#<- i fucking GUESS. theyre TINY but they're HERE

[partycatty]

Johnny cage and mayB some others being mind numbingly in love

Like they talk to reader and everytime just feel so stupid afterwards because theyre so in love and do stupid shit to impress

i love stupid men anon this works so well for me

johnny, raiden, kung lao, syzoth > stupid in love

warnings: big stupid hot sexy men (what else is new?), bojack horseman minor spoiler?? LMFOAMOF

+ bonus surprise character at the very end

masterlist

johnny >

• have you guys LMAO have you guys seen the. DLGHSDKJ the episode of bojack horseman where bojack gives diane the D in from the hollywood sign?? johnny is SO extra like that and for WHAT.

• OR YOU GUYS KNOW WHEN TODDLERS LIKE REALLY WANT TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING AND THEY JUST KEEP SAYING "LOOKIT" LMFAFOIFMOA

• "reader, reader are you watching - reader, reader watch -" as he's like about to absolutely FUCK UP a nerds rope or some stupid shit

• okay i'll be fr. johnny is by far the most concerningly extra of the entire group. he will put himself in stupid danger just to impress you.

• "watch me take on all these guys at once!" he'll call out to you during your time at the academy, surrounded by a dozen monks. he's in a sling and bandages the next day.

• "kenshi, i bet you sento that i can jump from the roof like bi-han did!" BAM.

• he'd randomly give you expensive gifts out of absolutely nowhere. or he'd give his one of many glasses away to you because he "has no use for them" or they're "out of style" (he's lying, he just wants to see you wear something that's his).

• oh? you briefly mention you're a tad chilly during training? oh no, johnny's top fell off, i guess he has to give it to you now. you know, to stay warm. oh, you don't want his top? okay, here's a comically fluffy, expensive coat! and it just so happens to be your size...!

• lowkey i headcanon johnny as, despite being an actor, pretty blushy if someone matches his energy or really gets under his skin. you'll pass by him with a witty comment about his fighting style, or even just to tell him he cleaned up nice after getting his ass kicked by raiden. johnny just stands there with steam spitting from his red ears, hand on his chest as he fights a stupid grin.

• he is down ASTRONOMICALLY. not even the elder gods can stop this man from being so drunk in love when you're around. he makes it everyone's problem.

raiden >

• we see how flustered he gets when he's called out by kitana. he's a grown man with dick and balls but he's also flustered very easily! he'll be decently vocal about his affection for you, but then word trickles down to your ear, at which point it's so over for him.

• walks into walls when he's so entranced by you training. like face first into a wall, his hat fluttering to the ground. kung lao loses it.

• he can't even hear what you're saying when you speak to him, it sounds like an angel muffled by the clouds of heaven. raiden's also not the greatest with his powers granted by the amulet. if you go in to touch his arm playfully, a jolt of electricity pricks your palm and you yelp. raiden can only sputter apologies as he bows down, his cheeks tinted.

• he's the type to do little favors for you, ones you barely notice. your spot at the table is tidied, the training dummy is prepped for your fighting style, or he's the first one to bring you something if you forget it. that, and tiny favors to butter you up to him.

• "reader, you said you were nauseous last training. i prepared you some tea," he'd slide the small cup over to you, fighting a goofy smile. he rehearsed his script a few times, so he sounded more static than intended.

• will ask you questions about training or the weather just to hear your voice. he couldn't even recall what you were saying, he just loved the way your lips moved.

• kung lao pokes at him for this often, nudging him or making comments about you being his partner when you're not. raiden will stomp on his foot to keep him from talking about his infatuation if you're around. as if you don't already know.

kung lao >

• he's totally the bouncing on his heels type of man. he'll stare at you with a stupid grin, like a kid in a candy store.

• "was there something you needed, kung lao?" you'd ask as you tended to your own duties, organizing various equipment into baskets.

• "ah, no, not at all," he'd wave you off with a grin. "just enjoying... the view."

• you cringe at his words, chuckling to yourself as he speaks you in a daze. his mouth runs off before his brain can stop it from happening, so his biggest downfall with his crush is yapping. he'll sit there and explain his family history to you, or how much he hated farming cabbage, or his favorite meal at madam bo's just to keep you around long enough.

• kung lao always has this desire to keep you close by, so he continuously does stupid shit to keep you by his side. including but not limited to accidentally slicing his hands on his hat, one that he swore was a genius idea. in concept, probably.

• he wants to impress you so bad. SO BAD. anything he does is deserving of a bragging right if he's the one to do it. lao would totally try to shrug it off so you could gas him up more. any compliment, forced or not, was music to his ears.

• "yeah, i totally beat raiden," he'll check his nails nonchalantly as he leans against the wall, telling you the story of the cabbage competition for dinner against his best friend. "really swept him."

• "that's just not true," raiden would try to interject when he heard lao's version of the story. kung lao just holds eye contact with you, grinning, as he shoves raiden aside by his face.

syzoth >

• im sorry IM SORRY BUT I JUST LOVE THE HC THAT HIS TAIL WAGS I KNOW THATS NOT HOW THAT WORKS JUST- JUST BEAR WITH ME.

• you hear thumping when you're around, though you're never able to find out where it's coming from, so you chalk it up to the monks landing blows against the wooden dummies.

• but the sound lingers when you're at dinner. the table is... rattling.

• you look up to see if anyone else notices or if you were hit too hard during training. but, you see everyone staring past you. just down the table, syzoth is sitting with a pile of bugs on his plate, his tail thumping in and out of view.

• "syzoth," kenshi will gently say, leaning into his ear to whisper something. syzoth flushes a green tint and tries to resume to his meal, the bugs scurrying out of his chopsticks as he struggles to keep it together.

• out of respect for his dignity, you hold your tongue at his obvious affection. syzoth tries to keep it under wraps but he can't help it when you're just so cute!

• he'll stand close by you, inching closer and closer until you notice. he'll slip you little trinkets and flora with a small smile. anything from a rock that matches the shades of your eye, to a flower he picked by the gardens, to a stick. a nice stick, to be fair! you wonder if this is zaterran courtship.

• "it reminded me of you," he'd lean into your ear. your bedside table is decorated with various... outside decor.

BONUS! kitana >

• kitana knew she couldn't get entangled with the umgadi after seeing how risky mileena is with tanya, but my god were you breathtaking.

• you would often accompany her in the carriages as she waved to her people, eyes transfixed on her. you're devoted to her protection. it is your god-given duty. your eye contact was too much at times, and kitana would often catch herself staring at you, her hand suspended in the air. she'd forget to wave.

• "is everything alright, my princess?" you would ask innocently, in a low tone to avoid raising suspicion. kitana's mind short circuits when you call her... yours. even if you're referring to the umgadi's worship. she shakes her head and clears her throat, pulling her mask up higher to conceal her blush.

• if she were to give speeches on her mother's behalf or otherwise, she'd find herself forgetting what the rehearsed, or hell, struggling to rehearse. you were the one she'd come to for help with speeches, yet you made things ten times harder when you'd lean in to listen to her better. it makes her mind absolutely numb.

• "and you tell me to steer away from the umgadi," mileena would rasp into her ear as the sister sat on their thrones, you positioned by her side and eyes forward. "it seems you picked a favorite, sister."

• "i'm not the only guilty one," she'd hiss back to her sister, nodding at tanya. "it won't get in the way of duties, as long as mother doesn't know."

• you'd fight to netherrealm and back for your princess. as you fight off intruders or threats, kitana forgets to escape, instead transfixed on the way your muscles would contract and flex with each blow.

• she wants to be the one to care for your wounds. the power imbalance means nothing to her, you're her equal.

[nekioe]

@error-dream-was-found I made this into its own post cause the response was getting too long

But yes!! There will be angst!! I love angst💔

At first Dream would wake up and he would be very scared and confused. Last thing he remembers is the nuke and being terrified of death. Now he's waking up on a soft bed in a tiny little grey apartment. At first he thinks he's in limbo, but his limbo has never looked anything like this before. It takes a while, but between his healed body and mind, regained friendships, and this new strange world, he soon realizes that this isn't limbo. Limbo would never be this kind to him. No, he has somehow spawned into a parallel universe. One where on one hand, technology has evolved and created vehicles and computers, but on the other hand, doesn't seem to have any sort of magic at all, no potions, no enchantments, no parallel dimensions or enderpearls.

But the biggest change for him is the dteam. Because they're friends here, they don't live together, but they hang out like every day. It quickly gets overwhelming. Going from being abandoned by george and hated by sapnap to suddenly being best friends again is confusing. They're so kind to him, and they've realized something has changed with him and whatever past "dream" they knew. They're asking if he's alright and they're trying to understand. It's nice. But he's not used to it, and he's scared that it will all break apart if he gets used to it. He starts avoiding them. Which makes them more worried but also angry, and that anger feels familiar.

Punz is around, too. At first, when Dream sees them, he hopes maybe they'll remember. Afterall, they did die in a similar way and if it's the revive book that has fucked up Dreams limbo and made hime end up here instead, couldn't that have happened to punz too? Dreams scared of asking straight out, he doesn't want to look insane. But sometime when theyre alone together he tries to ask something vague, maybe whether punz has felt as if something is off or if he remembers something weird. Punz hesitates and seems to be thinking about something and for a second Dream belives he remembers the smp, but then he slowly shakes his head.

So yeah.. there will be angst

A lot of it arround dream being in the new unfamiliar world where everything is different and he doesn't understand anything. Not being able to talk about the smp and just being very lonely, because sure, this place is nice, but he doesn't really belong here.

But I think that's gonna get better. I want Punz to slowly get like visions and memories from the smp? And then they can help dream feel better?

And I also think it would be fun if Sam remembered.... so, that would add a lot of angst :3

I guess this is turning into some kind of season 2 + modern au combination

[bfwonho]

AITA but i dont wanna use reddit

ok you know what here is the situation. my (only recently) 20 yr old friend (i met them four years ago when we both worked at mcd) lived with their strict, emotionally abusive, overprotective parents until recently. their parents would confiscate tech for yrs at a time, wouldn't let them get vaccinated (i had to help them do that), guilt and shame them, etc. also obviously homophobic and my friend is transfem nb and queer. theyre also the eldest sibling of quite a few and had to handle the pressure of that responsibility and their parents never wanted them to do normal things like getting a car and moving out. i was always there encouraging them even when we stopped working together bc i was like fuck this naive gullible homeschooled kid has no one and they remind me of my younger sibling and im gonna be there for them as much as i can. the only reason they even got a car eventually is cus i kept telling them to so they cld move out

cut back to barely a year ago, they're still so naive and gullible they've lent like 1k+ to ppl who won't pay them back, but they still have like 10-20k in savings and now their own car. they also get into digital art with my help and get into furry porn or whatever. im like ok i guess ur an adult now do what u want. and then theyre like "ive got an online partner from CANADA!!! (we r australian) don't freak out i know it's bad but he's 30." i'm like oh god. they've been together 3 months ish and my friend RLY wants to visit their fuckass boyfriend and i'm like please be careful, please wait at least a year, i know u wont wanna listen to how i rly feel about this but at least just take these precautions. i'm also like when you do meet irl he should come here ur barely 19 and he's 30 like it only makes sense. and theyre like "thank u i promise i will do that"

and then maybe 10 or 11 months into their relationship i find out my friend is in canada with their bf, and has been for like a month, and i only know this bc they're asking if i can pick them up from sydney airport. im like errr that's pretty far away but take the train and i'll pick you up from the station and they're like ok sure! and i ask a bit more about it and find out they believe their parents have been hacking into their laptop because why else would they be suspicious that this canadian guy is their boyfriend, i'm like actually no offense but it's really fucking obvious i don't think they did that... and they're like "yeah anyway my parents are no longer picking me up which is why i need a lift, i admitted i have a boyfriend and they're calling him a pedo (and i almost agree but i just smile and nod) and so i'm not going back and taking their bs anymore, i'm gonna sleep in my car if i have to" so i offer for them to stay at my place for a few weeks.

they go get their stuff from their place, i buy them a pizza cus they havent had dinner, i help them get their stuff inside, set up a temporary bed. they tell me they plan to be out within a few days, i tell them they can stay longer if they need to, but currently their only job is doordash and they should focus on getting a real job so they can find a place and i'm more than happy to help them find somewhere. theyre the type of person to say sorry for everything and not let themselves ever feel comfortable, so i make sure they know they can use the kitchen and bathroom and everything while they're here and to not feel like a huge burden, im gonna be charging them a tiny bit of rent anyway so yeah.

now tell me why it's been over a month, they've applied to only a few places, i specifically put in a good word with them at my job and told them to call back and ask about the application and they just haven't, they've just been doordashing and filling my entire fridge and cupboard with their food, i tell them to use the laundromat cus we don't have enough space for their washing too and they end up asking if they can use our washing machine anyway (i reluctantly say yes), they destroy all my kitchen sponges on washing this one shitty pan i have cus they have to cook an entire grand meal from scratch for breakfast lunch and dinner, they wash up but i'm the only person who cleans the floors and the bathroom so now i'm feeling cramped and stressed out...

i ask my mum about what to do, she says give them 2 weeks to move out, my mum is a guarantor on my lease so in the group chat i explain the situation and say they have 2 weeks, they NEVER RESPOND and start not coming home until late at night... i'm considering moving into another place with a friend atp so i'm like yo maybe you can get on this lease and THEN they respond and start showing up again... and today i called and updated mum on the situation and her partner got on the phone, me and my sibling only got this place cus he apparently called in a favour cus we were rly struggling to find any fucking housing, and so he says "tell him i mean THEMMM if theyre not out tomorrow i will forcibly remove them" and so my sibling makes sure to tell them this face to face so they cant avoid actually responding. i also find out today that this whole time they've been flat broke (to the point they had to borrow my money just to get petrol despite doordashing like 40 hours a week) because they HAVE BEEN HELPING. PAY. THEIR GROWN ASS. SHITTY FUCKING USELESS. PARTNERS. RENT. THIS GROWN ASS MAN NOT ONLY HAD THEM PAY TO GO SEE HIM AND SUCK HIM OFF AND COOK FOR HIM. NOT ONLY WAS LETTING THEM GO BACK TO AUSTRALIA AND JUST BE HOMELESS. BUT HE IS ACTIVELY TAKING THEIR FUCKING MONEY. despite all of this i am deep down INCREDIBLY GLAD that my mum's partner put his foot down to get them out of my house and i feel guilty about it despite risking eviction cus im breaking my lease agreement by having them here loooll

tldr my 20 yr old friend has been living in my house illegally for over a month bc they refuse to go back to their shitty parents, they are however broke and don't have a stable job and their 30 yr old boyfriend is leeching off of them, and now i'm essentially kicking them out of my place within 2 days because my own housing security is at risk

[lggy]

could i ask about ur interpretation/hcs abt zenix & laurance's friendship while running the sk rebellion

oh my fucking god i LOVE zenix and laurance my beloved rebellion boys. here it comes.

Laurance already knew plenty about zenix. they meet formally for the first time right after laurance leaves into the nether at the season 2 finale. 'formally' as in zenix mistakes laurance for a stray from gene's fleet and tries to pummel him-- then zenix is pleasantly surprised to discover laurance is the first guy to actually put up a decent against him in years and he finds room to respect laur for that.

zenix doesn't know jackshit or care about laurance and keeps brushing him off as some rando, until laur mentions aphmau and garroth, who he shares a soft spot for (as much as he refuses to admit it.)

They begrudgingly team up because they have almost the same end goals. Laurance wants to slay the shadow lord and free all the souls and save aphmau, Zenix wants to slay the shadow lord and take his place as ruler of the nether. zenix genuinely believes he's stronger than shad and deserves to be king. laurance doesnt believe the last part lol. at least they both want that guy dead. cant pick and choose ur allies in nether, i guess.

the rebellion was actually vylad's idea to zenix, create an organization in order to take down their common enemy. zenix always wanted a fleet to lead and control and treat him like a king. vylad has to convince zenix that he has to actually act like a decent leader. He kinda ruled a group through fear for a while until laurance came along and managed to strike a deal with him involving a Lot of convincing but it worked. (vylad is so relieved)

the rebellion has around 20-40 members in their organization (tiny compared to how massive shad's army is). laurance is the planner, vylad is the recruiter, zenix is the fire power.

laurance feels a little guilty sometimes for promising to kill zenix that one time in s1 but then zenix pisses him off somehow and laur takes it back

zenix is very big-brother-like and loves teasing n bullying laurance. he finds it hilarious that laurance timeskipped 15 years because now that means zenix is older and now he gets eldest privileges. laurance isnt exactly thrilled about zenix and his utter lack of empathy on his situation.

theyre p much begrudgingly best friends thru circumstance. though laurance slowly eases and opens up over time and gets more comfortable joking around like his old self. zenix also eases up over time and shows respect and trust, he's very much swayed by praise and acts of kindness and gets kinda clingy 'n over enthusiastic. laurance only realizes how much zenix has opened up to him when zenix vents about missing phoenix drop and garroth n aphmau for the first time.

they're about equally matched in strength. Zenix is more powerful with raw strength, but laurance has professional training and is a lot smarter. their fights kinda end up like wrangling a bull.

they bicker and banter constantlyyyyyyy. vylad has to keep them from killing each other sometimes.

despite the banter and fighting and disagreements, they absolutely team up together to lovingly beat the shit out of gene. its almost comical how much they like tormenting gene and pissing shad off.

laurance/zenix are extremely powerful when they can actually manage to be on the same page and work together

it took years for vylad to help zenix overcome his shadow knight bloodlust, (funnily another ro'meave that never gave up on zenix.) zenix now has relatively good control of himself, about on the same level as laurance.

there may or may not be some stupid background love triangle shit going on w laurance and vylad and zenix. lonely clingy bastards love vylad

this is only a fraction of my power i am utterly obsessed w the rebellion

[alexmey-does-an-arts]

top ten bugs?

probably not in order after #1:

domestic silkworms/silk moths. theyre little ANGELS theyre so fun to raise theyre so big and squishy and cute

2. carpenter bees. theyre so so big and silly and they look unbelievably goofy when theyre getting nectar. one time i saw one land on a flower and it made the entire plant bend over. they sleep inside flowers

3. fireflies/lightning bugs!! they're one of my favorite things about the summer/fall months :) so so pretty in the night and they don't fear people much so you can just. pick one out of the air and have it walk on your hand for a bit

4. isopods/pillbugs! i used to catch them all the time when i was little just to hold them for a bit :) very very cute

5. a lot of wasps, if i had to pick specific i guess mud daubers :) queen literally builds her own house and they can recognize people over time which is cool as hell

6. i think i'm going to count arachnids as bugs for this, so jumping spiders are a big one! they're so so tiny and so friendly. also they're all GORGEOUS. it's always a good day when i go out and see a jumper

7. harvestmen/daddy longlegs, literally just an orb on stilts. goofy ass fucking animal i love them

8. wolf spiders! theyre another common spider where i live and they're just cool. also they take very good care of their eggs which i respect

9. luna moths. i've only seen them in my area a couple times but they're so so beautiful and big

10. cellar spiders, they're on here out of pity because they keep getting stuck in my shower :/ like come on guys you could make your web in any other area of the bathroom

[probably-neurodivergent-idk]

It's 00:47 am as I'm beginning to write this typing and oh boy I'm gonna stay here a while cause I posted a comment on this

fucking thing

and it was too long and it didn't post and now I'm angry and I wanna vent but idk if it's gonna be ultimately sad or happy so uhhhh be ready for a ride if you wanna read this. tw suicide and sh!! I know it sounds sad but stay with me

so. me 2 years ago, fell in love with the appearance of a girl, as an aromantic. at this point I'm questioning wether FINALLY, AFTER ALL THIS FUCKING TIME. ahahah. no. she was just very fucking pretty. and, pulling the agreste, just a friend. except this one is for real just a friend. this isn't really important to the plot other than the fact that this was my last straw in my identity crisis and I just cried in my bedroom realising I'm aro ace. It's not so bad currently lowkey. I must have been a tiny bit dramatic.

Not the actual story: ALSO about 2 years ago, I was 1. really fucking suicidal and 2. getting into twitch streamers (mostly because I heard how the dsmp fans stayed alive, and basically was looking for life support in something different than minecraft because I don't really care for it. I think this was wayyy before clay and will were outed, not gonna go into detail with that one) . they're pretty fun, but the only aspect that I don't like is that they don't really seem like people, more like clowns that are only there to make people laugh. Which, cool I guess? obviously I respected their privacy and all that shit, but they didn't seem like humans.

fast forward like 4 months I think. I lost motivation to play my at the time favourite games, so I did what was only natural, searched for new ones. Oomf (streamer) was friends with this other friend, and they linked them to their twitch reccommended shit, like the "check this out while I'm offline!!!" page, and this person is live. They're playing overwatch??? wtf is that. oh. it's that game with the Mercy girl. OHHHH THE MERCY GIRL IS THE SAME FROM THE LIVING TOMBSTONE SONG. OH. MY. GOD. WDYM IT'S ALSO FROM THE SAVING THE LITTLE GIRL MEME??? I love this game. (I won't main mercy tho thats literally the embodiment of femininity and hell no I don't wanna go back there)

(this meme btw)

(actually now that I think about it it might be my favourite meme now. I love it.)

And so we became friends. They taught me shit about overwatch and I.. actually I think I was a horrible friend cause I didn't do anything in return, but ANYWAY. So yeah. friends. until one of their streams they feel different. this person begins randomly crying and talking about them harming themselves and suicide?? while live?? and I'm like holy shit wait this guy is lonely as fuck. I wanna help them. and I got their discord the same day and asked them if they were okay. Surprise!! They're not. They start venting to me regularly, and I just sit there and listen. It genuinely feels hopeless cause I can't help them in any way, but I don't tell them that because wtf are you thinking if you tell a suicidal person it's hopeless. But I did believe in them and I know theyre strong enough to push through, so THAT'S what I told them. Obviously they disagreed but what am I supposed to do, continue to tell them that everyday until they finally feel loved and appreciated by people in their lives? Oh wait.

At some point, I think the same day they had the Doom Stream, I know that they said "why would you care about me?? why would YOU, a COMPLETE FUCKING STRANGER?? care about ME?? a STUPID MISTAKE OF A STREAMER that you only started watching 2 AND A HALF MINUTES AGO" or whatever they said, something along those lines, and I (in the context where at the time I am cringing at my own emotions, blocking any shade of emotion feeling or opinion from my body and throwing them in a fucking black hole) say "I care!! because!! this whole fucking day I waited for you to stream so I can tell you I got dva!! and (insert other moments we had fun together in as friends and not viewer-streamer) and I love and appreciate you for who you really are!!! and I geniuenly want to cry in this moment!!" (I never cry) And they're like "woah.. I didn't know you thought of me like that. You actually appreciate me?? What?? Thats crazy". And that made me smile cause it calmed them down. Lesson learned: tell your friends to appreciate them regularly. You never know.

My vision of them has changed. This streamer is not like a clown for entertainment. This is actually a human, and a really good one too. Life was a fucking bitch for giving them a hard one, actually multiple hard ones. I'm atheist but if I was christian like in the bad ol' days I'm sure I would have became an atheist right now because no deity would watch what that person is going through and not find the empathy to help. You believe in whatever you want, I don't really care, but this is just my opinion.

I remember at some point we were playing overwatch, a round of 1v1 together, they're WAY better than me at the game so obviously I lost. I was mad at myself and was pulling my hair and was red in the face from anger and was angrily mumbling some bullshit that I don't even remember but suddenly this absolutely fucker just said "I love you" (we agreed that, since they're straight and I'm aro we can tell eachother "I love you" platonically) and I instantly cooled. Calm. I've never felt that way before. If you play overwatch, honestly it felt like a kiriko suzu. Cleansed. I stood there shocked because I OBVIOUSLY didn't expect them to just say it randomly after a lost game of mine, especially because THEY beat me. but hey, not complaining. it felt nice. I felt loved for who I truly am for the first time in my life.

fast forward to now,

They said that they wanted to commit suicide. Had a date planned and all. They didn't want to tell me what was wrong, and I didn't want to push them to tell me, but obviously there was something wrong. I was so stressed and cried for nights on end, but I didn't tell them that so they don't think they're a burden, I would have worsened everything.

The date passed.

THEY'RE ALIVE.

OH MY GOD.

THEY GAVE UP ON IT.

In the moment I realised they were really alive, the moment I heard their wonderful beyond words voice I was holding myself back from crying. Of course I couldn't cry on the fucking call!!!! That's cringe!!!!

At some point they said, although idk if still valid, that they would have been long gone if they didn't have our groupchat, which are people who regularly check on their stream. We're all pretty close to eachother, and I'm glad I have them more than I can begin to describe. I love them all.

The word "cringe" almost stopped me from telling my friend the words that saved his life. Never, I repeat, NEVER let the word "cringe" stop you from saying anything about your feelings!!!! Please!!!!!

Life lessons aside, theres this other thing that I wanna say. See how I have explicitly said that I am aro this WHOLE post?? Like, I'm "the literal embodiment of aromanticism", as they themselves said. copy and pasted it. well uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yeah im confused now

My whole life I have lived in an environment where my feelings were ignored and I wasn't allowed to have my own opinions unless they alligned to the people around me (hi mom) but, when I'm with them? I felt and feel like I can be myself with no consequences. I am free to be whoever and they will not laugh that I cringe whenever I compliment somebody or that my interests are childish or that I am genuinely just fucking crazy like I would go to hell just to take a selfie with satan type of crazy. They obviously find it funny, but it doesn't feel like bullying. It feels home. They're my home.

So. What's this??????? Like I can't fucking figure it out. Overall it doesn't really matter, because at the end of the day, it's night (I stole it from Da Vinkis im sorry) but I'm just really curious. It's a feeling I've never witness form in my tiny little brain. I hope I make sense because this certainly doesn't.

I genuinely would go till the ends of the world for this individual. This absolute son of a bitch grabbed a brush and painted on my expressionless face a smile, a tear, anything but numbness, the thing I felt my whole life. I don't remember how it felt anymore. I care what happens to me now. I do. I want to stay alive. I want to live. For them. Fuck suicide, I want to sit in the rain, make my parents mad, dye my hair magenta, draw 2 meter tall canvases with elves that secretly represent our groupchat, and most importantly? I wanna hear their voice. Yes, I am talking about the whole groupchat, but also just about Them at the same time. I like their voice. It makes me excided and calm at the same time. It makes my day.

Wether it's actually romantic love or not, it ultimately does not matter though. Why? cause 1. They won't like me back, they're straight and I'm enby, and they also think that I am the literal embodiment of aromanticism. so yeah. 2. I won't tell them no matter what cause what happens when they say they don't love me back? Yes, obviously I get hurt but more importantly, THEY get hurt because they'll feel bad, or even worse, it's gonna get awkward and we won't ever talk again!!! that would be the LAST wanted scenario I would ever want to experience right now.

And also, the only reason that keeps me from thinking it is, in fact, NOT platonic is because in the scenario that they will get a lover, I would be SO SO SO INCREDIBLY PROUD AND HAPPY FOR THEM AAAAAA. not a HINT of jealousy. Lucky fucking lover. They got the jackpot. I would hope they're happy forever and would actually give my life to make their relationship work, wether thats financial aid, advice, support, any skill that they need me to do and I am relatively good at, or even, in a hypothetical scenario, LITERALLY my life. When they find a lover, I only wish them the best.

So with all of that said

You know how I said I would describe myself to be the person that would go to hell to take a selfie with satan?

Here's my future plan, might sound a bit childish but I don't give a shit this is Tumblr I can say Whatever Whenever and any money making tips for making this happen are absolutely fucking welcome bring it on:

I want to get an apartment in another country. I have estimated prices of everything and I plan on preparing for the worst case scenario financially-wise, which is the equivalent of about $120 000, and thats a LOT for somebody who's planning to get this money by working part-time no-experience jobs for at least 2 years, which will only get me around 13k in the best scenario. Why would I need this kind of money? Ahahah. lets just say. from their pov, I wanted to move to America because I hate my country. and WOW!!! that apartment will """accidentally""" have EXACTLY 2 bedrooms. What a surprise!!!!! They want to get out of their family's house ASAP, but they don't know I'm actually fucking nuts and instantly said "alright bet" .

Ahaha now I'm begging they don't find this cause I can't possibly begin explaining to them wtf is going on through my mind right now. They're still very fucking suicidal even if they don't have a plan or a date, and I gotta be REALLY careful w this.

My last option would be, instead of BUYING an apartment, to RENT it instead, which would bring the monthly costs of said thing to about 4k a month, first month 5k, furniture for the bedrooms in the first month as well as groceries and a few treats in here and there included, but I REALLY don't wanna rent it cause 1. I will most DEFINETLY forget to pay it in time, 2. I will most DEFINITELY forget that it's not actually my room and will paint it however I want and WILL Fuck It Up 3. I will most DEFINITELY not find a job for whatever the fuck I wanna do there, so uhhhhh no more money = homeless and I guess I could live on the streets or even go back to my home country with the money that wasn't enough for a rent but enough for a ticket but I CAN'T JUST LET THEM BE HOMELESS BRUH I WOULD BE THE WORST FRIEND EVERRRRRR. and 4. it will probably cost more in the long run. thats a plan b, and a really bad one really.

I promised them I would see them in 2 years, and I was hoping that's when I'm gonna try to move in, but AHAHAH SILLY ME MONEY IS ACTUALLY A PROBLEM IN THIS ECONOMY and I don't wanna ask my parents for shit because they will most certainly scream at me. So. It's only gonna be a visit. I'm gonna have to look into the price of that one. I will probably have enough for a week trip, but idk about LIVING there with that kind of money. but it's okay. I'll finish a college, which will be THANKFULLY paid by my parents. (why would they fund my college but NOT my dream future? ahahah they have other plans for me they don't want me to leave the country but uhhhh I will anyway. dw I'll still keep contact. I love them.) I'll work full time while in college, will pull all nighters to do homework and sleep 4 hours a day and eat instant noodles and skip classes to work and wash my clothes, hair and forks in the sink and live with the worst roommate ever for the rest of my college life if I have to, but I WILL. I repeat I WILL. do it. May I be with myself cause god certainly won't be.

Clock check!! 03:38 am. oh!

[starsprlte]

my friend slenderman

[brad-bakshi-loves-bugs]

hey there!! as someone who loves writing (but never posts) but hates reading OOC fics, i need your advice, if you're willing!

how do you find that pocket of in-character, while still fitting the storyline?

sorry if this sounds delirious and jumbled. I really admire your writing and wafwaf :)

okay, this is going to sound absolutely ridiculous and I have NEVER told anyone this before EVER, and I have no idea if this is something other people do or if im just a fucked up human being, but here me out:

so basically. I roleplay with myself. like, I spend a lot of time alone (which is fine im just a Huge Introvert) and I get bored easily, so when I was a lot younger I would just pretend to be my favorite characters from media and then when I was alone id talk and act like them and pretend to talk to the other characters in their universe. it helped me flesh out their backstories and behaviors, and with the added bonus that it gave my young ADHD brain something to do that wasn't destructive in any way. so like. it's kind of like larping, because im somewhat acting out what im roleplaying, but im not dressing up and it's just me, alone, pacing around my house. in hindsight it IS kind of pathetic and maybe I should tell my therapist about it, but if there's one thing you should know about me it's that I do NOT like being me and so I pretend to be other people as an escape.

well. in doing so, naturally, im going to get better at acting out the mannerisms of each character. and by that point, if you can act it out, then you can write it out. im very much a visual learner, so being able to picture the exact gestures and expressions each character would make while they talk etc helps SO much with writing! and sometimes I even take notes about specific mannerisms I notice while im watching the show (like brad frequently interrupting people, david's voice cracking when he's upset, etc), so that I can reference them while im writing to make sure I stay in character. I also watch a lot of youtube compilations from the show, so even if im not going back and rewatching the whole series, im still exposed to their distinct behaviors and speaking methods. it REALLY helps to just pick one or two characters at a time and study them exclusively, because you tend to notice a lot more about a specific character if your entire focus is on them.

now, could I write ian, or rachel, or poppy well? probably not, because I dont pay attention to their mannerisms when they're on screen since theyre not characters im personally invested in. but when david and especially brad are on screen, you can bet your ass im studying every tiny detail and change in their expression and tone, so that I can recreate that in my writing as necessary. my goal is that people will be able to recognize each character I write with exclusively dialogue and zero names mentioned. like, let me give an example:

"Hey man, did you get that report I sent you earlier?"

"Wh- uh, what report? I didn't get a report. Are you sure you-"

"Yes, I'm sure I sent it."

"Oh. Well then I'll, um, I'll check my email again. Are you sure you sent it to my work email?"

"Well I didn't send it to dirtydave3377@hotmail.com, if that's what you're asking."

"Oh, okay. I'll, uh- I'll get back to you on that report then I guess."

"Thanks."

see? now obviously the email kind of gave away one of the speakers, but hopefully it was more apparent as the dialogue progressed that the first speaker was brad and the responder was david. because david stutters a lot and uses a completely unnecessary amount of filler words when he talks, so he's pretty easy to write! and brad (typically) doesn't talk excessively, so it's common for him to give short responses only a few words in length. I basically write brad like he's perpetually fed up with everyone around him, because that seems most in character to me based on what I see in the show! lots of eye rolling, groaning, and frowning.

my goal in writing is for people to be able to visualize the characters saying what I write for them as if it's quoted directly from the show. now, im not going to claim to always succeed at that, but being able to hyperfixate on these characters helps a lot! so does reading other in-character fanfics, because it's sometimes tough to convert tv show acting into writing. luckily, at least in most fandoms, other people have already done it for you!

whenever im writing, especially when it comes to dialogue, im always picturing the characters in my head. I'm seeing the way their expressions shift, the way their hands gesticulate, the path they walk when theyre moving. im hearing them say the dialogue im writing in their voices, which probably makes me sound absolutely insane but im like 90% sure it's just my ADHD so dont worry! being able to see and hear the characters helps SO much, and I wouldn't write half as well without that skill.

im sorry this turned into such a long ramble! everyone has their own methods of figuring out characters, but roleplaying with myself, visualizing the characters, and studying the show helps me immeasurably.

as an aside, im always happy to beta stuff and check to see if it sounds in-character, and offer pointers/edits for anything that sounds too ooc! I've totally been there before, and obviously im not perfect, but I enjoy helping where I can and at this point ill do pretty much anything to help get more mq fics out in the world LOL

[roughentumble]

written in the stars wip? 👀 so glad I'm not the only without super detailed titles asdkfl mine are like 'learning', 'sleepy'

my titles are generally even LESS descriptive than this, 99% of my works are entitled variations of "ugh why am i so self-indulgent" because for some reason i get embarrassed writing out my ideas unless i somehow Explain In The Title that yes, indeed, i know writing is a little embarrassing. then i go in later and give them vague titles when they start getting confusing, all being named the same thing XD

anyway. CONGRATULATIONS you stumbled on the non-witcher crackship fic from like before 2018!!!! 🎉 the pairing issss *drumroll*.......... max rockatansky/peter quill!! i remember my logic being "i want to put max rockatansky in space. i want him to kiss a boy. star-lord is, to my knowledge, 1) in space and 2) a guy and 3) was the first one that came to mind, so he's the big winner". looking at the file this thing is..... jeez, i somehow wrote 5k words about this way back when, according to the software. i'll put the logistical breakdown i wrote for myself here, then under the cut i’ll put..... basically everything i wrote, give or take, because this is the only time it’s seeing the light of day anyway

1) the premise

An au so extreme none of the characters are recognizable

Like. Apparently in canon the world went to shit while MAX WAS A NORMAL ADULT WITH A COP JOB???? he's a cop?????????

Like. I guess thats a thing. Who knows. Anyway my point is, thats not relevant here. He kind of knows that he's on earth but like, no one alive was around for when earth went all Fucked, that was a looooooooong time ago. And some people have had old knowledge passed down through oral tradition, but most books are ruined or at least really hard to come by, and some of the knowledge has been warped by time. like, irl we have awesome communities that have INCREDIBLE oral records, but here you also just have folks who don't have time to remember correctly, or make up bullshit to sound cooler, or like. Like you don't have the same communities that are required to properly maintain oral traditions, and when you do they tend to be closed off since that's how they stay safe from all the Bullshit.

ALSO also they're kinda considered crazy, since theyre weird hermits who never talk to outsiders and their knowledge is a little kooky by wasteland standards.

Because thats the impression I was under when I watched fury road, so, thats, what it is here!

Quill was stolen as a kid, but not from earth, cuz, thats not. A thing. No more. Earth is a wasteland! some scientists saw that earth was going to hell, and started a project probably called something real cheesy like "the new eden project" and then they packed up a ton of people onto a spaceship and sent it out into the Great Beyond. at some point on the trip they had some awful bullshit go down, they got thrown off course, and then through other random bullshit they loose track of their old course and have no clue where earth is. They lose their old path in the expanse of space(that seems easy enough to do imo) and after some continued planet hopping, eventually settle on a viable planet(probably called some corny spaceage junk like "eden prime")

quill was born on EDEN PRIME, and no one on eden prime knows how to get to or remembers earth(it was so long ago). some scientists want info on Terra Classique(tm), also theres general like "if you find earth you get an Award/get into guiness book of new world records", and also like it's got a weird air of mystique surrounding it. no one really, like, hardcore cares, but everyone's a little curious about it? it feels a little fake and mythlike.

also everyone knows about aliens, too, its an integrated part of society. nothin to worry about on that front.

SO quill accidentally stumbles on earth, not knowing its earth(maybe??? i'll have to fiddle with some logistics on this, but I think it'll come down to"it's one tiny speck in the whole of space, so the likelihood that you'll just happen upon it when you have full 3d maneuverability is just pretty damn low) and helps out max. Max eventually lets it slip it's earth(not knowing its A Thing) and peter flips out like "YoUrE a TeRrAn?!?!?!?!?!? A FOR REAL REALSIES ACTUAL FACTUAL TERRAN???? BORN AND BRED?????? AHHHH????????!?!??!??!? we are going to be RICH, we are going to have our names IN THE HISTORY BOOKS, we FOUND EARTH, holy SHIT"

Also they grow together probably, and max heals from his Garbage Planet and is Entranced by Eden Prime, maybe folks from eden prime go to try and fix up earth/terra/homeworld/whatever, maybe not, idk. actually that sounds like a great way for things to go terrible from multiple angles, very quickly. but still. Stuff like that. Also they fuckkkkkkk because theyre two handsome men and I am Gay! merry xmas thats my idea.

2) the snippets

"Fuck!" Quill exclaims, snatching his hand away from the offending panel and shoving a slightly sandy finger into his mouth to suck. He glares up, but the tangle of wires seems completely unrepentant.

He grumbles softly to himself as he wiggles out from under his ship gracelessly. His movements work at least two handfuls worth of sand up into his jacket, and it leaves behind a thin layer of coarse irritation when he finally sits up and the bulk of it pours back out. He curses again at this, and tries to shake it out without much success.

This planet-- or at least, this particular corner of it-- is a fucking hellhole, if you ask him.

Sand's getting into every nook and cranny of his ship's equipment like it's its' personal mission to muck up the Milano's hardware, the star he's currently orbiting seems intent on turning the desert sand to glass, and he's yet to see a single sign of life in the days he's been parked here. He's hot and irritable and sweating and filthy and, worst of all, bored. Bored and lonely. Fuck it, he thinks to himself bitterly, it's not a core problem, anyway. He kicks the panel shut and crouches down to screw it back shut. The angle's awkward, but he's tired of being on his back.

He's just gathered and stowed his tools, intent on high-tailing it off this godforsaken rock, when a sound starts rolling over the sand dunes. He pauses at the top of the ramp, and it's silent for a long moment. Quill wonders, briefly, if he's starting come down with a nasty case of cabin fever, but then-- There it is again-- It sounds a bit louder this time, a gentle rumble creeping across the vast expanse, and... Well, it could be nothing. It's probably nothing. He says this to himself a few times, turns away from the open door and everything. This planet'll be a speck on his horizon in seconds. But...

But he's curious, dammit. So, with excitement slowly starting to creep up around the edges, he puts on his helmet and hops on a speeder, grinning from ear to ear. Finally, something interesting.

[insert “quill saves max with space guns” scene here]

+++

Quill is woken from his daze by a flurry of movement, and instead of 'good morning' he gets his own blaster in his face. So much for gratitude.

After he'd gotten the man back to his ship, he'd cleaned and patched him up as best he could. He was still pretty filthy, since cleaning any part of him other than his wounds had seemed like a breech of privacy, but otherwise he had been set for the time being. All that was left was to wait for him to recover and wake, so Quill'd taken the opportunity to rest up himself on the bunk across from his guest's, leaving the ship on auto-pilot. Now he's been woken up(rude), had half of his favorite set of guns stolen(double rude), and has had his stunning display of hospitality thrown back in his face(triple rude, the charm). He becomes distantly aware that at some point, while he was still getting his bearings and not entirely cognizant, the man had demanded Quill let him leave.

"Looks like you're up." He says, raising an eyebrow. The man doesn't look amused, just shoves the gun more incessantly into Quill's face. "Hey, whoa, easy," Quill says, hands raised to chest-height in mock-surrender. There's a tense silence where they both just stare at each other, then he snaps into action, using one hand to smack the gun to the side and drawing his second blaster with the other. The man squeezes the trigger a moment too late, firing into the wall, and he scuttles backwards immediately, slamming back against the other wall in an effort to get space between the two of them.

Minutes tick by excruciatingly slowly as they stare each other down. The man gets increasingly agitated as the standoff wears on, glancing around the room in search of an opening, but the bunks are essentially situated in a hallway, just long enough that there's nowhere for him to duck for cover if he makes a break for it. Plus, he's accidentally gotten wedged up against the corner of the cot, which puts him at a rather severe tactical disadvantage. Finally, he grits out the words, "I won't be your blood bag." His lips curl in disgust around the words.

"Blood bag?" Quill says incredulously. His brow furrows as he struggles to understand what that means. Suddenly, he remembers the tattoo spread across the stranger's back, the one he'd discovered while patching up his side. He hadn't fully understood the meaning when he found it, but now the words universal donor appear in his mind, unbidden. His stomach churns. He thinks I took him, his gun waivers, to keep as a slave. As a human meat locker. Quill looks at the man before him- really looks- and nothing about him is screaming 'aggressor'. He looks frightened. Pissed off also, obviously, but he can see it in the man's too-wide eyes, the tension wound up so tightly inside him that the tendons in his neck have popped out clear as day.

He looks like a caged animal; or, even worse, someone who's been made a slave before.

Quill sucks in a breath and then slowly sets his blaster on the ground and kicks it over to the man. He raises his hands in earnest this time. "I don't want to hurt you, and I won't make you a blood bag."

To say he looks unconvinced is an understatement. His eyes flick between the weapon on the ground and Quill. Another long moment passes and Quill's mentally berating himself for doing something so stupid- wondering if he somehow misread the situation and wracking his brain for how he could recover from the extreme tactical disadvantage he's just put himself in- when the man finally speaks up again. His voice cracks this time, it sounds like from disuse. "Why?"

"Why-- ? Because you were hurt. You would've bled out. I couldn't just leave you there, with those... those fuckin' vultures." Quill is met with an unimpressed glare. "Honestly! I just... I wanted to help because I wanted to help. Because it felt like the right thing to do." The man's expression remains unchanged. "Alright, fine, I guess if I'm being totally up-front, I also sorta' did it because those guys were pieces of shit and I wanted to kick their asses. But mostly it was the good guy thing!" The man's eyes are boring holes in him at this point, and he's a little freaked out because he's not entirely sure what he could say to convince this dude, but then the gun lowers. Not a lot, but it's enough to make Quill grin with relief and he nods enthusiastically, as if that'll encourage the man to complete the motion. "And I'll let you off wherever you want, I'll even put you back right where I found you if you want. I was just trying to help."

The movement is stilted and jerky, but his gun-arm finally drops to his side. He looks incredibly tired, pale from blood-loss, and he leans fully against the wall for support, reaching up to cup his injured side. Quill curses quietly and reaches out to help the man into bed. He springs back into action at the movement, blaster raised and eyes wide. "Easy, just helpin' you lay down." Quill presses forward, steadfastly ignoring the weapon as he places his hands on the other man's shoulders, again mentally crossing his fingers that he's reading the situation correctly and this is the right move. There's an initial flinch, but once he realizes Quill isn't hurting him, he sags like a puppet with his strings cut. Quill barely suppresses a grin- yay, progress!- and carefully maneuvers him in the right direction.  [[ALT:: Quill carefully maneuvers him in the right direction, easing him down onto the cot. It seems like the guy's in too much pain to be completely alert, and Quill makes a mental note to find some pain meds for him.]]

Once he gets the man situated, he moves to take his blaster back, and in response the man not only tightens his grip but growls. Actually growls at him! Quill can't fight back his grin this time, and he pats the man's shoulder appeasingly. [[ALT:: Quill can't help the amused tilt of his lips at that, but then he remembers all the reasons to be on guard that this stranger seems to have, and the expression fades. He pats the man's shoulder appeasingly.]] "It's alright," he says softly, "you keep it." He does pick up and holster the one on the ground, and he spares one more glance at the man on the bed before slipping out of the room.

About half-way back to the cockpit to check on the auto-pilot, a realization strikes him. "Dammit," He mutters, "I forgot to ask his name!" [[ALT:: Just cut entirely. Way too cheesy]]

+++

Quill's just finished fiddling around with the panel on the outer hull that had given him all that trouble on the sandy hellpit when the motion detector alarm beeps quietly inside his helmet. It felt a bit wrong, monitoring his guest's comings and goings, but he'd yet to wake up since their initial encounter and Quill was starting to worry that the man would never wake up, or that he'd try and sneak off with some of Quill's shit in one of his ship's escape pods(which, honestly, would just be downright rude.) [[ALT:: Maybe add; He was just worried for the guy's safety, and maybe also his things' safety a little bit.]] He figures(hopes, really) that if he uninstalls the motion detector after a single initial triggering, it won't be quite so wrong, morally speaking.

Now he scurries back inside to find the man cautiously investigating a panel set into the wall a few feet over and a set of stairs up from the bunks. It's pretty limited in its capabilities, so he isn't super worried about his guest breaking anything, but it is a rather cute sight. He acts like he's never seen a coms panel before, Quill muses to himself. He tries to telegraph his approach, but it still elicits a jump, unfortunately. The guy appears to relax once he sees it's Quill, but not by much. He nods a greeting, then turns back to the panel, seemingly intent on sussing out the mechanics of it.

"It's a coms panel." Quill leans his shoulder against the wall next to the panel, looking the screen over to see what the man's accessed. He looks lost, and he repeats the words 'coms panel' in a questioning tone, like he's testing them out. "I mean, technically it's a CDD panel, but see-dee-dee panel doesn't roll off the tongue as smoothly." He's going for joking, maybe even a little flirty, but instead Quill's met with a blank stare. The man seems to be able to navigate the panel just fine(no surprise there, the UI's pretty straightforward), but it doesn't seem like he's heard either term before(more surprising). "Communications and Diagnostics Display. CDD." He clarifies, and the man nods a bit, absorbing this information, though he still seems pretty curious about the full extent of the panel's capabilities. He's got plenty of time for that, though, and Quill is /dying/ for a little human interaction. "I'm Peter Quill, by the way. People call me Star-Lord." He puts on what he considers to be a fairly charming smile, but the look he gets back is completely flat and unimpressed.

"Star-Lord." He says it slowly, enunciates both syllables, as if it's a new nickname Quill thought up last night and he's trying to talk Quill out of it. Like saying it slower will somehow make Quill snap to his senses and realize it's the stupidest thing he's ever heard. Neither of those things happen. Instead, Quill just adopts a slightly exaggerated wounded expression.

"Aw, c'mon, no need to be a dick about it. Star-Lord's cool!" He insists. The man flicks his eyes up and down Quill once, then in a rather clipped tone hums 'mhm', as if to say 'yeah, you seem like the type who'd think that's cool.' Quill clicks his tongue against his teeth and crosses his arms over his chest. "What's your name, then, oh-arbiter-of-good-names?"

The man presses his lips together and turns back towards the coms panel. The seconds tick by as he taps back and forth between screens. It honestly seems like he's not going to answer, and Quill's just about given up on waiting when he hears a quiet, tentative, "Max."

Max. He smiles softly, turning the name over in his head. "You've got a point... That's a pretty good name." Max scrunches up his face, looking confused. "It suits you." He stares for a moment, like Quill is a puzzle that he's trying to solve, but then he just grunts his agreement and turns away again. "Star-Lord's still a cooler name, though." This prompts an eye-roll, and Quill grins from ear-to-ear.

+++

Max's fork stops halfway between his plate and his mouth. "We're... in space."

Quill nods like it's nothing special. "Yeah, we've been off-world a while now. Since I picked you up. And like I said before, I'll drop you off wherever you like." He speaks in between bites, taking no notice of Max's hesitance. "I'd go with the nearest hub, if I were you- put that awful ball in your rearview mirror and never look back- but if that's where you wanna' be dropped I can't really stop you, so. 'S your call." He shrugs with one shoulder and finally looks up.

Max doesn't even need to say anything. 'This fucker's crazy' is scrawled across his face clear as day.

Quill's own face screws up in confusion at that. "What? Seriously! I didn't want any scavengers harassing me while I fixed up my ship, so I hopped a few rocks over. Easier that way."

"Of course. Perfect sense." He doesn't sound like he believes Quill; he sounds like he's placating a delusional man. He turns back to his food, but he watches Peter warily out of the corner of his eye. Quill can feel a muscle in his eyebrow twitch.

"Seriously! What the hell, dude, my ship's not that much of a junker. She's perfectly functional and got us here no problem. Just needed a little tune-up's all. Which is the only reason I stopped on your planet in the first place."

"I'm sure your... ship... works fine."

Quill huffs. "Alright, c'mon." He grabs Max by the elbow and tugs him up, then ushers him out of the room and into the flight deck. He points emphatically at the scenery beyond the glass. "Does that look like the dust ball I pick you up off of?" Max goes very still beside him, and he can feel all of the muscles in Max's arm going tense. When he finally looks back, Max's face is rapidly loosing color and his breathing's become uneven. Peter's grip and his tone both soften, though he's still incredulous when he asks "Haven't you ever been off-world before?"

Max shakes his head minutely, eyes glued to the scene before him. He takes a few steps forward, reaches out to gently rest his fingertips on the windshield. "This isn't," he mumbles around numb lips, "It's... not possible." His face is twisted up in shock and disbelief.

Quill steps a little closer, nudges his shoulder against Max's and grins down at him, attempting to lighten the mood. "What, never expected a lovable rogue to swoop into your life and finally get you off that backwater hellhole of a planet?"

"I didn't know there were other planets," Max says quietly. A stunned silence falls over the room as Quill absorbs this information. He drags his eyes away from Max to stare in the same direction, taking in the he sights of the planet he'd stopped on. He'd stayed in the same system for a variety of reasons(he had no idea where Max wanted to be dropped off, he didn't want to waste fuel backtracking, he had a few minor repairs he was itching to finally get off his to-do list...) It was all fairly insignificant, and he suddenly finds himself wishing he'd taken them somewhere prettier.

He'd chosen a random moon, and from their vantage point on it they can see a planet striped with swathes of reds and browns, backlit by the distant sun. It's nice enough, but nothing breathtaking, the surface of the moon consisting mostly of dull, rocky formations. Quill gets bored of the view easily enough, but when he looks over he sees Max enraptured. His hand is fully pressed against the glass now and his lips are parted in awe as he openly drinks in the sight before him. He blinks slowly, inadvertently showing off long lashes, and his expression is so much more open than Quill has ever seen it. [[ALT:: cut; possibly. Or rewrite??? either lacks something or is unnecessary I think]]For an instant, he's entirely unguarded, and it leaves Quill's chest tight and his cheeks warm, swallowing reflexively at the sight. All of the sudden the view here seems more than adequate for taking his breath away.

He clears his throat awkwardly and tears his eyes away from Max, attempting to tamp down on his blush as best he can and mentally pulling away from such a cheesy thought.

+++

"So what's it short for?"

Max glances at Quill out of the corner of his eye, baster still held in front of his face in examination. He makes an inquisitive noise that seems to communicate What's what short for?

He's really good at that.

"Your name. Max," Quill explained, plopping down on the bed next to Max, who slowly lowered the blaster as he realized that Quill was intent of having, horror of horrors, yet another conversation. There was also a tensing of shoulders that implied he hadn't been invited to sit, but he either didn't notice or steadfastly ignored it. "What is it, Maximillion? Maxwell? Maximus?"

"Nothing," He said simply. "Just Max." He nodded slightly to himself then started examining the blaster again, seemingly under the impression that he'd completed the interaction.

Quill's face screwed up. "Just Max? Who names their kid just Max? You should at least do them the courtesy of making it something badass, like Maxium Overdrive or something. Oh!" The words had been rolling off his tongue, but he exclaimed when he processed the name he'd come up with. He looked excitedly over at Max.

"Just Max." He repeated, ignoring the now crestfallen Quill, who flopped back against the bed.

"You're no fun," He insisted. "No fun at all."

Max just hummed in agreement.

There was a beat of silence, before Quill broke it yet again. "What about last names? You can't be just Max, right?"

More silence, as Max debated whether or not to tell him. Quill slowly sat up on his elbows, watching Max's shoulder; he'd learned by now that rushing him would just turn him into a brick wall, though the waiting did make him fidget. Max slowly took in a deep breath, as if realizing this was a bad idea, then closed his eyes and said "Rockatansky."

Quill snapped to attention, sitting straight up. "Dude! That-- that name's fucking awesome, what the hell! Why don't you lead with Rockatansky? I'd never go by anything else, ever."

"Bit of a mouthful." Max explained. He tried to keep up his veneer of cool, detached disinterest, but the ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips when he quietly revealed "Some people call me Mad Max."

Quill's eyes got wide and he gasped theatrically. "Your name is Mad Max Rockatansky, and you introduce yourself as Just Max?" He lightly smacked Max on the shoulder. "Philistine!"

"Usually in a rush," Max explained with a shrug. "All those syllables'd get me killed." He flipped the blaster over to examine the other side, seemingly intent on having something to look at other than Quill. "Didn't exactly pick 'Mad' either. It was just given to me."

"Okay," Quill said patiently, then clapped a hand on Max's shoulder, "but it's super fucking badass, and you're a fool if you ever introduce yourself as anything other than Mad Max Rockatansky." He said it slowly, really emphasizing his words.

Max chuckled, amusement dancing in his eyes as the glanced sideways at Quill. He tilted his head back just slightly and said "Guess I'm a fool then, hmm?"

Quill felt the air rush out of his lungs at the sight. Something about the quality of the light, the way it wrapped around the edges of his profile, the glint in his eye, even the exact angle of his head... It was like a picture in a magazine. Peter wished he had any way at all to capture it, but it left at quickly as it came, Max refocusing on the weapon in his lap and turning away from Peter. He still looked striking, backlit with head bowed and a rare smile on his lips, but now that his attention was no longer on Quill, it was a little less overwhelming and a little more affectionately domestic.

Quill still swallowed hard at the sight. "I could show you how it works!" He blurted out suddenly. Max raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "The... the blaster. I could show you how it works. I don't, uh," Peter hedged awkwardly, glancing away from Max, "totally know everything about how they work? But I know enough to fix them when they break. Mostly. Usually. So, uh, yeah."

The amusement returned, a little stronger this time, and he held out the blaster. "Go ahead and show me, then, Mr. Expert."[[ALT:: idefk, something other than expert here maybe.]]

[lavenders-findings]

@sipsteainanxiety

I JUST REASD THE NEW FMN CHAPTER AND OH BOY OH BOY AM I LOVING IT

GONNA LIVEBLOG IT ALL HERE DOING IT BELOW THE CUT BECUASE I'LL JUST BE LOSING MY MIND

ok ok ok first of all i love the way it's tying back to what the docter said to her while she was kidnapped. personally, i love things like that, things that reference previous parts of the story and make you go "ohoho" so when i read that i was like holy shit YES

BAKUGO KATSUKI MY FUCJKIGN BELOVED???? hell YES drag us away from those reporters and check up on us afterward

THE WAY???? WE LEANED DOWN???? AND SAID GOODBYE TO HIM WHEN KIRI DROPPED US OFF???? EXCUSE ME WHILE I MELT INTO THE FUCKING FLOOR

fuck the parents :)

WOOOOOO GETTING PAIRED WITH KATSUKI AHAHAHA Y ES ALL IVE EVER DREAMED OF

IT'S LIKE THE ONLY ONE BED TROPE BUT SO MUCH BETTER HDGJDHGJDGHDJKGHDF WHEN I READ THAT I AUDIABLY MADE SUCH A NOISE OMG

THE WAY. HOLY SHIT. THE TALK WITH FUKUI. "Y'ever considered that maybe he feels nervous too?" AND THEN THE "you'd be fuckin' surprised." OKAY JUST THROW MY HEART ON THE GROUND I GUESS HOLY FUCKJ

ALSO I"M ETERNALLY THINKING ABOUT THE SCENE WITH FUKUI AND SAKI. LIKE. HOLY SHIT. I JUST WENT BACK AND REREAD THAT ACTYUALLT AND MY HEART???? I GOT THAT FEELING IN MY CHEST???? HELLO???? I LOVE IT??????? I JUST. THEY'RE SO SWEET WHAT THE HELL I"M GONNA KEEL OVER ONTO THE FLOOR. I"M. THINKING ABOUT THAT SCENE. AND ABOUT THEM,,,,,

AAAHHHHH THEY WERE BOTH EARLY TO THE PATROL AND THEYRE BOTH NERVOUS HTHTHHGFJHG BABIES THEYRE BABIES AND THEY NEED TO LIKE,,, SHARE A TINY KISS<,, MAYBE,,, PERHAPS JUST A MINI SMOOCH ASHFJADHF

ahHASFDAHFDKH THE WAY. THE WAY KATSUKI WAS ABLE TO JUST COMPLETELY SHORT CIRCUT US WITH THAT FUKUI CONVERSATION AHSFJDGHD

and then. holy fuck. that whole convsersation at the end.

"Were we close?"

"...Yeah."

OKAY MY HEART IS ALREADY ON THE GROUND AND THIS MADE ME ACTUALLY JUST. MELT. IF I WASN"T MELTED ENOUGH ALREASY. HOLY FUCKDF. AND THNE THAT PART AT THE END WHERE THEYRE GRIPPING EACH OTHERS ELBOWS OH MAN I REALLY WANNA DRAW THAT

ALL IN ALL THIS IS BY FAR ONE OF MY FAVS AS FAR AS FICS GO, IF NOT MY TOP FAV

[beloved-child-of-the-house]

Fic Writer Questions! (you can find me here on AO3 if you're interested!)

tagged by dear @theburialofstrawberries mwah!

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

112 yowza!

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

750,421 kinda tempted to go delete one word so it can be 750420 which is a far more Pleasing number

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

12ish but some of them overlap: BBCS/Sherlock Holmes/ACD (these are all different bc my bbcs fics are not the same as my own modern fem Sherlock Holmes adaptation are not the same as my ACD Holmes fic; Good Omens; Harry Potter/The Werewolf Draco Malfoy Cinematic Universe; Captive Prince; The Hobbit; Fleabag (it was a crossover with BBCS but Fleabag is the perspective character so it still counts as a separate fandom imo); Doctor Who; The Office; Parks and Rec; Broad City (one a piece for those last 5 but I AM going to write a Parks and Rec polycule fic for @gaykagome)

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

They're all Good Omens fics from the 2019 Summer of Good Omens! Susceptible to Summer, Fragments Shored Against My Ruin, Something So Magic, Enter Serpent, and Anything We Like

All of those have over 2k except the last one, but average engagement for me is like 400 kudos or so

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I try! It depends on what's going on with me. Sometimes I just don't have the energy, and I figure people would rather I spend my brain power on writing new fics than on writing replies to comments. Wish I had a fave button tho so I could let people know I read and reread comments, because I do!

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Oh I wrote this ficlet series called A Chemical Defect about John and Sherlock's relationship in s3 of BBCS, and it's WILDLY unpopular. People don't read my fic to cry sad tears I guess! John and Sherlock are having an affair in the story, and it ends with the implication that their relationship is unsustainable and that Mary knows about it anyway. I intended to come back to it after s4 and write a more optimistic ending but LOL! Didn't have the heart.

7) What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

I know this answer is kinda up my own ass, but like. I think stories that feel true to life sort of feel like they end on a beginning if you know what I mean? You don't really consider a chapter of your life closed until you look back on it from the next? SO that said, I think I'd have to say that it's my big BBCS serial The Only One in the World. I spent 2 years writing it, and it ends with John retiring from medicine to solve crimes and write books full time.

Could also be my WDMCU (werewolf Draco Malfoy cinematic universe) series Moonrise, which starts with Draco isolated in his abusive mother's house, trying to cope with lycanthropy essentially alone and ends with him in love and surrounded by found family in a cozy cottage in Hogsmeade, having gotten some lycanthrope rights legislation passed after working at it for years and talking to Harry about whether they want to have kids. Oh man I feel warm and fuzzy just thinking about it

8) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I have written one crossover. It's BBCS/Fleabag, because me and @loudest-subtext-in-tv were laughing about how John seems like one of the horrible guys Fleabag sleeps with basically out of self loathing, so I wrote this fic to make Nattie laugh, and you should read it bc it's so good and so underrated.

9) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not really, but people don't seem to know that authors can read bookmark tags unless you private the bookmark, and someone once put in the bookmark tag on one of my fics 'writing was meh but it was okay.' Okay so why bookmark it then??

10) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Fuck yes! I'm not sure what 'what kind?' means? People fucking? Sloppy, silly, and awkward, with lots of laughing. I also really like writing afterglow scenes which are even sillier and gigglier and often involve one character cooking for another. Food as love language is a very distinct pattern of mine tbh

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of, but occasionally I'll write a post on here where I make some elaborate head canon, and I'll see people in the tags talking about how they want to write fic of it, and it makes me breathe fire out of my nose like a dragon like PLEASE DON'T. The WDMCU came out of a ficlet post I made on here like a year before I actually wrote the 60k series so like!!! Please don't do that!

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! To Russian and I believe Chinese. Not my entire oeuvre but a handful of BBCS and Good Omens fics

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but I wrote a fic inspired by an RP I did with my gf right around when we met (actually now that I think about it, it's two fics), and I waaaaaaanna do a WDMCU collab with my beloved Sally @clytemenestras at some point if he has time bc he inspired me to even write werewolf draco with his original lesbian werewolf story

14) What’s your all time favorite ship?

favorites are hard for me? I always think I'm currently doing my best writing lol so I'll say drarry

15) What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I don't post fics unless theyre finished, so I don't have any WIP up on AO3, but I did intend to continue with my fem Sherlock Holmes series, Your Many Tendencies. I just haven't been in a Holmes mood for a long time. Maybe I'll come back to it idk. This particular series is honestly very unpopular? People will just straight up say they don't read femslash, and it hurts a lot. This series feels really personal too, bc it's about a Black autistic nonbinary lesbian, so it does hurt my feelings that no one seems to care, yknow? I mean the people who read it are extremely kind and thoughtful in their engagement with it, but it has vastly less engagement than my m/m fic, and that's painful. It gets literally 1/10 the attention my fics usually get.

16) What are your writing strengths?

Almost all of my writing is romance, but I tend to write concurrently about recovery and found family, and I think I'm very good at doing that in a way that connects with my audience. I once had someone ask if they could use my words in their wedding vows, and I've had people tell me they started doing things with their spouse that my characters do with their partners in order to express love. I think about that all the time. My Impact. It makes me feel like I have a real duty to my audience yknow?

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

This question is hard for me like I've been writing so long and so much that I'm literally always happy with my final draft! It's always exactly to my taste, yknow? I suppose I could say that my fics tend not to be terribly plotty but so WHAT? That's beside the fuckn point for me. Plot who? I don't know Her. Also honestly like. Stories feel more True to me when they aren't ruthlessly devoted to plot bc like life isn't like that yknow?

18) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

If you're not fluent in that language, get a beta who is!!!!! That said, I have written scraps of very simple dialogue in French using mostly Google Translate (sometimes I check w Sally bc he speaks French but I am usually too impatient), and I am perfectly well aware that I take my life in my hands each time!!! Also don't do that bullshit thing where it's in italics? That shit is weird and exoticizing. Just write it in quotation marks like normal dialogue.

19) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

BBCS babey back in 2012. Ended a 5 year dry spell for me after I got my writing degree.

20) What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Hmmmm I think it's probably gonna be the fic I'm working on now that I haven't posted yet, but I know it's called Names for a House, and here's a tiny bit of it

Thanks again Shreya for asking me to do this bc I really love talking about myself. I tag @the-moon-loves-the-sea, @clytemenestras, @tomiano, @gaykagome and @totallysilvergirl

No pressure <3

[shadeofazmeinya]

I'm really liking this Trevor taking care of them thought. I can't help imagining Trevor helping them with fears more after that one post about them going to his bed. Like him helping Jeremy with his fear of heights or helping Alfredo, Fiona, and Geoff with their I guess scaredy sense(of course they got over it as they got older.. probably). Do you think that they would still go over to him when they're scared or that he knows when any of them are scared and silently shows them that he's there?

Aww I absolutely see the latter. They’re all stubborn, especially as adults, so probably try to not admit they’re scared. But Trevor knows now so he instinctively wants to help them feel better in any way he can.

Though, also speaking of fears and such, I’ve been kond of imagining all these kids resorting back to the states and memories they were at when they were the ages they come to. So this means basically that to them, they were going through whatever they were when they were ages like 8-12 and now they’re suddenly here. Which is somewhat ok for like Ryan and Jack, who had more stable childhoods. (at least outwardly appearing so. Of course there’s always more under the surface to uncover). Everything that lead to their fucked up lives as criminals happened to them as adults. Some from just harder situations, like Geof, Michael, and Jeremy. A little untrusting, but okish. Wanting to get back to where they think they should be. With the family they think they still have. (And god isn’t that heartbreaking, seeing little tiny Jeremy with big eyes asking for his dad, a man Trevor knows is long passed but Trevor can’t tell the child. Just says he’ll be around in a bit, keep him occupied for now).

And then there’s like Gavin. Sweet lil Gavvy stuffed with the knowledge that he just lost his mother, all his family, skinny as hell, hording food and blankets for himsef. Stealing anything shinny from the apartment for reasons he doesn’t fully understand. Not quite getting that he doesn’t need to shove his fave everytime he’s given food, that he’ll be given it again later. It’s just heartbreaking as Trevor pieces Gavin’s travesty together but at least the other kids grow protective of him all over again because of it too.

I don’t have far enough backstories for the others, but they’re all probably somewhere in between. So much of their tramas coming to life in a way Trevor knows he can never repeat once theyre back to adults. But for now has to help them through it so they feel better

[thefivecalls]

I'm it! (Thanks my dudette for the tag)

Warm or cool tones? It depends. If I'm styling something for one of my friends usually its cool cause they're all pale af, but if I'm looking ti style I like warm colors! (Or neutrals, lots of neutrals)

Sci-fi/fantasy or realistic fiction? I prefer fantasy and sci-fi, but I read lots of both tbh. Im particular to superheroes and high school dramas (not the musical tho I will not stand it sorry)

How many unread ao3 bookmarks ya got? Umm... Look I will frequently search and find something I'm interested in but not in the mood to read so like... 52 I'm sorry but I'll read them eventually!

Reptiles or amphibians? Both!!! Theyre both so cool!! Snakes are better for me tho since I dont want to crush the frogs and things in my hands since they so tiny! (Btw they both secrete slime/mucus isnt that fucking awesome???)

Whats one weird incorrect assumption about the area you live in? I mean the midwest is really weird but like... People who think they're rednecks arent. They glammed up white trash who live in trailers, but not rednecks. Rednecks are for the working class and the rejects 99% of the time. Do you think they support the government who are trying to starve them? Fuck no! But thats not strange so I guess... The fact that they think we like each other in our small town of 76 74 (sorry i forgot my neighbors just died lol see you in hell fuckers). The people in my town are all old and related. My fam was the first to move in in nearly 50 years. Here, its all about competition and see who gets the most crops, who can fill the corn pits fastest, who can act like the biggest "southern bell" in the town. Fuck it they hate each other and are only alive right now because of spite.

Can you read on car trips? Hell yeah I can just gotta tske my motion sickness pills and my noise canceling headphones and I'm set for a full drive (once read the entire way through an 18 hour car trip)

Whats one food you despise but most people love?

Broccoli and pickled onions. Seperate or together, its strange and I'll never eat another. I'll stick with my strawberry soup and homemade Cajun jambalaya thank.

Tag, you're it!

@smexyshrek2288 @astronomical-bagel @vicdehart @random-shit-writing

Weird ass tag game

Thank you @gaeilgelupin for the tag!💜

Warm or cool toned colors? (Warm)

Sci fi/fantasy or realistic fiction? (Realistic fiction!)

How many unread bookmarks on your ao3 right now? (11, although they’re all of my favorite fics. I use the mark for later button to mark things I want to read!)

Reptiles or amphibians? (Gonna go with amphibians)

What’s one weird incorrect assumption people have about the area where you live? (California does not automatically equal LA and living next to the Kardashians! Trust me just getting from Norcal to Socal is a fucking chore)

Can you read on car trips or no? (I was a pro car reader before my brain injury but now not so much)

What’s one food most people like that you absolutely can’t stand? (Anything that’s a mammal)

Tagging: @moonscarsandstars @justdyingontheinside @curlyy-hair-dont-care and anyone else who wants to do it💜