#I need to know this for very important things

[ao3commentoftheday]

I know tag wranglers do a lot of work connecting tags etc. Is there anything authors can do to make their jobs easier for them like trying to mostly use canonical tags or not making tag comments?

Thanks!

This is a great question, and I'll do my best to answer it but I do hope that some wranglers add on in the notes! I'm also just going to preface this with the fact that you should still tag however you like to tag. This list isn't meant to be a checklist or anything. It's just info I've picked up over the years and you can take or leave each piece as you see fit.

Okay, so the first thing that most non-wranglers should know is that wranglers see tags separately from the fic. They get a big bin full of tags to sort through and match up in the system, but they'll only see your fic and the other tags you've added to it if they decide to go look.

That's important to know because sometimes a user will tag something like [character] is so sexy and then also tag by which I mean they're a huge dork. The wranlger won't see that second tag and won't know that they're connected so your sarcastic tag will end up synned (matched up to) sexy!Character or whatever the canonical is, as if that was the meaning you were going for.

Another good thing to know is that tags can only be synned if they only have 1 idea in them. So if you tag, say, [character] is gay and autistic then the wrangler can't actually syn that to either [character] is gay or character is autistic because it only half-fits either tag. To have them synned in the database, you would need to tag those two ideas separately.

You might have already seen the post I made referencing the fact that you don't have to tag multiple versions of the same idea (unless you want to for the aesthetic) because the synning that wranglers do makes sure that tagging one idea allows users to filter for all versions of that idea. But in case you didn't know that, now you do!

Wranglers are often members of the fandoms they wrangle, but they aren't always. Sometimes they'll take on a fandom that doesn't otherwise have a wrangler because they like to do research or because they like small fandoms or for many other reasons. But that means that if you're tagging your OCs by name, you should add (OC) to the end so that they know it's not a canon character that they aren't familiar with. This is double true in huge fandoms like Star Wars where there are millions of canon characters and just as many OCs.

Wranglers don't "seed" tags in fandoms. For a tag to exist, users need to create it. The rule of thumb is at least 3 fics from 3 separate authors, but that's very much the minimum and in fast-moving or huge fandoms the bar is probably higher. Also, for brand new fandoms, it's entirely possible that they won't know you exist until you tell them. Back in January I was the first person to write in a brand new fandom so I knew I had to start the tags, and I waited until there were 25 or so works by 15 or so creators before I emailed Support because I know I have to be patient - but I'm still impatient by nature lol.

Another thing to know is that tags are kind of like proton packs - they can't cross the streams. If you put a tag in the Character field by mistake, wranglers can't move it to the Additionals. This can also work in your favour, though, because if you have a minor character or minor relationship that you want to tag because there's some kind of fandom drama happening and people want to be able to avoid them, you can tag them in the Additional Tags so that people can know they're in there, but the people who like that character or ship can still filter the Character and Relationship tags without seeing a bunch of works that don't really focus on them.

This got super long, so I'll end with your question about tag comments. I know people worry that it makes extra work for tag wranglers if you get all chatty in your fic tags but I've been reassured by more than one wrangler over the course of several years now that it's no extra work. They just shovel those tags into the gaping maw of the Unfilterable Beast - which is the same thing they do with those tags that have multiple concepts in them. If it can't be synned, then that's where they go.

(keep tagging that way, though, if you like to because that's how new concepts get created and eventually canonized)

Alright, I that's all I can think of off the top of my head, and the list was actually longer than I thought! Wranglers: please do add on with other things you wish users knew, and please correct me if anything has changed since the last time I delved into this topic!

Editing to add: a wrangler pointed out in the tags that [character] is autistic and gay can itself become a single tag if enough people use it. That's true of other tags with multiple meanings as well. They just can't be synned with existing tags in the meantime.

[tchiyya]

So this is a thing I've run into a lot, where I am the person trying to help. This middle paragraph is really, really important to keep in mind:

some people might offer to help them but it's rare they ever know where to start, let alone exhibit compassion without grimace.

For a lot of people who are empathetic, seeing someone in this can tug at you to Do Something, but it is hard and you are gonna get bit a lot. If this is someone you are only casually acquainted with, the best thing you can do is be consistently kind but not dive in trying to be a hero to Fix or Save them. If you don't love this person a whole lot, you're gonna hit a wall pretty quickly and it will genuinely make things worse for both of you.

admittedly, even for genuinely compassionate people, it isn't the easiest thing. if the person is someone who is stuck in their ways or doesn't know you, they don't really have a reason to be receptive to your help. "why should I waste my time on someone who is just going to become another memory of heartache? someone who will carelessly hurt and abandon me?"

Again, save the real intense energy for people that you love. If this is a close family member or a partner or a longtime friend who you've drifted from but who still means a lot to you kinda love. Because this is the mentality, and it is going to take time and energy and patience and a willingness to get hurt and to forgive easily. And, perhaps most importantly: boundaries. You need to be steady enough on your own feet and in who you are and what you need that you can set appropriate boundaries with the person before it's too late.

and such. an earnest attempt to help can feel like an attempted assault to them. at the same time, the meaningful interpersonal relationships that these people need will not survive if built on pity or fleeting self-gratifying feelings of "building" someone into your idea of a desirable person.

That last sentence here is key. You cannot approach helping someone in this with any personal ulterior motivation. You need to want to help them find what they believe is a desirable person to be, and be present, consistently kind, and help give them the tools to build themselves into that person. You don't get to dictate the terms. Nor can you do it for them.

It's gonna take a long time, and you need to set boundaries to make sure you're keeping yourself healthy and steady in the meantime. Understand that they will clutch at that line sometimes like the last thread of their sanity, only to throw it in your face, probably several times. You have to be okay with this. You have to understand that this is them testing to see if you'll pick that line back up and patiently offer it to them again. You also have to be willing to set consistent boundaries for their sake, because they will be testing them like guardrails too. The boundaries help both of you, but only if you are consistent in enforcing them kindly and respectfully, but not terminating the relationship.

You're probably gonna need to go scream into the woods a lot to decompress. Do that.

You're also gonna need a good therapist. Don't attempt this without one. (Rookie mistake.)

And if all of the above sounds terrible and unrewarding? Good. That's a sign that you should not try to be a hero about this. Just be consistently kind to these folks, and let them find their way to you in time. Don't slam the door; they may very well come around eventually.

Source: I've been in a gaslighting abusive relationship before, and I was impossible to reach. The people who were consistently kind and nonjudgemental, but who let me come to them were the ones I'm still friends with. Additionally, I've frequently been on the other side of this in my personal life, and to this day work professionally with abuse victims, people who have been through some real horrific stuff, as well. It takes a lot as a professional, and it takes a lot as a friend.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel. It's rare that it matches whatever ideal for them you've cooked up in your head. You gotta let that go asap. But they can find their light, if you meet them where they're at, consistently offer small breadcrumbs of genuine kindness, and let them set the pace.

And for the people who are in this? I'm sorry. Genuinely. That said, if you want out of this, don't look for your knight in shining armor first. Look for the witch at the edge of the woods who puts food out for the strays every day. Hang around her village long enough to build up good relationships with her and her cats over time. Eventually you will be drawn into the village and will find your traveling party, and perhaps even, in time, your prince.

I've seen what happens when people Get Worse. I've orbited a lot of people who Got Worse (especially online). If you listen to people who Got Worse it's all the same: they don't have consistent, meaningful social support, they've been hurt too many times and they can't open up out of fear that the next betrayal is going to drive the knife right through the artery, they end up spending too much time alone and develop secret languages, meanings, thought cycles completely inscrutable to anyone who has never had to rely on such rituals to survive, they get caught in a cycle of reopening and licking their wounds because the progression of time is so unrewarding and stagnant that the past is basically always the present, and the present is already the future, they become mean, they become strange.

some people might offer to help them but it's rare they ever know where to start, let alone exhibit compassion without grimace. admittedly, even for genuinely compassionate people, it isn't the easiest thing. if the person is someone who is stuck in their ways or doesn't know you, they don't really have a reason to be receptive to your help. "why should I waste my time on someone who is just going to become another memory of heartache? someone who will carelessly hurt and abandon me?" and such. an earnest attempt to help can feel like an attempted assault to them. at the same time, the meaningful interpersonal relationships that these people need will not survive if built on pity or fleeting self-gratifying feelings of "building" someone into your idea of a desirable person.

I don't know where I was going with this, but I always found it hard not to see myself as only a few degrees removed from these people. one or two safety nets separated from being completely trapped. unable to feel safe in not just the world but also my own body. a cosmological dead end. I stay away from habitually engaging in the obvious things can that make trying to change when you're at this point difficult (alcohol, drugs, etc), but if temperance is how you maintain stability in the face of rock bottom, you're basically already there, right? you're there and your body just hasn't caught up. maybe I'm just being dramatic because it's late. hows everypony finding the new deltarune chapters.

[twilightofthesandwiches]

Okay so…

Most the TV-Tastic Prizes Tenna lists during the intro of his show are directly related to the Dreemurrs and their interests/personalities. It’s pretty understandable when you think about it, as their household TV, Tenna only has the Dreemurrs as reference to what kind of prizes people would be most interested in.

The Floral Cowboy Bath Curtains obviously references Asgore, it’s a domestic item that combines his well-known love of flowers and his literally-just-now-established fondness for Woody’s Roundup. (From Tenna's perspective, this is just as important, if not more so, than flowers, because he mainly experiences his family through the shows they watch on him.)

The Brand New Family Car might reference the fact that Toriel’s car is getting a bit old, or maybe even it’s slashed tires (if Tenna doesn’t know enough about cars to understand which problems are very easily fixed). But mostly it’s just a generic prize for a family, demonstrating that this is still how Tenna sees the Dreemurrs, as one big happy family. In reality, with only Toriel and Kris living at home, even the car they have now might be a tad oversized, but Tenna is obviously in denial about that.

(The Ice-E decals might be a reference to Asriel’s Ice-E Brand Deodorant, or just the general fact that Ice-E seems to be a popular brand with the children of Hometown, and Tenna’s mental image of Kris and Asriel is still based on how they were as kids.)

The Big Bro’s Talker-Backer, as a goofy tech toy with the words ‘big bro’ right in its name, is based on the kinds of toys Asriel liked when he was young. Again, in Tenna’s (metaphorical) eyes, he and Kris are still the children who watched cartoons and played games on him. He hasn’t fully processed the idea that Asriel is basically an adult now.

The Kitchen Sink Fur-Guard is, well, that’s obviously something the Dreemurrs need.

Since it’s for the Kitchen Sink specifically, it’s probably meant to be a Toriel Prize, since she's the one who loves cooking the most.

… or maybe it's just because that’s the sink closest to Tenna. The bathroom sink is too far away from the living room for Tenna to be aware of it most of the time.

And the Chocolate Chewy Roll-Um’s are obviously for Notorious Sweet-Tooth Kris Dreemurr. Flavored after their second favorite food!

Now… the thing is that this prize roll-call ends with…

Originally, I just wrote off the Genuine Ralsei Plush as a silly meta-joke. Or, like, part of the ongoing thematic thread about Darkner Personhood in this Chapter. Where Tenna and Ralsei, as the two lead Darkners of the Chapter, keep alternating between treating the other as a Person and as an Object.

And like, it is that, but also, there is an in-universe explanation for why Tenna decided to make it one of the main prizes he uses to sell the show. Because Tenna first heard of Ralsei’s existence…

…During Susie and Kris’ little chat on the sofa.

The Ralsei Plush is supposed to be a prize for Susie because the Literally Only Two Things Tenna knew about Susie at the time is “likes Giant Monster Movies” and “has two Darkner friends named Ralsei and Lancer”. The Susiezilla Minigame is Tenna’s attempt to appeal to the former, the Ralsei Plushie is his attempt to appeal to the latter.

Obviously that still loops back to Tenna’s tendency to kinda see Ralsei as an object (the same way Ralsei did to him at the end). He has a much better understanding of the appeal of Kaiju Movies, why Susie loves them and how to replicate that appeal for her in the Dark World.

But then he’s like, well, Susie really likes that Darkner friend of hers… obviously I understand why.... it's because he'd be great as a Marketable Plushie! Obviously the next best thing if she can’t take him to the festival! (I assume he went with Ralsei Plushies cause they seemed much more conventionally marketable to Tenna's Normie Mass-Entertainment Taste.... also from a Doylist perspective this thread of Darkner Personhood isn't as much as a big deal for Lancer's character at the moment)

[ak319]

A.M x fem!reader ─ 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 (𝐁𝐲 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐰𝐛𝐨𝐲)

Warnings/MDNI: fluff, a little angst, emotional too? it touched me a lot though 😭, reader is preggo, arthur is paranoid af even from trees--to the point of losing his mind- Syno: Arthur meets an old lady, and his greatest fears are left ruffled. he isn't going back to normal now. +++ it's kind of a self-indulgent oneshot based on things I heard growing up, hehe. Arthur pic by Caramello on Pin.

┆ ⤿ ❀ m.list

He’d found her near the fork in the trail, hunched by a busted wheel and muttering curses. Old, but not frail, her eyes were sharp and her tongue sharper as she waved him down like he was late to something.

"You! Boy!"

Arthur slowed his horse, brow raised. "Ma’am."

"You got hands, don’t you? Good. Help me get this damned thing back on the axle before I throw it in the creek."

He could’ve ridden past. Should’ve, maybe. But something about her tone, bossy, impatient, proud , reminded him of you.

So he dismounted without a word and started working. Took him fifteen minutes, a few grunts, and one splinter, but the wheel was back in place. The old woman clucked her tongue like she approved, but didn’t say thanks.

"Figured it was a good day for helping folks," Arthur said, brushing his hands off on his pants.

She squinted at him. "You from these parts?"

"Not really."

"Got family?"

He hesitated, blushing. "Sort of."

She nodded, like she knew what that meant. "You’re not law, are you?"

He smirked faintly. "No, ma’am."

"Good. I don’t like ‘em. Too nosy."

That made him chuckle under his breath. "Ain’t got much reason to like 'em myself."

She jerked her head toward the bench on the cart. "Come on. You’re ridin’ with me to the river. Least you can do after helpin’ is keep me from dyin’ of boredom."

He didn’t argue. He helped her up, then climbed in beside her.

She started talking before the horse even took a step.

And that’s how, somewhere between a crooked mile and a winding bend, Arthur learned about her niece , about the girl’s sadness, the things she shouldn’t have done, and all the things her husband failed to do. He didn’t say much. Just listened.

"Lost the baby," she said, matter-of-fact. "Girl didn’t take care of herself properly. Started acting odd, too. Very...odd. Wouldn’t eat. Wouldn't talk. Spent a lot of her time in her garden, alone. Quiet, under trees."

Arthur glanced sideways. "What’s trees got to do with it?"

"You don’t get all pretty, dolled up and sit under them, especially when the sun's goin' down. Pulls in bad stuff y'know. Makes the air heavy. Don’t hang clothes under open sky for long either, or leave hairbrushes lying around. They attract things. The old folks always said so."

Arthur nodded slowly, like he wasn’t paying attention, but he was already filing each word away.

No trees. No clothes hanging. Put the brush away.

"She sat in the dark too much. Alone. Cryin’. That’s no good. You sit in the dark, you invite things you don’t understand. You keep a house with warmth and sound in it. Laughter. Music. Light."

He looked down at his hands. You’d cried last night. Quiet, somewhere alone in the camp, when no one was looking, thought he wouldn't know. He knew because your eyes were swollen a bit too much when you had lain down beside him at night. Upon questioning , you had refused to answer him which led to an argument.

Dammit, I am a fuckin' bastard.

"Her husband was useless," the woman added with a sniff. "Didn’t even talk to the baby, didn’t keep her company. A woman carryin’ life needs love louder than the fear in her head. Needs someone holdin’ her hand more often than not."

Arthur swallowed hard, his jaw clenching out of instinct.

All this time, he’d been so focused on saving for the future , for the child, for safety, for the mess the gang might leave behind , that he hadn’t realized he was already failing at the most important part.

Being there.

Being present.

Being a father now, not just later.

"She was always angry before the baby passed," she said more gently. "You can’t sleep angry. That sort of feeling gets into everything. Into the child, even. Husband should smooth her hair, put a hand on her belly. Say good words. Doesn’t matter which ones. What matters is how he says ‘em."

"Right," Arthur murmured, jaw tight. "Got it."

"And feed her fruit. Good fruit. Give her water from your own cup once a day. Makes the child feel known. And keep her off her feet when the wind’s wrong."

Arthur looked up. "When the wind’s wrong?"

"You’ll know when it is. If you love her."

She patted his arm as he helped her climb down the wagon. "Men think protecting a woman is about killin’ things for her. Sometimes, it’s just makin’ sure she eats right and don’t cry alone."

She looked at him , really looked and said, "You got a woman carryin' your child, don’t you?"

Arthur blinked with a faint smile, his neck once again going red. "...Mhm...wife."

"Then go home, boy," she said, reaching out to straighten the fold of his shirt like he was twelve. "And stop leaving her alone with her sadness. You ain’t just protectin’ her body. You’re protectin’ the world you’ll both live in once that baby arrives. Make sure it’s one she wants to stay in."

He was left speechless and...heavy with an uncountable amount of feelings. He stood there a minute longer after she was gone, then rubbed his jaw thoughtfully.

When Arthur got back to camp, he didn’t waste time.

Didn't greet anyone. Didn’t even scold Sean like usual when the boy hollered something about the horse looking tired.

No, he went straight to you.

You were sitting by the fire, poking at your plate, looking exhausted and a little distant, like you’d been left alone with your thoughts too long. You’d been doing that a lot these days. Same quiet place. Same untouched food. Same hollowness behind your eyes.

And it wasn’t like you.

Not you, who used to slam down your fork when dinner was cold. Who used to bite back at Dutch, roll her eyes at everyone, and make jokes, insult John like a hobby, to make Abigail smile. You loved poking people for fun not a piece of meat on a plate.

But now…

Now you just sat there. Under the dark sky, firelight soft against your skin, shadows deep under your eyes.

And you looked alone.

Arthur’s throat closed up.

Camp was still moving. Bill and Javier were somewhere near the wagons. Mary-Beth was chatting with Tilly. Uncle and Sean were probably off yelling about something that didn’t matter. You were surrounded by people.

And yet, he had never seen someone look so alone in a crowd.

His vision blurred for a second. He blinked fast, looking away, dragging a hand down his face as if that’d somehow fix what he was feeling. His chest ached in a quiet, unbearable way.

He’d been too focused on everything else. And there you were. His girl. His wife. The mother of his child. Sitting right in the middle of it all, still feeling like nobody saw her.

He swore under his breath, quiet, and started walking toward you before his legs could second-guess it.

He wasn’t about to let you sit in the dark by yourself another damn minute.

Arthur squatted down in front of you, his big hand sliding over your knee, startling you. "You eat?"

"Um...hi?". You shrugged. "And yeah, a...little."

"Not enough."

Before you could argue, he plucked an apple from his bag, one he’d bought on the ride back, carefully picking the ripest one like it was mission critical, and set it in your palm. "Eat it."

You blinked at him. "What are you doing?"

"Feedin' you."

"I know but-"

"You’re gonna eat it," he said firmly, already brushing crumbs off your lap and pulling your legs gently into his. "Ain’t no harm in lettin’ me fuss over you a little."

You squinted at him, suspicious. "What’s got you so-"

He leaned in, pressing a kiss to your forehead, holding the back of your neck to calm himself. "J-us'---jus' heard some things today."

"About...what?"

"About how a woman in your condition oughta be cared for. And how I ain’t been doin’ enough of it."

You frowned, but you bit into the apple anyway.

Arthur sat back, watching you like you might disappear if he looked away. His hand absent-mindedly rubbed your shin, his thumb circling the spot where you’d complained about aching last night to Karen.

...You’d even stopped sharing your problems with him.... Whether it was because you didn’t think he was worthy of them anymore, or you just didn’t want to be a burden, he didn’t know. But he knew one thing. He didn’t like it

Slowly chewing, you spoke up, "You’re acting strange."

"Yeah, well," he muttered, "guess I figured out I ain't just protectin' you from guns and bad men. I gotta protect you from bein' sad. From bein’ tired. From...feelin' like you gotta do this alone."

You stared at him, gulping.

He caught the look and clicked his tongue. "Don’t go gettin' all weepy on me now. I'm still mad you didn't finish your lunch."

"You sound like...Uncle Hosea."

"Good. He’s smarter than me, always has been." He brushed your hair behind your ear, voice dropping as he added, "Also, always put your brush away. And we’re sleepin’ with the lamp on. No arguments."

Your brows shot up in confusion.

"Not arguin’," he said sweetly, cupping your face. "Just lovin’ you loud enough to drown out the fear. That’s the rule now."

You sat there for a beat too long, caught in his stare, your fingers tightening around the apple.

Finally, you mumbled, "I was fine, you don't have to."

Arthur smiled faintly, pressing a kiss to your temple. "No, you weren’t. You aren't. And don’t you dare say ‘you didn’t have to’ or ‘don’t do it’, not to me, you silly girl." His voice dropped, softer, but firm. "Who else’s job is it, huh? Mhm? You should’ve beat my sorry ass to make me do it sooner. Don't think you ain't a priority of mine, not...more important than the gang. You are...I jus' never made you feel it, I guess. So be selfish, very, very selfish, ya' hear me?"

And when you slowly leaned into his chest with your eyes glistening, food forgotten, Arthur wrapped his arms around you like he never planned to let go.

That night, you found your brush tucked neatly away. Arthur had fussed a bit more over the fire, made sure you ate more than you could even, and massaged your feet till you dozed off.

All the while as he just shrugged and muttered, "Wind’s wrong." He pulled you onto his chest, his big hand resting over your belly like it was the most natural thing in the world. No words. Just the warmth of his palm, the steady hum of his breath, and the soft glow of the lamp in the tent, he absolutely refused to turn off.

Because love protects in ways no gun ever could.

And you were delusional to think it wouldn't get much more than this...

❀˖°

You hadn’t even been under the damn tree for five minutes.

The breeze was soft, sun low, and you’d just finished pinning your hair up the way you liked, a little loose, a little elegant, with one of the new combs Arthur brought back from town. You smelled like rosewater from your bath. Felt good for once, onto some evening reading. Fresh and light, pretty, settled, calm.

Which is exactly when you heard thundering footsteps.

"Hey!" Arthur’s voice cracked through camp like a whip. "Get up."

You looked over your shoulder slowly, like you were dreaming. There he was, stomping across the clearing like a man possessed. Hat crooked from running. Eyes locked on you like you'd personally offended him.

"...What did I do now?" you asked flatly.

"You're sittin' under a tree."

"So?"

"So?!" he panted, stopping a few feet from you, "you look... like that."

You blinked. "L-like what?"

"Like... you got your hair all done up, smell like a damn field of flowers, and you're glowin'. And you're sittin' under the one thing I was told to keep you the hell away from."

"...Arthur."

"She said don't let you near trees if you're glamoured up!" he hissed, glancing up at the branches like they were about to lunge at you.

"But I just wanted to-"

"YOU NEVER LISTEN, WOMAN! THEY NOTICE--BAD THINGS NOTICE, AND THEY'RE GONNA GET YOU! OR GET INSIDE YOU, I DUNNO! JUS' GET YOUR ASS UP!"

Your breath caught. He'd never spoken to you like that before. Never so sharp. And it scared the hell out of you.

You hadn’t meant to make a mistake. You were just tired. You wanted peace.

Your lip trembled before you could stop it. You tried to blink away the burn in your eyes, tried to breathe through the rising weight in your chest... but you couldn’t. Not this time.

That’s when Susan stormed over.

"Arthur Morgan! What in God’s name are you barkin’ about?! What could she possibly have done?"

Arthur spun to her, exasperated. "She's sittin' under a fuckin' tree!"

"And?!"

"And she ain’t supposed to! Not when she’s all pretty and perfumed and-" He gestured toward you, like that explained everything.

Susan crossed her arms. "The tree’s gonna gobble her up, is it?"

Arthur clenched his jaw. "That ain’t the point! It ain’t safe. Evil, horror things--I dunno!"

But Susan’s eyes had already flicked back to you. She saw the tears brimming, the way your shoulders were shaking.

And then it happened.

You broke.

A sob tore from your throat as you covered your face, crying in spite of yourself.

Susan’s expression softened. "Oh, sweetheart, are you alright? Ignore him."

Arthur’s heart plummeted.

In two strides, he was in front of you, crouching down low, voice suddenly low and raw. "Hey. No, no, c’mere. I ain’t mad at you, alright? I’m just--hell, I’m scared. I didn’t mean to yell."

But you were already leaning into Susan, hiding in her arms as you cried harder.

Arthur’s hands hovered before gently cupping your chin, coaxing your gaze to his. "I ain’t scared of much," he whispered, eyes glistening, "but losin’ you? I’d burn down every tree in the damn country if it meant keepin’ you safe."

Susan shook her head, fighting a smile. "Well, now you’ve done it. She’s crying, and it’s your fault."

Arthur didn’t look away from you. "I’m so sorry, darlin'. Look at me."

You blinked up at him through tears. He brushed your jaw with his thumb, then pressed a long kiss to your forehead, staying there like he could kiss away the world.

"Lemme walk you back, alright? No more trees today."

You hiccupped quietly. "I w-was co-mfortable."

Arthur smiled softly. "I’ll build you a chair outta blankets and hold your hand the whole damn time. Deal?"

You nodded, finally leaning into his chest.

Susan chuckled as she walked off. "Lord, you two’ll give me gray hair."

Arthur murmured against your temple, "Mine’ll go first at this rate," and then added under his breath, "Damn old ladies… damn gorgeous woman… damn hauntin’ trees…"

He tugged you up gently by the hand, draped his jacket over your shoulders like a shield, and guided you back toward the tents, never letting go.

Now everyone was sure that...

Arthur was absolutely gonna start carrying an axe from now on.

Just in case.

Which made him target of stupid ass jokes from Bill , Sean and John like...

'Oi, Arthur! Need us to put up a fence around the trees for ya? Keep the lady safe from wild bark and seductive leaves?'

'Should we start packin’ flowers around her bed too? Maybe get her a tree-repellent candle?'

Even Dutch-"Boy, have I ever told you how proud I am? Chivalry. Romance. Tree-related overreactions. That’s what this gang needs more of."

"Dammit" Arthur closed his eyes like he was praying for patience. "I ain’t never talkin’ to old women again."

"You will," you said sweetly, "especially if they give more advice about how to treat me like royalty."

The camp howled.

Arthur gave up, dragging a hand over his face and shaking his head, but not before pressing a kiss to your temple again, just to shut them all up for a moment.

He didn't mind the notion at all. If that makes you happy and safe. Old people spoke wisdom anyway.

Two days later, you sat by the fire, reaching for knife to help Susan with chopping veggies for stew when-

Arthur appeared like a storm cloud.

He had said no things sharp.

And so he didn’t even speak. Just slowly pulled the knife from your hand, gave Susan a look of deep apology, and started chopping himself.

"Sharp things," he said solemnly. "Not today."

Also, did you mention how he tied a makeshift ribbon on your wrist made from his handkerchief? Soft. So that way, even when he isn't here, you know he's close. To you both.

❀˖°

By the end of the week, the notebook had:

A tally of how many times you sneezed

A small doodle of the tree you sat under (labeled 'Dangerous Shady Bastard')

A list titled "Food Cravings Approved / Denied"

Goose eggs cooked over a fire (ticked).

Well, this made you remember how he was chased down while stealing them, and you're laughing the whole time while Arthur’s yelling, "it ain’t funny, damnit!"

Pickled beets (ticked)

Blackberries (ticked)

Stagecoach jerky from Sean (crossed)

Whatever the hell that "river cheese" was (crossed)

One page that just read:

"Combing her damn luscious hair while sittin' under trees = VERY BAD. DO NOT REPEAT."

You’d tried to ignore it. You really did.

But on the eighth day, after Arthur pressed a warm hand to your forehead because you sniffled once, wrote 'Chill in air?' and asked if Dutch’s cologne was 'too strong for the baby,' you finally cracked.

"Arthur!" you burst, snatching the notebook.

"You gonna scold me for protectin’ my family?" he asked, full cowboy martyr eyes.

You stared at the page.

He’d drawn a tiny picture of you. Next to it, he’d written:

Don’t let her sleep mad. Night’s too long to carry anger. If she breathes funny, check her pulse. If she walks fast, carry her. If she rolls her eyes, kiss her.

Your face softened.

"…You’re so-"

Arthur grinned, not even letting you finish as he pulled you snug to his chest, his arms wrapped tight around your waist. "Yeah. In love. I know."

You tried to squirm, only half-heartedly. "And you’re gonna give yourself a stroke if you keep this up. You’re making me worried now!"

Instead of easing off, he simply leaned in, nuzzling into the crook of your neck like he was trying to melt into your skin. His voice was soft, all gravel and affection.

"Then I’ll die holdin’ this dumb little notebook and you."

You let out a snort, muffled as you buried your smile in his collar. "God help me. You’re gonna be so much worse when the baby’s here."

Arthur shifted then, gently pushing you back onto the bedroll, his body following yours like instinct. His weight was warm and grounding, his hand sliding behind your head as the other pulled the blanket up over both of you. He laid half on top of you, protective and lazy, like a man who had no intention of leaving.

"Oh, I already got a whole second notebook ready for that, sweetheart," he murmured smugly against your cheek.

You paused, squinting up at him. "What--Arthur."

He kissed your lips, slow and indulgent, like punctuation.

"Color-coded."

"Off the rails, aren't you?."

"For you," he said with zero shame, kissing the tip of your nose before resting his forehead to yours.

Then, softer, almost sheepish, "I just wanna do right by you. And the kid. Even if it means not sleepin’ and keepin’ track of how many times you throw a pillow at me."

You blinked slowly, the lump rising in your throat making it hard to speak.

Arthur kissed your jaw, then your wrist, then held your hand right over his chest, where his heartbeat thudded steady beneath your palm.

"I ain’t lettin’ a damn thing touch both of you," he whispered. "Not worry, not fear, not even a rough patch in camp. You hear me?"

You nodded, tucking yourself closer into his arms, his weight like armor and his words like prayer.

tag list: @sensitivegamergirl

[crowfish-brainrot]

Love & Deepspace Men when you casually tell them you love them

These are just some silly lil headcannons I have as an overly-affectionate lovergirl. I'm always telling the people closest to me I love them, because I do! I am full of love and affection!!! So this is very self-indulgent and tooth-rotting fluff. No warnings, only adorable fluffy goodness.

Xavier

He brings you food, a blanket, and the bunny stuffed animal he won you straight to you after a particularly hard day. You look up at him, smile and say “gods, I love you. Thank you!”

Xavier stops. Stills. You don’t realize what you said. Your smile falters. “What?”

“You love me?”

“Well, yeah.” You say it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Easy and bright, like you couldn’t help yourself. “You’re a great partner and my friend. Of course I love you.”

He realizes you don’t mean it in the way h yearns for, but he smiles anyway. Even if it’s not the way he hopes for, you love him, and that’s enough. He sits down next to you and pulls you in for a tight hug. You laugh softly and he murmurs into your hair. “I love you, too.”

Zayne

He buys you your favorite treat at the desert shop after letting you drag him all around the arcade. The seat next to you is full of plushies. He smiles as he passes you your treat and takes the seat across from you. You take a bite, do a happy dance and smile brightly. “Zayne!!! You’re the best, I love you!”

He almost chokes on his macrons. Your brows draw together, and he realizes you didn’t realize what you said.

You ask, “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” he says. “I didn’t expect a declaration from handing you a treat.”

You giggle and roll your eyes. “It’s important to tell your friends you love them. You’re my best supporter when I gather plushies, you feed me treats, and you always have my back. Of course I love you.”

He stills, and something flickers in his eyes, but you barely catch it. You don’t love him the way he loves you, but he doesn’t think he deserve that kind of love from you. So, he just smiles. Even the friendliest form of your affection is more than he believes he’s worthy of. He offers you a glass of water. “Drink up, Miss Hunter.”

You know that’s his way of saying that he loves you, too.

Rafayel

He’s rambling on about colors, art, and the struggles of holding onto something as fleeting as a beautiful moment, even in art. He’s so passionate when he speaks as you two walk down the beach. He gets like this sometimes, lets you see what goes on inside his creative mind. It’s beautiful in an almost tragic way, the way he talks about it and your heart squeezes.

“I love you, you know that, right?” you say, your voice soft.

Rafayel turns away from the ocean, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open. “What?!”

“I love you. Your mind, the way you see the world, how you talk about beauty? Its beautiful. We’re friends, you know. If there’s anything else you need to talk about, I’m here.” You knew he dealt with emotional turbulence over the last few weeks, so you wanted to make sure he knew you were there for him.

“You love me?” Rafayel is still stuck on that, all other thoughts gone from his head the moment he heard you say the words.

“Of course I love you. You sometimes win me plushies, and give me an excuse to walk on the beach every night. You’re my friend.”

His mind catches up with what you mean. You don’t love him like he loves you, but you do love him. You’ve fallen in love with him three times before, would this become the fourth? His throat closed as he tried to hide the emotions building up inside him. He laughed to mask the pain and gave you a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m pretty great, aren’t I?”

The blush on his face says it all. You know loves you, too.

Sylus

Sylus buys you a grumpy crow plushie that’s almost the same size you are. You mentioned in passing how much you wanted it, but you couldn’t justify spending the money. The price was nothing to him, though, so he ordered it. The next time you showed up at the base, he sat you down in the living room so you could open your gift.

You squeal when you see the enormous plushie. Your eyes glitter with pure happiness and you clutch it to your chest as you jump up and down. “Oh my gods, Sylus! I love you!! Thank you so much!!”

Sylus holds his breath. He doesn’t say anything for several seconds, but you don’t notice. You’re too enamored with your new plushie, grinning ear to ear.

“It’s nothing, sweetie.” he says. “You passed fifty levels of the Deepspace Trials, consider this my ‘congratulations’ gift.”

“You fought alongside me for most of those fifty levels,” you say. “What should I gift you in return?”

“You could say it again,” he says. “I didn’t hear you too well the first time.”

You tilt your head, and then it hits you. “You’re the best, Sylus. I’m so glad we’re friends, and I love you!”

He stills again when he realizes you don’t love him the way he loves you. Not yet. But, seeing you smile, especially over something so simple gives him more satisfaction than he ever thought possible. He ruffles your hair as you beam up at him. From pure disgust to trust and friendship? It wasn’t what he hoped for, but it was a step in the right direction. “Want to go for a joyride, kitten?”

And you know that he loves you, too.

Caleb

He makes you your favorite dinner as you dance your way out of the bathroom. Freshly showered from a rough day of work, you feel so much better now that you’re clean. Your favorite music from your teens plays on the speakers, and you two fall into a perfect harmony on the song you’ve sang together a thousand times.

You see what he’s making and you hug him tightly. “How did you know I was craving this?”

“I know you, pips. I can always tell what you want to eat.”

You laugh and rest your head on his shoulder. “Gods, I love you.”

He smiles. You’ve said the words to him countless times over your life, and he to you, but never in the way he wanted. it was alright, though. As long as you loved him, in any way that you could, he’d take it. “I love you too, pips. Can you hand me that seasoning?”

You nod and do as he asked, and he hopes that one day, you won’t just see him as your best friend, your protector, or brother, but as him. Until then, he’ll love you in every way you allow.

Have some fluff as we wait for the new banner to drop! I put this on TikTok first but I need to cross post more soooooo here's to me trying to do that. I have so many brain worm ideas, so I'm going to dump them when I can. 🥰

[mrdollar11]

As the token straight cis white guy in my friend circles, this is it. Do I know what most people are talking about most of the time with all the identity stuff? No. Do I enjoy learning about it? Sometimes. Do I need to understand fully someone’s identity or sexuality to think it’s valid and support them? No!

I was raised very “standard” but open minded. Plenty of things my friends are into or do or think seem strange and inexplicable to me, but I also understand it’s pretty much none of my business. I’m allowed to think something is strange or even gross as long as I’m not treating other people poorly due to it.

Acceptance doesn’t just mean understanding things fully or being totally chill with everything body and soul. It also means having the ick but shutting the fuck up about it and letting someone wear cat ears in public or talk about their gender identity that sounds made up to you. Because it’s not important that it works for you, it’s not your life, it’s theirs.

Can't express how stress free being open minded is.

Some lesbians use he/him? Oh cool.

Some people have people inside their head and sometimes it's fictional chars? Sick your brains like a pirate ship they're all working to run.

Some people like being treated like a pet dog? Bark bark bro.

Being fat isn't unhealthy but a perfectly normal type of body to have? Kinda beautiful how different we can all be.

Something doesn't make any fucking sense? Cool an opportunity to learn. And even if I can't figure it out it's cool we still have mysteries today.

[earlysunshines]

sunkissed

pham hanni x fem!reader ; fluff

synopsis: it took a day trip to the beach for you and hanni to confront what you two always felt for each other.

warnings: pining 3x ; idiots in love and in denial ; s*nb*rn for those who are very sensitive to that (this is a joke) (im so sorry for those who can’t tan without burning) (couldn't be me i fear) ; literally nothing else just fluff lol ; they’re down bad for each other ; anything else not mentioned; kinda proofread

a/n: smth sweet and shorter than usual and also based on this song AND my friend and i passing out tgt in the car otw back home from a day trip to the beach. we were OUUTT like a light omfg and we both woke up so disoriented ok enjoy

survive the day being around hanni—that was the goal.

it was just a day trip to the beach, nothing crazy. you’ve been to the beach more times than you can count on both hands. the only thing different about this trip is that hanni would be there. 

while brushing your teeth in the morning, you told (convinced) yourself that there would be nothing to worry about since the rest of your friends would be going too. even when an uneasy feeling crawls up your back, you tell yourself it’ll be fine.

the last time you went to the beach was when your best friend yunjin invited you to tag along with her friends from home that you’ve met with a few times prior. the day was easy and light. you all sang along to music on the way to the coast, struggled to find a spot to park and settle on the beach, tanned, played with the volleyball kazuha brought, swam and splashed each other until you were too tired to keep messing with each other, took at least a hundred pictures, and walked around until the sun set before you took turns driving home.

you figured today would be similar—fun and simple.

you pray that it’s simple, lighthearted, and relaxing once you’re out the door and on the way to meet up with minji and the rest.

(you shake your head once you find yourself thinking of hanni being part of 'the rest')

once you’ve reached a point where it’s too late to turn back home, you realize you forgot your sunscreen. one of the most important things you needed. you groan at the red light when the realization hits, and once the light turns green, you tell yourself that it’ll be fine—again. someone has to have some sunscreen at least. 

you park your car down the road, a secret spot minji knows where they won’t ticket or tow you. you grab your bags, walk over to minji’s place, and catch everyone outside the apartment she shares with hanni. everyone is already in light, summer clothing with their bags hanging on their shoulders looking tired and ready to go.

“there she is,” minji says, turning her head in your direction, everyone following her gaze as well. “took you long enough.”

“i’m two minutes late.” you roll your eyes, “you’ll live.”

“whatever. alright, we can put the bags in the trunk and then get going. the sun is about to rise.” minji adds, gesturing to the youngest of the group so she can help them out first.

you glance over at hanni once minji heads to the car. she has a tote bag hung on her shoulder, a white off-the-shoulder t-shirt on, and a nice flowy, long blue skirt too. her hair is flowing down her shoulders and there’s a hairtie she borrowed from you a few months ago (not that it's important or anything. you just happened to notice) on her wrist that you assume she’ll use later. 

hanni looks stunning in the light of dawn. she always looks stunning, and right now she looks especially stunning because you catch the small lines under her eyes and the slight squint that hint at the lack of sleep. she smiles when she greets you.

“hey,” her voice is soft, tired. 

“hi hanni.” you grin easily at her. “you look exhausted.”

“i couldn’t sleep,” she sighs, rubbing her eyes. “i tried sleeping at eight. it worked, but i woke up at twelve and couldn’t sleep until thirty minutes before we had to wake up.”

“maybe you’ll get some more sleep in the car?”

“i’d hope so.” 

“yeah.” you nod. you both stare at each other for a good two seconds. it spikes your heartbeat. then put your hand out. “let me help you with your bag.”

“what? no, it’s fine.” she tells you, “it’s not that heavy.”

you shake your head, already slipping your fingers underneath the straps of the bag and slipping it off her shoulder. she frowns playfully before you head over to where minji is, helping her load the trunk.

everyone is already situated in the car by the time you and minji are done loading. she closes the trunk and heads toward the drivers seat. danielle is sitting in the passengers seat, haerin and hyein are in the middle, and you’re—

left with hanni.

you blink.

there’s a bag taking up one of the seats on the side, so you’re left in the middle. you take a small breath before squeezing through the small space to get into the back, settling down next to the girl who makes your words fizzle in your throat. 

your legs brush against each other and your arms are mildly squished. the proximity screws up with your composure, making you momentarily flustered and unable to think straight.

“it’s a little cramped, isn’t it?” you joke. it’s lame, but hanni’s lips twitch into a small smile.

“dani was complaining about car sickness even though i called shotgun… and so did the other two. were shoved in the back for now.”

“ah,” you don’t know what else to say except for, “i hope you’re able to sleep comfortably.”

“oh definitely.” she laughs softly. “i hope i don’t take up much of your personal space while i’m out.”

you smile, shrugging. “i don’t mind.”

a soft flush graces hanni’s cheeks at your response. she smiles and rests her head against the seat, her blinking slowing down every few seconds.

minji fixes the rearview mirror, then turns up the sound of the music. something easy going and summer-like plays. you assume hyein is on aux.

“okay, everyone, sit tight. we’ll refill gas and grab breakfast in an hour or two.” minji says.

with that, hanni nods, then nudges your shoulder. you tilt your head and she moves her arm to link it with yours, muttering quietly, “so we’re less squished,” before closing her eyes and leaning her head against your shoulder.

you’re stiff at first, although very briefly. your whole body relaxes not so long after, and you find yourself drifting off into sleep as well.

hyein and haerin turn around thirty minutes into the car ride to find you two asleep together. your mouth is parted a bit and hanni is practically hugging your arm now. the two grin at each other, hyein snaps a picture, and when they show it to danielle everyone is content.

“it’ll work out.” minji grins to herself.

—

hanni wakes up feeling completely disoriented.

the car is moving slower than before. she glances out and finds that they’ve already taken an exit out into some small town, probably for gas and breakfast. she blinks a few times before rubbing her eyes with her free hand, trying to bring herself back to reality after her nap.

when she scans the area after gaining full consciousness, she notices that your arms are still linked. you’re asleep, loose and comfortable against her, your neck angled questionably. she links your arms tighter as she stares out the window, the filtered sunlight kissing her features softly.

minji turns into a gas station that looks a little run-down after a few minutes down a small road. the feeling of the car slowing down wakes you up. you mumble something incoherent and groan, lifting your head up and resting it against the headrest tiredly. 

haerin catches your groan and turns around to see you struggling to open your eyes. hyein follows, giggling at the sight of you two, but for the most part you, with an expression comparable to a newborn kitten.

“wakey wakey!” hyein beams, making you groan again—louder this time.

“are we here?” you ask in a drowsy voice.

“minji’s getting gas.” haerin says flatly. “bathroom break, snack splurge, and dani’s finding a cafe on the way for us to eat breakfast at. we have like, an hour and a half.”

your body goes limp again as it rests against the seat. “great. i’m going back to sleep.”

“you should probably go to the restroom.” haerin suggests.

“i might pass out on the toilet.” you joke. 

danielle pokes her head through the open door in the passengers, turning to you and almost ordering, “you guys should go to the restroom just in case! and grab some snacks.”

hanni yawns, then nudges you.

“well you’re going to have to get out regardless so i can go.”

you groan again. 

hanni’s teasing tone is evidence that the nap worked. she’s back to the hanni you’re used to, the hanni that’s relentless when it comes to poking at you and throwing snarky remarks.

you scramble out into the gas station and end up going to the restroom too, even buying a little protein bar to snack on once you’re back in the car. minji turns up the music as she drives out the small lot and danielle finds a place to grab a quick breakfast before the beach.

“thirty minutes away there’s a…” you catch danielle squinting just barely before she continues, “cafe! it’s close to the beach too. we can take pictures before we swim!”

hanni turns to face you, stifling a giggle at her energy. you bite the inside of your lip to keep yourself from smiling too hard—not necessarily because of danielle.

you and hanni aren’t linking arms the rest of the car ride. her arm still rests against yours, which is inevitable due to the bag taking up a whole seat, but you don’t mind. 

the sun splays out across hanni’s features gently as she stares out the window. your eyes trail down the slope of her nose that shines softly and lingers on the strands of hair brushing against her cheek. you stop yourself then, turning to face the road and the dangling charm hanging from the mirror of minji’s car.

—

you’re completely awake once you reach the cafe. the exterior of the building is modern looking, but it’s vintage aroma and cozy interior reflects the comfort and authenticity of the place. the employees are around your age, maybe a little older. their smiles light up the area even more. 

minji is the first to walk up to the counter and read off the menu. her eyes widen and a small smile graces her lips.

“everything sounds good—it smells good here. do you guys know what you want?”

you squint at the menu for a moment before nodding, “i’ll just share food with someone. get me an iced tea, though.” 

“we can share then y/n. i’ll get the classic breakfast with bacon and an iced latte with whole milk.” hanni says matter-of-factly.

danielle glances at minji and it’s weirdly mischievous. she turns on her heel to meet you and hanni face to face, grinning wider.

“since you two know what you want, why don’t you grab us some seats?”

“um, okay.” you say, shrugging.

now it’s just you and hanni walking around the area. it’s not too busy, but a handful of seats are already taken. hanni points at the table outside, something similar to a table you’ve seen at camping sites. the only thing different about it is that it’s really nice looking. the table is marbled and not decade-old wood with moss growing on it.

you stretch your arms out and a hint of your skin peeks out when your shirt lifts. hanni pretends she doesn't notice.

“it’s nice here.” hanni says as she settles down. she’s gazing out at the small town ahead, mixed with hues of green and birds soaring above it freely. “it’s beautiful.”

“yeah.” you agree. it’s not one of those cliche rom-com moments where you’re staring at her while you agree. it’s truly beautiful out there. “it’d be nicer if i had a meal…”

“oh my god,” hanni scoffs as you sit down in front of her. “you’re unbelievable.”

“yeah and i’m also the person who’s going to down half your breakfast.”

“of course you are.”

“...what’s that supposed to mean?”

hanni raises her brows, giving you that look. 

you roll your eyes, looking out the distance long enough for hanni to study the side of your face (and if there were a quiz for each feature memorized, she’d ace it). she takes in the view for a bit longer before speaking,

“you look cute by the way,” she says nervously, unable to look you in the eye. “fitting for the beach.”

you long to reach your hand out and simply rest it against her face, but you hold back. your lips lift up into a smile.

“i think that’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me this month.”

“hey!” 

you laugh, teeth showing and all. “you look beautiful too, hanni.” you say after a beat. 

before either of you can hang on to whatever stills in the air, the rest of the group finds you two together and situates themselves. minji hands you both your drinks and tells you that the food will take a few minutes before they serve it to you. hyein doesn’t stay in her seat for long, immediately standing up to take in the view. 

danielle grabs her camera and suggests taking pictures while the food is being prepared. none of you shut down the idea.

first it’s a few solo pictures of everyone, then duos and group pictures. minji and hanni pose together, making a stupid face when danielle takes the picture. hyein and haerin take a picture with you next, all of you smiling like it’s a family photo and it's as cute as it is ridiculous. then it’s danielle, minji, and hanni bunched up together cutely for the next photo.

the session is interrupted when one of the employees brings out the food, placing it on the table before offering to help take a picture of all of you. and after that, just when you think you can finally eat, minji pushes you to hanni, who’s being pushed by danielle.

“now a picture of you two!” minji suggests. it’s not really a suggestion, more of an order.

“okay, okay.” you respond, giving hanni a small grin.

your hand slips down to right above her waist, resting lightly as you nudge her just a bit closer. she tilts her head a bit, smiling softly. you do the same, then the flash on danielle’s camera goes off.

“cute,” danielle mumbles, glancing at the picture. “okay, let’s eat now.”

—

the drive to the beach isn’t long, but the journey to a spot that’s not taken up by families is. it's awfully crowded for a wednesday.

you have your totebag on one arm and hold a bag that minji forced you to carry with the other. it feels as if the bag you’re holding will slip from your fingers any second, or maybe that’ll be you with how much scorching sand sneaks into your slides and hinders your ability to walk. the sand burns your feet here and there, but you push through and end up finding a nice spot that had been a seven-minute walk from parking. 

the sun tickles your skin. it’s quite hot, obviously, but it heats you in a way that kind of burns you while also bringing you a feeling of peace. you feel alive.

everyone takes part in setting up their spot. hyein and haerin lay out the blankets with danielle and hanni while you and minji struggle to plant the big umbrellas. once you set up a spot for shade, hyein lies right in that spot and sighs like she’s just lugged a cart full of weights. 

“it’s so hot.” she groans, “i need to lie for a bit.”

“put on sunscreen at least.” you scold lightly. you tug on her arm, urging her to get up before squeezing sunscreen on your palms. you rub your hands together before applying the sunscreen on hyein’s arms, legs, and back. you also leave a very noticeable white cast on her face with how messily you’ve applied it. it makes her look stupidly adorable, so you snap a picture and chuckle at it. “the sun is scared of you now.”

“i look like a clown." she pouts, "of course it is."

“it’ll go away,” you assure, rubbing your thumb on her cheek to blend it in a bit nicer. “it’s only bad on your cheek and forehead.”

“your turn.” she says mischievously.

you huff.

hanni watches you slip off your tank top swiftly—in an oddly enticing manner—leaving you in swim shorts and a sports bra. hanni tries to look away but it’s impossible when the curve of your back meets the sun in such an alluring way. you’ve probably worked out a little extra in order to look like this for the beach trip. it’s safe to say that the work paid off.

“nice view, huh?” danielle’s words rip hanni’s gaze from the back of your arm. 

hanni meets danielle’s eyes, a glint in the way she’s looking at the older girl. hanni knows what she’s thinking, but she doesn’t want to face it.

“stop it.” hanni sighs. 

“i think today is the day for it.”

“for what?”

“oh han, you know.” danielle raises her eyebrows as she looks back over to you. you’re making a face while hyein puts sunscreen on your cheeks a little too aggressively. “you can’t hide your feelings forever.”

“no.” hanni replies almost immediately. she nearly laughs at the way you look with sunscreen smeared all over your face so unevenly. “today is supposed to be normal… relaxing and whatnot. i just want to have a good time—i want y/n to have a good time.”

“she’ll have a good time as long as you’re here hanni. please, trust me.”

“i just—i love her too much. i’m too scared.”

“i’m sure she feels just like you do, and one of you has to face that eventually.”

danielle doesn't give hanni a chance to process her words; she turns hanni into a flustered mess without warning her.

danielle calls you over and insists that you help out hanni with putting on sunscreen. it’s embarrassing how hanni can tell her cheeks are burning through the heat of the sun, amplifying the feeling. it’s even worse when you agree like it’s nothing. 

your hands spread sunscreen across her arms and legs with ease. when you tell her to turn around so you can apply it on her back, she finds herself nodding even when her heart is racing and telling her to run away.

the chill of the sunscreen clashes with the warmth on her skin. she instinctively moves away from your touch.

“sorry.” you mutter.

with a turn of her head, no further than where you can see the side of her face, she responds, “no, it’s fine. it just caught me off guard.” 

you nod before continuing. your hand is soft against the skin of her back, trailing up the back of her ribs to where her shoulders are. everything is awfully intimate and there’s a thrill in both of your guts that neither of you can suppress.

hanni feels your hand linger on her shoulder before you softly say, “done. did you want me to get your face?”

she wants to simultaneously dismiss and accept the offer. the thought of your hands caressing her face excites her, but the proximity and intimacy of it all makes her heart tumble in her chest.

“it’s fine, i—” she pauses, her brows furrowing when she catches something on your face. “hold on, you missed a spot.”

there’s a small area of sunscreen on your cheek that hanni wipes over with her thumb and it dissolves into your skin easily. she willfully ignores how the glow of your skin under the sun makes you so undeniably cute. 

“thanks.” is all you can say to keep you from doing something stupid.

both of you purse a forced smile at the same time before redirecting your attention to something else—anything that’s not each other. 

today is going to be a wonderful day, you both tell yourselves. everything will be fine.

—

all of you tan for an less than an hour before actually getting up. you nearly fall asleep and risk a sunburn, but hyein is there to snap you out of your drowsiness and flips you over like a sausage on a grill. you nearly fall asleep again.

minji had been sitting in one of the beach chairs you brought, her cap sitting on her head in a way that made her look like a father. danielle had fallen asleep with the book she was reading on her face. haerin was there next to her not far from passing out. hanni was laid next to you, reading a book, and it was odd that she had always been there. always nearby, always close. 

you didn’t mind. 

it isn’t long before you finally get up, dusting sand off your legs, and urge minji to play volleyball with you. the two of you share a soda before peppering and it brings enough energy to keep you two shouting at each other to keep the ball up in the air. the rest watch you two run around desperately—minus haerin, who’s still lying down and half-asleep—and are impressed that you’ve kept the ball up for so long. minji slips up and hits the ball too far off to your left, which reels a groan from you once it hits the sand.

hanni decides to get up and join, determined to do better than both of you. you try to keep your eyes off her figure and how great she looks in that two piece of hers. you try your very best not to daydream about kissing every inch of her that the sun touches, to have your hands trace the outline of her body.

you all start a triangle of peppering, but the spikes, bumps, and sets all fall out of pattern when it turns into a scramble to keep the ball up. 

it’s nice to spend time doing the most mundane, simple things with your friends on the beach. you can’t remember the last time you felt this relieved. the vitamin d from the sun seems to be working.

it’s even better when danielle decides to dip her foot in the water, letting the waves that hit the shore soak her feet. it’s even better when minji screams and runs into the water, falling in and wailing on about how cold it is.

the best part, however, is when hanni feels a surge of confidence to take your hand and lead you toward the water. both of you laugh the whole way down, you shiver when the water hits your abdomen, and hanni crosses her arms when the chill reaches her whole body.

when you manage to tackle her into the saltwater, soaking her completely and earning a playful jab to your shoulder, you can’t help but fall a little more in love with her. she pushes her wet hair back and looks at you like she’s going to kill you. before you know it, hanni lunges forward and takes you down with her.

maybe she did it because you did it to her first. maybe it’s because she likes the feeling of being close to you.

and maybe you don’t mind at all. 

maybe you swim over to the deep end and tease her for not being able to stand there without half her face being submerged, just to see the annoyed look on her face. maybe you like the way it makes your heart flutter. maybe you carry her through the water and keep her on your shoulders while playing chicken, staying skin to skin because you like it too. 

for the next few hours a cycle starts. it repeats three times.

you play around in the water, swimming and splashing each other like little kids before returning back to the towels to reapply sunscreen and tan while someone’s queued song plays on the speaker minji brought. after a good amount of time being slow-cooked by the sun, you all play with the volleyball again before returning back to the water. the day is filled with laughter, stupid inside jokes, sand finding shelter in your hair and ears, and hanni lingering closer and closer.

—

you and minji take the reigns when it comes to packing everything up. you take pity on the rest, more so the youngest of the group, who are all out of energy and gawking at their very noticeable tan lines.

hanni bumps your shoulder and tells you she can carry one of the two bags that you’re carrying. you tell her it’s fine. she shakes her head and does what you did that morning; she slips her fingers under the strap of the bag carrying the towels and gives you a shit eating grin that might just make you combust.

“i can hear the wedding bells already,” minji mutters from behind into your ear, “with all the flower girls and bridesmaids and—”

you elbow her shoulder and roll your eyes. “the water is right there, i could throw you back in.”

“whatever. go get her.” you can tell she’s winking at you when she says it with that snarky, knowing tone.

you miss when you try to elbow her again.

the sand had burned your feet the whole way back to the restroom area and the strap of the umbrella bags rubbed against your skin so much that you might mistake the red mark as a sunburn. everyone is exhausted by the time you’re back at the car. you and minji were the last ones to rinse yourselves off and change, so you two are extra tired. 

you and hanni find that the back seat has a little more space now. the bag that took up an extra seat somehow found shelter in the trunk. you can’t tell if this is a good thing or not.

hanni’s arm isn’t brushing against yours anymore until she goes limp and is leaning against you. maybe you didn’t need the tight space to be near her. 

—

all of you find a place to eat lunch in no time. everyone is hungry and severely dehydrated, so while everyone looks at the menu and finds a seat outside, minji asks you to help buy some water for the cooler you brought.

you’re not sure why minji wanted you to tag along to buy water, but you go regardless.

you find out why the moment you’re away from the group.

“so what are you going to do about hanni?” minji asks.

your head jerks to face her. “do what?” you question, acting stupid.

minji shakes her head. “you two are the most oblivious idiots i’ve ever met.”

she’s right, you know she’s right. 

minji’s been one of your closest friends since you started university. she’s seen you at your lowest when you had been fighting with your parents for a month straight for changing your major. she's been there at your best when you received that internship you had been fighting for. she’s even seen you when you were drunk, confessing that you had been in love with hanni the month after you met her. minji knows you like the back of her palm.

“you guys have been lingering near each other the whole day,” she remarks, kicking a pebble on the ground. “she’s been checking you out the whole time. you have been checking her out as well.”

a blush creeps up your neck and tightens up your throat.

“i’m just scared—”

“i know you’re scared, but there really isn’t anything to be scared of. the feeling is mutual, i promise.” she stops talking for a moment to gaze out at the scenery in front of you. the late afternoon sun is shifting into something a little more golden—slowly but surely—and the trees are practically sparkling because of how vibrant they are. “look at how beautiful today is. everyone is happy and tan and all that. today is the day.”

“i’ll think about it.” you say, staring out at the road and the two birds that fly past. “i will.”

—

lunch is filled with laughter, satisfied cravings, and more pictures. you spend an achingly large amount of time smiling at hanni, making eye contact with her, and forcing yourself not to stare at her longer than you should.

(long enough to the point where one of your friends would notice and call you out.)

haerin suggests walking along the boardwalk and you all follow. you all explore a few little shops and danielle spends a little money on a small trinket from one of them. hanni branches out and finds a little display with cute shell bracelets, all with different colors. you wind up following her.

“these are so cute,” she says, picking up a bracelet with pink charms. she finds another one, handing it to you and adds, “look, this one is your favorite color.”

she grabs your wrist and puts it on you, smiling at how nice it fits.

“this is really cute.” you bring your wrist closer to examine it. 

“maybe we should get matching ones.”

“do you want to?” you say, quiet and casual, but your eyes are warm, serious. 

“yeah, i really like these ones.” hanni decides, but she likes the idea of having something that connects her to you more than the bracelet itself. 

the rest of the group watches you both from outside the shop. through the window they catch you two giggling about something as the cashier checks your purchase, and when you’re back out to meet them, they all grin at the sight of your matching bracelets.

“when is the wedding?” minji questions, only half-joking.

hanni rolls her eyes. “it’s just a bracelet. i know you’re jealous.”

minji just laughs, then looks you in the eye and raises her brows, clearly amused.

—

you all end up back at the beach after walking around and talking about anything and everything because it’s been so long since you all were normal, real people and not prisoners to an academic institution.

danielle is taking a few more pictures of everyone, but mainly haerin because she’s been too timid to put herself out there. danielle is determined to curate an instagram post for haerin that will shake everyone to their core. 

hyein leans against your shoulder, using you as a pillar for support while she watches minji and hanni play around with the volleyball. your hands are planted behind you as you stare out at the ocean, finding comfort in the sound of the waves crashing and the occasional sound of hyein sipping on her soda.

“y/n?” hyein asks quietly.

“hm?”

“what’s with you and hanni?”

“what do you mean?”

“i can’t tell if you guys are dating or just oblivious.”

you can’t help but laugh. “you sound like minji.”

“ew, don’t say that.” she groans. “but seriously, what’s with you guys? minji said she had some sort of plan for you two but i never really got details…”

of course minji had a plan. danielle was probably a part of it too. 

you don’t know how to explain your feelings for hanni. she’s the type of person you look forward to seeing everyday. no one had ever made you feel all giddy like she has, not even your stupid crushes when you were a teenager. 

hanni has a smile that kind of steals your breath away. she’s the kind of girl that makes you grin and cackle like an idiot without trying. she laughs hard at your jokes and moments of stupidity and it almost makes you feel like you’re in an alternate universe where she loves you just as much. she’s real and raw with you, letting her voice crack when she’s upset and being that burst of unique energy when she’s on top of the world. you love her for who she is and whatever she feels.

there’s so much warmth that seeps out of her and so much you don’t understand. there’s a lot of things you don’t understand and it’s scary how badly you want to know every inch of her.

you don’t know how to explain the complexity of how your heart pounds in your chest when it comes to hanni. instead, you say, all so casually but genuine in the way your tone softens, “i love her a lot.”

hyein sips on her soda again, then hums. “does she know it?”

you sigh, biting your lip before saying, “i think she will soon.”

—

“oh my god, you’re sunburnt.” hanni says as she returns to the beach towel you’re sat on.

everyone else is god-knows-where and hanni always finds herself drawn back to you. she sits down and examines your cheek.

“no i’m not.” you defend, “i’m sunkissed.”

“sure,” she giggles. she absentmindedly plays with the end of her hair, a habit that stems from her being a nervous wreck. “i think the sun made out with your face.” 

a suggestive remark catches in your throat. you decide to have some decorum instead of opening your mouth.

you turn to her finally and the sight of her staring at you with so much care and intimacy makes you feel light and relieved. her cheeks are also a hue of red—like an apple—worse than you for sure.

“i would be more focused on your face. that’s a burn.” you snicker, reaching out to place your fingers on her skin. her cheek is warmer than it should be, not just because she’s burnt. “you look like rudolph if his nose were his cheeks instead.”

“you sound ridiculous.”

“you get what i mean.” you respond bashfully. 

hanni melts when you flash that lopsided grin at her. it’s golden hour, the light hits you so perfectly, and all hanni can think of is how nice it would be to kiss you right now. she makes the mistake of glancing down at your lips—for a second—and you catch it. she speaks before you can say anything.

“today has been fun.” she breaks eye contact and plays with her hair again. her knees move to her chest and she hugs them close as she watches the sky dim. “i haven’t had this much fun in a while.”

“not even during the movie night last month?” you giggle at the memory of minji and hanni crying while half-drunk to some romcom danielle put on. the video still lives in your favorites.

“okay, well—you know what i mean. the weather is perfect and everything is going well and, i, well,” her teeth trap her bottom lip and she looks at you shyly. “i’m just really happy to be around you. everytime we’ve been left alone i just—i don’t know. it feels right. it always does.”

your world stops for a moment. your world, usually equally as busy as it is overstimulating, goes silent. hanni has that effect on you, like when she came over to drop off something during finals season to find you freaking out and calmed you down with a soothing, warm hug. or when you had just gotten into a fight with your mother for the second time in the week during lunch with your friends, then brought you back to the ground with a simple hand only our shoulder and the look in her eyes. but now? everything goes still. it’s almost unsettling.

you can only laugh. hanni puts a hand on her forehead and cringes.

“sorry, that sounded so sentimental.”

“no, no. hanni, it’s fine.” you reassure.

a surge of confidence spreads through your body like a wildfire. maybe today is the day.

“i can’t believe the sun got to kiss you and not me.” you sound like a lead in a romcom. your words are corny and make you cringe, but the way you say it sounds awfully genuine and lovestruck. 

“what?” she almost chokes on nothing. 

“i– sorry. i’m not good with these things.” you pinch the bridge of your nose.

you gulp when she looks at you with those sun-soaked eyes, they’re gleaming like the ocean in front of you. 

“minji has been trying to get me to tell you how i feel for a while… and then this trip happened and i realized that i’m too deep into everything i feel for you to keep beating around the bush.”

“you like me?”

you shake your head.

“i love you, hanni.”

she gulps, opens her mouth to say something, but she can’t. it’s impossible after you’ve just said the words that hanni has been wanting to say since you carried her home after one too many drinks at a house party. or maybe it was when you two snuck out to go on a walk late at night, sharing stories that were simultaneously heart-warming and heart-clenching. or maybe it was when she first laid eyes on you. she can’t remember when she figured out she loved you because it feels like it's always just been... there.

“i love you too, y/n.” her words are nearly a whisper.

“oh, okay, i’m really glad.” you exhale heavily, closing your eyes from pure relief and clutching your chest like you’ve just had a heart-attack. this is pretty comparable though. “because you looked so good all day and i seriously felt like an idiot this whole time trying not to look at you too hard.” it spills out your lips like a ramble, but it’s jumbled up enough to convey everything hanni needs to hear.

hanni laughs at how cute you are with your hand still clutching your chest. 

“i’ve felt the same.”

“yeah?” you tilt your head, unknowingly shifting a little closer. “minji told me you were checking me out.”

“okay, don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“i worked out a lot for today. did you like the view?” 

“shut up before i kiss you.”

your lips relax and you swallow hard.

“i won’t shut up then.”

“then i’ll do it myself.”

it’s not until that moment that you realize that your lips are already a breath apart. hanni tilts her head a little to match you, and her lips search for yours, pressing eagerly once they meet.

you pull away first just to take a good look at her. she stares at your lips the whole time you stare at her face, lit up perfectly by golden hour. she practically launches herself back onto you, cupping your cheek and kissing you again. her mouth presses softly, firmly, warmly. you can feel her smiling into the kiss and she feels you doing the same.

your fingers rake into her hair, tugging gently as you deepen the kiss. you sigh into her like it’s a dream come true. 

and it is.

—

the rest of the group walks back to where you and hanni are to spot your hand on her jaw, her fingers twirling your hair, and lips locked from afar.

haerin laughs out of surprise and amusement. “it worked out.”

“finally,” danielle sighs.

“i told you it’d work out.” minji shrugs. she walks past the group and toward you two to purposefully break you apart—she likes embarassing both of you. 

—

everyone is completely dead once you’re back in the car. hyein is already asleep on haerin’s shoulder and minji hasn’t even left the parking lot (she’s downing an energy drink to prepare for the two and a half hour car ride).

danielle is looking through all of the photos and a few minutes later a notification pops up on your phone with all the photos danielle uploaded. before you open it up, hanni moves your arm so that it’s around her.

“wow, you’re bold. we just made out and now you’re—”

“i’d shut you up like before, but i’m not going to be an asshole and traumatize anyone today. and i’m tired, move over.” she almost sounds cranky. you find it adorable.

“okay, okay.” you extend yourself so that hanni can lay in your arms. the back of her head is on your chest and she’s holding onto your forearm. the position isn’t the most comfortable—you can feel your butt numbing from the weird angle you’re sitting at, and your legs don’t even extend fully across due to your height—but hanni is. you don’t complain.

hanni whines when you move the arm she had clung onto like a teddybear, but you feel her soften up as soon as it moves over so you can massage her scalp. 

“get some sleep.” you insist, pulling out your phone to check out the photos from danielle. they’re really great. you sort out the ones of hanni, then the ones of you and hanni, saving them all before looking over at the rest. 

fifteen minutes pass and by then you grow drowsier and drowsier. you place your phone in the cup holder and try to shift as unnoticeably you can to ease the numbing in half your limbs and ass. hanni groans when she feels you move, but you scratch her scalp again and she resumes her slumber.

a soft sigh—relieved, lovestruck, and content—leaves you as you settle down. your arms wrap around hanni, your eyes close, and everything feels perfect. you still wonder if you’re dreaming.

—

by the time minji’s back at her place, everyone is passed out. it’s jarring how full of energy minji is once she’s back home despite the ache in her upper body from repeatedly racing you in the ocean.

(she takes pride in the fact that she won, so it doesn’t matter if her limbs are burning from her freestyle.)

she shakes danielle awake and she murmurs something that’s most definitely a gibberish. but once danielle is awake, she turns to see the youngest of the group passed out cutely and haerin’s head completely covered by her hair. 

danielle snaps another picture.

“look here,” minji laughs lightly, turning on the light in the backseats. 

you and hanni are cuddled up, the dim light spread across every tangled limb and linked finger. minji and danielle wonder how you two are even comfortable like that, but they brush it off as soon as danielle pulls her phone out to take something candid.

minji laughs. low and soft. “we have to save that for the wedding.”

“for sure.” danielle agrees.

[cosmicflare]

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙼𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙿𝚒𝚎𝚌𝚎

✦ ;; you, jax and ribbit were all very close. however- after ribbit abstracted- a rift formed between you and jax. now after pomni came along, you couldn't help but want to repair what you had with the rabbit.

✦ ;; jax x gn!reader

✦ ;; slight angst, fluff

✦ ;; here is another jax fic i seem to only write these once a new episode drops, i need to write more ☠️ also i wrote this at 12 am forgive me if i have any mistakes

No matter how many times you told Jax to knock it off, he continued to be the biggest bully in the circus. No doubt he ignored you not just because he's an asshole, but because after the only other person you two were close to abstracted, its been difficult to meet in the middle again. Grief is a terrible thing that everyone experiences differently, especially here. There are no minutes or hours or days or months or years, just...a digital hellscape.

You two had an argument, a nasty one, not spurred between just one of you. It was a mutual blaming of causing the other to abstract. You both blamed each other and yourselves personally for not being able to prevent it from happening. Both were shit friends. Both horrible people. The argument and sudden separation caused a ripple through the whole circus and everyone could sense just how deeply the abstraction fucked with you both. Especially Jax- he became nastier to everyone as a shield to deflect from how broken he was inside.

So when Ragatha said 'Not anymore' in response to Jax not having any friends, it made you furious. So furious that you wanted to give her a piece of your mind. But you didn't, because you weren't even apart of the conversation. No, you were just close enough to hear parts of the whole, but definitely heard that. The rest of the adventures were tense, but you slowly felt yourself being drawn more to Pomni and by extension- Jax. But you haven't had a full on conversation with him yet alone and the thought made you incredibly nervous.

And at the bar, you didn't blame Jax for not saying anything about his life before the circus. You knew him all too well and he had every right to keep it hidden. Meanwhile you? You ended up giving the important tidbits of your life, but a lot less than what you shared with Jax and Ribbit as an attempt to at least connect with everyone more.

It wasn't just Jax you grew distant from, but it was everyone.

Then it was time for baseball with the opposing team who quite literally, were the opposites of you all. At some point, the others besides you and Pomni decide to put him in a maid dress. He did not like it at all. And not just the normal amount of dislike, but extreme discomfort it hurt to watch him lash out in anger and embarrassment.

"I thought you would have voted for me because ya know- I'm the asshole, right?" He sarcastically said to you, causing you to flinch. You said those exact words during the argument all that time ago because you didn't like how unreasonably mean he was becoming.

"Well despite what happened, I don't want to be one to you, no matter how you treat me" You spoke in full honesty, because you never spewed any insults at him even if he did it to you first. It never got to you like how it did with the others since you had gotten used to it, even if he did get worse after Ribbit has abstracted. He sighed and looked away, his expression suddenly turning melancholic as it seemed he was about to say something. But as soon as Pomni came up to talk to him- he just paid attention to her instead. Despite him getting closer to her, you knew he was doing it for a reason, and that he would answer you when he was ready. You extended the olive branch, and it was up to him and only him if he would grab it.

Soon, the rapid-fire adventures ended and you were spit out in the main part of the circus. Jax wanted to show Pomni something in the hallway so they started walking away. But before they could get far- Jax stopped and looked back at you.

"Hey would you want to uh, come along?" His voice was unsure, but firm. He grabbed your offer, the olive branch was taken, and you wers thankful. Saying you did, you hurriedly ran to catch up to them before the rabbit started to walk again.

"So what did you want to show me?" The jester asked with curiosity. You somehow just knew what she wanted her to see and why he wanted you to come along. Was this his form of an apology?

"You'll see, but I feel like my old friend here already knows" You were a bit startled that he knew, but also not surprised at all since you both were so close others used to say you acted like a married couple. You couldn't really define the relationship in any way, but you still respected him very deeply and never wish to fight with him again. He meant a lot to you, and you know you meant a lot to him.

It wasn't long before you three ended up in the hallway full of everyone's bedrooms. Towards the back of it lies the one place you haven't visited since it happened.

Ribbit's bedroom.

The sight of the red x over his face made your breath hitch, you stayed away from this place because you couldn't handle even looking in this direction. Yet here you were, with Jax and the newest addition about to enter. The rabbit held onto the doorknob and he looked at you, a sad expression on his face as he was gauging your reaction. This is where the fight took place; right outside the bedroom. He twisted the doorknob to reveal the bedroom which was still exactly as it was left the day Ribbit abstracted.

"His name was Ribbit, and he was our best friend" Jax's voice was calm and had a sort of fondness as he recounted the many days and adventures the three of you had. Pomni took in the room and this information as he spoke of the good and the bad, all which almost made you tear up. It wasn't long until he got up until the day the frog was abstracted, his breathing became heavy as he slouched over, a pained look in his eyes. You got closer to him and pulled him into a hug.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to" You told him softly, rubbing his back as he slightly gripped the clothing on your shoulders.

"Yeah if it makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to tell me now!" Pomni worridly and quickly added onto your statement, not wanting to ruin the new, budding friendship she was forming with him. But Jax was silent for a moment as he just embraced you in a way that he was terrified on letting you go again. You didn't want to let him go either, but you couldn't stay attached to him forever. This was the moment to decide to get closer to with him again and try to repair what was lost.

"I heard from uhm...Ragatha that you two had a falling out after...it happened. I'll leave you two alone now" she sounded like she was scared of saying one wrong thing and suddenly Jax would return to how he normally was. But she didn't. She held a hand on the doorframe to stop herself as she looked back. "Thank you for telling me though, I'm sure you guys were all really close. But don't forget I'm here too, ok?" And then she was gone.

"Please don't leave me" He was so quiet you barely heard him. But you did.

"I won't leave you again, you hear me? As long as you don't leave me again. I...really want to try being friends again, if that's ok with you, of course" In no way did you want to force him into that since that's the last thing that would help build your connection back.

"I won't ever leave you again I swear. I would uh...like to be friends again too. Don't tell anyone this hug happened or I'll kill you" That got a single huff of a smile out of you as you pulled away and looker at him with nothing but love in your eyes. You always loved him in whatever kind of love that may be. He was back. Your Jax was back. For good this time.

"Oh please, killing me would mean me leaving again" You couldn't help but smile as your heart grew. Maybe happiness was possible here and that happiness could be from a purple rabbit named Jax.

"That's true...I hate when you're right" Rolling his eyes, he smiled as he stared at you with a look that you knew all too well. He was ready to cause chaos.

"Want to get out of here and mess with Ragatha a bit?" Of course, you couldn't be surprised.

"Really? After all that? Let's just focus on I don't know...not piss everyone off again?

"Ok fiiiinne. Race ya to the bowling alley?"

"You're on"

[inks-writing-space]

Klaus being obsessed with her wearing his clothes. And she knows it.

So she does it. Often. At the most inconvenient times - like when he is in the library and they are discussing supernatural politics and you walk in with his shirt on to grab a book. And walk right out. And he just follows like a lovesick puppy.

Alliances- Klaus Mikaelson x f!Reader

My Masterlist

700 words: You wear Klaus clothes the entire time and he is not having it... Warnings: none just fluff

A/N: I love this request thank you so much. It's fun to write fluff <3

~~~~~~~

"Kol, you are drving me to madness," Klaus growls, "You have no idea of the extend of rage I feel for every single one of the witches. I will kill them all."

"You'll keep your hands off my girl," Kol gives back.

Elijah massages his neck, "Let us proceed with caution. The last thing we require is yet another conflict ignited by impulsive decisions."

Kol crosses his arms, "Hands off the witches or I am out."

Klaus looked at Kol before turning to Elijah, "Then we'll go with my last plan."

“You’re suggesting an alliance with the werwolves?” Elijah's voice is clipped, annoyed. “They’ve broken every-”

“Mm,” Klaus hums suddenly absent, gaze frozen somewhere behind Elijah and not at the map at all but on you. You had walked in like it’s nothing, barefoot, wearing his grey Henley. The one that is long enough to cover your thighs and he knew you were not wearing anything underneath. You never did when you were at home. He was the only one who was aware and that made him even crazier for you. You had once told Klaus that you loved wearing his clothes because they smelled like him, and felt like home.

A side effect was that Klaus is gone the second he sees you, because he loves the way you look in his clothes. He watches you walk to the book shelf behind you, stretched up on your toes, fingers grazing the spine of an old version of Sense and Sensibility. And you know he’s watching. You shift your weight just a little so the hem of the shirt rides up higher on your legs.

He’s already standing, by the time you grab the book. As you turn you catch his eye and walk out with a quiet, innocent little smirk. Your look gives you away: You knew exactly what you had done.

“…Klaus,” Elijah sighs. “Don’t.”

But Klaus is already moving.

“She’s wearing my shirt,” he mutters, halfway to the door. “Again.”

“Brother,” Kol calls after him dryly. “If you follow her every time she wears your clothes we might actually lose this negotiations because we never finish planing.”

But Klaus doesn’t care. He’s already following you through the corridor like a man possessed.

When he finds you in your room, sprawled on the bed reading, legs bare and attention clearly not on supernatural diplomacy, he leans against the doorframe and stares for a moment. “Do you enjoy unraveling me so throughly?," he whispered and watched as you glanced up innocently. “Of course.” You flip the page. “Is it working?”

He stays in the doorway for another second, gaze trailing over your legs like they’re sacred, then pads across the room with slow, careful steps like he is approaching a wild thing.

“I had a very important diplomatic discussion,” he says, voice low as he comes to the edge of the bed moving over you while kissing your cheek.

You flip the page again. “And I’m sure Elijah was devastated to lose your full attention.”

Klaus laughs under his breath. The sound is a little husky and a shiver runs over your back as he kisses your collarbone . He leans down and brushes his fingers along the hem of his shirt where it rests on your thigh. “You’re not wearing anything underneath.”

“Your point?”

“My point,” he growls, “is that you walked into that room like a weapon, and now you’re lying here reading Jane Austen while I’m trying to remember how to breathe.”

You finally glance up, biting back a smile. “Then maybe you should lie down too.”

He doesn’t need to be told twice. Klaus drops beside you without hesitation, and you tuck yourself into his side, abandoning the book completely.

He leans in, lips brushing your temple, then your cheek, then down to your jaw. You can feel him breathing you in.

“Klaus,” you murmur, voice a little breathless now. “You’re supposed to be negotiating.”

“I am,” he whispers, sliding the book from your lap. “Negotiating for more time with you.”

He lays beside you, pulling you close, like he’s never letting you go.

And just like that the war waits.

[miri-tiazan]

Okay so I went and read up a bit on this on Wikipedia. It may not be JUST capitalism that prevented this from being developed further and rolled out more widely, at least in the US. The method of “vaccination” that is being described here is NOT what I would typically call a vaccine—as in, this is not a shot that you receive that then teaches your body to make antibodies against an undesirable pathogen (bacteria or virus or what have you). Instead, the method being rolled about now by Lumina is what Wikipedia terms “replacement therapy”.

What this “replacement therapy” is, is actually designer bacteria (what they’re referring to as a probiotic) that is very similar to the bacterium that causes tooth decay, but critically does NOT produce the lactic acid that the wild type bacteria produce (which is what actually decays your teeth). This designer bacteria is intended to essentially outcompete the wild type bacteria and replace it. Meaning that you still have essentially the same mouth bacteria, but one of them has been replaced by a designer version that won’t rot your teeth.

The Wikipedia article describes the reasons that Oragenics, the original developer of this therapy, shelved it in 2014 as “regulatory concerns and patent issues”. Patent issues are whatever, I have no idea how easy it is to patent designer bacteria but I would guess the real concern on patents/profitability would be that these fancy designer bacteria might escape from people who’ve gotten this treatment (customers who will pay them money) to whatever other humans they may choose to swap spit with (freeloaders getting the product without paying for it, one presumes the capitalist logic goes). But the regulatory concerns seem HUGE to me.

This fancy designer non-acid producing bacteria that is being marketed here is essentially a genetically engineered invasive species. That lives in your mouth. It is DESIGNED to outcompete and replace wild type. If this thing lives up to its promises, it could very well spread widely even if only a small number of people actually get the treatment. Think about mono transmission in high school. Very similar concept. And, critically, THERE AREN’T ANY PEER REVIEWED SAFETY TRIALS YET. Like, hopefully this thing isn’t going to outcompete native bacteria so effectively that it gets into places in your body it shouldn’t and make you sick. But we don’t KNOW that.

This is not to say that I am opposed to this therapy or that I think it’s definitely a bad idea. I actually think it’s a super smart and creative potential way to solve what is a fairly intransigent public health problem. But it has very real risks, and it NEEDS TO BE STUDIED before we know how safe it is, how well it works, if it has any potential side effects or bad outcomes that could make the risks outweigh the rewards, etc. And if I were working at the FDA right now I would be side-eyeing this pretty hard. I haven’t heard of any approved medical therapies that use this replacement genetically-modified bacteria method, and given how new it is and how potentially uncontrollable this could be (bacteria grow exponentially folks, that’s literally how bacteria work), I as a regulator would want to be seeing a LOT of evidence specifically around safety for something like this before I would even think of green lighting it.

It’s not just capitalist bullshit that means this didn’t already get big in the US, there are real and important safety and scientific concerns about something like this. We need to know much much more about how these bacteria behave in humans over time before rolling something like this out. This has not received even the FIRST set of clinical trials that are required for new medical treatments in the US, and it’s not reassuring that the team trying to sell this in the US is deliberately trying to skirt FDA regulation by calling this a “probiotic”.

TLDR; don’t buy this yet, especially if you’re immunocompromised or have other health conditions that could make bacterial infections especially dangerous for you.

people with tooth decay aren't bad people. they aren't lazy either. neither are they unclean or irresponsible. tooth decay doesn't make you a bad person. you don't deserve mockery, judgement, or tooth pain for having any. the only thing people with tooth decay deserve is healthcare.

[freak-accident419]

we dont owe you tags. majority of fanfic readers are stragit women. yn is assumed to be female when it isnt male!reader or gn!reader. stop trying to be oppressed x reader equals female reader we dont need to tag it

First of all—what an odd thing to say

I am assuming you are referring to my few posts about the tagging system in fanfics. Therefore, I have only been encouraging the use of tagging now that fandoms have been becoming diverse. And while yes, a lot of fics tagged with solely "x Reader" usually are fem!reader, I personally don't think we should push that as the default or assumption. Tagging is very important, especially in fan fiction. Just because the majority could be straight women as you said, doesn't mean we should all assume every writer and reader is. We should always try to accommodate for a diverse community.

Second of all—"stop trying to be oppressed"? As a minority, I'm not actively trying to seem oppressed. After all, I’ve only ever posted a few things regarding the tagging system. I’m not angry or offended about anything if you actually paid attention to what I’ve been posting about. I’m just encouraging the use of tagging so that every individual in a diverse fandom knows what they’re going into. Not forcing or anything.

Tagging is heavily encouraged to be considerate and accommodating. That's all I've been trying to articulate.

[sevikasbbymama]

Head cannons for Ambessa with a girl who has a country accent

✾𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚/Country!Reader Hc’s

(suggestive content near the end!)

——————

• The first time she heard your voice was at one of those elegant mixers she had gotten the Council to host. She had been convincing some wealthy— well, to her they weren’t — investors to take a look at one of her ideas. Though, it didn’t take much convincing. She was Ambessa Medarda after all.

• You had been grabbing a drink when you felt eyes burning into your back, and when you turned, there she was. Staring at you with a smile that nearly made you drop your cup…

~~

Hc’s

• Ambessa loves to hear you talk. When you lay beside her, she’ll run her hand along your hip just to hear your voice stutter. She learned that a lot of things will make your accent get stronger, and she does everything in her power to get it to happen.

• “Say it again for me darling…” She’ll whisper into your ear, and you have to stop yourself from laughing because she’s asking you to repeat such a simple phrase.

• She loves to make you angry because that’s when your accent becomes the most pronounced. “Oh, it’s all in good fun my love…” “Yeah well it ain’t funny. You’re gonna have to make it up to me or I’m not finishing that damn book you asked me to.” She always does and it leaves you breathless.

• Ambessa gets so disappointed at how your accent doesn’t do anything to her name. You try and tell her it’s because her name is too elegant for anything to change it, but she denies that idea because your accent is the most ethereal thing she’s ever heard.

• When you both have time to relax, she’ll have you sit on her lap and try out different names for her. “Darlin’?” “No, love, I call you that.” “Sugar?” “Hm…” “Lover?” “Oh..! Say it again…”

• Ambessa asks about your home town often, and it really is the most plain thing to you, but Ambessa finds everything about you fascinating.

• When you spend too much time with her, your accent becomes less prominent and she will kick you out…of her room. She’ll make you sit on the couch with your own thoughts until it goes back to normal. “Baby, this ain’t doin’ nothin’!” “See, darling? It’s already working. Be a good girl and just wait a bit longer.” “…she’s gonna stop calling me that, I’m not doin’ this today…”

• During your first, real, argument— you were beyond pissed. Ambessa had blown off your dinner for an important council meeting she didn’t even need to be apart of. She just didn’t trust her messenger to bring her exactly the “right information.” You were livid, and you were voicing that very loudly. And Ambessa really was trying to focus on what you were saying and not how hot you sounded.

• Everytime you see her, you always say “Hey lover…” because it gets Ambessa going. Like…every single time. “Again, darling…”

• Whenever Ambessa has a bad day, you’ll get into the bath together. It took some convincing, but you finally got her to be the one sitting between your legs. You’d lean close and whisper sweet nothings into her ear. “I could spend all night telling you what I like about you, but we’d get nothin’ done. I can hardly focus when you’re around me anyways…” You could tell what was working for her based on how hard she was gripping your thigh.

• Ambessa likes to get you flustered. It makes you laugh, which also makes you forget to try and tone down your accent. “Oh lord, baby, you need to stop doin’ that! You’re makin’ me embarrassed…” “Embarrassed? For what? Having the most darling voice I’ve ever heard?” “…shut up.”

• She like when other people compliment your accent because it makes you more inclined to not hide it. She will immediately shut it down when it becomes flirting.

• “Oh, darling, you make the most beautiful sounds…” “Ah..! You know, baby? I’m— mm— I’m startin’ to think most of your attraction for me is cause of my accent…” “…Well, it is what drew me to you, yes.” “Of course it was— AH! Ambessa!” “See? Beautiful.”

———————

᪥ I actually loved writing this, except I don’t think it should’ve been as difficult as it was considering I literally have a country accent LMAO. If you want, I’ll write a part 2. Oh and if you want headcanons to include NSFW ones as well, let me know!

᪥ Also, let me know if we like the characters dialogue in their signature color. I’d only do that for head canons specifically.

[heartmix]

forgiving means acceptance - CL16

Pairing: Charles Leclerc x fem!reader

Word Count: 1.6k+

Summary: She always loved when people remembered the little things about her, but learned to let that go with Charles. Even as far as letting him get away with forgetting the most important date

Warning: hurt to comfort, happy ending, charles lowkey bad bf, forgetting anniversary, sadness, anger

A/N: if this was me this shit would not fly...good thing it ain't. Wasn't going to end it happy but my last CL fic was angst so i decided to make it have a happy ending

F1 Masterlist / Masterlist

In previous relationships, you were always one to stress the little things. Good morning and good night texts, remembering your order from your favorite restaurant, and even making sure to put down the toilet seat lid when they were done using it. Everyone who took the time to get to know you knew how you adored and stressed the little details. That all changed when you started dating Charles. 

You knew the challenges of being an F1 driver and being the unofficial Prince of Monaco at that. Agreeing to be his other half meant that you agreed to the lifestyle of it all. This relationship was going to be intense and unlike anything you had experienced before. 

In the first few months, you tried to remind him of the little things and how much it mattered to you. After some time had passed, and trying to show that the little things mattered to you, the reminders fell through. He did try, and he listened, but he was doing so much at once that the little things were never important to him. One thing you learned about him very quickly was that he was the bigger picture type of person. At first, you were a bit annoyed with it, but seeing more of his day-to-day, you've learned to let it go. 

It wasn't like he didn't love you - he absolutely did, and he made sure to tell you that every day. At times, you wondered if he did. Words meant nothing if actions didn't back them up. He should know better than anyone - he could say the team was going good, but if there were no podium results, then that was all for nothing. 

At first, you were angry at him for not paying attention to what you considered important. Then that anger turned into sadness. Many nights, the worries got to you, and you would stay up thinking if he loved you like the way you loved him. You always paid attention to the little details when it came to him and did your best to cater to his love language. Now it was a year later, and you found a way to be numb to it. You still loved him - that hasn't gone away, but after missing your anniversary, you knew that you should fully let go of him ever catering to you. 

It was hard to hide it from the people around you. They noticed how you wouldn't get upset at the man for forgetting things or missing a lunch you had planned. That alone raised some eyebrows, but they let it go, seeing how much you loved him and he loved you. They would think otherwise if they knew he forgot your anniversary two months ago. 

"Hey, what did you and Charles do for your anniversary? Jake and I are coming up on our one year, and I don't know what to do." Your best friend asked while on FaceTime. You were currently in Canada for the Canadian Grand Prix - you figured you'd kill some time while waiting in Charles' driver's room so you both could get something to eat before he needed to be back to reviewing data. 

"Oh, um.. He took me to dinner at this fancy ramen place while we were in Japan." You nervously came up with something on the spot. It wasn't a total lie. The day of your anniversary coincided with the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, and you did eat Ramen, but it was dinner with his brother, Arthur, as well. 

"Well shit not like I can fly to japan for a simple dinner, but maybe we can go to the place we first met." She thought out loud, making you smile at the thought of her putting a lot of consideration into the special date. Romance was still alive and well for some people. 

"That's honestly, really romantic. I say that's the best date."

"Aw, thanks, babes. Hey, I need to go, it's almost midnight here." 

"Please get some sleep - I'm going to grab something to eat and I'll text you when we get back to the hotel. I love you."

"I love you too, Bye!" As soon as the call disconnected, your smile dropped. You hated lying to her, but you would rather shield your feelings away than have your best friend hate Charles for the rest of her life. 

It wasn't like you meant for your smile to drop. It was natural at this point to put on a persona when talking about you and Charles. Quickly, you shook away any doubts, knowing Charles could walk in at any time. You didn't want him worrying about you when he had a race weekend to focus on. 

As you were getting up to collect your things, to find him, there he was waiting by the door with a frown on his face. The thought of him overhearing your conversation didn't cross your mind. The first thing you guessed was something with the car or the team. 

"What's wrong, baby?" You walked up to him, seeing if you could search in his eyes if he was angry or frustrated. Instead, you found sadness and disbelief. 

"I missed our anniversary?" His voice was soft, borderline broken. There was no way he forgot, did he? 

"Don't worry about it - it was a race week, so it's okay." You tried to reassure him, squeezing his hands to let him know it was okay and you weren't mad at him - not anymore at least. 

"No, it's not okay. How could I forget? Why didn't you tell me?" It wasn't an accusatory tone, more like why didn't you say something, get mad at him, cry, or anything. Why didn't you react in any sort of way? 

"You won in Japan and your first win of the season, how could I take that away? Our anniversary wasn't important at that moment." 

"You're wrong, it's more important. What kind of boyfriend am I not to put you first?" He was now getting mad, his voice rising and his tone harsher. Not at you, just at the circumstance, at himself. 

"Racing is your life, it was there before me."

"But you're my future. You shouldn't have let me get away with missing something that important or anything that's going on. I'm so sorry, mon cherie." He pulled you in for a hug with a kiss planted on top of your head. It was to reassure him more than you. 

"It's okay, it doesn't affect me anymore." Sensing you weren't telling the entire he pulled back, looking at you unsure. There was something deeper, and he knew.

"Stop lying to me. Tell me what's going on." 

"I'm learning to accept that not everything is going to be catered to me. Walking into this relationship, I knew what I signed up for. Your fast life doesn't accommodate my needs. But that's okay, I'm learning as I go."

"You've got to help me here." He asked, still not understanding what you were trying to say. 

"I was always the type to stress the little things. The little gestures are what make me the happiest. Like remembering my order from my favorite restaurant or texting me goodnight when we're not seeing each other for the night. I've learned to let it go early on, and I understand how busy you are, so because I've let that go, I've let everything else you do go." The confession felt all over the place, but relieving, it was bottled up for months, and now that it was finally out, it made you feel just a bit better. 

"You let me forgetting our anniversary go." He clarified with the utmost sadness in his tone. 

"Yeah. I know it wasn't because you didn't love me. I know you do. That's why I learned to let it go." 

"Do you ever do that again. I don't care how busy I am, I forget how fast things go, and sometimes things slip. I shouldn't even need you to remind me. Not only for our anniversary, but for things that make you happy. There isn't going to be a next time, but please yell, hit, scream, do anything because I will not accept anything less. Not when it comes to you." He let it all out in one go, and you couldn't help the smile that was forming on the corner of your lips. 

"Okay." You didn't know what else to say. It was everything you wanted to hear, but now you're speechless. 

"Okay, as in you're going to ingrain in my mind everything you deem important. Okay, as in you will yell at me next time. Do it in front of the garage so everyone will give me shit for it." You couldn't help but laugh at the seriousness in his voice. You knew he wanted the team to take him seriously, so him telling you to basically humiliate him was something you didn't think would come out of his mouth. 

"I don't know about the last part, but okay to the first part." 

"I can settle for that." He smiled one of his million-dollar smiles. "So here's the plan. I'm going to win this race, then you and I are going to Greece for a small two-week break. About time you live your mamma mia dreams."

"You remembered?" Looking at him in shock that he remembered your dream vacation spot. Sure, maybe the standards were low at this point, but you were still taken aback. 

"Oh, I'm not that bad of a boyfriend."

"You did forget our anniversary." You teased, making him roll his eyes. Now that he knew the truth, you were going to weaponize it every chance you could, but he didn't mind one bit. 

"I deserve that."

"But Greece sounds great."  You clarified, making his smile widen. 

"Good because I will continue to make this up to you for the rest of our lives." 

[aveline-shepard]

There's actually not strong scientific research supporting the claim that drinking cold (even ice-cold) beverages will negatively impact recovery from heatstroke or heat exhaustion. Adverse health effects from drinking cold water are extremely rare.

Some fact-based tips for handling the heat (with sources):

The most important thing is to STAY HYDRATED AND MAKE SURE YOU'RE GETTING ELECTROLYTES.

If someone isn't sweating that is a sign of heatstroke. Do not drink alcohol, which can negatively impact hydration (Source: CDC)

If someone has heatstroke, get them into the shade and cool their body ASAP, which includes removing clothing, applying ice packs to the neck, armpits, and groin.

If possible, immersion in cold water is THE BEST WAY TO TREAT HEATSTROKE. Monitor their body temperature so they don't get TOO cold. (Source: CDC)

Spraying the person with water and fanning to simulate sweating can also work. If they are immersed in water, monitor their body temperature so they don't get TOO cold; this is especially important if they're immersed in water 50F or lower. Offer them cold water, but DO NOT offer alcohol. (Source: CDC)

If someone has heatstroke, TREAT FIRST AND TRANSPORT SECOND. (Source: CDC, NPR, NATA)

As for personal recommendations, I've recently started using Liquid IV, which I found helps immensely re: electrolytes, and having it ice-cold improves flavor. There are a ton of electrolyte drink mixes available, including more reasonably priced off-brands and many low sugar options.

If you have a dog, PLEASE BRING COLD/COOL WATER WITH YOU WHEN YOU WALK YOUR DOG/GO TO THE PARK AND LEARN TO IDENTIFY THE SIGNS OF OVERHEATING. Avoid the hottest hours of the day (early morning and after sunset are usually best). Give them plenty of breaks in the shade, and don't force hard exercise (running/fetch/etc). Many dogs will self-regulate by refusing to give you the ball because they know you'll just throw it again, or by showing other signs of disinterest in hard exercise. Other dogs will run themselves to exhaustion because they are so focused on the ball or toy, and they need you to help them regulate themselves. Your dogs are wearing a fur coat, and their body temperatures are already higher than humans'--please be very, very careful.

For all of the northerners that stood up for Texas during our freeze and said, "Don't make fun of them, they've never dealt with this before. Their infrastructure isn't made for snow and freezing."

This one is for you.

Where I live 108°F with 80% humidity with no wind is normal.

Pacific North West is dealing historic best waves 35-40°C or 95-105°F.

First of all. Don't make fun of them for bitching about the heat. Just like Texas isn't built for a freeze and our pipes burst, Pacific North West isn't built for heat and a lot of their homes don't have AC.

If you live somewhere with a high humidity like 80+ HUMIDITY IS NOT YOUR FRIEND. The "humidity makes it feel cooler" is a lie once it gets beyond a point.

If you live somewhere with a lower humidity, misters are nice to cool off outside.

Once you get over 90°F (32°C) a fan will not help you. It's just pushing around hot air. (I mean if you can't afford a small AC unit because they're expensive as hell, by all means a fan is better than nothing).

If you have pets, those portable AC units aren't safe. If your pets destroy the outtake thing, it'll leak CO2. Window units are safer.

Window AC units will let mosquitoes or other small bugs in. Sucks, but that's life.

Now is not the time to me modest. If you have to cover for religious reasons, by all means. If you don't, I've seen people wear short shorts and a swim top. It's not trashy if it keeps you from getting heat stroke.

If you do have to cover up for religious reasons, look for elephant pants or something similar. They're made with a breathable material.

Shade is better than no shade, but that shit it just diet sun after some point. Don't think shade will save you from heat stroke.

I know the "drink your water" is a fun meme now, but if you're sweating excessively you need electrolytes. Drink Gatorade, Powerade, or Pedialite PLEASE. I don't care if you're fucking sitting in one spot all day. That shit WILL save you from heat stroke.

Most importantly. RESEARCH THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HEAT STROKE AND HEAT EXHAUSTION PLEASE!

If you're diabetic and can't drink Gatorade, mix water, fruit juice, and either lite salt or pink salt

If you can afford it, cover windows with thick curtains to insulate the house

If you have tile floors, lay on them with skin to tile contact. If you don't, laying your head on cool counters works too.

If the temperature where you're at is hotter than your body temperature, don't wear heat wicking clothing. Moisture wicking is safe though.

Check your medication labels. Many make you more susceptible to sun and heat

-Room temperature water will get into your body faster. This is something I learned doing marching band in high summer in Georgia, and it saved all of our asses. Sip it, don't gulp it, especially if you're getting into the red; same goes for whatever fluid you're drinking. And just in general drink during the day.

-If you are moving from an air conditioned space to an un-air conditioned space, if at all possible try to make the shift gradual. When my dad and I were working outside and in un-ac houses a few years ago, he'd turn the air down to low in the truck about ten-fifteen minutes before we got where we were going. This way your body doesn't go from low low temps to high temps. S'bad for you.

-If you can, keep your lights off during the day. Light bulbs may not generate a lot of heat, but the difference is noticeable when it gets hot enough. I literally only turn my bedroom light on in the evening when it gets too dark.

Don't be afraid to just like... pour water on yourself if you need to. The evaporation will cool you off.

Put your hand to the cement for 15 seconds. If you can't handle the heat, it'll burn your dog's paws. Don't let them walk on it.

Dogs with flat faces are more prone to heat stroke. Don't leave them out unsupervised.

Frozen fruit is delicious in water.

Wet/Cold hat/handkerchief on your head/neck will help you stay cool.

Pickle juice is great for electrolytes! You can even make pickle juice Popsicles!

Heat exhaustion is more, "drink water and get you cooled off." Heat stroke is more "Oh my god call 911."

Image Description provided by @loveize

[Image description: an infographic showing the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The graphic is labeled "Heat Dangers: First Warning." Signs of heat exhaustion: faint or dizzy, excessive sweating, cool, pale, clammy skin, rapid, weak pulse, muscle cramps. If you think you or someone else may be experiencing heat exhaustion, get to a cool, air-conditioned place, drink water if conscious, and take a cool shower or use cold compress. Signs of heat stroke: throbbing headache, no sweating, red, hot, dry skin, rapid, strong pulse, may lose consciousness. If you think you or someone else may be experiencing heat stroke, call 911. End description]

Be safe.

-fae

[rotagnus]

their intentions. . . [pick-a-pile!!!]

hihi butterfly! a card reading about what this person has in store for the connection you two have. can be asked about both platonic and romantic relations; general overview, short and sweet but as in-depth as possible. six piles; 1-3 up top, 4-6 on the bottom. enjoy!! don't force yourself to ask about a specific connection. pick an image and trust your gut as it connects it to a specific person.

pile 1.

this person mostly has bittersweet intentions surrounding you. it seems like it's a connection that's not in the honeymoon stages it was once. maybe you're talking less, or there's this feeling i'm getting; one or both of you are missing the other terribly. they feel like it's too late to come back to what once was, and even if they know that you'd accept them with somewhat open hands, they know that this story is one long over. of course it wasn't as good as it seems, looking back on it; but at one point you were their world. this may be a parental figure, an ex, or an estranged sibling, in which either party (them or you) simply left. no closure; which is why there's this lingering feeling of it not being finished. i think that both parties need a lot of healing...there are better connections for both of you in the future. sometimes people come into our life to teach us lessons, not to stay. i know that's a very sad thing to hear, and that you've probably heard it a kajillion times, but listen.

pile 2.

this is so sweet! while channeling this i just had this very happy, raw feeling if you know what i mean. think of spontaneous events in summer; genuine connections built on a desire just to be close to one another. 'crush' by ethel cain is similar to what i felt, i feel like this might be your inner dialogue? i think that this is such an innocent connection; by which i don't mean that it'll end badly due to naivete, but it's so soulful and pure i'm actually giggling right now. while it seems surface level, this person feels anything but. their intentions are to have deep conversations with you and bond more on a deeper level, even though you may not yet be on that level. they wanna know your flaws and your good parts, and while they're aware that you may be hesitant on this part, they're willing to take time. i can't really read into how this'll end, but if it does last; it'll end sweetly. this person is incredibly self-aware and they wanna work on problems that come up in any kind of relationship. this could be a future best friend, future lover. mostly those areas.

pile 3.

they think that you're pretty cool. it's giving hallway crush or a hot classmate. it's surface-level as of now; they think that you're neat, maybe you have good style or the few words that they've heard you speak are powerful, but they're not against forming a deeper connection. however, they're a very guarded person and prefer to keep to themselves a lot of the time; even if they thought you were the most awesome person in the world, they still wouldn't say anything to you. they're very egotistic from what i'm getting...so if you can handle that, awesome! if not, just observe. sometimes people aren't what we think they are. they could be egotistic because they ARE all that, or they could just like keeping people around to boost their brain up. they do look for deep connections, but very rarely actually form them. a small circle is important to them. to sum it up, they don't have any ACTIVELY PURSUING intentions towards you, but at some point in time, a spontaneous discussion can trigger this. they don't have any specific platonic/romantic feelings to you--they just think you're cool.

pile 4.

this seems like a new beginning for real. the kind of a connection that appears in a night and creates a whole lineage of memories, good ones, bad ones. very tumultuous but such a deep connection. i think their intentions are to create a life intertwined with yours. they, similarly to pile 3, don't have a specific label for this. they don't like putting labels on feelings; they lowkey like going with the flow. they really do value connections with people, and their intentions do align with that; they feel like they're here to connect, to feel this world thrum under their veins, to meet new people with so many different specific details and experiences. this does not undermine how special you are to them, though. they're very interested in you as a person and how you function; all those subtleties to you that you don't even notice, they see it. they may be spiritual or religious, i'm getting that their faith is deeeeeply important to them. they are a deeply hopeful and optimistic person; in touch with their heart and their soul.

pile 5.

they're in their own little world frrr. but they're not against you being in it!! lmaoo they think your personality is awesome. they're very mild, not in a bad way, but they don't get invested into things very quickly. they definitely wanna be friends with you; core memories coming up, or maybe you've already had some! teasing may be prevalent. other than that, their intentions are very wholesome. can't read too deeply into it, but they're very pure-hearted. this doesn't mean that you shouldn't have your guard up! but generally, they don't have it in them to hurt people very deeply. they look for this transcendent quality in people and you have it; that's what drew them to you in the beginning. you know how sometimes you can tell how a person is before you talk to them? depth that lingers in the eyes, in the blood. they saw that about you and they're pulled to you because of that.

pile 6.

this is a very nostalgic pile. so similarly to the pile above, i do think you'll make a lot of memories together. this connection is similar to a flower; but it takes a long time to bloom, in the great timescheme. so don't rush it. trust the universe, because it'll give you what you need. AWWW you won't feel left out with this person. they're a very inclusive, loving person, and they make sure that their friends, lovers, family members, etc. are included. yeah so a spiral came up. i think that you guys are on a start to something new, and the nostalgia is what you're leaving behind, but you'll see remnants of memories from the past in this person, which will make you feel safe. it's still in the early stages of things, so please don't rush it. you may have had to leave another person or environment to get to this new era in your life, and it's a good thing. that's a confirmation for you. let yourself be vulnerable, too. i think a lot of you struggled with it; this person's intentions are wholesome. but don't let things go too quick; i said it's gonna be slow, so let the sweetness linger in your mouth.

[kazzsbrekker]

things i liked and didn't like about tog2 under the cut (after watching the movie once, this morning)

what i liked

the opening action scene! reminiscent of the comics, great character moments and dynamics, especially joe and nicky being silly, nile being badass on the boat, copley being part of the team

joe and nicky in general; they got to be their own characters and be in disagreement but they were also sweet and flirty and worked together in sync and affirm their bond for us

nicky's very pronounced italian accent

tuah as an addition to the team! he had good chemistry with the characters and i like the idea of an archivist immortal

nile being a badass. she got her own new weapon and looked hot doing it. AND she got to do the sao paolo 1834 move

quynh my love. my queen who has suffered more than jesus. fantastic portrayal by veronica ngo (shoutout to the breathing sound in the boat scene before they open the iron maiden)

"what if she doesn't recognize me" / "what if i don't recognize her"

immortal wives. could mention every moment between them, they mean so much to me. and now they're a unit again and it felt fitting despite their changed dynamic and history

in general, a lot of introspective and emotional andy moments i enjoyed, also her conversation with booker was beautiful. and her finally admitting she can't go first hit me hard

fight choreography was solid and really fun, nile's new weapon, andy's axe of course, especially joe kicking a guy onto nicky's sword like,, get it

that scene of andy walking through rome. CHILLS. she's so old and has seen so much and that was a gorgeous representation of that, especially when it culminated in quynh waiting for her there

what i didn't like

the new lore. none of that shit made sense and it didn't even line up with the first movie. i don't mind that it departed from the comics but i feel like there was some mamma mia 2 level of gaslighting when they told us andy lost her immortality when nile stabbed her. SHE HEALED FROM THAT. she stopped healing after the church fight scene, THAT'S when she was stabbed in the shoulder (again). and considering that in the case of booker and quynh, the wound not closing was instantaneous, it just doesn't add up. then the whole thing about the last immortal. i like nile being important and special, that's my girl, but discord was an awful addition to this cast of characters (as was to be expected) and none of her lore drops were adequately explained or made sense in the movie. maybe i need to rewatch but idk how they transferral of the immortality worked

that brings me to the dreaming (basically same complaint as above but it was getting too long). i'm trying to explain all this through nile not dreaming about discord because she's mortal now and only dreaming about tuah when he got stabbed because she only notices/realizes that's it's an Immortal Dream when something traumatic happens (such as quynh drowning) but it doesn't add up with none of the others knowing about discord and tuah for centuries.

everything about discord. fuck off. quynh should have been the main and only antagonist and we don't need uma thurman with unclear motives

0 emotional resonance in the third act. none of that hit i can't even put my finger on it but it just felt unearned. even the setup with the joenicky conversation didn't sell me on the weight of it. boring setting for the climax that has no relevance to the characters. i love these characters deeply and have thought about them every day for 5 years, i should feel more when they are in danger and when they.well

BOOKER DYING. a character death can feel earned and make sense even when it's sad. but this was just bullshit. suicidal character finds a way to kill himself yay! hope he and quentin coldwater reunite in the heaven of done dirty sacrificial depressed characters

cliffhanger. you can't do a movie like that and then bank on a sequel, you just can't. not with the production delays and keeping everyone waiting for 5 years. we're not going to get a third movie, i know netflix. they should have given us a real ending with potential for more

nile was underused as hell. sure she got the last immortal title but we deserved more of the literal protagonist. how does she feel at being 6 months immortal. how does she feel about her family. how does she feel about whatever discord is talking about. how does she feel about anything

the camera work. i'm not sold on all those shaky little zooms. it doesn't fit the mood of the film imo. also the cgi in the boat scene was uhhhh questionable

conclusion

not good. still love the characters and i loved seeing them again but i wish it was under better circumstances. and i assume that i won't get more. justice for my immortal family