#(that is a sentence that makes sense surely)

[captainsamuelmorrigan]

It's driving Eddie insane.

There's no fucking way the 2 things can be true. Either Steve stole Eddie's porn, his prized magazines full of hot boys covered in piercings, tattoos, and mouthwatering amounts of leather. Or... OR! Steve happens to own the same magazine. Eddie can't believe either thing is true. Maybe it was a prank? Some sick homo-mag that his basketball buddies slipped him some time... that he kept for over a year at least? Yeah. Sure, Munson.

"Soo... Beefcake?" Eddie leans over the counter at Family Video, making sure his tatted tits are on full view in front of Steve.

Steve lowers the paper he's reading. "Am I supposed to be Beefcake?"

Eddie plasters his world-famous shit-eating grin across his face, scooting slightly left so he chest is firmly in front of Steve's pretty eyes. "Only Beefcake I see regularly without some serious payment on my end."

Steve coughs in surprise. "Not taking the bait, Munson. What brings you in, anyway? Are you trying to get Rocky Horror again? I think someone besides you actually rented it this week."

"Really?" Eddie sighs, then perks up, remembering the real reason he was here. "No, uh, I wanted to ask..." His courage runs out halfway through his sentence.

Steve smiled softly at him, his cow eyes framed by those perfect eyelashes and... FOCUS MUNSON.

"I wanted to ask if you had read anything good recently? Maybe any good magazines?"

Steve raises an eyebrow. "Did Robin put you up to this? She said you freaked out after I left my porn out on my nightstand on accident when you slept over. Are you homophobic or something?"

Eddie practically loses his balance. "Steve- we- you- I'm-" He stumbles through forty different responses. "I'm not homophobic."

Steve shrugs. "Are you mad it had guys and girls in it? It's not the 70s anymore, Munson-"

"We own the same BDSM Leather Daddy magazine."

They stare at each other for a second.

Steve clears his throat. "Well, I was kind of hoping you'd have jock porn or something, but your type is your business."

"Why would you hope I had jock porn?"

There's a loud throat-clearing noise from the break room, Robin peaking her head out. "Can you two take your horrible flirting somewhere else? I'm getting traumatized over here."

"Sorry, Rob." They mumble in unison.

"Thank you." She says, before spinning away in her chair.

Steve leans in and whispers. "I was hoping you had jock porn because then all the times you bent over the counter and shoved your tits in my face would make sense."

[hoonieyun]

now playing...

after midnight - chappell roan

pairing: singer/producer lee heeseung x singer reader "y/n" x singer sim jaeyun

warnings: profanity, suggestive, kissing, heeseung is thirsty, overall 18+ - also this is partially written so please make sure to read the written part so it all makes sense

wc: 954

ignore the time stamps and any possible typos lol

heeseung approaches y/n as she’s mingling with jake and his friends. her smile fading after he taps her shoulder and he comes into view. “can i steal her for a bit?” heeseung asks jake as if jake was the person in charge of you. a recurring behavior heeseung where he felt the need to always show ownership and possession of you when you were dating, rarely ever considering how you felt or how it would affect you. 

jake shakes his head and lets you go with heeseung even if you don't want to. heeseung grabs your wrist after failing to hold your hand, dragging you to a part of the venue where you weren’t necessarily seen by a lot of people. “what do you want heeseung? i’m trying to enjoy the party…” you say with a sigh and he tries to reel you in by showing you his big doe eyes and even though it slightly made your heart flutter, you chose to stand on business. 

“look, i know i fucked up but just give me one more chance to treat you right.” heeseung says but slows down as the sentence progresses when you just so happen to say the same exact things as him. this was the sentence he had pulled on you in the past and quite frankly, it worked a few times but not this time. 

“you didn’t even wanna try a new script to get me back?” you ask coldly and heeseung drops his face like he has been caught. “okay, i just don’t know what to say. i miss you and i know i was a fucking ass but i just can’t stand being without you.” heeseung says and you just watch him, waiting because you know he was eventually going to tell on himself. he had that habit, when heeseung was drunk and he began to ramble at you, if you just stared at him his silent pauses would be filled with more rambling because he wanted to avoid the awkward silence. so he’d fill it with more talking and eventually confess something he didn’t mean to.

“and i don’t know. that sond i made was mean i admit that but did you have to do a collab with jake of all people? you know how much i liked his music and it felt like a low blow.” there it is…

“ha! i knew it! you’re jealous, i can’t believe this is what this is actually about. do you even want me back or are you just threatened with the idea that someone else wants me and that i’m no longer yours?” you ask, anger in your voice and heeseung doesn’t know what to say. 

“heeseung, i mean this in the nicest way possible, leave me alone.” you say and although heeseung was expecting something a bit harsher, your tired demeanor and offset to his advances hurt more than your words. 

you walk away before heeseung could say another but you don’t rejoin jake and his friends, choosing to find a spot you could be alone for a few minutes. 

you turn around to hide yourself from jake as he approaches, half embarrassed that he has to see you like this and the other feeling guilty as you’re bringing down the vibe of his own party. 

“you okay, pretty?” jake asks as he pushes open the door to the balcony. the cold air whipping past him as he takes the spot next to you. clearing your throat, “yeah, i’m okay. sorry i don’t wanna be a downer on your birthday.” you say, trying to avoid eye contact but jake softly grabs your chin to make eye contact with you. 

“can i be honest..? i wasn’t really feeling the party either.” jake says with a chuckle and he gets a laugh out of you at the same time, smiling even bigger when he hears your laugh that he finds so pretty. 

“wanna get out of here?” he asks and as much as you wanted to, you felt bad. “jake, this is your party, you should be here.” you say to him and jake just rolls his eyes with a pout. “nah, everyone in there is probably too drunk to even notice.” he reassures you and for a moment you’re just looking at each other. jake’s eyes are fishing for the small glint in your eyes that tells him you want this as much as he does, and indeed you do. 

you take his hand in yours and drag him back inside, past the party, and into the elevator. “where you taking me, huh?” jake says, teasingly and you roll your eyes at him playfully as you drag jake to your car. 

the drive back to your place is filled with laughter and singing random songs with jake. he couldn’t believe this was finally, his crush on you was finally progressing to something more. his eyes widened at the sight of your apartment, a high rise but humble home that screamed your style. cute figures and stuffed animals scattered throughout the home and empty cans of energy drinks on your kitchen counter. 

jake is taken out of his thoughts when you slam the door behind him and you grab him by the collar. “do you think i’m pretty?” you ask even though you already know that answer to it. jake nods, desperation in his eyes as he looks down at your lips. 

“do you wanna kiss me, jakey?” you ask and he nods eagerly, answering faster than the first time. you don’t even get a chance to lean closer to jake before he crashes his lips onto yours. a moment he had been waiting for. 

masterlist - back - next

hoonieyun notes: trouble in paradise for heeseung means smooth sailing for jake! what do we think jake and yn are going to do once they get to yn's place? do a puzzle? coloring book? bake cookies?

also please answer the little poll, the result doesn't affect the story but i'd love to see yalls input

copyright 2024 - present © hoonieyun all rights reserved

all writing here is fiction & not in any association with characters mentioned.

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[shadyr4m]

REWATCHING SEASON 2 EPISODE 7 OF ARCANE

+ some of my highlights and notable moments that I enjoyed bc people can’t understand media anymore

This is mostly an infodump of stuff I can fit into a twitter thread/didn't rly want to make into a thread. I'm not great at words so I apologize in advance, I am sure there are many people much better at analysis than I.

I want to start off by saying I am heavily invested in timebomb so this is very much going to be a ship analysis. If you're looking for someone unbiased i am very much not the person for that 😭

FIRST OFF:

The disc on the music box is adorable!!! It features au Powder (who I am going to refer to as just Powder for the duration of my analysis) and au Ekko

Compared to the normal Disc

This is very obviously because it takes place in a different universe, one without Vi or "Jinx".

The first scene starts off with AU Ekko writing in his notebook. (Cute mention is Powder's doodle in his notebook!!) Then we see flashes of the wild rune. This is when AU Ekko switches to canon Ekko.

Also one of my favorite silly images from this episode is this one.. Powder is being so adorable and Ekko is just scared out of his MIND. it's so silly.

In the Last drop, Powder asks Ekko. "What is up with you? You've been out of it all day?". One thing I noticed in my rewatch is that i think Powder is aware this Ekko isn't HER Ekko. This is just one instance of many that makes me think this.

This hideout seems so much more vibrant and loved, similar to Jinx's hideout after Isha. It's colorful. There are guard rails that I like to think was pushed by Vander. We can see Ekko's art scattered around. It just shows how much more support and family Powder has compared to Jinx, which i mention a lot.

Id also like to note Ekko being shocked au him went to powder for help. In his mind at this time he believes Jinx to be all that is left, no more Powder. Through out the episode we see that change.

Notice how Powder gets upset at Ekko in this scene. However, she doesn't react explosively like Jinx would've. She handled it in a way that shows she had support. She told him to leave instead. Again, the main difference between Powder and Jinx isn't only Vi but also the existence of multiple support systems that Jinx simply didn't have.

THIS FLASHBACK! Oh my god this flashback. The fact it happened after he upset Powder? I think it shows just how much he truly cares about Jinx/Powder. He remembers VIVIDLY the day that he thought he killed her. Jinx was his childhood best friend, and I don't think that kind of feeling ever truly goes away. He doesn't want to hurt any version of her, not even the alternate universe her. We see that showcased more later on. Also, random probably insane note. He is interrupted by small children playing, having fun. This isn't a coincidence, it shows he does miss the moments from when they were kids.

While talking with Heimerdinger, we see Ekko look at Powder multiple times. Watching her laugh and be expressive, he smiles. When she doesn't return it we see him get upset. Once more this brings me to my point that he doesn't want to hurt her. Considering he hasn't known this Powder very long you can see where I gather my point that he doesn't want to hurt her in GENERAL. Any version of her.

THIS SCENE!! He is such a bad liar it's adorable. This brings me to my earlier point, Powder knows what's up!! She suspects something 100%. He is talking about this dream her like it was real.

"You aren't the kind of person who helps other people with their projects. Your ideas change the world. I can't shake the feeling that that's who you're supposed to be."

Are you LISTENING TO THIS? He is obviously talking about Jinx. You can tell this by the first sentence because obviously Powder IS that kind of person. He's starting to see that Jinx is just a part of Powder, one that is unavoidable and that he unknowingly appreciates in a sense. Like two sides of one coin he can't see Powder without Jinx and that is good. I think it is here he realizes truly just how much he cares about Jinx.

This whole montage is beautiful but I want to zero in on two things. Powder's reaction to the notebook and how she looks at Ekko after. NOW THIS. This is the nail in the coffin for her. She knows that this is not her Ekko. She has fully gathered that he isn't from this universe.

Also heimerdinger totally knows how Ekko feels you cannot tell me otherwise. Pushing him to go to the party? yeah he knows what you are.

THIS WHOLE SCENE. I AM NOT ANALYZING THE WHOLE THING HERE BUT IT IS GORGEOUS. I saw someone talking about how it was animated on 4's to signify the way Ekko can only go back 4 seconds and I honestly shed a tear. THE SONG TOO? I encourage everyone to look at the lyrics because they're beautiful.

Okay now for my favorite part of this episode so much to dissect and i'm totally going to mansplain but yk..

"I used to dream the undercity could be like this" — That sets the tone for the whole conversation and just what world he is talking about. The canon one.

"But somewhere, I got consumed by all the ways it wasn't. I gave up on it. Gave up on YOU." — Heavy emphasis on this line. Once more he is talking about Jinx. He is talking about how he got so consumed by the way that Jinx wasn't good, and he gave up on her. Believed she was irredeemable. Powder showed him that Jinx is capable of love and happiness, it's just under that tough protective shell. The undercity in the metaphor is Jinx, from my interpretation.

"I promise i'll never forget this." — Now time for my insanity. He doesn't forget this. That's why he saves Jinx from ending her life in the first place. He remembers Powder and knows that with the right support Jinx doesn't have to be the way she is. It's not that she "needs to be fixed" she just needs to be LOVED, like Powder. He sees that now. He sees how in the au the love that everyone shares for one another shaped the undercity beautifully, and made everyone in it much healthier mentally despite going through hardships. That is beautiful. People with mental illness are not unlovable they just need more support, it can't be cured, or fixed just healed. Mental illness is always there it is how you DEAL with it that matters.

Nothing too major to talk about with the kiss. It's sweet I love it, but nothing too notable for me to say about it.

Finally, Ekko leaves the au. I have seen people say that this is a sacrifice, he could've had everything he wanted and he gave it up to save the people at home. But i take insanity to another level. I see this as him appreciating his home. He knows he can never truly love this Powder because she isn't the version he fell in love with. He learned to appreciate Jinx even through her flaws, and that while this world has everything he could want and more he can have that home too.

I am experiencing HEAVY timebomb brainrot if you can’t already tell. I was tired of people taking things in the complete wrong way with this episode, if anyone has different views pls tell me I love hearing how other people took certain scenes. there are a few scenes I love but I would’ve made this post way too long..

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Study Buddy 3

Warnings:this series will include dark elements which may include bullying, noncon or dubcon, or violent behaviour. Mind the warnings.

Summary: a group project leads to a tense partnership.

Character: Walter Marshall

Big thanks to those who read! Feedback always helps inspire and you know I’m always happy to chat about possibilities! Please reblog and comment ❤️

Despite his prickliness, Walter doesn’t shy away from contributing to the work. You watch him thumb through his well-worn copy of the novel, notes scribbled in the margins and tabs stuck to different marks. The only difficult part is making yourself heard. 

��Hmm,” he shifts his chair closer to you, dragging it around the sharp corner, “I like how you worded that but I think you should move it.” 

He points to one sentence then shifts his aim further down. You reread and nod. “I guess that makes more sense.” 

He grumbles. Even agreeing with him seems to disappoint him. You sit back and stretch out your fingers. 

“Do you mind if I use your bathroom quick?” You asks. 

“Sure, down the hall,” he gestures over his shoulder. 

“Thanks, uh, won’t be long.” 

You get up and step around him, his chair leaving only a narrow path between him and the wall. You hook around into the hallway and make yourself as small as you can, afraid to disturb anything. Somehow, you think he’d no if you only dusted off a shelf or tugged on a curtain. 

You find the bathroom and as much as you want to hide, you don’t waste your time. Or his. The quicker this is over, the better. You figure, once you get a full draft done, you can agree to edit in the shared doc. 

You dry your hands with the plain waffled hand towel then flip back the lock. As you emerge, a rattling cough greets you from just beside the doorway. It’s that girl, Faye. His daughter. 

“Ooh, sorry, I wasn’t meaning to...” you begin as she leans heavily on the frame and shivers. She has a blanket around her shoulders as she chatters, he skin clammy, and her eyes about to roll back. “Um, Faye, was it? Are you alright?” 

“Mmmm,” she hums. “Mom?” 

You wince as she murmurs something else you can’t make out. She slips down the wall and you barely manage to catch her. She’s thin but tall. As you hold her up, you feel the heat radiating from her. 

“Here,” you help her through the door and sit her down on the closed toilet seat. She hunches forward and shakes uncontrollably. You touch her forehead. She’s as hot as a kettle. “I should get your dad...” 

“Mommy?” She whines and you flinch again. Walter didn’t mention a wife but she must have a mother, rigiht? 

“Okay,” you turn and search the small cupboard mounted behind the door.  

You take a wash cloth and delicately fold it, then wet it in the sink with cold water. You wring it out and spread it over her forehead. You guide her hands to the edges and have her lean back as her head tips. 

“Stay like that, okay? I’ll be right back.” 

“I’m so cold,” she babbles. 

“I know,” you wring your hand around a single finger. “Um, one sec.” 

You watch her for a moment, making sure she doesn’t slide one way or the other, then leave her. You hurry back down the hall. You find Walter jabbing the keys on his own. 

“Uh, Walter?” You eke out. “Faye uh...” 

“What?” He looks over his shoulder, a crease in his forehead. 

“She’s not feeling very well. She has a pretty bad fever,” you say. 

He sighs and stands up. You back out of his way and let him past. He heads down the hallway and you keep your distance. You stay a few feet away as you watch him approach the bathroom door. He looks inside and you hear Faye’s monotonous drone. 

“Shit,” he growls as he enters. 

You don’t want to intrude. You hesitate, wavering on your feet, then turn back. It’s none of your business. Not until your name stops you. You turn back to the hall. 

“Um, yeah?” 

“Can you come here?” Walter calls. 

It’s not so much a question as an order. You slowly advance down the hall and peek around the frame. Walter kneels before his daughter as she slumps forward and mutters senselessly. 

“I need you to hold onto her or she’ll fall.” 

“Okay,” you move into the tight space and he stands, holding her by her shoulders. You grab her and she leans into you. 

He looks down at her and shakes his head, “goddamnit. I got night shift...” 

His voice trails off and he turns, stepping around you to get to the door. He strides out heavily and you look down at the girl quivering against you. She reaches to cling to the front of your sweater. 

“Do you want some water or something?” You offer. 

“My head hurts,” she whines. 

You ease back and bend to come to a level with her. You stretch your arm across her shoulders to support her. She coughs, “my belly hurts.” 

You sniff. You’re not equipped for this. You have a hard enough time taking care of yourself. 

“Alright.” You take the cloth from her hand. You get her to lean back again and run more water over the cloth. You bring it back to her forehead. “Do you want to lay down?” 

She gurgles and nods. Before you can go get her dad, she latches onto you. She pulls herself up and you can only help. You don’t know what else to do. 

You let her lead you to her room and you get her into bed. You fix the cloth over her head and she moans. You frown. 

“What are you doing?” Walter startles you and you turn to find him in the doorway. 

“Do you have Aspirin? And ice?” You ask. “She needs to stay hydrated. The aspirin should break her fever.” 

“I don’t... know. Maybe in the car.” 

“I have some in my purse,” you insist. “And ice? You have that?” 

“Sure,” he answers as you approach him. He watches you with that stoic sense of disapproval. “I’ll get some.” 

“Yeah, er, thanks.” You utter, confounded how a study session turned into this. 

[notthesoup]

PAIRING stoner!vi x fem!reader

TYPE headcanons

SYNOPSIS what she’s like when she’s high (minor hurt/comfort)

NOTES was debating if this should be headcanons or a oneshot, ended up with this. not beta read!

© notthesoup - all rights reserved. even when credited, these works are prohibited to be reposted, translated or modified

She doesn’t mind the smell of cigars (it reminds her of Vander), but she prefers smoking cannabis. She doesn’t care too much about the specifics either (wouldn’t gaf about the strain type or the terpene profile), weed is weed and she’s smoking that shit fr 🙏

She typically only smokes socially, preferring to share a light high among friends.

She’s normally a brash, “act first think later” sort of person, but when she’s high she’s a tad more patient with things. This doesn’t account to much though, because even if she allows herself a few moments to think something through, she’ll still impulsively do it. “It’s a problem for future me,” she reasons. Unfortunately, the future is near, and she wakes up the next day with small random bruises she doesn’t remember getting.

When Vi is high she’s a lot goofier and carefree. Depending on how many hits she’s taken of the blunt, she’ll have trouble focussing her eyes during conversation. Because of this, she’ll squint at you when you’re talking, trying but failing to hold eye contact. She’ll be eagerly listening, then get distracted by the way your face is moving, and start giggling. You ask her what’s wrong, if there’s something on your face, and a memory of Mylo or Claggor hits her; she starts laughing her ass off. You let her indulge herself, content to sit and watch as she tries to explain, stuttering out sentences between wheezing. When that doesn’t work she tried collecting herself. After a minute or so her breathing evens out again, your expression still a blurry smile, and she says softly, “they would’ve liked you.” You know better than to ask in that moment, so with a chuckle, you nudge her shoulder with yours and nod.

Philosophers have nothinggg on Vi when she’s high. Sure, at the beginning of the smoke session she’s a chatterbox, but as the night progresses the conversation becomes more pensive (and slightly cynical). There can be a real sense of calm hopelessness, like standing in the eye of a hurricane and watching the storm swirl around you. Then the conversation would grow quiet for a minute, the two of you overlooking the buildings on the horizon.

Throughout the night, Vi will get sentimental like that sometimes. You find yourself wanting to comfort her during those times, but know she just needs someone to listen to her.

After realizing that neither of you had talked for what seems like an hour, she’d do something akin to what Vander would do, slapping her hands on her thighs and saying “what would you say about going for some drinks, eh?”

She’s more often than not lighthearted and boisterous though, the sadder moments few and far between. She likes making outlandish claims to get the conversation started, and waves her hands a lot in emphasis.

In moments of silence when she’s stuck on what to say, she always brings it back to zucchini and how she thinks they’re evil. Don’t worry, you don’t even have to ask, she’s already launching into her reasoning.

ARCANE MASTERLIST !

ADDITIONAL NOTE! if you like my work, please consider reblogging and/or commenting! thank you if you do 🤍

[petalsscribbles]

9. in the middle of the night

If Yn were to describe his sleeping habits in the popular bird terminology, he would clasify himself as a slightly neurotic offspring of a night owl and an early bird. He goes to sleep late and wakes up early on most nights. Sometimes anxiety induced insomnia robs him off his already alarmingly short sleep.

Tonight is not one of those nights when thoughts run around in his brain like a hamster in his tiny plastic wheel, doubts screech and bang two huge cymbals together and worries hold a techno rave.

It's one of those nights where a single sentence haunts him like a ghost, like a shameful secret.

Because you're already in love with someone else.

Well.

Is he?

Yn tried not to dwell on it, mostly because he doesn't want to think about it and figure out Seunghwan was right. The reality of it evokes a lot of ifs. Yn doesn't like ifs, especially what ifs. But he couldn't help help himself, and now he's dangerously close to the possibility of faving feelings for Matthew.

Matthew... His best friend, his soulmate and proclaimed platonic husband. He's someone Yn can't afford to lose and admiting to himself he likes Matt could cost him their precious bond.

He wishes he could talk to Matthew about this. He's the emotionally intelligent one while Yn is absolutely dense. Matt always helps him makes sense of his emotions, guides him through them. He understands him like nobody else, better than Yn understands himself. But Matt is the last person he can talk to about this.

Yn turns on his side, as if a new position would somehow trigger him sleep switch inside his brain. Something much different happens.

Matt is tossing and turning, sweating, mumbling distraught pleas.

Yn sits by his side and shakes Matthew's shoulders.

"Wake up." He whispers and shakes with a bit more force.

Matthew wakes up with a yelp and fear in his eyes. he looks around frantically, still not quite grounded in the real word.

"It's okay. You had a nightmare but I woke you up. You're alright now." Yn comforts as he caresses Matthew's hair. As his eyes meet Yn's, last traces of terror vanish and his shoulders relax. He shuffles forward, wrapping his arms around Yn's chest, face burried in the crook of Yn's neck.

"Thank God you're okay." Matthew says, warm breath tickling Yn's collarbone.

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" Yn reassures, hands soothing still slightly trembling body. "Was the nightmare about me?"

Matthew releases a shaky exhale.

"Yes." He says as he pulls away slightly, arms still secured around Yn. "All my nightmares are about you. That's why I called you whenever I had one. To make sure you're alright."

"You should have told me. I could've climbed into your room."

"And make you risk breaking all your bones? No way." He rejects right away.

"You always did it for me." Yn argues.

"Yeah, but unlike you I can actually climb without snapping my neck." He argues back, flicking Yn's forehead to assert his point. Yn rubs the sore spot, unknowingly pouting. If only he knew what that face did to Matthew's heart.

"Let's get back to bed. We have to get up early." He suggests and guides Yn to his bed. Yn just watches him as Matthew basically tucks him in, wondering how can someone like him exist in this world. It should be Yn taking care of him, but Matthew has always put the needs of others before his own.

"Are you really okay now?" Yn asks as he sits up, mostly to reassure himself.

"Yes, don't worry." He smiles. "You're here with me, that's all I need."

Yn lies down with a thud, staring at the cracked ceiling.

Here comes the hamster wheel, the cymbals and the rave, now joined by a loud parade of ifs.

A/n: the amount of times i googled words to cofirm they mean what i think they mean is ridiculous

taglist OPEN comment/ send ask to be added

@xavi-in-kpopland @starchasing-cryptid @tarotarosung @bubblztaro @gnusihcom @monstaxpuppy @academiq @molanran @teoluvsyou @zhaegon @asherthehimbo @letolucas @rickyshen-luvr @xiaoquanquans @desafortuno

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[kirkwall-tourism-department]

Extra Reading

Some very short emmrook fluff, with hopefully more to come!

I feel like most people's emmrook dynamics fall into either student/professor or idiot/smart. I have a lot more fun with the latter.

The smell of incense drifted out of her new companion's hallway, a warm glow peeking out from beneath his door, a stark contrast to the otherworldly purple haze that hung in the Lighthouse's library. They had returned from their trip to the Necropolis earlier in the day, the professor and his skeletal assistant settling in quickly. Rook prepared herself for a conversation that had become routine at this point- introductions, explanations, questions. Every one had gone differently. Bellara had been beside herself, the history she had searched her entire life for coming back in a blighted, twisted form hitting her like a punch to the gut. Davrin, on the other hand, had responded to the news with the verbal equivalent of a shrug. Based on her limited interactions with the man when they had retrieved him from the Necropolis, Rook was preparing herself to field a deluge of questions she was wholly unequipped to answer. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door, and it flew open in response a few moments later, Manfred standing in the doorway, hissing happily. 

“Come in!” The professor greeted her from the other side of the room, still filing the mountains of books he had brought into his new home. After organizing up the shelf he was working on to his standards, he turned to face her. When Bellara had suggested adding a master necromancer to the team, the image Rook had conjured in her head certainly wasn’t what stood in front of her now.  Initially, she had pictured a dour, silent figure robed exclusively in black and with a permanent scowl carved into their face. Instead, they got a sharply dressed, uncomfortably polite man who always wore a whisper of a smile. “How may I help you, Rook?”

“Just wanted to see how you were settling in, talk to you about what’s going on.” Rook responded as she took in the room that had seemingly apparated when Emmrich entered the Lighthouse. Two stories tall, lined with oak bookcases and centered around a spiraling staircase. Rook was unsure if the stone autopsy table in front of her was something Emmrich brought from the Necropolis or if the Lighthouse was able to sense the needs of its inhabitants. Emmrich went to sit at his desk, and motioned for Rook to sit in the chair opposite him. Manfred moved up the staircase, taking a pile of books with him.

“You did begin to explain the situation at the Necropolis, but any further elucidation you could provide would be welcome.” He answered, his hands motioning throughout the sentence to add emphasis. The various bracelets and rings that banded his arms softly jingled as his hands moved, creating a gentle chorus that underscored his voice. 

“Well,” Rook took a breath, preparing her speech. “The Elven gods are real. I disrupted the Dread Wolf’s ritual to tear down the Veil. The imprisoned elven gods escaped, and he got stuck in the Fade. Now the two that escaped are out there, blighted, and planning to conquer the world.” She had never had a way with words. The professor blinked at her, processing the information she had dumped onto his lap.

“Ah.”

“Yeah.”

“You have a surprising amount of levity, given the situation.”

“I don’t really see much benefit in being a pessimist.” Rook shrugged, unsure how to explain how her apparent optimism belied the ironic detachment she felt from the world around her. Forged in the nihilism of the alienage and honed by the Warden’s flippancy towards their own mortality, her separation from the world around her was an effective armor, even if it often left her envying those who walked though the world unprotected, but feeling.

A loud crash rang out above them.

“Manfred.” Emmrich’s eyes widened with concern and exasperation. “I apologize, but I must excuse myself for a moment. I need to make sure he’s okay.” She watched as the professor walked up the staircase, disappearing as it spiraled higher. After a few moments, the itch that appeared underneath her skin whenever she had to sit still for too long surfaced, prompting her to stand and pace the room. The bookcases that lined the room drew her to them, rows and rows of books of mismatched sizes organized as neatly as possible. Trailing her finger on the spines, she read the titles as they passed by. A History of Necromantic Tradition in the Storm Age. In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of a Chantry Scholar. Metaphysical Fade Theory and Practical Applications. Her finger stopped on the massive tome when she noticed the name of the author listed beneath it. Professor Emmrich Volkarin. 

Shit.

It was difficult to not feel intimidated by him. Despite his kind demeanor, she felt out of her depth when she spoke with him. More than once, he had used words she had never heard before and couldn’t guess the meaning of. She had only become literate a few years ago, and even then, it was by the most generous of definitions. Growing up in an alienage didn’t offer many educational opportunities, and after joining the Wardens, she had been taught the bare minimum necessary to finish her training. Despite her literacy struggles, she had always harbored a desire to learn more about the world around her, about the world outside the towering walls of the alienage. Originally, it was driven by spite and jealousy from her childhood- seeing the human children going to lessons in the Chantry, overhearing their conversations about what they had learned that day. Nonetheless, the desire had clung onto her into adulthood.

“Find something interesting?”

“Sorry, just getting distracted.” Rook snapped out of her thoughts, bringing herself back to the conversation at hand. 

“You’re welcome to borrow anything that interests you.” he offered as he sat back down in his chair. Rook tried to stifle the laugh that came out of her. The thought that she would be able to understand any of the texts that surrounded them was completely absurd. The Professor raised a questioning eyebrow in response to her outburst.

“I appreciate the offer, I just…” she trailed off before finishing her explanation, a hot tide of shame beginning to wash over her. Did she really want to admit to him that she would struggle to read even the simplest book in his collection? Her borderline illiteracy usually wasn’t a point of embarrassment for her, given the wide array of other skills she had. Fighting darkspawn rarely challenged one’s academic abilities. In this setting, though, without a sword and shield to demonstrate her other competencies, the deficiencies she did have felt glaringly obvious.  “I’m not much of a reader.”

“A pity.” Emmrich sighed, a slight air of disappointment gracing his dignified features. “Though, I often find those who don’t enjoy reading simply haven’t found the right book yet.” The slight waves of embarrassment that had been lapping at her feet began to rise, threatening to drown her. She had hoped her refusal would have been enough to drop the topic, and she wouldn’t have to make an ass of herself in front of 

Then, Rook reminded herself of who she was. Why was she embarrassed? Who cared if she could barely read? She could kill hordes of darkspawn with her eyes closed- how many literate people could say that about themselves?

“When I say I’m not much of a reader,” Rook explained, “I mean I can’t read very well. So, despite how interesting I’m sure many of these books are, I wouldn’t get much from them.” Emmrich’s expression softened, but instead of the pity she was expecting, he seemed to be embarrassed himself. Suddenly, a light appeared in his eyes.

“Would you like someone to teach you?”

[sweater-daddiesdumbdork]

You paced the room, straightening the few items in your cage.

Curtis just had enough furniture to function. Nothing really was comfterable beyond the nest.

You glanced at it and rolled your eyes. Of course, that would be the one thing the Alpha would allow himself to have the best of the best. Fucking one-tracked beasts, all of them.

But you dusted everything there was, straightened, refolded and lounged around as much as you could. You even took a peek at his extensive library, the only other thing you found he allowed himself. But it was full of banned books, a death sentence if you were found owning them on the train.

How he even had them, you had no clue.

The omega wasn't satisfied right now and no matter how much you avoided the messy nest, it was at the back of your mind, a sideways glance towards it making you sigh. There was no way you were going to leave it looking like that.

With a sigh, you yanked all the bedding off and stripped off the sheets. Pulling out fresh bedding, you got to work getting it made once more.

When Curtis returned he found you meticulously working on the nest, making him hide a small smile before the hard look returned. You were humming your little Omega content sound. Looking at him for a moment before circling the nest and plumping a pillow.

He didn't dare say anything to disrupt his Omega, not when you didn't seem upset or distressed, fear and anxiety wasn't scenting the room sour. He approached the nest and lowered to a sit on the floor to admire you.

Now and then you would reach over the nest, where he would hand you another blanket or pillow. Some you would discard, deeming them not worthy, he was sure to note the material so he wouldn't be bringing you anymore of them, others you trilled happily, making his heart a little lighter.

Finally, you seemed to stop, sitting in the middle to look around and then crawl out to stand before him. "It wasn't right." You sighed as you lowered to sit in front of him, curling your arms around your knees and hugging them to your chest.

"Is it better now?" Curtis asked as he moved in closer, tilting his head while he sensed your sadness coming back. Easily he scooped you into his lap, tightening a bit when you struggled a moment and then settled in against his chest, feeling his purr start to fill the room once again.

"Yeah, it's better now."

"Then why are you feeling sadness Songbird?" His hands were warm against your skin, reaching under your clothes to your bare skin and the change in you started to ease, not turn so bitter.

"While I was rearranging our nest..." You started and he chose not to mention you said our. "I was thinking about all the others in the other cars. How can I have all these comforts while they are starving and scared?"

Curtis's purr changed to a warning growl, tightening his hold on you. "You want to save something so evil and corrupt as the people on this train. They are beyond saving Y/N."

"Not all of them." You turned towards him, grabbing his face to make him really look at you. "You don't believe that."

"I do, I've seen it."

[worldisahouseonfire]

This really helps to read. There's a lot of pressure in institutions and congregate living situations to make friends with the other people there. But I don't do well with this sort of nonconsensual setup, where I can't actually get away from the would-be friends if I need a break from them to evaluate how I'm feeling about an interaction or connection.

Reminds me of something from a RealSocialSkills post called 'Autism awareness for aides,' something like "honest loneliness is better than being surrounded by people who everyone says are nice but don't treat you well or think you are real."

And something Terry Pratchett wrote in 'I Shall Wear Midnight,' about how sometimes two people are both outcasts but come to find out, painfully, that they're not outcasts in the same/compatible ways.

In my experience Autistics can be way more different to each other than non-Autistics are to each other. All of us being outcasts, or treated as 'weird' by normative society, does not necessarily mean that we have anything in common other than our exclusion. And that by itself can be a very painful thing to bond over. Especially in the absence of any independent enjoyment of spending time with one another.

But it still hurts and feels extra-isolating to be in congregate settings with other socially rejected people, and see that they are able to make friends and connections with one another. Especially with the overwhelming (sometimes unspoken) narrative that the whole reason we're isolated and stuck in these places is some lack of arbitrary and universal 'social skills,' so failure to get along with people who have been arbitrarily thrown together with me feels like a sort of universal social death sentence. Like I will always be surrounded by people I don't want as friends, and this social failure will be All My Fault.

This is why, though, I am so glad that most of my life I have had a computer and reached out online for social connection. My closest friends are sometimes two or three timezones away, or even on the other side of the world, but they remind me that with the right people, I'm not a total social failure. And that spending time with other people doesn't have to feel like being in a car wreck -- uncertain what happened, afraid it was somehow my fault, wondering what lengthy consequences I might be facing, not even sure if I'm hurt or how badly.

My friends far away show me how it feels to be myself with people, to let the soft animal of my body rest in the (virtual) presence of others. And we do more for each other than anyone I know in meatspace, not because we feel obliged to, but because it makes sense.

Without my laptop, I would not survive congregate and institutional living situations. I would not keep fighting and striving to get out and stay out, and support my friends in all their efforts to break free and stay free from coercive shared living situations.

It makes sense to not always be able to make friends in settings and places not of our choosing. Where the only thing we may have in common with others there is our inability to leave, to make different choices who we spend our days with. In school, in employment, in families, in neighborhoods and sometimes housing, we often have limited pools of people with whom we interact. The chances of them being My/Your/Our People are ludicrously small.

I think it's okay for it to be harder to find friends. Especially as an adult, and especially when going through rough times. It's okay to not make friends with people you have to spend a lot of time around.

(I hope so, anyway. 'Cause where I'm living, and who I'm living with right now, is *not at all* where I want to be.)

“Because I could see that all these kids were weird and even they didn’t accept me, I knew I was the strangest one of all.”

—

Sean Barron, There’s A Boy In Here

Describing what happened to him in institutions.  I once attempted to describe this phenomenon in a book review of someone autistic who’d managed to make a lot of friends in institutions.  I was trying to just say our experiences had been different, but he somehow managed to take it as an insult, and to get his blog followers to write about how wonderful he was for being able to do something I hadn’t been able to do.  Which, of course, made me feel even worse: Other autistic people were able to make friends in institutions, so why were such experiences so few and far between for me? Was I defective somehow, even for an autistic person?  Was I showing how i wasn’t the right kind of autistic person, the kind who in their teens could somehow manage to make friends because they were so sweet and nice? 

I wasn’t sweet and nice, I was weird and strange and sticking out in all the wrong directions.  And many times, I would come to a mental institution and within seconds everyone would judge me to be the ward outcast.  I’ve talked to lots of autistic people who had this experience.  It turns out it’s not rare after all, and it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with us, it just means we’re not among the rare autistic people who do manage to make lots of friends in such places.  And they aren’t better than us, and we aren’t better than them, we’re just different.  But it took me a long time to be able to see this, especially with grown parents of autistic children, who should’ve known better, harping on a very young adult autistic person for saying hir experiences were different than someone else’s.

(via autiequotes)

[lost-in-fandoms]

I have a fic idea I need someone to write but basically it’s Max as current Max and his “community service punishment” is to talk to class in the next city they’re in….which is Austin….where teacher/single father/former retired (years before) driver/whatever Daniel lives and obv max clocks him right away and is 😍😍 and Daniel is 😍😍 but is also a shit stirer and keeps cursing around him trying to get him in trouble again

Not exactly what you asked for, but i hope it's still okay. Sorry it took me a little bit to get to it!

The school looks nice. Max never goes to pick up his nephews, he knows by what Victoria tells him that it's already chaotic so he doesn't want to accidentally make it even worse by showing up in front of an excitable group of children, but he has vague memories of his own elementary school and this looks much nicer.

The paintings on the walls look professional and beautiful and the classrooms are big and bright. Even the people he passes by look fancier, but max doesn't know if they always look like that or if they have dressed up for the day

All in all, he's not mad about having to do this. His community service could have been much worse, or much more boring, than just talking to a bunch of kids about street safety and being respectful of others. He's already done his little speech to two groups, even sticking pretty close to the script someone had handed him the day before. His favorite bit had been the last 10 minutes with each group, when the kids had been allowed to ask him any questions they wanted. A kid had asked if his car was able to go to the moon, and when max had said no the kid had said "oh. that's not cool then". Max had laughed and agreed with him.

He still has one group to go, and then he'll be able to go back to the hotel and look over some data before maybe streaming with the boys.

"How old are they?" he asks the PR person who's been trailing him all day. He doesn't remember his name, it's someone sent from the FIA not from the team, but Max hasn't managed to displease him yet, which in his opinion should already count for something.

"Six," the guy answers after checking his notes, letting Max cross the threshold first behind the school principal.

The class looks colorful. There are drawings and posters on the walls, bright pillows in one corner, near a very well stocked bookcase, and the kids are sitting in a semicircle on some mats on the floor.

Max tunes out the principal as he introduces him for the third time today, looking instead at the teacher, who's sitting on a mat like the kids, smiling the most beautiful smile Max has ever seen.

When their eyes meet, the teacher winks, his smile widening as Max, embarrassingly, feels himself blush.

The PR guy (Max really should have asked for his name) coughs a little, and Max realises the principal has finished his introduction, and everyone is looking at him waiting for him to say something.

The teacher hides his smile behind a hand, and Max feels torn between leaving the room and trying his hardest to impress him. Which is hard, considering his speech is about looking both ways and remember to buckle your seatbelt and a joke is a joke only if everyone involved finds it funny, but Max has never backed down from a challenge.

So he smiles his best smile, and lowers himself to the floor, crossing his legs to mirror the kids.

"Hello, I'm Max," he starts. A cheery chorus of hello Mr. Max chimes back at him, which is already a good start, maybe, and then he throws himself into it.

He knows he's overdoing it a little, being way too enthusiastic about traffic lights, but the teacher seems to appreciate it, and the kids don't look too bored yet, even answering the easy questions he throws in from time to time, so he doesn't feel like toning it down.

He feels like he's doing a very good job, launching into his being a good friend means making sure everyone is comfortable spiel, when the teacher raises his hand.

Max blinks, sentence dying on his lips. The kids look expectantly at their teacher.

"Uh...yes?" Max doesn't know what the correct way to act in a classroom is anymore. He should be a good example for the kids, but how can he when he's being thrown off course?

"Hi Max, yes, thank you. I wanted to ask, would you say being respectful includes the language we use with our friends too?"

The kids look back at Max with attentive little faces. The teacher (again, Max needs to pay more attention to names) has a shit eating grin on his face, showing he knows exactly what he's doing. Max considers getting up and leaving, but then remembers he doesn't back out of a challenge.

"Yes, it's important to be respectful with that too," he answers, his own sickly sweet smile on. The teacher's grin widens, but he doesn't say anything else, so Max awkwardly tries to go back to his speech, barely remembering where he had left off.

He's almost at the end when the teacher raises his hand again.

Max considers ignoring him, but the kids have already noticed, and it would probably be bad class manners to. Not that Max cares, but he doesn't want the kids to think badly of him.

"Yes?" he says, maybe a little more harshly than necessary. The guy seems extremely pleased by it.

"Do you think it's correct to punish someone if their joke hurts someone's feelings?"

Max narrows his eyes, grimacing a little. He's pretty sure he's not being punished because he hurt someone's feelings, but only to use him as an example.

"I think the most important thing is to apologize," he tries to contain his annoyance now that the kids are looking at him again, but he's not sure he's successful, "and to make sure not to do it again."

"What if someone hit someone else?" a little girl with a long braid asks, throwing a glance at another kid sitting further down the circle.

Max is not getting into class politics, thank you very much, not even if they're six years old.

"You never should hit anyone, that's not nice, but apologizing is always the most important thing."

Max can feel the PR guy growing a little bit nervous behind him when another kid raises his hand. Max hasn't even finished his speech.

"What if someone says a really bad word?"

Oh, god.

The teacher's smile is impossibly wide as he blinks innocently at Max. Did he brief these kids????

"Sometimes it's..." Max starts, but then he sees the teacher subtly shake his head, frowning slightly. Fine, no hard truths for the kids. "You should never use bad words, especially not to hurt somebody's feelings."

What bad words do six years olds even know?? The teacher is smiling at him though, so Max tries to relax again, rushing through the last part of his speech and then letting the kids ask questions.

"Are you a teacher?" a kid says, even as his hand shoots in the air.

"You need to wait for your turn!" long braid girl rebukes him, her hand firmly above her head.

"You talked too!" another kid exclaims, turning towards the teacher while point at her. "They both talked without permission!"

Maybe this is a challenge Max can back out of.

The kids all start to bicker, as the teacher tries to quieten them down, and for the first time today Max feels a bit overwhelmed.

Those are kids. Tiny people. Who will probably remember this day as the day racing driver (and possibly teacher?) Max Verstappen was in their class to talk about not swearing and staying on the sidewalk. He's not used to this.

Sure, he knows how to talk to kids he knows, and he is alright with kids interviewing him, but this is different. He doesn't know how to be a role model for these kids.

He doesn't know what his face is doing, or if his time just runs out, but suddenly the teacher is clapping sharply and standing up, heavily leaning against a chair to do so.

"Okay, say thank you to Mr. Max, and then go grab your books for quiet time!"

Arguments forgotten, the kids chorus together a thank you Mr. Max, and then scamper away, digging into bags and backpacks for books.

Max watches them for a second, the only one left sitting on the mats, before a hand appears in his line of vision. When he looks up, the teacher is looking at him with a smaller smile, softer and gentler than before, one that makes him look, if possible, even more handsome.

Max accepts the hand up, standing and brushing his jeans off.

"Sorry about that," the teacher says, sounding completely unapologetic.

Max smiles at him, shaking his head.

"It's fine, I've had worse," he jokes, shrugging slightly. The man laughs, big and bright and beautiful, and something in Max's chest shifts, trying to make space for it, to hold it for as long as possible.

He wants to hear that laugh more. He wants to be the cause of it again.

Which is a really silly thought to have, when he's about to leave the classroom and never see the man again.

"Claire, stop that right now or I'll take back your sharpening privileges!" the teacher suddenly says, looking at whatever is happening behind Max. There's a squeal, one girl complaining loudly while a few others giggle.

The teacher turns back towards Max, smiling with something that could almost look like regret.

"I have to go before they start killing each other. Thank you for joining us," he says, offering his hand to Max once again, who takes it gladly. He doesn't know what the PR guy is doing, but he hopes he's not writing this down to tell the FIA.

"It was a pleasure," Max says, still holding his hand. Neither of them is pulling back. How long does a handshake need to be before it turns into holding hands?

The volume of the conversation behind Max raises sharply, and the teacher looks away, narrowing his eyes a little.

Max knows his time has run out, but suddenly he can't bear the thought of never seeing him again. It's stupid, probably, but if there is the smallest chance....

"Listen, this is probably really inappropriate," the teacher's eyes snap back to him, widening in surprise. They're warm and beautiful and Max is still holding his hand. "but could I maybe get your number?"

For a second, the man just looks at him, as if processing what Max has actually said. And then, to Max's absolute shock, he smiles, eyes twinkling.

"Well, you're not a parent, and you're not a colleague, so I guess there's nothing too wrong about it," he says, finally pulling his hand away and walking towards the desk to grab a piece of paper and a pen.

Max walks out of the classroom a minute later, already listening to the sound of the teacher's voice raising above the arguing of the kids. In his pocket, a number and a name: Daniel.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

i will never forgive the spop writers (and fans) for acting like glimmer was being unreasonable and mean by not wanting to save entrapta from beast island. she had all the reason to stop adora and bow from doing this. let’s see..

as far as they’re concerned, entrapta willingly started working for the horde. regardless of how she was treated by the princesses, she shouldn’t have joined the horde. she wasn’t just hurting the princesses, she was hurting innocent civilians. glimmer has the right to be suspicious of entrapta after this.

the princess alliance was already losing to the horde. adora was very much needed there, this was not the time to go on a side quest and leave the alliance in shambles.

beast island was DEADLY dangerous. adora and bow nearly died out there. they shouldn’t have gone without any prior preparation or plan.

they didn’t even know if entrapta was ALIVE. she could have died out there, for all they know, and that entire mission would have been a waste of time.

glimmer wasn’t even saying that they shouldn’t save entrapta at all. she just didn’t want adora and bow to act on impulse and potentially get themselves killed. she was being perfectly reasonable there, but somehow this was all meant to tie into her corruption arc, and a sign that she has gone “too far”.

and in s5, they make it seem like adora’s and glimmer’s conflict was all one-sided and adora never has to apologize for not listening to glimmer’s advice. glimmer instead has to admit that everything was her fault when it wasn’t. sure, she did make the bigger mistake of putting etheria at risk and she deserved to be held accountable for them. but adora should have also acknowledged her own mistakes and apologized.

spop could have pulled off a good mutual conflict with glimmadora but instead they went with trying to make c//a the relationship with mutual conflict.

[khaotunq]

nights with nothing but dark in them; you could be my armour then.

[gotwcird]

"no! not . . . not necessarily." sure, sex felt good and she loved it when it was with him. but more than that, being with nico felt right. felt like a decision that was her's, that she understood fully. maybe that was what she was trying to combat. rectifying her past mistakes — the mistakes of a scared, unsure girl — and replacing them with the firm, real decisions she made now. she just . . . maybe went about it the wrong way. should have thought about it more deeply instead of jumping into it without any other consideration. instead of doing something she regrets. she tries her best to simplify the complicated feelings into a sentence. "i wanted you because i want you. because i know i want you. because you make me feel like me. sex or not." doesn't know if it makes any sense, but doesn't backtrack. because it's true. the type of truth that's buried deep in her chest, that she hasn't even untangled for herself yet.

star waits patiently, doesn't prod. never does. she'll wait for him for as long as possible if she needs to. it's worth it. she's a little shocked when he pulls over, not expecting it, but doesn't complain. if anything, maybe, the quiet of the car makes her feel still. it's just the two of them. no one else. she feels her chest heave with emotion when he says the words, that he wants her. will always want her. has to breathe in slowly to stop herself from letting it get away from her too fast. "thank you," she whispers, feeling the weight on her melt slowly. listens to him continue, even if it stings a bit. because he's right. knows it, but needs it to be said, for her to confront it. nico has never been her ex, and this history she has needs to stop dictating who she is. even down to her asking for what she can give when maybe, she doesn't need to sometimes.

"i . . . i understand. i never want you to think i'm taking advantage of you. and i know you said to stop apologizing, but i feel like i have to say sorry for that." she nods this time, small yet firm. the apology is much more solid than the ones before. "i think i'll be okay. i'm working on it." has been saying this for years, but for once, she truly believes it. ( thinks about that therapist moon goes to, will ask him for help. ) she hesitates, wants to ask him if she can, but stops herself. she isn't going to let this stop her more than it already has. so carefully, searching for any sign as she reaches, byeol takes the hand he had on his face. takes it in both of her's, pulls it in closer toward her. feels right, finally holding him in a way. lifts then presses his knuckles to her cheek. wants to kiss his fingers, but settles for this for now, to have him close. physically and emotionally. to feel the gap between them closing again slowly. "i like you, nico. a lot. more than i can explain. i get scared about how intense it feels sometimes. but i know it's real. and i hope you always know that."

he's glad she stops herself this time , but he hears the whisper of the apology on her lips , ready and fully formed . he waits patiently for her as she tries to form her thoughts . this is something he recognises . he knows this well himself. THEY BOTH KNOW THAT . it takes his minutes to say full sentences , after a lot of stopping and starting and mental umming and aahing . she's always patient with him . it's the least he can do to give it right back to her . " you wanted me . . . so i could have sex with you ? " he asks , slightly confused by how the two correlate . TOUCHING EACH OTHER he understands . everyday is hard . tonight was even harder . he rakes his brain , wondering if maybe by letting down some of his walls ( holding her hand , walking outside , touching her hips ) , he complicated things . maybe he shouldn't have blurred the damn lines . they said to keep work as work . he should have kept his word .

nico opens his mouth . closes it again . her requests are simple enough . he indicates again , but this time instead of turning the corner - he pulls the car over . nico inhales deeply , letting the noise wrinkle the air between them before he turns to face her . his eyebrows dig down , careful and unsure as he drinks her in . she looks even smaller than usual . more unsure . YOUNG . it makes his stomach flip slightly . just when he thinks they get on even footing , on even ground , something disrupts them again . but this is what being in a relationship is . you do the work . you put in the time . YOU TALK TO EACH OTHER . " i will always want you . " he tells her , voice low but genuine . " i'll want you if i see you in an hour . i'll want you if i have to wait a year to see you . " which hopefully will never be the case . nico understands that she wants his assurance , and he wants to give it to her . he needs to find the right words . the exact puzzle pieces to slot in .

a quiet , almost laugh breathes its way out of his mouth . " i don't want anything . " he says , and he means it . " this . . tonight . . it isn't about me , star . " she's always asking him about him , and he's always putting it back on her because he needs her to be her own person . he needs her to figure out what SHE wants and likes and doesn't like , too . every other woman he's been with has been so steadfast and overly confident . it's sending him through a whirl to try and get used to this , and how it's completely the opposite . he's never done this before . but star makes him always want to try . " i'm always going to be here . not just 'cause it's my job . okay ? because i want to be . " he tells her honestly . " but . . i can't be the guy you talk about you ex with , when there's stuff unresolved , which makes you upset . i can't be the guy you sleep with to make a bad memory a good one . " he exhales , puts one hand to his face , rubbing at his tired eyes . " i can't be the guy who tells you what to do . " because he ISN'T that guy . will NEVER be that guy . except , obviously , in bed . and even then , he's trying his best to get HER to be more vocal . " things are okay . " nico tells her softly . " but you gotta make sure you're okay . "

[arkiwii]

dunno how many people are aware of NoriZC's fakemon designs for Saria, Silence and Ifrit, but I think everyone should know about it

if anyone wonders:

(tried to put a translation in alt, if someone knows chinese I'd gladly love a more accurate translation!)

[almayver]

Q truly is just kidnappings Georg over here geez

[deadshadowcreature]

I think Otta would be very likely to hit on Packpatty instead of Mayjack