#I'm too neurotic for your friendliness

[vimbry-moved]

if a delivery driver texted you about half an hour later saying "have a lovely easter weekend," but you kind of got the impression that they're a well-meaning guy who's just not getting the social cue of maybe dont contact someone's number you got from your job, because you both wished each other a good night, would you still also be a little bit unsettled or

[commitmentissue]

zombie aftermath challenge - adjusted

i'm absolutely obsessed with all things zombie related, and i've always been dying to try the apocalypse challenge. it looks extremely fun, but i find the original challenge to be a little too hard for my play style, and the aftermath challenge a bit too short. so here's my version of it based off the original apocalypse challenge and this one from cannibalcupcake. the biggest change i've made is that there are much less restrictions. if it's not listed as a restriction, you can do it. my challenge is also a little different, because it gets slightly harder as you move on. there's also only 5 generations because there's really only so much you can do until you're just playing a regular legacy again. i would highly recommend playing with vector if you want actual zombies, along with this mod and this one if you want weapons to kill them. you may use any other violence/weapon mods if you wish. if not, you may use cheats to get around killing them or any sims. this is pretty long, so everything is included under the cut 🧟‍♂️

to start off with, any surviving sims and heirs must have at least one survival trait. if they get any non-survival trait, they must be killed off when they reach young adult. you may only choose the founder's traits, the rest of your sims have to be randomized. any other traits not listed are fine, i tried to go with what the original list had and my own personal opinions on what would work.

survival traits

-adventurous -angler -athletic -brave -daredevil -disciplined -eccentric -eco-friendly -family oriented (all sims who give birth must have this trait, if they do not, they must be killed off after giving birth. the children may survive) -gatherer -genius -green thumb -handy -kleptomaniac -light sleeper -lucky -natural cook -never nude -nurturing (they may also have this instead of family oriented, but same rules apply) -perceptive -technophobe -vegetarian

non-survival traits

-absent minded -brooding -clumsy -coward -hates the outdoors -heavy sleeper -insane -loser -neurotic -couch potato -hot-headed -over-emotional -unlucky -unstable

stage zero - infection

the world as we know it has fallen- no more electricity, no more jobs, no more people. there's zombies roaming around, after all. however, you managed to survive the end of the world, and now it's up to you to rebuild it.

to survive stage zero;

start off with two young adult sims, can have any traits but must have at least one survival trait. these will be the only sims whose traits you can choose, so pick wisely!

must live in a fenced in lot, if a sim leaves the lot for any reason besides an expedition or killing loitering zombies, they must be killed off

must grow your own food, there's no supermarket

must produce a surviving heir, have has many kids as you need to until you can do this. you also must try for a baby every time your sims want to woohoo

your sims may not have a job or be self-employed. money is obsolete now. you cannot sell anything in your inventory

you cannot interact with any sims outside of the family, they're all zombies!

cannot use any electricity. a stove and refrigerator are fine, they just have to be the cheapest one, you also cannot upgrade anything to unbreakable. you cannot repair or replace anything unless your sim is handy or has mastered the handiness skill. once it breaks, it's gone.

if you can justify something as battery powered, it is allowed, but if it breaks it cannot be fixed or replaced

may use plumbing, but no showers (yes, even the outdoor shower unless you don't like mods). sponge baths only. same rules as electricity

may go on expeditions outside the lot once a week, but once you have children only one sim may go outside until you get a teenager

this stage will be completed once your heir has aged up to a young adult.

stage one - lawless land

you and your family thought you had this survival thing down, until other survivors came pouring into town. now you have to defend yourself not just from the zombies, but from other people as well.

to survive stage one;

your heir must join the criminal career and until they are level 5, they must pay a $300 tax to the gangs every week

you may only marry and talk to other sims in the criminal career

you can only join the thief branch, your sim isn't the big bad guy

you can no longer use any plumbing or electrical items, the gangs have tainted the water and have completely shut off all power

can still go on weekly expeditions, but now you must roll a die on whether or not the sim will die. even for life, odd for death

you may also only leave during the night now, as the gangs patrol the streets

you can only have two children, but if neither survive you can try again. your sims must try for a baby every time they woohoo, so be careful, any extra children must be killed off

master the athletic skill

master the logic skill

reach the top of the criminal career

this stage will be completed once you have topped the criminal career and your heir has aged up to a young adult.

stage two - military power

you grew up knowing that all hope was lost and the past was in the past, until one day the military rolled into town and announced they were taking over. they've vowed to wipe out all the zombies across simlandia, but can you really trust them?

to survive stage two;

your heir must join the military career, and until they reach the top of the career they must pay a weekly $100 tax for each sim in the household (5 sims = $500)

you may only marry and talk to other sims in the military career

you may now use plumbing again, but only from 2PM-5PM

you can use electricity after reaching level 5 in the career, the military provides you with a generator. they must be the cheapest items

you can now use the cell phone again, but only for calls (treat it like a walkie-talkie or radio)

all food must be rationed, you can only keep 5 of each type of produce/meat. the rest must be 'donated' to the military (aka just throw it out, no selling!)

you can have as many kids as you want, but keep the taxes in mind. you can still only try for a baby when woohooing

you may now go on as many expeditions as you'd like at any time of day, but you still must role a die on your chances. even for life, odd for death

master the athletic skill

master the handiness skill

this stage will be completed once you have topped the military career and your heir has aged up to a young adult.

stage three - the cure

the military has announced that the only way to get rid of the zombies is to set off bombs. but this means you and your family could die, and all that they've worked for will be destroyed. it's up to you to save simanity.

your heir must join either the medical or science careers, but these are no longer jobs- you are a volunteer and money earned must be given back to the career of your choice. you can save $50 each payday

every promotion you get you must roll a die to decide if you lived or died while attempting to create the cure. even for life, odd for death. after 3 successful attempts, the cure has been made

you can now marry and talk to sims outside of your career, but no one from the military

plumbing is now unrestricted

electricity is now unrestricted, but you can still only use the cheapest items

sims no longer need family orientated/nurturing to give birth now that the hospital has been set up. you also no longer have to try for a baby every time they want to woohoo

food is no longer rationed, but you don't trust the meat the military provides. your family must be vegetarian (does not need the trait)

have as many children as you can, you're trying to repopulate and also make sure someone else can take over for you in case you fail at creating the vaccine

master gardening skill

master handiness skill

this stage will be completed once you have successfully created the cure and your heir has aged up to a young adult.

stage four - survival of the fittest

your parent's cure has been spread around the world, and the zombies have been wiped out. the world is ready to return to normal, but what is normal? you were born into a world of survival, you don't know anything else.

your heir may now join any self-employed career

your sims will no longer need to be killed off for having a non-survival trait, but they must be kicked out at young adulthood

all plumbing and electricity has been fixed and you can now afford nicer things- but do you really want them at this point?

your sim must live off the land, no buying things from stores, you don't trust anything from outside your own garden or what you've caught yourself

you can leave the lot whenever you want and no longer need to worry about rolling a die- it's safe outside!

do not get married

master gardening, inventing, and fishing

reach level 5 in 3 other skills of your choice

raise a spoiled child, they don't have to worry about their life anymore, so they're nothing like you. do not have a close relationship with your children

as an elder, move to a city to see what the new world has become. it's up to you what to do next

this stage will be completed once your heir dies.

and then that's it! you're welcome to continue the legacy past this however you'd like, but that's where i'm going to end it at. if you try this challenge you can @ me, i'd love to see it 💚 any feedback is much appreciated

[possamble]

whats your take on marcille and pattadols post canon friendship? they seem to hang out occasionally in a couple of post canon shorts and i was wondering if your beautiful mind has anything more to add? youre amazing 💖

☺️ aha thank you so much!!! Pattadol and Marcille are sooo interesting to me because like. I think Pattadol is who Marcille would have become if her parents had both been long-lived, and she never had a reason to question elven authority. The hardworking attitude, insistence on sticking to a very rigid set of principles, a little bit of vanity in wanting to be recognized for her efforts... the slightly ridiculous uptightness and neurotic attitude at times, though at heart they're both kind people who want the best for everyone in their own ways.

In the post-canon, I'm assuming that Pattadol has her own ambassador's quarters in either the castle or the inner city, and the two of them grab tea at the castle drawing room/garden/whatever. I think they talk shop, soundboard ideas off each other, and gossip/complain a little about incompetent colleagues/problems... I think they're each others' dream work friends, honestly. Polite, competent, friendly but never getting overly personal, fun and pleasant to talk to. The fact that Pattadol's 82 and a fairly young woman by elven standards also plays into it, I think -- Marcille hasn't had another elf friend along the same maturity range and professional level of experience, so this is probably nice for her!

What I would like to see is them eventually developing a closer relationship. I think a lot about the way Pattadol reassured Marcille that, because of her accomplishments, she'd have a pretty comfortable sentence as a Canary. About the way, while there was tension because of what was happening at the time, they were both immediately very polite to each other upon meeting and kind of?? got along/clicked immediately in some ways?? It feels like they have the same kind of standards for themselves and others (as well as general inexperience and slight insecurity about their own competency, which probably makes them feel at more or less an equal level with each other).

And I think that'd be good for both of them -- having someone else that they admire, who also admires them in return and recognizes their talents and hard work. There's a very unique kind of rapport you build with someone that you hold as an intellectual peer and can trust to give you feedback that's actually reliable and up to par. While they might both be too professional to really become super close friends who can always be open with each other, there's a very real and deep kind of companionship that forms from this kind of trust, and I hope that's the direction they're heading in.

It's also extra delicious if you add in the tension of Pattadol inherently being a foreign agent from a country that isn't necessarily friendly, but they end up with that strange trust anyway... not to mention the thought that she might find herself actually admiring how Melini is growing and trying to defend it when reporting back to the queen.

[the-soul-of-a-morningstar]

Hello! Thank you so much for doing a matchup trade with me :3 you seem so cool btw. here I go!

Also just @ me when your done!

my name is jaxrel! i also use "jax" for short, I also use other names like lan, himawari, eden, etc. I use he/him pronouns and im a trans man who's bisexual with more of a male pref. and thanks to the testosterones I have a deeper voice :D im a aquarius and i have a lot of mental discorders which l'll get to in a bit.

PERSONALITY: I'm a ENTP, 4W3 (or 3W2) Ravenclaw. I'm very extroverted but I also have some introvert traits which l'll get down to in a minute, my personality is very unique but also hard to describe. I'm very confident, straightforward and I have a sense of justice for myself (I have a urge to correct someone of faulty information), uses "big" words, good sense of humor, playful, entertaining, optimistic, mischievous, curious(l'm nosy and I love gossip), I can be a rule breaker(sometimes don't mean to). l'm extremely independent, when comfortable talk about a lot of stuff for hours, loud talker, emotions come off as sarcastic or silly due to autism). As for my sense of humor I can be sometimes crude. l'm a very chill and intelligent person but some people would say I have some "repressed anger issues, get a reallyyy overractive Brain, tend to get deep and philosophical when I'm left on my own for to long, I can be verbally aggressive when prevoked. Usually when I meet people I come off as awkward and shy, even distant but l'lI get comfortable with them soon enough. I'm very polite and sweet btw! I may look scary sometimes (*cough* that's what I get for being emo *coughs harder*) but l'm always there for someone no matter what. I'm the dad friend. When I go out I always bring water bottles, first aid kit, chapsticks (pretty much anything you can think of). I have a lot of social awareness but i often intentionally act in a rash and unapologetic way because personally i do not care at all for social norms or rules. As l'm the dad friend (also the therapist friend too) l've been told give a lot of good advice and im also a very good listener too. English isn’t my first language either since I was born in the Middle East and speak Arabic more, basically my English isn’t the best and I’m much more fluent in Arabic, Spanish, Korean and Japanese. Here's more information linked here about me. (which I suggest reading)

I've been diagnosed with a lot of disorders such as Autism, ADHD, Schizophrenia, BPD + etc, it's hard especially with my Autism, sadly a lot of these run on my mothers side of the family and I gotten a lot of them, I'm prone to psychosis/ delusions and sometimes it happens in episodes that can last for months. I also get really mad if people piss me off which goes for my repressed anger issues.

When i'm talking to people I get very loud and unhinged, just very silly like i'm spamming cursed images and telling my friends i'm going to eat their skin and shit like that (AS A JOKE......), just being very neurotic. a lot of my friends describe me as a feral creature HELP. I also use a lot of memes to react to things (which is usually anime, kpop, or just random ones)

I'm very flirty towards people sometimes, sometimes even tease a little but it's not mean spirited or anything. I'm still a friendly person. And I spend time and effort on the people I like and the things I find interesting but I find pretty much anything interesting hehe.

I've been told I act a lot more like victor nikitorov from a lot of my friends and I kinda know why because of how cheerful can be and from what I know I don't seem to understand -or even care about-conventional social norms. I also have that rock star charm. And as an extra I can always dazzle woman and men alike without a single glance). And I also act like Elysia a lot too which you can find more here from her personality.

MISC.: clumsy; accidentally (+purposefully) misuses slang or common phrases ; enjoys skin care and hair care ; I also tend to enjoy makeup routines to be more masculine; able to pick up new skills relatively quickly; studied french, korean, japanese + etc; l'm very good at doing my outfits (probably because I got a lot of help from chinese people...) ; prone to being a bit directionless in life ; prone to bad luck but tries to find the humor in most situations ; life approach: to live a life of varied experiences, to not take life too seriously, to not dwell too much on the past.

KINS: hiyori tomoe (enstars), yoosung kim (mystic messenger), jumin han (mystic messenger), hanako (tbhk), felix kranken (twf), albedo (genshin impact), shoya ishida (a silent voice), tom (eddsworld). eridan (homestuck), karkat (homestuck), shu itsuki (enstars), miyamura izumi (horimiya), michael afton (FNAF), lolbit (FNAF), mangle (FNAF), natsume sakasaki (enstars), sora harukawa (enstars), urumi akamaki (alice in borderland), V (mystic messenger), hagumi kitazawa (bandori), matsubara kanon (bandori), shinji ikari (neon genesis evangelion), minami kotobuki (oshi no ko), lain iwakura (serial experiments lain), hajime hinata (danganronpa), k-angel (needy streamer overdose) and more.

KINS I RELATE TO THE MOST: Victor Nikiforov (Yuri On Ice), Tei (Nameless), Cutthroat (Akudama Drive, Except the Bloodlust cutthroat has.), Elysia (Honkai Impact 3rd), Ranpo Edogawa (Bungo Stray Dogs), Dazai Osamu (Bungo Stray Dogs), Space Ishtar (Fate), Okita Souji (Fate), Langa Hasegawa (Sk8 The Infinity), Sherlock Holmes (TGAA), Zack (Final Fantasy 7), Vash The Stampede (Trigun), Roy Mustang (Fullmetal Alchemist), Otonashi Yuzuru (Angel Beats), Karma Akabane (Assassination Classroom), Vanitas (Study Case of Vanitas), Zoe Hange (AOT), Shinoa Hiragi (Seraph of The End) + more

(psssst, my kin lists will help you know more about my personality:))

LOVE LANGUAGES: physical touch, quality time. (giving) gift-giving, physical touch, quality time (receiving)

(I really like physical touch the most and I always get called a "clingy koala" because I love hugs sm, and also because I cuddle my plushies for HOURS on no end)

IDEAL DATE(S): Usually if I was the one to chose a date it would be at dinner or at a picnic outside somewhere nice and maybe we can either go to the movies, arcade or mall. I wouldn't really care what my partner would like to do, and if they wanna do something and wanna buy something l'I have so much money on me. I would also die (not rlly, I would feel my SOUL go out of my body) if my partner were to ever get anything I liked (which is plushies, energy drinks, chocolate (AND) strawberries, etc) ILL LITERALLY HUG THE SHIT OUTTA THEM.

HOBBIES: gaming, anthropology pathology, theology, zoology, music, dancing, filmmaking, art (drawing, painting, pottery, digital art, etc), learning different instruments/languages, cosplaying, skateboarding, tabletop RPG's, taking pictures of things that I think are pretty, collecting figurines/stuffed animals and puppetry, science/history, soccer(football)/volleyball/ basketball, skating and swimming, cooking/baking, art is definitely my main hobby I dedicate a lot of time to it, I can play 5 instruments which is the piano, cello, koto and bass/electric guitar, I know 6 languages and I'm learning more right now (which are hindi, german, cantonese and chinese if your interested).

I love gaming a lot and I play a lot of survival horror games, role-playing games, visual novels, etc, spent a lot of my money on games for my nintendo, Ps5 and computer. I play too much on roblox and basically during my freetime when I'm not studying other things I like/OR for school I'm usually in my gaming seat playing away and eating junk food. The games I really enjoy playing is roblox, class of 09, honaki impact 3rd, omori, any rhythm games and etc…

I also like writing and reading a lot, including with a studying new things with history, languages, etc. I love taking naps too and I also enjoy watching youtube (my favorite youtubers are flamingo, berleezy, kub scoutz, markiplier, benoftheweek, funkyfrogbait, etc). This also includes with me liking to watch movies as well, same goes for tv shows, asian dramas, etc.. (I also tend to rewatch a lot but not too much; like watching the harry potter movies, any of the marvel movies, horror movies, etc.)

I've been told I'm a very good dancer! I do belly dancing and I also do hiphop dancing as well. I've been in a lot of sports for years now since I was little (thank you to my mother for forcing me :,D) and now I'm in so many! and l've won a lot of rewards and I've been to a couple championships all because of me.

I'm also very, VERY skilled in cooking, baking, etc and I'm always happy to share what I baked with my closest ones.

Likes: Chocolate, Strawberries, Pizza, Iced Coffee and Boba Tea, Anime/ Manga, Music, Food, Winning in arguments online or irl, Reading, Cats, Sharks, Animals in general, Cold/or Rainy Weather, Shopping, Action or Romance movies, Kdrama(pretty much any asian dramas), Spicy & Sweet Food, Ramen.

Music: | like (too much) music a lot. I'm a k/jpop stan, I listen to metal/rock a lot, I listen to vkei and vocaloid a lot too, this is also another genre I enjoy listening to but idk what to call it but it's similar to 6arelyhuman, Odetari, Kets4eki, etc (I make similar music to them), I also listen to a lot of indie pop, rap music and scene music. I've been a really big lemon demon fan and I really like listening to any sad music too. my spotify is here

Apperance: l'm pretty tall l'm 5'8 right now and l'm on the very skinny side (I literally get called a twig everyday I'm half Polish and Half Middle Eastern (Iraqi) / Filipino. People usually get confused and a lot I get questions if I'm from North Korea, Hawaii, Brazil or Mexico (it's mostly north korea though HELP idk why people think that), I have dyed black hair. My hair is pretty short (but a little long only going down my neck a few inches) but I get a lot of compliments for it. When I get out of bed from sleeping my hair is always looking like a mess (psst I also have bangs too. Ive been told I look both masculine and feminine. I have piercings (one in (?) my nose, two on the bottom of my lips, and a couple more on both of my ears). I want a tattoo so bad, If I ever get one it would be on the side of my belly and it would be a spider tattoo. I have a dimple on my chin and I have hazel almond eyes.

Aesthetic/Clothing Style: Ok so this is definitely what makes me unique to people other than my personality, my fashion extends to gyaru (hime gal, himekaji, agejo, gyaruo, rokku, manba, banba, kogal, tsuyome, and kigurumi), goth (trad goth, romantic goth, mall goth, cyber goth, and victorian goth), scenemo/emo (ofc), & Y2K, jirai kei, vkei, ouji and lolita, suits + dresses (+ MORE) I usually wear these fashion outfits whenever 'm in school, when i'm out somewhere, during my job, or just to look cool. Whenever I'm not in my crazy outfits I'm usually dressed in my "IDGAF" outfits by that I mean are like pj pants and a black shirt, usually I look like I'm alternative whenever I'm not dressed, I wear a lot of jeans, sweatshirts, etc.

Accessories: Usually when I'm in my outfits I bring a lot of accessories with me, I have tote bags that I use to carry things I wanna carry INCLUDING with purses, back packs, etc. I'm a big kpop and jpop fan so you'll see me carrying photo cards or any kind of merch of my favorite groups/ group members. I also have anime keychains/etc, and I also have like hazbin hotel/helluva boss merch too. you'll always see me wearing rings around my fingers a lot, and whenever I'm feeling "girly" I wear a lot of earrings. I also tend to bring perfume and cologne with me, but it's usually any good smelling sprays like mint hot chocolate or strawberry short cake.

Thank you so much! Have a good day!

a/n: Lowkey forgot to not do this with the ask attached but I started yapping in my drafts and forgot to not do it with the ask so mb 😔 But thank you for doing this with me! Here are your results, dear!

Angel Dust

There’s a lot to touch on here, but personality wise I think you and Angel’s personality’s clash a lot (in good way!) Like, you both are very similar yet very different to me, and that helps balance things, I guess? Like you both know how to get eachother back on track or get the other one to see the other side of things, but with an understanding of the other, since you’re both similar yet different, you know?

Another way you and Angel Dust bond is over fashion, despite your varying tastes in clothes, Angel loves every item of clothing you wear. One of your favorite things to do (especially if one of you is leaving for an extended period of time) is picking out each other outfits out of each others wardrobes

Since Angel also has a language he speaks (Italian) if you don’t already know Italian, he will teach it to you, in hopes that you teach him your language(s) as well. He likes being able to talk with you in another language because it feels like there’s no one else in the world but you two, and it feels more private if people are around, y’know?

Runner-Ups: Lucifer, Vox, Charlie

@the-soul-of-a-morningstar : please do not copy, repost or translate onto any other platform.

[phosphoruskim]

25. Topic that brings the most rancid discourse

9 and 10 - Worst part of fanon, worst part of canon

3 - Worst take youve seen. I dont need a screenshot, thats probably mean.

14 - What do you see in fanfic all the time?

22 - Fave part of canon that people ignore?

17 - what do you want to see more of

25. Topic that brings the most Rancid Discourse:

Honestly I'm not sure if it's 'topic' so much as like. Proximity. Which is a really heart wrenching thing to type.

(MASSIVE HEADER, I'VE BEEN IN FANDOMS BESIDES SHE RA, THIS DOESN'T APPLY TO THE MANY COOL SHE RA SERVERS I'M IN)

The most fun discord servers I've been in have had lots of different kinds of people. Really fun friendly types who were welcoming sure, but also snarky people or shy ones or others who were a little neurotic and rarely talked (me).

That leads to lots of different conversations and lots of different ideas which I think is a lot of fun for a fandom to have. But in retrospect it feels a little like there was this. Seemingly inevitable march towards division. Like small cracks keep forming as every one branches out. The internet as a whole has become pretty... discourse filled.

that doesn't exactly answer the question since the real Most Rancid Topic is like, problematicness or something. But I think division between friends in fandom hurts the most. I've started to come to the opinion that having a discord server in a fandom is like, a garden, and if you want an excellent community it probably takes some great amount of conscious effort and planning, but I'm not an expert in that

9 & 10. Worst Part of Fanon:

This isn't the 'worst' or anything but something I love about the show is how messy every one's feelings are. Glimmer and Catra practically kiss on screen (in my heart). Adora crushes on like half the girls she sees, Perfuma and Bow go on a date, Entrapta says 'its a date!' super casually. Catra blushes at scorpia etc etc

It's really fun to see the whole cast getting criss crossed in modern au's, but a lot of fanon just has them all destined for their endgame pairings from the start and I'd love to see some genuine glitra or glimmadora or scortrapta that's more than just the initial plot for something else.

Worst Part of Canon:

The worst part of canon is probably either like... Scorpia getting almost no resolution or Glimmer's season 4 plot line pretty much stopping dead in its tracks.

My real curveball opinion is that Spinerella and Netossa got WAY too much screentime in season 5!

They were pretty much entirely absent the first 4 seasons (even when glimmer was suddenly struggling with being queen.) So it was really surprising. Now, I of course loved their scenes. Extremely cute and gay, I absolutely see why they were included. But I feel there was so much to do and so little time setting up an entire arc that didn't necessarily have to be there.

14. What do I see in fanfic all the time:

(just a quick note that I've read lots of fics from really cool people I know on discord or have never met! She Ra fandom has GREAT fanfic. This isn't targeted at any one and if you're seeing this it's not about your fic!!)

TENSION AND BUILD UP FALLS APART CONSTANTLY!! for me I'm a fight scene writer and I think everyone can benefit from giving these serious attempts. When you write 3000 words of straight combat, you're forced to learn the push and pull and management of the stakes. The characters can't just yell loudly and keep going higher and higher, you need dips and crests and variety

Most fanfics don't have fight scenes (in this fandom anyways), but many have scenarios with the *pacing* of a fight scene. I consider arguments, sex, and reveals to be types of fights. They're great, but using only dialogue or straightforward descriptions will get cumbersome very quickly.

Fights teach you to pace out steps, descriptive variety, build up, all sorts of things!

Unfortunately a lot of she ra fics don't have a 'fight scene' (read: [big] argument, sex, or reveals) until late in the story. I think this causes a lot of authors to fumble their build up, moving too quickly and not lingering for dramatic effect. That's why it's important to practice 'fight scenes' so that you'll be ready for the climactic finish!

22. Fave Part of Canon that people Ignore?

CHIPPED CATRA CHIPPED CATRA CHIPPED CATRA

she rewrote my entire brain and is my discord icon and I think about her constantly but there's like a few dozen fics that have chipped catra which is heart b

17. What do you want to see more of?

mostly just wild totally out there ideas. In the course of writing this I imagined a Speed Dating AU where it's the entire cast dating each other and then being like 'hey you're cool can we-' 'TIME ALRIGHT EVERY ONE SHUFFLE' 'wAIT I WASNT FINISHED YET'.

I also want to see more of myself writing. The last several months have been nails on chalkboard!!

AND TIME.

I strayed a little bit from the questions and didnt add all the detail I wanted to but it's super late for me lmao so calling it there. Thanks for the ask and also Tipsy I will get to your other ask (the tops/bottoms headcanons one >:3c) tomorrow

[oonajaeadira]

15 questions to get to know me!

Thank you for tagging me, dearests @something-tofightfor and @songsformonkeys!!!

1. are you named after anyone?

No. Unless you count my middle name. My paternal grandmother had two middle names and my sister and I got one each.

2. when was the last time you cried?

About a month ago in a psychopomp lecture during a guided meditation. When guided to talk to an ancestor, my Auntie B came up and it was waterworks. She's a good one, my Auntie.

3. do you have kids?

Nope. I've known from an early age that I would be a child-free lady.

4. do you use sarcasm a lot?

Yes. It's usually in the form of tough love when my SO or my artists need to be given a little correction but also need to take it with a spoonful of playfulness.

5. what’s the first thing you notice about people?

Their aesthetic. I acknowledge my initial learned prejudices about them and wait for the delightful moment when they prove my societally-engineered expectations wrong. (The N and J are strong in this INFJ. And then my F/T toggle kicks in real hard.)

6. what’s your eye colour?

I just put gray on my ID, but they're blue-grey on the rims and green-grey inside? And they're more blue or green or grey depending on reflection from what the sky is doing and what I'm wearing so...?

7. scary movies or happy endings?

Both. I am obviously a sucker for a soft, happy ending. But I love love love horror films to the point where most of them do not scare me anymore. But when I do find one that gives me the tingles, I will love it forever.

8. any special talents?

I have a lot of special skills that I've honed, but inherent talents? (Where skills = learned and practiced acts and talents = just good at it from the get go.) I guess the biggest one is being able to pick up an instrument for the first time and play a song on it by ear. I guess also I'm pretty empathic. Oh! And I'm very very good at always choosing the slowest line in the supermarket; I don't even have to try!

9. where were you born?

In Minnesota, but not in Minneapolis. I was born in the city I was raised in and then escaped to my college town and then escaped the country altogether for a little while before coming back to Minnesota.

10: what are your hobbies?

Writing Pedro fic, reading Pedro fic. Reading in general. Video games, embroidery/cross stitch, collecting tarot decks and stickers. dinking around with musical instruments and trolling Etsy/Ebay/Craigslist for new ones. Online shopping's a big one. Puzzles--logic puzzles, sudoku, word puzzles. Thrifting for wardrobe and art purposes. Making weird shit out of thrifted junk. Board and card games.

11. have you any pets?

Right now, we just have the one dog and we're on senior care with her. She's a black lab mix that we took in from a neglectful family member when she was 12, riddled with tapeworm, heartworm, and tooth problems (all of which we fixed). Thinking we could give her some pretty happy golden years, I was like, sure. I can put up with this very stupid, very neurotic dog for a couple of years if it means she gets to go down happy and warm.

Well, it may be too happy and too warm in our house, because she's 19.5 and the welcome was worn out years ago. Girl just keeps on ticking. She needs help getting up half the time and her back legs don't work very well so she needs to be lifted to go outside (both doors require stairs which she can't do anymore). She has accidents in the house not just daily, but multiple times a day and we just keep dog pads down in the bedroom and my hands just constantly smell of bleach now. She's mostly deaf and fairly blind and is, without hyperbole, the dumbest dog I've ever known or owned in my life. But that also makes her constantly hilarious. And very happy despite her struggles....we often say in this house that "she's just too happy to live and too dumb to die."

I wish I could say that I loved her, and in a way I do. But while she's very sweet and very friendly, she's not interested in the exchange of affection or in any way that "shows she knows what you're feeling" kind of pet, so we've never really bonded. Even after all these years, she feels more like a guest than family. She just exists to be a benevolent force of fur, odors, and amusement in our house for now. And we just try to keep her as comfortable as possible for as long as we can.

12: what sports do you play/have you played?

When I was young, my folks tried to get me into softball and skiing, but I always shied from the ball and never wanted to ski too fast because I didn't want to get hurt. I was on the swim and gymnastics teams in junior high and did pretty well there, but was only really doing it to stay close to my grade school bestie. I couldn't keep up with her and found the performing arts instead. So now, nothing.

13: how tall are you?

5′5″

14. favourite subject in school?

I actually really loved biology and chemistry. And anything where I got to use my hands like art, home ec, woodshop. I excelled in English and music, but I think I really enjoyed my science classes more.

15. dream job?

I have my dream job! I help new artists produce their work and experienced artists challenge themselves! AND I'M GOOD AT IT.

But if I didn't have this job? I'd probably love to be a PA to someone artistic and kind. I know somebody that used to be Neil Gaiman's PA and that sounded like the best thing ever.

tagging: @unbound-space-trash @lowlights @nicolethered @beecastle

[merge-conflict]

🗣️, 🤡, 🤔 & 💝 for the lovely Val? (sorry if this is too many!)

Not too many at all tsym for asking! :3 I love answering these. 🗣️ - How do they handle public speaking? Really well! It's something Valentine had classes for growing up, which certainly helps, and she loves to talk. Her favorite type of speaking is a technical presentation, and she used to give a lot of them at work. In her eyes it's basically a free pass to get a bunch of people in a conference room so she can give a clear and concise infodump. She also is one of those people who likes to give weird dramatic monologues for fun– Abernathy's husband Mark is one of those bookish guys into theater, and they used to try and one-up each other as a game.

🤡 - What’s something dumb they’re embarrassed about?

This is such a good question, and as I was thinking about the answer I think it explains a lot about her. The short answer is: it depends on who's watching. If it's someone Important than she becomes self-conscious and embarrassed about every normal thing she does, but especially any sort of unconscious stimming behavior (humming, finger tapping, pacing). But on the other hand, Johnny shoulder surfing every waking moment of her life doesn't really bother her that much because he's a dipshit rockerboy and his opinion is at best funny and at worst not worth considering. Another more direct answer is that she hates showing any weakness unless it's part of her "ehhhh, I'm just a little guy, it's my birthday" routine she's doing to annoy someone or get attention. (Jackie taught her that one.)

🤔 - What’s something they’ll never understand?

People who refuse to consider new information, or show no curiosity outside of their own bubble. Valentine spends a probably unhealthily neurotic amount of time in self-analysis and regular analysis, and she loved working CounterIntel because she got a steady stream of news and info that kept her fed. Conceptually she understands that not everyone is as comfortable with cognitive dissonance as she is, which is why people will often avoid seeking out contradictory info, but she loves the messiness of it. And how could belief stand up to choice when it comes down to it? There's a certain freedom in rejecting purity (which she has never and could never achieve) and reveling in the fact that everyone acts against their own beliefs from time to time. That this might be her counterpoint coping mechanism and not a morally correct philosophy is one of those self-reflective observations that still eludes her.

💝 - What gestures do they really appreciate? How do you get on their good side?

It's all about the little gestures! As someone prone to becoming somewhat obsessively loyal to people she gets attached to, she really appreciates all the intimacies (platonic or romantic) that are there and gone in a flash: lending her a tool before she asks for it, pre-emptively sharing food, saying something that proves they were thinking about her. It means they care enough to pay attention, and it makes her feel very taken care of. As for her "good side", that's slightly trickier. She generally tries to stand friendly with everyone, (friends are much more useful than enemies) but it would be easy for someone to overestimate her actual investment in a relationship, and I'm not sure it's fair to say someone is on her "good side" if she'd carefully manipulate them over a series of weeks to get some outcome she wanted, as long as she figured they'd never find out. She could be chuffed as all get out if you brought her lunch while she was absorbed in some problem, and she'd cheerfully carry a conversation with you and probably return the gesture, but that doesn't mean you Matter or that she really considers you her friend.

If you want to get on her actual, stupidly loyal, will get herself canned or kicked around or killed for you good side, then you need to be Interesting, Persistent, or just stick your neck out for her when you could just as easily let her hang.

[simstationdance]

i, j & k 🥰

I: Your Bella Goth Theories! i don't really think about it too much so trying to remember my theories is a bit difficult but, the theory i ran with the longest is that Strangetown Bella is a clone...

J: The One Piece of CC You Couldn’t Play Without probably a weird thing to say but there are certain hair meshes that i love too much to throw away 😭 so every time ive changed up the hair textures i use in my game (which has happened.... quite a few times. i'm too picky for my own good wahh) i either seek out retextures for said hairs or just do it myself

K: Your S3 Traits or what is your Aspiration? Absent minded, Artistic, Neurotic, Shy, Friendly + Knowledge aspiration

[ sims questions ]

[yt-playlists]

Comment by admiralasprin on Reddit

I live in Bangkok now.

A quick breakdown of my life here:

* I rent a fully furnished two-beddy place in Bangkok, about $1,700 per month which includes an amazing gym, 60m pool, social areas / meeting rooms etc and great international vibe. It's in the hipster neighbourhood of Klong Toei, nice and central and has two parking spots. Cleaner cost me about $30 per month which is vacuum, mop, laundry, windows, dish washing. The internet here is 2gbps/1gbps and cost me $50 per month.

* My landlord repainted, upgraded the bed and supplied a great smart TV *for free* and **because I asked**. In Australia, landlords will spit on you for asking them to fix a broken stove.

* I bough a condo in the North which I AirBNB and holiday in, $140k for a two beddy with nice facilities - if it wasn't for the burning season, I'd probably move there one day.

* I do freelance work which nets me about \~$80k p.a and my partner works part-time and she makes $40k.

* We work probably 30 hours per week, my partner a bit less, and nobody cares where we are, just that our work gets done.

* This is the land of smiles. Everyone is friendly, courteous, and conscientious. In fact, when foreigners here get too aggressive or kareny, I've see Thais knock them the fuck out. Public freak outs and escalation are not welcome here.

* The food culture here is amazing and its super social, staying out late and doing bbq with friends is fantastic. It's so affordable and the city is geared toward staying out late, eating and drinking beer.

* I ride my scooter sometimes without a helmet, and there's no army of neurotics to go "WHAT A DICK HEAD HOW MUCH YOU GOING TO COST ME WHEN YOU SMASH YOUR HEAD IN MATE? ...... yeah, we Aussies are pretty easy going" lol.

* Cheap flights around Asia.

* I fly my drone without lodging flight plans to CASA.

What would get me back to Australia? Nothing. I hate the crab mentality, finance bros, and hustle culture. I hate the holes and home economy. I hate how much you pay for inferior goods and services. I hate the air of superiority from a land of people who happen to live on top of vast resources. I hate blue suit wankers.

Aussies have so little emotional intelligence and empathy, that people go around angry all the friggin time and they're too stupid with fragile egos to work out why they're miserable, so they put that on you. They'd be happy if only *you* would just live up to their idiotic standards.

Australian companies are so poorly run too. I'm down to do a thing for a set price by a set date, but I won't be doing any HR mandated training modules, getting any more cereal-box certifications, adhering to set hours or set working locations, nor 'taking ownership' to cover the fact leadership doesn't do this.

[bloodlive]

HEEERE'S Auram, my psychoraptor character! His design is still a little bit floating, I'm not quite settled on ANYTHING yet, so he'll probably look a bit different for a while

anyways some info under the readmore

equivalent of late-20s/early-30s

pansexual

Magazine, fashion, and advertisement photomodel for luxury brands, wanted for his striking looks and youthful coat. involved in a scandal/controversy when it comes out he's been working on the side as an actor in adult movies

richer than the average psyrap, but owns more expensive goods and items as a result of brand deals rather than actual money

considers himself an influencer, but is half-baked at best at it

Friendly and sociable, but shallow. He swims easily through most social situations, and might even appear genuinely interested, but his affability is only skin-deep. You might even be tempted to consider him a friend, or open up about something close and personal to you. You would do wise in not sharing anything of sensitive nature to Auram, as he can and will use it against you the moment it could benefit him.

He'll be extra friendly to you as long as you have something he wants.

That said, loves to start shit and get under the skin of obviously hair-trigger/neurotic individuals (His model agent hates him for it cause his face is his ONLY ASSET going for him and keepin him with a job but there he goes being insufferable again). He calls himself a drama magnet but fails to mention that he's the one flicking sparks at the drama bombs.

Touchy-feely in that patronizing way. Puts his hands on others' shoulders, on their chests, faces, wherever.

stereotypical flamboyant homosexual speech pattern. Lots of mean-spirited "oh darling/honey/king/queen"s expressions.

somewhere in the middle of the dominant-submissive psyrap hierarchy scale. Will not accept being told what to do by others who are "beneath him" (too poor, too ugly, too feeble, too brutish, the list goes on….) or haven't proven themselves worthy of his respect in some way, but he will do things for or butter up to more dominant individuals in order to score himself favors and benefits where it could matter, even if he doesn't personally respect them

While he's not in a grip or a griplord himself, he has amassed a small gaggle of simps who do not know better and don't have anyone else to follow. He relishes in their presence cause, while he is not interested in being a leader, he absolutely wants servants

opinions on him are extremely divided - either you think he's a pretty swell guy (you have met him and he's not had any reason to be mean or use you yet, or youre simply not interesting enough for him to bother with) or he's the worst most toxic manipulative fake friend asshole on the planet (you have experienced or witnessed his mansplain manipulate manslaughter tendencies firsthand)

Psychoraptor species belongs to Psyrapmafia !

[justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms]

hi!!! i just came across your account and kind of fell in love with how you do your matchups, with adding little details that the requester wrote into your replies, and i just couldn't resist akjdhfkjashf soooo, could i get one for Bungo Stray Dogs, and another for Attack on Titan? :D

pronouns: she/her

sexuality: heterosexual

zodiac/MBTI: aquarius, INFP-T or INTP (really depends on my mood alkjdhfkjahdsf i've been mistaken for an extrovert, which makes sense - i like talking to people, i just get tired)

appearance: long, dark hair, ranging from a grade-a mess to oh-wait-that-actually-looks-really-nice. i'm half-japanese, half-caucasian, so...? also, 5'9 and slim (??? idk if that's the word, but i'll go with it!). i don't want to sound arrogant, but i like how i look, most of the time ^^

personality: i'm friendly and cheerful with pretty much everyone i meet, though i'm a bit awkward – like, i don't think i've met anyone that i straight up don't get along with, and i can befriend anyone if i have enough time XD i love my close friends very dearly, and my family and dog are some of the most important people in my life. my love languages are quality time and acts of service. like, "i WILL cook a meal for you if you're having a hard time and YOU WILL LIKE IT" kind of acts of service. i'd really like for physical affection to be one of my love languages – it looks so comfortable and nice – but i'm very guarded? physically and emotionally, so that's a problem XD i'm someone people share their struggles with, since i'm apparently a good listener and non-judgemental. i've also been told i make people comfortable. i like feeling useful and needed, so it's a bit like a symbiotic relationship akdjshaksjdf i make an active effort to be as genuine as i can, because i think that's really important. i'm very perceptive and analytical, alongside being a creative person. i like to think i'm pretty funny ;w; generally, i'll put up a front of being outgoing-ish to people, but my friends know that i get tired really easily, and i'll just sit there and zone out when i can XD i'm a bit neurotic, but that comes with being the eldest daughter <3 i get irritated when people aren't as efficient as i am, and i low key have no self-esteem, but oh well ;-; oh gosh i rambled i'm sorry T^T

likes: rain, cooking, producing music (like chill synth stuff) and listening to music, reading and writing hehe ((consumer and producer lmao)), roadtrips, rock climbing, drama (like, acting drama)

dislikes: conflict, drama (the gossip drama akjdfjksdhf), regret (weird thing to add, but i just really don't like the feeling ;-;), packed schedules

hobbies: archery, learning guitar, producing music and writing (again XD)

i really hope this isn't too much, length-wise ^^; i didn't want it to be too vague, then i got a bit carried away...anyway! i hope you're having/will have a good day!!

Hi Anon! Thank you for your request! Sorry it took so long. I hope you like your matchups!

In Bungo Stray Dogs, I match you with...

Junichiro is a lot like you in the sense that he cares deeply about his friends and family and, while he can be awkward at times, he’s good at socialising and making friends.

Conflict is unavoidable at the Armed Detective Agency but Junichiro tires his best to keep it to a minimum, especially when you’re around.

Enjoys going on road trips with you. He likes being able to get away from work for a while, as well as spend quality time with you.

He’s quietly supportive of you, especially regarding your lack of self-esteem. Junichiro thinks you’re great and he wants you to know that.

At the same time, I feel like Junichiro struggles with self-confidence as well so you can support each other. It’s a long road building up self-confidence but you’re there for each other.

In Attack on Titan, I match you with...

This was a close call between Jean and Connie but I think Jean would be a better fit for you. You just get along better.

If you thought Junichiro was supportive of you, Jean dials that up to the max. He cares about you so much that it almost hurts him knowing that you aren’t confident in yourself.

Jean would love cooking with you. He’s a huge fan of that domestic stuff so cooking with you while there’s some music playing in the background is one of his favourite things to do.

He finds you comforting, which is a big thing for him. Comfort is a rarity in the world of Attack on Titan and he’ll do what he can to make you feel comfortable as well.

I feel like Jean would enjoy rock climbing with you as well. He’s pretty fit so he can certainly keep up with you. It’s a good way of keeping fit and spending time with you.

[gnsaein]

[ —... ]

     "sure!" he answers right away, taking the pen before it could roll somewhere else in the train. taesung knows that technically he isn't far away enough that he's forced to stand up to return the pen, but he does anyway; might as well take this opportunity to interact with notebook boy. "there you go." he offers the little writing tool back. "actually is it ok if i sit by your side?" taesung also asks, a friendly smile on his lips even if his question is a little abrupt and the request that follows it a little shameless and a little untrue. "i'm trying to decide which picture of my cat is the cutest to use as my icon in kakaotalk and i need a second opinion and—" taesung's smile softens at the edges, not out of pity but maybe sympathy? or maybe it's because he always gets a little softer whenever gureum is involved and/or mentioned even in the lightest of the ways. "you sort of look like you need a couple of cute cat pictures." he adds, obviously being unable to keep his mouth shut and thoughts to himself.

[ to: @gntaesung ]

sure. saein doesn't expect that bright answer, much less the request to sit together. but by then, the pen's already in his hand, and there's an anxious voice in the back of his head insisting, it's too late, look, you're already indirectly connected.

"your cat...?" his hand tenses on the back of the seat. some bone-deep fight or flight instinct kicks in and he glances around the train car, eyes catching on the door ahead (run down the aisle, grab the emergency lever, throw yourself out the doors while the train's still moving slow enough just to give a few cuts and scrapes) before rational thought catches up to him and he forces himself to relax.

"what does that even mean? what do i look like?" he narrows his eyes at the stranger, to make sure they know he's watching them. he does shift back though, making enough room for a second body in the seats he's in — he regrets that there's no normal way to tell them to shuffle into the window seat instead, but it's fine, because if there's one thing he is good at, it's escape routes (throw yourself over the seat, throw yourself into the aisle, throw yourself out of the train—)

or they could be perfectly plain and harmless. saein presses his lips together decisively. "sure."

he gathers all of his things into his lap, trying to ignore the backup plans that keep springing up noisily in the back of his head. shut up. there's nothing to run from. he has cats. it was like trying to reason with a neurotic animal sometimes, dangling promises like he's got cat pictures to get it to be quiet.

he peers around tentatively for a phone screen. "what kind of cat is it?"

[ransprang]

hi! i'd like a jjba match-up if that's alright with you; all parts are fine, but 4 & 7 are my personal favorites.

i don't really label my gender, but i greatly prefer masculine terms being used for me, but i still use any pronouns. it's kind of the same deal with my sexuality: unlabeled, open with a preference for men.

so, for my personality, i tend to present myself as very friendly– energetic, cheerful, always asking if people need help, etc. i make aquaintences very easily, and i have a decent amount of people i'd call my friends as well. however, i'm actually pretty introverted and my social battery drains very easily, i just mask it very well because i'm a people pleaser. i'm very anxious about most things, but i have a very bad habit of bottling up my emotions and not asking for help until i'm at an absolute breaking point. other people tend to describe me as hardworking, creative, academically intelligent, and kind, but also as indecisive, neurotic (in regards to my anxiety), unorganized, unable to speak up for myself, and a pushover. my mbti type is infp.

my hobbies are writing (especially essays and horror), music (i play french horn), and video games (such as pokémon and stardew valley). i also love reading manga.

my type tends to be people who are close friends with me– because of that, i tend to confuse my romantic and platonic feelings. i tend to stick around people who are also musicians. they're usually a lot more extroverted than i am and make decisions more spontaneously than i do.

i dislike people who are overly clingy, and i generally hate texting people more than i have to. i get panic attacks if i'm not early to everywhere i need to go, so i can't handle when people are unprepared or not punctual. i'm verrryyyy uncomfortable around people when i can't tell if they're sarcastic or not. i hate a lot of foods, too, and am an extremely picky eater because of food neophobia. however, other than that, i don't really dislike a lot of things.

i'd say that, receiving, my love language is quality time. i need to interact with them and hang out, because otherwise i'll grow distant. when giving, mine are primarily giving gifts and physical touch. i express my gratitude and affection for people with hugs– bone-crushingly tight hugs, but hugs nonetheless. i also like giving people small gifts like snacks, and insist on buying people birthday gifts.

all i'll say for my appearance is that i'm very short (under 5'1") and somewhat thin, but rather strong compared to my size.

i'm so sorry if this is way way too much information, but thank you nonetheless! i hope you're doing well!

heylo thanks for the request! my type is also people who i'm close friends with so i totally get the confusion you go through man. anyways, hope you like your match up :D

your jojos match up is.....Bucciarati!!

- When you first meet Bucci he'd be very polite and treat you like any other person. He wouldn't flirt with you off the bat or anything. He'd also be alright with starting as friends and then make a move.

- He's very social and extroverted with many things to do, that should provide for a nice contrast against your introverted personality.

- Bucciarati won't be clingy since he's way too busy with his own things. He'll still obviously make time for you, but he'll also give you your own space to do your own things.

- He'd be drawn to your friendliness and kindness. He will recognise pretty quickly that you over extend yourself to help others (kinda like him) and he'd try to pamper you and ask you to take care of yourself more.

- Bucci's emotional intelligence is top tier so he can help mitigate your panic attacks/anxiety <3

your bucciarati lover,

admin sar

[pretoriafics]

The Princess Diaries

I'm in the princess mood today because I found out that The Princess Diaries are in Disney+. Man, I love this movie SO MUCH!!! Have fun <3

You are the heir of a throne, and you just want to take a break from the monarchy. So, you are in Beacon Hills trying to taste the normal life you always wanted, but in secret! No one knows you are a Princess, but Scott finally finds out. Completely annoyed, you are writing in your diary about how this crap happened. Word count: 1.366 Pairings: Princess!Reader x Enemy!Derek; Princess!Reader x Platonic!Scott; Princess!Reader x Platonic!Stiles; Princess!Reader x Platonic!Erica; A/N: Penny is the way you calls your diary Contain: I think it's pretty fun Warnings: English is not my main language <3; Inappropriate language TEEN WOLF MASTERLIST

Dearest Penny,

I'm freaking out. You have no idea how hard to hide so many secrets from so many people! First of all: I need to be discreet not only because of all that supernatural crap I'd got into now. No one can't ever knows that a real princess is hiding in this city. I want just some peace taking a hiatus from the monarchy, and I'll not have this if everyone found out the truth about me. And, trust me, I'd been passing through a lot through those times.

First of all: Despite being trying to be constantly helpful to Scott and Derek's pack, they are suspicious as hell about me. Everyone in both packs knew I'm hiding something. Derek's bet I'm a hunter. Scott thinks I'm something else. Then, I got Lydia always talking things like 'I'm pretty sure I saw you somewhere else'. Stiles agrees with her because 'yeah, you sound pretty familiar'.

Second: I have Mr. Abbott on my back. He is the man responsible for my security in the USA, which means that, despite being far away from home, it seems like my bodyguards and all people from the royal court still think that I'm porcelain. It means that it has been pretty troublesome to keep them away from all the supernatural bullshit.

I was working as a History Teacher, not just because of my disguise, but I want to know what it's like to have an ordinary life. Contrary to my father's wishes, my car was old, and it sucked. My house? Small and single-story, and the entire security team had to stay in plain clothes, staying in neighboring houses.

But dear Penny, I'm not here to talk about my new and temporary commoner life. I'm here to talk about that, yeah, I was finally exposed.

Well, I was parking my damn old car in the parking lot when I saw something that got me in a bad mood instantly. Not too far away from my car, I saw Derek and Scott talking about something. Judging by Scott's face, they were arguing. I took my books and my notebook from the passenger's seat and walked to them.

"Hey, boys. It seems like you both are in such a friendly talk! What's wrong?"

Derek gives me a deadly glare.

"This is not of your business."

I opened my mouth dramatically, faking a happy surprise.

"You're so sweet. Actually, you're so sweet that sometimes I just want to punch you in the face."

Gosh, I hate him so. Fucking. Much.

He narrowed his green eyes for me, and Scott begins to talk.

"I got some pages of a bestiary, and we need a translation."

Derek looks at Scott.

"You will not give the pages to her."

"She's fluent in greek! And French, and Spanish..."

I smiled at him. Scott forgot about Norwegian. Considering I have cousins in the Norway monarchy, I must be able to talk their language.

"She's not trustworthy." Derek says, looking at me. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not a fucking hunter, okay? If I was one, I'd already cut your head off."

"Derek" Scott looks at the alpha "She's our only chance."

Derek let out a long and angry sigh.

"Fine! But..." He stares at me. If his gaze would be capable of killing, I'd already fallen dead on the floor. "You'll do the translations at my loft, under my sight. If I found out you shared the translations with someone else, I'll rip your throat."

I blinked my eyes a few times, without any reaction. Okay, I was a little bit scary. He was scary. I faked a smile.

"My fear of you is completely bearable."

Derek gives his back for me and walks to his car. Then, Scott looks at me.

"He's right. It will be better if you do the translations at his loft."

My eyes got wider. It was outrageous!

"Come on, Scott! I never let you down. All this suspicious about me is ridiculous."

Scott was serious. He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"So, what are you hiding?"

I felt my bones froze. Well, I couldn't simply tell Scott the truth. Yeah, I was taking a temporary break from the monarchy, but it doesn't mean that I can tell Scott whatever I want. I feared it could change things between both of us. I really like Scott, but if he tells someone? The entire city would know who I am, and I would have to come back to my country. Dammit!

"I'm not hiding anything, Scott."

"You can't lie to me, (Y/N). I can listen to your heartbeat."

I let out a long sigh. It was hard to hide things. Then, Scott looks at me. His expression brightened.

"Wait! I know what you're hiding."

My heart failed a beat, and my face gets pale when he took his cell phone out of his pocket. He writes something on it and, then, he looks at me, scared.

"Holy crap, I knew I already saw you! You're a fucking princess!"

Fuck.

"Shhhhh!!!" I gave him a deadly stare "Shut up!! Oh damn, I hate teenagers and their obsession for the royalty!"

As euphoric as he was surprised, Scott spoke lower now but not with less shock.

"What the hell are you doing here?! You're a teacher! And you drive an old car! And your clothes-"

"Watch your words, McCall! Watch your words!"

"It doesn't make any sense! Where your bodyguards?"

"They are in plain clothes around the school, which is ridiculous for me. I have a gun bearing, and I could kick Derek's ass if I want to. I don't need them, but you know, people are neurotic with my safety."

Scott was looking at me in shock.

"This is so crazy. Why are you here?"

"I'm taking a break from the monarchy. My dad wants me to marry a Duke because 'he is an appropriate man'." I faked my dad's voice, and then I rolled my eyes "We are pretty traditional, which sucks. But I don't wanna marry. I took a break from the monarchy and asked to stay here. You know, Beacon Hills is a low-profile city."

"Will you be, like, a queen one day?"

"Yeah buddy, I'm the heir of the throne. But don't worry, I'll invite you to my coronation."

Scott was still looking at me with widening eyes when Stiles and Erica approach us. Stiles arched his eyebrows when he saw Scott's face.

"...What's happening?"

I gave Scott a deadly glare as a silent threat to him to stay quiet. Scott looks at Stiles and Erica. Both of them are pretty suspicious.

"Uh..." Scott cleared his throat "Nothing."

Erica crosses her arms in front of her chest.

"You lie."

I rolled my eyes. On man, come on!

"I'll just translate the pages Scott found, but your alpha is an arse. I'll need to translate it while being watched by that shitbag. So, you will need to see my beautiful eyes more often."

"Well," Erica narrowed her eyes to me "Considering that you definitely are hiding something, this is not a bad idea."

I would reply to her, but I noticed Stiles looking at me. He was trying to recognize me. Dude, it was just a matter of time until Stiles remembers about me. I'm so fucked up! Erica stares at Stiles with arched eyebrows.

"Weirdo..." She said.

"Hey, Stiles" It was my turn to say something "Do you want to make a painting of me?"

"Man... I swear by God that I already saw you before. This is so weird!"

"Maybe it was in a porn."

Stiles looks at me, scared. Erica holds a laugh. Is he really believing this?

"Do you do porn?!"

"Hell, no Stiles! Do you think I look like a porn actress? Jeez!" Completely pissed off, I turn my back for them while Erica laughs. And I didn't stop talking "Stop watching those things, Stilinski. Go talk with some real girls."

I entered the school apparently calm. However, I was freaking out inside of me. I don't even want to think when Stiles finally finds out. Wish me luck, Penny! I'm in need.

[the-avengers-ate-my-tongue]

The Storm

Summary: You work with Jack Crawford and Alana is your cousin, both of you live together for a long time. She gets caught up with a flat tire far away and asks you to let Will in, for he's expecting her. A storm is coming, and she keeps taking longer and longer to show up. Will the universe conspire in your favor?

Pairing: Will Graham x reader

Warnings: swearing, insinuation of smut, fluff.

Word count: 4.328

A/n: I'm starting to consider changing this tumblr for a Hannibal one, mostly Will Graham, so some requests from other fandoms would be nice haha hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing ♥️

*not my gif

There wasn't a thing such as a boring day at the BAU. 

At least not when you're part of Jack Crawford's crew. There was always an interesting case to focus on, a disfigured body to study the reason of death, it was always a thrilling hunt for evidence. The best experience I've ever had so far in my career, and I could only thank my cousin Alana for putting me on the Guru's radar. I was a great crime scene investigator, albeit a little younger than people gave me credit for. I taught people not to underestimate me over the years, though. I got here by my own effort, being a tenacious, hard-working woman who wouldn't get a no for an answer. 

I got along well with my crewmates, Beverly Katz, Brian Zeller and Jimmy Price, though our relationship hardly extended for life outside work. Except for Beverly, we went out for a couple of beers sometimes, she was fun, witty and I really liked our conversations. Jack was the big boss, and that was it. I had a lot of respect for him, and I knew he didn't regret bringing me to his team, I could see it in his eyes in the first case I've got. I was very cunning when I shared my insights about the cases, sometimes I saw things no one else could, no one but…

Of course, I was far, far away from being a Will Graham. But ever since I was younger, I've had this sort of intuition that helped me to solve problems, I would solve riddles easily and when people asked me how I got to the answer, I wouldn't know the steps, I just knew deep in my bones I was right. That happened a lot when I was growing up and was even stronger now that I knew how to use it. It was some artifice of my inconscient, something I could always count on. It included everything in my life, math, logical thinking, riddles. My brain picked things I couldn't perceive clearly, bringing them to the clear waters of my conscience. 

Will Graham was a curious man. He intrigued me from the very first moment I saw him at the house of one of the last victims of The Minnesota Shrike, Garret Jacob Hobbs, now dead. He was practically hiding in a corner, his eyes closed behind the lens of his glasses, dark wavy hair, jawline for days. He seemed highly focused until Beverly started to talk to him, pulling him out of his daze. He could barely look at her, or at me, and although he looked socially awkward and troubled, he still managed to look like a daydream. I studied every inch of his face, lowering my gaze when he seemed to get uncomfortable, after smiling lightly. I was a bit shy myself. I lived with Alana and, when I got home that night, I absentmindedly asked her about that curious handsome man who seemed to be out of place, yet so connected to that scene. She started to talk about him, but stopped once she noticed my interest. Then, she told me he was a very unstable person, that she wouldn't even be alone in the room with him because of her professional curiosity. As time passed and he solved more and more cases, I could see how people looked at him like an attraction of the zoo. However, not me, and later, not Beverly. Brian didn't seem to like him very much, I could see. Envy, perhaps? Nevertheless, the more I saw Will, the more intrigued I got. He avoided eye contact like the plague, but as I was always friendly and tried my best to treat him like a normal person, not focusing only on work, dead bodies and serial killers, I saw more of those beautiful blue eyes. He knew I was Alana's cousin, and I sooner realized he had a fling for her. 

And boy, did that break my silly little heart. I wasn't surprised, though. Who could blame him? Alana was amazing. I never felt resentful for that, but as time passed, I started to detach from the idea of Will being somewhat more than a simple acquaintance. That afternoon, I was going home from work when I got a call from Alana.

"Speak fast, I'm driving." I said, keeping one hand on the wheel and the other holding my phone.

"You're going home? Great. I invited Will so we could talk about a profile I'm building, but I got caught up here. I already spoke to him, he's almost there, can you let him in? He said he'll wait, and I'll be home in about fifty minutes, no more than that, hopefully." She said in a hurry, and I felt my cheeks burn a little. Will and me? Home alone? 

"I…" I hesitated, chewing my bottom lip nervously. "You won't be long, right? Heard on the radio there’s a storm for later."

"I won't, promise. Just let him in, he's already aware I'll take a little longer to be there. See you soon. Thanks, Y/n!" She hung up, not leaving me any time to answer. I put the phone down, still chewing on my bottom lip. I could feel excitement rising on my stomach, making me feel slightly nauseated, and noticed my hands starting to sweat.

Please. That was ridiculous. What was I, a teenager? I was a grown-up, well-succeeded woman, for God's sake. I rubbed my hands on my jeans, driving a little faster than I usually did almost unconsciously. I got home after twenty minutes, parking outside the pretty house. Will was already there, leaning against his car, so lost in his thoughts he barely noticed I'd arrived. I looked at my reflection at the mirror hurriedly, fixing my hair, pinching my cheeks to look less pale, brushing my eyebrows with my fingers to make them look neat. I wasn't even wearing any lipstick today. It had been a long day at work. 

I opened the car door, exiting the vehicle, the noise from shutting the door finally bringing him out of his daze, and he finally seemed to notice me. He smiled lightly, lowering his eyes. He had his glasses on, but as soon as he saw me, he took them off, hanging them on his shirt.

"Hey, Will. I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long. There was a little bit of traffic." I justified, walking to the porch and waiting for him to follow me. 

"Y/n. Not at all, I just got here. Alana explained what happened, thanks for coming to let me in. Hope I didn't ruin any appointment you may have had." He waited until I unlocked the door, and we finally were engulfed with the warm air of the heater.

"Nope, I was coming home, no appointments lost. Please, come in. I'm not sure you've ever been here before, but make yourself home." I hung my trench coat, sighing with the pleasure of being home. I loved the atmosphere of that place. "Can I get you anything? Water, soda, beer…"

"Thank you. I'm fine. And no, I haven't been here before." I held back the temptation of saying "good", biting my bottom lip as I watched him sit on the couch. I just stood there for a while, not sure of what to do next. 

He frowned a little, probably thinking why I was acting so weird, and that made me nervous, because it was just an easy step to realize my silly crush on him. Did he know? What if Alana said something? Said something? For fuck's sake, he was Will Graham, he could probably see that written across my stupid face! Shit, he knows. I'm making a fool of myself. Why do I even…

"Is everything okay?" His voice startled me a little, pulling me out of my neurotic breakdown, and I wondered how my facial expressions looked. Was I blinking only one eye like the stereotyped madness of cartoons? I certainly didn't look normal. I cleared my throat, laughing lightly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I'm not really used to having people over anymore. I've been working a lot lately. People are dying like flies." I sat on the armchair in front of him, sighing. 

"What we do can be overwhelming sometimes. What we see every day. It just… stains you." He said, with a dark look on his serious eyes. 

I nodded. I felt that way sometimes, but I was used to it. I stopped feeling that sense of inadequacy on my chest years ago. 

"I guess you just begin to cope with it, though. Our brain adapts to that harsh reality. But it's always nice to vent somehow. What do you do in your free time?" I asked, wondering if I was getting too personal. Did I sound like I was probing to ask him out?  I felt my face getting warm. Damn it.

Either he didn't realize, or he was just too chivalrous to point, but he didn't mention anything.

"I fish." He said, simply. I nodded with a light smile.

"And you play with your doggies." I pointed, smiling wider. I loved dogs. He'd mentioned them before, so I just brought the subject up, trying to shift the attention from me to them. Will smiled back, his eyes with a subtle glow. He really loved them, and that was so sweet. "Fishing sounds nice. Unfortunately, I could never. I'm too restless. I'd probably startle all the fish and wouldn't catch anything."

He laughed, and that was the first time I ever heard that sound coming out of him. I felt like I was someone deaf that was able to hear the sound of Mozart's symphonies for the first time, and I just knew. There was never detachment from the idea of Will being more than an acquaintance. It was tackled down inside my brain somewhere, for the brain tends to adapt to harsh realities, but it was still there, just waiting for some incentive. 

"It's just a matter of training, getting used to it. I could teach you someday… if you want." He blinked a few times, as if he was surprised with his own boldness, smiling lightly. "And you? What do you do to vent?" He asked, seeming genuinely interested.

"Well, I read a lot. Maybe I could read by the riverside while I watch you fish." I said, shrugging with a subtle smile.

"It's a date, then?" Will inquired, making me mortified. Caught me by total surprise, and when I was about to say something, my phone rang.

"Excuse me." I answered the phone. It was Alana. "Hey. We're already here waiting for you."

Not that I wanted her to arrive any time sooner, but she didn't have to know that.

"You won't believe me; I've got a flat tire. There's a guy helping me out, I was lucky, I'm in the middle of nowhere. But I'll get there in about fifty more minutes, more or less. Can you put Will on the phone? I'll explain everything to him."

"Do you need one of us to pick you up? I'm sure he wouldn't mind, I wouldn't…"

"No, he's almost done. Thank you. Let me talk to Will, I'll be there soon. The storm is about to catch me, I wanna hurry."

I sighed, grimacing at him. 

"She wants to talk to you." I passed him the phone, studying his expressions while he talked to her. As I looked at the window, I could see the dark clouds gathering up, making the end of the afternoon murky. The storm was about to hit hard. I could see a few thin drops of rain starting to wet the glass.

"I can stay a little longer, no problem. I'm being well attended." He traded looks with me, biting his lip slightly. "Okay. I'll see you soon, Alana."

He gave me the phone, but Alana was already gone. I put it on the coffee table, getting up.

"I think I'll pour myself some wine. Do you want some?" I asked politely. "It's one of the fanciest ones; Hannibal gave us a bottle when we dined at his house a few days ago."

"Yes. Thank you." He waited for me to come back with the beverages, and I did my best not to spill anything, sitting on the couch beside him while I gave him the glass. "So you're acquainted with Dr. Lecter?"

"Oh yeah, he's an old friend of Alana's, sometimes he invites us to dinner. He cooks the best meals I've ever had in my entire life, so I don't exactly decline the invitations. And he's one of the most brilliant people I've ever met, so it's always interesting." I took a sip of the crimson liquid, moaning low in pleasure. Good wine. I preferred a good cup of hot oolong, but it was impossible not to appreciate the quality of that drink. 

A few glasses after and a lot of talks about dogs, fishing and other hobbies, he finally felt safe to bring back the topic. The rain had started really pouring, the now thicker drops hitting the windows loudly. Alana hadn't called again. It was nighttime now, the sky seeming to be darker than usual. I was low-key worried about her, but the conversation was too great to interrupt. She was a good driver. She would be just fine. 

"I've been seeing Hannibal Lecter in his office. Not exactly his patient, though. A courtesy of Jack Crawford to keep an eye on the coping of my brain functions." He sounded a bit bitter, drinking a few sips of his wine.

I could see he didn't like therapy. Must be hard with someone with a mind like his.

"You know, sometimes, Alana psychoanalyses me. Like, she doesn't even notice. It's cute, but sometimes it creeps me out." 

"She has a professional curiosity about me, but she's too polite and considerate to let it slip out. We've never even been alone in the same room together."

I held back a bitter comment, not wanting to talk shit about my cousin, but he saw it right through me. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to put you in a complicated position."

"I know. You're sweet." The word slipped through my tongue before I could contain it. Will blinked a few times, seeming surprised, and I felt my cheeks burn, starting to stutter. "I meant… I'm sorry, did I make you uncomfortable?"

"No, no. It's just… no one's ever called me that before." It was my time to get surprised. He didn't seem to be complimented much, and that just made me flabbergasted. I couldn't be the only one who saw how fantastic Will was.

"... Ah. Well, some people are just shy. I'm shy as hell, don't even know how I had the nerve to say that, it's probably the wine starting to kick in. Hope I really didn't make you uncomfortable, though. Don't need to be polite, it's okay to tell me."

"Actually, I'm curious to know what else you think of me. I sense it's not the only word you have to define me." He sounded bolder, and his eyes were on mine, giving me shivers down my spine. 

"Well… I think you're too exceptional to be defined with a few words. You're… Kind, brilliant… I see how seeing what you see, doing what you do, how it wrecks you sometimes, and you just keep doing it because you're saving lives. That's so selfless, Will. That's…" I was going to say more, but at that very moment, a loud thunder just made the house practically tremble, and I let out a real inelegant weep, coming closer to Will and holding his arm firmly, my fingers grabbing on the fabric of his shirt. He could've thought it was an artifice to get closer to him, but he could see how frightened I was, trembling like a cornered wild little beast. I hated thunders, fireworks, anything loud. Feeling ridiculous, I released his shirt, apologizing with embarrassment.

"It's okay. It's just noise. I'm here." He put some of my hair that had fallen to my face behind my ear with such a tenderness that I felt my stomach twitch, realizing suddenly how close we were. He was looking at me as if it was the first time he was actually seeing me. 

The phone rang again. Alana! I grabbed it from the coffee table, turning to face Will. He wasn't avoiding eye contact anymore, his pupils were dilated. My breathing was accelerated, and I knew it had little to do with the thunder.

"Lana, is everything okay?" I asked with genuine concern. "Are you close?"

"Ah, Y/n. I'm so sorry. I don't think I'll make it in time, I'm driving slow, the roads are slippery because of the storm and it's pretty foggy. I'll stop at a motel and spend the night, or at least wait for the storm to pass. I'm so furious with myself!"

"It's okay cuz, do what's safer for you. I'm sure Will will understand. I'll pass him the phone." I gave him the phone and he talked to Alana for a few minutes, but I wasn't listening. She'd ruined the moment unintentionally, and now he was probably going home. When would I have an opportunity like that again? 

"Okay. Don't worry. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Alana. Take care." He gave me the phone and I put it on the coffee table again. Before any of us could say anything, another thunder cracked the sky, and this time, Will held me so I wouldn't be afraid. The lights went out, and he held me against his chest protectively, making me smell his aftershave and some perfume. He smelled so good. For a moment, I just stood there in his arms, feeling his warmth, his breath, the steady beats of his heart. 

I moved away just a little to see his face, very close to mine, but it was so dark I could only see shadows. A lightning lit up the room and, just for a little moment, I could see his gorgeous eyes staring at me. After a soft touch of his thumb on my lips, he finally kissed me, so gentle, like I could break as fine china with any rougher move. I touched his neck with both my hands, playing with his hair, feeling how soft they were. He pulled me closer, his hands on my waist, and the kiss started to get deeper, voracious, as if we were hungry for each other. Maybe the wine was helping to raise the lust; all I know is that I've wanted that to happen for a long time. Will's kiss was everything I imagined it would be, but entirely different at the same time. All I could say was that he was great at it. His hands traveled through my body, and I grabbed his hair, pulling it slightly. That made a low growl echo through his chest, and I started to feel my body fervent as a bonfire.

I couldn't say much because I was breathless and I didn't want to stop what we were doing, so a single word left my lips as I kept my forehead on his.

"Stay."

Will bit his lip, kissing me again, and that was all the answer I needed.

xx 

Morning. Thin sunrays illuminated my bedroom floor through the curtains, waking me up. The storm was gone. I haven't had a nice night of sleep like that in ages. I looked at the other side of my bed and there was Will, sleeping heavily. It wasn't a dream, after all. Last night really happened. I smiled, staring at the roof with disbelief in my eyes.

I stared at him for a few seconds, unsure of what to do. Should I just let him sleep? He looked so heavenly, his hair was messy, his breathing steady, he seemed so less troubled than he usually was. I touched his hair lightly, caressing it with tenderness, and he started to move. I could see his neck, and a few hickies we marked on his albescent skin. That made me blush a little bit, and I laughed silently. 

He opened his eyes while I still touched his hair, but I didn't stop, and he didn't seem to want me to. We stared at each other in silence for a few moments, and he smiled, a different smile than the usual ones he gave me.

"Hi." He said, pulling me closer by my waist, stroking the skin under the sheets. I pecked him on the lips, then kissing his forehead, his cheek, his jawline. 

"Hey there. Good morning. I'm starving, are you having breakfast with me?"

"Actually, I gotta go home. Feed the dogs." He said, stroking my nude shoulder with his finger.

"Of course. Your dogs. I won't keep you then, poor babies must be so hungry." I kissed his cheek and was about to get up when he pulled me again, gently kissing my lips. I smiled, probably looking like an idiot. A joyful idiot. "I'll let you get dressed. I'll be in the kitchen."

I dressed up in my long and black robe, smiling at him before I left the room, going to the kitchen, where I started to make some french toasts. After a few minutes, I heard the front door open, and an exhausted Alana came in, her hair frizzy and her coat looking still a bit wet.

"Oh, Lana! Go change, you'll get a cold!" I stopped what I was doing, going to her and helping to take off her coat.

"That storm was a nightmare. I swear I won't ignore the warnings ever again. I'm so sorry, I had no idea it would get this bad, yesterday was one of those days where everything just goes wrong. Hope Will arrived well at home, did he seem disappointed or annoyed before he left? I was so inconvenient…"

I didn't even have time to answer, because Will opened my bedroom door, coming out while buttoning his shirt, suddenly realizing Alana was there.

"Oh." Alana said, looking so flabbergasted I almost laughed at her. Will rose his eyebrows at the sight of her, seeming a bit unsure of what to do or say. I wasn't planning for her to find out like this, it was a bit early, I wasn't expecting her to arrive so soon. "Hi, Will."

"Alana. Hi." He avoided looking at her, staring at me, and his eyes immediately softened. I smiled, he smiled back, and that was it, Alana was forgotten.

"Off you go to feed your children." I joked, biting my bottom lip. "I guess I'll see you later, then."

"Definitely." He simply said, kissing my forehead while caressing my hair, certainly a little embarrassed to kiss me in front of Alana. "See you later, Y/n. Bye, Alana."

"Bye, Will." I waved with a soft smile, and he grabbed his jacket, leaving the house.

My smile grew larger and I left my head fall back, squeaking low in commemoration. What a night! What a morning! I never thought I would thank a storm so much, let alone a bloody thunder.

Before Alana could say anything, I realized Will had left his glasses at the coffee table, and I picked it up in a hurry, bursting through the front door and calling him before he left, waving in front of the car.

"You forgot your glasses!" I said, and he opened the car windows, raising his hand to pick them.

I leaned against the car window, putting the glasses on him, and kissing his lips fiercely. He moaned in surprise, holding my face to deepen the kiss. After a moment, I pulled away, appreciating the view of his lips so reddish. 

"Go back inside, it's cold." He said with a cheeky smile, and before I could say he actually made me hotter, he took off with the car.

I went back inside, where Alana was waiting for me with her arms crossed. 

"What the hell did you do to Will Graham?" She asked, sounding severe, but a smile was trying to escape her lips "I mean, besides trying to suck his soul with your mouth a few moments ago."

"Oh, shut up!" I laughed, blushing violently. "You made that happen, you know? Thank you. Was that a set up or did the universe actually conspire in my favor?"

"I wish I'd planned this. That would mean I would've had a plan b and I wouldn't have stayed at that disgusting mote… Y/n, you're full of hickies, I can't believe you!"

"You're starting to sound like my mom, Lana. I'm gonna wear a turtleneck, don't worry, I don't want Beverly all over me like a bloodhound and Brian and Jimmy's witty comments today. In fact, keep it to yourself, okay? Will's discreet. I won't even tell Beverly, if she finds out, the whole bureau will know, hell, maybe even Freddie Lounds."

"I told you to let it go, Y/n. Will's very unstable right now. I… I only want what's best for you." She said with concern in her bright blue eyes. I sighed, walking to her and kissing her cheek with affection.

"You're a good cousin. But I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself, okay? Unless this isn't only about me, unless it concerns something else." I raised an eyebrow while staring at her, more confident that I've ever been. "Is there something you wanna tell me?"

She hesitated, clenching her jaw, but never spoke. 

I smiled, tapping her cheek very lightly in approval.

"I gotta get ready to work. Wanna grab lunch with me later?" I asked in a casual tone, a cynical smile on my face. She shrugged. "See you later then, cuz."

[drferox]

What are your thoughts on the "nature versus nurture" debate? Are certain breeds genetically more aggressive? Or is their behavior learned? I've come across some people who think it's a bit of both, though I myself think that a dog's behavior is centered around how it's treated by its' owner or owners. I recently came back across the debate on an online forum and was promptly told that while I'm a student, my opinion on the matter doesn't constitute evidence (I had never said it did), [1/2]

and that the opinions of my professors, all of whom are either Doctors of Veterinary Medicine or Licensed Technologists, amount to nothing. As someone who has a passion for animals all around, I came here because while I know my professors in person, I feel like an opinion on the matter from an outside and unrelated source could help me gain a bit more understanding on the topic. Forgive me if it’s already been discussed, I tried searching your blog for anything on it but found nothing. [2/2]

The ‘Nature vs Nurture’ debate is honestly a bit of a weird debate, and it has significant potential connotations that may be used by people with certain political agendas.

We have domesticated animals partly (or entirely in the case of the Russian Domestic Fox) by selecting for behavior that we wanted, and over multiple generations the behaviors we wanted became more common. We know in the Russian experiment this behavior change was nature rather than nurture, and this observation would fit with much of what we know about the world.

There are real world examples where we have bred in or bred out particular behaviors in domestic species, sometimes intentionally but sometimes by accident. While an individual animal may be perfectly capable of the behavior, this discussion isn’t really about an individual but the trend seen across the group. As some examples:

Reduced interest in mothering in dairy cows and merino ewes

Egg laying breeds of chicken are less likely to go broody

Herding instinct in herding dog breeds

Retrieving in the retriever breeds

The desire to explode into a gallop at any little provocation in a thoroughbred

So we have certainly bred a lot of ‘nature’ into many of our domestic species, and it seems like wishful thinking to me to claim suddenly that we have not, when we have been deliberately doing so for a long time.

So does breeding, genetics, or an evolutionary history predict a behavior? Yes and no.

Baby mammals know how to suckle, fish know how to swim. These are instincts, behaviors which have been so heavily reinforced in our evolutionary history that they now come essentially pre-programed. But that has taken thousands or millions of generations to cement in.

In the Russian Fox Experiment, it took 10 generations of selection before just 18% of the resulting pups were what you’d consider tame and friendly. That’s a decent correlation, but it’s far from a guarantee of behavior.

Now you look at any given domestic dog and consider what its ancestors have been doing for the last ten generations.

Have they all been herding working dogs? Decent chance that pup will have herding potential.

All award winning agility champions? Probably a good bet for agility.

When you look at aggression in this context you would be hard pressed to predict it, as even if you have ten generations of dogs bred for aggression, only a percentage of those pups will be aggressive, and if you have ten generations bred for friendliness only a percentage of them will be friendly. An individual with a very mixed history, as a rescue puppy might have, who knows where it will come out on this spectrum? And behavior is a spectrum, not just a yes/no binary.

In reality and practice it is fairer to say a breed might have a predisposition for aggression, rather than that it is in their nature to be aggressive. And such breeds are usually labeled as ‘not for beginners’ rather than universally condemned (eg Akita, Husky.)

Because a predisposition doesn’t guarantee the behavioral outcome. Training and handling in the case of dogs, introspection and opportunities in the case of humans, probably has at least as much influence on behavior. A puppy showing signs of aggression in the right hands can still become a well adjusted adult, and a sweet puppy in the wrong home can become a bitey, neurotic mess.

There’s all this thinky, learny, squishy stuff behind the eyes for a reason, and that’s because learning to adapt your behavior is a distinct advantage. Nature might be where an animal starts, nut nurture influences which direction it moves in.

Some animals are too far towards aggression, whether they started there by ‘nature’ or ended up being ‘nurtured’ to that point, and were dangerous to everyone. They all ended up in rescues, and then boarding kennels while those rescues tried to find a foster carer that was properly equipped to handle that dog. And at that point, when simply none of your experienced foster carers feel safe taking on a ‘difficult’ dog, I feel like it probably is best to pull the pin on that one, and put the time and effort into a dog that’s not already reached this untouchable state.

So it’s not nature vs nurture. It’s nature and nurture, and I believe the longer than individual has to learn and grow, the more significant the ‘nurture’ side becomes.

Questions can be submitted through the @ask-drferox blog if you read the FAQ, though comments are preferred to be added below.