himself let alone Evan.

Buck, being the good supportive boyfriend he is, comes up with the most ridiculous outside chores to make Tommy leave when the vacuum is absolutely necessary.

“Quick, news are saying there is gonna be a pet food shortage, you have to go buy some!”

“We don’t have a pet!”

“What if we get one and pet stores are all out huh? Seriously Tommy, don’t you ever think about our fur babies, what if Maverick has stomach problems because of the human food we’ll have to feed him huh?”

“What fur babies? We don’t have fur babies? Who is Maverick?”

And Buck just shoves him out the door tossing his wallet out to him, congratulating himself on being a good boyfriend by letting Tommy keep his secrets. He’ll open up when he is ready.

•••

Like that? 👉👈

[irithnova]

Ok I think. We need to appreciate how goofy/embarrassing Mongolia can be so here's the post (will be talking about edgier stuff at some point but let this man flop around if only for a second):

During the Yuan the words "buluo" and "buzu" were virtually non existent in important Chinese texts despite the frequency of the words used before. It's most likely this exclusion was not accidental and was a result of the Yuan rulers being sensitive to the barbarian connotations of the word. Yes Mongolia was offended by being called a barbarian by China and told him to stop

He was totally acting all new-money and spending his newfound wealth on the most ridiculous shit, like a literal fountain that dispersed 4 different types of alcohol

Thinks throwing money at things is some sort of fix-all

Went on a 40-day bender when Ogedei ascended to Khanhood

Did I mention he was an alcoholic?

Would take on the advise from advisors that came from everywhere but China.

Made his own version of a racial hierarchy with Mongols and other Northerners being at the top and Southern Chinese being at the bottom ("who's the barbarian now?!!")

Categorised his Chinese subjects into 10 ranks, with Confucian scholars coming 9th - below prostitutes

Chinese criminals got way harsher punishments than Mongol criminals

No sinicization here folks - this dude was NOT wearing Chinese clothes or eating Chinese food. In fact a lot of Mongol rulers never even bothered to learn the language. Mongolia probably knew it but would make China speak Mongolian with him anyways

Despite all this he was absolutely addicted to Chinese stageplays you have no idea how much Mongol rulers loved that shit

Got defeated by Ainu and response sent him gifts to try and get him on his side

When I tell you how possessive he was of Ilkhanate I was not joking, there were certain Ilkhanate rulers like Ahmad who tried to break free from Yuan influence by having the inscriptions of the coins refer to Islam rather than the Yuan Khan, but after him under Arghun, Yuan suzerainty over Ilkhanate coinage was reinstalled - it's speculated this was encouraged by Khublai (ruler of the Yuan)

Could not accept that the Yuan dynasty divorce was real and so called the remains of his empire the "Northern Yuan" ("You see the marriage never ended I'm just living in the Northern half of our house. It's called the Northern Yuan. Yes it's perfectly valid fuck off")

Went all surprise-pikachu-face when years of being a megalomaniac lead to his Northern subjects finally turning against him

During the four Oirat era, the Oirat confederation called themselves the four "tumens" (tumen = 10,000) of Oirats. Mongolia responded by basically going "hmm... FOUR tumen you say? Well... we are the SIX tumen of Mongols... Checkmate"

Again during this time, (Chinggisid) Mongols would record how Oirat rulers would "bully" Mongol rulers,. A lot of these accounts were greatly exaggerated as many of these so called Oirat rulers were actually just visitors who had nothing to do with the Oirats

The Choros Oirat clan had an origin myth that involved emerging from a sacred mother tree. Mongolia responded by hijacking this story and making it so that Genghis Khan came down and #defeated this tree

Definitely coped + seethed hard when the Dalai Lama started giving non-Chinggisid Mongols the title "Khan"

Once Mongolia was incorporated into the Manchurian-lead Qing dynasty, he was making almost all the exact same complaints China once made about him but now directed at Manchuria and did not sense an inkling of irony in any of it ("Why does this teenager think he can boss me around! He's uncultured and the only culture he gets is from me! He doesn't know anything about anything!)

During the era of communism and Russian influence in Mongolia, I've read that some Mongolians complained that the Russians "drank too much" errm... Pot calling the kettle blac-

Some non-historical ones which are still based in fact somewhat but just also overall goofy as hell:

He is weirdly freaked out by cats

He fucking loves KFC I swear there was even some Mongolian TV show about KFC workers.

His love for Chinese stageplays now has a 21st century equivalent: cnovels. Guiltiest pleasure

He's very... moe, around Tibet. Make sure to back away from them if you see them with each other unless you wanna hear some weird shit

Pretends he doesn't like Kpop. He does

Thinks calling Tuva a kleptomaniac rather than a thief is some sort of politically correct upgrade and doesn't understand why he's still offended by it

>"Buryatia should be a part of greater Mongolia again" #panmongolism"

>Makes fun of Buryatia for being "too Russified"

>"Inner Mongolia should be a part of greater Mongolia again #panmongolism"

>Makes fun of Inner Mongolia for being "too Sinicized"

If Kazakhstan is really annoying him he'll ask him if it's past his bed time

[danikamariewrites]

omg. i really love your manon fics they’re literally soo gooodddd😭🤍🤍🤍

could i please request one where manon is mated to a sensitive reader, she’s quiet and like hyperfeminine. When they first met reader was getting hit on by some drunk men who dragged her outside and manon saw this and saved her. Ever since then she has been protected her and the bond snaps for them🥺🥺🥺 protective manon😍😍😍 literally someone jokes with her too much or says something mean and she gets tears in her eyes. relatable 🙃

More Pink

Manon x reader

A/n: thank you anon! I love the sunshine/dark and grumpy trope especially with manon. She would only have eyes for you

Warnings:

You think back to the night the mating bond snapped for you and Manon often. You were out with some friends in Rifthold at your favorite tavern having a fun girls night when some men started paying you too much attention. As you left the tavern two of the men followed you out.

They started throwing lewd comments at you and pulled at your hair and dress, ripping the sleeve. You started to tear up that they wouldn’t leave you alone, no matter how many times you asked them to stop.

But then she was there. Her iron nails gleaming in the moonlight. That snow white hair lightly blowing in the breeze. She looked like an angel to you. And that’s when you felt it, that pull in your ribs toward Manon. You felt the need to be by her side.

The males stumbled over themselves to run as far away from the Witch Queen’s wrath. As she approached you, you didn’t back away from her. Her demeanor became soft as she asked if you were ok. From that moment on the two of you were inseparable.

Now, you live with you mate in the Witch Castle. And she gives you every and anything you could ever want. It’s only been a few months, your bond still new and vibrant. But you’re so in love with each other it’s already felt like you’ve spent a life time together.

As your memories come to an end you let out a content sigh, finishing tying your hair half-up adding a ribbon. Looking in the mirror you see Manon enter the bedroom and you smile. Getting up from the vanity you rush across the room and wrap your arms around her.

Manon pulls you into a loving embrace and coos, “Hello, beautiful. How are you today?” She kisses the crown of your head. “Better now that I’m seeing you.” You giggle at her. She pulls out of your grasp, pleading her hands softly on your shoulders.

“Are you ready for lunch?” You nod. Grasping your mates hand you stand on your tiptoes and kiss her cheek. You pull Manon towards the door and she follows you blindly.

As you walk down to the dining room it’s her turn to be lost in her thoughts about you. You are the complete opposite from her. You’re bright, colorful, and so in touch with your emotions it amazes her. Manon likes that you’re honest with her or can come to her with something that’s bothering you.

In the dining room Manon pushes your chair in for you and kisses your head before sitting next to you. As lunch was being brought to the table you told Manon about your day so far. You played with her fingers as she gave you all of her attention, looking at you with all the love in the world in her burnt gold eyes.

Manon’s love sick moment was interrupted by her second and third entering the room. “My Queen,” Asterin exaggerates, bowing dramatically. Sorrel rolled her eyes and elbowed the blonde. The witches sat across from you as you greeted and smiled at them.

“Y/n, more pink today I see.” You knew Asterin was just playfully teasing you but something in her tone felt like a jab at you. You know your taste in clothing was different from Manon. She loved that about you. But did you wear too much pink? Which made you think you were too much, something you’re insecure about from a past relationship.

Manon noticed your head drop a little and you start playing with your food. She felt your mood change instantly. That was something new she had to get used to with the bond. Manon felt everything you felt whether you meant for her to or not. Feeling your feelings helped her get comfortable with her own.

When your mood didn’t improve Manon decided to come at the problem head on. Just like you taught her. “Ok, what’s wrong? I can feel you.” You look at her, giving her your best convincing smile, “I’m ok.” Manon raised a sharp white eyebrow at you telling you she knew that was a lie. You sigh dropping your fork on your plate.

“Am I too much?” You hadn’t asked Manon that before. She went still at the question, confused as to why you’d think that. You are the light of her life why would you ever be too much? Who would ever make you think that? “Not at all my love.” She said softly, holding your chin in her pale slender hand. “You’re perfect.”

You tried to give Manon another smile but your eyes were watering. Manon reached over to hug you and pulled you into her lap. And then she felt you project the moment that changed your mood down the bond. Her eyes narrowed across the table at Asterin. She practically growled at her cousin for making you upset.

“Asterin,” Manon growled, “apologize. Now.” Asterin did feel bad for making you upset. She was just playing around with you. “I’m so sorry, y/n. I didn’t mean anything, I swear it.” You looked at her and wiped your eyes. “It’s ok Asterin. I know you were.”

Manon turned your face with her fingers. “There’s my beautiful girl. And her pretty smile.” You nuzzled your nose against hers and she gave you a quick kiss on your lips. “You know what I think?” You tilt your head and whisper, “What?” Your mate smiles at you wrapping her arms around you tighter. “I think we should go get you more pink things. Anything you want.”

All your worries faded as you shrieked with excitement. “I’d like that a lot.” Wrapping your arms around her neck you kiss at Manon’s neck before slipping off her lap back to your seat. Today was going to be a good day.

[nocontactdiaries]

Surfacing repressed memories feel like found pieces of a shattered mirror. I can’t see it all, but I can see the parts that made the most impact, and some of the pieces connect. It can take years overall to remember the full picture, if at all. 

Today’s clicking pieces were on allergies.  I found out a couple of years ago that I am deathly allergic to certain types of hair dye. I say “found out”, when I’ve been allergic to hair dye since my early teen years, but it was repressed and the reactions I had were dismissed as a teen, so I lost the memories to the fog. 

It’s the anger that gets me. It’s the anger that I dyed my hair as a teen and was told I was “being dramatic”, that I was “just sensitive”, that it “wasn’t a big deal” when I had a reaction.  I stopped dying my hair with those certain types of dye, and the problem went away. I started using different types, and it lasted less and stained more, but it didn’t hurt. I thought I was indeed just dramatic. That I was clearly unable to remember what I went through, as my own “proclivity for over-exaggeration” (thanks, mom) meant that I’d imagined the allergic reactions that made my skin bubble and blister, that made me so incredibly itchy, that made me so horribly uncomfortable. In time, I forgot the welts that would cover my arms, and the weeks my scalp spent recovering from the dye.  Until I ended up in hospital. 

The anger isn’t so much that I was gaslit into believing I was misremembering my own memories to the point where I forgot I was anaphylactic allergic to something (which is horrifying in its own right)- it’s that my mother knew, and she still had me use those same allergy-inducing dyes to colour her hair for her.  She knew, and she made me dye her hair for years, well after I’d stopped colouring my own. It’s the memories of the welts that almost immediately formed along my arms where I’d accidentally touched, where I’d get perfect circles of allergies as the dye dripped onto my feet. It’s that she insisted I did it for her, when she could have others do it. It’s that she manipulated me and guilted me into touching something she knew I was horribly allergic to, for the sake of her appearance.  It’s the anger that I experienced allergies with foods, that I was diagnosed with severe lactose intolerance, that I wasn’t a “picky eater” at all- just suffering from bad sensitivities, allergies and intolerances, and that my mother knew about the food, she knew about the dye- It’s that she goddamn knew, and she did not care. 

[random-thought-depository]

"Anyway, diagnosis is the only way out of the dilemma. It's the only way your reality can be different from other people's without someone being at fault - is if you have a word like "sensory overwhelm" to explain the difference."

It's frustrating how this person gets so close to understanding the actual fundamental problem but then veers off into, not just ignoring the fundamental problem, but reinforcing it even as they make well-intentioned attempts to mitigate it.

I have never seen an autism symptom list that didn't make me think "that's me!" I don't think my parents even knew what autism was when I was little, and they had no notion that I might have it. And yet they functionally did a lot of autism accommodation for me, because they were respectful of my stated preferences and self-reported experiences and allowed me significant autonomy and input on how I was raised.

My parents didn't know about autistic restricted eating. But they did not force me to eat aversive foods, because they didn't force me to eat food I disliked, they provided me with food I liked, and they allowed me substantial input on what I was fed.

My parents didn't know my stimming was an autism thing. But they let me do it anyway, because they realized that sometimes children do odd quirky harmless things and that's fine.

My parents didn't know about autistic sensory sensitivities. But they didn't force me to wear clothes that triggered them, because they didn't force me to wear clothes that were uncomfortable for me, they gave me input on what clothes they bought for me, and if necessary my mother was willing to modify clothes to be more comfortable for me e.g. by sowing patches of soft cloth over scratchy underwear tags.

When I was very little my mom took me see a live theatrical performance and when the lights went off I had what in retrospect I think was a meltdown. My mother didn't know about autistic meltdowns, but she could see that I was distressed and didn't want to be where I was and reacted correctly: she immediately moved me to a more familiar and comfortable environment (the plaza outside the theater) and treated me with compassion. She didn't try to make me stay in the scary environment, she didn't try to talk me into ignoring my discomfort, she didn't guilt me for ruining her fun, and she didn't get mad at me for ruining the enriching cultural activity she had planned for me. She accommodated my meltdown because she had an empathetic and compassionate response to my obvious distress and she felt that the problem that should be prioritized in that situation was my pain, not the inconvenience the outward expressions of my pain caused for her and the other adults around me.

My parents didn't realize they were (probably) raising a special needs child, but their parenting failed gracefully because they respected and accommodated my preferences, desires, and aversions. I think promoting that approach to children is probably a more reliable way of getting the needs of disabled and neurodivergent children accommodated than keeping authoritarian parenting norms and adding a bunch of diagnosis-specific carve-outs for children with legible disabilities and neurodivergences, because respecting a child's preferences doesn't require the child's difference be conveniently legible to medical bureaucracies. Also, authoritarian parenting hurts able-bodied neurotypical children too.

"They will tell someone they're in pain, someone they trust, and that person will say no they're not. That didn't hurt. It can't have. They're being selfish/dramatic/lying."

Yeah, that sounds like an awful thing for a child to experience. The reason it happens so often is that a lot of adults have a default assumption about child behavior something like "If a child acts like an ordinary experience was some kind of torment for them, they're probably lying or exaggerating or being manipulatively dramatic in an attempt to weasel out of having correct discipline imposed on them, and the correct reaction is to punish or at least shame them for it so they learn it's antisocial behavior and adults will not indulge it." If you have that as a default assumption about how children behave, it is likely to make you abuse children. The correct thing to do with that assumption is discard it and replace it with assumptions that are more respectful of children's explicitly and implicitly stated preferences, not add a bunch of "but if they're autistic or..." disclaimers to it.

One of the most horrifying things about that tweet sequence is the possible implication that, for all their good intentions, Victoria Duncan thinks that kind of invalidation would be an appropriate response to default presumed unreasonable by the adult complaints of a neurotypical child. I hope I'm being inaccurately uncharitable there, but it's hard to not suspect it when she puts so much emphasis on medical diagnosis as the only way to prevent disabled and neurodivergent children from being abused this way.

If I got killed by being run over by a bus tomorrow and it turned out reincarnation was real and I got some input on what family my next reincarnation would be born to, I think I might take a family like my previous set of parents (clueless about autism but inclined to accommodate their child's preferences) over a family with the mindset of Victoria Duncan. I'd trust the former more to not abuse me if I had some difference that wasn't conveniently legible to the family pediatrician and school nurse.

It's disturbing that Victoria Duncan apparently thinks a medical diagnosis is "the only way your reality can be different from other people's without someone being at fault" (charitable interpretation is she's describing an approach lots of parents and adult authority figures take toward children, not her own beliefs). People have different subjective realities and different preferences all the time and learning to accommodate that is a very basic social skill that's basically expected in settings where people interact as more-or-less equals; maybe Jane in accounting thinks dark chocolate is awesome and Citizen Kane is a masterpiece and her colleague David thinks dark chocolate tastes terrible and Citizen Kane is over-rated crap, that doesn't mean one of them is "at fault" and in need of correction, it just means they have different tastes and there might need to be some negotiation if they're going to share a dessert or watch a movie together. A lot of neurodivergence accommodation is basically taking that attitude and social skill and applying it to preferences and desires and aversions that are farther toward the thin tails of the bell curve. If it's especially hard to get adults to apply this social skill in interactions with children, I think it's because of the authoritarian approach many adults take toward children.

I'm not one of those full-on anti-psychiatry people, but when I see stuff like this I empathize with where they're coming from. You shouldn't need a doctor's note to make you treat your child as a person whose preferences, desires, and aversions matter.

[wheretheharekissesthefox]

Bon appétit - Chapter 11 of 21: Pineapple

[Astarion/Gale]

It's 2 a.m., Gale's tired and wants some food. Astarion, the cute barista/waiter at the Emerald Grove knows how to sate his cravings.

Trigger warning (18+): Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, No Magic, No Vampire, No Wizard, Graphic Description of Sex, Smut, Cum Eating, Cum Feeding, Handjob, Improvised Lube (don't try this at home kids), Gale is tired and hungry (literally), Astarion eats Gale (figuratively), Waiter Astarion, Professor Gale

Served to: @patheticfangirl

The southern Sword Coast was beautiful this time of year; soft sand, warm sea, fresh breeze, blinding sun. Well, the latter wasn't too beautiful, especially if one had as pale, sensitive skin like Astarion. Still, that didn't stop them from enjoying the first three days of their honeymoon at the beach resort in South Faerûn. The newly-wed couple was sitting under a huge parasol, covered in sunscreen, and observing the happy chaos around them. On their right, a group of rowdy college students were playing beach volleyball. On their left, a stressed mother tried to lather sunscreen onto her three shrieking children while her husband was snoring in a chair. Straight ahead, some teens were building a sand castle, loudly discussing the matter. Dozens of people tried to surf on the crashing waves while a handful of InstaGlut wannabe models posted sluttily for their followers. Somewhere behind Astarion's and Gale's little spot, a vendor was yelling on top of his lungs about fresh coconut water, Pepsi, Cola, and Sprite while the 'Piña Colada' song blared from some shitty speakers in a constant loop.

Astarion glanced at Gale over the rim of his sunglasses.

"Is it just me, or are beach vacations always overrated?"

"They are," sighed Gale. "I'm very tempted to say 'I told you so' but it's our honeymoon, so I won't."

"Of course, how considerate," snorted his husband with an amused eye-roll.

"Cheer up, sweetheart. Overmorrow, we'll leave for my ancestors' home town. I can barely wait to see the pine forests again. It's been years since I last visited. It smells so wonderful there, I tell you."

"And I'm looking forward to eat pistachio ice cream until I'm physically ill," revealed Astarion. "I can't wait to hear all the fascinating trivia about pistachio while you rub my tummy and hold my hair back when I'm puking."

Gale made a face at that, equally disgusted, pained, and horrified. Astarion burst into laughter and kissed his husband's cheek.

"I'm kidding. Mostly." Now, he scooted closer to Gale, whispering in his ear. "I have an idea how we can turn this dreadful beach vacation into a memorable one."

Gale cocked an eyebrow, questioningly, curiosity clearly visible in his eyes. Astarion palmed the front of his husband's swimming trunks, making him gasp.

"Let's have some fun. I always fantasised about sex on the beach. What do you say, love, hm?"

"We're surrounded by people, Astarion. What if they realise what we're doing?"

"Then, let's give them a show."

Gale paused, frowning. Astarion licked his lips. One more push and -

"They're annoying us all day. We're allowed to make them uncomfortable for a mere fifteen minutes. It's only fair."

"It's not about them," Gale countered. "It's about me. It'll make me uncomfortable to have my genitals out for the entire world to see."

"You're exaggerating, love. There are barely a thousand people here," grinned the blond, and the brunet groaned, but seemed neither annoyed nor frustrated.

Hook, line –

"I don't know, Astarion. It seems too risky. I don't want us to get in trouble."

"Come on, darling. It'll be fun."

Gale sighed deeply.

"I'll regret this, but sure, why not?"

– sinker!

Astarion grinned like the cat that got the cream and kissed Gale again.

"I love you," he said sweetly. "I'll make it worth your while, I promise."

With a deep sigh, acting as if he didn't enjoy this, Gale lay down and rolled onto his side, facing Astarion who did the same. For a moment, the husbands just gazed at each other, still in slight disbelief that they were actually married now. Smiling softly, Gale caressed Astarion's face, grazing his fingertips along the sharp cheekbone and jawbone.

"You're so beautiful," he told his husband. "Inside and out."

The addressed blinked, taken aback, before leaning into Gale's touch. It reminded the latter of Tara and his eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Stop being so nice to me," mumbled Astarion. "It makes me want to be nice back."

Gale laughed happily and pulled the blond into a kiss. With a pleased hum, the latter's nimble fingers slid the waistbands of their swimming trunks under their balls to wrap a hand around both their erections. Gale's breath hitched and he tensed before he relaxed again. Astarion swung his leg over his husband's hips, bringing their dicks closer together. He covered his hand in sunscreen, wrapped it around both of them, and started stroking at a leisurely pace while they traded kisses.

"If you like piña coladas

and gettin' caught in the rain.

If you're not into yoga,

if you have half a brain.

If you like makin' love at midnight

in the dunes on the cape,

then I'm the love that you've looked for.

Write to me and escape."

Astarion let go of his dick to focus on Gale's, stroking him the way he liked it. Moaning lowly, the brunet's hips bucked up into the tight grip, and Astarion bit down on Gale's bottom lip before sucking on his tongue greedily.

"But me and my old lady

had fallen into the same old dull routine,

so I wrote to the paper,

took out a personal ad.

And though I'm nobody's poet

I thought it wasn't half bad."

"A-astarion... I'm - I'm close," panted Gale, clasping his husband's ass cheek to press their groins together. The addressed growled, tightening his grip around Gale's dick and stroking faster while licking sweat off of the brunet's neck.

"Yes, I like piña coladas

and gettin' caught in the rain.

I'm not much into health food

I am into champagne."

Astarion hotly kissed and nipped along the column of Gale's throat, right down to the hollow at the base of it, while the brunet was panting, little whines escaping his throat.

"And she walked in the place,

I knew her smile in an instant.

I knew the curve of her face."

Astarion swiped his fingers over the glans of his husband's dick again, rubbing the slit, and Gale gasped, his mouth hanging open as he forgot how to kiss back.

"And I said, "I never knew

that you like piña coladas

and gettin' caught in the rain

and the feel of the ocean

and the taste of champagne."

"Come for me, Gale," Astarion whispered and kissed him ferociously.

"If you like making love at midnight

in the dunes on the cape.

You're the lady I've looked for

come with me and escape."

With a loud, long moan, Gale climaxed, spraying his cum all over Astarion's hand and their bellies.

"Yes!" hissed the blond, humping the brunet's hip, and spilling messily across both of them. Breathing heavily, the couple slumped down, their tongues entangled, until Astarion brought his soiled hand up between them, and they both started sucking the cum off his fingers.

"God... you're perfect," sighed Astarion, running the same hand through Gale's hair and kissed him once more.

When their brains were finally back online, they glanced around. The vendor behind them was still screaming, the college student still playing beach volleyball, and the surfers still, well, surfing. But the teens were staring at them, with their cheeks flushed and visible tents in their swim trunks. The mother on their left glared at them silently while shielding her two-year-old's eyes from the hedonistic debauchery.

"Oops," snickered Astarion and Gale turned crimson.

"Let's go back to the hotel," mumbled the latter and jumped into action. Astarion laughed when his husband's knees buckled from the orgasm. Gale tried to wipe the cum off with the towel, but he just coated everything with sand instead. He made a face.

"Ugh, gross!"

"Just don't bother, love. We have to shower anyway," Astarion told him and simply pulled his loose-fitted, white t-shirt over his head to hide the mess on his stomach. Gale followed suit. Quickly, the packed up and returned the parasol to the stall that rented them out. They asked the screaming vendor if he was also selling the cocktail promoted by the looped song. He did – unofficially. Shortly after, Astarion and Gale sauntered back to the hotel with their bags and two coconuts that disguised the concerning amount of piña colada. When they stumbled into their room, giggling, fifteen minutes later, they were already drunk. Heat, beach, sex, and piña coladas are a dangerous mix.

[cryberpunkart]

My experience with top surgery feels like not the worst, but definitely not optimal.

CW; fatphobia, unhealthy eating mindset mention, poor practice(?), misgendering

My partner had surgery with Company A, a smaller group specialising in trans care. FFS, top surgery, I think also bottom surgery, all the good stuff. They had a wonderful experience. So naturally I wanted Company A too.

Company A knew me through my partner, were warm and excited to work with me. Until I told them my BMI. I was told it needed to be lowered. Now, when I tell you I have tried to lose weight so many times, I don't exaggerate. Nearly every fat person has the same laundry list of diets, pills, practices, shakes, etc, that they've tried. I eat well. I strive for things that make my body feel good and I try to recognise when I don't want or need food that was previously a comfort to me. I have disordered eating, and I try and recognise when I'm not hungry Vs when I'm telling myself I shouldn't be eating as punishment. I strive for body neutrality and health. I hate "but I'm a GOOD fatty" so please know that I believe none, but none, of this should change anyone's access to care. My point is; I can't lose weight. I try, I fail, so I am trying for neutrality and less self loathing. So you can imagine how it felt to be told that, as a small-mid fat person (what, 210lbs, 5' 9"?? Something like that) I was too fat for surgery.

I consulted again with Company A when I was ready to look seriously at surgery. When I explained no, I had not lost weight and I struggle to, the admin assistant demanded to know what I eat in a day. Do I exercise? "Well then why aren't [I] losing weight?" I'm a very sensitive person about my body, having been hyper aware of it for, you know, my entire life. So I start to cry, feeling chastised and shamed, and I go "I don't know." He gives me a long lecture on my diet and exercise, this admin assistant.

After that call, and because of a lot of poor admin, no replies to emails, sloppy info handling, I drop Company A. I explained in detail how that call made me feel, and said admin came back to say that he didn't understand what "went wrong", despite me explaining in detail what happened. Disheartening.

I feel the need to point out, I'm not naive. Some medical procedures carry some additional risks for patients of a higher weight. Sure. Okay. But do better? Lessen the risk by being better medical professionals. That's all I care to say on that.

I found Company B, who did my surgery in the end. However, I still got the fatphobia.

During the consult with my surgeon, he did mention my BMI, as I knew he would, but he also happened to say that my results from surgery "wouldn't look as aesthetically pleasing" because of my weight. Felt really good, that bit. /s

I was misgendered by one of the nurses at the hospital while waiting to have surgery. Cool.

Post-op, I had dressings for a week longer than they should have, I suspect because people in my town don't have much experience with trans folk (2 out of 3 appointments, they didn't really talk to me very kindly, they acted a little bit weird about me tbh). I've had uncomfortable, firm and warm swelling that my wound clinic didn't flag until my third visit, when I had been swollen for two weeks or so. I had informed Company B that I had "a fist sized lump" on my ribs.

It gets a bit confusing but wound clinic told me to talk to my GP, who told me to go to urgent care. Company B called me the day after urgent care gave me antibiotics to tell me to go back and get it drained. I explained I'd been to urgent care and been given medication. Company B responded "well did you see a doctor?" like I was going to ask the lovely overworked and underappreciated person at urgent care whether they were a doctor or not. Medical professional who took my fear seriously and gave me meds is good enough for me.

I'm just! Tired! I'm tired, gang.

[poisonmypleasure]

Light A Flame

sakusa kiyoomi x male reader

⚠️ smut: somnophilia, blowjob, riding

Sakusa Kiyoomi didn't know what possessed him.

He was watching the late night cartoon airing on the TV that you always watch. Next thing, he was suddenly hot and bothered, his dick growing semi-hard underneath his underwear, a bulge visible through his pajama pants.

The ace wasn't completely ignorant at the cause of his boner. He was thinking about you after all. 

He couldn't exactly pinpoint what did you do to turn him on all of a sudden.

Was it you coming back home from class earlier in your denim shirt, two upper buttons undone with your h/c hair tousled? 

Or was it when you got out of the shower, your wet h/c hair flopped down, your torso exposed with remaining droplets, already in your basketball shorts? 

It could be when you were wearing your long-sleeved T-shirt, when you pulled your shirt over your head, stretching your abdomen to let the rest of the shirt roll over your body before completely covering you. 

The way your back muscles flexed a bit? Delicious. 

The way your stomach was covered when you pulled the hem of your T-shirt down? Such a tease. 

And when you moved your gaze on your boyfriend's hungry eyes, you noticed it the moment you walked out of the bathroom, your lips curled into a small smile.

But Kiyoomi saw a lazy smirk that was so sexy to him. 

There was also when he heated up the food that he bought in the evening for you to have a late dinner. You ate beside him on the sofa as he watched the news, kissing his hair as a ‘thank you’ for taking care of you. The affection sent butterflies and shivers all over his body.

The heat got more intense when you mindlessly rubbed his thigh with your palm. It was warm for you but sweat was rolling down his back. It was just a simple gesture with innocence behind it but he got so bothered by that, in a good way.

Maybe, all possible causes affected him directly that made his dick hard. 

He loves you.

It’s love, right? The one made him pop a boner during random times like right now?

Kiyoomi sighs in frustration, leaning his head back on the sofa.

Is he… horny? Without a reason? No way!

That is your brand. You are known to be 247 horny.

The saying about becoming the person you love is happening to him? Gosh! Out of all the best qualities of you, he took your horny with him.

He puts his sweaty palms on his clothed thigh, suddenly remembering then mirroring your actions earlier. Rubbing his own flesh to get any pleasure by himself.

It isn’t the same as when you do it.

So, he walks into the shared bedroom of yours, standing near the foot of the bed to stare at your sleeping form.

He knew that you were drained from your long day and he wanted to give you time to rest. The thing that possessed him to be aroused right now isn’t helping him.

Adding to his desire, the scene in front of him, the one of you sleeping, is really arousing.

He didn’t know how you sleep and somehow got half of the blanket to hang off of the bed. Your aggressive sleeping made your T-shirt rode up to half of your stomach, your shorts were rolled up to show your thighs for him to drool.

Your erection is poking out too, your tip leaking precum and wetting your thigh.

There is no way Sakusa could hold himself back.

Now that he knows you’re horny too. Damn, you could even get hard in your sleep.

Pushing his final contemplation away, he straddled your knees before sitting on your thighs, trapping your legs under him.

He pulls down your shorts with difficulty, with him sitting on you and being careful not to wake you up. His present under the clothing made his lips dry, licking them at the sight of your proud standing cock.

Kiyoomi gently grabs your dick, wrapping all of his fingers around it before stroking it, the leaking liquid spreading all over your length.

“Tch! Stupid Y/N getting hard in his sleep... You better wake up when I suck you off…” he whispered to your dick in front of his face, hoping the message would get to your other head.

Due to the room being quiet, the squelching from your pre-cum and his tight grip filled the room with clarity and Sakusa felt his last bit of restraint from jumping you disappear.

He wastes no time to devour your whole length in his mouth, tongue already licking the whole thing, tracing the veins while bobbing his head to swallow it.

While sucking you, his eyes look up to your face, still nothing as you’re still far in dreamland. He struggled to frown with your cock in his mouth, a bit upset that you haven’t wake up to fuck his brains out yet.

He powers up his sucking, slurping back his drool on your length, drinking the built up pre-cum, stroking you faster and tighter, pushing you further down his throat.

The idea of him using your vulnerable state to satisfy his needs and getting caught with your hard cock deep inside his mouth turned him on like no other as he started to grind his own erection on your leg.

His eyelids flutter at your sleeping face, pretending he is seducing you with his eyes while giving you a blowjob. He knows you would go crazy at his expression that you would grip his hair and fuck his throat roughly.

And you are still asleep even when he gets closer to his orgasm by rubbing himself on you. It annoys him when he cummed first in his underwear as he grunts on your twitching length.

The pleasure from his orgasm made him moan around your cock louder, sending greater sensation that your seed bursted down his throat.

Swallowing everything then pulling off your tip with a loud pop, he pants on your still erected dick, all wet from his saliva as he had sucked everything off it.

He sits up to stare down at you with furrowed eyebrows.

You are still in your slumber.

“Y/N, you idiot… How did you cum in your sleep and still hard?”

He spat on your cock to wet it more, stroking it fast to exaggerate the squelching noise in hopes of getting any reaction from you being sensitive.

Nothing out of you, not even a small jerk.

“You sleep like you’re dead,”

He decided to take matters in his own hands in favour of satisfying his own lust. Shrugging his pajama pants and cum-stained underwear off, he squatted above your hips, your erection straightened in his grip before lowering himself onto you.

Your shaft pressed dead on at his prostate that he jolted upwards again. He moves his ass back down again slowly as he can handle.

He stilled himself for about two minutes to get used to your girth stretching his walls until his own erection woke up again.

Then he lets himself loose as he rides you in your unconscious state, slamming himself down onto you that his firm ass cheeks clap your thighs.

His volume was moderate as he wants to let you know that your cock is hitting him so good inside him but doesn’t want the people living next door to hear.

“Fuck! Y/N! Wake up and fuck me! Damn it!” he whispered in a yelling tone.

He fucks himself onto your hard dick until his legs begin to shake and his own length becomes painful.

“Fine… If you’re not doing it, I’ll do it myself…”

He changes his bouncing into grinding back and forth to drag his nerves against your cock, stroking his own to reach his second orgasm.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I’m cumming! Y/N-”

His semen made a mess all over your stomach, some staining your T-shirt. He continues to jerk off until he couldn’t handle the pleasure anymore that he drops his hands on your chest to support him from falling forward, his whole body shivering.

Sakusa’s heart drops when he sees your eyes flutter open, still hazy from your slumber when you scan the situation you’re in.

You looked at your boyfriend’s face with a bored expression before the lazy smirk that Kiyoomi loves from you appears. 

“Kiyo-chan? Did you use me while I was asleep?”

The guy gasped when he sensed your palms massaging his waist. He gulped as he already allowed you to have your way with him, knowing that you would go for two rounds at the least.

“Yeah, I did. Now, get up and fuck me into the bed,” he answered with confidence.

You were impressed by his attitude, already seeing him breaking down in the next few minutes.

Sitting up to meet his face, you grab his chin to guide his mouth to yours, kissing the breath out of him.

“You’re such a pervert, Kiyo-chan! And you say I am the horny one,” you provoked.

You obeyed his words that night and didn’t stop just before dawn. You were proven that you weren’t the only pervert in the relationship.

a/n: plssss excuse the h*rny 😭 also, not me outwriting my w***p** works 💀

[myopinionhi]

A Will Solace Character Analysis: the Underappreciated Soft Side

I've noticed many fanfictions have Will Solace OOC. So I’ve been thinking about aspects of Will’s personality fans seem to either gloss over or exaggerate. Here, this post is me doing an in-depth analysis explaining Will Solace’s canon personality in the books, and how it can sometimes differ from fanfictions. Sprinkled in this analysis are tips to fanfiction writers on how they write Will as more in-character.

There is one major aspect of Will that people seem to ignore or underemphasize. Nico best explains it when describing Will in this quote

Jason was a fighter. You could tell from the intensity of his stare, his constant alertness, the coiled-up energy in his frame. Will Solace was more like a lanky cat stretched out in sunshine. His movements were relaxed and nonthreatening, his gaze soft and far away. In his faded SURF BARBADOS T-shirt, his cutoff shorts and flip-flops, he looked about as aggressive as a demigod could get, but Nico knew he was brave under fire. During the Battle of Manhattan, Nico had seen him in action - the camp's best combat medic, risking his life to save wounded campers.

To sum it up, Will Solace is a very chill and calm character. A lot of writers make Will more irrational, impulsive, overbearing, and emotional than he actually is. Will is not the type of character to create drama unless he's, as Nico puts it, "under fire." In other words, the intense side of his personality doesn't come out unless the situation is urgent or dire.

Fans remember during the Second Giant War how he gets angry and argues with Nico over Nico's health and shadow-traveling, so many assume Will is going to be this fiery over a lot of other things regarding their relationship. For example, fanfic writers may make Will controlling or overly sensitive with Nico. However, keep in mind, Will gets heated with Nico during the Second Giant War because Nico's shadow-traveling is killing him. This is how Will describes Nico's dire state.

"Coach Hedge told me all about your shadow-travel. You can’t try that again."

"I just did try it again, Solace. I’m fine."

"No, you’re not. I’m a healer. I could feel the darkness in your hand as soon as I touched it. Even if you made it to that tent, you’d be in no shape to fight. But you wouldn’t make it. One more slip, and you won’t come back. You are not shadow-travelling. Doctor’s orders."

Will is a healer. When he touches Nico's hand, he can sense how little sleep and food Nico has been getting and how Nico's being taken over by darkness. Nico is on the verge of death and hasn't cared about his health for a long time. Nico is also stubborn about it, so Will has to be aggressive in order to save Nico's life. This aggressive behavior is not the norm for Will, but it can sometimes come out when he has to assert control in a life-or-death situation.

Will is a calming prescence. He's a diplomat. He stops violence on multiple occassions.

He's one of the few people who's able to calm Clarisse's violent rage, and he does so in a gentle manner.

Clarisse pointed her dagger at Rachel. "What about their allies, huh? Did you see that tribe of two-headed men that arrived yesterday? Or the glowing red dog-headed guys with the big poleaxes? They look pretty barbaric to me. It would’ve been nice if you’d foreseen any of that, if your Oracle power didn’t break down when we needed it most!"

Rachel’s face turned as red as her hair. "That’s hardly my fault. Something is wrong with Apollo’s gifts of prophecy. If I knew how to fix it –"

"She’s right." Will Solace, head counsellor for the Apollo cabin, put his hand gently on Clarisse’s wrist. Not many campers could’ve done that without getting stabbed, but Will had a way of defusing people’s anger. He got her to lower her dagger. "Everyone in our cabin has been affected. It’s not just Rachel."

One of the most underrated Will Solace moments is when he stops a bloody battle from happening between Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter.  

But he knew it wouldn’t do any good. After weeks of waiting, agonizing and steaming, the Greeks and Romans wanted blood. Trying to stop the battle now would be like trying to push back a flood after the dam broke.

Will Solace saved the day.

He put his fingers in his mouth and did a taxicab whistle even more horrible than the last. Several Greeks dropped their swords. A ripple went through the Roman line like the entire First Cohort was shuddering.

"DON’T BE STUPID!" Will yelled. "LOOK!"

People are so used to seeing demigods, especially male demigods, being aggressive fighters that they can't wrap their heads around a brave and strong demigod who actively tries to avoid unnecessary conflict and destruction as much as he can.

And that's Will Solace's strength: he has the ability to prevent as much harm as possible.

Will is a difficult character to write. There's a lot of dueling factors with his personality. He's calm and pacifying while also being brave and assertive. He's fun and lighthearted while also being intelligent, logical, and grounded. He's laidback while also being responsible and hardworking. He's insecure but not melodramatic. He's very caring and protective but not pushy.

Will's personality confuses Nico sometimes too.

He’d always thought of Will as easygoing and laid back. Apparently he could also be stubborn and aggravating.

The trick to writing Will is to keep in mind his default personality is a soft and lighthearted character. Writers tend to overemphasize the hard side of his personality when his default personality is actually the soft side.

Think of the relaxing, lanky cat metaphor Nico uses for him. He and Nico bicker often, and it works for Will because he rolls with everything and doesn't take things too seriously. He's able to alleviate Nico's moodiness with humor, wittiness, groundedness, and patience. Nico affectionately calls Will a "dork" because Will usually keeps things light. Interestingly enough, he's able to be lighthearted without coming across as insensitive or an airheaded goofball, the latter of which is something Nico dislikes about Percy's personality. On a related sidenote, another way writers make Will OOC is they make him too dumb or too immature. I know I mentioned to focus on Will's soft side, but be careful to avoid that too. He's a SENSIBLE, lanky cat.

The way Will keeps his composure during a stressful situation by using laughter while still being mature is expressed well in this exchange with Apollo. (Yes, Will has a lot to manage.)

It was difficult to think of this young man as my son. He was so poised, so unassuming, so free of acne. He also didn’t appear to be awestruck in my presence. In fact, the corner of his mouth had started twitching.

“Are—are you amused?” I demanded.

Will shrugged. “Well, it’s either find this funny or freak out. My dad, the god Apollo, is a fifteen-year-old—”

“Sixteen,” I corrected. “Let’s go with sixteen.”

“A sixteen-year-old mortal, lying in a cot in my cabin, and with all my healing arts—which I got from you—I still can’t figure out how to fix you.”

“There is no fixing this,” I said miserably. “I am cast out of Olympus. My fate is tied to a girl named Meg. It could not be worse!”

Will laughed, which I thought took a great deal of gall. “Meg seems cool. She’s already poked Connor Stoll in the eyes and kicked Sherman Yang in the crotch.”

The fiercer side of Will's personality comes out only when the situation calls for it; this happens sometimes when he has to be a caring family member, a responsible healer, or a warrior in a dire situation. Even when he gets more forceful, he doesn't get more forceful than he has to.

Since Will has such a balanced and lighthearted personality, what are his flaws? What are the dark sides of his personality? There are four main things that stick out.

1. He's insecure about his self-perceived lack of abilities.

"I agree," Will said. "I wish I was a better archer … I wouldn’t mind shooting my Roman relative off his high horse. Actually, I wish I could use any of my father’s gifts to stop this war." He looked down at his own hands with distaste. "Unfortunately, I’m just a healer."

2. He sometimes struggles to endure the heavy responsibilities he has as a healer and as a protector to his family.

“I got it reattached,” Will told me, his voice shaky with exhaustion. His scrubs were speckled with blood. “I need somebody to keep him stable.”

I pointed to the woods. “But—”

“I know!” Will snapped. “Don’t you think I want to be out there searching too? We’re shorthanded for healers. There’s some salve and nectar in that pack. Go!”

I was stunned by his tone. I realized he was just as concerned about Kayla and Austin as I was. The only difference: Will knew his duty. He had to heal the injured first. And he needed my help.

3. He forces himself to bottle his emotions to keep his composure.

Will laughed under his breath. “I’m terrified. But one thing you learn as head counselor: you have to keep it together for everyone else. Let’s get you on your feet."

Here's a second example.

I rested my hand on Will’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll be back by dawn.”

His mouth trembled ever so slightly. “How can you be sure?”

4. He constantly worries about his loved ones.

Nico rested his hand on Will’s shoulder. “Apollo, we were worried. Will was especially.”

In conclusion, Will Solace's personality is difficult to get correct. But don't worry, if you write Will as a laidback, witty cat in your fanfics, I guarantee he'll be more in-character than many other fanfics with Will Solace.

(Note: I am only human. If you believe I'm misinterpreting some aspects of Will's personality, feel free to express it. What I say isn't 100 percent the right interpretation.)

[ceciliablossoms]

sazerac with zhongli, diluc, and kaeya? congrats on 100 followers!! 💕

Thank you so much! 💞💞

Sazerac: “I don’t… feel very….-”

TW: Mentions of Alcohol Consumption and Intoxication (Diluc), Mentions of Injury (Kaeya), Mentions of Illness (Zhongli)

-------

Zhongli

It was little before midday when they met up for their daily luncheon. Zhongli was already sitting at a table on the restaurant patio waiting for them, already having ordered their beverages as they both always got the same thing every time without fail. They were running a tad bit late, however, he paid no mind since he knew they were quite busy.

He drank from his small teacup as he waited, and it wasn't until they called his name that he looked up. They were jogging in his direction, dominant hand up in the air in an exaggerated wave. With a chuckle, he returned the wave, albeit more proper. He knew though, that something was wrong the moment that they sat across from him.

They had a sweaty sheen to their skin despite it being chilly out and sported a tired look on their face. At first, he chalked it up to the word they had been doing but the lack of appetite the food was served confirmed some suspicions. They hardly touched any of their food despite it being such a small portion and he eyed them with worry.

After the meal, he had proposed that they go home and rest a while but they happy insisted on walking with him back to the funeral parlour before doing so. But the walk was a struggle for them. Their movements were sluggish and they had trouble keeping up with him.

They grabbed his sleeve and tugged on it gently to grab his attention. He glanced over at them, his expression turning to one of surprise when he saw how much worse they had looked now than they did earlier.

“I don’t… feel very….-”, They promptly fell over.

He was quick on the draw and caught them before they hit the ground. He scooped them up gently as to not jostle them too much and touched his forehead to theirs. It was very clear that they had a fever but when he felt how warm their skin was, he realized how bad the fever actually was.

With great care, he carried them home and lied them down in their bedroom then immediately set out to speak with Baizhu about getting them some medicine. He also alerted Hu Tao to the predicament which she allowed him to take care of.

When they awoke, Zhongli was at their bedside, with a novel in hand. They looked around and took in their surroundings, relaxing when they realized that it was just their bedroom. The moment they made a move to sit up, the book in his hand was closed on the bedside table and he was gently pushing them to lie back down.

"Now, now, you mustn't overexert yourself. You will only feel worse if you do not rest. Stay put." He left the room only to return with a small bowl of water, a clean towel, and the medication Baizhu had prescribed earlier. He propped them up so on their pillows so they could take their medicine then immediately lied them back down.

They watched as he dampened the towel in the bowl before wringing it out. A soft sigh escaped their lips as he placed it over their forehead. The cold water did wonders to cool them down. He returned to his seat at their bedside.

"If there is anything at all you need please do not hesitate to let me know."

They smiled. "Thank you, Zhongli."

-

Diluc

The evening was in full swing, all the usual customers in their usual seats ordering their usual drinks. It was Diluc's turn behind the bar tonight, and as irritated as he was by the drunkards that didn't compare to the irritating he felt when the bard walked in with them on his heels.

Diluc heaved a sigh as the two took their usual seats at the bar, unknowing that this would turn out how it always did when Charles was present. They would tag along to make sure Venti wouldn't drain Diluc's entire stock of wine and pay for whatever the bard couldn't, so DIluc wouldn't be mad. Then Venti would persuade them to drink with him, and they were such a lightweight that they would end up getting so drunk they blacked out.

He rubbed his temple as Venti ordered his usual favourite but served him nonetheless. They noticed how annoyed he was already and tried to spark up a conversation with him to ease his nerves.

He visibly relaxed, mostly doing the listening as he never was one for talking more than he had to. Occasionally, Venti would interrupt to tease them or order a refill, and every time he did they would hand Diluc more Mora to which he would roll his eyes.

"You should be making the bard pay for his own indulgences." He commented after Venti's 9th refill. At this point, they were getting tipsy too, as the bard would occasionally offer them a drink of his alcohol.

"It... It's fine. I don't... mind." He could tell that they were trying their hardest not to slur their words

He had hit his 13th a while ago and was even more giggly than normal but otherwise still relatively sober. They, on the other hand, were rather inebriated, their sentences completely incoherent. Diluc had long since cut Venti off, highly irritated that he continued to share his booze with them.

Their voice was quiet when they spoke, “I don’t… feel very….-” The faceplanted onto the counter, the noise of their head hitting the bar startling both men. That was when Diluc closed the bar, forcing everyone to leave immediately and with gentle hands scoops them up and carries them back to the winery.

The next morning, the headache they had was the worst one they think they've ever had, and they held their head in their hands. The curtains were still closed to limit the light exposure as post hangover sensitivity can be an issue and on the nightstand were pain killers and a glass of iced water. They downed both needily and stayed in bed not quite trusting their legs just yet.

Not longer after Diluc came in with a small tray in hand, figuring having the maids do it would be strange to them, "Do you think you can eat?" He kept his voice down so any loudness wouldn't make the migraine worse.

With a hesitant nod, they gave him the okay and he set the tray of food in their lap. The portions were small so it wouldn't make them ill. Their stomach churned but they ate nonetheless, albeit extremely slowly.

They thanked him quietly and he sat on the foot of the bed with a nod. "You needn't let that bard talk you into drinking if you can't handle it."

With a sigh, they nodded slowly, already knowing that Charles had told him of the previous encounters. They took a slow sip of water. "I know..."

He waited until they were finished before taking the tray from them and setting it on a dresser near the door. "Is there anything you need?"

They patted the spot next to them, "Will you stay until this headache subsides?"

He nodded again, sitting next to them, wrapping an arm around them as they curled up against his torso.

-

Kaeya

The task was simple. Just the normal routine of clearing out some hilichurl camps with Amber then report back to the Headquarters. The two slip up, Amber took everything to the right of the bridge and they took everything to the left.

The Whispering Woods were relatively empty but beyond that was a different story. There was a large gathering of hilichurls and it seemed as though multiple tribes had converged into one. They watched for a bit from the bushes before deciding to clear out the massive group.

Having dealt with many hilichurls in their time they didn't think that solo clearing the camp would have been that big of a deal. What they expect, however, was to be completely and utterly overwhelmed. The smaller hilichurls and samachurls was no issue, but the sheer amount of mitachurls began to cause problems.

There were many at a time, swinging in sync from different angles in an attempt to cut them down where they stood. Adrenaline pumped through their veins as they fought with vigour. Mitachurl after mitachurl was slain and even after Amber had come to aid them they were still slaying the beasts.

Amber was worried, to say the least with the amount of dirt and grime that coated their clothes. They insisted, however, that they weren't injured as they felt no pain. The two went back to the town together, and they had said they would take care of reporting to Kaeya as Amber had stated she was hungry. The duo parted ways.

They found the walk to the headquarters to be more burdensome than normal, movements usually more sluggish. They ignored the worried glances from passersby and continued on their way. By the time they had entered Kaeya's office, their skin was significantly paler, all of its colour drained.

They called his name as they entered, ready to give the report when a sharp pain made them gasp. Kaeya looked up from his desk, expression changing to one of shock. They had been unaware that they had been bleeding through their clothing. He quickly stood and caught them as they fell forward.

“I don’t… feel very….-”

He keeps forces a smile and keeps his tone level, "Stay awake, hm?" but it all crumbles the moment they fall unconscious.

He called for either Wyratt or Wood down the hall as he placed his hands on their injury to staunch the bleeding. The blood was seeping from a gash on their side that he was assuming they didn't feel because of adrenaline. The two knights ran in and he demanded they fetch one of the sisters immediately. The two jumped at the tone of his voice, scrambling to the church.

He didn't know if he was angry with them for being reckless or the mitachurl that gave them the injury but regardless he was. Scooping them up with one hand he applied pressure with the other, deciding that he would at least try to meet them halfway as other Knights ushered away any prying eyes.

When the sisters got their hands on them, they were in shock, namely Barbara who was very clearly stressed out by the look of their injury. They were sweating and their skin was clammy. She worked diligently to clean and take care of the injury as best she could to get them into a state where they could be taken back to the church.

It took a while but she succeeded, stabilizing them and carrying them as carefully as possible to the infirmary in the back for the cathedral. Hours passed before they awoke and their pain was unbearable. Kaeya sat next to them, feet kicked up on the foot of the bed. He stood the instant he noticed them wake up.

The relief in his eye showed exactly how he felt despite not showing it outwardly, "How are you feeling?"

"Much better." Their voice sounded weak and they were still very pale.

He grabbed their hand gently, placing a kiss over their knuckles with a light chuckle, "You gave us all quite the scare." He flashed his usual smile but it was also noticeably relieved. The report could wait. Their recovery was more important.

[bluejayblueskies]

How about 12. pushing a strand of hair behind their ear or 18. squishing the other’s cheek for the touching ask game!

touches prompt list

i did number 12! a little continuation of my no-entities au where only jon works at the institute and jon and martin are married and own a cat (which is here but you definitely don't have to have read it to read this!). cw for brief mention of canon-typical stranger content (in a non-canon-typical context)

.

Martin wakes to sunlight streaming in through the window, a slight crick in his neck, and a pair of intense brown eyes staring into his.

“Hey,” Martin mumbles, closing his eyes and snuggling a bit deeper into his pillow. He opens his mouth to speak again but his words are swallowed instead by a yawn.

“Hello,” Jon says softly. His voice is still ragged with sleep, lower than usual and a bit breathy. Martin adores it.

A hand ghosts against Martin’s cheek, and he cracks an eye open.

Jon smiles and traces his fingers along Martin’s cheekbone, the shell of his ear, the soft slant of his jaw. His expression is almost reverent, like he thinks Martin has hung the moon in the sky and lit the stars on fire beside it.

“Good morning to you too,” Martin says with a small, fond smile. Then, after Jon continues to look at him with open tenderness, all warm sunlight and pleasant harmonies and soft edges: “Can I help you?”

Jon hums. “What do you mean?”

Martin feels his breath hitch as Jon’s thumb brushes against the corner of his mouth. “You’re staring, love.”

Jon’s expression turns bashful, as it always does when Martin uses that particular pet name. “Am I not allowed to admire my darling husband?”

Martin isn’t sure which word makes him blush more: darling or husband. “Oh, no—you are. Highly encouraged, even. Just … wanted to know if there was an occasion. O-or if there’s something on my face.”

“No occasion.” Carefully, Jon tucks a strand of hair behind Martin’s ear, letting the tips of his fingers linger against the soft, sensitive skin there. “I just … thought you looked rather lovely this morning.”

The flush spreads across Martin’s face and to the tips of his ears, where Jon can surely feel it. “We’ve been married for almost three years, Jon. You don’t have to keep trying to win me over.”

“Mm, I have to disagree.” Jon leans forward and presses a kiss to Martin’s now-exposed temple. “It’s precisely because we’ve been married for so long that I ought to tell you how wonderful you are, and how much I appreciate you, and how much I love you.” He places another kiss on the top of Martin’s cheek. “I wouldn’t want you to forget, after all.”

Martin’s face could probably cook an egg by this point. “And to think, when we first met, I thought you weren’t the kind of person to have emotions.”

Jon’s nose wrinkles slightly, which is adorable. “Of course I have emotions, Martin.”

“Well, I know that now.” Martin reaches blindly for Jon’s other hand until he finds it and squeezes it gently. “You’re a hopeless romantic, through and through.”

“I can’t believe you ever thought otherwise,” Jon says with exaggerated offense. “I was never exactly subtle.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Martin laughs softly and brushes a kiss of his own against Jon’s nose. “You were saying that I’m lovely?”

Jon hums and squeezes Martin’s hand. “I was. And if I ever stop doing do, please assume that I’ve been … replaced by a monster that has tricked you into thinking it’s me by stealing my skin or … something of the sort. ”

“You,” Martin says, “have been spending too much time watching horror movies with Tim.”

“I have been spending a perfectly reasonable amount of time watching horror movies with Tim, and I resent any implications otherwise.”

Jon has an adorable little pout on his lips. He looks extremely kissable at the moment. Martin brushes the corner of Jon’s mouth with his thumb, cradles Jon’s face gently, and leans in.

And nearly gets a mouthful of fur as Clarence loudly and boldly asserts himself between them.

“Oh!” Jon says as Clarence chirps happily and bumps his head against Jon’s forehead. “Hello, Clarence. How are you this morning?”

Clarence meows and bumps his head against Jon’s face again.

“I’m glad to hear it. Getting proper rest is very important for a gentleman of your age, after all.” Jon scratches underneath Clarence’s chin. “Almost two years old!”

Clarence meows louder and turns to stare at Martin intently.

“I think he’s hungry,” Martin says, amused.

“Yes, yes—he’s a growing man.” Jon pets the space between Clarence’s ears. “Is your bowl empty? You’ve been very good this morning—I believe we have some wet food in the fridge. How does that sound?”

Jon sits up. The moment his lap is available, Clarence immediately jumps onto it and starts kneading his paws up and down contentedly. Jon makes a sound Martin could only describe as cooing as he gathers Clarence in his arms and stands, adjusting his grip so that the cat is held securely and safely. Clarence still seems to want to make it his personal mission to climb onto Jon’s shoulders. He wriggles determinedly and manages to get his paws settled on Jon’s shoulder with his face pressed right up against Jon’s cheek. The sight makes something warm and affectionate squeeze in Martin’s stomach; he wants to freeze time and teach himself how to paint just so he can adequately capture the image in front of him.

“What are your plans for the day?” Jon murmurs as he walks away, cradling Clarence close to his chest. “I’m sure you have many important catly duties to attend to.”

An agreeable mmrp is the last sound Martin hears before Jon disappears through the bedroom door and the sounds of his gentle babbles to the cat fade into the background. Martin lies in bed for a few moments more, staring at the open doorway and thinking to himself just how lucky he is that he gets to have this. Then, he stands, stretches, and follows Jon out into the kitchen.

He still owes his husband a kiss, after all.

[shimbongulus]

Pies and Pasta: Another Look

(Read another perspective of this scene here.)

Goodness, I do enjoy everyone’s company, but the preparation for Mettaton Bingo always is quite a hassle. Fortunately darling Frisk helped prepare the second pie - they have been doing more lately. 

Right! Plates and napkins - Myself, Frisk, Sans… Hee hee hee, I should find that whoopee cushion some time. Undyne, Alphys - Always an entertaining pair to have over.

And…. Him. 

Sigh.

It was far simpler in the early days. I was able to keep our interactions to strictly kingdom-related affairs. How did he get this far?

Right - my darling child. Despite his murderous intent, they somehow could forgive him and take him as a father. If nothing else, he is cooperative - and has come around to see reality far better. 

Perhaps that is why I have put him at the opposite end of the table, rather than off to the side where I would not have to look at him. 

Ah - the bell! That must be Papyrus.

Sans! Hee hee hee, come here - 

Oh, that little devil! Hee hee, it is time to frustrate Papyrus. The puns are not that bad. I am sure he is exaggerating for dramatic effect. 

Their surface home is in New Snowdin, is it not? I ought to ask if there is any issue that we have missed. It is quite removed from the rest of the town.

Perhaps we should consider new power lines from the CORE to New Snowdin? We will need more refrigeration for the temperature-sensitive creatures soon.

Alphys! Good to see her - and Undyne, too - she is rather energetic. 

No, I should try not to hold too much of a grudge for her attempts to actively kill my child. I have forgiven, but the soreness is not entirely gone. 

Alphys has made such major strides with her confidence since they have made their relationship permanent! I wonder how she would be as a parent?

Speaking of parents, that heavy and cautious foot-tread. That would be him.

Breathe. In, out. Control your breath when you can control little else, Tor. 

There he is, with that “howdy.” Goodness, it is strange to see him in my living room, and somehow stranger yet that I am happy to see him. 

No “Tori” this time, he is doing far better about that. Especially since the incident at town hall. That reminds me - the garden, I ought to ask about that. 

Good, he has brought the tea kettle. His tea-making was always a great talent, very helpful for long nights with the children. It will be good to taste it again. 

And there he is with Frisk again. He still has not lost his touch with children.

His touch as a father, I should say. Is it right to say that “we” are still parenting Frisk? We cooperate enough that it fits in terms of grammar, but… 

That troublesome word, we. It does not entirely fit. 

And yet it somewhat does. Drat this complexity, let us simply enjoy some food. 

Papyrus’ pasta is actually… decent? This is an unexpected turn! I was entirely prepared to wait until afterward to have some leftover food from last night. 

And now for the moment - Asgore’s tea. That clear orange with the slight murkiness - a little sugar never hurts. 

Oh, goodness, Frisk is going to try that red ramen. That much spice could cause problems.

Determined as ever, I suppose. I shall simply have to keep my eyes on them -

Gracious me! They are fast as ever. All of that sparring must be yielding results. 

Mmm. The tea is excellent - not bitter in the slightest, and the sugar manages to make it that extra little bit sweet, like it always was. 

Oh, goodness, Frisk is struggling with that ramen. Perhaps I should -

Aaah! The sweat, the distress, the - 

Calm yourself! Calm yourself… it is Frisk, not them… This is now…

Goodness, moments like this can feel so alone.

Asgore is looking at me - oh, that smile. That smile. He understands, of course he would.

Yes, yes, it will be all right. They will be fine. It is only some spice. 

I had never thought I could feel so relieved by his smile. 

Ah, the food was refreshing. First, to Frisk - they deserve it for the difficulty of that ramen.

No, he shall not be left for last this time. I have been reluctant to share it with you thus far, but today, you shall receive this piece first. 

Goodness, that smile is massive. He will split his head in two if he continues like that. 

It is oddly infectious, however. 

Calm yourself, Toriel. That is still Dreemurr you are looking at. 

Some television will be welcome after this. 

Curses, the end of this episode approaches, and I have not gotten anything towards this bingo! 

Gracious, Alphys is excited! I have never seen her this energetic! How delightful! A shame that I have not won a single bingo tonight. I must have used all of my luck last time. 

That concludes tonight, I suppose. It is always entertaining to see Alphys cling onto the back of Undyne’s motorcycle like that. 

Sans’ dimensional shortcuts are always an oddity - I have never managed to find out how they work. 

And… him. He is taking an awful long time crossing the lawn -

Oh, he is turning back. Did he forget something?

He is waving - and I am returning it. 

My, my smile is quite broad.

I should clean this all tonight, but it can wait until tomorrow morning.

Pajamas, there - comfortable bed there - ahh, relief. It was enjoyable, but exhausting.

Let me pull the covers up a bit…

Ahh, that’s better.

His visit went well today - perhaps we shall meet  more often?

[athena-is-a-chaotic-lil-shit]

Let the Stars Witness

Okay okay holy— omg I did it! My first request and from an admired writer of mine no less!

From @kim-monsterlings : Hi and welcome!! Really looking forward to seeing your work! ~ If you would, could I request some form of friends to lovers with an orc? (Prompts maybe like, "you deserve better.") Thank you! <3

Since it wasn't specified on what their genders are, I hope your okay with what I went with! And I kinda trailed off from the prompt (or rather it's different but similar)

Anyways you'll know when you read!

•

Pairing: Male Orc (Duruk) x Human Fem!Reader

Word count: 2.2k

Warnings: None.

•

"You know, I never thought I would be friends with anyone here, especially with someone other than my, well, species," you tell your companion, your eyes not leaving the cloudless night sky as you lied on your back on the roof of his house. The stars were out tonight.

If you told your younger self that you'd be having great escapades (if running away and getting into a series of trouble fall under that) with an orc, you would most definitely cry your eyes out because you thought were being teased, taking it as a hurtful comment. You were sensitive like that. Part of the reason why no one would even go near you, afraid they might hurt you with a pat on the shoulder or with one word alone. You became the prime target of bullies, finding twisted amusement at your pathetic reactions. A crybaby, they called you. But it wasn't your fault you didn't have much control over your emotions. You were weird, asocial, timid, maybe even depressed. Having a neglectful family didn't help either, it just worsened.

•

The morning you met Duruk was after the orientation. And it was not so good for a first impression.

Long story short, you cried.

But since you're perhaps curious as to what happened exactly, let's elaborate.

You had your headphones on, the melodic sound of gentle rain played in a 3-hour loop and blocked out other noises, your eyes glued to the path you were on. You took long and hurried steps, wishing you could teleport to your classroom and hide in the back, disappear or become invisible.

You were distracted, or should we say, focused on the ground and expecting everyone to step aside and let you through.

Well, except for the one who had his back on you.

You crashed—not an exaggeration— into something- someone massive. You stumbled back and landed on your bum, wincing from the impact. Luckily, your headphones were safe (ah yes, priorities), detaching from your ears and landing on your shoulders. When you looked up to see who it was, you thought your eyes were gonna fall off, grow little legs, and scamper away.

Before you stood an orc, halfway turned to glance at whoever it was that tried to push him, his sharp tusks jutting out from his maw. His brows were furrowed as he looked down on you. Sure, he wasn't as tall as the orcs you've seen around the city and campus but still was over 6 feet, with muscles thicker than your thighs, easily hulking you.

You tried to get out an apology and run as far as you could go, but you just sat there, frozen as you strained your neck to meet his gaze, you couldn't look away. Your heart was trying to claw its way out into the surface.

Then you felt the tears swell up.

They cascaded down your face before you even could stop them.

The orc's eyes widened at your reaction and crouched down to your level in an instant that he almost fell over. His hands hovered, not sure what to do.

"Hey, hey, please don't cry. Please don't—"

"I-I-I'm re..really s-sorry p-please don't hurt m-me..." You managed to choke out pathetically, hiccuping in every word.

"Shhh now hey, it's okay. It was an accident— what? No! Why would I do that?" he replied. The orc peeked over his shoulder and to the sides. "Let's get you to somewhere, uh, less crowded," he added. You turned your head and saw that you had an audience, whispers went around as they sent pitiful and disgusted glances in your direction, only making you cry even more.

He proceeded to unceremoniously lift you into his arms, bridal style, and dashed away. You gripped the front of his shirt and shut your eyes. You were trembling now, scared of what he might do to you. How could you even fight back with your small stature?

It wasn't long until you felt him slow down and placed you carefully on a bench. The orc knelt in front of you, brows scrunched up as he studied your face.

"You okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

You didn't reply, only staring at him through your glassy eyes as you heaved.

You flinched when his hand started rubbing your back, his other hand placed on the side of the bench to balance himself.

He continued to caress your back and murmured soothing words in hopes of calming you down.

Your tears didn't stop falling until moments later when you came down from your initial fear, the warmth of his palm leaving your back once you did. All the while the orc remained where he was, at a loss of what to do next.

You rubbed your sticky face with the collar of your pale and blotchy crimson sweater, sniffing and taking slow, deep breaths before you spoke.

"I... I'm sorry for causing you trouble. E-Even going as far as to take me somewhere quiet. I...appreciate that." You thought you'd pass out with the way people gathered around you, it was suffocating. "Thank you..."

"I panicked," he started, "Sorry—I mean, it's okay, you didn't do anything wrong. I get that a lot of people run away from the sight of me, but you didn't, and just froze there on the ground so..." he shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck.

You shook your head. He was such an imposing figure to many, their first thought was most likely to get away or scream at him.

"You looked angry... When I bumped into you." You slammed into him actually, but he didn't budge an inch. Guess it was one-sided.

"Oh, that? Well, my brother scolds me a lot for having such a grumpy face, scaring humans away. Like he was the one to talk when he's taller and bigger than me! People would faint on the spot when they see him, I bet!"

The image your mind conjured up tore a laugh out of your body, two orcs arguing about how not to terrify people at sight was damn hilarious. When was the last time someone made you laugh like this?

The orc grinned, your reaction a contrast to that of earlier.

You opened your mouth to say something but the ringing of the great bell resounded, cutting you off. The two of you stood up as you realized you were late for your first class of the school year.

"So, uh, what now?" you asked.

"How about we go to our class, then maybe meet up later? Oh, fu— my mother will gut me— I haven't introduced myself!" He blurted out, his voice making you yelp with the sudden outburst.

Clearing his throat, he reached out, "I'm Duruk."

In turn, you gave him your name, taking his hand and smiled. "Hello, Duruk."

•

True to his word, you met again later when lunch came. The cafeteria was packed so you settled on getting the convenience food they offered and eat somewhere quiet.

Your conversation that day spiraled when you found out the two of you had a lot in common. From your favorite rock band to your favorite flavor of ice cream.

You both strongly agreed that vanilla ice cream was superior.

You agreed to meet up during breaks, always having something to chat about.

Eventually, you became inseparable.

He even changed and transferred to your class just so the two of you could be together at the start of the day rather than walk half of the campus to see each other every time.

You became best friends, sharing each moment in school, may it be helping the other stay awake in a boring class, or copying homework when one of you forgot to do it. Soon enough, Duruk started inviting you to his house to hang out. He did mention he had four other siblings, but he lived alone. You came by almost every night and on whole weekends to escape from home, only a few miles in between. No one would notice you gone anyways, but you returned around midnight, not wanting to impose on Duruk no matter what he says, so he walks you back instead.

You basked in each other's company. The odd and scrutinizing glares didn't go unnoticed when you two were together, but you shrugged them all off.

It didn't take long before you started having feelings for the orc, a little wishful thinking that you could be more than friends. You noted lately that his touches would linger seconds longer than usual, hugs and even a hand on your shoulder and back seem to be warmer and —you dare say— affectionate. It weighed heavily on your heart, your simple crush turned into something else, and it only grew with each passing day, and every laugh you shared.

But of course, you swatted those away, buried them deep inside every damn time they climb back up. Who could even love you? Yes, you have Duruk, he likes you, you think. But that's the end of it. Just close buddies. You can't take the risk of ruining your friendship with him and make things awkward with the only one you had! What if he stops talking to you, weirded out by your confession? You don't want to go back to being alone again, your heart can't take the rejection that came with it.

So you endured.

•

A little over five months ever since the embarrassing accident, here you are now, stargazing with your best friend.

"Well, good thing you didn't watch where you were going that time then," he says, chuckling beside you. His hands cushioned his head against the hard surface. "I wouldn't have..." he trails off.

"Hm, what?" you ask. Duruk went silent and didn't answer you for a time. You were about to let it slide but then he breathes in audibly.

"I wouldn't have met an angel if you did. Should've caught you in my arms, but sadly I didn't move fast enough." He replies, his voice deep and mellow.

You straighten up and turn to face him, your brows shot up, incredulous to what he just implied.

"W-Wait. What?" you squeak, your heart thumping hard in your chest, your skin warming up even in the chilled night air.

Is he—

"You're so cute, y'know that? Fuck it, it's all or nothing," he whispers under his breath as he sits up to face you. His expression was unreadable, but you see in his mahogany eyes a familiar glint of determination. "I'm not good with long-ass speeches so I'll make this short," he breathes in before he continues, "I feel something for you, for a while now, more than a best friend does, like...in a romantic sense. I want to cherish you and hold you in my arms every time I see you, I- ah fuck- damn it I just—" he growls, "I love you, so much and if you don't love me back then please re—"

You shut him off with your lips against his, Duruk's tusks pressing against your cheeks as you held his face in your hands. He was stunned for two solid seconds before returning the kiss, his arms snaking around your waist and pulling you close and into his lap.

You feel something wet roll down your hand and you immediately jerked back to see his face. The orc was crying.

Did you do it wrong? Were you so terrible at it—

"I don't deserve you... A monster like me doesn't deserve an angel like you."

Where was this coming from??

"Say that again, I dare you."

"I don't de—"

This idiot!

You pecked his lips to cut him off.

"You big dummy," you begin, "I love you too, idiot. You may be a monster but not what everyone else defines you as. I love you as you are. You're my best friend, and dare I say my l-lover now. Is that right...?"

Duruk gives you a small, gentle smile, "If you'll have me, then yes, for as long as you want me to be." He says, sniffling a sob as a couple more tears tumbled down his rugged face.

You never thought you'd see him like this. He was the one who kept making you laugh with his stories and terrible jokes. Before you, in your hands was someone vulnerable, his eyes soft and fond as he gazed into yours.

It made your heart pound and it hurt.

You leaned in and he met you halfway, kissing once again, deeper and more intimate this time. Real. You brought your arms around his neck, your tears spilling out and he tightened his grip around you. It felt like a dream, too good to be true, but the way he hugged you like you were the only thing that anchored him in this world made you believe it wasn't. All of this was real and you couldn't be anymore happier.

From above, the glittering stars, the light gentle as they shone, bear witness to two freed hearts, bottled up feelings gushing out like a broken dam as you embraced one another and lost yourselves in the moment of bliss, cheeks stained and clothes lightly damp from the tiny rivulets of liquid that dropped down.

It's a lovely night, isn't it?

[gemsofgreece]

Bad Boys of the Greek Cuisine

Everyone’s taste is different but the Greek Cuisine is generally acknowledged as a very tasty cuisine with both European and Middle Eastern influences. Not only that but it is considered one of the healthiest diets in the world with one of its branches, the Cretan diet, taking the first place the last time I checked. The secret of this cuisine’s success lies on the use of top quality and very fresh products and not so much on the use of many or unusual ingredients. However, that’s not to say that the Greek cuisine does not come with its fair share of extreme dishes. Here are some of them: Πατσάς - Patsás Patsas is a tripe soup / stew aka a stew made of stomach. It looks innocent and it is usually eaten as a comfort food but the cooking process smells like the name sounds... In Greece, there are shops called Patsatzídika that stay open until way past midnight and offer exclusively this dish and they are preferred after a lot of alcohol consumption. I had to remove the picture because I had eleven in this post and Tumblr sucks. I removed Patsas because it is the most normal looking one. Χοχλιοί μπουμπουριστοί - Hochlií buburistí Probably the Greek dish with the hardest name, at least for me. It is a traditional dish of Crete island but you can enjoy it all around Greece, provided that you are eager to eat... snails.

Κοκορέτσι - Kokoretsi Kokoretsi is a roasted dish made of animal intestines, livers and lungs served in slices. While this name does not originate from the Greek language, the dish was already loved by the Byzantine Greeks who called it “Chordae” meaning cords. The dish is hard to be prepared as it is necessary that the intestines are very carefully cleaned with tools such as pencils and knitting needles. In Greece it is often served at Easter.

Σπληνάντερο - Splinándero It is what its name means: Spleen and Large Bowel. Plus heart. From old sheep and goats. Also served at Easter because apparently Greeks go feral during Easter.

Μαγειρίτσα - Mayiritsa Another Easter classic, served during the Holy Saturday, Mayiritsa is a liver and heart soup. It’s certainly not for the faint of... nose such as me who I had to leave the house as my mum was cooking it. This is why recently a new type of Mayiritsa is trending, which replaces the organs with mushrooms and it is ideal for vegetarians and people with a sensitive nose. Nevertheless, most people love traditional Mayiritsa. Once I found an ice cream shop in Thessaloniki serving a mayiritsa flavour. What the heck.

By they way we have like another gazillion intestine dishes for some unknown reason but I will skip them to make this post more varied. Αχινοί - Raw Urchins This is a delicacy to several sea cuisines around the world. Greece is one of them. Recipe: go to a beach with clear waters, look for an urchin, hold it carefully, cut the living urchin in half with a knife and pour fresh lemon juice on it. That's it, that's the recipe.

Χταπόδι - Octopus This is by no means an extreme food in Greece but I include it here because I was surprised to find out it is nowhere as common in most countries and people often have a strong reaction to it. Well, in Greece we only have a reaction of fierce love for it. Octopus is used in several Greek dishes but the most iconic is probably grilled octopus marinated in vinegar often served with Greek sauerkraut salad. Seafood restaurants often hang fresh fished octopuses outside their shops and let them dry in the sun. It is a classic image of Greece and a sign the restaurant offers very fresh products. It was literally grabbed from the sea and flung to your face, top that level of freshness if you can.

Σπινιάλο - Spinialo Spinialo is a traditional seafood dish originating from the island of Kalymnos. The dish consists of fouskes, sea squirts that are marinated in a bottle of seawater. These primitive marine vertebrates usually attach themselves to shells and rocks, and when cut in half, fouskes reveal a soft flesh with a strong and bitter flavor and a texture that's similar to scrambled eggs.

Αρνί στη σούβλα - Skewered lamb If you are in anyway familiar with Greece, you probably know what the main event of our Easter feasts is. Roasting a whole skewered lamb. I imagine people freaking out at that. But, hey, it's a huge part of our tradition. And don't mind me saying, it bloody tastes insane. It's funny that in 27 years of life, now that I'm typing this in English, it is the first time it occurs to me that some people could potentially find this weird.

Πεσκανδρίτσα - Angler fish This hideous fish is eaten in two ways. Its...uhm... head is a common ingredient of Greek fish soups. I am personally not that much into soups or fish but let me tell you and sign this as well: this unassuming fellow has the most delicious tail. Its tail is called Μπρασκοουρά (Braskourá) and is heaven when fried. Don't look at it, just read my words and trust them.

Κεφαλάκι σούπα - Head soup The name sounds too generic but at least it is only about (poor) goats and sheep. This dish is getting a little too extreme for young Greeks but in my parents' generation, parents would chase the children to eat the eyes because that supposedly made you clever. The tongue was enjoyed too. Anyway, I'll spare you of a graphic image.

I am loth to end this fantastic post but the new BETA mode I am on forbids more than 10 pictures (that’s the actual reason I did not add a head soup picture and not that I am kind-hearted) so I'm gonna end this with the weirdest type of meat we eat. Like I said above, some things here might look a bit much, but when it comes to the types of meat Greeks eat, we really don't like taking the uncommon path. Greek cuisine is more mellow than extreme. Ironically, Greeks eat meats well done or medium at most because they are squeamish at the idea of eating bloody or remotely raw meat. So they eat a load of bowels and heads that stare at your soul but at least they are cooked for, like, 6 hours, you know, to ensure they are absolutely dead. Greeks typically devour eat farm animals, poultry, boars and a few commonly hunted birds, almost all fish and seafood. They also eat rabbits and hares (would that be considered uncommon? IDK) but that's where it ends. For instance, deer can be found in Greek supermarkets but nobody wants to eat such a gorgeous being and if you eat horse intentionally, you might as well get kicked out of the country (exaggeration but still). So, farm mammals, a few birds, fish and seafood. And snails. That's all. Oh! And- Βατραχοπόδαρα - Frog legs Frog legs is a traditional delicacy of the mountainous lakeside city of Ioannina. It is the only region of Greece where frogs are eaten. It is a tasty looking dish and those who have tried it say it actually tastes a lot like chicken. Actually sign me up for this. I mean, look at that. Why the hell not?

Now I wonder how many people decided to all of a sudden not travel to Greece and how many decided to come just now. And I wonder what that nice Anon who complimented my delicious food posts thinks now. But remember, Greek cuisine might have some bad boys but it also has many good good gooooood ones.