#I’ve definitely noticed it happening in Star Trek

[justabigassnerd]

Surprise Arrival

Pairing - Mickey 'Fanboy' Garcia x sister!reader

Word count - 1,464

Warnings - mentions of bad familial relationships, little bit of angst, mostly fluff

Summary - after turning up on Mickey's doorstep one night, you finally get to meet the Daggers

A/N - hey y'all it's been a while but here's a new fic! I really hope I did this request justice. I've never written for Mickey before so it was definitely new territory so I just hope it was good enough somehow. I won't ramble but as per y'all please send in requests, feedback, and enjoy!!!

While Mickey Garcia, better known by his callsign Fanboy, was one of the more talkative of the Daggers. They didn’t know a lot about his private life. He could talk for days on end about Star Wars and Star Trek and debate various topics on both franchises, but he never chose to be completely open about things that happened in his life outside of work.

What the Daggers didn’t know about Mickey was that he had grown up with a rocky relationship with his parents. He loved and respected them, but he soon figured out they didn’t extend a similar courtesy to him, especially when he told them about how he applied to the Naval Academy. The worst part of it all was having to leave his little sister behind when he moved out. You were the one person he was closest to in the family, and he hated leaving you behind, but he made sure to stay in regular contact with you, so you maintained the strong sibling bond you had.

Then one evening you showed up at his front door.

You hadn’t given Mickey any kind of warning that you were going to do such a thing. He had just heard a knock at the door and gone to answer it, assuming it was Reuben coming around to check in on Mickey like he did occasionally but instead he was greeted with the sight of you behind the door, teary-eyed and a bag slung over your shoulder.

“y/n? What are you doing here?” Mickey asks, eyes wide in confusion as he peeks out the door, expecting to see you with someone else.

“Can I come in, please?” You ask quietly, voice evidently thick with the tears you’re trying to hold back. Mickey doesn’t respond with words, just opening the door wider and ushering you inside when he hears the slight pattering of rain against the pavement.

“Okay, you gotta tell me what’s up? How’d you even afford a flight out here?” Mickey asks the moment you’re in the house, taking your bag and setting it down while you sit yourself on the sofa, winding your arms around your middle as if to protect yourself.

“I’ve been saving up money from my job for a while now. I couldn’t bear to stay there any longer it’s like they’ve gotten ten times more unbearable since you left, and I can’t handle it, Mickey. Please let me stay with you. I can’t go back.” You explain, looking at your older brother with tear-filled eyes that break his heart as he listens to what you have to say.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it had gotten that bad. Of course, you can stay. You’re my sister. And if they ask me if you’re here I can tell them you’re not if you don’t want them to know where you are.” Mickey says, moving to sit next to you on the sofa and watching carefully as you nod gratefully at his words before burying yourself into his side for a sudden hug he was quick to return.

A week after your sudden arrival, you had been settling into your new life. Mickey had managed to get into contact with your old school and arrange a transfer to a nearby school. Mickey had also noticed how much happier you were now that you were permanently living with him. However, despite all that, the Daggers still had no clue about your arrival. He had been declining regular hangouts outside of work with them in favour of spending time with you to make up for the time he lost. He felt slightly guilty for constantly turning down the Daggers since he was usually the one encouraging the others to hang out and now, he was hiding away. One day, Mickey decided to bring up the topic of meeting the Daggers to you.

“Hey y/n/n. How would you feel about meeting the people I work with? There’s no pressure if you don’t want to of course.” Mickey offers as the two of you eat dinner, carefully watching your reaction to gauge how you might feel about it.

“Are they nice?” Was your response, and Mickey nodded without hesitation.

“We tease each other sometimes but it’s in good fun. They’re practically my family. They’ll love you I can promise you that.” Mickey says, doing his best to explain how much the Daggers mean to him. You listen carefully to his words, staying silent for a moment after he finishes speaking before finally nodding your head.

“Okay. I’d like to meet them.” You say, giving your brother a small smile as he grins in response.

“I can’t wait for you to meet them.”

A few days later, the Daggers had arranged to meet at the Hard Deck for their weekly Friday hangout and Mickey had made sure to send you a message letting you know where they were meeting and at what time, making sure to let you know that you could arrive whenever.

“It’s been ages since you hung out with us, Fanboy. Did your lady dump you or something?” Javy jokes as he slaps Mickey on the back as the Daggers grab their first round of beers.

“My lady?” Mickey asks, glancing around at all the Daggers with a confused expression.

“You’ve been ditching us a lot lately, so we just assumed you got yourself a girl.” Jake shrugs as he lifts his beer bottle to his lips before taking a swig.

“No, it’s nothing like that at all. I’ll explain myself soon, I promise.” Mickey says quickly, internally cringing at the team’s assumptions. The team seem to back off then, muttering to themselves and drinking their beers as they all move over to the pool table.

Half an hour after the Daggers arrived at the Hard Deck, you arrived too. You enter the bar, carefully navigating around the groups of people as you search for your brother until you finally catch sight of him chatting with some people by the pool table and slowly make your way over to him.

“Hey, Mickey.” You greet as you reach him, smiling as he lights up, immediately grabbing you into a hug.

“You came!” Mickey exclaims happily, hugging you tight as the rest of the group becomes aware of the interaction.

“Who’s this Fanboy?” Someone asks as you pull away from the hug, instantly aware of the pairs of eyes watching you.

“This is y/n. She’s, my sister.” Mickey introduces you to the group, winding an arm around your shoulders and pulling you into his side as you smile sheepishly. At the introduction, the team bursts into questions, all talking over each other as they ask both you and Mickey various questions.

“Whoa calm down guys. If you let them speak maybe, you’ll actually get an explanation.” A voice says strongly as a woman with black hair steps forward, glancing around at the rest of the team who quickly quieten down, mumbling apologies.

“Thanks, Phoenix.” Mickey mumbles gratefully, smiling quickly at her before focusing his attention on the rest of his squadron.

“y/n has decided she wants to live out here with me. I know I never really told you guys anything about my family but that’s just because I didn’t feel like it had any place in our conversations.” Mickey explains, looking around at all the Daggers as they exchange looks before Bradley clears his throat and steps forward.

“You’re always welcome to talk to us about anything. Doesn’t matter what. We’re your team and we’ll always be there for you.” He says, clapping Mickey on the shoulder as Reuben takes a step towards you.

“Hey, there y/n. I’m Reuben, or Payback if you prefer. I’m your brother’s pilot.” He introduces himself, holding a hand out for you to shake which you do with a smile.

“So, you’re the one who has to put up with Mickey.” You say with a laugh as Reuben chuckles nodding his head, both of you ignoring Mickey’s faux gasp of shock.

“The one and only.” Reuben says before more of the Daggers step forward to introduce themselves to you and once the introductions are over, they integrate you into their conversations smoothly and you feel like you’ve known them much longer than you have.

“I think we should make y/n an unofficial member of the Daggers.” Jake says after you finish telling a story about growing up with Mickey as your older brother, which is soon followed by sounds of agreement from the rest of the Daggers. As you watched them all nodding and agreeing with Jake’s words, you felt your heart swelling with happiness as Mickey tugged you into a side hug, smiling down at you.

You had finally found your family.

[spacemagicandlaserswords]

The Clone Wars 4x5 'Mercy Mission' Reaction

eeeeeeeeeeee Wolffe!

Omg he’s so grumpy and done with everything and long suffering already I love him so much

You can tell from the first word he says. That “We’ve” was basically sighed with so much disgruntlement.

Ahahahaha he’s so pissed that he’s not there supporting Plo. Why has my General been left by himself? *humph* That is barely concealed displeasure that he’s been diverted from his duties. Wolffe said ‘Orders’ in such a particular tone that made it pretty damn clear how pissed he is. He’s so grumpy. I love him.

How often do the clones interact with Senators? Or at least Padmé? I should imagine Rex and Cody would more than others (Rex is probably so done with Anakin pretending to be subtle) but this feels like the first time I’ve seen a clone directly report to a Senator. 

I’m again struck by just how Aussie the clones sound. Or maybe Generic Antipodean/slightly British at best. That is not a Kiwi accent. Give the clones the Kiwi accent they deserve. 

That shot of the ships in space flying over the curved edge of the planet with a sun in the background feels like a homage to something. 2001: A Space Odyssey? That’s usually what gets referenced. The music here is gorgeous.

This is probably going to be a very unpopular opinion but it kind of feels like the clones are being a bit dickish to the droids? Please don’t eat me alive

Omg the LAAT/i’s have nose cone art of Plo and his troopers. I think I’ve seen this in previous episode's but I still love seeing it again.

“Greeeeeeaaaaaaaat, it’s gonna be another one of those planets.” omg I love you random clone trooper pilot. They’re all so grumpy. The entire Wolf Pack is just so grumpy. Maybe that’s a prerequisite for being part of the Wolf Pack. Eternal grumpiness.

My god Wolffe, that is some jaw line

“Ah, did you get that?” ahahahaha the dryness of that line. Insert your cliches about being drier than Tatooine here.

OMG THE EYE ROLL I AM SCREECHING

That is some Star Trek bridge shaking level acting going on in the after shock

Ugh he’s so gruff and rough and just ugh do me commander

“We’re good, but not that good.” ahahaha the sarcasm is off the charts

Oh hey Sinker is still around! Hey Sinker!

Do all of the Wolf Pack have the same paint? Usually it’s fairly easy to tell between the different clones but I can’t spot the differences as well with them. Maybe it’s the grey paint? I think Sinker has grey sections on the bottom of his helmet but the rest of his armour seems to be the same as the rest of the Wolf Pack. They all have the same patterned left pauldron.

Oh hey it’s Boost as well! Hey Boost! I hope he and Sinker and Wolffe and Plo are doing ok after the Malevolence. Ok doesn’t feel like the right word for what happened to them but I can’t think of the right one. Wookieepedia has just informed me that the Malevolence was inspired by the Bismarck, which makes sense.

Back to the paint of the Wolf Pack, Boost has grey spikes under the horizontal section of his visor but that’s the only difference I can spot. At least it’s better than his hair XD

Lmao Boost could you be any more trigger happy

Omg after Boost kicks open the door, the shot pans up and Sinker is just standing there like a model, slightly bent knee and all. 

I love how much you can tell that Wolffe takes absolutely no shit just from the way he moves and carries himself. 

Omg the sneer over his shoulder. If he glared at me like that my knees would absolutely buckle.

“Do I need this?” CACKLING

“A firm hand.” I bet that’s not the only place where Wolffe has a firm hand omg help me the thots are taking over

“I have a bad feeling about this.” Star Wars cliche klaxon

I’m only noticing this because I remember a post pointing this out but Wolffe really does waddle in his kama. The poor man definitely has back problems. He's so stiff.

I love the way that Aleena takes a moment to realise they’ve been left with Wolffe and suddenly has this ridiculously exaggerated horrified and terrified expression on their face before fleeing. 

It’s the Ents! Does that make R2-D2 and C-3PO Merry and Pippin?

Is Orphne supposed to be some kind of alien villainous femme fatale? Gestures matching words? What is this, a high school theatre production? 

Fire. Soil. Water. What is this, a Captain Planet reference?

R2 did you just pee on Orphne’s floor?!

The vapours! *faints*

OMG THE EYE ROLL AGAIN! SCREAMING EVERY TIME. Wolffe is So. Done. I love him.

The music is beautiful here too. The Kiner’s did such a good job.

EYE ROLL VOLUME 3. I am WHEEZING 

That’s Boost and Sinker standing next to Wolffe with two very understanding tilts of their buckets.

Ah, so that’s where the gifs of Wolffe wincing comes from. Also, Sir, those are some seriously sharp cheekbones. 

“I couldn’t agree more, Sir.” Sinker being the very supportive Sergeant there.

Look at Wolffe standing there all sassy with his hand on his hip and blaster. 

Including this gif for the look down and up. There is something about Wolffe that is just uuuuuuuuuuuuuugh

[analyzing-people-like-hell]

saw your recent post in the sanders sides tag - here goes:

Some of these are more fun-to-watch than relates-to-me, but I figure listing ‘em all will give you more to work with.

Listed in alphabetical order, except as needed to group sources together.

Alastor, Hazbin Hotel (show)

- He’s charming, confident, very good in his chosen field, and also happens to be AroAce. He appreciates jokes, but can also be intimidating.

Cayde-6, Destiny (game)

- Quick wit, quick shot. Always fun to hear his dialogue during missions and strikes. The kinda guy you’d go to for a good story (or if you’re lookin’ for extra paperwork to do).

Crow, Destiny (game)

- Good guy, interesting situation (read: tragic backstory). Not exactly doomed-by-the-narrative, but…

The Doctor (10th), Doctor Who (show)

- Honestly, not sure why. He’s just fun to watch. (Also, he has a very distinct/memorable way of phrasing things)

Data, Star Trek: The Next Generation (show)

- Yes, I’m Autistic; How’d you guess? (/j) Honestly though, having a discussion with him about humanity/social behaviors/other things would be SO interesting!

Odo, Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (show)

- If Odo and I were in the same room, I don’t think there’d be much talking. But, in a two-introverts-who-got-dragged-to-the-same-party-and-are-avoiding-the-humans-together kind of way. Companionable silence.

Spock, Star Trek: The Original Series (show)

- He’s just cool. (also a HUGE childhood influence towards logical thinking)

Malcolm Reynolds, Firefly (show)

- Protective of his crew, “Has a conscience, and hates it,” no-nonsense, practical thinker, quick wit, stubborn.

Simon Tam, Firefly (show)

- Very good at what he does (doctor), smart, stands by what he believes in (“when you’re on my table, you’re safe”), and who he cares about (his sister).

River Tam, Firefly (show)

- …River is a mood. Specifically, a “leave me alone, I can’t talk now, my brain is full of bees” mood.

Seth, Lost Terminal (podcast)

- He’s an AI who used to live in a satellite, and made his way down to a post-collapse Earth so he could talk to people. He often mentions the intricacies and confusing nuances of human communication, his distrust of plants and salt, and the fact that humans are quite fond of bread and beer.

Susan Ivanova, Babylon 5 (show)

- “No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There’s always a boom tomorrow.”

Michael Garibaldi, Babylon 5 (show)

- If any of the main cast could’ve broken the fourth wall, it would have been him. I don’t know what that says about his character, but it feels right.

Virgil Sanders, Sanders Sides (YouTube series)

- He’s the personification of (Thomas’) Anxiety, but he can be quite brave when he needs to be. When he’s under pressure/more anxious/needs to be listened to, he’ll act more abrasive, but he has a softer side (heh side) he shows when safe. He’s also the secondary brain cell holder of the main cast.

Logan Sanders, Sanders Sides (YouTube series)

- The brain cell (/pos). Also seems to be going through… gifted-kid-burnout-angst-stuff, for lack of a better term. Also nicknamed the Mom of the group, though someone pointed out that he didn’t choose that title for himself, which I thought was interesting.

Janus Sanders, Sanders Sides (YouTube series)

- I think you already saw him in another ask, so I’ll be brief: “You’re not stuck with an ‘evil snake boy.’ *pose* You’re just stuck with a snake boy.”

…After typing this all out, I’ve noticed that most of these fall into one of three categories:

~Autism~ TM (/pos)

Competent, might be an asshole

Protecc/Attacc

I don’t know what that means, but it’s kinda funny.

Have fun!

ANALYSIS #4: 06/11/24

It's about time I start getting around to all these new test subjects. I apologize for the wait, but I'm more than ready to see what you have in store for me here, #4.

I'm not familiar with the majority of these characters, so this could very much be a hit or miss analysis.... Your descriptions definitely aided me a lot, so thank you for that. I guess we'll just have to wait and see if this ends up being accurate at all...

Why don't we see if I got your backstory right first? It's where everything originates, after all.

"LORE":

You seem to be an observer in this game of life. I feel like you've spent a large part of your existence on the outskirts of everything, and the times you have joined the outside world were never completely of your own volition.... You don't feel like you particularly fit in as a "human", yet at the same time everything you feel is all too human. I can imagine it gets pretty overwhelming, and you've probably gotten a lot of heat for it in your younger years. Maybe you didn't have many friends growing up, and the ones you did have probably didn't live up to your expectations of what "friendship" was supposed to be. Maybe you've had friends that took advantage of you and it didn't even click until the damage was already done, or you stuck it out because.. that's what friendship's supposed to be about, right? Maybe you were just left out in general, always the second option unless they needed something out of you. Who knows. There could be a lot variations of what happened in your childhood regarding relationships, but I'm guessing they didn't always make much sense to you. It's probably why you stay on the outskirts so much. If the world won't let you experience humanity for yourself, you can at least watch humanity from afar.

I have a feeling your home life wasn't all that great? It wasn't particularly terrible-- you're grateful for what you were given-- but you wish there were things that were done differently. I think this also plays into the whole "disconnect from people" bit. Maybe they cared for you, but it was clear they didn't understand you, and it can be a little hard to be grateful when somebody's care is always... a little off? If that's the case, I bet it probably feels worse knowing that you can't really blame them for not understanding. Things are probably better now as you've grown, but there are things that still sting just a bit. Also for some reason I think you were homeschooled.... No reason why, it just came to mind, and I've learned trusting my gut makes my analyses more accurate. I'd like to see if that ends up being true.

Another thing that my gut keeps telling me is that the tism is strong in this one. You've already confirmed that, but I specifically feel like (i'm assuming you're diagnosed based on how you phrased "yes, i'm autistic") you were either diagnosed at a pretty early age or you were late diagnosed (probably because of icky-ew gendered stereotypes in medical fields) and it explained a whole hell of a lot of your childhood, to the point where you're surprised you weren't diagnosed way earlier in life. Heavily leaning to the latter, by the way, but the first still has a 5 to 15% chance of standing. Either way, it depicts why you'd feel such a heavy disconnect from the people around you. It's as if everyone was given a script to life, meanwhile you're forced to improv it the whole way through. Do you see life as a game? How much time have you dedicated to perfecting your skills, believing that perfecting them would be the key to winning these petty social games? Are you sure you're not still lost? Just some food for thought.

Anyways, with that all in mind, let's see what really goes on inside that head of yours...

THE TRUTH:

You still resent the world in a way, don't you? I can't shake the thought that there's still a resentment buried inside you that's been bubbling for a while. Maybe it's lessened a bit, but you can still feel it resurface every now and then. It's as if sometimes a reminder will come your way and it's another crack added to that bottle you've been storing all your emotions in. Like another poke at the confines will unleash everything you've been working on trying to maintain. I don't think it's spilled over yet, but I think we both know it's certainly not far from tipping over. You surprise even yourself with how much you've managed so far.

Part of you has lost your vulnerability. I'm not sure when or how, but I think it goes back to that disconnect from people. I don't think you've met anybody who's completely understood you yet, which has probably led to constant misunderstanding from everyone else. That kind of persistent detachment is bound to make anyone lose parts of themselves. If that's what happened, I'm sorry they took that part away from you. You deserved to be yourself without being shot down over and over, you still deserve that. It really is a shame that the world is too blind to see the beautiful depth in your soul. Complexity is never a flaw. Complexity is rarely even "complex". The world just needs to learn how to appreciate you at your core, and I truly hope they're able to see that in you soon. 

In fact, why don't I detail some of the complex beauty that I can pinpoint? If the world can't see it, then it only makes sense if I spell it out for them.

YOUR BEST TRAITS:

You're very attentive. You also seem to have some pretty good wit. That not only makes you a really great analyst, but I think it'd make you a pretty great comforter too. You're able to analyze and recognize patterns in people, and you seem to still hold a great appreciation for people despite how isolated people have made you feel. Despite always feeling like an outcast, there's still a part of you that cares. Those are qualities that truly great comforters have. However, with how confusing relationships with other people can be sometimes, I can also see why that would hinder your ability for it and turn you away. Nevertheless, the foundation is still strong. You're still strong. Use that to your advantage. Take back the life that you deserved. Show them that you are not the painting they've made of you.

I just feel like you're really funny for some reason, and probably pretty chill while still being able to stand your own ground and opinions. That's a highly respectable mix of traits to have, at least in my eyes. You also for some reason remind me of that main guy from Magnus Archives. I've never listened to Magnus Archives though. All of the information I know about that podcast has come from random clips I've stumbled upon and rants from my friends who are into it. But from the information I have on him, I view him as a weird little autistic guy who's always a little tired, a little witty, maybe a little too obsessed with analyzing sometimes, also probably on the aroace spectrum. However, he's also a hard worker who-- when he cares about people-- he really cares about them, and if he likes you then you could probably drag him just about anywhere (even if he grumbles the whole way through). Now I have zero clue if any of that is true to his character, but I feel like it could maybe fit yours, and I at least think people like that are a pretty special find. 

Also, you're just a wee little guy. A little snake boi even.

And with that, I think I'll leave my thoughts here and take my bow.

With utmost gratitude (and hopefully utmost accuracy),

Dr. WZ

[cosmic-consumption-au]

Chapter 4 - The Stars Are Falling

You walk along a black void, the ground rippling like water with each step you take. You have no idea how long you’ve been walking, but you’re determined to keep going as if there’s a prize at the end of the trek. As you keep going, you notice little white specs appearing in the void around you. 

They’re glowing…like stars.

You don’t stop to look at them as your legs seem to have a mind of its own.

(Where is this?)

The ground below you has stopped rippling, and you realize you’re floating now.

(It feels like I’m swimming…in the air!)

Your legs are finally back under your control, so you flip around in the air.

You laugh as you move around freely through the star filled void. It feels so liberating.

But…you’re alone.

At least you thought.

You aren’t sure what it is, but you feel a suffocating presence all around you. You can’t see it, but it can surely see you. It feels like the stars are watching you, their gaze burning holes in your mind.

Sure enough, the stars morph into millions of eyes, all of them staring at you with such intensity. You try to scream, but your voice is completely silent. Panic sinks in as you start to sink down, falling through the void as millions of eyes stare you down.

Out of nowhere, the eyes all turn abruptly above them. You follow their gaze, but whatever they see…

It shatters your mind.

You sit up screaming bloody murder, your insides feeling like jelly as if you fell onto your bed.

Isabeau jolts up beside you with a look of distress.

“SIFFRIN!! ARE YOU OK?!?” He worriedly places a hand on your back as you catch your breath.

You breathe in and out.

“Y-yeah…I just, um…had a terrible nightmare.” You say hoarsely, your vocal chords shredded from the scream.

The others are awake too now, and you feel bad having woken them up.

“What happened?” Odile sounds worried as she quickly puts her glasses on.

“Bad dream,” you croak out, rubbing your face. It’s sweaty.

“Do you…wanna talk about it?” Mirabelle asks, walking over to you with a concerned look.

“I guess…”

(It wasn’t anything I should hide from them. Might as well.)

You tell them about the void, the stars, the eyes, and…whatever you saw at the end.

Recalling the dream, you realize you remember less about the ending than when you woke up. You dismiss it as a normal case of forgetting your dream as soon as you wake up.

“Sounds terrible, like you were drowning or something!” Bonnie seems genuinely upset for you.

Odile nods understandingly, “I’ve had lots of falling dreams, but the ending is definitely different.”

“Maybe you saw something you like…weren’t supposed to see?” Nille says.

“Sure felt like it,” you gingerly press your temples, your head still hurts from looking at it.

(The only other time I’ve woken up with a headache was during the loops…)

Your head and throat aren’t the only things that hurt.

You thought it was just the falling feeling that made your chest feel strange, but something in your core tingles.

(The star?)

Even though your wish has been more or less completed and nullified, the star of the wish stays in your soul. It doesn’t tug anymore, but feels more like a small spark in your chest.

(Maybe it changed after the wish was fulfilled? It’s not like a rope tugging at my stomach anymore…)

Your heartbeat is calming down, so it’s probably nothing to worry too much about. You take a few deep breaths, but the star doesn’t seem to be going away. You haven’t felt it this strongly in a while, the last time being your meltdown at the end of the loops.

Maybe…the star is trying to tell you something?

You all proceed through the day as usual; breakfast, leaving town, heading to the next one.

Nothing seems to be helping the star, and it’s starting to bother you now.

“Hey, Frin?” Bonnie tugs at your cloak and you look down at them. “Are you hungry or something? You seem kinda grumpy.”

“Oh,” you try to come up with a lie, “just a little cranky from my nightmare.”

Odile seems to clock your lie almost instantly, raising her eyebrow as she looks at you with that look that says “I know you’re lying”.

You look ahead and keep walking in silence, the back of your head feels cold with guilt.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like you’ll make it to a town before sunset.

“I think we’ll have to sleep outside again,” Mirabelle confirms this, looking over the map.

“Thank Change!” Nille groans dramatically, her arms flop down. “My legs were about to fall off.”

“We should make camp a little early this time,” Isabeau suggests. “We could spend some time outside; without walking!”

You all look around and find a nice clearing on the side of the trail, far enough for privacy from other travelers but close enough to not lose it.

Everyone starts to unpack their gear, and you start to as well until something steals your attention.

The star jolts as you look ahead through the trees, spotting something…unusual.

You wander away from the site, and try to find out what it even is.

(You want something over here? Am I supposed to find it or something?)

Your thought up question is met with silence.

The grass is suddenly gone from under your feet, and you notice a large patch of grass is missing ahead of you. The bare ground feels warm.

You walk warily around, and find a crater in the center of this blank patch. Around the crater, you see perfect rings on the ground around the rim.

Leaning in, you see…an empty crater.

You sniff the air, and get a familiar scent.

Burnt sugar.

It’s faint, being overpowered by the burning smell. But it’s there.

You carefully lower yourself into the hole, gingerly stepping around while looking at every clump of dirt thoroughly.

Nothing in particular stands out to…

(!!!)

Something glimmers in the dirt at the middle of the crater. You bend down and cautiously sift through the dirt to see what it is.

“What the…” You can’t help but mumble to yourself as you lift up one of the glimmering shards.

It feels warm, and looks like a solid light piece of glass.

You shudder and drop it immediately, reminded of what you did in the House by yourself.

(Why is it warm though?)

You’re reminded of Loop, and the shards of their light that came off of them during your fight. You never touched them, only being struck by them. It’s bizarre to say the least.

Against your own will to leave it on the ground, you pick up one shard and pocket it. You rub your arms, still uncomfortable with their glass-like appearance.

You crawl back out of the hole, and walk back to the campsite.

The star seems to be somewhat satisfied with your excursion.

(Did you just want the shard?)

You have no idea what it wants anymore. But at least it’s not annoying you anymore.

Odile in particular is staring you down, but everyone seems a little suspicious now.

“Hey, Frin,” Bonnie asks with a weirded out expression, “what were you doing in the woods?”

“You just sorta…left,” Isabeau points out.

You had tunnel vision.

(Had to go.)

“Saw something weird, so I checked it out.” You take out the shard hesitantly. “There was a crater with this stuff in the center.”

Everyone immediately crowds around to get a better look.

“What is that?” Nille leans in curiously.

“It’s definitely a strange thing to see out in the wild. Doesn’t look like a normal rock or anything,” Odile squints thoughtfully at the shard.

“It’s kind of…pretty?” Mirabelle tilts her head to the side.

“I wanna see it!” Bonnie extends their hands out for the shard.

“No, it’s too sharp for you!” You scold Bonnie, pulling the shard back to you a little.

“But you’re holding it!” Bonnie retorts.

“I’m wearing gloves,” you say, surely winning the argument. Sure enough, Bonnie pouts and stops pressing you for the shard.

“I have gloves!” Isabeau smiles excitedly, extending his hand to you.

(He does…)

You carefully place it in his palm, and he examines it carefully.

“Huh,” he looks surprised, “it’s really warm! Like a lit match or something…”

“Did it…fall from the sky?” Mirabelle asks, saying what you were thinking since you saw the crater.

“If it left a crater, it probably did,” Odile nods in agreement.

“Actually,” she turns to look at you, “if you wouldn’t mind, could you show us this site?”

“Oh!” You have to get out of the habit of trying to keep everything secret. “Yeah sure. It’s over this way.”

You lead the party through the trees, and to the unnaturally barren clearing.

Bonnie immediately runs around looking at everything excitedly, and Odile looks fascinated by the area.

Mira notices the rings on the ground almost instantly. “Oh! These rings…they kind of remind me of the Change symbol.”

(Huh! It does, doesn’t it?)

You could see it, but personally find it reminiscent of the rings that appeared during your breakdown. You keep it to yourself for now, not wanting to be the one to initiate that conversation.

“I’ve heard of objects falling from the sky and creating craters, but I’ve never seen one so fresh. Usually I found them years after the fact, and they’d grown over,” Odile flicks away a rock she was examining before getting back up, cracking her back.

“I FOUND THE HOLE!!!” Bonnie yells over to the rest of you, waving frantically.

Everyone but you hurry over to see; you’ve seen it before.

As everyone carefully makes their way down, you sit on the rim to watch.

(Nothing but more of those shards down there…)

You still don’t like looking at them, feeling grateful Isa took the shard from you.

They all poke around, Odile taking some notes as they do so. Bonnie doesn’t seem to care about the bigger implications that much, just excited to be in a crater. You’re glad they’re all enjoying this.

When they find the shards, Odile starts to take some more and places them in a pouch after wrapping them up in cloth.

“Maybe someone will know what these are,” she states as she closes the pouch.

“You don’t know!?” Isabeau sounds surprised by this. 

Odile laughs. “I don’t know everything, Isabeau! Just most things.”

Despite everyone’s questions, you all have to go to sleep again before getting answers. After you all finished your dinner, you turn in for the night.

The trees cover your view of the stars, so you feel a little more restful than the past few nights.

“Are you staying up?” Isabeau yawns, already under his blanket.

“Not tonight,” you answer, walking over to him.

Isabeau lets you under his warm blanket, and you settle down next to him.

His presence is comforting, and you feel safe by his side. The steady beat of his heart lulls you into a peaceful sleep.

-

That night you dreamed about being a cat. Perhaps you really are a cat deep down, only disguised as a human.

Like clockwork, you all pack your things up after breakfast, and continue along the road.

“Next town should be coming up,” Mirabelle announces, “this one is called…oh!”

She seems surprised, “I think this is actually a small city! It’s called Banquort.”

You have heard of it before, but haven’t been yourself. “Huh. I think I remember hearing about its famous cheeses.”

Bonnie scrunches their nose up with a grumble. “Cheese?!? Why couldn’t they have had really good potatoes or something…”

“Now you know how I feel whenever we find a bakery that specializes in croissants,” you tell Bonnie with a cheeky grin.

You continue walking until Odile stops and hushes the group, “Wait!…”

You all stop in your tracks and go silent, revealing the sound of rustling leaves.

(Another one?)

You take out your knife with a reluctant sigh, the others following suit.

A Sadness jumps out with a wail, blocking the path ahead.

(Wait a second!)

This one looks…unusual. It’s crying like the others before, but looks madder and more animalistic. Almost like a feral rabbit the size of a wolf, its hands…or paws, being in a scissors position.

“Odile?” You call over to her, giving your turn to her so she can analyze it.

She looks confused. “It’s…a Sadness alright, but…something about it feels different. It feels mad somehow rather than sad, and…I’m not sure how to explain it…”

“Feels weird!” Bonnie chips in.

“Yes,” Odile nods, “it feels weird. We should be careful.”

“I can try to carefully smash it, but make no promises!” Nille remarks; her snarky side seems to be coming out more.

She dashes over and swings the hammer down on the Sadness’s back. It wails louder than before at this, shaking the ground and causing Nille to fall back. Suddenly, another Sadness emerges from the bushes. It also looks new, but looks sad rather than mad unlike its friend.

“Another one?!” Nille exclaims with annoyance.

It has one hand drooping out in a flat paper sign, so you can handle this one.

The paper one reels its hand back and swings it at the part, hitting everyone but Bonnie and Mirabelle. You feel winded, which hasn’t happened when fighting a Sadness in a while.

(Are they…tougher?)

Either way, you have a job to do. You rush the Sadness and slice at it with a knife. It cries out, but doesn’t look nearly as damaged as you hoped it’d get.

Mirabelle runs past you and swings her rapier across the foe, putting a dent in its health.

Isa is up next, and brings his fists down on the first Sadness. It screeches in protest, and promptly attacks Isabeau in return. Luckily it doesn’t hurt him that bad.

Odile finally has her turn uninterrupted, and casts Rock III on the original Sadness. Finally, it falls.

(Still one to go.)

Your turn once again. You plunge your knife into the Sadness’s eye, its tears cover your blade. On the verge of death, Bonnie swoops in to give the final blow with a whack of their pan.

You breathe in and out.

You all feel…stronger!

“Is it just me, or did that make you feel…tougher?” Nille asks, opening and closing her fists.

“Yeah,” Isabeau cracks his knuckles, “I feel stronger too! Nice!”

“I’m not sure if I’m just getting rusty,” Odile mentions, “but did those Sadnesses seem…stronger?”

(So I wasn’t imagining it!)

You nod, and so do the others.

“Yeah…they were really weird,” Bonnie reiterates with a grumble.

“Maybe the city will have more answers than the town from yesterday,” Mirabelle says hopefully.

“Yeah, maybe…” Nille mumbles.

You all continue ahead, eventually making it to the city before it’s even noon.

(Wow!)

Even for a smaller city, it’s rather impressive. There’s a large stone arch with the city’s name carved into it welcoming you in, the buildings are tall and made of large bricks, the streets are cobblestone, and tons of people are out and about. You smell cheese on the wind, sharp and rich. Bonnie sticks their tongue out and holds their nose.

Nille nudges them. “Come on, that’s rude,” she whispers to them.

Reluctantly, Bonnie stops making that face.

As you walk through the streets, you all look around at the shops. There are restaurants, boutiques, bakeries, bookstores; almost anything you could think of!

Eventually though, the crowded streets make you a little uncomfortable.

You gently tug at Mirabelle’s shawl. “Hey, um…do you know if there’s somewhere less busy we could go to?”

Mirabelle thinks hard for a little bit. “I think there’s a protected forest around here. It has a favor tree, so it’s kept like a sanctuary of sorts.”

(Favor tree, huh?)

You haven’t seen one since…

(It’ll be fine!)

You split off the group, insisting they go have fun while you recharge for a little bit. The day is still young, so you can join them again once you’ve relaxed a bit. Sure enough, you find the sanctuary guarded by an extravagant fence. As you walk in, you’re relieved to see no one else is around that day. 

(Seems like everyone’s out shopping today or something.)

As you walk along the path, you enter a clearing with the favor tree overlooking a small sparkling pond. It’s a beautiful sight.

You walk over to the tree, looking up at the leaves that shadow the base of the tree in pure darkness. It all gives you a feeling of déjà vu, but still feels a bit different than before. You have no plans to make a wish this time, having learned your lesson last time.

Your star suddenly pulls you to the tree, like a magnetic pull. Stronger than before, like it can see its object of desire beneath the wishing tree.

(Maybe it wants to return to where it came from…or at least, another form of it.)

Your legs are tired from walking around all morning, and enter the darkness to sit on a tree root.

(Might as well play out the scene, right? The stage is set after all.)

But something stops you in your tracks. 

Something catches your eye.

…

It’s…a coin.

A simple silver coin.

(There’s…no way…)

You shakily walk forwards, reaching a hand out to grab the coin. But before you get close enough to do so, your vision adjusts, and…

Someone is holding the coin.

Your coin.

You look on in shock and disbelief. For once, it looks like looking in a mirror. Almost.

A person that looks similar to you sits down on a root, gazing at the coin in their gloved hand. They notice you and do a double take before almost falling off their tree-seat.

“OH MY STARS,” a familiar voice cries out. “STARDUST?!?”

“LOOP?!?” You yell out in equal befuddlement.

“IS IT REALLY BLINDING YOU?!” Loop smiles with a now visible mouth. “Stars, I…wow! This feels so familiar, doesn’t it?”

“YEAH,” you have so many questions, “But, you aren’t a star anymore!?”

They look like a taller you with long hair tied in a vaguely star-like shape, long gloves, knee-high boots, a hat hanging on their back, a starry cape and a black sleeveless bodysuit with a familiar star window on the chest. You think it suits them.

“Oh, no,” Loop chuckles and waves dismissively. “I’m still very much a star under here! I just used body craft to blend in with the crowd.”

“Blend in?” You scoff with an eyebrow raised.

“Come now, I wasn’t going to stifle my fashion sense any longer than I already had!” Loop grins with a little snicker.

(Makes sense...sort of.)

“Are the others here?” They ask, looking a little worried.

“Oh, yeah,” they probably thought you were ghosting them again. “I just needed to get away from the crowd for a little bit.” You sit down across from your altered reflection.

“Same!” Loop says flamboyantly with a little laugh.

“How are you even here? Where were you this whole time!” If they’ve been here this whole time, you’re going to be mad.

They look serious and worried at these questions. It takes a few moments of awkward silence before they answer.

“I was…in the sky. And then I…fell down.” They say, clearly picking their words carefully.

“That’s not very clear,” you sigh with annoyance, not wanting to deal with all the secrecy.

“I could try to tell you later, but I’d prefer to tell everyone at once.” Loop says with a look of sincerity.

“Promise?”

“Super promise. Super-duper promise!”

“Ok then,” you sigh again, “I guess you haven’t broken any promises yet.”

“What can I say,” Loop returns to their usual cheerful demeanor, “I’m a star of my word, teehee!”

“Well, you still need to make good on one of your promises though…” You mention, “you still have to have everyone thank you in person!”

Loop looks surprised. “But…didn’t you tell them about…everything? What do I even say?! Stars, I tried to KILL you! The last thing I should do is go see them after that!”

You grip Loop’s tense arm, giving them a reassuring look. “Hey. I know it’s scary, but it’ll be worth it. I promise!”

“Super promise?”

“Super-duper promise.”

Loop lets out a long sigh before hauling themselves up to their feet. “Alright then! No time like the present, right?”

The two of you walk back to the city, and you just now realize this is the first time you’ve hung out with Loop away from a favor tree. Stepping out of the sanctuary feels like walking through a threshold, proving that this is in fact real. Loop is here once again, but is no longer your guide. They’re your friend.

You track down the others rather quickly as they all huddle around a small newspaper stand.

“Wow, I can’t believe it!” Bonnie sounds astonished, their eyes sparkling. “That’s us! See Nille? WE’RE NEWS!!!”

Nille leans in and looks rather surprised. “Huh! I’m surprised you guys are still making the front page for something you did months ago.”

You get close enough to notice the paper detailing an article on your victory against the King, accompanied by a drawing of you and your family members.

“Oh, hey Siffrin!” Mirabelle finally notices you, smiling. “You need to check this out! We’re on the…”

She trails off as she looks over to Loop, her smile fading and eyes widening in shock.

The others look over and also go quiet as they see Loop standing beside you.

They give an awkward little wave and smile. “H-hey!…”

Odile readjusts her glasses. “You’re…you must be Loop, correct?”

Loop nods silently in response, not looking her in the eyes like an ashamed child.

“Then let me be the first to say…thank you.” Odile’s response confuses Loop.

“Yes! Thank you so much for helping us!” Mirabelle’s smile returns, bigger than ever. “If it weren’t for you, Siffrin wouldn’t be here!”

Isabeau grins, “You were there for Siffrin when we couldn’t be. You have no idea how much it means to us to know someone else is looking after him too!”

“Awww, man!” Bonnie sounds disappointed. “You aren’t glowy anymore…”

“BONNIE!!” Mirabelle sounds appalled.

Loop laughs, “HAHAHAHA!!! No, not at the moment I suppose. But I still can if I want to!”

Odile looks almost as awestruck as the kid. “Huh. Interesting…mind answering a few questions about how exactly you function?”

“Well,” Loop looks a little uncomfortable with the attention. “Yeeeesss, but preferably somewhere…less crowded?”

Isa points towards a nearby inn, “We already booked a room while you were gone, Sif. We can talk in our room!”

You all enter the quiet sanctuary of your inn room, and you take a deep breath in and out.

(That was WAY more people than I’ve been around in a while…)

“Ok,” Odile gets right down to business, sitting down at the small table with her notes out. “Let’s continue the conversation.”

“Yeah!” Bonnie jumps up in between Odile and Loop. “Now show us how you glow!”

“BONNIE!” Mirabelle still finds it rude, but Nille seems to be on their sibling’s side. 

“Yeah, show us. I’m curious,” she says. Makes sense given she knows so little about Loop.

Loop smirks with an eerily similar smirk to yours. Half their face peels away as part of a bright light star juts out, and it’s honestly unsettling to watch. Half their face is their new human appearance, and the other their familiar star face with no mouth or nose.

Odile takes notes after tearing her eyes away from them, and the others look horrified. Except Bonnie.

“EWWWW, THAT’S GROSS!!!” Bonnie chuckles and sticks their tongue out with a smile.

Loop laughs, “Yeah, it’s definitely not pretty! As for how it feels…” Loop’s face seems to rewind back to normal, and they think for a while before answering. “…warm? It sort of feels like your head is a fireplace…if that makes any sense.”

“I see,” Odile finishes up her notes before looking back up. “As for more basic things; can you sleep and eat? You don’t have a mouth as a star, correct?”

Loop opens their mouth before they freeze in place, and look rather surprised. “You know…I haven’t been able to check yet! First thing I did was craft a new body, but I forgot about those things…”

You feel a gang in your heart about that.

(Guess they haven’t really worried about things like that in a while, even before they…they…)

“Hey, Loop.” You look them in the eyes with a serious expression. “Where did you go?”

They seem shocked by this, almost like you caught them doing something bad. They nervously ruffle their hair, fidgeting with their feet.

“I was…I went to…” They lean in closer to you and whisper, “how much do they know?”

“Everything,” you reply, shocking Loop even more.

“Everything?! Even the…”

“The fight, being a previous version of me; the works.” You shrug.

You had told the others about Loop’s identity and your final encounter shortly after it happened. They handled it pretty well, but even then you can tell they’re holding back their questions and feelings around Loop now.

“Well…I was in the stars.” Loop says eventually.

“WOAH, REALLY?!” Bonnie seems excited by this information. 

(So…they became part of the universe huh?)

(Wait a second…)

“And you fell from the sky, didn’t you?” You put two and two together. Everyone else seems to as well, looking at Loop waiting for an answer.

“Yes…I did,” they seem uncomfortable, holding their arms and looking away from all of you.

“What happened?” There has to be a reason why they fell all of a sudden. Your star seemingly wanted you to find Loop, so maybe they know something.

Loop looks distressed, thinking long and hard about this question. You can’t tell if they legitimately don’t have an answer, or just can’t find the words.

“I…I liked it up there,” they say eventually, sitting down across from Odile as they do so. “It felt…freeing. Like I was swimming through the stars, floating around as one of the stars in the sky. It truly was a beautiful sight. But…after a while…I saw something.” They look sick as they choke out the words. “I-I can’t even explain it, I don’t think I would be able to if I wanted to! It was…something…” They look like they’re recounting a war story. “I saw something…destroying everything! The stars, the comets, literally everything in its path was being devoured by its presence! It was like watching lava eat up a town…I was terrified. But as I tried to run from it, I was seemingly pulled from the universe. It was like I was sinking into darkness…or, maybe light? I couldn’t tell. I just remember waking up in a smoking crater…back here, in Vaugarde.”

Isabeau pulls out his shard alongside Odile’s samples. 

“So,” Isa says hesitantly, “these things are from you?”

Loop gingerly picks one up and examines it. “I mean…it definitely looks like it. I don’t really need them though.” They casually toss it aside onto the table.

“I wish I could say this is where we part ways,” Loop sighs, “but I think we need to find out what’s going on in the sky.”

“Wish you gave us more of a description, but I suppose nothing can be done if it’s some kind of incomprehensible force.” Odile says with understanding.

(…)

“Just like with Sif- I mean, your country…” Mirabelle takes the words out of your mouth.

Everyone seems tense by this, except Loop who just looks a little saddened and very confused.

“Was there…a development?” They ask, stretching the back of their head.

“I’m remembering bits and pieces of our past,” you mutter out a reply. 

Loop looks genuinely upset for a moment, but puts on a normal face before anyone else notices. “Interesting…”

Bonnie perks up, “OH YEAH! Loop, was it? We still gotta find out if you can eat!”

“Oh, right!” Nille accompanies Bonnie to the small kitchen, where a pile of premade food sits. “Lunch!” Nille holds up a platter of tasty smelling…something.

“I wanna try out the food around here so I can find a food I wanna learn how to make!” Bonnie grins while grabbing a sandwich.

“Bonnie, you already know how to make a panini,” Nille says judgingly, narrowing her eyes at them.

“Hey, I like sandwiches! And I wanna eat what I like first.” Bonnie pouts and heads over to the table.

You find an interesting looking bun that smells spicy, and look back at Loop. They hesitantly approach the food, and scan it for a while. Eventually they shrug with a reluctant sigh, and grab something at random. Something wrapped in a leaf of sorts. Everyone seems to be watching as Loop hesitantly takes a small bite.

They…start crying.

“OH NO!” Mirabelle exclaims. “Do you not like it?”

Loop shakes their head, and slowly sinks to the floor. “No…it’s really good,” they say sniffling, “it’s just…I really missed this.”

(Makes sense they’d respond like this. Who knows how long they spent either not eating, or eating the exact same foods over and over again.)

Nille raises a finger hesitantly, “Ah, I don’t wanna ruin your experience here, but…I don’t think you’re supposed to eat the leaf…”

“I don’t care!” Loop says as they scarf down the whole thing.

They shoot back up the top of the counter. “MORE.”

As if the hunger of 1,000 loops took over them, Loop starts to eat ravenously. The rest of you eat your food at a normal rate at the table, everything you aren’t eating being taken by Loop.

“Guess you were hungry!” Isabeau laughs.

You smile, happy to see Loop being so happy…genuinely happy for the first time. But underneath your warm fuzzy feelings, you can’t help but feel a sinking in your gut.

(The Sadnesses…Loop’s return…my dreams…I wish they were coincidences, but I know enough about plays to know that this is just the set up for a much deeper plot…)

End of Chapter 4

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Previous - Masterpost - Next

[sketchycozy]

What is a furry?: Definitions and misconceptions

Furries are one of the most misunderstood fandoms both in person and online! In this post I will be discussing what a furry is, as well as discussing some common misconception in regards to the fandom!

What is a furry?

In order to dispel misunderstanding, we first need to define what a furry actually is. A furry is a nickname for anyone in the anthropomorphic animal fandom, much like how swiftie is a Taylor swift fan and Trekkie is the nickname for someone who’s a fan of Star Trek! To put it simply: furries are people who find animals who look and behave like humans cool! That all someone need to be a furry. They don’t need to own a fursuit, be an artist, or even have a fursona! All they need is to like the concept of anthropomorphic animals and call themselves a furry!

Some definitions!

Furry: a person in the anthropomorphic animal fandom

Anthropomorphic: giving human characteristics to non-human things

Fursuit: an hand-made costume, either based on the client’s own character or a pre-existing character the designer made (known as a premade suit). Fullsuits are full fursuits, well partials are just some pieces like owning just a head, tail, and paws.

Misconception 1: All furries own fursuits

Although fursuits are a big part of the fandom, they arn’t the main point, and not all furries own or even want a suit!

According to a 2011 survey done by FurScience:

Only around 10-15% own a fullsuit

Only around 25% own a partial suit

A little over 10% have no interest in owning a fursuit

Around 5% have no interest in owning a partial suit.

People with fursuits are more likely to attend conventions, with around 40% owning some sort of fursuit. This is likely part of the reason most people think they’re a much bigger part of the fandom than they are. They’re a lot more noticeable, and people often look at conventions as an accurate representation of the whole, which often isn’t the case as many can not afford to travel and attend conventions.

Misconception 2: Furries believe they are animals (aka the litter box myth)

This misconception likely comes from a mix of two things: media misinformation and getting therian’s and other kin confused.

No, furries do not believe we are animals. It is likely people are confusing us with Therians (those who believe they have some sort of connection to an animal, such as believing they were one in a past life). According to a survey, only around 10% of furries identify as therians. Is their overlap? Absolutely! But not all furries are therians and not all therians are furries.

Furry isn’t an identity. You can’t “identify as a furry”, just like you can’t “identify as a swifty”

When it comes to the whole litter box thing, it’s almost all hearsay from kids. It initially started with one kid telling their mother that they had litter boxes for kids who identified as animals. The mother took her kids word for it, talk about it at a school board meeting, the video blows up, and boom, suddenly kids everywhere are saying it’s happening, and yet despite kids constantly talking about it, I’ve never seen a video or picture of any of the incidents described. Now, schools may have litter in their schools, but these are often for either students who have service animals, schools to have a place for students to pee during a lockdown, and for cleaning up vomit and other accidents kids may have in school

Misconception 3: Furry is a new thing

The furry fandom started as an offset of the sci fi fandom, dating all the way back to the 80s! It’s definitely grown in popularity with the internet, but we’ve been around much longer than you probably expected!

Misconception 4: Furry is LGBT+

Although there are a lot of furries who are LGBT+ in some way, being a furry by itself does not make you a part of the LGBT+ community, and their are plenty of furries who are not a member of the LGBT+ communities. LGBT+ is about romantic/sexual orientation and gender identity, and being a furry is neither of those.

Misconception 5: furry is a kink/fetish

Although their absolutely is a NSFW side of the fandom, it is not the main point of the fandom, and there are plenty of people (like myself) who don’t partake in it at all. Even for those who do partake in the NSFW side of the fandom, they often arn’t their just for that aspect and enjoy the SFW parts of the fandom as well. After all, if it was fully an NSFW fandom, 18+ dealers dens (vender halls at furry cons) and 18+ events at conventions wouldn’t be sectioned off or during after hour times. They’re kept separate for a reason, and that’s because not every member of the fandom is interested in it.

Additionally, most fursuits are actually not made to accommodate NSFW activities, and most fursuiters don’t use their suits for things like that, reporting things such as “they don’t believe it would be comfortable” and that they do not want to ruin an expensive suit.

Additionally, many people confuse pup play (those leather pup masks) with furry. There is absolutely overlap between these two cultures, but again, not every furry is a pup player and not every pup player is a furry.

Let’s not forget how many minors are in the fandom too! Trying to call a fandom that has many young people in it as a sex thing is- very uncomfortable.

Misconception 6: furries are zoophiles

You’re going to get your gross people in every fandom, and unfortunately when you have a fandom centered around animals, it’s going to attract those who have bad intentions with them. That being said, zoos are not welcome in the fandom, and being called out as a zoophile is social suicide in the fandom.

For example, a very popular fursuit maker known as DHC was exposed to be a zoophile and animal abuser. After this was called out, they lost thousands of followers, and anyone who buys a suit from them is ostracized by most of the fandom for supporting someone who hurts animals. Some people even took it too far by harassing those who bought their suits before DHC was exposed, and although I don’t agree with harassing people who had no idea, it is a testament to just how much the fandom hates these people.

When it comes to art, it’s pretty looked down upon too, with being caught making “feral” NSFW art (art when an animal appears like an actual animal with animal anatomy) being a career ender for many artists. The general rule of thumb being that 1. The character has the ability to consent, 2. The character is anthro and 3.The things being sexualized are human characteristics.

Unfortunately, there will always be gross people in every fandom, but just like every other fandom, we shouldn’t generalize it based on the worst of it.

And that’s it!

Feel free to reblog with your own thoughts or things I missed. I’m sick of seeing people, especially kids, being harassed and threatened over things that arnt even true. For more Info as well as to see where I sourced my statistics, check out furscience, a group dedicated to researching the fandom!

[majormiles]

🍬🌻🔮 for the fanfic asks! :) hope you’re having a great day!! 🥰

I almost lost a fight with an extremely stubborn jar lid this morning, so it’s definitely been A Day! From Fanfic Writer Ask Game

Do you write for multiple fandoms? If yes, what is your favourite fic of yours for each fandom?

Actively, no! I tend to only write in one fandom at a time, although sometimes I dabble in multiple at once.

I definitely have written in multiple fandoms over the years. I would say I’m most well known for my Trek, Naruto, and One Piece fic. Other fandoms I’ve only dabbled in once or twice, including Haikyuu, Star Wars, FMA, Final Fantasy…

So, to avoid this being an exhaustive list, I’ll just have a think for those three. Hm…

For Naruto, I think HIEROPHANT was my magnum opus. I definitely feel like it’s the best written fic of the bunch. It’s an AU where Kakashi gets a byakugan instead of a sharingan. I drew up a whole Hyuga family tree and made a bunch of OCs, most of which never appeared in the fic. That was fun! I really enjoy writing complicated family relationships.

For Trek, it has to be the one with the wife, which I know is a fic a lot of people will not read. It was extremely self indulgent and I still think about this ‘verse all the time. I wrote it for me. Purely, for myself.

For One Piece… god. I have no idea. It’s been a few years and I have a sieve for a brain. I remember having a lot of fun writing into flame but I think if I re-read it now, it would all be new to me.

Which leads into the next question!

How often do you read your own fics?

I don’t… tend to. Especially my older stuff - anything older than a couple of months may as well not exist in my brain lol. I think this is partly because my writing is constantly improving and looking back at older works makes me notice all of the things I could have done better. And partly I think I just… am not sentimental about fic at all. I’ve been known to remove works from ao3. I have no attachment to them lol, yes, even Hotspur, which I’ve just finished after 8 months of writing! Is that weird?

Sometimes, I get comments on really old stuff which I really appreciate, but I often don’t remember the fic at all. Once, I was trawling through ao3 in a tag and I found a fic and started reading it and it was weirdly nostalgic? So I scrolled up and I’d written it lmaoo. I had NO memory of doing so. Not the wildest thing to ever happen to me on ao3, but it’s up there.

Any advice for writers working through burnout or writer’s block?

Oh man. I get writer’s block all the time and, for me at least, it’s usually a sign that I need a break. And so I take heed! I try not to stress too much because I know I will get back into writing when I’m ready. I mean, I can’t imagine not writing you know, and if you are also like that, that writing is a part of you, then the writer’s block will pass. I get mini writer’s block every time I finish something - it’s like my brain’s giving me a moment to process haha

But some other advice is, if you still want to write, write something else. Stop whatever you’re doing and pick up something new. I find I get hit by writer’s block less if I’m more flexible about switching between fics or projects - I can use the time stuck on one fic to work on the other. Maybe that will work for you!

[fearlessinger]

15 Questions 15 Mutuals

thanks for the tag @ladyofthenoodle and @trainsinanime!

1. Are you named after anyone?

No, but if we count second and third names my grandmothers and great grandmother respectively

2. When was the last time you cried?

like yesterday night watching Star Trek SNW lmao. I’m such a cryer, give me some sappy dialogue and swelling music and I’m instantly in tears. I’m not even sure I liked the episode, I just can’t help it my tear ducts do whatever they want ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯

3. Do you have kids?

nope

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

a normal amount I think?

5. What sports do you play/have played?

I did some swimming and some gymnastics as a child and hated every minute of it. In recent years I got into the habit of taking long walks in the evening which worked very nicely for me but then covid happened and I haven’t quite managed to make it a habit again

6. What’s the first thing you notice about someone?

the vibes

7. What’s your eye color?

something like grey-green

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

happy endings all the way

9. Any special talents?

I never forget where I put my keys

10. Where were you born?

Italy 🤡

11. What are your hobbies?

I sang in multiple choirs until covid hit and I don’t think I’ll be going back to that any time soon but I haven’t really found an alternative hobby yet

12. Do you have pets?

no, but occasionally I cat sit for family & friends and those are basically my babies too now

13. How tall are you

165 cm

14. Favorite subject in school?

honestly I liked all of them well enough, though math is definitely the one that came the least easy to me.

15. Dream job?

Idk if I can really call it a dream job but lately I’ve been kinda regretting not learning tailoring from my grandma when I had the chance. I probably would have hated having to deal with the clients tho 😅 I think more than half my mutuals have already been tagged and also 15 is way too much pressure, so whoever sees this and is in the mood feel free! Have a nice whatever part of the day you’re in <3

[tostoa]

👁️💢🍰💐🌌🎭🍼👖❤️ FOR ANY OF THEM WAJHGFDFG

AHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH AXIS <33 This one’s long so it’s going under the cut but I had sm fun with these I really hope you like them :)) (and the other one I did a few days ago!)

👁️ EYE - what colour are their eyes? do people notice their eyes? is there anything special about them (shows emotion easily, literally magical...)? [Mirou]

Mirou’s eyes are a very vibrant green, I imagine they’re fairly noticeable to people 👍 I imagine she always has her eyes like half closed but that’s because she has eyesight problems

(I love just making stuff up on the top of my head that I’ve just never mentioned before and makes no sense)

💢 ANGER - what are some habits they have that will take some getting used to? [Dalrill]

Sorry guys I am a stupid cardassian tail truther (I have never drawn Dalrill with a tail but be aware that I believe in it) though I imagine Dalrills tail is a little weird and has like a lizard/lion tail mix don’t know how to describe it to you lmao.

But I imagine whenever she’s particularly upset or pissed off her tail just whips things around her, it’s just sort of a reaction she has like a facial expression lmao.

🍰 CAKE SLICE - favourite cake flavour? are they specific about types of cakes? [guy]

I think Guy probably eats plain vanilla cake with no frosting, but the cake would have like powdered sugar on it and that’s it.

People have seen him eating cake and gone oh why are you eating plain bread? And he’s like wdym? this is my birthday cake?

💐 BOUQUET - create a bouqet for them! what do those flowers mean? are any of the flowers their particular favourite? [bel]

Okay so I don’t know too much about all of the meanings, but I’m going off of nice looking flowers that I think bel would enjoy or just fits him. So 👍👍

Here’s my list: Daisies, Blue hydrangeas, Dahlias and then white wisteria.

Think all of that would look cute together :))

🌌 MILKY WAY - what was the inspiration behind your oc? what was the first thing you decided about them? [frelvar]

I don’t think there was any particular inspiration in my head, besides like how Ferengis and Vulcans are like some of my favourite Star Trek species. Frelvar was similar to maybe Dr reyga in my head, but like that was mostly just for the fact that he was half ferengi and his main focus wasn’t profit.

The first thing I decided about frelvar, was how his parents would be more than him. I imagined how they’d view him joining starfleet first before anything else.

🎭 MASKS - do they act differently around certain people? what's different between the way they act around friends, family, strangers, etc.?  [Minye] 

I think in public and In her bar she tries to give off this air of like exciting person with confusing advice you can come gossip to, but with closer friends and immediate family I imagine she’s a lot more soft spoken and calmer.

like you’d imagine hanging out with her by yourselves would be more like I don’t know going out to clubs (which probably happens on occasion, it’s not like she’d turn it down) but she honestly just enjoys like sitting in the same room as someone.

🍼 BABY BOTTLE - what are their thoughts on children? [Jagre]

Jagre loves kids man, he’s a great babysitter. We’ve already talked about how he’s going to have like a one week kid, and I think that after that point whenever has to take care of someone else’s kid he sort of remembers his own and like feels a little sad.

👖 JEANS - what is their go-to outfit? [Libitina]

Well the main outfit would probably be her uniform lol. But actually for like her casual wear I like imagine either like colourful dresses/skirts or like overly patterned jumpsuits.

Mostly because I think she would look really amazing in both of those.

❤️ RED HEART - their love language(s)? [Frelvar]

It’s definitely touch but like not hugging them or like cuddling. It’s like poking them in the face a bunch or like tapping their fingers against somebody else’s. Just repetitive touches for people he likes <33

[mouthmoodz]

Some things happened this year that were pretty discouraging and unfortunate, and I spent a fair amount of time feeling pretty pessimistic about the future, but I did some cool stuff as well so I thought I would make a list of all the good things that happened this year:

-i started sewing doll clothes for my bjds by hand, which is very fun. and my grandma gave me a bunch of sewing supplies and antique lace and stuff she had in her basement which was so cool!! i haven’t done any in a while because i’ve been busy with other things but i should get back into it. oh and i also went to my first bjd meetup.

-i went to my first star trek convention and got my photo taken with nana visitor! i also saw william shatner irl and tried to kill him with my mind beams.

-i went to boston to visit my brother, which was my first time on an airplane. i saw various Locations and got to hang out with my friends max and owen in Real Life.

-i FINALLY got to go to archaeology field school, which i have been anticipating ever since i took my first anthropology class in 2016! i learned so much and had a great time even though we didn’t find very many artifacts.

-i started taking ice skating lessons!! i love ice skating and i’m so glad i found a physical activity that requires leaving the house that i actually enjoy doing.

-i started making my own music, which i’ve wanted to do for years but was always too intimidated by traditional audio software. (i HIGHLY recommend beepbox.co to anyone with similar feelings)

-i worked on my art a lot and my skills have definitely improved noticeably since last year. 

-i got into doing woodburning art and opened an etsy shop to sell my work!

-i tried psilocybin mushrooms for the first time and while i did not have any earth shattering revelations, it was a very interesting and positive experience that shook my brain around in a good way.

-i tentatively decided to put going to grad school on hold at least for now and focus on trying to develop a career as an artist, which is pretty scary but i hope it will be worth it. i’m developing a new set of goals in this area for 2023 which i will not spill the beans on but i am feeling excited for the future!!!

[pilots-and-protons]

Ok I’ve been reading a ton of Tom Paris related fanfic lately (with many different pairings), and I just need to talk about two Big Pet Peeves I have regarding certain uh, “tropes” - especially in older fanfic (from the 90′s and early 2000′s).

Head’s Up: I’m not trying to pick on anyone or start shit, I just really need somewhere to vent about WHY these two specific things bother me, so it’s going to be under the cut. This is my side-blog and I literally made it just to scream into the void about Tom Paris and Star Trek, okay?

Just be aware that I’m going to be talking about my own personal opinions and I don’t know how to NOT be intense about my autistic special interest (AKA any aspect of Star Trek). So don’t read unless you don’t mind hearing my thoughts about other people’s writing/character choices in fanfiction, and I definitely don’t want to hear anyone arguing with me because that’s not why I’m here. 

Anyways if you’re fine and dandy with that, then by all means you’re welcome to read more. Or don’t, I don’t really care.

Ok so there are two specific things that I noticed appear rather often in many Tom-centric fanfics, and they really bother me.

ok there’s also the prison rape thing, but that’s a whole other can of worms

ANYWAYS, my issues are:

#1: Taking the blame for Caldik Prime away from Tom

#2: Conflating Tom Paris with Nick Locarno

To explain the first one, I’m talking about there being multiple fanfics (from many different authors), where either:

- We’re given a reason why Tom wasn’t actually at fault for the accident (there was something unknowingly wrong with the ship, he was an undercover agent and it never really happened, etc.)

- The author tries to soften the blow by explaining why Tom messed up (he was emotionally compromised, for example, because his mother had died, or some big fight/problem with his father had just happened, etc.)

- Or the author tries to say that Tom never wanted to lie about the accident in the first place (he was unconscious/too wounded and his father lied for him, he was coerced into lying from either indirect or direct pressure from his father, etc.)

And personally? I have a problem with all of these. A huge foundation of Tom’s character is that he messed up in the past - big time. It’s something he had to learn from and grow. It affects so many aspects of his character - like wanting to offer support to Seven because he knows what it’s like to want to put your past behind you. And, at least in my own personal opinion, it’s why he’s the one that finds the error in “Timeless” - because he’s not willing to put other people’s lives at risk ever again.

But not once does Tom ever try to push the blame for this mistake on anyone else. The very first thing we hear about it from his own mouth is to tell Harry that yeah, it was his fault and he shouldn’t have lied about it. He knows this, he accepts this, and is even prepared to put up with the backlash for it (which, as we see from the original Voyager Doctor and Cavvit, is probably pretty common).

I understand that people probably felt bad for Tom or maybe just wanted some extra angst, but it feels so wrong to remove this from his character. It negates the growth he goes through - getting rid of the chip on his shoulder, learning to trust people and open himself up. It also negates the good aspects that came from something awful - he did tell the truth in the end, even though it ruined his Starfleet career. That shows what kind of person he really is, to have owned up to his mistakes even though, in his own words, he would have gotten away with it if he hadn’t.

Now for the second issue: meshing together Tom Paris with Nick Locarno.

I’ve seen fanfics where the people who died at Caldik Prime were Tom’s friends (this is sometimes also a reference to Pathways, which I don’t find canon either). There were fics where Tom blamed the accident on one of the dead officers like Locarno did in “The First Duty, and I’ve even seen someone referencing the Kolvoord Starburst as the reason why Tom’s accident happened. In some ways I get it, because we don’t know hardly any details about Tom’s past history so I can understand why many people decided to mesh the two characters together - especially because Locarno was the initial starting point for the idea of Tom Paris. 

The thing is, it bugs me - both because Nick Locarno’s character was much nastier than Tom’s, and also because canon explicitly contradicts this possibility.  

First of all, Locarno was expelled from the Academy - but Tom was thrown own of Starfleet. He had already graduated and was even serving aboard a Starship at some point before Caldik Prime. These are canonical facts that we know, and probably came from the writers intentionally deciding to separate the two characters. Second, there isn’t a single reference to Tom’s relationship with the people who died at Caldik prime other than his own reference of “those three dead officers” - not his friends, not cadets. Even as bitter as he is in the first season, Tom Paris doesn’t seem like the type to be that detached if he had gotten his own friends killed. 

But also, Nick Locarno did not confess to what he did. And that is such an important distinction between the two. Tom fessed up - Nick Locarno was caught, and the only semi-decent thing he did was convince the higher-ups to spare his team the full punishment. It's also implied that Nick Locarno used his position as team leader to pressure the rest of Nova Squadron into trying a very dangerous and banned maneuver in the first place - to boost his own ego. And when things started to get dicey, he blamed the accident on the cadet who had died, to save himself and his team.

Tom Paris never did any of those things, and it feels pretty damaging to his character to lump the two in together. There is no canonical evidence to suggest that Tom was trying anything dangerous, that he blamed anyone for the accident, or anything like what we know Nick Locarno did. All we know for sure is that it was a pilot error and that he lied, falsifying reports. But he makes it clear to Harry that he would have been home free if he’d just stuck to his lie. Nick Locarno was, if nothing else, facing a mark on his permanent record and a group of Academy officials who clearly thought he was lying already, but just couldn’t prove it. If we can go by Tom’s own words, he was facing much better circumstances, but chose to come clean anyways - because of his own conscious. Because deep down, Tom is a decent person and we see that throughout the rest of Voyager.

Personally, I think the best description of the character’s differences came from Robert Duncan McNeill himself - when he said that Nick Locarno seemed nice on the outside, but was a terrible person on the inside. Whereas Tom Paris had made mistakes and pushed people away, but deep down was a good person (I’m paraphrasing, but you get the point).

So yeah, both of these tropes bug me - one because it tries to make Tom into a less flawed person (maybe to seem more likeable somehow?), and the other because it turns him into a much more selfish and unlikeable character when there’s no reason to.

Anyways I just needed to get that off my chest.

[ideasatemynights]

15 Questions for 15 Mutuals

I was tagged by the wonderful @dakotawritesif (check out their games!!) and forgot to check the notification until now because it’s been one of those weeks

1. Are you named after anyone?

No, my parents just happened to find my name in a book of old Welsh baby names, but I was almost named Nerys after Kira Nerys from Star Trek: Deep Space 9!

2. When was the last time you cried?

I don't cry very much, so I think the last time was a couple months ago?? My emotions were feeling really pent up, so to purposefully make myself cry, I put on the Smiths, laid face down on my bed, and sobbed. I honestly felt really really good afterwards, so I wish I could cry more often!

3. Do you have kids?

Nope, though I do regularly confuse people by referring to my cats as my twin sons. I do want to adopt kids from foster care someday though!

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Oh yeah definitely. Combine that with the fact that I tend to be very deadpan about most things and my regular voice sounds very sarcastic and I've uhhhhh accidentally mislead people a lot before.

5. What sports have you played?

I've played pick up games of most things, but formally I've done archery, horseback riding, and fencing, all of which I'm good at it, and cross country and swimming, both of which I was exceptionally slow at. I also almost joined varsity bowling in HS, but I couldn't make the time commitment because of marching band.

6. What's the first thing you notice about someone?

Probably just their general vibes?? Like do they seem kind, approachable, etc. Physically though, I definitely notice people's hair first.

7. Eye color?

Gray!

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Probably a mix of both? My favorite stories are ones where things get really dark and kind of fucked up, but because people care about each other and are willing to put in the effort to make things better, they manage to earn their happy ending.

9. Any special talents?

I'm not really sure what qualifies as a special talent, but I can fit my entire fist in my mouth?? I've also been told I have an unusually good memory, though I'm not sure that's really a talent.

10. Where were you born?

I was born in Ohio in the US (yes, I am corn boy 😔)

11. What are your hobbies?

I like reading and writing a lot, I play video games with my sister, I draw pretty regularly even though I'm not any good at it, and I really like going down random research rabbit holes!

12. Do you have any pets?

Yep, I have my two cats, Bingo and Bongo! They're a bonded pair from the same litter and absolutely act like human terrible twins. I also live with my sister and she has a cat too!

13. How tall are you?

5′4″!

14. Favorite subject in school?

It really depended on the year because despite loving learning, I hated school so much. I consistently liked band though and I had some good years in English and History! I also really liked my forensic science and neuropsychology classes even if the uhhhh teachers weren't amazing.

15. Dream job?

My dream job is becoming a xeno-anthropologist, but given that that's literally only possible in dreams, I would love to become some kind of storyteller (author, scriptwriter, game dev, etc) eventually!

[bajuuuu]

Uuuuh can I come up with 10 fandoms? Let’s see!!

1) Star Trek TOS- Spock. No surprise there, I just think he’s neat. (Though Uhura is at close second, I love that woman)

2) Marvel- Loki. My beloved, his TV show was amazing (my baby got turned into a tree and I am so happy about it but also so conflicted but like in a good way)

3) HermitCraft- (this is the characters not the people :) ) Probably also Mumbo! I saw so many cool headcans about his (specifically s9) character!

4) GenerationLoss- While Niki is very very close to being first I think in terms of just sheer Angst potential it has to be Charlie. He goes through so much, he dies so many times over (sometimes directly at the hands of the Hero) and yet in the end he still tries to help Ran escape. It fails, of course it fails, but he tries and that that’s all that matters. (I have more thoughts about him, especially in a “they escaped from Showfall AU” setting but if I go off now, we will never see the end of this post.)

5) Six Of Crows- All of them. Just all of them. They are actually my children. And I will not let anything bad happen to them ever again. But if I absolutely had to choose it’d be Inej. My beloved.

6) Just Roll With It (JRWI the DnD podcast)- Gilliooooooon! My absolute favourite traumatise fish with religious trauma! He is effortlessly funny. He is smart. He is loyal to his friends. He is a dumbass. He has a pet that he will break his path for. He is a paladin to an oath he struggles with, he has a destiny and by gods will he suffer because of it.

7) Good Omens- Muriel. The definition of pure of heat dumb of ass <3

8) BBC Sherlock- I had to have a long thought about this because on one hand it’s definitely Sherlock, he’s great but then I actually rewatch the show and damn can he be a bitch. So then it’s John but John can sometimes feel like his character is dependent on Sherlock’s (that’s why I really don’t like the episodes where he gets a wife because they were just boring) so both. The answer is both. :)

9) The Markiplier Ego Universe (does it have a proper name???)- Yancy from the Heist with Markiplier. He may be a prisoner and an implied murderer but by gods if he isn’t the sweetest man alive. I gotta rewatch that show… it’s been too long

10) Doctor Who- Much Like with Sherlock I am divided over Ten or Rose. They are a couple to me. They are a package deal, please do not separate side-eyes the show

(Oh yeah if you are interested in hearing me ramble about any of these, please please please send me an ask! I like talking XD)

Now onto the tagging part… have you noticed I am really bad at tag games because the moment I need to tag people I fully just forget anyone I’ve ever interacted with…

@etherealspacejelly @flippyspoon @gay-mooshrooms @purpleenma @AnyonElseWhoWantsToParticipateAndWhoIForgotToTagg

:)

Starting new thread...

List your 10 favorite characters from 10 different fandoms, then tag 10 people!

Thanks for the tag, @dystopicjumpsuit , @heyclickadee , @niobiumao3

Disclaimer: I will follow none of the above rules.

1) Delicious in Dungeon: Senshi

2) The Bad Batch: Tech/Mayday 

3) The Sandman: Dream/Delirium 

4) GI Joe: Snake eyes 

5) Russian Literature?: Alexei Karamazov

6) Batman: Batman/Poison ivy

7) Vikings: Ivar

8) The Clone Wars: Maul/Rex/Wolffe

9) Mandolorian: Mandolorian 

10) Star Wars other: Thrawn

NPTs: @eobe; @ele-millennial-weirdo; @jedi-bird; @drafthorsemath; @wings-and-beskar

[https-chaos]

Is anyone else totally jarred when a BBC show uses feet and inches as a unit? Maybe I’m just American™️ but I could have sworn the UK used the metric system? It’s almost always feet though. “Oh that thing is 30feet in diameter.” Its jarring!! ESPECIALLY when it’s scientists saying it, or people in sci fi. Why are they using imperial units? If someone knows please tell me because it’s killing me.

[honeypiehotchner]

intelligence & issues (Hotch x Fem!Reader) -- chapter thirty-two

As promised, here is the next chapter and special announcement!

First, I wanted to let you guys know that I'm estimating there will only be about 3-4 more chapters in this fic. I could be wrong, so it could end up being more, but I know for sure it won't be more than 10. Just so you guys can prepare!

Now, for the special announcement... I've talked a little about a Mystery Hotch fic that I've been writing, and it actually has a name: 50 Shades of Aaron Hotchner. And I've already posted the Masterlist for it, where you can find all the info about it 😉 I didn't want to reveal it until I knew this fic was getting close to the end, but now that the end is in sight, surprise!

Today's chapter title is from "Cornelia Street" by Taylor Swift xx.

Warnings: case debriefing stuffs, some sexual frustration

Previous chapter || Fic Masterlist

Chapter Thirty-Two: I hope I never lose you, hope this never ends

You and the girls are the first ones (miraculously) to the office, so you’re able to sneak in without Aaron stopping you at the door.

Speaking of Aaron, you’re too busy spinning in an office chair in the conference room to notice he’s arrived, and you only realize when JJ clears her throat, pointing toward the doorway.

You stop spinning and turn to look, waiting for your eyes to focus and the walls to stop rolling. Once they do, you can fully see Aaron’s scowl.

“Hi ba—Sir. Hi sir.”

Your stammering makes him smirk ever so slightly, but the frown returns. “You know you’re not supposed to be here. You aren’t cleared to travel.”

“Who said I’m traveling?”

“You’re not,” he says firmly, walking in and taking the chair across from you. “I can clear you to work on this case, but you are staying here with Garcia. And you are not to overwork yourself. Are we clear?”

“Yes, sir,” you sigh, holding back an eye roll. “I will stay in Garcia’s lair and I won’t overwork myself,” you repeat the parameters, not intending to be bratty, but it happens anyway.

“Good,” he replies. “And watch your tone, little girl,” he adds quietly, but everyone heard, and everyone definitely saw the way your eyes widened.

Even Morgan, who just walked in with Reid. “What did I just walk in on?”

“Nothing,” you blurt, kicking Emily’s shin under the table when she snorts. “Nothing. How was guys’ night?”

Morgan gives you a look, but Reid starts spouting off about how they hung out and got dinner and he drug Morgan to this old movie theatre that was playing the original Star Trek movies, and how devastated he was that they only got to see two.

“Only two,” Morgan mocks, turning to pour a cup of coffee. “How was girls’ night?”

“Amazing, until someone had to set a gas station on fire.”

Morgan snorts at your comment, shaking his head. “Right.”

“Let’s get started,” Hotch says, smiling a little, but steering everyone back on track, like always.

JJ nods, standing up and grabbing the remote. “Sheriff Johnson from Winslow, Arizona, PD called a few days ago when he suspected arson—”

“Winslow, Arizona? Like in The Eagles’ song?”

Hotch gives you a tired look.

“I’m so sorry,” you apologize, grimacing, yet it’s oddly reminiscent of some of the first few days you worked here. “Continue.”

Clips of the news from that day pop up on the screen, shocking you. Two houses, almost identical in style, with flames pouring from every window, smoke towering above.

“These two houses belonged to the Smith and Miller families,” JJ clicks again, and family portraits come up in front of the burning houses. “The Smiths had two sons, the Millers two daughters. Both families died in the fire – Mr. Smith died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, he never made it past the end of the street.”

You’ve never encountered an arsonist case, but you’ve heard about them, of course. And you’ve heard how bad they can be. This, so far, is almost nothing. It’s concerning, sure, but you’re waiting for it to get worse, for the reason they called to be revealed.

“Then,” JJ clicks again, “two days ago, this Protestant church went up in flames in the middle of Sunday service. Only two people died, but twenty were injured and sent to the hospital – which left only ten people completely unharmed.” The burning church photo is then replaced with an office building that is up in flames. “This office building belonged to a startup company that had just moved in. Eric Hanover is the owner, and thankfully no one was in the office, so no one was harmed. However,” JJ pauses, and you keep thinking there can’t be another one, even though you know there is. “This is the gas station that was set on fire just an hour ago.”

Clips of live news footage now play, showing Winslow’s fire department still wrangling the fire, and struggling.

You flinch when an explosion booms on screen. The audio is muted, but the image was enough. Obviously, this is the worse you were looking for.

Hotch glances at you momentarily in worry, but you shake your head, brushing him off. “Is it just me, or does a gas station feel like a huge step up from the last few? I mean, gas creates explosions like that.” You point to the screen. “And anyone could’ve been in there, I mean, at least with the houses and the church and office building, they had set owners and residents that could’ve been potential targets. This seems like a random fire just for fun.”

“I agree, Winslow, Arizona, has a population of 9,476, so these fires are appearing very personal. We don’t know yet if these people had any connections to one another, but in a town this small, I think it’s safe to assume they do,” Reid adds.

“Garcia, look as deep as you can into the Smith and Miller families. See if they knew each other, if they went to the church, if they knew Eric Hanover. Look at where they spent money, who they called. Anything you can find.”

“On it,” Garcia nods, making a quick note.

“What can I do?” You ask Garcia, but Hotch answers.

“Look at the information and try to make some connections for us here. We’ll need as fast of a headstart as we can get.”

“Alright,” you nod.

“We need to get going, so wheels up in ten. If you don’t have anything with you, get it in Arizona,” Hotch orders, standing from his chair.

“Guess it’s a good thing I left my go-bag here,” Emily says, standing. “Also, thank you, my shin is going to be bruised tomorrow because of you.”

“You’re welcome,” you smile sweetly.

“Y/N, I need to see you in my office for a moment.”

You freeze, hearing the tone in Hotch’s voice, and so does everyone else – although Emily raises her eyebrows suggestively.

“Yes, sir,” you call after him as he disappears to his office. You look back at Emily with a glare. “It’s probably just some paperwork so I can work on this case.”

“Uh-huh,” Morgan laughs, rolling his hips. “Paperwork.”

“I hate all of you,” you smack Morgan’s shoulder on your way out.

Hotch is grabbing his go-bag from behind his desk when you walk in. He looks more than stressed, and you hate it. You hated it before the two of you got over yourselves and confessed your feelings, but now you hate it more. As if that makes any sense.

“Close the door,” he says quietly.

Now you’re skeptical.

But you close the door anyway, flicking the lock just in case.

“Are you okay?” You ask.

“Yes,” he says. “I just need you to sign some paperwork before we leave.”

You pause, blinking in confusion and shock. “Paperwork?”

“Yes,” Hotch confirms, grabbing a literal form from the corner of his desk. “It’s just a formality after everything, but Strauss is big on formality, as you know.”

“Right,” you nod. Paperwork. Literal paperwork. The fucking irony of it all.

You grab a pen from his desk, signing and initialing on the paper where he points, trying to control your brain and its dirty thoughts. Once you’re finished, he says you can run it Strauss’s office or have one of the interns take it.

You’ll definitely be handing it off to an intern because you need to tell Pen about this immediately.

“Have a safe flight,” you say, holding onto the paperwork awkwardly. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Aaron smiles, gently taking your hand as he kisses you on the lips. “Don’t overwork yourself. I’m serious.”

“I won’t.”

“Good,” he peppers one more kiss on your forehead. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

You shake your head. “You don’t need to say that to me, you know. Take as long as you need. All that matters is making sure no one else gets hurt.”

One more kiss is pressed to your lips, this one out of gratitude and understanding. He doesn’t like leaving you here, but he’s glad you can at least understand the situation better than anyone else.

When you step out of Hotch’s office, the entire team is down in the bullpen – including Rossi now, who looks like this fire interrupted his eventful evening – crowding around Morgan’s desk. Their eyes all flick toward the movement and they’re all giving you knowing looks.

You hold up the paperwork with a glare pointed right at Morgan. You’d bet real money if his comment jinxed you. Idiot.

“We’re leaving,” Hotch says from behind you, getting everyone’s attention.

You walk ahead of him, down to the bullpen and hand off the paperwork to one of the interns with instructions on where to go. Garcia is waiting for you by the glass doors with her arm extended. You gladly hook yours with hers and walk out toward the elevator, where the team is filing in.

She blows Morgan a kiss and you smile at Hotch, unsure of what to do, especially since he just…what did he just do? Did he just cockblock you?

You’re more than confused and he will be hearing about this from you later.

Once the elevator doors close, and your brain registers the smirk on Hotch’s face, you groan. Morgan might’ve cockblocked you at first, but Hotch definitely enjoyed frustrating you.

“What?” Garcia asks, tugging you off toward her office.

“He cockblocked me on purpose. Can he even cockblock me? Is that how that works?”

“Who?”

“Morgan said paperwork and then I ended up signing some literal paperwork. I wanted—Never mind. I should not be talking about this in here.”

Garcia laughs loudly, squeezing your arm. “You absolutely should. Even if I’m not used to it, I still want to hear it.”

“You’re the best, you know that?”

“It’s just what I do,” she grins. “Coffee?”

“Please,” you nod. “If we’re going to be up all night, I’m going to need it.”

“You and me both, my friend.”

+++

“Garcia, what have you found?” Hotch asks from the plane. You’re so used to being on the jet and seeing Garcia through the screen. It’s odd for you to be on the opposite side for once.

“All kinds of crossroads, I mean, seriously, I could summon a thousand demons and I’m not even finished.”

Garcia’s comment makes you snort, and then you realize you’re also on camera, so you calm your laughter by drinking your coffee.

“There’s only a handful of schools in the area, so the Smith and Miller families, their kids were at school together, and there’s record of the parents being on the PTA. Then, that church, they both went to it, and so did Eric Hanover and his family. Oh, and the gas station? Owned by Kevin, Eric’s uncle, but thankfully he wasn’t working when the fire happened.”

“Have you found any enemies yet?”

“It’s been thirty minutes,” you jump in. “So of course not. But, all this crossover tells us it’s either someone local who has a grudge or it’s someone who just likes setting fires all over the place.”

“Let’s go with someone local,” Hotch says, eyeing you carefully. He’s well aware that you’re frustrated, but he’s going to keep an eye on you. “Keep digging.”

You nearly mutter, “obviously,” under your breath, but you stop yourself. You can be a brat to him later, not in front of everyone.

You idly listen to them go over the preliminary profile, mostly just throwing out guesses and seeing if anything sticks right now. Unfortunately, with arsonists, they won’t know much of anything until they go to the crime scenes – no matter how charred they are.

After Garcia disconnects from the jet, she turns to you with a look. “You are seriously frustrated.”

“It’s only because he decided to deprive me at the last minute. I mean, we have no idea how long they’ll be gone—”

“Weren’t you two in the shower this morning?”

“Yes, but—”

Garcia shakes her head with a laugh. “Have some candy and help me witch hunt.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you grab a piece of candy and unwrap it, popping it into your mouth. “It also doesn’t help that this is my first arsonist case and I’m stuck here.”

“I don’t know why you’d want to be anywhere near fire, but then again there’s a reason I stay in here behind my screens.”

“You don’t wish you were traveling?”

“I like traveling, my dear, but not that much. And not to see dead bodies.”

“Fair,” you shrug. “It can get exhausting, I guess. But you still see everything in here.”

“I see pictures and codes,” Garcia taps your arm with the end of her sparkly pink pen. “You see all the blood and gore and gross stuff. Which is fuel for nightmares, if I say so myself. How do you not get nightmares?”

“Oh, I do,” you reply. “I just ignore them.”

Garcia goes quiet, and you don’t realize it until a moment later that she’s staring at you.

“What?”

“That’s not healthy, my dear.”

“I know,” you sigh. “Aaron tells me that.”

“I tell you what?”

You look back to the screen to see that the team has reconnected, and Aaron is giving you a worried look.

“Nothing,” you smile. “What’s up?”

Morgan spouts off about something, but you keep your eyes trained on Aaron. And even though you don’t think he can tell you’re looking at him, you know he’s looking right at you.

Next chapter

[yourmidnightlover]

hey bestiee! i love your work. what about prompt smut 6-8

of course!! thank you so much :) i wasn’t sure if you meant 6 though 8 or just 6 and 8 so i just did 6, 7, and 8.

i know this is beyond super late, i’ve just been really stressed out and a bit down lately. i’ll try my best to get more work out. please just be patient with me :)

smut #6: “i just need to feel close to you right now” (possibly angst?)

smut #7: “the walls aren’t that thick”

smut #8: mirror sex

CW: unprotected sex, penetrative sex, kinda shower sex, readers dad died, emotional sex. *please let me know if i missed anything*

you had been having a rough time since before you went on the case. even spencer has picked up on it. you were quieter than usual on the jet ride to kansas, where the case was taking place.

you were always there for spencer when he was in a rut - even at 3am when you’ve finally gotten a wink of rest. you’ve constantly put him above your own needs, and now it’s time for him to compensate. he vowed to himself that he’d do anything to make you feel better.

luckily for him, the two of you have constantly roomed together on overnight cases. you trudged into the room, sighing as you sat down on the bed. spencer gazed at your beauty in spite of the exhaustion, nothing could lessen said beauty.

“i think i’m gonna take a shower,” you announced in a monotones fashion, picking through your go bag to retrieve what you needed.

“alright,” spencer nodded as he took his own position on the bed.

it had only been 5 minutes since you went into the bathroom and the only noise spencer heard was the quiet sobbing and sniffling from the other side of the door.

“y/n?” spencer knocked on the door, his ear pressed against it to hear you.

“yea?” you sniffled, probably wiping your nose because it tends to get runny when you cry.

“are you alright?” spencer asked timidly.

“what? yea,” you scoffed with a fake laugh. “i’m perfect.”

“the walls aren’t that thick, y/n,” he chuckled. “please just open up.”

“come in,” you announced.

when spencer opened the door, he saw you clad in a hotel towel, sitting on the floor with your arms wrapped around your knees.

“y/n/n,” he walked beside you and sat in front of where you were, his hands covering your own. “what happened?”

“my dad died yesterday before we got called out on the case,” you sniffled. “i know we weren’t on the best terms but… it still hurts.”

“you didn’t have to come. you know that hotch and everyone here would understand that,” spencer added.

“but i needed normalcy - or i thought i did. this is normal for me. cases. work. you,” you smiled up at him. “i can barely even work up the courage to take a fucking shower. how am i supposed to help catch a serial killer?”

“i can help,” he announced. “with the case.”

“i know. you practically solve them all yourself,” you nudged his hand. “would you mind helping me with… a shower?” there was a moment of silence. “y’know what? that was stupid. i’m sorry. i shouldn’t have ask-“

“of course, i can,” spencer stopped your rambling. “anything you need. i’m here.”

“you’re so amazing, spencer,” you pulled his hands to your lips and pressed a gentle kiss to the knuckle.

he grasped your arms as you stood and undressed to get into the shower, trying to avoid looking at your body. he couldn’t deny his feelings for you, so seeing you in such a way would definitely not be ideal for his own sake. he removed his own clothing after finding a nice temperature for the water, joining you inside within a couple of seconds.

when his eyes met your own, you couldn’t help but wrap your arms around his torso. your head rested against his chest, he could feel your breath on his skin. the contact was enough to… awaken, something within him.

“ignore it,” he whispered, stroking your hair, trying to avoid eye contact as he felt your eyes on his face.

“what if i don’t want to?” you offered, moving your hand from his back to his neck, cradling his face. “you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but… i just need to feel close to you right now. before you disappear,” you pressed your lips right below his ear, gently kissing the sensitive spot and feeling the goosebumps arise.

“you-you’re really vulnerable right now, y/n. i just-i don’t want to take advantage of you,” he let his hands wander to your waist, trying to hold you steady.

“is that the only thing stopping you?” he nodded. “i need you. i want you, spencer.”

“it’s only because you’re feeling exposed right now,” he sighed, trying to avoid looking into the tears in your eyes.

“no, it’s not,” you shook your head. “i’ve always wanted you - since that first night you came to my place and i watched star trek for the first time but we accidentally fell asleep cuddling.”

“that was two years ago,” he reminded you, you nodded in return. “you’ve felt-you’ve wanted me?”

“of course i have,” you scoffed. “if you don’t feel the same, that’s fine. i mean it only makes sense to lay all of my cards out right now.”

“i do - feel the same, i mean,” he smiled. “when i first met you, you had shaken my hand before i could muster up the courage to tell you about my aversion to touch. and then hotch mentioned how i don’t do handshakes and you started apologizing like crazy,” he chuckled upon the memory.

“i thought i made you uncomfortable, and i had only just met you!” you laughed in return, hiding your head in his shoulder.

“you have such a beautiful laugh, y/n,” his thumb stroked gentle circles in your skin, admiring the smile that adorned your face slowly fading. slowly, he let his free hand trace your jawline, drawing your face closer to his as he leaned in towards you.

and then he let your lips touch tenderly, savoring the taste of mint left on your breath. your hands held onto his forearms before trailing them up to his hair, grasping it and tugging ever so slightly to elicit a groan from the genius.

“i need you,” you moaned into his mouth, letting your fingers get closer to his roots to pull it.

“anything,” he agreed, his hand on your waist tracing to your ass, firmly squeezing it as your hips rolled into his own.

you reached between the two of you and lined his, surprisingly hard, cock up with your entrance. he slowly, but surely, pressed into you. he was noticeably longer than you had anticipated, the shock leaving your mouth agape as a whimper passed through your lips.

“oh, god,” you traded his hair for his shoulders, trying to stabilize yourself as he pulled out, looking for your approval before allowing himself to enter you once more. “so good,” you let your head drop to his chest.

“jump,” he wrapped your legs around his waist before getting out of the shower, setting you back on the counter so he could get a better angle. “good girl,” he pressed a kiss to the skin below your ear, relishing in the way you wrapped your arms securely around his neck.

looking past you and into the mirror, he saw your arms wrapped around his neck, your head hiding on his shoulder. he realized then and there the severity of this moment. the sensitivity of the woman in his arms. he swore he would protect you from harms way from then on out - however hard it may be.

“spencer,” you pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “i’m so close, baby.”

he brought his hand between your bodies and began working your clit in gentle, rapid circles to lead you closer to the edge.

“me too,” he huffed as his hips sped up. “where do you want it?”

“inside,” you replied without hesitation. “please, need it.”

“god, you’re perfect,” as his thrusts began to stagger, he felt your pussy fluttering around him, signaling your release as your arms tightened around him. a shriek left your lips that you tried to silence by softly biting on his shoulder. “i love you,” he groaned as he filled you up.

as he finally came down from his high, he realized what he had revealed in a momentary lapse. you stared at him with tears in your eyes, but spencer couldn’t tell what you were thinking. in a swift motion, you pulled him closer to you and pressed your lips to his.

“i love you too.”

[gubler-me-up]

Heavy Lifting

Request: Okay for the Spencer prompt thingy? Reader has been at the BAU for a few years and has always been dorky and nerdy like Spencer however something comes up (idk what, maybe a group trip, some training thing, Moving house, I’m not sure) where reader rolls up their sleeves and picks up something super heavy with ease and Spencer is just in awe and bright red and Morgan’s probably pissing himself laughing in a corner whilst Spencer is  looking respectfully

A/N: I hope I’m writing your description properly and I really hope you like it! Thanks again for submitting your request, I appreciate it a ton :)

Category: Fluff, cuteness

Content warning: Nothing tbh maybe a mildly inappropriate joke idk

Word count: 1.8k

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

Spending the last few years with the bureau had been a wonderful experience for you. You got to work with amazing coworkers who were pretty much family, got to help solve crimes before they turned tragic and also allowed you to break out of your shell a bit. The greatest perk of all was it paid you enough to move into a better apartment.

Your new apartment was everything you could ask for. It had a gorgeous kitchen, a bigger bedroom, no leaks in the roof and definitely no weird neighbours. Well, you were just guessing, but hopeful everyone in your apartment complex was nice.

With a new apartment came piles of boxes and furniture to move.  Good thing you had a strong friend like Derek Morgan to help you out and someone like Spencer Reid to be there for moral support. If you were being honest with yourself for once you were just glad Reid offered to come along. You had originally asked Morgan for his help since he knew about home renovations and the moving process. It so happened Reid was in earshot of your conversation and quickly turned around to offer his assistance.

As expected Morgan bellowed a laugh half the bureau could hear. Reid quarrelled with him, stating how beneficial it would be for him to help and went on about how lifting boxes wasn’t a tough skill. To break up their disagreement you interjected and told Reid you would love if he came. He instantly shut up and his cheeks became a noticeable red as he asked if I was sure.

You had never really interjected your voice between an argument before, not even the smallest of ones like this. Morgan definitely took note of it as well as he stared intently between you and Reid. You nodded and reassured him you wanted him there.

This was planned two weeks ago and every day you were anxiously awaiting to see if Reid would change his mind. It wasn’t his thing to do heavy lifting all day and you were worried you had gotten him into something he wasn’t comfortable with. Even though he offered, you felt as if he only did it to prove himself capable of heavy-duty labour. Was he proving himself to you?

You waited on the driver’s side of the moving truck. You checked the time on your watch since you felt as if you had been waiting for a while. 11:45 a.m. They were supposed to meet you outside your new place 15 minutes ago. Had they changed their mind?

Before you could overthink their tardiness, you saw Morgan’s SUV pull up across the street. You smiled as you opened up the door to hop out. You saw Morgan and Reid step out of the car. They were having a little dispute as usual with Reid looking annoyed and Morgan casually brushing him off.

You waved. “Hey, guys.”

Reid gave a quick wave back. “Hey, Y/N. Sorry, we’re late, but Morgan decided he needed an extra half an hour to sleep.”

You smiled and shook your head. “It’s okay, I should have known asking for help at 11 a.m. on a Saturday would lead to something like this.”

“See, Reid, that’s what you call someone who’s understanding,” Morgan said as he walked to the back of your moving truck.

Reid rolled his eyes. “Again, I’m sorry Morgan made us late, Y/N. I hope you weren’t waiting for too long.”

You shook your head. “Not for too long. I’m just kinda glad you didn’t change your mind.”

Reid widened his eyes in shock. “Why did you think I’d change my mind?”

You shrugged and put on your famous awkward smile. “I don’t know. Since you volunteered and you were running late, I just-”

“First of all, Morgan’s the reason why we’re late. If I wasn’t waiting for him to pick me up like we planned I would have been here on time if not earlier for you.”

You blushed at what he said and he soon did too as he realized what he said. Before you two could engage in a stuttering, rambling mess of speech, Morgan called you both.

“Hey, nerd one and two, a little help would be appreciated,” he said.

You and Reid glanced at each other, awkwardly smiled and then hurried over to the moving truck. Morgan shook his head as he chuckled to himself. He opened the truck and was taken aback by the amount of stuff you had to move in.

“Y/N, I wasn’t expecting you to have so much stuff,” Morgan said.

“I got rid of half my stuff before moving, so all of these things are near and dear to me,” you explained.

Reid pointed to a random box. “What’s in that box?”

“Geography textbooks. Mainly geography of the U.S. and I believe there are some rare ones covering Europe’s geography if I’m not mistaken.”

“Wow, those are keepers,” Reid said in amazement.

“Geography textbooks? Why do you even have those? For fun?” Morgan joked.

You playfully rolled your eyes. “I think you forget I had a double major in Geography and Criminology, Derek. You know, one of my many specialities I bring to the team.”

Morgan playfully put his hands up in surrender. “Okay, alright, you and pretty boy have the same unusual kink for geographic criminology, but what explains that?”

You looked at the box Morgan pointed his finger to. The label for the box was facing outward to read “Doctor Who figurines.” You nervously giggled.

“What can I say? I’m a huge fan,” you said.

“You told me about your Star Trek figurine collection, but you never told me you had a Doctor Who figurine collection. You’ve been holding out on me, Y/N,” Reid said as he looked at you in amazement.

You felt the fiery blush come back to your cheeks as his big, hazel eyes stared longingly at you. He always stared at you with such amazement, but this time around seemed as if he was almost hypnotized. His gaze made you think he was fascinated by more than just your extensive Doctor Who and Star Trek figurines.

“Dork’s who flock together, stay together. How about you two stop drooling over figurines and let’s start moving some of them,” Morgan commented as he picked up the Doctor Who figurine box.

Reid broke his gaze as you both refocused on the task at hand. Even though you didn’t want him to take his eyes off of you, they were there to help you move in. You saw Reid pick up a box labelled kitchen pots and pans. You were pretty impressed considering it was a pretty heavy box and he lifted it with ease.

You reached for the box filled with your geography textbooks. Before you could pick it up you heard Morgan and Reid trying to stop you.

“Whoa there, Y/N. Let’s trade boxes," Morgan said as he gave you his box and grabbed the box you were about to grab.

“You don’t think I can carry it?” You questioned.

You looked at Morgan, to Reid and back to Morgan. They both had a weary face on. Yes, you stood at 5’3 and weighed about 130, but they didn’t have to look at you as if you were fragile.

“Put the box down on the ground,” you demanded.

“But-”

“Now, Derek. Please,” you said in a slightly demanding tone.

Morgan had never heard you say something with such base in your voice before. He had no choice but to follow your command.

“Thank you,” you said.

You got into a squatting position in front of the box. You made sure your back was straight and your knees were bent at a 90-degree angle. You grabbed the box at its sides, took a deep breath and lifted it with no issue.

You looked towards Morgan to see if he was surprised at you lifting the box. He didn’t seem surprised at all. He was too busy holding back laughter. For a second you thought you made a weird face or you had looked stupid while lifting the box until you realized he wasn’t laughing at you, but behind you.

You turned around to see a red Reid trying not to look you directly in the eyes. You looked back at Morgan with a confused look. You wanted in on the joke as well.

“What’s so funny?” You asked.

“Nothing, nothing. I just think Reid wasn’t ready to see you drop it low like that,” Morgan said while letting out his laugh.

You looked back at Reid who seemed even redder. You gave him a shy smile as you didn’t even realize you were squatting in front of him. You just hoped your shorts didn’t ride down to expose your thong.

“Is that true?” You asked.

Reid shook his head. “No-I mean-yes-I mean, I was just very impressed by your form. It’s the proper physiological position to prevent muscle tears and slipped discs in the spine.”

You giggled. “I know. I’ve been powerlifting for a couple of months now. Who do you think loaded this truck up?”

Morgan was taken aback. “You power lift? I would have never guessed miss shy girl. Next time I’ll let you kick down the door as Reid watches you from behind.”

Reid let out a sound to try and silence Morgan. Well, that’s what you guessed the sound was anyway. You laughed at the both of them as you started walking towards the apartment entrance with the two of them trailing behind. Before all of you reached the entrance, you stopped and turned around. They both abruptly stopped in their tracks by your sudden halt.

You turned around to look at Reid. “You know if you want we can both go and work on our physiological positions at the gym.”

Morgan let out a laugh as Reid stood there completely dumbfounded by your sudden proposal. You don’t think he had never seen you propose a concept so boldly, but you thought it was the right time. You looked keenly into his eyes and he sheepishly smiled.

“Uh, of course,” he responded.

“I’m glad you’re both getting your “physiological positions” in order,” Morgan joked.

You rolled your eyes at his joke. You truly didn’t mean it in that way, but if it led to that direction who were you to say no to the universe. You turned around to start walking again.

“Maybe you can get your physiological position to be better. I saw your arms shaking as you picked up those figurines,” you said with a giggle.

“I think I preferred the shy, reserved you better, Y/N,” Morgan said.

“Don’t listen to him, Y/N. A good few gym sessions will give us enough strength to defeat Derek Morgan and his bad jokes once and for all,” Reid said.

“Bring it, kids. My fists will be waiting with your names on them.”

—–

MASTERLIST