#I am trying so hard to mask it and appear like a normal person but idk how much longer I can keep it up

[fitzselfships]

I can feel myself beginning to spiral again but I'm being so brave about it <3 (lying)

[hauntingrabbits]

Batman my little pony AU. Part 2 here, Part 3 here

More info on these under the cut!

1. Sundown Mane/Batpony (Bruce Wayne)

His backstory & general situation is pretty much identical to every other batman out there so I wont get into it.

Other notes:

-His cutie mark is a masquerade mask that I tried to make vaguely bat-shaped. The general public sees his Cutie Mark through the lense of his reputation, and he leans into it heavily to obscure the truth. In interviews, he presents it as being tied to hosting galas (it’s the reason he started hosting those huge masquerade balls in the first place) and/or his fashionable looks, but in truth it’s far more representative of his stealth and disguise capabilities, as well as his masked night time hobbies as a whole.

-He’s not an actual bat-pony in any way, the bat wing appearance is just the costume (intentionally designed that way for intimidation, battle, and obscuring his identity further). Though most citizens assume he’s a true bat-pony, other rumors range from him being a vampire, to an Earth pony with false tech-based wings, to a magically disguised alicorn, to a spirit of the night.

-If Batman were actually to be a pony I think he’d 100% be an earth pony, because his big thing is relying on skill and tech rather than power and he has the whole “normal guy amongst gods” thing going on. HOWEVER. There are actual bat ponies in this show. How am I not supposed to utilize that somehow for the guy whose name is BATMAN? Also with Sundown I think being a Pegasus just fits the playboy personality front he puts up. I don’t know why, its just vibes.

-I think he just doesn’t fly much while patrolling as batpony, instead using his wings for extra jump or for intimidation and cover like with his cape. They’re probably steel-tipped or something too. He doesn’t rely on flight for advantage and trains entirely grounded because he doesn’t want to be dependent on flight and find himself lost if his wings are ever incapacitated.

2. Apollo Honeyscales/Two-Face (Harvey Dent)

Fascinated by the Equestrian legal system and craving a more organized society than what was offered by his generally disorderly and solitary fellow Chimeras, Apollo moved to Gotham to pursue higher education. Unfortunately, ponies are often intimidated by, if not downright terrified of Chimeras, so though Chimera cultures usually give each head equal social weight and three individual names, Apollo quickly adapted to instead try to present himself as pony-like as possible. He used a singular name and pronoun for his whole body, presented the less intimidating, herbivorous-looking goat as his “main” head, and eventually even took to having a faux Cutie Mark applied for media and court appearances. Prior to the attack, the lion and the snake head were never seen talking in public, and even in private the only ponies to have heard them speak were his close friends Sundown Mane and Glider Gold.

After being attacked with acid in court, Scales succumbed to injury and had to be amputated, while Honeybite was left alive but severely scarred. With this event, Apollo’s and Honeybite’s already fragile mental states from years of pony society othering them, the weight of their job, and personal repression finally snapped in their grief and anger, leading Honeybite to fully take the reins and create the criminal persona of Two-Face. Attempts from both Sundown and Glider and to reach out since have been unsuccessful.

Other Notes:

-According to the wiki only one chimera shows up in the whole show so. I made stuff up. -Chimeras typically being solitary is based on the fact we only ever see one in the show. This solitary nature would make it hard for them to have a widespread legal system at all, let alone to enforce it; thus Apollo’s original fascination with the foreign pony legal system. The Chimera in the show also has individual names for each head, each with a slightly different style (the goat following pony name conventions with the name Pumpkin Cake, the tiger following a slightly more violent version of pony name conventions with the name Sweetkill, and the Snake bluntly just being named Snakey). I tried to follow similar conventions for Apollo. I was most happy with the name Scales, because it followed the blunt snake naming convention while also sort of doubling as a scales of justice reference. Apollo is just a reference to Harvey’s nickname in some of the comics, and Honeybite is just for fun.

-His perfectly split coat is unique even among other chimeras, and as Apollo he was generally considered attractive and “exotic” by Equestrian media outlets.

-The temporary Cutie Mark application was done professionally. (Surely ponies have perfected this art, right? Like this has to be something pony society does and has services for, right? Ponies covering up embarrassing Cutie Marks, blank flanks covering up an embarrassing lack of a Curie Mark, Ponies getting Cutie Marks done for costumes, theater, movies, etc… you get it.) Apollo’s choice of a faux Cutie Mark is meant to serve as both a way of further integrating himself into pony society and a proclamation of his legal skills.

-Apollo was a genuinely great lawyer. Ponies on defense were often so preoccupied at the terror of having a lion and a snake silently stare them down that they wouldn’t realize it was actually the goat they should’ve really been afraid of until their entire case had already been ruthlessly torn to shreds.

3. Glider Gold (Gilda Gold)

Even prior to their relationship and subsequent engagement, Glider had long been Apollo’s closest friend and confidant. She saw the way his job and keeping up his image was tearing him apart long before the acid attack, and she deeply regrets not trying harder to get him the help he needed before it was too late. Multiple news outlets have been trying to get an interview with her and their efforts only increase every time Two-Face shows up in the news (despite Sundown’s efforts to dissuade them). She hasn’t been the same since the attack and Apollo’s disappearance, losing interest in her work and finding her friendship with Sundown heavily strained as they both feel the weight of Apollo’s absence.

Other notes:

-I wasn’t even going to draw Gilda originally because she’s such a minor character in Batman stuff but as I was writing out Apollo’s background she nudged her way back in. I like her too much.

-This version is based on her very first iteration where she was a sculptor. Her green coat is a reference to that version’s accompanying Two-Face (also his first iteration), who had green scarring.

- The choice for her to be a pegasus was mainly just to go with her silly name, but I do think being a pegasus would be beneficial to a sculptor. No ladder required to work on high details just fly up there.

-I am not immune to the bruce/harvey/gilda agenda

[spicyspiders]

before you know it, it's done

Ghost x male reader smut. AU where Ghost is a demon and the reader summons him because the spell said he would get three wishes. Warnings for smut and unprotected sex. I wanted to have this posted on my birthday on Saturday, but I was too busy.

It was surprisingly easy to find the spellbook you needed. The hardest part was picking out the chalk color you required. It didn’t say on the page so you wondered what color to pick. Would the demon want a neutral white color, or would it appreciate something more colorful?

“I’ve never seen that color before,” the demon says when it first appears. The color of his magic matched the color of the chalk you chose to use, a vibrant red color that stood out against the hardwood flooring of your bedroom. 

“It was one of the cheapest I could find,” you said in awe, looking up at the demon that stood before you. It stood tall on long legs that led up to a broad chest. On both sides of its chest were two muscular arms that led up to two broad shoulders. On its head was a mask that covered the entirety of its face, and on top was the face of a human skull. 

“It’s not real,” the demon said. 

You rose slowly onto your feet from where you had kneeled to cast the spell, “party city?”

“Excuse me?” The demon asked back. 

You shook your head, “nothing. So,” you said after a moment of staring at him, “do I get-”

“Your wishes?” The demon asked cutting you off, “you humans are so predictable,” the demon waved a hand dismissively in your direction. To your surprise, he stepped over the circle of chalk, past the runes you spent nearly an hour perfecting.

“How did-” you started to ask, but the demon cut you off again.

“Not bad for a beginner, but there are gaps in the binding circle,” the demon responded. It stepped past you and went for your bed and sat down. “I’ll give you your wishes, but there are rules.”

“Rules?”

“First: no wishing for more wishes,” the demon said angrily, “I fucking hate it when you try to do that. Second: I’m not raising the dead, nor am I killing anyone. Third-”

This time, you were the one to cut him off, “I just need my car fixed.”

This made the demon pause before busting out laughing, “your car, that’s it?” It asked after wiping a tear from its eye. 

“Yes? I mean, if I only get one wish, I’ll just wish for more money to fix my car and for the future if it breaks down again.”

“I’ll give you three.”

“Three?” You asked in disbelief, “is that the normal number you give people?”

“No, but you made a good first impression,” the demon looked over at the circle, “I like the color, it has me feeling,” he looked off, searching for the word, “generous.”

“Will my wishes be a trick? Like I’ll ask for something and end up getting something completely unrelated?”

The demon rolled its eyes, “that’s just a dumb stereotype you humans made up. If I wanted to trick you, I already would have. Plus, I can’t stand hearing you all bitch. You just need to be specific.”

You nodded, “how will I know if I’m being specific enough?”

“You’ll just have to find out,” the demon smirked. It pushed off your bed and stepped up into your personal space, “I could help make sure, you just have to let me in,” it said, face hovering close to yours. 

“How?” You whispered. 

“Just think of what you want,” the demon raised a hand and placed it on your temple. “There we go,” it said softly. Through the mask, its eyes flashed a bright color, nearly as bright as the chalk on your floor. 

The demon’s fingers were hot on your face, making it hard to keep your thoughts focused on what you wanted. A thud in the direction of your dresser pulled your attention away, and the demon chuckled lightly as you jumped at the noise. 

“But,” you stepped up to the pile of cash neatly stacked up, “I needed my car fixed,” you turned to face the demon. 

“It is fixed.”

“I used two wishes?” You asked in a disappointed voice. 

The demon waved a hand through the air, “two for one special.”

Your brows furrowed in confusion, “why?”

The demon ignored your question, instead, a slow smile stretched across its mouth, pulling at the fabric on top. It made you feel uneasy, “you had a hard time controlling your thoughts just now.”

“Sorry I’m having a hard time keeping my thoughts straight,” you grumbled, “this is all pretty new to me.”

The demon raised its hands out in surrender, “I’m not complaining. I was a man like you once, you know. I had my urges,” he finished in a low voice. 

You ignored the hot wave that ran through your body at the last word, “how long have you been in this… profession?”

He let out a laugh, “a long time now.”

“What’s your name?”

He rolled his eyes, “going to try and look me up on one of those apps you humans use?”

“No,” you answered too quickly to be convincing. 

He let out another chuckle and sat back down on your bed, “my name is Simon, though I do like the name Ghost.” He pulled your wallet out from seemingly nowhere, “and yours is,” he filled open the leather to fish out your license. 

“Hey! How’d you get that?” 

“It was right there,” Simon said, tossing your wallet back onto your bedside table. 

“Do I have to use my other wishes now?”

“No. All you have to do is call on me.”

“You have a cell phone?” You asked in disbelief. 

Simon let out another laugh. You liked his laugh and how smoky it sounded, ���like with your first wish, you just have to think about me and I’ll show up,” he stood up and gave a dramatic bow and with that, he was gone in a bright glimmer of magic. 

-

The next time you called on Simon was an accident. He didn’t pop in with a flash of magic like how he had left, so it was dark in your room. The darkness was the perfect opportunity to catch you off guard. 

Your eyes had long adjusted to the dark of your room, so it was easy to pick up Simon’s. Simon’s eyes were reflective in the darkness, like an animal. 

You gave an upstroke to your hard cock, your eyes opening slowly as warm pleasure spread through your body. You jumped when you noticed his presence and quickly moved to cover yourself up. 

“You don’t have to stop on my account,” Simon purred. “Did you call me here because you need lube? Wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened.”

“No,” you whispered. Your heart hammered in your chest, ringing loudly in your ears. 

“No?” Simon parroted, “you were just thinking about me?”

“I didn’t mean to,” you wished that the covers you pulled over your body would swallow you whole. Maybe that would be your next wish. You tried ignoring the way that your still-hard cock twitched when Simon stepped up to your bed. 

“I’m not angry,” Simon got on top of your body, his legs spreading to accommodate the space that your legs took up. He grabbed one of your trembling hands that rested on your chest and brought it down to his groin, “does that feel like I’m angry?”

The bulge under your fingers felt warm and heavy through the fabric of the pants Simon wore. “Oh,” you breathed and ran your hands across the fabric. 

“What were you thinking about?” Simon asked, he leaned down to bring his face close to yours, close enough to feel the puffs of his breath, but far enough to where your lips weren’t pressed together. 

You tried to lean up and close the distance, but Ghost pulled away, but he did lean down so he could press his lips to your cheek and then leaned over so he could whisper in your ear, “won’t you tell me? Please?”

“You. And what you look like under these clothes,” you managed to get out. Your fingers tightened by a small measure, feeling how his bulge continued to grow under them. 

“Good boy,” Simon responded. The second his words were out, you suddenly felt cold. Your clothes were gone and it only took a few seconds for your nipples to harden to match the state of your cock.

“Where did my clothes go?” And my blanket-” Simon stops your questions by swooping down and finally bringing your lips together. 

“That is really what you are worried about now?” Simon asked after he pulled away. 

“That comforter was expensive,” you responded with a pout. 

Simon leaned back down to kiss you until your pout was nothing but a memory. He nipped at your bottom lip, taking the flesh with him when he pulled back. 

Your eyes opened when he freed your lip from his teeth and like you, Simon was now naked. Clothes, balaclava, and all.

“I’ll give you whatever you desire after I fuck you,” Simon said, his words full of promise. The area of your room where you had drawn the runes to summon him glowed, its light spreading throughout your room and allowing you to see Simon in all his naked glory. 

Your attention was soon taken away when his hand made its way between your legs, his fingers going past your hard cock to go lower. You did, however, watch as his pec flexed as his hand moved. It finally ended up at your hole, his fingers already wet. 

“You already had lube?”

Simon smirked and ran a slick finger around your hole, “not exactly,” he answered. When you tried to open your mouth to question him, he pressed his lips to yours. He swallowed the noises you made when his tongue pressed inside your mouth, and like his slick tongue, his slick finger was making its way inside. 

He wouldn’t let you focus on trying to question him, his movements were deliberate in getting you ready. Your hands find purchase on his shoulders after running your hands up his big chest. Your hands squeeze at the hot skin as you try your best to quickly get used to the burn of his second finger making its way in.  

Simon’s fingers get wetter inside your body as he watches your face closely. It’s a new sensation, one that makes your cock twitch and let out a glob of precome. 

“You’re getting so wet for me,” Simon observes in a low voice. “Down here,” he holds himself up on his knees so he can use his other hand to skim his fingers over the head of your cock, “and down here.” He emphasizes his point by coating the inside of your hole with his fingers. A third joins the second, and they make fast work in pressing against your prostate. 

You’re hit with spikes of pleasure as his fingers press over the sensitive bundle of nerves. “Please,” you moan, not even sure what you’re asking for. You must send flashes of your thoughts of what you want to Simon because his fingers pull out and are replaced by the thick head of his cock. The head of it is wet, and you guess he used whatever he did on his fingers. You both groan as he teases you by rubbing the head against your entrance, smearing the wetness around. 

“I know, darling,” Simon whispers. He presses soft kisses to the heated, sweaty skin of your face as he slowly thrusts his cock inside. 

You wrap your legs around his waist, making it all the easier for his cock to find its way inside. You both let out a breath for he finally bottoms out, his balls pressing against your ass. 

Simon holds himself up on his strong arms when he pulls out after you’ve adjusted. He pulls out just as slow as he had initially gone in only to go right back in when the head presses against your hole. 

Like his fingers, his cock makes quick work of finding the bundle of nerves Simon’s fingers were just against. His cock is like a hot brand, carving out space every time he thrusts in. The feeling of it burns. One that burned with pain when it initially began, but soon was overtaken by pleasure. 

His cock makes you feel like you’re burning from the inside out. A feeling that begins in your groin as his cock finds your prostate over and over only to spread through the rest of your body. The heat makes your body sweat, making it difficult to keep your legs wrapped around his waist. 

“I’ve got you,” Simon murmurs before wrapping both hands around your waist. You let your legs relax, but still, keep them around his hips. The angle Simon holds your hips up at makes his cock go deeper, making you feel full. 

Simon brings his chest to yours so he can get his face close enough to kiss you. It’s wet and messy with a mash of lips, teeth, and tongue. Simon doesn’t go far when it’s over as he presses his face into the side of your neck. You hold his head in place by burying a hand in his hair as he begins to nip and kiss your neck.

Your orgasm sneaks up on you, accompanied by the prickle of pain caused by his teeth on your neck. You let out moans that bounce off the walls of your bedroom, filling up the space. Filling up the space is also the glow of the runes, burning bright as Simon chases after his orgasm. 

You watch with half-lidded eyes as Simon comes with a long groan. The runes blaze as he comes deep inside you. The color casts a halo around Simon’s body, nearly silhouetting him. He looks like an angel, a thought that nearly pulls a hysterical laugh from your chest. 

The colors grow dimmer when Simon quiets down as he comes down from his orgasm. Your legs fall from his hips and as they come down, so does Simon. He wraps his arms around you and encases your body in his sweaty weight. 

Exhaustion hits you soon after and your eyes grow heavy. Your thoughts go to Simon right before you fall asleep, wondering if he’ll still be on top of you when you wake up. You fall asleep to the feeling of his arms tightening around your body and a pair of lips pressing a kiss to your neck.   

[jackfrostsisterssisterinlaw]

MHA random guys x Y/N

I am so sorry to the person who requested this over a year ago, I suddenly disappeared and forgot requests were a thing when I got back. This one’s a little rushed because I’m having exams these days but I’ve made you wait over a year so I had to get it done.

The random guys include Deku, Bakugou, Monoma, Shinso and Amajiki.

word count : 987

Warning : IF YOU SO MUCH AS LOOK AT AMAJIKI 🤬 I’ve got my eye on you.

as usual can’t take any credit for the pictures.

Deku 

Let’s be honest you probably don’t deserve him. No matter how much you do for him he’s going to somehow be doing more for you. It’s not that he treats love as a competition, it’s just that it’s in his nature to put his two hundred percent to everything and that includes his relationship. And if he chose you as the one that’s really something. He loves just staring at you and absorbing every single detail. He notices the smallest change in your appearance and can always tell when you’re feeling down. He hates it when you don’t communicate and share your pain and eventually manages to get it out of you by playing the victim. Try to give back at least 50% of what he’s doing for you because that would be a normal person’s 100%. He’s very possessive although he doesn’t tell you directly. He’s going to be super grumpy if you hang out with other people more than you spend time with him. Also here’s a secret. He loves it when you ruffle his hair and give him forehead kisses so keep doing what you’re doing :)

Bakugou

I don’t know how you did it. HOW DO YOU PUT UP WITH THE GUY? He appreciates you for it more than you know. He knows about his anger issues and how his inconsistency can make him a difficult person to love, but when he saw you loving him unconditionally and always being there, he realized what a difference that made in his life. It hurts his pride to tell you his problems and he finds it far easier to just burn the furniture but he really tries. He hasn’t been burning much furniture lately right? He’s opening up to you more and more every day and wants to become the same cushion for you. He wants you to be able to trust him as much as he trusts you. If another person looks at you for a second too long or makes you laugh, he is going to be jealous as hell. Trust me the moment he drops you home after a date or is out of your sight, he is going to track them down and give them the scariest warning in their life. It’ll be so scary they’ll refuse to see anyone in a romantic way anymore incase there are more bastards like Bakugou. He loves it when you try to be rough with him and that one time you pinned him against the wall..yeah I think he wants you to do it again.

Monoma

If you’re with Monoma that speaks a lot about you too. Because from a surface level I don’t think anyone can stand Monoma. He looks like he’s arrogant and obnoxious and gloats thinking he’s above everyone. His slicked hair and the way he sneers like he knows he’s good looking. There’s a lot of things to dislike. But you chose to stay and dug deeper. You were able to see the insecurities he tries to mask with his persona and the internal bruises he covers beneath his tuxedo. He adores you for knowing him so well and relies on you a lot. It’s sometimes hard for him because he hates depending on someone but you always comfort him and tell him that you’ve found your calling. He kisses you then, multiple times all around your face finally ending at your lips. Verbal affirmations aren’t really his thing because somehow stuff he says still comes out as self absorbed and arrogant. But with you by his side he’s improving every day. He gets really irritated when people hang around you but he tries to convince himself that you’ll be loyal and he doesn’t have to worry. He’s not stupid he hears what everyone says about how you could do better. But you chose him in the end and that’s what’s important.

Shinso

You like the silent mysterious type don’t you? Absolutely nothing wrong with that because he is a total green flag. To be honest I don’t think he knows exactly how to be romantic and sometimes his gestures of love can be a little weird. Like sometimes when he sees you in a crowd even if you smile and wave he’s just gonna stand there looking at you with no expression. He forgets he has a mouth and eyes that can be used to express one’s emotions. He also has no understanding of social cues so please bear with him. Also I’m sorry that your pickup lines hit a blank wall. Except that one time you made a star-wars pickup line and said yoda only one for me. You fell even harder for him when you realized he was a geek too and he fell harder because he finally understood all the nonsense you were yapping about and meant them romantically. Bear with him, I know he sucks at showing it but he really likes you. Have you seen the way he grits his teeth and glares if someone so much as looks at you. You like him being possessive don’t you? He loves it when you have deep conversations with him and he’ll listen to you talking endlessly.

Amajiki

LOOK AT MY POOKIE MWAH

I’m sorry but Amajiki is mine. Go find your own cinnamon roll. I’m gate keeping all his character traits and love languages. I’ll just word drop so that you get jealous.

He’s super depressed and moody if I leave him and talk to someone else.

The moment he sees me in a crowded room, he walks up to me and attaches himself to me and eventually convinces me to leave so that we can hang out together.

He’s biggest fear is actually losing me, he doesn’t mean that as a joke.

He loves it when I cuddle him and tell him how much I love him.

Which I do on a regular basis so back off. :3

[betweenlands]

It takes exactly two seconds between Impulse looking up at the top of the Secret Keeper and him realizing what he's actually seeing up there to decide he is officially sick and tired of seeing ghosts.

There are seven entire ghosts around the thing today -- a couple appear to be tinkering with the secret delivery mechanisms. Impulse squints at them.

"What are you doing?" he says.

"Trying to figure out how to load more tasks into this thing," one of them replies, kicking one of the blocks with buttons on them. He's got a full beard and some weird green glowing mushrooms poking out of cracks in his face. It's definitely... a look, Impulse will give him that. Very Mycelium Resistance. "But whoever designed it used freakin' command blocks, and you can't even see the randomizer run."

"How many times did your randomizer break again?" one of the other ghosts calls from up on top of the Secret Keeper.

"Never!" the mushroom ghost protests, causing at least two other ghosts to crack up laughing. "It worked completely flawlessly except for user error."

One of the ghosts, someone who appears to have a floating cactus block for a head, snorts. "And programmer error."

"You shut it," the mushroom ghost responds.

"He's not wrong," the more normal-looking brown-haired ghost over by the command blocks says absently, purple eyes clearly focused on trying to trace the wiring back to the actual command blocks.

Impulse just stands there, bewildered -- both because the ghosts are actually talking to him, and also because these are extremely weird ghosts to be talking to who look nothing like anyone he's even vaguely heard of.

"Fine," he says, "you know what, I'll bite. Why are you guys here?"

"Checking in," a ghost sitting on one of the lower rocks says. He's wearing blue and yellow, looks to be a little more transparent than the others. "Y'know, new season and all that?"

Impulse squints at him. "No, I meant, why are you following me?"

"Ohhhh!" The ghost laughs. "Hadn't looked into what you were doing yet, and these guys wanted to see if they could get some of their tasks into the machine, so I just brought everyone along."

"That's not really a good answer," a ghost leaning inside the alcove under the Secret Keeper says. He's got a mask pulled up over his face, though his voice doesn't really sound muffled at all.

"What," the blue and yellow ghost says, "am I supposed to say something like it's because you're one of the people with no hard-and-fast thematic associations to stick to and therefore easier to facilitate a meeting with and freak him out more?"

Impulse squints harder. "Are you guys Watchers?"

The blue-and-yellow ghost snorts. "Hah! That's Martyn's lore, bud, not yours. Nope, nothing to do with the Watchers."

"Aren't you technically--" the ghost in the alcove starts.

"Tsssssshhhhhh," the other ghost replies by way of shushing him aggressively, "spoilers!"

"Alright," the alcove ghost says, spreading his hands in mock defeat, "fine, have it your way. He's right though. Not Watchers."

"Lowercase-w maybe," the brown-haired ghost still inspecting the redstone with the mushroom ghost says, "but otherwise, no."

Impulse is starting to feel like he's wandered into something way above his pay grade.

The alcove ghost snaps his fingers. Impulse notes somewhat absent-mindedly that he has, like, a lot of piercings on one ear. "Hey," he says, "come to think of it, we might be able to help you out with some stuff."

"I swear to God," another ghost says from on top of the Secret Keeper, "if you try to sell another person on your weird coffee god thing again-"

"I wasn't going to!" he responds. "Honest! I was just gonna say, it looks like there's a plains biome here, that means oxeye daisies, that means suspicious stew with regen if you can get a good source of mushrooms."

"Unfortunately," the mushroom ghost says, looking up from where he and the other ghost appear to now be trying to cram books into the ground, "the space for the hearts seems like it just kinda vanishes when people get hit. At least, if I'm not misunderstanding the programming."

"If you're misunderstanding the programming then we're both reading this code wrong," the brown-haired ghost says. "And I'm pretty sure I used something similar here for Dark Path stuff, so probably not?"

"Dang," the alcove ghost says, then tilts his head back towards Impulse. "Maybe make splash poison potions, then? That'll take out a good chunk of someone's health if they can't regen."

"He is green," the cactus-headed ghost says. "Why's he gotta make poison potions right now?"

A shrug in response. "Never hurts to prep early."

The blue-and-yellow ghost leans forward, squinting at him. "Alright," he says, "one of my wisps give you that idea or what?"

Another shrug. "I mean, what if they did?"

"Last time you started listening to his wisps," the brown-haired ghost says, "they told you to try and kill everyone just because I beefed it before the dragon fight."

"It would've worked if you hadn't warned them," the ghost in the alcove replies. "I can't believe you tried to sabotage my attempt at avenging you."

"I can't believe you listened to them in the first place," the blue-and-yellow ghost says. "They're bloodthirsty, they don't really give good advice."

"And I," Impulse says, having inched his way over towards the new task button, "am going to take my task and leave, because you guys are weird."

He hits the button and flips through the taskbook.

"End every sentence said to another player in a question?" he says, squinting down at it.

"You're already doing better than some of us were!" one of the ghosts on top of the Secret Keeper yells down.

"Oh my god, shut up!" the mushroom ghost yells back, and then turns to Impulse. "Hey, by the way, have you considered getting a pet parrot?"

"That's still a bad loophole and you know it," the blue-and-yellow ghost cuts in.

"I heard him just fine," the brown-haired ghost says. "Hey, hang on -- that's one of ours! It worked!"

Impulse decides he's not even going to bother trying to be polite about leaving. He has had entirely enough of these ghosts in particular.

[sylsoddsandends]

My experience with Microtia, v2!

A (hopefully) educational post!

I wrote the original version of this post back in 2021! I've learned more things since then + I've gotten better at writing, so I thought it'd be nice to remake it with some updates! So, let's get into it :)

What is Microtia?

Microtia is a congenital facial difference that affects the outer ear, where the outer ear doesn't fully develop during pregnancy like it should.

Microtia comes in four "grades" depending on how developed the ear is. At higher grades, it may also include atresia, which is the lack of an external opening to the ear canal. The highest grade, grade 4, is also known as anotia, and that means there is no external ear present at all.

Microtia can be present on its own, or it can be a part of the wider conditions Hemifacial Microsomia, Goldenhar Syndrome, and Treacher-Collins Syndrome.

If you'd like more fancy clinical information, I'm gonna direct you to this website :) I'm not a doctor.

What effects can microtia have?

Probably the most obvious effect of all is that microtia is a visible difference. People will notice, and they will wonder about you. When I was younger, I was asked more than once by my peers if I had been in a fire! To which, hey, it's none of your business!

I know most adults, at least, understand that it's rude to ask, but I still wear my hair down near-constantly, just to avoid any attention getting drawn to my ears. I've never gotten them pierced, for the same reason.

If atresia is present, then microtia can also be a cause of deafness. Whether a person with microtia is involved with the d/Deaf community may vary (I am not), but it's still pretty hard to hear when there's no way for the sound to actually get to your inner ear.

Some people opt for reconstruction to change this- essentially, plastic surgery to open up the ear canal and make the ear appear more "normal". Others get a bone-anchored hearing aid, aka BAHA– sound can be conducted through bone, so a BAHA delivers sound as vibration directly to the bone. Still others (like me) choose not to change it– I feel my ears are fine as they are, and I would rather the people around me simply be accommodating! (More on this in a bit!)

I, specifically, have microtia in both my ears, with atresia on my right side. This means I am unilaterally deaf. Unilateral hearing loss requires some different considerations than bilateral hearing loss– I can still generally hear and understand others, but I have trouble with a few things, which I'm going to give their own subsection right here.

People standing on my right side– I generally call it my "bad side" but that's definitely not the most neutral thing to call it and it'll vary person to person what they're comfortable with. If someone stands on my bad side I will struggle to understand and keep track of them, and I may not even realize they are speaking to me if I didn't expect it.

Due to this I try to always stay to the right of others and stand at a little bit of an angle.

Unilateral hearing loss causes a loss of what we call "distance perception", much like how loss of vision on one side causes a loss of depth perception– my brain can't compare inputs from both ears to tell where a sound is coming from and what sounds to prioritize.

This means that I am bad at Marco Polo, buuut it also means that noisy areas can be especially overwhelming and I can struggle to follow conversations there. I hated my high school cafeteria with a burning passion.

The little things! I can't wear earbuds in my right ear, and they get uncomfortable quickly in my left. I need the earpieces of my glasses bent further so they stay on right, and I can't wear face masks that go over my ears. If I get earwax or water in my left ear, I will really struggle to hear at all. It's a pain in the neck!

How can you (and/or your characters) be accommodating to someone with microtia?

Don't ask invasive questions! Seriously, it's really uncomfortable, they'll tell you on their own if they want you to know.

Stand and walk where they can hear you well! If you do this on your own it's really nice and shows you care.

Use the language they are comfortable with! There's not as much of a "person-first" versus "identity-first" thing with microtia– I mean, I guess I could be called a "microtia-having individual", but it'd just feel really clunky. But I'm not the spokesperson for every person with microtia out there! So respect the language they'd like you to use.

Be mindful of situations where they might be struggling to hear you, and make a conscious effort to include them in conversation! Remember how I mentioned the cafeteria? Yeah, I might not have hated it so much if the people I knew actually tried to have intelligible conversations with me. Also, please just repeat stuff if we ask, it just feels like you're purposefully leaving us out if you say "never mind".

Why am I writing this?

This is the most important part of this whole guide to me!

The thing is, I've never seen a character with microtia in media, and only once or twice in art. As much as I would love to see characters who look like me, that just doesn't happen.

Yeah, microtia is rare– it occurs in somewhere between 1/6000 to 1/12000 births– but even by that logic, for every 60 to 120 redhead characters, there should be one with microtia! And I know a LOT of redheads in pop culture.

Furthermore, even the discussion of microtia online is pretty heavily focused on family and what they can do to "fix" microtia. And while I won't bash people who did go that route– if its right for you, it's right for you!– I see my ears in a neutral light and would rather just treat them as a part of my body like any other.

I want to be able to have conversations with people like me and commiserate about how annoying it is to have someone try to talk to me and be unable to understand them, or how convenient it can be when someone is apparently being annoying off to my right side and I don't have to listen to them!

So, I hope this little guide post of mine inspires you to include microtia in your artwork, or for that matter, to include other lesser-known differences! I'm sure there are other people out there hoping for the same thing I am. So go forth and talk to them, include them, and I bet they'll be really happy to see themselves, just as I'll be :)

If you've still here after this little ramble of mine, feel free to ask questions or provide suggestions if you have them! I'd love to hear what you have to say, too ^^

[shookie-y]

Wisteria Blooms (3)

Pairing: Giyuu X Reader/ Tanjiro X Reader

Desc: (Y/n) is Giyuu's Tsuguko. Ubuyashiki appointed him to train her a year after he met Tanjiro. (Y/n) has had strong feelings for the water pillar for a few months. During a mission with Giyuu she runs into the two Kamado siblings. For Tanjiro it was love at first sight. What happens when (Y/n) has to fight her feelings for not only the two slayers but also keep up with the fight against the demons?

A/N: All of the characters are slightly aged up or down to make this story work. Tanjiro will be 18 and Giyuu will be 20. (Y/n) will be 19. If anyone has any questions about the other characters ages feel free to ask.

----------------------------------------------------------

The woods around you are quiet. There is a small breeze blowing through the trees. Your hair is moving slightly from the wind. Your leg doesn't hurt as much anymore. Shinobu had stitched it up when you dropped Kanao off. You couldn't stay long because you needed to get back to Giyuu... well his estate. The walk isn't long but it's taking you longer than normal due to your exhaustion. After what feels like forever, you finally see the doors to Giyuu's estate.

You smile and walk faster to the front door. "Tomioka-san? I'm back." You make your way through the building, looking for any sign of the man.

There seems to be no sign of him.

Well you think that until you hear a door sliding open behind you. "Tomioka-san! I was wondering where you went off to." You turn around with a big smile. Your gaze lands on Giyuu, who is standing there in shock. having just come from the bath. You look him up and down. The only thing he's wearing is a towel around his waist. You freeze and stare at Giyuu's bare chest. Water was still dripping down his abs.

"Oh... you're back." The nonchalant tone startles you and you quickly cover your face, your cheeks burning from embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to stare! I should go rest!" You quickly turn around and rush off to your room. You quickly shove your door open and collapse on your bed. "I can't believe I just did that." You groan and shove your pillow over your head.

I didn't even try to hide the fact that I was checking him out. What is wrong with me? I'm his Tsuguko for goodness sake.

Not a second later you pass out.

Thirteen days pass as you're waiting for your sword and uniform to arrive. You've been avoiding Giyuu since the day you arrived back. It wasn't hard to do since he was usually on a mission or doing Hashira stuff. He is here today though.

You are currently sitting outside on the steps. You're just enjoying the breeze when a sound catches your attention.

Kting, kting, kting

You look up and see a person walking towards you. They're wearing a a sunflower patterned haori and a Hyottoko mask. They also have a hat which appears to have windchimes all around it. That's probably what is making the noise.

"Hello?" You tilt your head in confusion and stare up at the mysterious person.

"I am called Haganezuka. I am he who forged (Y/n) (L/n)'s katana." A deep voice comes from behind the mask.

"I am (Y/n). Would you like to come inside?" I motion to the front door. "I can make tea or something."

Instead of answering your question, he kneels down on the ground and starts opening a box.

That box must contain my katana.

"Oh, please co-"

"This is a nichirin sword. I forged this blade. The iron sand and ore that are the materials for a nichirin sword are gathered at the mountain closest to the sun. Scarlet iron sand and scarlet ore both absorb light. The sun shines all year on mount yoko. It is never cloudy and rain never falls."

The door opens behind you and Haganezuka shoots his head up.

"Your sword is here." Giyuu is staring down at the both of you. "Please come inside." He turns and walks back inside.

Haganezuka and you pick up his stuff and carry it inside. You all kneel down around some tea Giyuu had set out. "Draw your sword, (Y/n)."

You nod at Giyuu and pick up the katana carefully. The sheath is a light blue with tiny white snowflakes hand painted on. "It's beautiful. Thank you." You smile and bow at Haganezuka.

"Yeah yeah..." He huffs and crosses his arms. "Nichirin swords are also called color-changing katana. Their color changes depending on who is holding them.

You slowly pull out the katana and hold it up. It takes a few seconds before the blade starts to turn white. You gasp and stare at the sword in amazement. You go to say something but are cut off.

Your crow flies down to the window. "Kaw! Kaw! (Y/n) (L/n)! You must head for a town east. This is your first job as a demon slayer!" The three of you listen to the crow speak. "Children are going missing every night from their beds!"

Children going missing?

[sunsetovertheocean]

Some of the many things that truly suck about being a high masking autistic person with a high IQ is that I'm never "autistic enough" to be "truly autistic," never "disabled enough" to be "truly disabled," that there are no accommodations I "actually need" because I do well enough in school so why would I need any help whatsoever right? (Wrong, very very wrong.)

And yet somehow at the same time, despite how hard I try, I'm never "normal enough," I'm always "weird" and "odd" and it doesn't matter how much time and energy I put into trying to learn how neurotypicals communicate and social cues and tone and facial expressions and everything else because it never works.

But somehow, despite the way everyone thinks I'm weird, no one believes me when I tell them I'm autistic. It's always "no, I don't think you are," or "but you don't look autistic," or "you can't be autistic," or "but you're so normal," or "everyone's a little autistic," or any of the other ableist things people always spew out.

You can't possibly know if I'm autistic or not if you don't go to my brain. You can't. You just can't. What is autism "supposed" to look like to you? A rich white five year old boy who's your nephew or something that has a special interest on trains? (And autistic people who fit that exact description definitely do exist and are just as valid) Because an afab LGBTQ+ Asian teenager "can't possibly" be autistic. I appear "normal" (despite the fact that my entire life you've been telling me the opposite) to you because I've learned how to mask from a really young age because people like you taught me that everything about me was inherently wrong. That everything about the way I actually am is something to be ashamed of, something to lock away in a vault behind bars out of sight, something no one can ever know because who would like me if they did? Because now that you've said that, you can be sure that I'm not going to feel safe enough around you to even begin to try to unmask. Not everyone is "a little bit autistic" you can't be "a little bit autistic" you are or you're not. Not everyone is autistic. If everyone was autistic it wouldn't be a diagnosis, if everyone was autistic then the world would be a more accepting place for autistic people (not to say ableist people won't still exist).

I know this is largely a "complain-y" post that doesn't really touch that much on the challenges that autism itself can bring and mainly just on the ableist people that I've had the displeasure of interacting with and this definitely doesn't touch on everything (not in the slightest), but on the other hand, why do people find it so weird that autistic people (and all people with disabilities) can and do (although not everyone does and that's completely ok too) feel proud to be autistic? Even though I hate some parts of being autistic, even though it's hard a lot of the time, why can't I be happy too? Why must I always have to be suffering in your eyes? What if I love obsessing over my special interests, what if I love stimming and the way it makes me feel, what if I love the way my brain works sometimes? What if even the things I hate I sometimes love and the things I love I also sometimes hate? And what if everything (whether I love it or hate it or both) is all a part of me? And everything is a part of me that I can't change or be "me" without, and why can't I be proud that despite the way some things are really really hard I'm still trying? That I'm still doing everything I can. Why can't I be proud that I'm a part of a community that has done incredible things and that has incredible people? I don't understand.

It's always either "you can't possibly be autistic because you're so smart" or "you can't possibly be smart because you're autistic" or both at the same time because for some reason that makes sense to people. It's either "let me infantilize you because you clearly can't do anything" or "let me except way too damn much from you because you must know everything" or both at the same time and none of it makes sense. Why can't I have both strengths and weaknesses? Why can't I both struggle and succeed? It doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense.

I'm a person. I'm an autistic person. Why is this so hard for neurotypicals to understand?

I just started ranting about the things at the top of my mind which then kind of spiraled into.... whatever this ended up being.

[laduenadelswing]

Love game (Vox x female OC)

Chapter 3

Isabel stood in front of the old, red, rusting Hotel. Just as she was about to knock on the door. A blond, cute and overall positive woman opened the door. “I am Isabel, I don't know how I got into hell and could use some help.” She sopped. “Oh, don't worry, there is always a place for a lost soul. I am Charlie.” She smiled, hugged her and seemed happier than everyone. Oh, yes! Vox told her Charlie was a sunshine and naive, it's not that hard to manipulate her. Isabel thought. “Uhhh, I need to introduce you to our family.” She exclaimed excited.

Alastor - A deer like demon and hotelier. Everyone seems intimidated by his presence. Angel dust-porn star, famous very horny and masking. He would understand her, they went through the same things in a different setting Charlie – Sunshine and rainbows, way too happy for hell. Naive. Husk-Barkeeper, seemed pretty smart but wouldn't be to be manipulated easily Sir Pentiuos- Not as powerful but had deep-rooted desire for friends Nifty-small, clean, crazy Vaggie- instantly distrusted Isabel, never smiles except for Charlie but seemed to support her no matter what.

This would be a challenge.

“What do you guys do all day?” Isabel asked intimidated. “In the morning, we usually work on redemption and trying to become a better person. After that some go to work, go to Husk at the bar or work in the hotel.” Charlie almost screamed while laughing, happier than any human has ever been. “So nice, what do you eat normally?” Isabel asked, her stomach growling. “Normally everybody grabs something,” Charlie explained, scratching her head. “Let me cook something, since everybody has something to do and every exercise is done. Let me help.” Isabel smiled nervously. “Of course, Alasitor, help our new guest please.” Suddenly a tall figure appeared behind you, he had claws, deer like hair and the biggest smile on his face. “I've seen you before?” Isabel thought. She couldn't quite remember exactly what happened on her first night, but the demon looked familiar. “Pleased to meet you, darling.” He smiled. After your brief introduction, Vaggie pulled Charlie aside, her eyes killing you. “How can you get any kind of food here?” Isabel asked. “We could take a stroll, but for now you can leave it to me.” With a snap, the whole kitchen was equipped and food appeared right in front of your face. “Wow impressive, I assume you're vegetarian? Since you resemble a deer.” Alastor glared at her. “Why dear. In my days, hunting was really normal. I was pretty skilled.” As the last words left his mouth, the surrounding air heated up, the lights began to flicker and his face turned dark. He is intimidating, know I understand why Vox wants me to keep an eye on him, Isabel thought. She forced a smile on her face. “ I have never hunted before. The paparazzi always hunted me.” She confessed. Alastor laughed, “Oh dear, I couldn't be this bad, couldn't it?” Now her face turned pale, thinking about how many times she was stalked and harassed made her sick. “How did you survive your first night, darling?” Alastor deflected. “ I just ran into someone who gave me a job and a place to stay.” Isabel answered truthfully, thinking about her previous night with Vox, he was really caring. “Convenient” Alastor exclaimed. Together they cooked a balanced dinner with fresh meat, raw meat for the radio demon, a bunch of different vegetables and fruits. The whole hotel crew feasted on their home cooked meal. Charlie loved it, Angledust was horny as always, Husk smiled, nifty couldn't stop eating, Sir pentious was happy and praised the food. Vaggie, however, stayed quit and glared at her. 

“You are a really great addition to our team.” Charlie fangirled. This made her smile, no one has ever been so cheerful in her presence and meant it. “I love to help, maybe you can help me someday to go back to earth.” Charlies eyes grew bigger. “How is earth right now?” She asked curiously.

“Right now? I don’t know if it´s getting better or worse. So many people fight and hate each other, the real beauty is forgotten. But to be able to travel anywhere you want is actually amazing. I am sure you would love the sun, beaches, galas and stars.” Isabel answered Charlie's happiness was addicting. Charlie smiled. They tidied up, everybody seemed to go their way. Alastor showed you your. It was small, but it had character. With some pictures and cool pillows, it would be very comfortable, she thought. After that, he also left, she could leave after they did all their funny games. She waited a couple of days before leaving the hotel at night. Vox lost his mind. He covered every centimeter of hell with cameras, except for the hotel. Not seeing his obsession made him sick. He gave you into the claws of his enemy. Until she left the hotel one night, she looked so stunning. It was way too long since they have last seen each other. The chokehold she had on him was unbelievable.

She went downhill and as soon as she wasn't right next to the hotel, Vox appeared. “Long time no see.” He greeted her and kissed her hand. “Vox, how are you?” She asked him as they walked into the night. “Ah you know the usual, work, Velvet, Valentino. Nothing special.” He smiled. “I love seeing you again. Hell can be exhausting. It's refreshing to have someone like you around.” He admitted. They tried to vanish into the crowed. Some demons looked around to attack the couple. “Oh, she looks like fresh meat.” They murmured with their predatory smiles.

They cornered Vox and Isabel. “Gentleman, I am sure you don’t want to get into a fight with me.” He buzzed. As they came closer, his left eye started changing, his smile grew bigger, and he shoved you gently behind his back. The gang of demons turned away immediately, hypnotized. “Let's get out of here.” Vox whispered. The rest of the walk was uneventful, Isabel tried to vanish in Vox´s shadow. Vox towered her and made sure she was under his protection. “Finally.” He stretched when they entered his apartment. They sat down, Vox purred both of them a drink. They caught up on the events that they missed. As the night continued, they climbed up the rooftop. “I really missed that.” Vox confessed. “What did you miss, the company or the view?” She shot back playfully before continuing, “I missed our conversations too Vox, the hotel is great, but this is something different.” Isabel admitted.

At that moment, Vox's internal conflict became palpable. He wanted to taste her lips, get a taste of how their intimacy would be. Vox restrained himself, he was a master manipulator, always in control. H e wanted her closeness, but only if she desired him as well. Vox tried to get some space in-between them. She was caught in Vox's magnetic field of desire, the energy between them was growing. Shivers ran down her spine. She looked at him seductively. Her face painted in a light blue shine.”Blue suits you.”He whispered. “Thank you for saving me.” Isabel replied. He tucked her hair behind her hair. She took his claw and gave it a small kiss, looked up and gave him a Hollywood smile. At this moment she could see the electricity shooting through his body, his eye glitching a little. “You know, Vox, sometimes it's good to let loose.” She whispered, while Vox became stiff under her touch.

“Chaos can be beautiful.” Isabel added her smile made his world lit up. “I really don't want you to go back there.” Vox admitted. “Vox, you are the one who wanted me there.” At this moment, he knew it was too late to kiss her. Or was it? She turned away from him and faced the breathtaking view from the roof. A shy smile appeared on her face. “Oh, I think I need to go. I don't wanna cause any trouble.” She faced him, “Thank you, Vox.” She smiled, hugged the Overlord a little bit longer than adequate, and left smiling. Vox repaid her smile, it was genuine. He walked her to the hotel. “You wanna come back tomorrow? Or whenever you want.” He asked with a hint of shyness, before he turned on his best PR- smile. Isabel, not wanting to cause any commotion, went back to the hotel. As she entered, Angle sat on the couch. “Had a long night, Sugar?” He asked playfully. “Kinda.” Isabel replied. “You're dating someone.” He asked half-heartedly whilst scrolling on his phone. She chuckled and left into her room.

Authors Note: I would love to hear some feedback. Also, I am so excited for tonight's episode. Thank you so much for all the love. It means the world to me.

[goose-duck]

♡Our World♡ (pt. 1)

Killer x Reader

Killer from One Piece comes to our world and meets u :D

Pt 2

~~~~~~

I was at work, not doing anything really, my boss has me working security at an empty court house. The place smells bad and has a rodent problem, but it's quiet so I don't mind. I was on my phone, writing a One Piece fanfiction. I love One Piece, it's always been my favourite anime. It was made before I was born in 2005, but my mother loved it so I often watched it with her as a child and I fell in love.

As I continued to write I heard a strange sound and saw a headache inducing light in front of me. I had no idea what I was looking at but it sure as hell wasn't normal. I get headaches easily due to a head injury so I wasn't even able to look at the light to see what was going on…to be fair I doubted a person without a head injury would've been able to either. My ears start ringing and my head feels light but not in a good way, the radio feels like it's blaring and I can't keep my eyes open. I was starting to get worried with this strange light, it wasn't coming from anything in the room, it was just there. I hold my head, trying to stay conscious as it feels like my head is exploding.

Suddenly it all stops and there's a man standing in the middle of the courthouse. I recognize him immediately, Killer, from One Piece. What the hell? Why is he here? Am I dead? Is this heaven?? Maybe it's hell…why would it be hell, he's my favourite character..? As I continue to ask myself questions with no tangible answer he turns his mask covered head to me, “hey.” he says, almost in a questioning tone but it sounds more like he’s just trying to get my attention. I quickly snap out of my thoughts and look up at him, “hi.” I say meekly, still confused and even a little scared, the lingering effects of my headache making it hard to keep my eyes open, all lights still bothering me.

He doesn't come any closer to me however he does turn his body to face me, “where am I? Did you do this?” he asks sternly, demanding an immediate answer with his tone. I get scared, I think he's really cool, but I wouldn't doubt he'd make me regret living if he thought I did this, “no…no! Nuh uh! Not me! That sounds really suspicious…uh…it wasn't me, I swear! I do however think you're in a different reality…” I say, trying to sound as normal as possible and quite frankly failing to the largest degree. He relaxes a bit, realizing there's absolutely no way I could have done this. He then sighs again, “another reality? What makes you think that?” he askes, sounding almost stressed, definitely worried and confused. “I mean…your name is Killer, right?” I say, almost unsure despite his appearance. It’s not a common name, if its his it'll be obvious who I'm talking to. He looks stunned, I may not be able to see his face but his body language is more than enough to tell how he feels. “yeah. That's my name.” he somehow seems less trusting of me now. He continues, “how’d you know that?” it's a good question to ask, even if I know he's from an alternate reality it doesn't explain how I know his name. I start sweating a bit, this is getting stressful, “because…um…uuuuhhhhhhh” I start panicking so I just make a weird noise and freeze up.

I stop with my stressed groan and just sit there giving him a very obtuse look. He crosses his arms and I'm sure under his mask he's giving me a look too. This has got to be one of the worst shows of my lack of social skills ever. He sighs and relaxes his body, “I'm not gonna hurt ya” he says, trying to reassure and calm me down so I'll talk. I start trying to stutter out my words but I make no progress, some weird squeak coming out of my throat instead of words. I begin to get annoyed with myself and sigh dropping my head onto my desk, “fuck.” I mumble under my breath. He walks over to me, causing me to quickly sit upright to get further away without looking rude. He notices this action isn't just me sitting up, it's me being afraid. He backs up a little, holding his hands up. I mumble out an apology, “s-sor-fucking…ugh…sorry.” I try to calm myself and speak with more conviction however it doesn't work very well, I sound as pathetic as before, but I've got a calmer look on my face. He nods at me, silently acknowledgeding and returning my apology.

I sigh for the millionth time, still trying to collect myself. I begin trying to explain in terms he’d understand, “I know your name because you're from a book in this world…the author drew you on the cover of one of the books. Does that make sense? Do I sound crazy? Who am I kidding of course I do…especially now that I'm talking to myself…” I start rambling towards the end, changing from talking to him to myself. Killer seems to be a little concerned with whatever my problem is but he understands my explanation. “you sound a little strange, however this whole situation is strange so that's not a big deal.” he responds, reassuring me I don't sound completely deranged. I nod at him, an awkward smile on my face.

I ask the question that needs to be asked, “so what now?” he hums, “I need a place to stay, would you be okay with that place being with you?” he asks politely, he's giving me room to back out but I'm sure he more than knows I'll say yes, either out of pity or because he's a character from a book I like. I nod at him, “yeah, yeah, that's okay, we can do that…uh…yeah.” I squabble out at him in response, trying to hide my excitement. He looks around, “is this your house?” “no, I just work here” “ah, it smells weird” “no kidding, it smells like old people” he seems to hold back a laugh at that…right, he doesn't like his laugh…hm…I wonder at what point in the story is he from..? “hey, Killer..?” I ask tp get his attention, he looks at me, “hm?” I take in a nervous breath of air, “what's the most recent event that’s happened in your life?” his body language screams confused, “what? Why? Shouldn't you know, you've read whatever book I'm from.” I respond quickly, “oh, uh, just so I don't spoil the future potentially” he nods, “Kid and I just left Wano.” he states calmly. “ah…okay…don't read the book or anything then.” I say a little quieter than my previous words. “oh? Okay.” he says, presumably giving me a strange look under his mask.

I sit there for a second before striking up a conversation again, “I'm here for a few more hours, then I can take us to my house.” I inform him. I'm lucky, not many people can afford a house nowadays, many struggle even with an apartment, I'm just lucky my grandparents left me their house. Killer nods at me, he doesn't seem to mind that he’ll have to stay at the courthouse for a few hours. I wonder if that's because he probably does a lot of just sitting around on a pirate ship…they have no internet or anything on one of those…though he'd have people to talk to, at this job it's just me…sometimes I wonder if it'll drive me crazy. At least I have him to talk to now, even if he is a man of notably few words, at least someone's listening and I don't come off as completely nuts.

He seems fascinated by the radio I have on. It makes sense, snails do this stuff in his world. My old school radio from the 80’s definitely isn't a snail. “whatcha thinking about?” I ask, not wanting to just assume I know what he's looking at. “this thing…what…what is it?” he sounds relaxed with me now, however I still sounded skittish. “oh, it's a radio, it's an old one from the 80’s.” I say, then I realize ‘the 80’s’ is probably something he's not gonna get and I mentally slap myself. “a radio? The 80’s? What year is it?” he asks sounding a little distressed again. “a radio works like a snail and its the year 2024.” I respond nervously. “oh.” he says, sounding very perturbed. I try to change the topic, finding the atmosphere is getting uncomfortable, “want a cookie? I bought one at Tim’s earlier.” I hold out a chocolate chip cookie to him. He takes it from me, “thanks.” he then turns away, presumably to eat it. I debate telling him I've already seen his face in the book or not but I decide not to for now, I'll let him show me if he wants to.

After he finishes the cookie he turns back around, “it was good…tell Tim it was good.” He seems to have assumed ‘Tim's’ is a small personal restaurant or maybe a friend, that tracks, in his world it probably would be. “Oh…uh…I can't…it's a restaurant chain.” “A restaurant chain?” “Yeah.” “What's that?” “Corperate business?” “Nope” “ugh” “sorry” “no, don't..I…ugh…it's like if I restaurant had some power in the government?” “Oh…alright.” That was a bit awkard, but I did enjoy hearing his voice a bit more, it's nice, the sub and the dub, he's always got a beautiful voice. I get a bit ballsy and tell him that, “you've got a nice voice.” He turns his head to look at me, seeming to check if i was telling the truth. After a few seconds of stunned silence he responds with an awkward, “thanks.” he then stands there for a few more seconds, thinking about something, “what's your name?” oh right, I hadn't introduced myself, “oh…Y/N.” he nods, “it's nice, suits you.” I giggle a bit, “thanks, picked it myself.” “you did?” “yeah.” “why?” “my old name didn't ‘suit me’.” “ah, I get that.” “you do?” “kinda.” “I belive you.” “thanks?” “you're welcome!” I enjoy the quick conversation, we seem to have a deeper understanding of each other now.

A few hours later and me and him are talking like long time friends. He's still got some walls up, but we're able to just chat, it's nice. I realize it's 5:00pm and I can go home so I start closing up. “what are you doing?” he inquires. “closing up so we can go home.” I respond, flicking the lights off, “can you help me with teh blinds? Some of them are hard to reach.” he nods and gets up, going to a window and twisting the thingy to close the blinds, he continues until they're all closed. “anything else?” he askes, willing to help me further if I need it. “The chairs out front, they're such a pain to bring in…I bet it'd be easy for you.” I ask, giving him a small sweet smirk. “why?” he asks. “why bring them in or why do I think it'd be easy for you?” “both.” “there's gonna be a hurricane, I don't want the chairs to blow away. Regarding the other thing…I think your eyes work well enough for that one.” he lets out what sounds like a scoff and a laugh, “yeah, I can see that.” I giggle a bit, “nah I'm so strong.” “sure, buddy” it feels like he's smiling behind his mask so I smile back. He then nods his head and leaves to bring the chairs in for me.

When he comes inside I ask him to close the door behind him, telling him we'll be leaving through the back door. He closes the door behind him and walks over to me packing up my work stuff, “I have the next two days off so we can spend some time together and I can teach you some basic stuff about this world so it's easier for you to be here.” “alright, sounds good.” he says, picking up my monster energy drink and looking at it a bit strange, “uh, weird drink branding…what is it?” “just an energy drink.?” “why do you need that?” “I've got no energy…also it tastes good.” “why do you have no energy?” “anemia.” my answer is so blunt it seems to stun him a bit before he nods and gives a small hum of acknowledgment. “think you can hold it for me? My hands are full and I gotta be able to lock the door.” I ask him, he once again nods at me. I then head for the back door, unlocking it so we can leave, then locking it behind us once we're bothe out.

“which way to your house?” he inquires. “huh? Oh, right. You don't know what a car is..” I respond sheepishly. “a..a what?” he seems confused, which is the obvious emotion one would feel in this situation. “those things that have been going past the building all day.” “do you live in one of those?” “no, but some people do.” “why mention them then?” “they're a mode of transportation.” “I see.” I then walk over to my car, a small orange car, nothing special, “this is my car.” he looks at it like it's the strangest thing ever, “it's very orange.” “I wanted it to be easy to find.” “you definitely can't miss it.” I giggle in response. I then think for a second…will he fit? Probably…he'll just have to move the seat back. He seems to be thinking the same thing, “will I fit?” he asks, his body language seeming a little worried. “yeah, just put your seat back…wait…no…I'll do it for you.” I unlock the car, putting my things behind my seat in the back. I think walk around to the front passenger seat and get in, pushing it back for him. Instead of getting out and walking around the car like a normal person I just climb over the center console and sit in the driver's seat. “alright, get in, buddy boy!” I say casually. He gets in, seeming to snort under his breath a little at my antics. He closes the door, thank the gods that's obvious enough that I don't have to explain it.

I put my seatbelt on then I look at him in anticipation for him to do the same thing…he doesn't. “uh..um…you see that thing above your right shoulder?” “the metal thing?” “yeah.” “what about it?” “pull on it.” he pulls on it. “put the metal bit in the red thingy” I point at it and he does it. I hear the click and nod, “that's a seatbelt, you gotta wear it in cars for safety.” he nods…he does a lot of nodding. “You can handle being on a ship…so…uh…you probably won't get car sick, but tell me if you feel sick, okay?” I ask him, giving him a lightly worried look. “I will.” he responds, turning his head to look at me. I start the car and his breathing seems to stifle a bit before he calms down. “you good?” he nods at me, “yeah, just wasn't expecting that.” I nod at him, takinga page from his book and not saying anything further. I then start driving, he doesn't seem too worried about this, given he's on Kid’s crew I imagine he's dealt with worse.

Once we get to my house and parked in the driveway I unbuckle my seatbelt and look at him again, hoping he caught onto that. He looks at me awkwardly…clearly he didn't get that. “push on the red thing you put the seatbelt in” I whisper to him as if someone else would hear. He awkwardly nods and does it. I then get out of the car, him following soon after, still holding my monster…he's been holding it this whole time…oops. I grab my things from the back seat and walk up to my house, unlocking the door and walking in, giving Killer a gesture to follow. He follows behind me, closing the door when he gets inside. My house opens to a small space with some stairs upwards. I kick my shoes off and walk upstairs. He follows suit, however being a bit less aggressive about taking his shoes off, opting to slip them off rather than just violently kicking them off. He follows me up the stairs that leaf to the living room, kitchen and a hallway. I set my stuff in the kitchen on the counter by the back door, he sets my drink down there too. “thanks.” I say giving him a soft smile when he sets my drink down. “you're welcome.” he says. I'd half expected to just get a nod but this is nice.

I walk more into the center of the kitchen. “I'll give you a quick tour!” I say with some slight enthusiasm, he nods in return, watching as I walk back over to the back door, “this is the back door…obviously…” I then turn to the right, “this is a washroom.” I turn to the right again, “closet.” he nods at me and watches me slide on my socks back into the center of the kitchen, “kitchen!” I do a large enthusiastic gesture like this is some grand show. I then walk over to the left where the dining room is, it's just a table on the other side of the kitchen counter, “dining room…” I then wonder into the room next door that funnily enough doesn't actually have a door, not from this side at least, “den area.” he follows me into the room, observing it a bit and seeing some things that tip him off that the town he's in is near the ocean.

I then open the folding wooden door and walk through. He doesn't immediately follow, he's looking at a shelf beside the door, it has my graduation picture and pictures of my friends and two of my cousins. “who are these people?” he points at a picture of me and two boys as kids. “oh, that's me and my cousins.” “ah” “why do you ask?” “kid kinda looked like you.” I giggle at the irony of the kid actually being me. He seems to look at the pictures like he's looking for something. “you good?” “huh? Oh, yeah.” I seem to have caught him off guard. I give him a look, one that says ‘what are you looking for’ before shaking my head and continuing with my tour. “This is the living room!” I say enthusiastically, diverting his attention completely away from whatever he was thinking. He looks around in here too, noting how it's more vacant than the well decorated den.

I then go down the earlier mentioned hall, “there's a bigger washroom over here..” I point at the first door on the left, “and every other room is bedrooms. Mine is that one” I point at the last door on the left, there's only four door down this hall, meaning the other two are guest rooms. “the one with the queen size bed is the last door on the right and the other one has two twin beds. He nods at me and goes down to the room with the queen sized bed. He hesitates to open the door, “go in” I encourage. He opens the door and looks I side. He looks at the room like it's the ugliest thing he's ever seen. “something wrong?” “red, green and yellow…um…everything?” “yes?” “why?” “because it is.” he looks at me like there's something wrong with me. The rest of my house looks normal except for this guest room…I couldn't be bothered to fix it because I'm not in there often so it looks like how my grandparents had designed it.

“My room’s right across the hall if you need anything.” I say with a friendly tone. He nods at me and despite his judgment of my guest room he thanks me for giving him a place to stay anyway. “we'll deal with the clothes problem tomorrow, I think you'll be okay for tonight, right?” he nods, “yeah, I'll be okay for now.” I smile at him, “wanna see my room?” “sure.” I open the door to a relatively normal room, a bit messy and there's some One Piece related things but it ultimately looks normal. Why does it looks normal? Because there's a room I haven't shown killer yet. It's got my gaming set up and all my merch from different things i like…it's also got a washing machine and a drier. “nice room.” “thanks.”

“what about that room you walked past earlier?” “what room?” “the door in the kitchen?” “oh.” that's the door to the room…guess I'll have to show him. I signal for him to follow me and I open the door, theres wooden stairs that lead to an open space. I walk down and he follows. Once we get down there and around the stairs he sees many One Piece and other interesting merch items, he also sees my PC set up and a landry machine…he then sees the figures I have of him and he barely contains his laughter. “your laugh is beautiful, however, do not.” I look at him with shame and embarrassment. He struggles to hold in his laughter, snickering under his breath but calms himself and nods. “it's…great.” he tries to tell me, “don't lie.” “it's amazing.” “Killer.” “Y/N.” we stare at each other for a bit before I start laughing and he does too, he clearly is embarrassed by his laugh but can't stop it so I reassure him, “your laugh is so lively, I love it!!” I continue to laugh about my tragic obsession being on full display. He continues to laugh but gives me a genuine thankful smile for my compliment, it's like he's never heard someone say they love his laugh. Maybe he hasn't, but I love it, I do, I really do and I can see he knows it. Even if I can't actually see the smile on his face his body language changed instantly after I said that, he was calm with me anyway but it seemed like any lingering concerns melted away.

Once we both stop laughing we go back upstairs. He offers to make supper since he's gonna be staying with me for a bit and I have to break the news that I have practically no food in my house. He seems confused at that…why did have nothing here? What do I even have? “what do you have?” he asks. “uh…” I'm not even too sure myself anymore. I open the fridge to see milk, orange juice and bread. I then open the freezer, there's microwave steamed buns and some ice cream…and a frozen chocolate bar for some reason?? What the hell was I doing?? I then go to the cupboards, there's bearpaws and goldfish crackers. “um…sorry?” I uppologize confusedly, unsure if he'd be upset with me.

He just pats my head, seemingly feeling bad for me. “I won't take your food tonight.” he says kindly, walking off to the guest room, probably to sleep so he doesn't feel hungry. I feel bad that I have no food…I don't have the money for food…Killer doesn't seem upset with me, but he seems worried, he feels bad for me and my lack of food. I sigh and go to my room too, I didn't even get to show him the TV or my phone but maybe that's for the best for now…give him some time to think about what he's already seen. I go to my bedroom, not to sleep, but just to play games on my phone for a while. I'll wait for him to come talk to me if he wants to tonight and if not then I'll see him in the morning…presuming he's still here in the morning.

[needlessthoughtsandpoordecisions]

People who are used to being thought of as “normal” often glamourize “not normal.”

“It must be so freeing.”

“I love how your brain works.”

“That’s so cool, I wish I could do that.”

You don’t understand. People have been telling me I’m “not normal” since I was born.

I’m multiracial, so right off the bat, I was different from the other kids. No matter where I was. I’m a foreigner in every country. I don’t belong anywhere.

“Yeah, but you’re special! You stand out!”

Do you know how exhausting it is to stand out every time you leave your house? Do you know how many times strangers have demanded to know why I look different? And do you know how much it sucks to constantly be praised for being able to speak my first language?

All throughout my school years, teachers told my parents I was different. I was highly gifted, unusually intelligent, full of potential. When I took math tests and had to show my work, my math teachers would be dumbfounded because I solved problems in my own ways, completely differently from what they taught us. On standardized tests, I was always in the 99th percentile. Classmates would submit their homework to me to get it checked before submitting it to our teachers. I was called a walking encyclopedia, a cyborg, and even a term that basically meant “mafia lieutenant.” I was regularly discounted from class surveys for being an anomaly and teachers told students not to compare themselves to me because I “didn’t count.” Everyone in my life defined me by how “not normal” I was.

That prompted the masking. I spent years and years desperately trying to hide my authentic self. I manufactured my outward appearance by scripting what I would say, rehearsing my behaviour, and actively suppressing the most objectionable aspects of my individuality. But every time I got comfortable around someone and let bits of my true self show, I was seen as a novelty. At best, I felt like a museum exhibit. At worst, I felt like a shackled circus sideshow. I was never just another person. No one felt the need to recognize my humanity.

Over the last few years, I’ve been fighting hard to undo the damage of masking for so long. I have friends who accept me for who I am, even if they don’t quite understand. I’ve had romantic relationships, and a few people have even been in love with me. I’m still “not normal,” though, and thought it would always be that way.

Then something happened. I met someone, someone who identifies as “normal,” and seems it, at first. But I started noticing something bizarre. He can finish my sentences. He isn’t surprised or caught off-guard by me. I’ve never had to explain my thought process to him. My own mother has to ask me what I’m talking about all the time, but he just gets it. He’s never called me “special.” He doesn’t laugh at the way I act. He doesn’t point out when I do something others would think of as outrageous. And, for the first time in my life, I get to feel “normal.”

Imagine living your entire life breathing smog and secondhand smoke. Then one day, someone drives you up to the mountains in the middle of nowhere and you breathe fresh air for the first time. Your reaction is probably along the lines of:

“What the FUCK is this? Do other people know about this?? …They do? …Wait, some people get to experience this all the time?”

You find out not only that there are people who have never had to breathe smog, but that you were missing out on fresh air without even knowing it.

He’s my fresh air.

Unfortunately, he’s not interested in me, so my lungs are still full of smog.

But why, you ask, does feeling “normal” feel good?

Being “not normal” means you are constantly justifying, rationalizing, defending, and explaining yourself.

I just want to breathe.

[hel-phoenyx]

TW death, graphic description of a body and implied child abuse/suicide attempt

Nicomaque, Aristophane and Andreas are @soupedepates 's characters, Senri is @corneille-but-not-the-author 's

I knew the moment I parked in front of the building I would not like what was going to happen.

My day started normally, though. Going to teach, tease Senri on headmaster work, give to countless Ultimates a lecture on the power of imagination. Maybe spoil a little bit my baby daughters that are not babies anymore. A good day.

The fact it was a good day should have hinted at how weird it was.

And then Senri told me about Nicomaque's repeated absences. That it was three days since he hasn't come to the school. And that's where it hit me.

So that's why everything was so

Calm.

He was worried. Senri is among the rare people that can be worried about someone he knows no matter how much he doesn't like them. He may not care, but he notices, like he noticed my dark circles or Raraka's impending nervous breakdowns. Maybe that's why I love him, or why I started to worry, too.

He asked me to check. Of course. I am the only one that still has a key to his apartment. In case of suicide attempt or overdose.

So I put my classes on hold and decided to check.

The building was normal. No accident, no disaster whatsoever.

Only the flies on the window.

Everywhere.

Blocking life light

Obscuring the inside like a cross.

I knew I would not like what I was gonna see.

I am no idiot

I am no optimistic fuck

I am no stranger to Tragedies.

I took out my phone, got out of the car. Dialed the emergency number.

The voice resonates in my head like an echo of the outside world. The world where there's no flies on the window of that guy I am the only person with the keys to his house, the guy I hate so much I know his body and mind by heart the guy that almost got my sister's lover killed pulled me away from the roof tried to make me relapse in my addictions couldn't even leave his.

"Yes, thank you for responding. I call about potential corpse identification."

The words taste like decay in my mouth.

Of course I didn't like what I saw.

Flies are not an unusual sight for people that knew Maquo's way of life. He never knew how to take care of himself. At some point, he stopped trying. Not even for his child's sake.

For whom would he?

Not even to appear at least a little like a human being.

What is the point of looking human if you aren't?

But that many are not only from his trash bin, or the dirty dishes in the sink starting to grow moldy.

I lead the policemen towards his room. Some of them flinch in front of the mess.

"Does that guy really... live in that dump?"

I suspected not anymore.

Behind the smells of mold and old meals and booze lies a stench of decay recognizable like no other. The overwhelming fist of death.

How long...

"How long will you lay in your own crap with no one to ever worry about you?"

"Eh now, van Heel, now that's just harsh, I do not lay, look, I am standing. Besides, you worry, or you wouldn't be here."

"You're being a bit full of yourself if you don't think the only thing I worry about is the safety hazard you live in."

"Aww. Tsundere."

"Laugh all you want. We'll see when you're dead."

Finally a policeman opened the door. I put in a mask.

That was a good idea.

The smell is everywhere. Flies buzzing like crazy around a form on the bed, probably a factor of what accelerated the decay. Because I remember seeing him five days ago at school coughing his lungs out so hard every cough got out a cloud of smoke. But he was still coughing, still laughing, still breathing.

What is in front of me does not breathe, does not cough, does not try to kiss me with a breath of fags and booze. Whatever lies in that bed is not the thing that would sass me with whatever unethical thing I would be doing according to non-existent Lord knows what philosopher guy before pulling out a beer and asking if I want some.

What is in front of me is just a lump of flesh white as death, eyes closed and mouth full of eggs that once called itself Nicomaque Papoulos.

I told him once he would die before me. I would have the last laugh when he's dead.

I do not laugh.

"Sounds like a liver failure, says a policeman while inspecting the bed. No traces of violence, no signs of overdose, only... The bottles."

"The bottles" describing a pile of glass stinking like cheap whiskey and vodka. Yeah, that sounds about right. Of course his body would break down first.

"You're a fucking living wreck. I don't know what will get you first, liver failure or brain death."

"How about neither?"

You wish.

"Need me for authentification?" I asked a policewoman. She shook her head.

"No, you did enough, you can go out for a minute. Since it's not murder, your deposition can wait. Please give me your contact info."

I comply, and go out without a look towards the corpse.

"Hey, Andreas, Emerens calling."

On the other side of the phone I hear a little gasp of surprise. To be fair, we haven't spoken in a long time. Not since he found a job, got into active life, started therapy for good. We sometimes exchange news on social media. Nicomaque's name is never spoken.

"What do you want?"

"I have news for you."

I don't intend to sugarcoat it. I may be out, standing next to the family car with the sun kissing my skin, but death is still gripping at my clothes like a fervent lover not wanting to let go. Everything is starting to give me a headache. And it's only the beginning.

"What could possibly earn me a call from-"

"He's dead."

Andreas stops in his tracks. He didn't need to hear a name to understand.

"He..."

"Found him this morning. Since three or four days apparently, police will tell me, I am no coroner. Liver failure."

There is a long silence. A silence broken by a nervous laugh I can hear so much behind.

"Of course.... Of course that MOTHERFUCKER got the most alcoholic death possible! Goddamnit couldn't he just, I don't know, get shot or whatever???"

"Would you take a bullet for a student?"

"Lord, no. Don't tell that to Pontiff though. I kinda need the job."

"Figured. And he's not stupid, he knows. But what if the student was your own child?"

"..."

"I find you suddenly silent."

"Well what am I supposed to answer?"

"And of all people YOU had to warn me, you who pretends to hate him all day long but I know damn well what you really think, you fucking hypocrite-"

I let him shout at me for a moment before taking advantage of a moment of silence, he taking his breath to shout, shout again maybe

He was so silent linked to monitors, his heart stabilised but his blood oxygen so low. Of course, blood loss does that to people and I know that all too well. I recognise the scars on his arms because the same are hidden behind tattoos and colors.

I never hated Nicomaque more than at this moment.

"Are you finished?"

He stops in his tracks, now dead silent. I guess he never heard me snapping before today.

I sigh before starting over, my voice far more composed than before.

"You do whatever you want with that info. Organize the funeral or shit in his grave, I dont give a fuck, only thing I will ask you is to give me Eudoxe's number so I can warn him. Or do it yourself if you want. I don't care."

He doesn't ask why I have only his. We both remember.

He's pale on the bed and I'm sitting next to him, when finally visits are allowed. In his hand is a little paper with numbers marked on it.

"In case of emergency."

Andreas stays silent for a moment. Before sighing.

"You're doing an awful lot for an archnemesis."

A crooked smile grows on my lips.

"I know. Pathetic isn't it?"

Neither of us know who I'm talking about.

Three knocks on the door in a well-known code. I've been outside all day, calling Andreas then Eudoxe then Aristophane who was the only one asking about me, before telling me to rest because he will warn the others. I still haven't called Augusta and Otto. Something tells me neither of them would care.

So of course Senri should know it's me.

He still has the audacity to ask.

"Who's there?"

I grin.

"Your favorite errand doggie, sweetie. Care to let me in? I have news."

"Ah, there you are. Come in."

There is something in his voice that looks like worry. Why would he worry? I haven't been gone that long, only for most of the morning, I didn't even miss that many classes I shouldn't be the one he's worried about.

Senri is sitting in his chair looking at papers, the usual. Oh, the jokes I did about ruining Judge's little throne the only way I know how. But not today. Today is no day to joke.

He lifts his head hearing me coming, his eyes widening when he sees my face.

"So?"

My grin is almost believable.

"Well, I have bad and good news. The bad news is, you're gonna have to find a new philosophy and morale teacher."

Senri's eyes widen even more. He begins to stand up, silent, still looking at me at that grin who's so deep in my face I almost feel it bleed.

"Good news is.... "

I should be laughing.

"Is..."

I didn't even cry for my birth giver.

"..."

"Don't look so disgusted, van Heel. I know you're gonna cry on my coffin."

"HAH! You wish. Only thing I'd do when you're six feet under is throw a party."

....

What am I trying to say to myself.

"..... Never mind. There's no good news, after all."

I guess I wasn't as heartless towards you as I thought I was.

Senri is still looking at me. Gestures towards another chair, next to his desk, one I know by heart. The chair only I sat in, from what I've gathered. The chair of the assistant headmaster.

I sit in, and he turns towards me, eyes piercing whatever expression is on my face.

"So Nicomaque is dead."

"Yep. Organ failure. Since three days or so. Gave my statement to the police, nobody will be interrogated at Hope's Peak."

"At least that. How's the funeral going?"

"Gotta speak with Aristophane and Pericles but probably in Greece."

"And how are you feeling?"

He still looks at me. At the grin that didn't leave my face. My signature grin, the one used against me or for me so much during my social media life, the grin only a few people know is there for hiding.

I don't let go of it.

"I'll figure out later."

I have no time to explore whatever's in my brain right now.

Senri smiles a little. Of course he gives me that ironic look.

"And that suuuuure helped you cope."

I roll my eyes.

"Oh, fuck youuu."

"You wish. But seriously. You good?"

Again with that question.

"I don't know what am I supposed to feel."

There is one thing I like about Senri.

He doesn't give me an answer.

He doesn't try to tell me what I should feel.

He doesn't even say anything somehow judgemental.

He just stands up, and goes to put a hand on my shoulder.

Five seconds later, it becomes a hug.

What should I feel?

That's my worst enemy.

He became the deadbeat dad I was loathing.

He hurt so many of my loved ones.

And yet at the same time I looked at what we shared with such a fondness I don't find in any of my relationship.

I smile a little behind the brain fog.

I guess you did have the last laugh, you little piece of junk.

[abandonedaccountoopsie]

Fierce Deity Link x Gender Nuetral Reader Headcannons & Small Fic

(Thank my friend raven for hyping me up for this. Also based off of the Linked Universe. I dont own LU or LoZ obviously just my ideas on how fierce would with a S/O in the LU.)

No Tw. Because there is not really anything bad in this??? Honestly it's real sweet.

He is your own personal heater because yes.

He will try to be very careful with you and treat you like glass because he is a literal WAR GOD and fears he will hurt you.

Saying if you freed him from the mask in some way and it's like say very far in the future in Wilds time he would be kinda confused on how you and everyone else speaks.

He was from years and years ago so the hylian written and spoken language would of changed alot. So the way he speaks would seem very formal and he would be confused on any hylian speech.

You would have to teach him any phrases or words he doesn't know because they were made after he was imprisoned in the mask.

He sometimes has to duck through door ways and will forget this if he is talking to you while you both go through because he tall as hell.

He doesn't hit the frame hard but you will hear a soft thunk.

He doesn't know how to express his emotions well so you most you will physically see is a small smile or frown. Maybe his eyebrows furrowing if he is annoyed or confused.

LOVES music. Doesn't matter the kind. He loves all the music in hyrule. Because it's made for a reason and most of it tells a story.

If someone gets something wrong about history he will correct them but say nothing more. Like only the bare minimum needed. It annoys many people.

He is a normally really calm and collected but if he gets into a fight you will be the only thing to get him to calm down.

Mini fic bellow here:

No ones Pov.

You were on a little adventure just to head out and do some exploring on your own away from the others. Of course Fierce went with you. He didn't say why he did, he never does. He just followed you. The one time you asked he just said "To protect you." And nothing else about it.

You didn't mind that badly. You were dating him somehow. It was a bit ago when he asked you surprisingly. You guessed when a Deity wanted something it strived to obtain it. Lucky for you honestly. You crushed on him for awhile but he was too intimidating for you to ask directly.

While thinking you didn't noticed him walking up to beside you. You finally noticed him and jumped slightly. You can see a sliver of a smile appear. "Don't laugh at me." "I was not laughing." You glare although with no malice behind it.

You loved him and love the small smiles and such. You finally loom around your destination. A little pond. You walk over and sit at the edge.

Fierce sits next to you and kisses the crown of your head. You look up and are about to ask why but he says somthing first. "I love you." You smile. That's a lovely reason. "I love you too."

Heyoooo that's all I have for rn. I am sorry for the slow everything. Very stressed rn. I hope you enjoyed. I have been burnt out for awhile. So I hope this is good. Have a good day/night!!!<333

-Void

[klara-rosa]

One really big realization I've had recently is that maybe therapy or just, like, how I live my life isn't about constantly wondering WHY I'm different than most people, why I have anxiety, why I have depression, why I have issues with communicating with others, why I get overstimulated easily, why I can't do certain thing, why I am the way I am. Constantly beating myself up and throwing self hate at myself and wishing wishing wishing so much to just be normal. And trying so hard to be normal, to talk normally, communicate normally, behave normally, do the same things like everyone else, go to functions and and and, just masking ALL THE TIME to the point of being entirely exhausted at the end of each day and needing the weekends completely to myself in order to regenerate.

Maybe it's more about accepting that I am different, that my brain works differently. That my brain has always worked differently to begin with and then some really traumatic things happened during the course of my childhood, unfortunately., which contributed to my brain working even more differently.Accepting that I simply can't make sense of certain things and that I do not have to sacrifice my mental wellbeing in order to mask, to appear 'normal'. Because...I'm not. It's blatantly obvious to everyone, most of all to myself.

Maybe it's about saying no to situations I know will bring me to my limit, that will be so overstimulating and stressful, it'll take me days to regulate myself again. Looking out for myself. Maybe it' about looking for ways, techniques and tools I can carry with me, to help myself, to support myself when I already am in such a situation that's too much for me. Maybe it's about showing myself grace and kindness and being radically ME.

I'm tired. I just can't continue living like this. The people that genuinely like me for me will deal with it. I'll tell them, hey I'm a highly anxious, sensitive and easily overwhelmed person who might be on the spectrum and I have certain limitations and if I'm sometimes weird, I hope you can understand and give me some space, like I just don't understand you sometimes and sometimes I just fon't want to try to. Everyone else can suck it, I'm not living my life anymore to be liked or looked at 'normal' by people I don't even like.

[timeoverload]

I didn't do much yesterday because I had no energy. I went to the store but that was it. I didn't want to drive too far because my dad was out of town and I think my car is still adjusting to the new battery. It shakes a lot when it's idling. It just sounds like it's going to fall apart. It's so rusty. I tried to take a nap in the afternoon but I couldn't because the neighbors were outside being loud as usual.

I fell asleep around 11:30 last night. I woke up at 8 and I didn't want to get up yet so I slept for another hour. I was so sore and it was hard to get out of bed. It feels like someone beat me up while I was asleep. I've also been having cramps so that's annoying. I made myself get up, but I wasn't happy about it.

I was getting ready this morning and I got sad because I feel really ugly today. My appearance is being affected by my lifestyle. My skin doesn't look good. I use toner and moisturizer but it doesn't help much. It looks like it has sort of a gray tint to it. I keep getting bruises on my legs. I want to exfoliate everything and put a face mask on but I don't know where all of my stuff is. I used to have a routine, but that was when I had my own bathroom and I was more organized. I really miss my bathroom. I want to take a hot bath. I haven't shaved my legs or anything in a while because it's too much work for me right now. I have sensory issues with having body hair so it's bothering me a lot. My hair is thinning on one side because I have been parting my hair the same way for like 18 years. It probably doesn't help that I used to dye and straighten it all the time. I rarely do anything with it anymore. I haven't cut it since last year. It's getting darker because I haven't been getting enough sun. It used to be such a pretty color when I would spend a lot of time outside. I used to have freckles and I liked them. I just look so tired. I'm not happy with my body and I feel deflated. I am wilting like a flower that hasn't gotten enough water.

I think the only thing that I have improved is my teeth. They look better than they have in years but I am still having some issues. I will keep working on it and hopefully they will go away. I have been good about wearing my night guard because I was having a lot of jaw pain from grinding my teeth. I don't think I am ever going to stop doing that, unfortunately.

I think I will look better once I can be in a different environment and go outside more. I really need help changing my diet because that would help me too. I need someone to help me eat more fruits and vegetables. I'm sure I will still want to eat unhealthy things but I need to find more of a balance because I eat like shit 90% of the time. I need someone to help me eat more. I have tried to do it on my own, but I can't do it. I bet that I would be in a better mood and less depressed if I was healthier. I want someone to go on walks with so bad. I don't want to live like this forever. It's not good for me. I don't want money or material things, I just want to do things that make me happy again. I want to go on adventures.

I want to be able to manage my responsibilities because I haven't been doing that. I have been too sick. I want to be able to take care of myself again. I want to be more self-sufficient. I like being able to do things for myself. I'm tired of expending all of my energy at work and be unable to care for myself when I get home. It's not right or normal. No one should have to feel like that in order to survive, but I suppose life isn't fair sometimes. I know I'm not the only person who feels that way.

I should try to stop worrying about everything right now. I will do my best to take care of myself today. I will try to be in a good mood. I hope that I can enjoy the rest of my day.

I hope everyone else is having a good day so far. Thank you for listening to me vent. :) 💖💖💖

[nonuggetshere]

Please, your grace, tell us more about the vessel children

GLADLY

Sorry if this makes little sense, I am very sleepy and my brain refuses to work normally

All of these bastards were made with FaaF AU in mind, but they exist in other AUs too

Their ages are listed compared to Flower's age, 21-26 years old, because that's the point where they met most of them to when the conflict with Norel concludes. Except for Baby, who was found when Flower was 26.

This is probably the first time I draw most of these designs, so they might change in the future

Alabaster and Silk were practically inseparable from the moment they left the Abyss (I'm considering making them twins too). The first few years of their lives weren't pretty, they were homeless and survived by stealing alone, it wasn't much but they got by. In their early teens, they got wrapped up in some pretty unsavoury circles before two older ladies showed them some kindness and took them in. The two ladies were fashion designers (a spider and a silkworm moth) and took the kids in as their apprentices, and eventually officially adopted them. A few years later, Alabaster and Silk would find Lime just wandering the streets by themself and took them back to their mums who happily took their younger sibling in as well.

Silk is very very talkative and energetic, a social bee who loves to travel and meet new people. She had some issues with trusting people when their mums just took them in, but eventually, they blossomed into a cheerful kid.

Alabaster is the more tame and level-headed side to Silk's coin, they prefer peace and quiet and sometimes just prefer to be alone. He's completely non-verbal, but despite this also doesn't like to sign, just prefers to stay quiet most of the time.

Lime is a shy, reserved kid who spent most of their early life alone and now finds it hard to connect with others. They mostly stay glued to their siblings' or mums' side and rarely open up to anyone but these four. As they grow, though, they begin to slowly come out of their shell, but it's a long process.

Alanis and Dancer are travelling companions along with Dancer's love interest/boyfriend, Anthony (he's an ant and he's trans, he saw the pun opportunity and took it). Neither of them has naturally dark hair btw, they just dye it.

Alanis used to be a singer in a travelling band, but after a chance encounter with Norel she lost both her friends/siblings and her voice. Thanks to that experience she's a bit more got headed than before and snappy with Dancer, though it all comes from the place of concern. She can come off as a bit rude and bitter at times, but she means well. Though she's no longer able to sing, she still pursues being a musician by playing different instruments.

Dancer is a street performer who takes a lot of pride in his skills and art (his siblings teasingly call him a clown which he despises). He tries to be the comedy relief but it's actually all to mask his years of trauma. He used to travel with two more of their siblings before they got captured by Norel, he was the only one who managed to get out and save Alanis, which is how they met/reunited. Also, literally the biggest pussy there is when it comes to fighting, he's got them oppossum skills (play dead and hope for the best).

Nomi is very different from most of their siblings. Ey were adopted pretty early on by a royal couple from another kingdom and lived a pretty well-off life. They've got kind of shitty self-esteem so they overcompensate by appearing obnoxious confident and self-absorbed. They're kind of naive but try to mean well. You know the type of rich person who asks insane questions like "why don't you just buy a house?" when you complain about rent and then are shocked to learnt hat 99% of people can't do that? Yeah, they're that type of guy.

Razor is a leader of a bandit group. She's an asshole with a gigantic martyr complex who insists that they don't need help even when they're in desperate need of it. Despite his rough exterior though, he loves his siblings more than anything in the world and would sacrifice everything for them. They used to take care of three of their siblings (bluethepearldiver's ocs) until an incident where they ended up murdering their little brother's abusive spouse finally made them realise maybe they can't handle it all by themself and decide it's better if they take their siblings to Hallownest. Also, her hair isn't naturally black, she just dyed it with her own void (with a name like that, did you expect anything less edgy from them?)

Razor also doesn't get along with Nomi and Dancer. They absolutely hate Nomi's naivety to how the world truly works, the two of them just come from such different walks of life that Razor just can't deal with Nomi's perspective on life. Dancer they just comply find annoying.

Wish was Norel's assistant, helping him lure and trap its siblings, all out of its own selfish desire to be spared from the same fate its siblings endured. Aside from that, it's kind of a cold, calculated asshole, placing its own needs above anybody else's. Still, it is not without a heart, and if it feels it can get away with lying to Norel and sabotaging him to help its siblings, it will do it. It does feel remorse sometimes, and in the end, it stabs Norel in the back and helps its siblings, but after everything it did, it doesn't feel like it deserves anything from them so it simply leaves and never contacts any of them again.

Baby was a premature vessel, born after most of their siblings already left the Abyss. It isn't until many years later when Flower is 26, are they finally heard by them. They drag their father out of bed and make him open the Abyss again, and Baby's found and brought to the surface, although weak and wounded. For some time they would only want to be handled by Flower, but eventually warmed up to their parents and slowly started to regain their strength and heal. Now, they are being raised by PK and WL, and considering their small age gap they're best of friends with Flower's twins, Spectre and Sting. Baby was also named by Flower (they suck at naming things).