#I think the movie pulled me out of my burnout!

[gio-scrabbles]

Guys…

Across the Spider-Verse is so good!!! The animation was amazing and I cannot wait for Beyond the Spider-Verse!!

[chaoticspeedrun]

Hi! I don’t know if you’re taking oneshot requests right now, but I have a suggestion for a Leo x Reader one:

The reader has long hair and always keeps it up in ponytails or braids due to low self esteem, and Leo is naturally curious about what they would look like with their hair down. During a mission, he and the reader go hide from a villain, and he notices that the reader’s hair is all let down. He thinks they look beautiful, and after talking for a bit, he says “You should keep your hair down, it looks better that way.”

That’s all I could come up with.

AN: I'm back baby! I'm alive! I am writing! I am working on the Anastasia AU and requests! I wanna draw *cries* thank you guys for being patient for me and the nice messages throughout my terrible burnout :')

Finally getting back to the asks and is one for Skittles! <3 I hope you like it!

Ponytail

Pairing: Rise!Leo x GN! reader (No use of Y/N)

Type: Oneshot

Summary: Leo was touchy with you, but he only seems to realize when he starts braiding your hair.

Warnings: None, reader has long hair.

MASTERLIST

You felt your throat burn with your heavy breathing while trying to reach the lair as fast as possible, the moment you caught sight of the manhole you jumped in, thankfully not hurting yourself in the process, and just sprinting at full speed the moment your feet touched the ground.

You’d gotten an emergency message from Leo just a couple of minutes earlier, telling you to get to the lair ASAP, you were silently grateful you hadn’t been too far from the lair, but the fact that Leo hadn’t just opened a portal for you to go through just made you feel like the emergency might be just that much worse; your heart sank just thinking about Leo being too busy fighting to create a portal for you.

Your thoughts made your body go that much faster, soon enough you saw the light of the lair’s entrance, you slowed down, trying to hear anything that might be happening inside but you were greeted with silence, worried at this you walked in, your eyes searching wildly until they collided with Raph’s.

“Oh, hey! You made it, come on!” Raph smiled at you contently while you tried to catch your breath; you noticed with a frown that he was holding a bowl of popcorn, the cogs started turning in your mind, making you bristle while you followed Raph deeper into the lair, and just as you thought: The other brothers, including Leo, were all hanging out calmly in the projection room, surrounded by snacks and laughter.

Leo caught sight of you from the corner of his eyes, you were about to berate him, angry at him for making his message so cryptic and scary when you noticed an innocent happy beam take place in his face at seeing you, he immediately jumped off the back of the couch, striding towards you and making your words get stuck in your throat with that one look.

Sometimes, once you were alone back in your own room, you’d think of these moments and curse yourself for giving in so easily to him, right at this moment however you were being pulled towards the couch by his hand and your thoughts were too scrambled between his expression, touch, and smile.

“You would never believe it, we were at Marcus Moncrief’s apartment after you know, doing us, being heroic and all that,” Leo startled rambling to you, practically vibrating with excitement “And he gave US, his biggest fans of course, a copy of the lost episode from the memories of Jupiter Jim’s saga! The 32nd episode of the eleventh trilogy! The limited edition one that was taken out of the market.”

You were sat on the couch with Leo at your side moving his arms wildly and sitting with his legs right against yours as he explained how important the movie was to the saga and how it would solve so many inconsistencies that happened later on, your anger left your body, replaced by that warm feeling that Leo brought you when he wanted to include you in things like these, his interests, his life.

Soon you were all squeezed up comfortably around the room as the movie began, it was all fine until Donnie seemed to startle and look around the room.

“Uh, does anyone else hear a beeping noise?” Donnie asked and everyone immediately perked up, trying to listen to anything.

You finally heard what Donnie was talking about, a beeping becoming stronger and suddenly Leo was pushing you to the floor behind the couch, a second later the tape exploded, and a maniacal laugh could be heard in the sewer tunnels.

“That’s right Jupiter Jim! You cannot hide from me any longer! I have been waiting so long for you to activate the tracking system in the tape!” The voice you didn’t recognize at all yelled and Leo groaned loudly.

“Awh, come on! Why does everything have to be some mortal trap?!” He yelled standing up and taking his swords out to the villain whom you think you’ve seen before on one of Leo’s infodumps of the series.

A full battle broke out in the lair until someone decided it would be way better to avoid the destruction of their home by guiding the villain away into the sewer tunnels while he kept attacking and asking where Jupiter Jim was.

“I think you need to stop visiting that old actor!” You exclaimed while trying to avoid a laser, this guy had lasers!

“I mean it’s not his fault—Look out!” Leo stopped his phrase to pull you away from danger once again, everyone spread out and Leo created a portal, taking your hand and pulling the both of you through it fast before the villain could reach you.

A laser beam went in through the portal alongside you but didn’t hit you by mere chance, Leo and you tried to recover your breaths, you were now far deeper in the sewers, completely quiet except for the sound of running water and your panting.

“We should really go back to look for the guys,” you said trying to take a look from the end of the tunnel, but Leo pulled you back by the hand which was still enveloped by his.

“No, look, Donnie knows the layout better than anyone, he’ll be activating all sorts of traps for this guy to fall into, Raph and Mikey will surely stick together, and bam! He’ll be gone before we know it!” Leo dismissed easily, his lazy smirk returning to his face while he leaned back against the wall, his hand finally letting go of yours “Let’s just wait it out and hide here for now instead of getting messy” Leo finished with a shrug.

A part of you was telling you to go help the guys, but the other one that trusted Leo’s impeccable intuition (though you would never tell him that) told you to hide there instead of attracting the attention of a crazy laser-happy villain with an obsession for a sci-fi actor.

You sighed and crossed your arms in front of you, resting your back on the wall right next to Leo, but you felt a soft snap on the back of your head and suddenly your hair was falling around your shoulders, quickly reaching back with your hands you felt the hair tie you had been using to hold up your ponytail falling into them, you took it to see it had been singed slightly, probably by the last laser that had followed you through the portal, you huffed at it and reached back to check your hair and make sure it hadn’t been singed with the tie.

The whole time you checked for it Leo had been strangely quiet, your eyes looked up to check on him and you caught him staring at your hair with a wistful expression, you tilted your head sideways and when he noticed his expression was back to his lazy grin, though a bit of color laced his cheeks.

“Well would you look at that, finally got rid of that hairband and it only took some deathly lasers to do so.”

As he teased you rolled your eyes, letting go of your hair as you made sure it hadn’t been too damaged.

“You could have just asked me to remove it if you hated it so much you know?” You chuckled “Though maybe I wouldn’t have removed it, just to spite you.”

Leo stuck out his tongue at you and took a strand of your hair between his fingers “Ah come on, it’s fine I was just curious about how it would look; you wear it up religiously, can’t blame me for wanting to find out how it looks down”

You shrugged, his hand never once stopping his trail over your hair, but you didn’t mind, Leo had been getting touchier with you, it was just an extension of that “It’s more comfortable, it doesn’t get in the way like that.”

Leo hummed in response, but he looked a bit absent minded, his other hand reaching up, like he was trying to braid your hair clumsily “You should keep your hair down, it looks better that way.”

The compliment wasn’t surrounded by flowery details, dramatic manners or his usual smirk, just a couple sincere words while his hand traveled lazily through your locks, he looked so calm as he said it it flustered you slightly, and you must have reacted weirdly because suddenly the hands on your hair stopped and Leo looked you in the eyes with his own wide open before he leaned back against the wall again chuckling awkwardly.

“Oh, the woes of being bald, I have to live vicariously through you, so you need to let your hair down for me!” He expressed to make light of everything, but his cheeks had darkened, and his gaze flittered about tensely without going back to you.

You chuckled beside him, seemingly calming him down, you were so lost in thought neither of you reacted to the sounds of yelling coming your way from down the tunnels.

Maybe you would wear your hair down more frequently.

[talekinesis]

Magical Burnout

Fairly Oddparents fic

Since I'm sick, I'm also gonna make Irep sick :)

I've seen people headcanon Irep and Peri as co-workers/ co-fairies so I'm gonna jump on that too

Summary: Irep gets Magical Burnout and Peri takes care of him

Irep snapped awake and sat up, only to be pushed back down by his goody-two-shoes counterpart. He went to argue, but ended up turning away to cough into his elbow.

"Would you relax? I don't know why you wake up like you fought in war, that's the third time today." Peri grumbled. Though he couldn't help but look at his anti-fairy with pity. The poor guy was pale, thin, and despite sweating and having a fever, he was also shivering. Even his wings were pale and dry.

Dev sat off to the side, sort of just watching them, trying not to give away the fact he was worried, even though Peri had already explained that Magical Backup, and Magical Burnout weren't the same thing.

"Magical Burnout isn't lethal, it just means Irep was stupid and over-used his magic, and now he's sick. He'll be okay." He had said.

Though he told Dev he didn't have to worry, the kid still insisted on staying, and had sat quietly in the corner all morning, playing his puzzle game.

Peri helped Irep sit up and placed a bowl of soup in his lap. "I hope that shark-tornado was worth you getting this sick." He scolded.

The anti-fairy took in a wheezy breath. "Very much so-" he turned away and coughed again as Peri rolled his eyes.

"You look horrible, what spells did you even cast?" He asked, feeling Irep's forehead, and cringing when his forearm came back sweaty.

Dev looked guilty. "Hazel and I watched a bunch of sci-fi movies, and I thought they were cool so I wished for them to be real.. It's my fault-"

"No, Dev, it's not. You're a kid, he's an adult, he should know when his limit is and when to say no." Peri pinched the bridge of his nose. "What movies?"

"Sharknado, Piranhaconda, Robo-Croc, Tremors-"

Peri stopped him. "Some of those movies are too mature for you and Hazel- and I'm sorry, Tremors?? Did you at least wish them away??"

Dev shook his head and Peri groaned, though he turned his frustration to Irep. "You didn't magic them away??"

Irep gulped down the broth and lowered the bowl from his mouth. "No? Why would I do that?"

The fairy groaned and rubbed his face. He pulled out his wand and wished the sci-fi monsters away. "There. Now," he took the empty bowl from Irep and stood up, "Dev, he'll be fine, I'll look after him. You go on ahead and head to Hazel's, alright?"

Dev nodded and hopped down from his chair. Peri wished him over to Hazel's house, and looked back down at Irep, who seemed to be pouting.

"What?" Peri asked.

Irep huffed. "Why are you helping me? I left you to die when you got Magical Backup, and mine's not even lethal, I'd be fine without you're help."

"Yeah, but Magical Burnout sucks. Trust me, I've been there. It's not fun being sick on your own. No energy, struggling to get up and walk. Well, I got it when I was a kid, my mother just carried me-"

Irep scoffed. "My parents would never. My mother had a tendency to drop me-"

"Yeah, my dad too. Grand Canyon."

"And my father made me stay in- I'm sorry, did you just say you were dropped into the Grand Canyon??" He laughed, which just turned into a coughing fit.

Peri shook his head and laid him back down. Irep complied, too tired to protest, and turned over onto his stomach so his wings were comfortable, which told Peri he was planning on sleeping again.

The fairy placed a hand between his wings. "Get some rest. I'll have more soup for you when you wake up." He said. He got up from the bed and without thinking, he rubbed Irep's head before he left the room.

The anti-fairy breathed heavily into his pillow, figuring maybe working with Peri wouldn't be awful. 'He's a better person than me,' he thought.

___

hi sorry this was short or if it didn't make sense, I'm sick, tired, and I ended up rushing it so I could take a nap

I hope it was okay and ended up somewhat legible.

you can kinda see where I tried a "Oh look they're bonding now," thing but again I'm just tired and not feeling well

Anyway, I hope someone liked it

[showf4lls]

ɞ ― when you said you loved me; wilbur

cw + info! minific, domestic fluff, established relationship, gender neutral reader / implied burnout, fatigue symptoms

prompt! "sorry, i think my brain stopped for a second when you said you loved me”

dedication! @ivyinnit​​

notes! again, super sorry that this is literally A YEAR late, but i’m trying to jump on this scrap of motivation that i have! i hope you guys like it :>

if you were being honest with yourself, it had been… a week. not quite bad but definitely not competing with any sunshine or rainbows. you were more than excited for the date night you and wilbur had planned at the beginning of the week. you wasted no time once you got off of work, heading home only to change into something that was not your work clothes and pack a bag before heading straight to wilbur’s apartment. you guys didn’t do date nights in like this too often, but you had enough prior experience to know that you’d probably fall asleep together on his couch and end up staying the night whether you planned for it or not, so it was pretty worth it to pack a bag. it wasn’t that far, the journey easy on your aching feet, and the route was pleasantly familiar. the sun had just begun to set when you knocked on his door with your overnight bag slung over one shoulder, a pillow pet tucked under the other arm. “hello,” you greeted, tone soft and hazy, when wilbur opened the door for you. the fatigue that hung over you was nearly palpable, almost seeming to come off of you in waves. he could tell immediately by the droop of your tired shoulders the kind of week you had.

“hi, honey,” he greeted gently. set a hand on your shoulder and stepped out of your way. “why don’t you come in? you can go change into your cozies in my room if you’d like. i’m just working on dinner.”

you nodded tiredly, humming in response. your eyes stayed shut just a second too long as you blinked and wilbur gently urged you down the hallway to his room.

“if you don’t come out in ten minutes, i’m coming to check on you!” he called after you, smiling softly as he watched you shuffle along.

“sounds good,” you mumbled in return, stepping into his room, only closing the door behind you most of the way. it was fine; you knew wilbur wasn’t the type to try and sneak a peek. yawning, you pulled your clothes off, not even bothering to fold them. you enthusiastically exchanged them for comfier pajamas – a pair of red plaid pajama pants and a hoodie you’d borrowed from wilbur a few weeks ago. you had originally intended to return it, but right now you couldn’t quite find it in yourself to care that far. that and you knew that he wouldn’t be super likely to have a problem with it. once you were finished, you tucked your backpack and the balled-up pile of your clothes into the corner of his room to take care of later. 

“less than ten minutes,” you announced sleepily as you trudged into his kitchen. “you don’t have to come check on me. see, i’m quite capable of dressing myself, thank you.” it was teasing and light, the most that you had the energy for at the moment. 

“i know you are,” he assured you, something about his tone fond. he stood in front of the stove, stirring a pot of something, a couple jars of sauce sitting on the counter beside him. “i just wanted to make sure you were okay. you seem a little sleepy is all.”

you hummed, crossing your arms over your chest. “thank you, much appreciated.”

a beat as wilbur added a pinch more of salt to the water. “are you sure you can make it through a movie tonight? because i’d be more than happy to read for a little bit if you wanted to sleep after dinner.”

you shook your head, the action much resembling that of a tuckered out toddler. “no, i wanna try. i might fall asleep, but maybe we could just watch a nature documentary instead of something on our list. don’t wanna make you rewatch it later just because i fell asleep.”

wilbur huffed a laugh, light and affectionate. “i wouldn’t mind rewatching anything, you know. as long as you get the rest you need.”

another shake of your head. “nope. i vote nature documentary. something with big cats on the savanna or something like that.”

wilbur gave another laugh, nodding. “alright. nature documentary it is then,” he conceded.

then, silence. it was comfortable. the air was warm, the perfect temperature to help you relax after a long week. your head lolled to the side as you leaned against the doorframe, leaving your cheek to rest against your shoulder. it was so comfortable here. nothing felt more like home than moments like these, watching your boy be all soft and in his element. he hummed a tune to himself - something he’d probably been working on for a new song - as he stirred, occasionally putting his hand up to catch some of the steam rising from the pot. he swayed to the beat, not seeming to mind your fatigued state too much. it helped ease the guilt that you held about not being able to give him a very interesting night. moments like these helped to remind you that you didn’t need to be stellar company all the time, that he was just content to have you around.

“wilbur?” you asked, hugging yourself now.

“yes, love?” he turned to look at you over his shoulder. “do you need something?”

you shook your head lightly. “no, i was just wondering what you were making for dinner. nothin’ crazy.”

wilbur’s expression melted into a smile. “i was just gonna make some pasta with the sauce how you like it. with the tomato sauce, the alfredo, and the spinach. and i got some bread, too. does that sound alright?”

you gave him a small grin, making a sound of approval. “oh, that sounds wonderful. can’t wait.”

“i figured you would,” he said, sounding proud of himself. “it’s easy, it tastes good, and i know for a fact that you like it.”

“i do, i do,” you agreed, padding over to hug him from behind. your arms wrapped gently around his middle and you pressed your face against his back. “thank you, wilbur. i love you so much. i appreciate you tons. this all means a lot.”

wilbur tensed, making a noise of surprise. a beat of silence.

you squeezed his middle, confused at the change in energy. “wilbur, are you alright?”

“i-i-i,” he stammered, brain buffering as he struggled to process your words. “no, yeah! i-i’m fine.” he gave a self deprecating laugh, letting the wooden spoon sit in the pot for just a moment as he turned around in your embrace to face you. “sorry, i think my brain stopped for a second when you said you loved me.”

you blushed at the realization. you hadn’t meant to say it right then, but you didn’t mean it any less. it was true; you loved him, and not just for all the things he did for you. you just wished that the first time you said it to him had been a little bit more intentional than you mumbling it into the back of his tee shirt while you were half asleep.

“hey, hey,” he whispered, pulling you out of your own head. one of his hands moved to cup your cheek. “i love you too, you know. a lot, actually.”

“good.” you grinned, leaning up to press the tips of your noses together, almost a bunny kiss. “because i mean it, soot.”

he hummed, content. “i mean it too.”

you hummed back, happy to rest against him like this forever.

his thumb grazed over your cheek before he pulled away, cheeks red and smile soft. “sorry to ruin the moment, but i’m gonna try and finish this pasta before you fall asleep on me. does that sound alright?”

you nodded, forehead against his back as he turned around to face the stove again. “love you, wil,” you mumbled again, this time through a yawn.

he laughed softly at the admission, his free hand finding one of yours that was still clasped around his middle. he held it, thumb grazing comfortingly over the back of it. “i love you too.”

[croimilis]

✴ 𝐢'𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭

the top gun maverick character taking care of you when you’re drunk

❊ characters: bradley ‘rooster’ bradshaw, jake ‘hangman’ seresin, robert ‘bob’ floyd, 

❊ warnings: alcohol consumption, drunknenes, mentions of makeup and hells but no specific pronouns used, established relationship 

❊ word count:  listed with each character 

❊ a/n: the inspiration for this comes from the fact that I was drunk  and wanted nothing more than one of the top gun characters (and my boyfriend) to look after me. i also loved doing this type of writing, it was really helpful for preventing burnout with my longer pieces, and i am open for headcanon requests. 

✾ bradley ‘rooster’ bradshaw [375]

the biggest baby when you’re leaving. pouts and gives you puppy dog eyes as you’re leaving to try and get you not to leave but will still give you a kiss as you walk out the door or as he drops you off. he will text you throughout the night to make sure your safe and happy and the minute you text him saying you wanna go home or if there is any change in the way your texting that puts him on edge, he’s immediately leaving to go and pick you up wherever you may be. when he collects you, he’s all goofy smiles and sweet forehead kisses as he gently ushers you into the car, saying his goodbyes to your friends and checking in to make sure they all have ways home and even offering to drop them home if they don’t. what happens when you get in the car depends, if you’re hungry and need something greasy that just hits the spot Rooster will not hesitate to take you to get food, but if you just wanna go home and get into bed then he’ll head there straight away. when you do get home, he watches amused as you struggle to get your heels off, stumbling through the hall and into the living room where you slump onto the sofa and start fighting with the flimsy strap but he wouldn’t let you struggle for long, bending down beside you and taking your shoes off for you placing a gentle kiss to your ankle as he does. he would then, despite your protests, carry you to the bedroom bridal style and place you gently on the bed, turning around to let you take your clothes off while he grabs your favourite pyjamas from the drawer, if you’re struggling with zipers or buttons bradley will gladly help you. once your changed and tucked under the bed he goes and fills up a glass of water and grabs some advil, which he places on the bedside table on your side with a sweet kiss to your forehead. he then gets into bed beside you, where he holds you close to his chest and rubs gentle circles on your arms to help you get to sleep.

✾ jake ‘hangman’ seresin [556 words]

much like bradley, jake is pouting and whining and trying to make you stay, even going so far as to pull you in for a deep kiss and messing up your lipstick just before you leave, which earns him a slap to the shoulder before you go and fix it. he’ll even come up behind you and wrap his arms around your waist, placing soft kisses on your neck and shoulder, smirking to himself because he thinks he’s won. but then you turn and press a soft kiss to his check, leaving behind a lipstick stain and suddenly your out the door and he’s left gobsmacked. and isn’t that he doesn’t want you to go out with your friends, he wants you to go have fun and let loose a little you just looked so damn good in your outfit and heels and he may have wanted you all to himself for the night just so he could ravish you. nevertheless, jake sits with his feet up watching an old movie with his phone on his chest so he could feel it vibrate, checking it every time it does to see if you’ve text him or are calling him to come pick you up. once the text asking him to pick you up comes through, he’s out the door like a shot and at your location as quick as possible. when he gets there, he’s has a smug little smile on his face as he remembers all the time you’ve chastised him for being too drunk and now here you are, just as bad or maybe even worse than he’s ever been and he is so not gonna let you forget that in the morning, in fact he takes photos and videos of your drunk ramblings so he has proof (that he quickly deletes the next morning when you ask him to). once he’s had his fun and said goodbye to your friends, he helps you into the car and buckles your belt for you. as he drives, he’ll take your hand in his and rub gentle circles over your knuckles while the other is on the steering and he listens intently as you ramble about the drama in the morning (storing the information away to get a more coherent story in the morning time), and when he pulls up to your home (even if you’re fully awake and coherent) he will throw you over his shoulder and carry you into your home. before he puts you to bed, he places you on the counter in the bathroom and takes your makeup off for you, peppering you with gentle kisses as he does, and brushes your hair for you so it isn’t a tangled mess in the morning. when that’s all done, he helps you out of your heels and outfit (throwing it into the washing basket in the bathroom) before carrying you koala-style into the bedroom and gently placing you on the bed where your pyjamas are already lead out. though he knows you can dress yourself, he helps. once your dressed, he crawls into bed with you and holds you against his chest where you fall asleep listening to his heartbeat. it isn’t until the morning that he realises he didn’t leave out water and painkillers, but he’s lucky he’s awake before you and their sitting there when you finally wake in the morning. 

✾ robert ‘bob’ floyd [473 words]

bob is the sweetest man, giving you gentle kisses before you go out and being so careful so he doesn’t mess up your makeup and i think out of all of them, bob is the most prepared when you go out drinking. before you even leave the house, you agree on a time for him to come and pick you up and if you want him to come earlier you have a code word that you text him and he will be there as quick as he can. in both cases, he’s throwing your comfiest pyjamas into the tumble dryer before he leaves the house so their nice and warm for you coming in and he’s already filled your favourite bottle with water and ice and put in the fridge, he’s double checking to make sure you have pain killers in your medicine drawer and if you don’t he’s stopping at one of those 24hr stores to pick some up because he knows you’ll need some in the morning. when he arrives at the club or bar where your drinking, he’s quick to find you and guide you outside to the car with his arms wrapped around your waist and carefully sits you in the care, legs sticking out so he can take your shoes of for you. once your shoes are off, he's throwing them into the back seat to be tomorrows problem and buckling you into the car. while he drives, he has a hand on your thigh, rubbing gentle circles with his thumb as a reminder for you that he was there. unlike bradley, he will not take you to get food but will insist on getting you home and into bed but he promises to order in the greasiest breakfast he can find in the morning. once your home, almost asleep in the passenger side, he scoops you up into his arms and carries you into the house and straight into bed where he lets you undress while he grabs your pyjamas out of the tumble dryer and brings them to you, again leaving you to get dresses in peace while he grabs the water bottle from the fridge and two pain killers for the morning. when he gets back into the room, you’re curled up tightly under the blanket and struggling to keep your eyes open so he just places the water and pain killers on the bedside before placing a soft kiss on your forehead before going into the bathroom and grabbing on of your makeup wipes, which he uses to rub most of your makeup of as gently as he can once he’s done he starts preparing for bed himself. by the time he crawls in, your already fast asleep, but he’s quick to wrap his arms around you and bring your back into his chest.

[gatorbites-imagines]

hey, so I saw you were open for writing about Corey Cunningham, is it okay if I ask for headcannons about him comforting an overstimulated S/O? This is probably really specific but it's fine if you don't, but thanks for reading the ask! Hope you're doing well

Corey Cunningham x male reader

Headcanons

I’m assuming this means overstimulated in the autistic way, since it’s what I experience, so I’m sorry if I got it wrong. Ill be basing this off my own experience with being overstimulated and burnouts :)

-          Now I personally hc that Corey himself is on the autistic spectrum, he just gives me that vibe. But maybe that’s just me looking at characters and thinking “omg he’s just like me fr”

-          This means that he has some experience with being overstimulated himself, and somewhat knows what to do to help. You two most likely have had a conversation on how to help each other when its needed, since every person is different in how they deal with it.

-          Corey carries stimming toys in his pocket, and even has a chewing necklace for himself, though if you don’t have problems with sharing, he will let you burrow it if you are starting to get fidgety.

 -          He might not notice immediately that you are getting overstimulated, so you would most likely have to give him a sign of some kind that you need a break, or when he notices he immediately gets you two to a much calmer area so he can ask if you are okay and what you need to do to feel better.

-          If you just need some weight or pressure, he will give you his jacket and hug you, he would also pull up the hood on his jacket so you could get some shadows if the lights are overwhelming. He lets you borrow his headphones if you need some noise, or covers your ears with his hands if you need some quiet.

-          He might ask around at work if he can bring home a pair of noise cancelling headphones, if either of you need it.

-          Never feel guilty about asking Corey to step outside or go home early, as he would never hold it against you and he most likely wants to go too, as he doesn’t do public stuff much himself.

 -          If you are alright with touch, he would definitely cuddle when you get home. He would tell you to go change and he would bring weighted blankets and comfort plushies if you have any, to the living room.

-          Prepare for cuddles and comfort movies. He would let you do what you need to feel less stressed and wrung out, be it burying yourself under the blankets completely, or stim and watch something on your phone as the movie goes.

-          When in public he holds your hand and you use the ring on his pinky as a soothing toy, twisting it whilst holding his hand. He would give you kisses on the back of your hand or face if you need to be distracted or focus on something else.

-          You both like to talk about your special interests, and Corey never makes you feel like you are annoying or a burden, as he’s always interested in what you love.

[itsbrandy]

A Very Bee and Dieter Christmas

Summary: Set in the Burnout universe. Bee hasn't experienced a full fledged Christmas before. Dieter goes all out to make it the best.

Word count: 1.4k

Warnings: Fluff. Fluffy Dieter because he just looks so fluffy. Mention of the word "butthole".

A/N: If you celebrate, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Hope the new year brings you good health and happiness <3

“I’ve never been big on Christmas,” Bee said, leaning back in her chair. She’d just taken a heaping bite of homemade fettuccine alfredo, courtesy of Claire, who looked at her funny.

“What on earth are you talking about?” Claire asked. “You’ve never been big on what?”

The two of them were sitting at the table, catching up for their weekly girl’s night, where Claire insisted on cooking dinner for Bee, complete with a wine pairing. She also insisted that Bee bring the dogs over so that Claire could have her “shared custody meetings.”

“Christmas,” Bee said. “I’ve never really, y’know.”

“You need to be more specific,” Claire said. “You’ve never gotten presents?”

Bee shrugged. “No, not really. Christmas isn’t really a real holiday, isn’t it? Not for adults anyway.”

Claire was wide-eyed. “I should slap you.”

“What? Just because I don’t like Christmas?”

“No!” Claire protested. She pointed at Bee with a forkful of noodles. “Because you’ve never really experienced Christmas, and you’re judging a perfectly good holiday based on what? Disappointment?”

“Can’t be disappointed if you never had expectations in the first place,” Bee said with a shrug.

Claire groaned. “You’re the worst, Bee. Actually, the worst best friend I’ve ever had. Well, be prepared for expectations this year. You have an actual cool best friend and an actually decent boyfriend.”

Bee finished another bite of pasta. “Dieter’s more than decent. He’s great.”

“My point exactly,” Claire said, finishing off her glass of wine.

As Bee left Claire’s house that night—picked up by Dieter himself because she’d had a little too much wine—she couldn’t help but feel overburdened by the thought of a real Christmas with expectations. Sure, she’d enjoyed getting little gifts and new clothes from her mom as a kid in the years they could afford them, but she’d never given or received gifts as an adult. At least, not like they do in the movies.

“Do you like Christmas?” Bee asked Dieter as they drove to his place.

“I love Christmas,” Dieter said. “Why? Do you have something against celebrating?”

“I—” Bee stopped herself from saying that she thought Christmas was stupid. The thought sounded so juvenile in her buzzed brain. Plus, she didn’t want Dieter to think that she didn’t want to celebrate with him. She did, she was just afraid.

Yeah, afraid of Christmas. How dumb.

“I’m just not used to it,” Bee said.

Dieter was silent for a moment, and he reached to turn the radio down.

“Well, do you want to get used to it?” Dieter asked as they pulled into the garage. “I’d love to celebrate with you. It’s been years since I put up a tree or stockings or anything.”

“I do make really good cookies,” Bee said.

Dieter turned the car off and planted a kiss on Bee’s cheek.

“You make the best cookies,” Dieter said. “Better than any cookie I’ve ever had before.”

“That sounds like an innuendo,” Bee wrinkled her nose. “Get away from me, creepy old man.”

Dieter smiled and rolled his eyes. “Okay, let’s get you to bed, Miss Tipsy. We can talk more about sugar cookies and Christmas presents in the morning.”

****

Before Bee knew it, Bee was coming home from a rehearsal to find Dieter at the top of a very tall ladder, trying to arrange the top part of the 12-foot tree. He stood all the way up, balancing himself by placing a hand on the ceiling.

Dieter never did anything small, which was part of Bee’s concern over Christmas. Within a few days of their initial conversation, a massive, 12-foot Christmas tree was delivered to his house by a poor, scrawny Amazon delivery man. A smorgasbord of lights and ornaments followed that first delivery, plus stockings from Pottery Barn with their names embroidered on them—the really nice ones.

“What do you mean we’re doing this ourselves?” Bee asked. “That looks dangerous. Can’t you hire someone?”

“Oh my gosh, Bee,” Dieter said. “Hiring someone to put your Christmas tree up is so unChristmassy. Plus, I’m almost done. I’m literally putting the top on. Can you start fluffing the bottom?”

“Fluffing?” Bee asked, hands on her hips.

“Yeah, pull apart the branches,” Dieter said. “Like this.”

He demonstrated by pulling apart a few of the artificial tree limbs at the top to make the tree seem more full, but doing so made him unsteady on the ladder. Bee rushed forward to grab the bottom of the ladder and stabilize it.

Spooked by his near-fall, Dieter begrudgingly climbed down the ladder and planted a relieved kiss on Bee’s lips.

“Okay, maybe I’ll hire someone,” Dieter relented. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. “But only because I’m kind of afraid of heights.”

“Then why did you do it, silly?” Bee pulled back to look into his eyes. “If you’re afraid of heights, why are you at the top of a thousand-foot ladder? Where did you even get it?”

Dieter shrugged. “Home Depot.” Then, he sighed. “I really want you to have a good Christmas, Bee. I want it to be special.”

“It can be special without a head injury,” Bee said.

Dieter pulled her close again. “Now that I can agree with.”

****

The team Dieter found to assemble and decorate their over-large Christmas tree made his house look stunning, and garland wound its way through each rung of the staircase in Dieter’s house. The living room was warm from the heat of the oven going in the kitchen, where Bee had baked an absolute marathon of Christmas cookies.

Claire would come over in the early afternoon to decorate them with her girlfriend. Then, they would all open presents together. Fudgy and Marshmallow sat on the couch in matching Christmas pajamas.

There were presents under the tree, and Dieter had found a playlist on Spotify called ‘Relaxing Jazz Christmas’ that played on a loop.

He was perched on the couch with the dogs, watching Elf while Bee pulled the last batch of cookies out of the oven.

“There is one present I want you to open before Claire comes over,” Dieter said as Bee walked into the living room.

“What’s that?” Bee asked. She held a mug of hot coffee out for Dieter to grab and held one of her own close to her chest.

“I’ll grab it,” Dieter said, setting his coffee down on the side table.

He walked over to the pile of presents under the tree, then bent down on his hands and knees to retrieve a small box from down by the lowest branches.

Bee’s breath caught in her chest. There’s no way he was proposing to her like this, was he? They hadn’t even talked about marriage—it was too soon. No, Dieter would never propose like this. Bee took a deep breath. It was a suspiciously sized box, but there was no way he would spring marriage on her without at least broaching the topic first.

“It’s not a ring,” Dieter said, calming Bee’s fears. “I promise.”

“Good,” Bee said genuinely.

“Okay, now I’m a little offended,” Dieter teased, rejoining her on the couch. “What if it had been a ring and I’d lied? Then you’d be feeling like a butthole, wouldn’t you?”

“Maybe,” Bee laughed.

Dieter set the small present down in her lap. It was wrapped in shiny red and white paper and tied with a perfect little bow. Bee could tell Dieter had put a lot of effort into tying it.

“Open it,” he said.

Bee did. First, she carefully pulled apart the ribbon and then peeled the paper back by the tape, careful not to rip it.

“We need to train you better,” Dieter teased. “You’re supposed to tear right into it.”

“This feels special,” Bee protested. “I’m trying to be gentle.”

When the paper fell away, there was a box inside. It was unmarked, and when Bee opened it, there was a simple key inside.

“What’s this?” Bee asked, furrowing her brow. “I already have a key to your place.”

Tears sprung to Bee’s eyes, and she clutched the key close to her chest.

“So, I thought…” Dieter said. He shifted the position he was sitting in, obviously a little nervous. “Well, okay. I had a better speech planned for this, but I just thought that we spend so much time going back and forth between our houses, and I know you take great pride in being a homeowner. I don’t want to ask you to move in with me. I’m giving you this key to let you know that I’m ready to buy a home with you when you’re ready. It doesn’t have to be now. It could be years from now. But when you’re ready, I am.”

“I’m ready,” she said. “I’d love to buy a house with you, Dieter.”

Dieter kissed her.

“Merry Christmas,” Dieter said.

“Merry Christmas.”

[master-thief-gray-shadow]

CATCH UP

Tagged by my buddy @lovestruckbear! Love you man!

Last song: Unfortunately I am not a normal person and I do not listen to music like a normal person. According to my youtube watch history, the last time I actually sat down with music playing was a week ago, and it was this.

Currently watching: Technically ZZ Gundam, since I haven't finished it, but my life got really busy last summer and I got pulled away from it. I promise I'll finish it, really...

Three ships: SuleMio, Hikaren, UtenAnthy. Somehow I feel like this says a lot about me.

Currently consuming: I just ate an ice cream sandwich. It was a Fat Boy sugar cookie flavored one

First ship: *buries face in hands* ...SasuSaku. I do not and will not talk about my Naruto phase.

Place of birth: Cardboard box

Current location: Your mom's house

Relationship status: Poly LDR with two partners

Movie: It's been long enough. I think I should watch Star Wars again. The first one.

Currently working on: At the moment? Nothing. Burnout hit me hard last month and I'm struggling to pull myself out of it. I really left Miss Miorine's Dragon Maid on a cliffhanger, too...I'm so sorry. I don't control the writing juice. Or the unfortunate real life happenings.

Gonna tag @nui-the-super-lesbian @aqours @gf-11 and @yandere-angela, you can do this if you want but don't feel pressured or anything

[malaierba]

I really like the idea that Karamatsu fits in with any group of people that stands out on purpose, like the punk gang he befriends in the third season, or some of the big personalities that you can find in a theater club.

It made me think back to some of my most eccentric friends and how shocked I was to learn that some of our mutual acquaintances found them tiring, whether it was due to their incessant selfie-taking, need to be the clown, odd fashion, etc

Admittedly I didn't always have the spoons to deal with them, I think the one I struggled with the most was a Team Leader at my last job that seemed to have watched too many Vinh Giang videos and he'd take soooo long sometimes to make an argument 😵

He was a kind guy though, and the only one in the company who seemed to understand "human resources management" and "if this bitch is at capacity we need to do something about her workload rather than pilling it up", and it kind of fascinated me anyway so I'd be patient with him when I could afford it.

Anyways, I guess I was thinking back to when I tried to model, lots of big personalities in the room all the time. It was so fun though. Like NGL I don't really have the natural drive to try to fight for attention let alone the spotlight, I'm more the type "I'll earn it if I can objectively tell that my opinion needs to be heard or if no one else will do a good job managing this group", but if the people are kind at their core then the energy is really energising. There's something that will always fascinate me about people who aren't afraid of embarrassment, who'll do what they want to do without letting self-consciousness hold them back.

All of this to say that Karamatsu would probably fit right in in such a group, and I hope he maintained the contact with the punk guys. I kind of want to write a fic about what happened between 18!Osomatsu-san and Osomatsu-san, because the high school graduate we see is GLARINGLY NOT THE KARAMATSU WE KNOW.

It's made obvious to us that he likes showy people and people who can at least speak with confidence (as seen by the way he ogles his adult self lol), but he's also obviously not quite there. I suppose you could argue that at the time he was troubled by his family situation, although Choromatsu's memory of highschool (admittedly an unreliable narrator) paints him as having the backbone of a wet papertowel.

Whatever made Karamatsu become so Karamatsu-esque happened after graduation, and this switch in personality may have collided with Ichimatsu's own withdrawal, and made their dynamic go from:

"very close during middle school > we still see them have lunch together in high school > except at the end it seems Karamatsu was eating alone, Ichi probably choosing to hang out with friends instead > ichimatsu as an adult can't stand Karamatsu's behaviour (although he's still a Karamatsu Boy fsr? He's so funny. I guess he still likes his personality beneath all the glitter)"

I'm rambling lol. After watching the movie I gotta be fr, Ichi, Kara and Jyushi's change in personality seldom leaves my mind. So many dynamics changed? I think a lot about Totty too, although I can see his evolution more clearly, likely because it was more about "pulling away and trying to build an independent identity" and I HC that it coincided with Choromatsu trying (and failing) at college, not only giving Totty the chance but straight up forcing him to do stuff on his own.

AHH I really want to write a fic about all of this but there's so much planning that I need to do. Karamatsu and Jyushimatsu stump me bro, what happened to them? What was the trigger? Why did it come AFTER highschool?

Even Ichimatsu is more reasonable to me, much like Totty. I think he suffered hardcore social masking burnout, I think he maybe tried to follow Choromatsu's intention to join proper society, but he didn't get that far. Awareness hit him in the beginning stages and with it followed an inability to force himself to do something that was so obviously not himself, unable to continue to force himself to fit a societal race for which he's just not built. And I see why, following that, he'd start getting support and comfort from Osomatsu, who's just too honest to pretend that anyone actually wants to become a wage slave, and of course he'd prefer to help by staying besides Ichimatsu rather than by nagging him to stop being a NEET (cough Choro).

Man this was a ramble lol. And I still have no clue about Jyushi and it drives me crazy LOL, maybe Osomatsu played a part too? He'd call him out on it, I just wish we'd understand what it was that triggered the delinquent act in the first place.

Anyways. Can you believe this started as a musing along the lines of "Karamatsu is not the problem actually he just needs to find his scene" lol

[alliofthegaps]

I'm a shithead.

I don't mean that I'm mean-spirited or that I treat others poorly, though I'm sure some would agree with that description too.

I see other people with such good ideas that they are able to put them to form. Not just random wisps of inspiration that float past, the scent catching their noses like the pleasant odors of a freshly baked pie set upon the windowsill, only to set them down and pass them by after a time.

No, I mean truly good ideas; the kind that stick with them long enough to make a video or an essay or even a movie. It takes work to do something like that, and these ideas are the kind that work doesn't drown out, but rather the kind that motivates work to continue. Ideas that bounce around their heads with such fervor that they must give them such form or else risk concussion from all the brain-rattling.

I, on the other hand, have nothing but shit in my own head. Sure, sometimes, I'll catch that whiff of inspiration upon seeing someone else's good ideas, and I'll get the impulse to tell my own version filtered through my own lens, but the moment I sit to write it out it's revealed for what it truly is.

Utter, non-transmutable shit. I can't dress it up like something it isn't, because I always know what it is. I can't perfume it, because now that I've smelt it, I can always sense that rancid odor just beneath. It's shit, it's been shit, and it's not likely to be replaced by non-shit any time soon.

And academically, I know why it's like this. I grew up white in a series of abusive and neglectful homes that didn't quite pull through the '08 recession. Scared, white, and working poor is a potent combination, and if I weren't too queer or disabled to fit into the mold my childhood tried to fit me in I'm sure I'd have a much different, though not necessarily better, life.

When I was younger, I used to write all the time. I thought of stories as ways for us to imagine what could be possible beyond what society told us was probable. I can't claim any of it was good; it was mostly self-insert anime fanfiction in which I got to have the power to do the right thing without consequence. But it's still more than I can make today, and I think some of the action holds up.

Nowadays, if I go to write anything that isn't some depressing ramble about how much I don't want to be alive without saying the big S word, I sit there, fish-eyed, staring past the empty word document on my screen as I struggle to find any words at all. If I do get something out, I have to push past it or else risk ruining the entire idea in my mind as I pick every piece apart as either not impactful enough or over-engineered and therefore unrelatable and constructed.

Maybe it's the fact that I've been in autistic burnout off and on for most of a decade, or maybe it's because I'm finally deconstructing my biases and am troubled by what my mind seeks to produce. Maybe being a system that can't ever not dissociate without everyone bickering over everything makes it impossible to ever be able to stick with an idea long enough to make something of it.

Maybe I'm just too broken, and so all my ideas are shit. Seems like the easy answer, at least. Sure, there's probably some world in which a brain like mine could make something more that a depression post or a rambling tiktok. But in this world?

I'm just tired, and an easy answer- an easy way out- sounds like the closest thing to peace I'll ever get.

[storiesofstratos]

Chapter 7: The Great Outdoors

Our heroes finally go on their camping trip...

October 17th, 2042

Six am on the dot. The alarm on my phone started sounding off, waking me from my slumber. The temptation to just hit snooze and slip back into my dream of winning the state championship was driven away only by the fact that I remembered that we were going camping this weekend.

"Morning sweetheart," Mom's voice could be heard as I headed down the stairs. Surprisingly, Elise was even up this early, and mom was serving her breakfast, "Are you excited for your camping trip?"

"Oh yeah, it's great. I get a whole day off school and get to spend two days with Jack and Nico out in the great outdoors. Couldn't imagine anything better."

Mom smiled at me and ruffled my hair, like I was still a kid. "Well good, I'm glad. Just remember, be safe, don't wander too far from your camp, and if you meet up with any girls, use protection."

...Huh??

"M-mom??"

"Oh, sweetie, I was sixteen once too. If you're gonna be doing it, at least do it safely. Besides, Cyrus was born when your mother was sixteen. I know what teenagers get up to. So, again, if you do it, be safe about it."

"I don't think you have to worry about that... not like I have a girlfriend."

"Well, don't rush it. Believe me, do not waste your time on someone who won't value you," She pinched my cheeks, which I tried to back away from, "And there is a lot to value. You're a smart boy, Daniel.. and I'm so proud of how you've grown up."

"Ah, mom," I could feel the heat in my cheeks. Why'd she have to get so sappy this early in the morning? "...Thanks. Love you too."

Elise broke the silence that had formed after that. "Mom! It's not fair! How come Daniel doesn't have to go to school! Can I stay home at least??"

Mom seemed to think about it for a minute, "Well... I do have the day off today... Oh, why not? Mental health days are good for avoiding burnout, right?" I watched as she nudged Elise, "We'll go see a movie, maybe get lunch at that sushi place you love? How's that sound?"

"Yesss, you're the best mom!"

"Man, I better leave before I start craving sushi. Don't think they have that out in the woods." I stood from the table, having finished my breakfast already. "I'm gonna go get dressed before the bus gets here."

"You could make sushi," Mom piped up, "Just go out there and catch a fish, get it nice and fresh."

"Somethin tells me they don't have the best sushi fish out in the lakes. Who knows what they dump in that water?"

The bus arrived not too long after I finished getting dressed, so I was quick to be there. I put my bag in the storage compartment before getting on. Jack was... already asleep, Niko sitting next to him with her earbuds in. She didn't even notice me until I took the seat next to her, yoinking one of her earbuds out and putting it in to see what she was watching.

"What we got on the playlist today?"

She shifted so I could see her phone screen. "Dude, they dropped an hour long special of Ghost Destinations. I’m only a little ways in, lemme restart for ya.”

“Yo, for real??” I sat up a bit straighter in my seat. “Have I ever told you I love you Nico?”

“Don't gotta tell me, I already know it.” There was my entertainment for the rest of the trip. Jack didn’t even stir once the entire time we were traveling… we had to make sure he was alive first. He was, luckily.

I didn’t really pay much attention to the beginning part. The obvious rules, don’t go out after dark, don’t stray too far from the campsite, don’t go on the trails alone, blah blah, boring. Then, it came time to pick tent buddies.

Of course I got Jack. Though, I quickly pulled him aside while Nico was off finding herself a bunkmate, since the boys and girls were separated. “Hey man, listen. I’m about to do you a huge favor.”

Jack grimaced at that, “I shudder to think about what you might consider a favor, Daniel.”

“No, shut up, okay, listen! This trip is perfect for you dude, you’re gonna get some quality time with Nico,” I placed my hand on his shoulder, “Trust me here. I’ll make myself scarce for you, I’ll go… I dunno, do something else. You two, go frolic in the woods, talk about.. I dunno, dreams, aspirations, whatever dumb romance movie shit, and boom. You’re in.”

I could feel Jack staring straight through my eyes into my soul. “You… are an idiot.”

“But I’m your idiot. Look, would you just trust me? When have I ever steered you wrong?”

“November, last year. The gym incident.”

“That’s right, never. When the teacher asks for volunteers to get firewood, Nico is gonna be all over that, you know her. All you need to do is go ahead and volunteer as well, and you are in. Trust.”

Jack seemed to think about it for a bit. “...Okay, okay. Fine. I trust you.”

“Good man. Now come on! Let’s go… do… camp, shit, I dunno, what do people do while camping?”

We ended up kicking a rock around for a couple hours. Some other people from our grade even joined in for a bit. It was the closest I’d ever felt to my classmates for my entire high school life thus far.

The day went by pretty uneventfully. Jack, Nico, and I played a little baseball to pass the time, and when finally, the teachers called for firewood volunteers, I made myself scarce. I watched from the sidelines, as Jack approached Nico. I gave him the thumbs up as I watched them talk, before finally going off on their own. Bingo. Best wingman ever, right?

Now… what the hell was I gonna do with my time?

[faithfulwhispers]

Small Update

To be honest, lately I've been pulling out all my materials I compiled for Against the Machine. All my notes, all my sketches, the outline, and even Chapter 11's draft. The chapter was almost complete before I stopped working on it. I miss the fic and the fandom dearly.

When I started the fic, I had been on a high from the release of the movie. It was like reliving part of my childhood. I also had just come on at my job as a full-time employee and was trying to pump out a chapter a week with a goal of 3-5k words per chapter. (wtf was I thinking back then??? So many all-nighters were pulled)

After feeling insecure (cause quantity <> quality), I settled into a more reasonable pace. Then COVID happened. Then the tragedy happened... Then the IZ fandom burnout with the guilt came into play. But not once did I ever forget about the fic.

It's still the one fic I haven't completely given hope on. And as I said, I've been looking at all my AU stuff. I've got the itch again. And I'm in a far better place mentally. There's some stuff I want to tweak and work on in the back end. But I will definitely continue to develop this story.

I'm so sorry it took me so long to get to this point. Hopefully, I'll have Chapter 11: A Small Step Forward posted sometime in the next following weeks. Stay tuned!

[wedgemccloud]

Honestly, nothing stands out to me more, still, as how much better all of the Star Wars movies are on Tumblr because of the things the fandom saw there, even if it wasn’t on purpose, and just underlined things to the point of making such better movies in their heads than the prequels and sequels actually were.

People saw little things, like the hints of Anakin in Ben and all of it made so much more sense to them and the movies worked more for them than anyone else.

I saw The Last Jedi in theaters twice opening week and it’s my favorite thing because it still has one of the most stunning scenes ever to make a theater full of people go dead silent in awe... but it’s hated by several huge Star Wars fans I know because it did things they didn’t like or expected, but I see the hints and references to things far beyond the movies that Rian Johnson pulled from because he’s a huge EU nerd the way a lot of us are.

And that seems to be the problem. Everyone has their own Star Wars. The one they grew up with. The version that was in their head because of their specific combination of the first movies they saw and the specific tie-in media they had.

Like, let’s be real. The Disney movies aren’t nearly as bad as they’re made out to be most of the time, with all the largest problems resting squarely on the overcorrection that was Episode 9, but I think it’s worth underlining as well just how much of Star Wars is loved in spite of - and in some places because of - its faults. The prequels are a mess, the sequels go from mid to great to trashfire, and all of this isn’t even new considering the places things went in RotJ.

We’re trained on the expanded universe/Legends continuity, the tie-in animated series, the video games, so much additional and corrective lore, that really, the Star Wars in our heads IS Star Wars.

And I think the thing that really hurts it the most is how much all the best parts were damaged by the really loud “fans”, from the horrible treatment of cast members to the hideous overreaction that made Ep 9 to, of course, the burnout it all gave to George Lucas.

I want nothing more than a new Star Wars, from scratch. Something made with the spark the original movie had, and I just don’t think it ever will happen. The few big scifi films that get made are adaptations and most just don’t get people into theaters, which is the only metric that will get any more made.

I don’t really... have a point here. I just wish Star Wars wasn’t quite so... messy. Not even in terms of its story or the media made for it, but in terms of the people. These movies and stories have always been a bit trash. But it’s our trash. My trash. We found something in it we loved and it drives me nuts more and more every year that it turned into so many problems instead of what it used to be, back in the years especially before and around the prequels.

The way I remember it in people’s little author’s notes in their fics and fan videos. But maybe it’s just what I remember, same as the Star Wars I specifically grew up with.

“Thank you, Uncle George, for letting us play in your toy box.”

[vaccerelli]

the suggested station for stuff “like” Everlast is bugfuck shitterton nuts. I was sitting on the porch drinking lemonade and smoking at two am thinking about how ridiculous it was I was still wearing my suit, when I was thinking it was too quiet and rainy so I put on What It’s Like, which always struck a chord of strange unidentifiable feeling with me as well as the innate wrathful melancholy of the song itself. it got me thinking about how all the things fall apart because I don’t text back or how I’ve become less and less and less extroverted and how it’s all just entered this unsatisfying loop and great another one. out of the existential frying pan into the fuckbrain fire. the more I talk to people the less I want to. I shut down pretty much all my push notifications so I’m not yelling at my phone to be quiet when someone sends me ten memes in a row. but it’s mostly alt-country or nineties songs from the same Everlast time period so you get like, southern hick shit and then Cake and Moby. it’s very unexpected. those don’t fucking sound like Everlast at all. next is Creedence, which I don’t even fucking know what. then Fleetwood Mac and Tarantula & Tito, which is even more of a don’t even fucking know what. it’s hard to identify that feeling. people just don’t do charged acoustic irish muslim rap anymore, I guess. we’re missing out. I’m missing out. it’s all some big fucking cheat or another. it’s harder to focus. it’s harder to sleep. it’s more boring to watch video games and play movies and eat sandwiches to the point I barely recognize myself. and sure, Eat At Whitey is more coastal hip-hop influenced, so once that enters the algorithm, you’re just fucked. Dogg Pound. Fun Lovin Criminals. Beastie Boys. but also Kottonmouth Kings? how fucking stoned do you think I am? I am searching for Everlast at two am, so I do appreciate you at least feeling around in the dark. that’s the best we can all do something. I keep putting on and losing a lot of weight, which is probably super healthy. I turned forty and didn’t do shit. Sweatshop Union?? okay you’re not going to impress me pulling crate like this. I know exactly how deep you go, Spotify algorithm. I can get three curated playlist deep into a cousin of a cousin of a recommendation to find the Nth continuum of some funk bit in some random song from 1971. I recognize you as a tool, partly because I’m fucking terrified of watching how much the algorithm dictates human behavior. we wrote ourselves a new civilization to staple messily over our old one. that’s cool. that isn’t unnerving as shit. leave me the fuck alone. like that Deki Alem song. man, if I heard Deki Alem on Everlast radio I would have ten different kinds of aneurysms. I barely care about suits anymore. I don’t take ten pictures of myself when I’m bored. I’m barely there. Johnny fucking Frierson? no, Everlast radio. I haven’t been being good to myself. all I had to eat today was popcorn. I watched seven Stargate episodes instead of sleeping and I don’t even like Stargate. sometimes I put on lame war is hell movies and then I do sleep. all that sorrow and blood just seems so tiring. dunno, though. What It’s Like. kinda corny, listening to it as an old man. Death Comes Callin is way more my speed. that or the old angel of death guy karaoke in Only God Forgives. that song is Leum Mai Long by Suraphol Sombatcharoen. also known as the Thai Elvis. I know so much stupid shit about stupid shit and it gets me nowhere. that’s the dice roll, right? either you’re full or you’re forward. it’s pronounced Sohm-batch-are-rohn or something, it’s easy. my favorite song of his is Suai Ching Nong — Truly Beautiful Girl — because it just sounds so full. doesn’t sound fucking shit like Everlast, though. that’s the root of the problem, really. that and the burnout.

[thelost-in-time]

Hello! I noticed the requests were open and I really wanted to request because I am in love with writing. If you're comfortable then can you please write a scenario where xiao (or maybe albedo?) where he comforts you after a long and bad day at work? Thank you so much 💓

Thelost-in-time has returned!

Hello, anon. I decided to do both because I know people like both Xiao, and Albedo (Looking at you @jupeteer our certified Albedo simp)

So here is your request. I hope it's okay.

Come rest in my arms

Xiao and Albedo comforting you after you've had a long, rough day at work.

Can be seen in a modern au or canonverse.

Tw: stress, doubting oneself, burnout, mental breakdowns

Xiao

Too long.

He had been witnessing you push yourself for too long now.

Xiao decided to watch you while you were at work from across your workplace.

He saw how customers and clients were not treating you fairly.

You had that typical customer service attitude and smile.

Smile even though they don't respect you.

Be polite even when they disrespect you.

Your coworkers decided to be mean to you at times today too.

And to top it all off, you were in pain. Physical pain.

He knew you wanted to just cry, but you couldn't. Not while you were at work, because you needed to remain professional.

He knew you counted down the minutes until you could get home, and when that time finally arrived, he swooped you into his car to drive you both home.

The ride was silent, too silent. He broke that silence in a voice that was very gentle, glancing at you for a moment.

"Would you like something to eat? I picked up something for me, and I accidentally got extra fries."

He asked, gesturing to the fast food bag in your hands, prompting you to look inside and see he wasn't lying.

Were you hungry though?

Were you even able to eat?

You didn't think so, but Xiao has his ways of getting you to eat.

He even gave you his chips.

Leave me alone. They are chips and fries where I am at.

Once you two got home, Xiao runs you a bath and pulls you to watch your favourite movie.

Unless you don't have a favourite movie, then he puts on a comforting film instead.

"Do you—"

You interrupted him before he can ask if you wanted to talk about it.

"No. Just hold me."

You said, making him wrap his arms around you to hold you.

"As long as you need."

Xiao told you, his tone soft as he held you in his arms, allowing you to hear his heart beat.

If you couldn't sleep, Xiao would sing you something to help you.

The next morning, he would already have your breakfast prepared and gives you breakfast in bed.

"I called in sick for you. Today, it's all about you."

Xiao tells you, leaning against the doorframe before listing all the fun activities he has planned for you two to do.

Anything you need, say the word. He has you covered.

Albedo

"Come on. Just imagine clear blue skies with no clouds."

Albedo heard you murmuring to yourself, having just picked you up from your second job.

Your main job went by pretty decently.

You had made a ton of minor mistakes, yet you still felt a bit down about it.

You also may have had a few mental breakdowns but nobody had to know that.

No. Your problem started at your second job. Babysitting.

It wasn't really your job, it was moreso taking care of the kids of your family's friends.

But then something happened, and you had a breakdown.

Albedo had noticed you had started to burn out by the middle of the month, but he didn't actually realize it would get this bad.

"Maybe I should just quit both my jobs. I'm not suited for this."

You mumbled for Albedo to hear, causing him to stop the car and pull over to the side, turning to face you.

"Quit babysitting because they're not paying you, but not your main job. My love, you are amazing at your job, today was just a bad day."

Albedo said, reaching over to cup your face gently as he looked into your eyes, determined on not having you sink deep into your pit of stress.

"Al—"

You were about to deny his statement before he interrupted you, his tone soft yet firm.

"No. You had a bad day, and those happen. You absolutely had no fault in the matter. You're burnt out, you're exhausted. Its okay to feel that way."

Albedo said, slightly startling you as he moves to hold your hands, gently rubbing the back of your hands with his thumbs.

"No, but—"

You tried to speak to him again, trying to deny his statement, but he spoke once more.

"But nothing. You're amazing. It's okay to feel down, but I'm here to help you feel better. Once we get home, I'll give you a massage and make you something to eat."

Albedo said, leaning over to kiss your forehead as you accepted your fate: Albedo was going to convince you that you're innocent in the matter.

"Just trust me on this. I would never lie to you."

Albedo softly urged you, and trust him you did as he drove you two home once more.

Upon arriving home, Albedo helped you out of your coat and sat you down on the couch before removing your shoes for you.

"Just let me take care of you tonight. I'll do anything to help you feel better. It's a promise."

Albedo murmured against your skin as he has placed a gentle kiss to your forehead, resting one of your hands on his heart.

Albedo gave you a massage, made you dinner, ran you a bath, (gave you a bath if you're comfortable with that), and got you ready for bed.

As he layed next to you, singing you a song to help you fall asleep, he mumbled a promise to you

"I promise to always help you. To lift you up. I would have offered stargazing, but it's a cloudy night."

Albedo moves the hair out of your face as you tiredly look at him, not yet fully asleep, but not fully awake either.

"You have helped me. Even just the smallest bit. By being here and comforting me."

You mumbled before drifting off to sleep, causing Albedo to smile at your sleeping form, holding you as he too fell asleep

End

[lathalea]

The Crossover

It's a very busy week for me, but I'm fighting! Here is the newest Thorin Oakenshield fic for the Armitage Summer Splash event :)

WEEK 2 - PROMPT 11

Trope: Crossover Quote: “I could stay like this forever.”

Relationships: Thorin Oakenshield x OC Rating: G

You can find this fic on AO3.

The Crossover

I have told this story only to one person before. Anyone else would think I was crazy. But you… I can trust you. I know you won’t tell a soul.

It all started with a severe case of burnout. Apparently, that is what is bound to happen when you are a medical professional working 20 hours a day during an epidemic. Or, the C-19 Pandemic. That’s what we called it back where I came from. Maybe I will tell you about that place one day. The bottom line is, we made it through somehow, even without insufficient funding and understaffed hospitals. It left me exhausted, both physically and mentally, unable to function properly, and so I was prescribed a lengthy leave of absence.

Remember when I told you stories about my Nana, the sweetest person in the entire world? She passed away sometime before the end of the pandemic, leaving me her little cottage. Her solicitor gave me a thick brown envelope with my name on it. Inside, there was a letter and a key. I had to blink away the tears, reading my Nana’s last words. Her farewell. 

… this key. It opens the green door – the one I have never allowed you to open when you were a child. It was not your time yet. But now… you will know when the time comes. This is my last gift to you. 

I will be watching over you, my dearest girl.

Your loving Nana Chiara 

I knew exactly what door she spoke of. It was in the basement of her cottage and my 8-year-old self spent countless nights fantasising about what could be behind it. I looked at the large, heavy key in my hand. It was made of brass and felt ancient. A piece of green paper was attached to it with the word “The Crossover” written in Nana’s elegant hand.

You can probably guess what happened next. Roughly a week later, I found myself facing that green door, every fibre of my being pulling me towards it — and beyond. Since I took that key into my hand, strange dreams visited me every night. Dreams of people and places I had never seen before. They were accompanied by a strange feeling. It was as if something urged me to put the key into the lock and turn it. 

It had to be then or never. My fingers tingled.

I don’t remember how the key found its way into the lock. The first thing I saw when the door opened was a large chamber carved out from stone. It looked like something out of a movie set in medieval times. On a beautifully carved canopy bed lay an impressively-looking man and around him, a number of people were gathered. Most of them looked like warriors, the others – like ancient sages. Most of them had lush beards. Some cried, some tried to help the man in the bed and stop the bleeding from a gaping wound in his chest. As soon as I saw it, my trauma team training kicked in. I grabbed my emergency backpack and crossed the threshold. I felt a pang of dizziness, but I ignored it. There was a life I had to save. I must have shouted something because all the men froze, wide-eyed, and some of them moved aside.

My hands worked as if I were in a trance. With his breathing stabilised, I performed an emergency surgery in a record time. I know you had problems sleeping last night, so I will spare you the details. This does not make for a good bedtime story, believe me. But don’t worry, this story has a happy ending.

“And a kiss?”

Yes, there will be a kiss too. I don’t remember how long it took, but when I finally managed to stop the bleeding and close the wound (thank heavens for my surgery tools), I was exhausted. A couple of those strange warriors helped me bandage the man, a large, grumpy-looking tattooed guy…

“Dwalin!” 

Yes, that’s him! And the other one had a bushy red beard with golden beads. 

“Glóin? Or Gimli?”

It was Glóin. Gimli arrived later. And then an elderly guy with a forked grey beard patted my shoulder and offered me rest and food. 

“It has to be Balin! He always asks if I’m hungry.”

Right again! I was hungry too, but I refused. The patient had to be watched closely, so I stayed. 

At last, I had a moment to look at his pale face. He had proud, handsome features, a noble, aquiline nose, pronounced eyebrows, and a short beard. The white pillows contrasted with his long, wavy hair. It was much darker than your hair and I wanted to run my fingers through it. It is funny what things you remember. It has been years and I still feel it as if it happened yesterday. 

“And then? What happened later?”

After a week, I was sure that my patient – his companions called him Thorin – would return to full health. Would you believe that they were utterly shocked when I flat out refused to leave his bedchamber until he was well enough to sit up on his own? And when it happened and I was ready to leave him in the capable hands of one elderly gentleman called Óin, Thorin’s electric blue gaze rested on me. He asked me for the honour of my visit on the next day. Would you believe it? That stubborn oaf was barely alive and yet it didn’t stop him from being courteous and gallant. Ah, but it shouldn’t surprise you. You have probably already noticed it yourself. It’s the way he and his people were raised – every woman is treated with the utmost respect, no matter the circumstances. And so are you – but it is not only because of who you are. Anyway, I can’t say I was used to this kind of treatment… but that is a story for another time. Let me just tell you, since that day I checked on him every day. It was my professional duty, after all. Thorin has probably already told you that it was thanks to his charms, but in the beginning I treated him as if he was any other patient. Or at least that’s what I kept on telling myself.

“But what about the green door?”

That is a good question. I’m not sure about why and how it brought me here. I asked Balin about whether he saw the door, but he said that they had just seen the tapestry on the wall and nothing more. For him and the others, it looked as if I materialised in front of them. They thought that I was a wizard of some kind, Gandalf’s friend who came to help, and that was why they allowed me to treat their king. It took me a while to convince them I knew nothing about magic nor about the place I found myself at. And yes, this is the exact place where it happened. The Lonely Mountain. My new home. Our home.

I missed some parts of my old life, but at the same time, I finally felt I was at the right place. Somewhere I was meant to be. Yes, I know how funny it sounds. It took me a while to learn the ways of this strange, new world, but I had a good teacher. Thorin. I don’t know when I stopped thinking of him as a patient. He became my friend and guide into the Dwarvish culture. We would meet every other afternoon and spend time together. He even taught me Khuzdul. That is why I speak with the Ereborean accent, like you, and not with the Blue Mountains’ accent, like Bofur.

“Was that when you kissed for the first time? When you learned Khuzdul?”

No, not at all! We kissed much later. As I got to know Thorin better, I realised what a honourable Dwarf he was. Kind. Brave. But I think I fell in love with his sense of humour first. Either way, I couldn’t tell him about what I felt towards him. I kept quiet and pretended I wasn’t madly in love with him.

“Oh no! Why?”

He was the king. He was supposed to marry some noble Dwarf lady from far away and make her his queen. I was a nobody, I wasn’t even a Dwarf myself. The only thing I could do was to help Óin with the infirmary and exchange our medical knowledge. I thought that by working hard I would forget about my feelings.

Little did I know that Thorin had feelings towards me too, but he made himself busy with rebuilding his kingdom, thinking I was not interested in him. We even stopped seeing each other, except for official occasions. What a mess it was! 

“So when did you kiss?”

We’re almost there! One day, I heard news that Thorin’s betrothal was cancelled. No one knew why. When I came home, there was a message waiting for me. Thorin wanted to meet me over a formal dinner. Just him and me. It had been a while since I saw him, so I was very nervous. When I came to his rooms, dressed in my best gown, when I saw him… I tried not to faint. He looked like the most handsome man in the world in his elegant royal robes. And he smiled softly with that little smile he has just for me. I somehow managed to not embarrass myself by fainting. We started talking and it was awkward at first, but then we eased back into our friendship.

“Was that when you kissed for the first time?”

You are an impatient one, aren’t you? I wonder who you got it from. Okay, okay, stop chuckling! Very well, I’ll tell you. Yes, it happened on that day. He told me he had missed me and when I admitted the same, he said: “I did not miss you only as a friend. What I feel for you is beyond friendship.”

I thought I was hallucinating when he explained that he refused to marry that lady who had been chosen for him because he loved someone else. Me.

“If you wish to remain friends, say only a word and I will never speak of my feelings again,” he said.

“Can I say four words?” I asked. He agreed.

“I love you too, Thorin,” I said.

“That was five words,” he replied with a smirk. And then…

“And then you kissed?”

Yes, then we kissed. And then he asked me to marry him. I was so happy! Thorin gave me this ring, yes, this one. He made it especially for me. Do you see the sapphires here? He said their colour reminded him of my eyes. I will let you in on another secret. Your father is a great romantic at heart. And I couldn’t say no to him, it was like a dream come true. I couldn’t believe his people would accept me as his wife, but apparently they appreciated the fact that I saved his life. We married and two years later, you came to this world and made us even happier than before.

“I love you too, mommy!”

Give me a big hug, sweetling! Yes, that’s a perfect hug. And this time it’s really bedtime. No more stories.

“What about the story of your wedding?”

I will tell you all about it tomorrow evening. Deal? Great. Sweet dreams, my beautiful girl.

I cover with your fluffy quilt and then stay with you until you fall asleep. Then the door creaks and Thorin quietly walks in, still dressed in his formal attire, straight from those awful negotiations. He offers me a tired smile and then gives you a gentle kiss on your forehead. I see the tenderness in his eyes when he looks at you. I take his hand and we leave your room without a word.

It has been a long day and I’m grateful it is finally over. I stifle a yawn and climb into bed — the same bed I saw Thorin in for the first time — and I take a glance at the tapestry on the wall. As so many times before, I notice the ghost outline of the green door across the heavy fabric, but it seems that I am the only one able to see it. I have no idea how I know this, but I am sure that if I tried to touch it, the door would become solid in the blink of an eye. The brass key lies in my desk drawer and I am aware that I could cross over if I wanted to — even at this very moment. But I don’t want to. I found home, love, family, and happiness in this place. It is more than enough. When the time comes, I will give the key to you, my little girl. Your heirloom. I am sure that you will make the right decision and follow your heart, just like I did.

Thorin joins me in bed a moment later and wraps me in the reassuring warmth of his embrace. He gives me a goodnight kiss and presses his forehead against mine.

I whisper to him, “I could stay like this forever.”

And so I do.

💙💙💙 Read it? Like it? Spread the love and reblog it! 💙💙💙

📜 Searching for more stories to read and more art to look at? 📜 📜Here is the masterlist for Week 2 for the Armitage Summer Splash event. 📜

General taglist (please let me know if you'd like to be added/removed): @fizzyxcustard @shrimpsthings​ @dark-angel-is-back @sherala007 @amelia307 @anyaspidergirl-blog @jotink78 @rachel1959 @saltwater-in-the-afternoon @linasofia @legolasbadass @yourqueenunderthemountain @reblogunderthemountain @guardianofrivendell @elrawienthewhite @tschrist1 @nelleedraws @beenovel @vee-vee-writes @mcchiberry @dumbassunderthemountain @errruvande @laurfilijames @emrfangirl @s0ftd3m0n @lilith15000 @kami-chan1512 @ragsweas @enchantzz @aduialel @myselfandfantasy @thewhiteladyofrohan @elliepie1226 @middleearthpixie @i-did-not-mean-to @blairsanne @fckmini @clumsy-wonderland @wormsmith @mailinsblogofstuff @medusas-hairband @xxbyimm @guylty

Thorin/ME taglist: @i-am-the-raven-queen @ruthoakenshield @jaskierthelover @asgardianhobbit98 @thespiritoflife @justfollowtheroad