#As you can see I am very normal about them

[halogenwarrior]

Really I find the only way I have a chance to get hyperfixated on something is if I approach it from a lens of "I'm not expecting this to be the thing I am obsessed over or the characters to be the blorbo of all time I'm just hoping that it's an experience I somewhat enjoy and characters I somewhat like and then it's worth my time. Trying to force that feeling or obsessing over wanting it again is a way to not get it. Though I'm not sure I have ever had the experience of being hyper fixated on a media where I wasn't already feeling that way before the media was over, the closest I've gotten is retroactively liking a certain character from something I already liked more/putting them higher on my favorites list months in hindsight, or slowly realizing how obsessed I am with something mid media experience even though I started out thinking it's just "pretty good".

I sometimes have had the direct opposite experience where I get intensely interested in some media just from hearing about it second hand/reading discussion or summaries of it and then actually seeing the thing makes me pay more attention to the characters and points in it that I was already interested in which leads to greater investment from the very beginning which can turn into a hyper fixation. (Or it can go the other way around where I'm very disappointed in the actual media compared to the hype I got around it second hand). I guess this is what people mean when they say spoilers can improve the media, which is that the previous knowledge makes you already invested and looking out for some things even in the early bits when normally you wouldn't be attached. Though for me it's unpredictable whether a given spoiler/previous knowledge will do this, the key is a blend of knowing enough to intrigue you and there being a lot you don't know that can surprise you/be new/especially memorably subvert the expectations you had from secondhand knowledge.

Edit: Actually the exception is music, I have had the experience where I hear a song thing "good but not a favorite" and then hear it a few more times and get obsessed with it.

The funniest hyperfixations have gotta be the ones where you watch something and go "this thing is cute. I like it. not sure if Id call it a favorite of mine but its definitely enjoyable at least" and then cut to a month later and its completely overtaken your life

[jollyparaphernalia]

*Inhales* Hey there, wanna see my 'In Stars And Time' AU? I call it 'Kingswap'

Hey, What's This?

My Brainrot <3 This is Kingswap: Also known as 'Hey lets swap The King and Siffrin's roles around in this play, and go from there'. There's more to it than that, but that's the premise. While 'The Guy Who Would Be Siffrin' has their life derailed in such a way that leads to them becoming the Main Villain, 'The Man Who Would Be King' likewise has his life play out in a way that has him in the shoes of a Saviour of Vaugarde.

WARNING This AU chatter post has spoilers for pretty much all of 'In Stars And Time', including stuff from 'Two-Hats'! and 'Start Again: A Prologue'. This is the Spoilers Zone. Also any Content Warnings that apply to In Stars and Time also applies to this post, just to cover my bases.

Let's Take a Look at The Stranger Who Could Have Been Siffrin:

Meet The Stagemaster. Potentially known as 'Sulking One'/SM/Don't Call Me Shirley Siffrin'. While the King and Siffrin in baseline ISAT woke up on a beach with no memories, i've decided it would be interesting to put 'Siffrin' in Corbeaux as a young adult when The Island disappears. He wakes up one day with no memories of his past, no name, and only a vague idea that he had a community in the city...that has forgotten him completely. He takes this Very Normally over the next 10 years (alongside some other...complications) and after some travelling, returns to Vaugarde to be a Menace.

He's also got some funny 'Craft Hands' that let him do things even when he has his hands in his cloak. These hands are also capable of conjuring wires/strings that allow him to physically bind/control people as an added bonus (For the Puppeteer motif) Watch the hands, Heroes!

But Wait, I thought The King Was Big, Why Isn't Stagemaster Big?

Because this tiny form isn't their 'true form'. THIS is what the Stagemaster ACTUALLY looks like, trapped in the House of Dormont by the Orb Door.

The Stagemaster...really isn't a person anymore. It's sort of debatable he was still human even before Big Mode. He can fly like this, and can control his cloak as though it's a part of himself (But he can still remove it) If you are looking at this going 'hey, he looks like a boss out of Kirby' then I did my job right. A theatre kid isn't very fun to watch unless seen, so, even before the Party gets to Dormont, it seemed fitting for SM to have a presence in Orbquest. So...Stagemaster controls a crafted avatar from afar - like playing a character in a game. There's a metaphor about disassociation from the self here. I personally love the idea of this nasty little guy interfering with the Orb Quest and antagonizing the Heroes - he is not NEARLY as powerful as his Big Form when he's Little Guy, so there's enough back and forth for Stagemaster to both be a threat, and also give some wiggle room for the Party to bully the Villain. Build up some rapport for funsies.

Stagemaster's a real piece of work. Imagine if Siffrin took all his self loathing, and then transformed that into outward loathing. If you took the WORST impulses from Loop and Act 5 Siffrin and put them in a blender, and then added a huge chip on his shoulder against the Universe, you might get the rancid creature you see here. Wet Meow Meow has transformed into a Feral Cat With Mange. And Rabies. And an impulsive urge to monologue. He doesn't even like puns!! Horrible!

The Party eventually calls him 'Smaster' for short before arriving in Dormont.

So if 'Siffrin' is in Kings place...Who or What is travelling with our beloved Party?

Meet Clovis (Named after an old King of Franks because I am very subtle). While Siffrin was a wet meow meow stray cat, Clovis is more a nervous dog. The King's explanation behind why he called himself The King seemed very utilitarian to me in ISAT, like he wanted to embody his role completely. So...here, Clovis puts all his eggs into his identity as 'Knight'. He doesn't serve anyone, he's just really into the idea of a brave, heroic persona. He's...very awkward and nervous, and often falls back onto 'what would a more brave, knightly sort do?' to make up for the fact his entire life was carved out of his skull with a spoon.

Look at this, took a perfectly good villain and made him a blorbo. Look at him, I gave him anxiety and sword autism. Like Siffrin, the party grows to love their weird wet dog. Mirabelle bonds over swords and anxious 'do it scared' behavior, Isabeau shares a 'battle bros'/'two bros sitting in a hot tub' dynamic, Bonnie treats him like a Substitute Teach ("yeah this is fine for kids c'mon lets go' 'uh, if you say so, boniface...') and Odile merrily bullies him (Paper beats rock)

Of course we need the Don Quixote reference. (He lost the fight, for the record.) Clovis is more than just a cute face, of course. Even he has his secrets.

Something is wrong here. Something wrong with him, maybe. Maybe he isn't supposed to be here.

Much like the King, Clovis also knows he's missing important things from his life, and has taken great effort (and personal injury) to keep what bits he can close to him - even when he really shouldn't.

The Party keeps Clovis from the Headache books not because they don't think they matter, but because the party doesn't want Clovis to hurt himself. They joke that he's an amnesiac prince from a far off land, but, well, at a certain angle, that's sort of the truth, isn't it? Clovis isn't a trap master like Siffrin, (or nearly as fast) but tends to walk as the lead of the Party because he's a Very Durable guy with some armor and protective Craft, so, any traps that explode in his face are easier to shrug off, and those that aren't...well, he's got quick reflexes.

But Wait! If The King is the looping hero, and Siffrin is the Big Evil Bad Guy, who does Clovis get as a Guide?

It's good ol' Loop! Our Loop, the Loopert we love and adore. SURPRISE! I fooled you!! This AU isn't meant to be a thought experiment, it's actually an overly elaborate way to give Loop as much psychic damage as physically possible!!

What's worse than having Another You take your place? Having a Tiny Version of your Nemesis take your place, earning the love and affection of your beloved family instead of you!

(They call him 'Princeling')

Needless to say, Loop and Clovis' dynamic is what we call in the scientific community fucking atrocious. Clovis wants to put his trust into this Guiding Star, and Loop is far, FAR worse to Clovis than Loop would be to a Siffrin. Loop may not be able to guess every single thought Clovis has, but any anxiety that is a reflection of Loop/Siffrin will be mercilessly picked apart with a smile. It's hate at first sight. At least Loop can take solace in the fact that Clovis is just as clueless as Loop/Siffrin was in their loops.

Clovis meanwhile is just intimidated. A guiding star of the universe?? And they hate him already??? 'Ohh...I really messed up already, haven't I? What'd I do???' Anyways, that's all for now. I just really wanted to get my initial brain worms out of my head and into the world. Please enjoy. If I do more posts like this, i'll prolly tag it as 'isat Kingswap au'. okay byyyyyyyyyeeeee thanks for reading! And thanks to the AU channel of the ISAT Discord for being so supportive of my brainrot!

[duskbornraven]

Midnight Oil

When I die send me to The Pitt, but only on night shift. Wrapping up some wips I've been sitting on for way too long.

Paring: John Shen x f!Reader

Warnings: mostly fluff, minor injury to reader, general work crush embarrassment, no use of y/n, female reader, not beta read

Summary: You get hurt trying to check out the local hot doctor who visits your coffee shop. He winds up checking you out as well.

Word Count: 3k

You never minded working Thursdays at the coffee shop, especially on nice summer nights like tonight was shaping up to be. You could manage to actually work the floor most of the night compared to the weekends, which is why you had even agreed to come on as shift manager. And for a manager role there  wasn’t really much to it outside of helping with schedules and being the authority figure. 

At least on the night shifts, you had heard some crazy stories from the opening shift. Granted open was at noon and compared to the hundreds of other shops in the city it was a very late start to the day. Though that was the entire point, the shop was open from noon to seven in the morning. It was meant to be specifically for the night shift. Those who found comfort in the way the city moved in the shadows. Or the more common occurrence of the overtaxed college students and unfortunates who got saddled with the night shift until something opened on days.  

You honestly would have probably burnt out at any other customer service job. This place had its perks. Being able to leave the door open to bring in the warm breeze was certainly one of them. The gentle rumble of traffic and the occasional shout echoing down the road was excellent background noise when the place was empty. 

One of the nicer perks was the owner tending to hang around for the first few hours of your shift, meaning you could get most of the way caught up in the office. Angel generally would linger in the doorway to the office while you got yourself set up at the computer, telling you about first shift drama or what was new with her and the family. 

It very much helped that your boss was phenomenal at making coffee and would always have something new for the shifts to try throughout the week. And the free coffee, good or not, was really one of the main reasons you kept coming back. 

“And I am sick of him calling in at the last minute, I think we need a new day shift lead.” Angel was explaining while you updated availability for one of the new hires starting next week. 

“You’ve been saying that since before I started. He’s your brother, fire him if you want.” You didn’t look up from the computer, focused on not getting the rows mixed up while comparing the paper form in front of you. 

“Yeah but you know-” She trailed off and started out of the office “Hey John, you’re almost never on Thursdays.” She had turned her attention to whatever regular had walked through the open doors. 

“Normally, but I swapped shifts so he can have my day off next weekend.” You froze the second he started talking. You would be mortified if anyone called you on it, but recently the biggest perk was getting to see this specific regular. Doctor John Shen. The man was the ideal customer, always knew what he wanted, never complained about the lines. He was all some of the girls on the night shift would talk about initially.  

You hadn’t thought anything of him at first admittedly, he was handsome and left a decent tip most of the time. But the more he came in the more you caught yourself noticing him, how he carried himself, memorizing his drink order and schedule without really meaning to. He was laid back, to put it mildly but not in the overly confident sense. It was like the man was just good at carrying weight on his shoulders and not letting it drag him down. 

You pushed the rolling chair back to better look at him through the door. Which, to your absolute mortification, managed to crash backwards into the hard wood of the back office floor head first. Instantly a sharp throbbing pain shot through the back of your head, the sharp stab of heat that usually accompanied pain close behind. 

“Jesus, you alright?” The sound of fast approaching footsteps broke past the ringing in your ears. 

You managed a groan and tried to force yourself upright, blinking tears out of your eyes. Only to have a pair of hands stop you. “Woah,stay still for a second alright?” 

Your vision clearing slightly your eyes focused on your boss kneeling beside you and keeping you still beneath him was John. His eyes flicked between each of your pupils. “How are you feeling?” 

“I’m okay” The back of your head was throbbing still, the occasional sharp sting adding to the aching pain. You went to sit up again and once again were held back by a firm hand on your shoulder. “I’m fine, really.” 

When he didn’t let go right away you pushed his hand from your shoulder. “It’s Thursday night, I’m at work, I just fell out of the chair.” Sitting up did very little to ease the pain at the base of your skull, a now persistent sting accompanying the warmth. 

“No nausea?” John adjusted to sit back in front of you on the floor,his eyes still searching yours carefully.  

“Not as far as I can tell.” You were also mentally checking off what little you knew about head injuries. Which admittedly wasn't much more than had already been checked off the list. “I’ll ice it and keep an eye on it to make sure. 

“Let me at least check you out in better lighting.” He held out a hand to help you to your feet. “Make sure you’re okay before I get into work.” 

You let him pull you off the floor, a little too aware that despite the injury this was the closest you had ever been to him. Usually there was at least a foot of counter between the pair of you. But now following him out to the floor you felt more aware. There were no machines for you to hide behind out here. Luckily for you the odds of making more of an idiot out of yourself were almost impossible. 

The shop was, thankfully still empty, or you would have insisted that you went back into the closer, darker space of the office. Out here it felt less like some secret thing. You sat yourself at a table, the ach in your head already slowly subsiding. 

“Yell at me if this hurts too much.” A familiar voice from behind you, the sound of latex stretching followed. 

“Good thing you came prepared.” You hissed lightly as his hand brushed over where you must have landed. 

“I honestly don’t know how many gloves I’ve taken home. Mostly by accident.” His touch was light as it brushed hair out of the way to get a better look. “But I don’t think I needed this one, you’re not bleeding at least.” 

He dropped heavily into the chair across from you, as casual as always. “You’re lucky. Could have been a lot worse and I would have made you come visit me to work.” You couldn’t pretend your cheeks didn’t burn a little at that. “You should be good, get some ice on it, take it easy and if you feel worse go get checked out.” 

Angel joined you at the table, sliding a coffee over to him. “For the help” She offered  with a smile. 

“Well how can I turn that down.” John accepted the drink, taking a slow sip from the mouth of the cup and checking the display on his watch. “I do have to run actually. I’ll never hear the end of it if I’m late to cover.” 

He was halfway out the door when he turned back to look you in the eye once more. “I mean it about seeing a doctor if that gets worse. I don't want to come back to find out that something happened to you.” With that he was out the door and down the street. 

You watched him go, the usual excitement that followed his visits was there as alway, but something more also bubbled under the surface. Last week you had hardly said a word to him when he came through for his usual. And today he had taken care of you, gone out of his way to double check. You knew there was some level of responsibility for helping even off the clock. It was still nice to know that he cared enough to take care of you, and didn’t give you a hard time for it. 

It was hard to deny that seeing the doctor in him come out, the softer demeanor, the sole focus on you. It was sweet, and incredibly attractive. You hadn’t realized that you had been lost in thought until a voice behind you snapped out of it. 

“Are you okay? I can hang around for a little longer.” You winced away as something cool was pressed to the back of your head.

“I’ll be okay once some back up shows, you don’t have to stay late for me.” You took the makeshift ice pack and held it to the back of your head. She was still watching you like you might break on her. “I swear I will call you if I need to leave early. And besides I already saw a doctor technically. I’m as close to medically cleared as I’m going to get tonight.” 

That got the world weary sigh from her that you had come to expect. Along with the familiar smile. “Just try not to let the shift get any worse, I don’t know if I can handle any more stress in one day.” 

You spent the rest of the hour finishing your paperwork in the office. Occasionally venturing out to get a drink or refresh your ice. Often shooing your worried friend away to actually work when there were customers in the shop. 

Once the rest of the night shift began to filter in you transitioned to working the floor. The pain was mostly gone by now only the dull ache and the shame lingered. You had fallen on your ass and made someone else late to work, probably. All because you wanted to look a little cooler when you were checking him out for once. 

Not to mention that now your co-workers were stuck doing most if not all of the heavy lifting the rest of the shift since they instituted that you took it easy. You had hit your head, it wasn’t like they found you lying unconscious in the walk-in but they had been bullied into making you take it easy. It was hard to refuse Angel even if you ignored that fact that she owned the place. 

Your night was turning into a painful, embarrassing slog as you had to explain over and over to the overnight team as they trickled in that you had fallen on your ass. That you would be fine because with your stupid luck a doctor had happened to be on standby. 

Unfortunately, most of your team knew you well enough to start putting the pieces together of what that meant. Which made for far too many jokes about you getting hurt just to get the doctor to check you out for a change. By the time you were finally making your final rounds it felt like you had been there for an eternity, a special shift from the depths of embarrassment hell. 

John however had spent the first hour so half expecting you to come wandering into the ER. And yes, that may be the doctor brain rushing to the worst case scenario. But it also wasn’t impossible. When you didn’t show up though it was easier to let himself slip into the flow of work, focusing on actual patients. 

It wasn’t until after his first full rotation of the unit he was actually able to stop and clock that hours had passed and the pretty barista hadn't come through the doors. He took the minute he had to catch up on his charting, before the next crisis knocked him off his feet anyways. 

“You better be careful coming in the next few weeks.” He slid up to Ellis at the computer, catching her eye over the monitor. 

“Why would you say that?” She sighed, head falling back in exasperation. “Are you trying to spread your weird back luck curse to me?” 

“I’m just saying, I had that barista take a fall at my coffee place and Abbot’s whole car accident thing a while ago. You better be careful.” He shrugged. “Night shift has some weird luck going around.” 

“And now you’ve said it to me so for sure something’s going to happen.” She sighed, pushing away from the computer. “Do yourself a favor and quit talking about it before you put the poor girl in the ER tonight.” 

To his credit, he kept his mouth shut about it. It did help that it was a nightmarish night all around. He didn’t even really have the time to think about you let alone bring up his pre-shift heroics again. 

But as the day shift trickled in you crept back into his head. It wasn’t lost on him that you could have gone anywhere else in the city to get checkout if you had gotten worse. Something that didn’t sit right with him at all. 

Over the next few days he swung by the shop, even if he was technically off. If you were in he could at least follow up and make sure that you were okay. And if you weren’t? He would at least get the coffee and he could come back the next night. 

He probably could have called ahead and asked, he was well aware he was enough of a regular that the owner knew his drink order. But that was hardly on him, the shop was on the way to work and made some of the best coffee he had been able to get his hands on. 

So here he was making his regular coffee runs, just a little more frequently. And for his peace of mind it was worth it. Besides, whether he was willing to admit it to himself or not, the coffee wasn’t really the only reason he liked visiting the shop. Maybe he had been swinging by specifically on nights you usually worked for a while. 

Maybe he had just so happened to notice that you always made sure to make his order for him. He had been hoping for a better excuse to actually have a conversation with you. Offer to hang out when both of you could get off, which shouldn’t be difficult to plan considering your shifts usually lined up. 

It was a few nights after your encounter and the front door opened letting the scent of fresh summer rain in with it. Along with a very rain soaked John. Still as relaxed as ever, seemingly unbothered by the sudden chill of the air conditioning. 

He wasn’t dressed for a shift this time around, which wasn’t totally out of the usual. It wasn’t like your shop was in an inconvenient location. But the way the rest of the shift vanished on you was in fact out of the usual. Leaving you alone on the floor to take his order. Which was something you were sure you could recite in your sleep by now. 

“Yo, there’s my favorite barista. Glad you didn’t wind up coming to visit me at work.” He leaned in, arms folded on the counter. “Though I am apparently cursed so I didn’t put that out there.” He shot you a knowing smile, like you were already in on the joke. 

“Cursed?” You stepped closer to the machines to get his drink at least started. Ignoring the rush that came with being his favorite. Not that it really meant anything, he just happened to see you more than the others. One of those perks that came with management. 

“So I’m told, if you believe in that superstitious shit.” He followed you around to the machine as he spoke, warm eyes catching yours whenever possible as you worked. “Though I don’t know if I’ve actually seen proof of it yet.” 

“Well thank you for not spreading that to me I guess.” You laughed, steam blocking your vision for a moment. “That’s another thing I owe you for.” 

He scoffed, shaking his head slightly. “Literally just my job, doesn’t hurt to help.”His hands were in his pockets while he watched you work. “Though I have been known to work for coffee, every once in a while” His head tilted as he spoke, that smile widening. 

“Well luckily for you, I am something of an expert when it comes to coffee.” You offered him the cup, as usual relishing the tiny moment of contact when your fingers brushed over each other. He is free and sliding a torn and folded piece of paper across the counter to you. 

“I’m not doubting that.” His tone didn’t change but you felt the way his gaze shifted, refocusing on the paper between you. Once the paper slipped into your hand he added, “A little old school I know. I figured we could broaden your horizons a bit. Maybe get you some expertise in some of these local restaurants? We could go and grab dinner one of these nights.” 

The scrap of paper in your hand suddenly felt a little heavier, a little more alive in your hands. Unfolding it revealed John printed in classic, half legible doctor handwriting. Below that his phone number, perfectly legible. “I think it would be good to explore.” 

He would have had to be blind to miss the way you hardly fought back your smile, the way your hands shook just a little. From nerves or excitement it was hard to say, maybe a little of both. It almost didn’t feel real. Like it was all some fever dream and you really had hit your head much harder than you thought. You would wake up any second on the office floor, back at square one. 

Instead you watched the smallest hint of tension drain from his shoulders. “Good, I might already have a place or two lined up. Just in case.” Another easy shrug, his hand returned to his pocket. “Just text me when you have some time off. We’ll make it work.” 

“I’ll get back to you before the shift is over.” Happy with your answer he backed away from the counter, drink in hand and headed for the door. He had turned around and went to push out the door before he glanced back over his shoulder. “Oh and be careful the rest of the night, would hate to have to have you show up at work before I see you again.” With that slightly ominous warning he dipped back into the rain and vanished into the night. 

[sugardollcurse]

hi!! how are you? hope you're having a good week!

i love your fics so much i felt need to make a request🤍 (my first one ever hahaha) of course take your time and do it when you can. i'm sorry if it's confusing, this is my first time doing this:

it would basically be Paul being completely smitten with reader and not being able to keep his hands off her (she loves it of course, they're both drunk in love). he is constantly telling everyone how in love he is. the thing is reader isn't used to that behavior because her exes have always played it cool, avoiding commitment and keeping the relationship secret, so maybe she's confused?

anyway, thanks so much for your writing, you really have talent! hope you can see this! 🥰

-🐝

𝒄𝒂𝒏’𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒊𝒕 | paul mccartney x fem!reader

𐙚 summary ; paul doesn’t know how to love you quietly, and frankly, he doesn’t want to. he’s falling hard and everyone knows it. the only problem? you’ve never been loved like this before.

𐙚 note ; ...what a delectable little request you’ve brought to my doorstep… also, i’m having a lovely week! i hope you are as well ♡

You first noticed it during lunch.

You’d only been together a few weeks, nothing serious yet... not officially, not out loud. But there you were, tucked in the booth beside Paul at a café near the studio, and he was sat so close you could feel his smile before you saw it.

“Tell them what you said last night,” he said, nudging you with his knee. “Y’know, that bit about the red coat. I thought it was dead clever.”

You blinked. “It wasn’t anything, just-”

“It was though.” He leaned in closer, grinning. “Don’t be modest now. She’s got a way with words, this one. Proper poetic.”

George raised an eyebrow. “She sayin’ poetry about your coat, Paul, or are you just tryin’ to flatter her into writin’ your next song?”

Paul looked offended. “Oi. I am flattered by her, thank you very much.”

Ringo snorted into his tea. John gave you a smirk like he was watching a sitcom unfold. But Paul just took your hand under the table and laced his fingers through yours like it was nothing. Like it was normal.

You weren’t used to that.

You’d had boyfriends before. The kind who’d change the subject when someone asked who you were. The kind who’d say cool it if you reached for their hand in public. Who never once introduced you as anything but a friend.

Paul had already called you my girl five times this week, and it was only Wednesday.

━━

The clinginess wasn’t needy. It was… tethering.

Whenever he walked into a room, his first instinct was to find you. His second was to put his hand somewhere on you. Your shoulder, your back, your thigh. Just to know you were there. Just to let you know he was.

One night, you were all at George and Pattie's place for drinks. You’d gone off to help in the kitchen, and when you came back, Paul was halfway through telling a story.

“-and she just walks right up to the bloke, says, ‘Is that your idea of subtle?’ And he froze. I swear, I’ve never seen someone go that red in my life.”

You paused in the doorway. “You’re telling stories about me?”

Paul lit up the moment he saw you. “Of course I am.”

You shook your head, but he was already reaching for you, patting his lap. “C’mere.”

“I can sit on the couch like a normal person.”

He grinned. “Yeah, but I like you here.”

You sat, only because his eyes were all soft and hopeful like that, and he wrapped his arms around your waist like a child clinging to a stuffed animal.

John made a face. "You're so in love, it's disgusting."

Paul just kissed your shoulder without breaking eye contact. “You’d be lucky to feel it, mate.”

Your breath hitched at that.

You weren’t used to that kind of love, spoken out loud, worn on sleeves, pressed into skin like it belonged there.

━━

When the two of you were alone, it was worse.

Well, better. But also worse.

Paul didn’t know how to not touch you. He’d wander up behind you while you were brushing your teeth and drape himself over your back like a second skin. He’d lie in bed staring at you like you were made of stars. He kissed your forehead like it was a compulsion.

One morning, you stirred awake to find him already looking at you.

“What?” you whispered, voice still rough from sleep.

He smiled, sleepy-eyed and soft. “M’sorry, just… you’re dead lovely like this.”

You blinked at him. “Like what?”

“All sleepy. S’quiet moment, innit?” He reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. “Makes me wanna marry you.”

You stared.

He laughed immediately. “Sorry, too much? I’m always sayin’ too much, I know-”

“No,” you said, too fast. “It’s not that.”

He frowned gently. “Then what?”

You hesitated.

Then: “You… say things like that so easily. Like it’s nothing.”

He blinked. “It’s not nothin’. I mean it.”

“Yeah, but…” You sat up, pulling the blanket with you. “Most people don’t.”

Paul pushed himself up beside you, brows furrowed. “You talkin’ about them old blokes again?”

You bit your lip.

He tilted his head. “They didn’t say nice things to you, then?”

“They didn’t say anything. Not in public. Not around friends. They’d act like we weren’t even together.”

Paul’s eyes dimmed a little.

“Wouldn’t hold your hand?” he asked, incredulous.

You shook your head.

Paul scoffed. “No offence, love, but they sound like right pillocks.”

You let out a breathy laugh. “I just… I don’t know what to do with someone like you.”

He softened immediately, scooting closer, hands resting gently on your thighs. “Then don’t do anything. Just let me.”

You blinked.

Paul smiled, slow and certain. “Let me love you loud.”

You felt something warm unfurl in your chest. Something terrifying, but good.

“And if I can’t match that yet?”

He reached for your hand. “Then I’ll be the loud one till you can. I’ll wait. I’ve got nothin’ but time for you, love.”

You stared at him, overwhelmed.

He kissed your knuckles, featherlight. “Alright?”

You nodded, heart thundering.

He tugged you gently back toward the pillows, curling himself around you.

“Y’don’t have to do owt but stay, alright? That’s it. That’s the gig.”

You pressed your face to his chest. “Okay.”

He grinned against your hair.

“And I’m not just sayin’ that ‘cause you’re fit.”

“Paul.”

“Or ‘cause your legs look incredible in my shirt-”

“Paul.”

He laughed, full-bellied and happy. “What? Just bein’ honest!”

You rolled your eyes, but couldn’t stop smiling.

taglist: @sharksausages, @wavvytin, @wimpyvamps, @finallyforgotten, @lennongirlieee, @silly-lil-lee

[falselyprofound]

A'ight let me see how faithfully I can describe how it felt to be there.

Bit of backstory: @oneterabyteofkilobyteage is an automated account that posts screenshots of old Geocities homepages. The blog posts in 20 minute intervals in order from oldest to newest.

Most of the screenshots aren't anything interesting. The collection is entirely automated so there's a lot of 404s, broken images and default templates.

But for the most part it's nice 1990s background noise for your dash.

Now. Let's pretend it's May 7th, 2021.

You see a post from the blog.

Yep, that's Geocities all right. A little more booba than the average post, but that's the luck of the draw.

You continue scrolling your dash.

You see a post from the blog.

Yep. That's Geocities, all right. A little more booba than the average post. You must've caught up with where you were before.

You continue scrolling your dash.

You see a post from the blog.

Another post, another default homepage.

You continue scrolling your dash.

You see a post from the blog.

...Hm. Geocities.

You continue scrolling your dash. You pass the default template from before.

You see a post from the blog.

You are not going in circles.

An hour passes. Two. Three. You keep seeing the same damn post but the note count is always different.

People are starting to notice. It's nice it's not just you.

It is now 8th of May. You continue scrolling your dash.

You see a post from the blog.

Okay, it's official. The bot's broken.

Not really anything you can do about it. The account is automated. Might as well wait for the admins.

Roughly an hour later, you refresh your dash to a miracle.

Thank fuck--

People begin losing their minds.

I can't find the comment for it (it may have been erased by the sands of time), but at this point somebody notices the changing urls, gallery, part numbers, and clock in the bottom-right.

This isn't the bot glitching.

Somebody had dozens of GeoCities homepages worth of porn, and updated them all in one go.

One user pulls up the Wayback Machine to work out how many pages there are in this collection. There's about 30 in Part I. Key word: Part One.

Sure enough, May 8th, 4:40 am:

4 am becomes 5 am. 5 am becomes 6 am.

You continue scrolling your dash.

You see. A post. From. The blog.

One person mentions they have a job interview in the morning.

People wish them good luck.

Once again, there is a brief reprieve--

And then.

Just when you thought you were out.

Part III starts.

That person who had the job interview is back - they got the job! Everyone celebrates.

Unfortunately overalls girl has better job security.

All in all

you have a very normal 48 hours on tumblr.com.

Eventually the posts run out. Though there are a few scares here and there with duplicate posts, bikini-clad models, and similar web handles, nothing like this ever happens again.

All things are finite - including this man's porn stash. Godspeed, badgirls888. Wherever you are.

(I wish I could grab every single comment that made me lose my shit, but there's only so many images I can put in a single tumblr post.

You can find the archive of the incident here - though since the archive is in reverse-chronological order, you'll have to scroll all the way back to May 9th to see a hint of the chaos.)

Damn I can't believe it's been four years since the oneterabyteofkilobyteage overalls girl incident. Feels like yesterday...

[sapphicautumn]

what abt a fix where bella ramsey ellie and reader are best friends and reader is insecure abt her body (a stomach, big thighs etc) and ellie says smthn along the lines of “do you trust me?” and ellie shows her how pretty she is :)) (and also maybe add in like some stomach grabbing it’s my weakness) (i’m so not self projecting rn 🙄)

Awe! Thank you so much for this suggestion, it’s so fluffy and soft and ahhhh! :(

Lotus Flower. E.W

Plot: your friend notices somethings up with you, and tries to cheer you up in the most Ellie way possible.

Pair: Best!friend ellie x afab reader. WLW!

Fluffy fluff fluff and corny FLUFF!

Men && minors, stay away!

“Did y’know that the Lotus flower can be used as herbal medicine in parts of Asia?” You spoke, your back pressed against the bed in your small little cottage.

Your friend, Ellie, sat across the room as her hands worked to fix a guitar she managed to find along yesterdays patrol with Tommy. Her fingers plucked at the strings, waiting to hear a tune that correlated to the note it was supposed to be. “Oh yeah…?” Her voice was distant, listening but not too involved.

“Yup” your voice popped the “p”, hands closing the garden book. Flowers have always interested you, it was evident for anyone. All they had to do was step foot in your room to see the decor on the wall, even the bedsheets, which you still can’t believe were in tact. Your tired body sat up, glancing down at your legs as you spoke once more. “What time are we heading over to Joel’s?”

Ellie glanced up, smiling gently. “He said dinner would be ready ‘round 6….that work for you?”

“I just need time to get ready and shit”

She scoffs, a laugh as she continued to pluck at the acoustic guitar. “You look fine, you don’t smell….like you usually do” her voice carried a tone that resonated with teasing.

“I’m serious….” You somewhat whined, feet helping you stand as you walked over to your closet and tried to find something that would work. Clothing hangers clashed together as your hand slid them across, scanning each jacket, flannel, shirt, jeans, or dresses. You had a lot of clothes for someone living in the world we live in, yet you hard such a hard time enjoying them.

It wasn’t anything new, sometimes you’d feel amazing, confident even. Other times, it would be like someone knocked the wind out of every ounce of admiration you had for yourself. It was difficult to convince yourself otherwise.

“So am I, you look fine. It’s just Joel, who cares? He’s not gonna be…inspecting the type of flannel you wear or some shit” the words mumbled out, eyes still focused on the instrument.

“Well you don’t have to worry about these things so I don’t really wanna hear it” your arms crossed over, holding your shoulders as eyes continued to scan the selection of wardrobe.

This made Ellie put the guitar down for a moment, eyebrows scrunched, “what’s that mean? What don’t I have to worry about?”

“Like, you don’t have to worry about how clothes look on you, is all I mean. Like you can wear anything and look normal and I just look-"

Ellie’s face showed major confusion. She thought you were beautiful, genuinely. She didn’t understand how you could even think against it. “Dude…trust me, you’re good”

Your feet carried you over to your bed, where you very …very, dramatically fell face forward.

“Oh my god, really?” She laughed dryly, making her way over.

You looked at the sheets, fidgeting with them as Ellie made her presence more visible. “Yeah really….I just don’t feel as pretty as I used to”

“And why’s that?” Her tone was careful, concerned. She laid on her stomach beside you, her hands fidgeting with her own rings so she isn’t looking at your sad expression.

“Ellie”

“What?”

“Don’t act oblivious, I’ve gained weight. Stop pretending you can’t see that”

She scoffed, “ok? As if this is some life changing news that’s gonna change the projection of my life or something.” Her voice ended with a laugh. “I don’t care, in the nicest way.”

You mumbled something before Ellie spoke again.

“How you look is no one’s business, the only person who should care is you, but besides that….thinking you’re not attractive isn’t an option by the way” she smirked, turning to you.

You laid on your back and huffed, rubbing your hands down on your legs. “But my thighs…”

“Are cute…they’re cute.”

“You’re such a shit eating liar” your voice laughed, in denial.

“Why’s it hard to believe I think it’s cute, huh?” She poked your shoulder with a stuffed animal that laid upon your bed beside them. “Is that such a bad thing? End of the world?”

“No, I just don’t think you’re being truthful…”

Ellie watched you for a moment. She inhaled softly before testing the waters. “You trust me..?”

“Not always” you smirked, rolling your eyes at her expression. “Kidding, dumbass….yeah I trust you…”

She nodded, satisfied with the answer as she moved to lay beside you again, almost spooning you from behind. You two usually cuddled here and there, so it wasn’t totallyyyy bizarre- but Ellie’s touch felt softer this time around.

She rubbed your love handle, “honestly, I don’t get how you could be insecure, this is probably the best thing ever right here.” She squeezed the skin around your abdomen, giggling.

You were taken aback before a soft smile spreads across your face, somewhat enjoying the softer affection from your friend. “What’re you doing?”

“I told you…think you’re cute….sue me” her hand messed around with your jeans thigh, squeezing a bit. She couldn’t lie, it turned Ellie on a little- but she wouldn’t tell you that. Not yet anyways ;)

You just laid there and let her cuddle you, enjoying the moment before she had to go and ruin it by tickling you.

“H-hey! Fuck you!” Your hands pushed her off, panting to catch your breath from laughing.

She held up her hands in defense “sorry!” Ellie’s lips curled to a smile before returning her hand to the edge of the soft skin covering your hip.

“Did Yknow the lotus flower has the ability to grow in dirty conditions?”

“What?” Your tone grew confused.

“Yeah, then it grows to becomes a beautiful creation…it is made with mud, and dirt, and still persists….”

You just watch her.

Ellie clears her throat, “Yknow, you grow with these,…stupid thoughts in your mind about how you look, yet you still come to be so beautiful…?” Her cheeks dusted pink, real smooth els, real smooth. Like butter.

“You read my flower book?” Your voice giggled, breaking the silence.

“That’s all you got out of that??” Her face fell, laughing along with you. “You’re awful….”

“You just said I was beautiful though” you teased.

“You can be pretty and awful…..at the same time”

You both smiled, watching eachother for a moment before finally,

“I can enjoy your little flower book too ok? Yeah I read it.”

You nudged her shoulder, laughing once more.

[crow-crafting]

My first foray into dyeing fiber!

I have 4 colors of Jacquard acid dye, and I want to see what I can do with them. The colors I have are what are typically sold in one of their starter kits: Sun Yellow, Turquoise, Hot Fuschia, and Jet Black.

First up, a depth of shade exercise. I am doing five different depths of shade, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.25%, and 0.125%, measured from a 1% stock solution.

I am using bare merino roving, as I do not have any bare wool yarn. I have two (approximately) 1 pound sections of this wool (actually 440g each rather than 454g which is 1 pound), so in order to do this experiment and the next one (or two, depending on how I break it apart), I tore it into approximate 10 gram sections.

I plan on separating these 10g sections lengthwise, and then spinning half of each. So I will end up with 5g of roving and 5g of yarn that was spun after dyeing. For the particular roving I was working with, 10g of wool was approximately 16.375" long. Tearing into 16.375" sections gave me pieces that weigh between 9.2g and 10.8g.

I started with 16oz leftover containers, and soaked each piece of roving. Because of work and my (lack of) energy after work, these soaked for 4 days in plain tap water.

Using the depth of shade calculations for 10g of roving, I planned to add dye as follows: 20ml for 2% dos, 10ml for 1% dos, 5ml for 0.5% dos, 2.5ml for 0.25% dos, and 1.25ml for 0.125% dos.

Using this math (20+10+5+2.5+1.25=38.75), I mixed up 0.4g of dye with 40ml of water. This did not give me much room for error with my measurements, with only 1.25ml of each color planned to be left at the end. I saved this extra dye for a possible future experiment. I weighed the dye powder with a dedicated art scale, that will never be used with food.

I gently squashed the saturated roving between my hands and added 8oz of tap water to the container I had soaked it in. I put the roving on the container's lid, next to the container. Once I had 5 container prepared, I added the appropriate amount of dye to each cup to get all 5 shades.

Once all dye had been added of one color and the containers stirred to distribute the color, I slowly lowered the roving back into the container. Because the wool was already wet, it sank into the solution easily, and the roving fluffed back up to a more normal size.

All of the roving is completely submerged, so I did not yet add any extra water or vinegar. I set the twenty containers in the garage, which seems to be about 85°F and very humid. Tomorrow morning, I might move them outside to get nice and hot.

I plan on checking the containers tomorrow at about 7pm, and added water if needed and white vinegar to assist with any dye not yet absorbed. I plan to let these soak until Monday or so, when I can get back to my dedicated dyeing equipment in order to steam set everything.

Initial note: the black seems to be a very lovely shade of dusky purple, and the yellow dye either did not dissolve fully or separated quickly, as there is quite a bit of sediment left in the yellow dye container.

Secondary note: make sure your gloves fit. Too large of gloves can make your movements clumsy, and can result in dye where you do not want it, including in the glove, and then on your hands. Remember! Acid dyes work on protein based goods, and your skin is very much protein based enough for the dye to be happy to stick and stain you. Not that I was just reminded of this, or anything. Just a random note. Pay no attention to the blue thumb.

[multiheadcanons]

ECHOMOCHA CALLED THIS ONE. HOW THE MERCS WOULD MURDER ME, PERSONALLY. DONT WORRY, I RESPAWN TOO!

scout: scout is more likely to kill me on accident than he is to purposefully kill me. granted, i probably pissed him off to get him to a point where he’s willing to put his hands on me, which is not something scout would normally do. scout will hit most people, but he’s not gonna hit someone he thinks is a girl. and once he got one hit in, depending on if i got up or not, may stress him out enough that he feels the need to finish the job. then he’ll apologize.

soldier: soldier could kill me on purpose or on accident and i doubt he’d care either way. really what i’m more likely to be with soldier is collateral damage. it’s more likely that i am minding my own business and soldier comes in on a rampage. i would get forcibly shoved into the corner of a wall, hit the axis of my skull and disconnect it from my body. soldier wouldn’t think anything about it until he comes by again in a state of calm and sees the body.

pyro: pyro wouldn’t realize what they were doing until it was too late. in pyro’s defense, they thought we were playing! it’s very easy to mistake a scream of terror for screams of joy. it’s a little more difficult to figure out whether or not me pushing is goading them further or if i’m trying to actually get them off of me. and they don’t realize how often they have that axe of theirs in their hands. they’d only get confused when the body stops moving. they’d wonder what happened.

demo: from here, the chances of actually surviving the ordeal is slim to none. i would be one of many of demo’s victims of his crimes of passion. we’d go on a date, i’d tell him i just am not interested (frankly i would ghost him. im terrible about that) and frankly, there is no being “done” with demo unless he’s done with you. so eventually he would just come find me. and if im not particularly interested in him being there and make an attempt to call the cops it’s a wrap. he wouldn’t try to kill me first. he’s just trying to get the phone from my hands. but the harder i fight, the more irritated he gets, and the harder he has to fight me back. he’d end up drowning me in the tub. and then he’d start removing my teeth and hands. i have no real records that are from me as an adult, so if he takes enough parts and gets his hands on my cards i will become unrecognizable and unidentifiable.

heavy: the only thing that makes heavy an easier foe on the defense is the fact that he’d have to catch me. demo can catch me much faster than heavy could. and i would see the man coming. granted, if/when he catches me it’s officially over. he’s not letting go and i can’t fight him off. he’s the immortal snail and i took the deal. heavy wouldn’t feel a need to put me through anything egregious. i am too small, and not worth the waste of supplies to stretch my death out any longer than he can do himself. but he is a man of honor. he would probably just break my neck. fast, easy for him, painful for me if he doesn’t totally sever the brain stem. he might let me bleed out internally if i try to act too tough. though, frankly, if heavy camped around a corner and clotheslined me when i built up the speed my head is going to be cleanly disconnected from my body. chances are he’d get me while im asleep. he would wake me up first, and i wouldn’t see anything past his big fuckin ham hands blocking my field of view.

engineer: the only thing that makes engineer an easier foe than heavy is the fact that the red engineer genuinely doesn’t have the time to dedicate to getting me eradicated from the planet. if dell doesn’t have a plan come our first meeting, i am generally in the clear. between the team and the job, all of his time is spoken for. that means dell has to either have it out for me before we’ve ever met or i made such an egregious social blunder upon first meeting that he decides i don’t deserve the oxygen i breathe. the latter is a very viable option. it would be clean, but it wouldn’t be an easy kill. if i piss him off he’ll shoot me, so it’s better to keep my trap shut. i’m going to die under his watch either way. because i won’t be able to make a run for it either. the sentries are trained on me, the teleporters are inactive. i’d have to make it on foot. and i have no way past dell, nor his machines to have a fair shot. i’m more likely to die in an escape attempt before he’s even able to do what he wants to me. then he’s gotta dump the body. i would become another missing cold case that would never be solved.

medic: i wouldn’t survive a single day with the support boys actively on my ass because i’m stupid and they’re hot. all medic would have to say is “free breast reduction? you want a free breast reduction? put the boob fat in jars of formaldehyde? shake them up a little? little diy boob fat lava lamp? throw in a leg lengthening surgery? i’m feeling nice today :) Get On The Table.” and jingle some keys in my face and i would say “haha, totally my german king i love you so much” and then he’d start scooping my shit out like a pumpkin. he’d keep me awake under the medigun for it because it’s funnier to empty the cavity while i talk. then he’ll say he’s done and shut the medigun off and i would die, immediately, because my body has been emptied of all vital systems needed to keep me alive. he might still put my boobs in a jar. but frankly, the doctor would have to care enough to get me on the table. i don’t have any medical records, so he would have to want to know what’s going on under the skin to even want this to occur. and at this point, he’s got more interesting things happening on that table. i’m a waste of time. i’d end up being a victim because he didn’t want to do paperwork. the doctor’s version of making the bed. a small task completed for a dopamine hit.

sniper: sniper would take me out within five minutes of deciding i have to die. sniper is the only one who would be acutely aware of the fact that i am an idiot, because sniper wouldn’t frighten me in a way that makes me think i need to be on guard. he and scout would be the only mercs that would not trigger a sense of paranoia in me. he would recognize that and it would be my downfall. i also don’t really make attempts to keep tabs on sniper. he’s a grown ass man, i don’t need to know where he is all the time. he’s a busy guy, he’s got things to do! and i would walk outside and get a clean bullet between the eyes. i wouldn’t see the laser. i rarely see the laser when im actually playing the game. do you know how many times a sniper will dominate me on the servers because i don’t learn the sightlines? if he missed, its a lucky break and not any form of knowledge on my end. i don’t consider myself prey in most cases. leaves me open for more aggressive predators who do. and if i’m the indoor/outdoor house cat, sniper is the panther. i’m a snack. light eats. killing me is volunteer work. target practice before battle, even.

spy: the second spy decides he’s sick of seeing my face i’m done for. it’s just about when he would want to do it. because i would genuinely have no clue about spy’s existence in mann co, his schedule nor his workload, it’s more likely i piss spy off by vibes alone. it’s even more likely he saw i was a furry or something in my internet browsing history and decides that’s enough reason for him. frankly i wouldn’t know that spy even knew i existed until he decides he’s ready for me to disappear. i could probably fight spy off once. and it wouldn’t even be because im a formidable opponent, he just assumed i wouldn’t fight it. which would piss him off. so unless i take the split second opportunity while he’s not giving it his all to completely disarm him, and kill him right then and there within the next split second of reaction time, of which is sisyphean in nature, he’s circling the block and emptying the clip before i’ve recovered from the first attempt on my life. and i’ll tell you right now, my reaction time is like half a second. which is still too slow when spy can pull a trigger or knock me off my guard faster than that.

[ancha-aus]

Bitty Surprise - Chapter 14 - Pov Killer

We are back with our favourite Bitties!!

After this chapter just one more and this little story is finished <3

First Chapter: [Here] AO3 link: [Here]

*---------------------------------*

Killer doesn’t like this. But it was the only way.

Even as he keeps both Horror and Dust close the others on the council stare in slight awe.

Someone already suggested getting them tiny chairs so they can sit on the table but Horror had just said ‘No thanks.’

Fuck Killer loves those sassy little bitties.

Horror and Dust both just sit right by Killer as they ignore everyone around them. Nightmare took a book for them and the two bitties are just slowly reading the book together as the meeting continues on around them.

Blue looks across the table at them with actual hearts in his sockets “They are so cute… Can I please see them from closer?”

Killer glares “No.” Blue looks heartbroken as he stares wishfully at the two bitties.

The meeting had been going slower than usual but there were also less fights than usual. Which is nice for a change.

The only person who they had let come close had been Error. With Nightmare needing the god of destruction to stay on his good sight it would be a good show of faith and trust. They had all been ready just in case.

Error had stared at the two as the two had stared back before shrugging. He muttered something about them being smaller than his puppets before walking towards his usual spot.

Talking about spots.

Killer is sitting in the middle of Nightmare and Cross this time. As he was on bitty duty to make sure neither bitty got into trouble or anyone tried to steal them. It was working rather well so far. Killer thinks he got the best deal as he could just watch the bitties go about their business.

Even if the meeting was going on for an annoyingly long time.

Dust eventually looks up from the book and shoots Killer an annoyed look “Killer.”

Killer nods “Yeah Dusty?”

Dust pulls a face but he continues on “Are these meetings always this… useless?”

Dead silence around them and Killer grins as he shrugs “Normally there is a lot more shouting.”

Dust huffs before nodding and turning back to the book.

Dream leans a bit forwards “We just try to make sure everyone agrees and understands the decisions made.”

Dust frowns at him “Why?”

Dream grins more as he looks slightly smug “It is good to have everyone pitch in and share their opinion.”

Dust continues to stare “Why?”

Dream pauses before chuckling “It is polite.”

Dust rolls his eye lights and asks again “Why?”

Dream frowns “I… am unsure what you wish to know?”

Dust lets out a long annoyed sigh before speaking “Why bother? None of their opinions matter.”

Another long silence.

Dream stands up “Of course they do! They live in this multiverse!”

Dust tilts his skull, looking completely calm “But they don’t contribute to the balance. They don’t feel the balance. Even if they know what it is and what it implies they can’t understand it. Meaning they can’t judge correctly concerning it. Meaning this whole meeting is useless as their opinions don’t truly matter. All that will happen is that they get to judge about something they don’t understand or have knowledge about.” He looks at Horror and Horror nods and Dust moves to the next page and turns back to read.

A very long and awkward silence.

Dream shoots Nightmare a look “What did you tell them!?”

Nightmare frowns “Look at Killer. He explained the basics of these meetings and our work. Not me.”

Killer shrugs at the glare send his way but Dust looks up with his own glare “Don’t glare at Killer for speaking the truth you wish to hide.”

Again a long silence and Killer coos as he leans closer and grins widely at Dust “Aw you do care!” and he makes a kissy face at the bitty.

Dust rolls his eye lights and pushes his face away. Horror however snorts and nuzzles Dust “Calm bunny. Don’t want trouble.”

Killer must disagree because he can see that look in Dust’s sockets. Dust wants trouble, and preferably he wants to cause it. Killer is just wondering how he can help the other.

Cross coughs and tries to get the focus back on the meeting at hand but they aren’t going anywhere at the moment. Too distracted by what the bitty implied and asking Dream very specific questions. Dream tends to shoot Nightmare looks but Nightmare just shrugs and waves at Dream to answer.

The conversation goes nowhere as it very quickly becomes obvious that Dream had been leaving some information out on purpose and he doesn’t wish to discuss it. Meaning everyone is trying to get the information out of him now.

Then Ink shows up with Sci.

Dream jumps up “Ink! You are finally here! Where were you?”

Ink grins as he raises a small bottle “A present!”

Sci rubs his arm as he nods “It is a medical thing. There are many universes for bitties and in some of these the bitties wish to temporarily be bigger. They sell these growth elixirs to enable the bitties to be bigger. Ink came to me and said it may be useful to have these on hand in case the gang took the bitties along-” and Sci notices them and yelps.

Ink grins as he holds up a tiny vial “Sci recreated one! It is the first version and only short for a hour but this way the bitties can actually join in on the discussion!”

Red snorts “They seem to have been fine so far.” And he sends them a look before laying back on the table. Clearly already over it all.

Blue however looks beyond excited “Oh that is great! That way they can truly meet us without anyone having to be afraid they may get hurt in any way!”

Cross glares “We are not giving random drugs to our bitties! What the hell is wrong with you!”

Ink just stares as he tilts his skull “It is fine! Sci recreated it!”

Sci looks a lot more nervous “We haven’t… tested it yet. Maybe best to wait longer? This is just a prototype and-”

Ink marches over to them and Killer pulls both bitties close as he growls “Stay the fuck back you paint drinker.��

Cross stands between him and the artist “Back off Ink.”

Ink grins “Come on! Just a tiny sip and test!” He puts an arm around Cross “For your good old friend!”

Cross pushes him off “We are not friends. And back off.”

A pat on his hand and Killer looks down. Dust stares up at him bored “I want that vial.”

Silence.

Killer looks at the bitties panicked “No wait. Dusty. We don’t know if it is safe.” Horror also shoots Dust a worried look.

Dust hums “I will be fine. How long?”

Ink grins widely “Sci said anywhere between thirty minutes and an hour.”

Dust blinks and Killer is once again reminded that neither bitty has any sense of time beyond day and night. They just don’t bother with it.

Dust looks back up at Killer and Killer whines “Dusty…”

Dust points at the vial and waits.

Nightmare looks long at Ink “I hope you realise. That if anything happens to him. You will be punished. Badly.”

Ink chuckles “We still have the truce.”

Nightmare doesn’t even hesitate “And then the truce will be over and we will go right back to how it was before. And instead of bothering with Dream. We will be gunning right for you.”

Ink gasps “But Sci made it!”

Sci sputters but Nightmare speaks “And even Sci is telling you to not test it in this way.”

Silence as Dust still reaches for the vial Ink is holding.

Nightmare stares the artist down “So think long about this decision Ink. Because there will be consequences. And we will make sure you remember them.”

More silence but a gasp as Blue points. Killer looks down to see Dust, no longer in his hand, but on Ink’s arm before he jumps to the table, a certain vial in his hands.

Cross whines and dives after him only for Dust to bunny hop over the much larger skeleton. Holding the vial easily above his skull.

Killer has to secure his hold on Horror as Horror is also already halfway to being free “Damnit. No. Horror please stay put. Dust!”

Dust looks so goddamnit smug as he holds the vial “Mine.”

Dream looks panicked, same for Ink as Ink now no doubts realises the possible consequences while Nightmare leans a tiny bit closer but stops when Dust takes a few steps back.

“Dust. Please return that.”

Dust thinks for a moment before shaking his skull.

Nightmare nods “I understand. That is yours. But it may just hurt you instead of aid you in anyway. We can try and get a better version of the elixir? From a more trustworthy source.”

Dust seems to consider it before shaking his skull and just downing the vial.

It is empty before they know it and Dust waits.

Nothing happens and Dust huffs “Rip off.”

Killer sighs in relieve as he lays on the table “Thank everything. Come on Dusty. Please?”

Dust sighs but walks back towards him even as he drags his feet. Horror makes grabby hands at his fellow bitty but then Dust pauses and frowns as he rubs his sternum.

Cross doesn’t bother with waiting anymore and climbs on top of the table and tries to reach for Dust when a flash of red and blue covers him.

When the flash disappears there is now a normal sized skeleton sitting on the table. Rubbing his sockets and sternum.

Killer can’t help but stare because shit those tiny grey freckles are so much clearer now. The tiny ring of blue in Dust’s socket is so much clearer and lighter than Killer thought. The gradient on his hands from grey to white is much more even than he expected.

Also. Very naked. And Killer can’t help but stare in awe. He is gorgeous…

Cross gets to him first and puts his jacket around him “Dust?! Are you okay? Feeling sick? Can you move?” Killer can see that Cross doesn’t dare to touch him after putting the jacket around him. Hands hovering over the other.

Dust turns his hands this and that way before looking at the jacket curiously and putting his arms through the sleeves after which he pulls the hood up and over his skull. Dust then turns towards Cross and grins at Killer’s mate “So sweet.” And Killer can see a bit of a blush appear on Cross’s cheeks as Dust just gets up and walks to the side of the table and jumps off.

Killer gets it, Dust is pretty.

Red grins and whistles “Damn you are a looker. Can’t really see it when small but it is a very nice improvement.”

Dust looks at him. Raises a brow before flipping him the bird.

Red blinks before laughing as he leans back in the chair, obviously looking the now not small bitty up and down.

Dust huffs and makes his way towards Killer and Nightmare, a little bit shaky on his legs but doing alright. Cross quickly follows.

Ink grins and puffs up his chest “See? Completely safe!”

Nightmare glares at him before looking worried at Dust “Are you okay? Do you feel sick?”

Dust hums as he gets to Killer “ ‘M fine.” He takes Horror form Killer for a moment and the two bitties nuzzle each other and both purr. Dust’s purr is now much louder and Dust seems surprised by it for a moment while Horror looks very proud of his handy work. Dust kisses Horror’s skull before handing him back to Killer.

Killer frowns “You don’t want to keep holding him?”

Dust nods “I do. But I don’t know when I will shrink again.” And he shrugs.

Ink looks curious and Dream smiles widely as he starts to speak “Oh this is wonderful! If we can get more of those elixirs you can live on your own-”

Dust cuts Dream off mercilessly “Don’t want to.”

Dream frowns “Look. We are just trying to look out for you and-”

Dust cuts him off again “No you are not.”

Dream glares “Stop interrupting me.”

Dust crosses his arms “Stop acting as if you know what is best for me.”

Dream crosses his own arms “We are just trying to do what is best and-”

Dust tilts his skull “Why are you trying so hard to take away anything that makes your brother happy?”

Silence as Dream sputters “I- I am not-”

Dust continues “Yes you are. First, you tried to get Killer to leave Nightmare behind, something about saving him and going as far as to tell others he was being abused so they would try to get Killer to leave Nightmare. After that you tried to get Cross to leave his new home with Nightmare and Killer and join you. Not because you actually like him but because it was the ‘better option’. Then, once the truce happened you tried to convince both Killer and Cross to move and find other homes in the multiverse. Then when it turns out your brother adopted Horror and me you tried to tell him he can’t take care of us and we need to move for our own safety. And now I am a bit bigger you are trying to give me things and get me to agree to move out and live on my own and to take Horror with me.” He slowly tilts his skull “Why are you trying to make your brother miserable?”

A long silence as Dream just stares in shock.

Dust gives a slow nod “Anyway. I wanted to be big for a few reasons. First.” And he punches Dream hard enough in the face to make him fall backwards and against the table, a crack had been heard loud and clear. Dust stares down at him “That. Is for making Nightmare feel miserable and causing people to dislike him because you, Dream; can’t work together, communicate, or admit you made a mistake because you prefer to keep your perfect image over admitting you wronged your twin.”. Dust waits for a moment before saying more “Second.” He turns around and high kicks Ink straight in the jaw. He walks over to Ink and spits on him “For leaving Cross in a dying world all alone just because you wanted to kick off an apocalypse because it seemed like an interesting storyline to you.” Dust stares at the council for a moment before sneering and turning away. “Third.”

And Dust marches over to Killer and Killer blinks before two hands are on his face and- OH SHIT! Dust is kissing him. And that is tongue. Holy shit. What?!

Dust pulls back before doing the same to Nightmare and moments later to Cross. Dust steps back looking very smug “Much better. Hard to kiss our big mates when we are tiny.” And Dust looks at Cross “Can you open a portal for us?”

Cross, who just stands there blushing and staring gives a slow nod as he fumbles with his knife and cuts a portal open.

Dust just nudges Killer through it first and Killer, and Horror, are in their living room again.

Killer blinks and looks in shock at Horror. Horror looks so proud.

Killer finally finds his voice “What?”

Horror looks up and grins “Dust doesn’t like it when those he loves are hurt. He gets aggressive. He was waiting for his chance to stab Dream in the socket but this probably worked better for him.”

Killer feels his mind crash and he isn’t sure how to even react. Then he is joined by Cross and Nightmare and the portal closes. Cross stands there hiding his face while even Nightmare looks bashful.

Dust however walks around with a tiny spring in his step, looking very content as he pushes two couches together and fills the created space with blankets and pillows. Then he leads Cross into it, and then Nightmare. And lastly Killer himself.

In a matter of five minutes the now large bitty had created a nest and gotten all of them in there before getting himself comfortable laying on them. After which Dust promptly fell asleep with Horror near him also asleep.

Killer speaks up “What… what just happened?”

Cross mumbles, still blushing dark purple “I… I read about it in the books? That bitties can form emotional attachments and fall in love with normal monsters but that it is rare.” He covers his face “More… bitties make nests for their mates.”

Right!! Dust had called them his big mates. Oh fuck.

Nightmare just lays in the nest “… That… that is going to be a mess.”

Yeah… No kidding… Killer doesn’t mind it though, how can he when Dust’s warm form is curved perfectly against him.

Killer must admit it is very hard to try and focus. He doesn’t want to do anything to ruin this peace and the not so small bitty is asleep. Even if he can feel the other breath and feel the magic of the other soul so so close to his own.

Killer, Nightmare and Cross are still exploring their sexual relationship and well, apparently Killer also really wants to explore the sexual side of the possible relationship he has with the bitties.

Wait does that mean they are technically already dating in bitty relationship norms? Why did neither of them tell them?!

For now Killer tries to not let his hands wander too far over the smooth and bare bones of Dust. Killer is happy to notice that Cross seems to be having a similar crisis as he looks straight up at the ceiling and doesn’t even try to breath with Dust’s skull right by his neck.

Fuck.

Killer needs to talk with Sci about making more of that growth elixir.

*---------------------------------*

Last Chapter [Here]

[camerainbow]

Eddie Diaz Rant (Buddie included) *hopecore*

This is a long one but it’s pretty straightforward

I know the Buddies are upset by the finale but if we are assuming Buddie will become canon I’m kind of glad Eddie will have his support network in person when he starts to figure himself out and doesn’t have to confront how repressed he has been when in his former hometown (and away from Buck).

I think it’s a good thing to show people that you can figure out parts of yourself in your chosen home instead, I’m glad he got Chris back so that Buddie can be coparents as they’ve been set up to potentially be.

Yes the PR tour of Buddie stuff now feels like a distraction to that finale but I think it was kind of like: don’t lose hope Buddie shippers, even if it’s not now, it will happen. Grief doesn’t have to be the thing that causes you to find yourself (or realize someone is your partner who you hadn’t considered before) and it seems kinder to have Eddie figuring out himself in a later stage of grief after rebuilding his life in his ideal home: Los Angeles.

I do agree the El Paso storyline did feel like a lot for just getting Chris back but at least Eddie now knows his most supportive family is his chosen family (and Aunt Pepa as a more fitting maternal figure than what is in Texas, and someone who can step into the void Bobby’s death created within his support network). Also we got that great episode from the moving storyline of Buck supporting Eddie by subletting from him and he didn’t have to lose Chris’/his home when he sacrificed stuff to get his son. The progression of Buddie seemed stilted with the absence of Chris if I’m being honest, I’m looking forward to them in person again.

Buddie not being partners through the 118 in next season means they get to contextualize their relationship in a different way than before which is exciting(!) and I think Eddie will realize better the depth of Bucks love for him without the partner label. Also out and proud homosexual Hen being his medic partner (if we assume Chimney as Cap) will be exciting and I hope we see more of their relationship like we did in 8x17 (clearly the best episode of late S8). We might get to see more of Eddie channeling Bobby to find “another way” when presented with only two options during an emergency (though I see Chim also channeling Bobby).

I’m personally so glad we avoided the awkwardness of having to see the logistics of Eddie going back, selling that house, and Buck being asked to leave. Though yes I am mourning a sooner Buddie roommates reality :/

Once we saw the direction they were going with the El Paso storyline I kind of dreaded a rushed feelings realization if there was gonna be one in S8. I’m happy it will be explored more in depth and not be a sudden moment/cliffhanger, it feels more honest to the character. Even though it frustrates me as we grow more and more impatient. But we must remember Buck has only been canonically queer since S7, and they have only been on ABC for two seasons now. Queer slow-burn storylines when both of the characters begin their character arcs on the show as “canonically” (assumed) straight have to take longer than other slow-burns by design (for the general audience to accept).

After seeing the Buddie argument in the kitchen, I think the aftermath of Chris visiting creating the impression of it being all better would be a little too storybook. And although I didn’t really care for the regression of Buck’s feelings in this finale episode (he shut down again seeing his 118 family not heeled since he knew Eddie was leaving still), it did feel real for him to still be processing the grief and loss of his old normal.

The amount of shifting around (Chim to Captain, Eddie back but working with Hen presumably, hopefully more Buck Ravi bestie-ism) will be very interesting to watch in S9!

Most of what I’m worried about is honestly Athena’s storyline since we didn’t really see her actual thought process for selling the house, I don’t know how we will see them (her and the 118) interact in the future out side of work, we can assume they will be a family but since not every shift includes police response, will she be getting less screen time?

Let’s remain hopeful to the possibilities! I think this set up allows us to process Bobby’s death more over the hiatus and doesn’t use a queer storyline for shock value in a finale!

I totally understand anyone who steps away from the show for their own mental wellness, it’s a lot if you feel strung along, but there’s always hope as the show is not over. Be kind to yourself and don’t fall into a spiral of doom if you can help it <3

[cute-little-fly]

Stolitz is crazy and delusional, and that is precisely its appeal

A defense of Stolitz from a deranged fan.

Hi!! Fly rambling here once again… wohooooo!!

This time I wanted to make this to say a thing that I’ve been feeling since I started in this fandom.

I have stumbled upon posts, videos and specific comments comparing Stolitz with other fictional relationships. Often these comments come from audience or writers, not always, but often, that think about the ship from their perspective, and how they craft their characters and relationships themselves.

Therefore, here I am talking about a deep disconnection between these types of… let’s say critics/audience and us (fans of the show for whom the relationship makes a lot of sense).

I don’t want this post to come off as me thinking I can interpret this better than them, and that is just that they don’t understand. They might have a point. Maybe their opinion comes from an informed place from their perspective.

However… here comes the BUT.

A lot of aspects of Stolitz these writers frame as “mistakes” or “bad writing” in a way they frame as “writing mistakes” are precisely part of the things that made fell in love with Stolitz so much and what make them stand out.

I have found this fascinating…. Because honestly, I think it’s the first time that something like this happens to me with a piece of media. That precisely the things some critics frame as an “mistake” are the things that I find insane, in a cool way, about them.

That they are so crazy, delusional and mentally ill, in a complementary way, makes it somehow compelling. I know I sound crazy. But I will attempt to explain this like a normal person.

Stolas and Blitzø started backwards, from the bedroom to the basic.

They have been inside of each other bodies, but don’t even know what the other eats regularly. They trust each other in BDSM, were you need to have clear boundaries with the other person, but are unable to communicate at a basic level outside of the bedroom.

That their deal was BDSM is often ignored and is important.

BDSM practices involve a lot of trust. The experience from those encounters can be so extreme that you might have moments where you rely completely on the other person. This builds trust. Non spoken trust. (I don’t know much about this, but this is from what I’ve read okay?? So I won’t talk much about it).

I love this moment in Apology tour because you can see how Stolas knows that Blitzø will always catch him if he lets himself fall.

I like how they can hold onto each other in Apology Tour after they have been repeatedly fighting. Also like… How they can find solace between each other, but can be also wounded or mad to the other at the same time.

How they can have this closeness and intimacy almost without realizing, with a complete lack of basic understanding at the same time!!! Like, what do you mean???!!

THIS IS INSANE!!

For me, this is precisely a big part of the appeal.

For me it’s not bad writing that they think they found an opportunity to love in the other, without having gone through basic steps of their relationship like getting to know each other for real. Because their relationship it’s very atypical by design.

They ate dessert before having dinner, but by eating the dessert they developed some connection, and unspoken understanding that meant something. It’s not enough for a relationship yet, but has some meaning. Like.. how often fuckbuddies catch feelings.

Both of them unconsciously were looking something beyond sex, even if Blitzø did it initially *mostly* for the deal. There are context cues that show that he felt something with Stolas the first day they were together, when there wasn’t any deal.

I think that eventually we need to be shown what happened that first night. Something important probably happened, without the deal being in motion yet.

But… I give the critics that there is a lot of delusion here, mostly from Stolas at first, but also from Blitzø’s part. I don’t find this surprising. At all. They don’t have a real image of what healthy and real love is. Have people thought of that? Maybe the only one that has it is Blitzø a little bit, because he sees M&M every day, but still…

It’s natural from the character’s perspective to treat the connection they developed there in that delusional way... even if us, the people of the audience know that you need way more to have a relationship, the characters don’t have our same standards. As they slowly progress in the future they will realize this.

Stolas and Blitzø deep down feel similar things, and the environment they were in made a bridge between them.

This is precisely what ties Stolitz with the social class sub conflict.

They were written to be FOR each other; but, separated because of the barriers created from their trauma and their different understanding of things because of the social class difference. Like… at a very essential level they are the same, but the things around them have put walls between each other.

This is what makes them compelling imo. You can see how they deep down have wounds, feel lonely, are vulnerable loving people that crave connection but the context around them decided they were worlds apart. That it is impossible for them to understand the other. This is something they have even interiorized themselves. Stolas with classism, Blitzø with his trauma and prejudice.

By shattering his classist views and by Blitzø opening his heart, is the way they can reach out. This is also a good thing for both of them that would make them evolve beyond those limitations.

I have seen critics say that they don’t think this is where the show is going… but then, why put so much emphasis on classism and hierarchies? Like, to understand most of the plots and characters we have to think about precisely that. Of course this will also relate to the development of Stolitz.

They both projected a fantasy based on their trauma and hardships

Blitzø projects the fantasy of someone that is so powerful that can’t be hurt by him. Blitzø trauma it’s related to be a bad influence on other people’s lives or someone that makes them worse. If Stolas is a powerful prince, there is no way he can do that... APPARENTLY.

Stolas fantasy is easier to notice. He projects a knight in shining armor that is going to rescue him, because he feels trapped in his life. He sees Blitzø as this guy that can do anything and is like this idealized “sexy rogue assasin” from his books.

This is a formula for disaster. Of course everything was gonna crash down eventually. But, this fantasy projection is not just about their relationship, but about themselves. This is what differentiate this from just oh silly fantasy to compelling story imo.

By breaking the fantasy that Stolas couldn’t be hurt, Blitzø had no option but to open his heart. Stolas took Blitzø’s strength as a beacon to have courage to face Stella and a complete court of demons. This is why this hits.

Which also takes me tooo….

Stolas and Blitzø would grow as people by being together FOR REAL, because they would balance each other’s flaws, and ultimately, they still can find solace in the other, even after seeing the broken shards…

This is why we root for them… even if right now they still don’t have a mutual understanding about the other, the show clearly did well showing the chemistry and connection that will slowly draw them to one another.

Blitzø is resourceful while Stolas is passive and is used to have things lent to him.

Stolas and Blitzø have the opposite issues parenting.

Stolas is on touch with his feelings while Blitzø doesn’t.

Stolas being educated in grammar and Blitzø being good physically.

Blitzø lighten a spark for Stolas to start making decisions for himself, even if that’s the last thing he intended.

Stolas ironically classist view and sheltered limited knowledge about the real world for imps, made him never doubt that Blitzø trying to have a business like that was that unlikely.

He trust Blitzø the book because he saw him capable; but he was also ignorant about how hard is for imps to make businesses.

The thrill of this is how fucking unlikely it is that the circumstances put these two people together, that look so incredibly different but… are actually meant to one another and complementary in their abilities and flaws. Is this likely or realistic? NO… like don’t try this at home PLEASE!!! (LMAO!!).

But why does it have to be realistic to be a good written story? Sometimes unlikely things happen even irl, and this is precisely the thrill.

Like… it’s crazy that even with all the harm they did to the other and how much misunderstanding they have…. Their limitations and everything they still manage to keep this connection alive and they won’t abandon the other in the middle of hardships.

Now… they need to learn how to show that like a regular person… or demon I guess?

Sinsmas is not the right episode to analyze further Stolitz, because all the rest of things going on.

Making that slowly, letting all of that entirely for season 3 instead of forcing that in Sinsmas is a good call imo.

They are starting to put the plates and preparing the meal to finally have that dinner they never had.

Stolitz is NO a major focus here and that’s important. These segments are mostly about Stolas adapting (or frankly… not adapting) to his new condition and life, about Stolas crashing without his meds and usual comforts.

For me, it’s expected that Stolas is not focusing much in learning about imps or Blitzø, since he is without his pills and thinking in Octavia.

Blitzø is also focusing on keeping the guy together after he saved him, only asking the necessary for him to be comfortable. He is also not focusing on romance right now.

He sees that being with Blitzø it’s not the fairy tale he thought, how unreal the fantasy was… BUT at the same time, that he can count on him, that he can be free and whine or express his frustration as much as he pleases without being shut up. That he is more free now.

That there are things of Blitzø he doesn’t know yet and how nice will be to discover that… also… this is important… he is not going to like some of this things. But… if those things make Blitzø be him… he will eventually love him with those too.

If he understood love and if he started to behave like a usual parter or interested person now would, that would take weight of the traumatic situation he just endured AND makes sense with how sheltered he is from reality.

I loved how everything was depicted here, because I’ve had experiences with depression, and all what I saw it’s pretty accurate to how it is. Not pretty. Not sunshine and rainbows.

So… it pulls me off when fans act like they are officially together, or when critics point out flaws that don’t consider all the picture. That it’s not just about Blitzø and Stolas here. Or when they act like Stolas doesn’t love or is interested in Blitzø, where initially he clearly show he was.

That we need to project and think about a lot of things that aren’t explicitly said/shown sometimes… well that could be an objective flaw… but it also makes engaging with it really fun?

I won’t be long on this one… because showing a little more of them interacting was needed. Maybe not just make Blitzø said that Stolas comments on his posts and calls him to just talk but show that.

However, for the other part… personally I like to engage with these sort of stories where you need to dig a little bit more than the surface.

Some people say that if everything it’s not clearly expressed it’s bad done.

For example, how sometimes we use the messages that are shown that Blitzø sent to Stolas in the hospital, and that we need to pause and enlarge to see that context. Twitter posts about the paintings seen in Octavia’s song, that aren’t that detailed in the show itself.

I find this very suitable for a web series, that had its origins on the internet and with no conventional forms of media.

So… here I have a mixed opinion. Which I like how we don’t have everything spelled out and we can have fun digging but also, it would have been nice to be shown a few things that are just implied.

At the end of the day… my objective with this post is to say that the non-conventional nature of this relationship and show it’s what made me so invested, because it ended up making this love story very different to others.

I mean… I kinda like that they don’t follow strict rules of writing sometimes. That everyone can project a lot on them from their perspectives and experiences. Which also leads to some people finding it horrible.

I even wouldn’t think about Stolitz the same if they did the “fixes” some people propose to it. Like… the reason I like it is precisely that it’s a mess, and that we are shown the timeline of the relationship in a non cronological way.

Like… of course it would be sweet and still engaging. Also, more people definitely would get on board with it, or even relate that with their own failed relationships that they looked at with rose tinted glasses… however, the way it is NOW makes other people engage with it as how it is now, even if we are like a bunch of weirdos (no offense ❤️).

I kinda dislike that now everything needs to be so grounded and so realistic…? Like, a situation like this is possible because they are them.

It’s meant to be seen as that this is a super weird and unlikely situation, and that it’s happening in this way and is possible because they are them, because of fate, because of misunderstood self-fulfilling prophecies or whatever.

I can understand not like this kind of stories. But this is not the first story to use this, and I don’t see why that’s… wrong? I can see why some people don’t like it. But not why it’s wrong because of this.

Blitzø and Verosika, for example, were drawn to each other because of their emptiness and loneliness, but weren’t the right person for each other. However, you can also have a super toxic situation where you end up finding something real. This is the difference between these two relationships.

How you could find something special in the middle of a bad situation.

[rubyyuna]

little idea I had for a request: the om brothers with an mc who can't relax until forced to. like they're always doing something and even when they're not they're stressing over things to do and the brothers have to physically drag them to their room/out of the house to make them take a break lol

them: "I had enough, you need some time to relax so we're cuddling right now" *drags mc to bed with them*

Thak you very much for the request! I had a lot of fun with this one, especially with Levi's part, that's probably the best one. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

Lucifer:

It had been a stressful week, for both you and Lucifer.

Finale exams were coming up which was always a nerve wracking time for everyone in the House of Lamentation, and with Mammon and the rest of the brothers causing their usual havoc, your headache only seemed to get worse by the second. 

Right now though, you were knocking on the door to Lucifer’s office. You see, while you were studying you came across a partially difficult problem and now you needed help. Normally you’d head straight to Satan as you didn’t want to stress Lucifer out even more than he already was, but today Satan was off doing errands so you didn’t have much of a choice. 

By only your first knock, you hear a familiar voice call out from inside the room, “Come in,” and so you do. 

Lucifer was sitting at his desk, surrounded by large stacks of paperwork. He looked even more tired than usual, dark circles bagging under his eyes. Just when you were thinking of leaving and not bothering him, he speaks up, “Is there something you need, Mc?” 

“Ah, yes, if that’s alright.” You say, walking over to him and showing him your textbook, “I’ve been struggling with this one problem, but if you're too busy then I understand.”

“No, no, it's quite alright.” Lucifer stands up with a sigh, walking over to sit on the couch, “I don’t mind helping, as long as it’s you.” 

You sit next to him, placing your notebook on the coffee table in front of you. Without missing a beat, Lucifer places one of his favorite discs into his record player, allowing the soft tune of classical music to fill the air.  

He sighs once more, this time much more relaxed as his shoulders slump, “There. Now, what are you exactly having trouble with? We’ll solve it together.” 

As always.

Mammon:

Seven days.

Seven fucking days!

Mammon had considered himself patient these last couple days but this was getting ridiculous.

He didn’t really know what had gotten into MC or why they’ve been ignoring him recently, but his patience had finally worn thin and he wasn’t going to stand for such neglect anymore.

You mindlessly finish some last-minute homework, your eyes exhaustedly scanning over your paper. Although this is far from the funniest activity in the world, it's definitely better than wallowing in self-pity at having nothing to do. 

Just then, there's a loud, impatient knock on the door.

You practically jump out of your skin at the sudden sound, but before you can invite whoever it is in (you already know though. It’s obvious) the door slams open. 

“Human! Why’ve you been ignorin’ me, me, The Great Mammon!?” It’s, of course, Mammon.

You sigh. While you do care for Mammon, right now you're exhausted, mainly from your own doing but still. 

“What are you talking about, Mammon?” You ask, exasperated. 

Mammon’s frustration only seems to grow at your response, “What am I talkin’ about?! For the last week you’ve been ignorin’ me! I’ve been patient, I really have, but you still won’t budge!”

Mammon’s clearly frustrated, you can’t help but feel bad but you’ve really been exhausted.

It takes a moment but eventually, Mammon calms down. 

He gazes at you for a moment; the bags under your eyes, your messy hair, the scribbled out homework. 

He sighs, scratching the back of his head and looking rather guilty. “Hey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled, but you can’t just ignore me and my brothers either, y’know?” 

You look at him for a moment before apologizing yourself, “Yeah, I’m sorry too. I’ve just been super busy. I know that’s no excuse but-”

Mammon cuts you off with a hug, catching you rather off caught. He seems even more embarrassed by the hug than you as he buries his flushed face into your shoulder.

“Whatever, don’t worry about it.” He grumbles, his hot breath hitting your neck, “Just rest, okay? For a little bit.”

You don’t hesitate to hug the demon of greed back, burying your face in his white, fluffy hair. 

“Thank you, Mammon. I love you.”

“Love you too, MC.”

Leviathan:

Your pencil scratches against the paper in front of you, leaving a line of lead that quickly gets erased. The paper starts to tear under the constant cycle of abuse it’s undergoing. You groan in frustration, setting your pencil down with a soft clank as you rest your head in your hands.

This week's homework was increasingly difficult, leaving you with a pounding headache. You wish you could be as carefree as Mammon (even if he gets in trouble for it). Or maybe as effortlessly smart as Satan. But that wasn't the case for you, you actually had to try to pass. You wouldn't settle for anything less than an A, and neither would Lucifer.

Just then, there's a knock on your door. 

“Come in.”

When the door opens you’re met with the sight of a familiar looking otaku, looking more nervous than usual. 

Levi glances at your homework, barely finished yet already smudged and worn, and then up at you. He seems hesitant to get whatever he wants to say out, but in the end still manages to do so. 

“So… Do you want to play games with me?” Before you can reject him, he nervously continues, “I recently got the new release I told you about, y’know the one based on TSL. I’ve been really excited to play it with you, so uh… I was hoping you could, maybe, play with me.”

“I mean, I’d get it if you wouldn’t want to play with some useless otaku like myself. Like, who would want to be seen with me? No one, probably. Y,know, actually, maybe I should just go-” 

You cut him off, not having the strength to listen to his self degrading ramblings anymore. “Alright, I’ll play.” 

You weren’t originally planning on agreeing, but you couldn’t deny him after all that negative self-talk. Maybe it was all just a ploy to get you to take a break. Probably not. Levi wouldn’t think to pull something like that off.

The sound of clicking and button smashing fills the room, your fingers gliding across the controller as fast as you possibly can. You're never able to keep up with Levi’s attacks though, no matter how hard you try. 

It doesn't take long until you lose, again. 

Levi grins, far too choky for your liking. “Can’t you keep up, MC? What are you, a normie?”

“Shut up.” You groan, sighing in frustration as you rest your head on his shoulder. 

Oddly enough, Levi’s expression seems to soften when you relax onto him and he, in turn, rests his head on top of yours. He just silently continues to play. 

After a while of comfortable silence, he hesitantly speaks up, “Y’know, you can always come to my room to hang out, if you want...” 

You yourself are quiet for a moment before responding, “Thanks, Levi. I appreciate it.”

“No problem.” 

Satan:

Knock Knock

Satan perks up at the knock on the door, he’s already pretty sure he knows who it is.

“Come in.” He calls out.

And, as expected, it’s a troubled looking MC peeking through the crack in the door.

It’s been a rather long couple of days. Mid-term exams are coming up and the material seems even more difficult than usual. 

At first you were thinking of heading to Lucifer or Solomon for help but the two are far too busy as of now, so that only leaves Satan. Not that you mind that is.

You walk into his room, a pile of books in hand. “Hey, Satan. Could you, possibly, help me study? I’d appreciate it.”

Satan doesn’t hesitate to nod, patting the spot on his bed next to him and placing his book down, only after carefully squeezing a bookmark in between the pages. “Of course, MC.”

You sigh in relief before quickly going to sit next to him. He gently takes the books out of your hands, observing the material you're studying for a moment before opening a certain book titled, “The ins and outs of basic curses.”

Satan goes over the material with you for what seems like hours but oddly enough you hardly feel tired. Maybe it’s the detailed way he explains everything that helps you understand it quickly. Or maybe it’s just his presence that soothes you. 

“Satan…” You quietly speak up shortly after one of Satan’s lectures on a specific curse technique. 

“Mh?” He hums, glancing up from the book to look at you.

“Thank you again for helping me out on such short notice. I’ll probably fail if it wasn’t for your help. 

“Don’t mention it. I’m just glad to spend time with you. Come to me whenever you need help. Only me, okay?”

Asmodeus:

This week had been awful! Awful! Asmodeus could already feel the stress blemishing his perfect skin. 

It was around dinner time when Asmo noticed. MC was late to dinner which wasn't too unusual, but still odd. But when they did show up, they looked absolutely exhausted. Which is not good for the skin. Asmo was in shock, never before had he seen his MC so tired. He just had to do something about it.

So, for the past few days, he’s been playing the most relaxing, rejuvenating self care day possible. And now, it’s time to execute it.

Currently, you’re working outside in the courtyard, practicing a new spell Solomon taught you. You still couldn't get it quite right, despite trying for days on end. It was getting frustrating, and you weren’t enjoying it as much as you usually would. 

You sigh, just as someone comes up behind you. 

“Oh, darling~” They chim. You already know who it is. Who else would so casually call you darling? 

“Hey, Asmo.” You turn around to face him but before you can get another word in, Asmo rushes over to you and cups your cheeks.

“Oh dear! Look at you darling, your face is covered in sweat and grime! How awful!” 

You let out a small laugh while prying your face away from Asmo’s hands. “It’s fine, I’m just working on a new spell.” 

Asmo lets out a puff of air. And before you know it, he’s swiftly grabbing your hand, dragging you to who knows where. “It is absolutely not fine. Now you come with me, it’s about time you have a proper spa day.”

It doesn’t take long before you end up in Asmo’s room, seated on the plush chair in front of his vanity. It’s covered with all sorts of skincare products, far surpassing an excessive amount. 

You watch as he walks around his room, grabbing whatever bottles and facemasks that catch his eye and placing them on the vanity. He seems to have this whole thing planned out. 

“So... Asmo, what's the point of this?” You couldn't help but ask. 

Asmodeus doesn’t pause in what he’s doing as he responds, “You haven’t been taking care of yourself recently, darling. And it’s breaking my heart. So, we’re going to change that today.” 

“You don’t need to worry about me so much.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, darling!” He says as he rubs some sort of cool cream on your face. “Just relax and let me take care of you.” 

“Take care of me, huh?”

“Mhm~” 

You suppose it can’t be that bad. And besides, maybe a break from all the spellcasting could do you some good. 

Either way, there’s no chance that Asmo’s going to let you go now.

Beelzebub:

Beel found himself without an appetite.

It’s not that he's not hungry, more so that he can’t bring himself to eat no matter how hungry he gets. 

Beelzebub just couldn't bring himself to eat without MC by his side, and recently they’ve been skipping meals. 

Beel is a simple demon. He can’t come up with a soothing spa day to make you relax like Asmodeus can, nor can he read books to you until you fall asleep like Satan. But what he can do is food.

Homework? Done

Magic Practice? Also Done

Cleaning? Again, done

You had absolutely nothing to do. It was infuriating. You had already finished all your regular duties, so you decided to take up cleaning. You even did Mammon’s chores after you became desperate enough. 

But now you’re out of things to do once more, leaving you with nothing to do but rot in bed. 

You groan while scrolling on your phone, heavy bags under your eyes. Just then there's a knock. 

“Come in.” You call out.

“Hey, MC.” Beel says softly, his arms filled to the brim with different snacks and desserts. 

“What’s all those snacks for? Did you steal all the food from the pantry again and came here to hide? 

Beel simply shakes his head though. His expression is as blank as ever, leaving you with no idea what he's thinking or up to. If he was anything like Mammon that'd be a bad thing, but good thing this is Beel we’re talking about. 

“I wanted to eat these with you.” Beel says, offering you one of the many bags of chips in his hands. 

Well, that was better than nothing, wasn't it? Although you’d much rather do something more productive, it could work. 

You give him a soft smile. “Sure, Beel. Thank you.”

The loud sound of Beel’s crunching almost drowns out the sound of the movie in front of you. You can hardly bring yourself to mind though. You’re used to it by now. 

Your head rests against Beel’s shoulder, allowing your eyes to finally close and your mind to go blank. 

It had been a while since you last got to rest like this.

It's nice...

Belphegor:

Belphine grumbles as he nuzzles his face into his pillow, although it’s not as comfy as it used to be. Actually, nothing seems as sleep inducing as usual; his mattress, blanket, pillow, nothing. Belphegor just can’t sleep without MC by his side, which has been increasingly difficult recently with how busy they’ve been.

He grumbles once more before lazily sitting up. Belphine isn’t one to hold back when it comes to his thoughts and feelings, so he refuses to just lay down- especially when he can’t even sleep- and mindlessly wait for MC to become less busy.

You speed walk on your way to the kitchen, going to go get a quick snack before continuing to tiredly slave over all your paperwork. As you're busy walking, you feel an unexpected hand grasp your wrist. 

When you turn around you see a familiar sleepy looking demon. 

“Come with me.” Belphine practically demands. 

“Huh?” You tilt your head to the side, what did he need you for..? “Why?” 

Belphine seems to grow impatient when you question him and he suddenly tightens his grip on your wrist, silently dragging you to.. Somewhere?

“Belphine, seriously, where are you taking me? I have work, you know.” You ask again and yet he still doesn’t answer.

It doesn’t take long until you reach the attic. 

You're confused at first and that confusion only seems to grow when Belphegor silently pushes you onto the bed, and, without an explanation, crawls on top of you and lies down. 

“Belphine…?” You call out softly, resting your hand on his cloud like hair, “Can you explain to me what you're doing now?”

“Haven’t you already figured it out?” Belphegor grumbles, his eyes closed, “We’re cuddling.”

“Well I can see that, but why?”

“Because.”

“Because…?”

You sigh, knowing you're not going to get the answer you desire. Although, despite your confusion and silent protests this is actually quite nice.

 It’s been a while since you’ve taken a break. 

And maybe Belphine’s unexpected disturbance is exactly what you needed.

Quick note: if anyone has any requests feel free to request them of me. I'm officially out, so I'd be very grateful. And I hope you enjoyed my writing.

[ceiling-karasu]

Oh, don’t worry, rei-does-stuff and I (maybe) will be translating it at some point like they did with the Brave Soldiers manhwa. I figure I put in just enough context and exposition for people to understand what went down in the manhwa so they can understand the fanfic, at least. And canon typically violence in the battle really was toned down a bit.

Kind of sad that it appears that I am the first person to upload a fanfic for that fandom. I bet there may be some on Korean sites I don’t know about. I can’t figure out how to make that upright slash though, between the English and Korean name of the series, you know? I figure I can copy and paste and the supposed tag wranglers can take care of it.

I do think the Spanish translates easier, since there appear to be a lot of interchangeable words in Korean.

GGMW was made by a team of two people, and they don’t appear to be involved in sah, but it is easy to see how easily it can be incorporated, if only for some Flower Hill soldiers to get confused over hundreds of severed wasp heads. I still say the bee and other insect kingdoms can be semi-autonomous territories within Flower Hill. Silkworms are still non sapient like the fish are. They can be seen as cattle or something.

You know how I seem to be making titles out of the song lyrics or propaganda of the show and comic? I’m wondering about using a GGMW line for the corruption AU.

Wings that Beat Stronger Than the Storm Wind Can Never Be Broken sound nice, but so does To Love the Country and Mountain Stream Where You Grew Up as well. Like for the first one everyone has through so much in their lives but they are recovering in the mountains after the last conga line of bad things had them declared possible traitors are exiled in the Montain village so their superiors can hide their own embezzlement and corruption. The second one sounds nice because they might all be young and don’t truly have a proper life until they get to the mountain, so it’s like they grow up there and mature in the end.

Very tempted to name the WHS hedgehog something related to bees since I’m thinking of them ending up as a beekeeper, but Yangbong-ga sounds a little too clunky for me right now.

Yeah I didn’t know how to do the thing or even how to start it, which is why I looked at a few references to get a basic understanding of it.

I don’t know anything about negative spaces or what those even are, I just took a picture out a window from when I was being moved around in hospitals.

And then I just added in the characters where it made sense. It was a nice veiw, though. No way was I copying that tower, though.

It’s fine if you don’t want to show us the other fandoms!

No idea how I made the anime thing, I made the thing last year. You know what they say about beginner’s luck and all.

Salar de Uyuni with a tree sounds amazing! I was thinking something reflective, like that Thor: Love and Thunder movie with Eternity but with an tree, although I’m thinking it looks like a normal mountain or meadow or valley until they start waking up.

Looks pretty similar so we may be on the same wavelength.

Although I’d love to see your take on it with your style! I don’t think I can even try and draw something like that for a good long time. I’m too obsessed with honeybees right now.

Hello :))

Here's a small sketch of Siwoo (Haven't drawn this man in ages)

A quick explanation of the sketch:

The Raliaen Mountain Crescent Base doesn't have a formal financial department or anything related to it. Aera has tried to ask for a financial department to be established, but the Central government told her that they can't spare any for her as her base doesn't need one. Aera knows that's a lie since she and Hyeonsik are stuck maintaining the budgets and resource allocation of the base. Eventually, Aera is unable to keep up due to higher number of suspected enemy spies being reported. Hyeonsik hates to do anything related to finance beause he hates money (long story). So, he just gives them to Siwoo who had studied a bit of accounting before. Siwoo is genuinely still confused on why he is given the documents. Hyeonsik does actually give Siwoo a bonus for doing them, so Siwoo can't complain.

One of many reasons Siwoo needs coffee.

[thatoneneuvichiliauthor]

Thinking about a Jayce who fails to make it out of the pit on his own. A Jayce who falls a second time while climbing to the surface and injures himself so badly Mage Viktor has no choice but to intervene.

A Jayce who has to be transported to a softer timeline where medical care exists or else he won’t make it. A Jayce who needs to be slowly nurtured back to health and whose body will never regain enough strength to lift the Hexcore hammer again. A Jayce Mage Viktor inevitably gets attached to as he spends months taking care of him.

A Jayce he falls in love with all over again.

A Jayce he hesitates to send back home.

[chaosismybestie]

bedelia calling out hannibal on his human veil and the fact that he's not honest with her

franklin telling hannibal about the dull ache that loneliness creates

and hannibal going to will to get his insights about the chesapeake ripper because will actually sees him for what he is.

for once in his life hannibal isn't lonely. for once someone can peek behind the curtain. and hannibal can't let it go now that he's had a glimpse of how being truly seen feels like.

[saturday-byte]

Will Wood songs continue to be so my fanbots coded. Sigh