#I've been thinking a lot about them lately

[cloudinal]

Guess who's been getting into KH lately

[shiikiyun]

Hi everypony. Futa is no older than 21. Here's why

1. Twitter interface

In Jihen Joutou we are able to see a 1:1 replica of twitter, and the UI cues show that this cannot be before 2017 when the profile pics went from square to circular, aside from other details like the reply button, or the existence of quotes (added 2015) but not the button bellow the tweets (added 2020)

2. Phone model

But to narrow it down even more: Futa's phone ressembles an IPhone 11 the most, released late 2019. The previous models to this one have different camera placements, meaning it is most likely this model, and making his crime impossible to happen prior September 2019.

Additionally: His twitter account was created in March 2016. This could mean nothing, as animation could've already been on production. But, fyi, this account is currently deactivated. It was still there 3 weeks ago, right before t3 started, and the username is unavailable for new accounts, meaning it hasn't been a month since it's gone. Seems deliberate, so, I'd keep it's creation date in mind.

What is his birth year then? I've got a few options.

If MILGRAM takes them in with the age they had when the crime happened (explaining why Haruka would believe he's a teenager): Crime happens in 2019 or right before April 2020, making his birth year 1999. He'd be 21 in real life right before MILGRAM starts, at the oldest.

If MILGRAM takes them at the age they are by April 2020, start of the project: Birth year is 2000. He is truly 20, but was 19 at the time of the crime.

Making him any older than this would force him to be older than 20 when the crime happens in 2019, and make not only his claim but MILGRAM's profile be nonsensical (why would he say he's 20 and why would MILGRAM not, at least, put it in doubt if he was already older by the time of the crime?)

Let's also remember one thing from the first novel: Dead people and people in a coma can still appear in MILGRAM as completely fine and real, and MILGRAM can tamper with memories. We shouldn't jump the gun to make this make real sense, because it doesn't. It isn't a real facility.

What does this mean for Haruka and the rest then? I think there's a group of prisoners that are of a slightly older time period and another group that are closer to the start of the project (Namely Mikoto, for example, as the train he takes and his phone model are also pretty contemporary. Additionally— he has 4G, introduced in the 2010s, so it could not be earlier than that, and I've read e-cigarettes became more popular in Japan around late 2010s. My guess is also 2019/2018, but I'm not as confident in Mikoto as I am Futa simply because I'd have to dig more to find specific models and stuff. Futa was just too easy lol. Mahiru also cannot be earlier than 2016 because of the Your Name reference). This would not mean they lied about their ages in MILGRAM, not even that they are older in real life. They could've died at the age they are in MILGRAM, or, as I said, are taken as the age they were when the crime happened and truly are and believe the age they claim. Personally, I think Haruka's age being alluded to not be exact comes from the severe neglect starting at 15— His perception of aging blurs after that, he could be 15, he could be 19, but somewhat still a teen. Let's remember he was investigated by the police after killing pets, after the murder of the child, it's almost sure he was caught. I don't think he made it to 23 (probably suicide), but that's my personal speculation.

In conclusion: Don't let the sudden reveal that Haruka was born in 1997 make you catastrophize the rest of the cast or Haruka's age itself. There is a lot of proof that the events in MILGRAM aren't parallel to real life time passage, and even if the prisoners have a different birth year than what you could easily calculate by subtracting (age) to 2020— It doesn't immediately mean their ages in MILGRAM aren't true. Let this be an opportunity to revisit MVs for context clues that could easily reveal the time period the crimes took place in, like I did with this guy! Thanks

[fairykukla]

Ok, here's a thought I've been thinking lately.

I'm 50 years old. I've watched, in real time, as Autism diagnosis and public perception has shifted over the years.

So for my Internet kids and grandkids, here's the deal:

Austism used to be a word that was whispered. It was like a death sentence. People with autism were shuffled away into care facilities or, like, still stuck in attics or something. If you knew someone with an autistic person in their life, the socially correct response was pity. "You poor thing, your child is autistic. What a burden. I'm so sorry."

Gradually, awareness started to happen. We got Rainman and Bill For Short. We also started to see diagnosis for hyperactivity, or ADHD, but those were kids (and mostly boys) who were disruptive, and were given heavy medications to calm them down.

But these were still situations where pity is given to the caregivers, and the people with autism or ADD were still stuck with "Be traumatized/medicated into masking disruptive behavior" or "Shuffled away into special schools/cate facilities."

Then we started to see more awareness. People in the spectrum started to speak up and speak out. There was still lots of stigma, but now it was more like, "Oh, your kid has Autism, but it's not AUTISM-autism, it's just Asperger's? Well thank God. You poor thing."

These stigmas are still in play. People still react with pity for caregivers and scorn for people on the spectrum.

Despite better and better understanding of autism, despite more and better language to discuss it, despite all the awareness being raised, that stigma is still around, baked into our culture.

This is part of the cognitive dissonance around "Hey, fellow adult friend? Do you think that I could be ... Autistic?" And they look worried, or cringe when you say, "Yeah, I could see that."

That person is fearful. They're shocked. They may be wrestling with The Horrors about it. For many of us who have worked out on our own that we are neurodivergent, whether through formal diagnosis or having the "Ah-Ha!" Moment with a self diagnostic tool, it can seem weird that someone is freaking out when they're faced with a similar situation.

Listen. I was a Weird Kid(tm). I was having SEVERE issues in school despite my high IQ and having two teachers as parents. In 1981 or so, the answer was that I had an "unspecified childhood neurosis" and a general anxiety disorder, that would later get the moniker "School Anxiety." I was not given meds, but I was given 5 years of talk therapy with a child psychiatrist.

As an adult, after a few years of thinking that I fit the profile for ADHD, my mom gave me all my paperwork from my childhood. (Immunizations, school records, and the like.) In that paperwork I found my evaluations from the early 80s. I had criteria I didn't even know about, and let me tell you; I'm in the AUDHD spectrum somewhere. My youngest cousin got her diagnosis early, but she was born when I was 33.

And then my father got his. My brother came to me in horrified shock. "Kukla, did you know that our father has autism?!?"

And I laughed. "Uh, yeah. Didn't you figure out that half the rules in our house growing up were to manage his sensory issues? Isn't it his dream to go disappear into the woods somewhere? Weren't you the one who calls it "Socializing with Papa" when you do tasks in the same space without talking to each other for a few hours? BRO HES A MATH TEACHER WHO BOUGHT A HOUSE NEXT TO A TRAIN TRACK AND COLLECTS MAPS."

But. I was the one who had five years of really excellent therapy to come to terms with being a weird kid. To take power from my weirdness, to use it as both sword and shield. To defeat the rejection sensitivity dysphoria, or at least mitigate its effects. (Now I just come across as an arrogant know it all. And I'm comfortable with that.) I live on the island of misfit toys, and they made me their goddess. Most of the people who are close to me are not neurotypical, and I don't just mean "the spectrum."

My brother is probably neurotypical... Apart from the dyslexia. He Plays The Sports. He does Bro things. His inner circle of friends and found family are "mundanes." He doesn't talk to autistic people everyday, or *thinks* that he doesn't talk to autistic people every day. So, for him, he found out that our father got diagnosed with Autism and freaked the fuck out.

So I say unto my fellow Tumblr gremlins, goblins, racoons, and misfit toys: be gentle with the newbies. If you see someone struggling about it just be nice to them.

They're expecting pity. Or scorn.

Don't give it to them.

Dance around and naruto-run and invite them to play, too. Teach them how to find their happy stim.

It is hard. But we can also be joyful. And we should.

[creatingblackcharacters]

I have a question AGAIN! (I feel like I flit about your inbox a lot, mb) But lately I've been,, thinking of something. I'm into Greek myth and I know you're decently familiar with it, and there's just been something bothering me.

I don't remember the last time I saw an Ares who wasn't dark-skinned or Black/Black-coded. In theory, I think it's fine to make mythological characters look like whatever, but it sort of bugs me. I feel like a LOT of artists make him Black, and I just can't help but see the correlation between the god of war who has a somewhat adulterous relationship with the goddess of love and lust, being depicted as a Black man, when Black men are already stereotyped as violent, thuggish and over sexualised.

But when I consider this, I also feel like Black Ares is somewhat embedded in the artist community, to the point in my head it would almost feel like whitewashing if i happened to draw him and NOT make him Black, although the connotations Black Ares carries makes me uncomfortable. And there are probably Black artists out there who like Ares and want him to look like them! ig it's sort of just a weird conundrum, where I kind of wanted to hear mods opinion.

I will admit that my view of Greek Classics fan spaces is heavily biased by my continuing disgust for their rampant antiblackness and the different forms it has taken (dare I say, like a hydra), and I very rarely willingly choose to jump in to see creations- so if it reaches me, it reaches me (literally every time I share a Good Piece, my for you gets filled with Mediocre to Racist pieces). So I cannot say that I've always seen Ares as Black as a pattern, bc I don't see his art much at all.

HOWEVER, you are not wrong in your concerns! Remember, while there is nothing wrong with having a Black character be "problematic", the reasons WHY people are more comfortable choosing certain problematic depictions to "allow" Black characters to be, versus others, can make quite plain what types of messages people either believe, or are willing to ignore and let slide.

Why is it easier for you to see this character as Black, versus the others? Did you think about what you were doing, with this depiction? Did you add any depth to it; were you trying to say something about this, were you trying to subvert something (and failed)? Because, if we go with that depiction of Ares (of the bad things) there are SO many symbolic reasons him being white works very well.

Now I've been in that space and... Well, as a Black creator, it is clear they aren't gonna listen to my ass, and I'm not trying to Matrix dodge all those inane bullets from people determined to enjoy their racism. Nonetheless, it's worth a shot! Try seeing what happens if you speak up, if you question.

Also, when you create your Ares pieces, the same thought process applies to you! If you don't want Ares to be Black because of those negative connotations, who do you want to be Black? Why is that better? Is there a way for you to understand his story for him to be Black, without being stereotypical (which, yes, I could also do). The Black artists creating Black Ares have probably thought about this.

[writingdevil]

Would it be cool if you could do a skephero story? It's my favorite ship and I barely see anything outright shippy with the two within the Tumblr space, so I would love to see your spin on them.

Thanks in advance and remember to take your time and take care of yourself firstly if the request pile gets a bit tall <3

(It'd be so cool to to do a skephero one! I also haven't seen a lot of it, but I'd think they'd be really good together as well. Thank you for caring about my health as well, that's really sweet of you. Anyway, enjoy!)

"Why do you do that?"

Hero paused in confusion, trying to pull his head out of the bliss he had just been under, panting as he stared up at Skeptic, who had pulled away from kissing him to ask him that question.

It felt like his head was full of cotton, and all he could manage to do was push out a weak, "What?"

But Skeptic looked entirely too focused and awake as he said, "That thing you do. Why are you doing it? It's been bugging me all day."

"What thing?" Hero let his arms fall from around Skeptic's neck, slowly trailing down his arms. "Am I not good at kissing you?" The horror of that suddenly made Hero try to sit up. "I'm sorry, I can try to-"

"No, no, it's not that." Skeptic was quick to reassure him otherwise though, patting him on the chest so that Hero laid back down on the bed. "You're perfectly fine at kissing."

"Oh." Relief flooded through Hero, making him sag against the blankets, before confusion took ahold of him again. "What are you talking about then?"

Skeptic had an expression of complete seriousness on his face, as he looked Hero in the eye, and asked, "Why did you let Cheated take your food this morning?"

Hero's mind went blank in that moment.

"Did you actually stop making out with me to ask that?"

"I'm serious!" Skeptic insisted, and Hero felt like this had to be some bizarre dream, that this couldn't actually be how his afternoon was going.

He thought he was going to be able to relax and kiss his partner silly until well into the night, and not have to stress about anything, but no. His amazing, sweet, intelligent partner had other things on his mind.

"I need to know why you did that," Skeptic demanded, and Hero looked around in disbelief as if to convince himself that this was real, before complying and saying, "I just-wanted to? Because he woke up late and missed breakfast. I just thought it was a nice thing to do for him-can we go back to kissing now?"

Hero reached up to try and capture Skeptic's lips, but Skeptic just tilted his head back in annoyance. "But that meant that you didn't eat breakfast, and I didn't find out until an hour later."

Hero flushed in embarrassment, remembering how Skeptic scolded him while making him food, and how Hero should be grateful that it was him that found out, and not Hunted and Paranoid.

"Okay, I promise to eat better," Hero said, "There-problem solved." But Skeptic shook his head. "That's not entirely the problem though."

"What is it then?"

Skeptic sighed and pushed himself up with his elbows on either side of Hero's head, giving him a worried look as he just studied his face, to the point that Hero was beginning to squirm on the spot.

Then, Skeptic looked Hero right in the eyes as he said, "You keep doing things for others."

Confusion was all over Hero's mind. "What?"

"You keep doing things that are good for the others."

Hero chuckled lightly. "So?"

"So that means you never think about yourself," Skeptic explained, poking Hero's stomach to get his point across. "I don't think I've ever seen you make a decision that was purely to make you happy-"

Hero cut Skeptic off with a loud groan, gripping his forearms firmly and swiftly flipping their positions around so that Hero was now hovering over Skeptic.

He gave the other a pleading look. "Can we talk about this later? Do we have to talk about it now?"

Skeptic gave him a baffled look, looking around at what had just happened, before his gaze flew back to Hero, a steely determination in his eyes as he gripped his shoulders.

"Yes, we have to talk about it now! It's important." Hero shrugged his shoulders casually, ignoring the bundle of nerves forming in his chest. "I don't think it's that important, and what's wrong with doing something nice for the others? Is it really that bad?"

"No-" Skeptic began, before cutting himself off with a sharp sigh and flipping them over again with a groan. Hero's head had barely hit the bed before Skeptic continued, "The problem isn't being nice to the others. The problem is that you're never nice to yourself. You'd rather jump off a cliff than do something that you want to do, and that's the problem."

Hero chuckled nervously, avoiding Skeptic's intense gaze. "I think your overreacting. It's not that big of a deal."

That was definitely the wrong thing to say, as he heard Skeptic inhale sharply, and Hero felt him grip his shoulders tighter. "Okay, then," he said, and Hero could hear the rising annoyance in his voice, "well then how do I know you even want to be with me? What if you're only doing this because I have feelings for you? How do you think that makes me feel?"

Hero's head suddenly snapped to Skeptic's face, noticing the frustration-and a little bit of hurt. "That's not true, I promise!" Hero exclaimed, before quickly flipping them over so that he could be on top once again.

"Skeptic, I love you so much, and I would never lie to you about something this serious to both of us." He gave Skeptic a pleading look-surely the other could pick up that he was being genuine right now.

"I just-" Hero paused, but he couldn't hold back now, not when it was hurting Skeptic. "I just don't know how to do things for myself."

Skeptic furrowed his brows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Hero sighed. "Look, I don't wanna proper get into it, but-I'm just too used to making decisions for Him." Hero lowered his gaze, staring at Skeptic's fluffy chest.

"It was always about what was best for Him, and what was best for Him was usually best for us, too. So when He left us, and we suddenly could make choices for ourselves, it was just-easier, to keep doing that, to keep doing things that would make others happy. I'm not used to thinking about myself. I've never had to do that before."

He fell into silence, busying himself by preening the feathers on Skeptic's chest, before allowing a small smile to appear on his face.

"But I do know-" he added, giving Skeptic a coy look, "-that this is helping with that."

Hero had the pleasure of feeling Skeptic's feathers puffed up beneath his hands, and his smile grew wider as he saw that hungry glint in Skeptic's eyes, before Hero found himself being yanked down, lips crashing into his, and he sighed, ready to relax once again.

He tilted his body to the left, letting Skeptic manoeuvre their bodies once again, but Hero's body was struggling to touch the soft sheets of the bed as they twisted until-

SLAM!

-They fell off said bed.

Hero let out a half groan half laugh as he clutched Skeptic, who just looked mortified next to him. But then Hero caught his eye, and cupped his face, and that was enough to bring Skeptic out of his shock, who giggled to himself at how stupid they both were, giving Hero the perfect chance to bring Skeptic into a soft, sweet kiss.

[dragqueenstarscream]

(i’m sure you’ve probably answered this question before, and if you have, just direct me to a post or two, 😭😭 i’m new to following you)

hello!!! can i ask more about why you ship starop? id love to hear more about how you discovered + fell in love with the ship, the dynamics you find interesting about it, etc!! the ship is just something i hadn’t considered, and i really love the passion you have for it <3

hello! good to see a new anon in the askbox! :D

i have answered it before, but i've never really gone in depth as to why i like starop so much, so i'll make this the post where i do that.

i initially thought of starop as a ship when considering that optimus is my favorite autobot and starscream is my favorite decepticon, so why not ship the two? it only increased when i watched tfp and saw the episode where starscream attempts to defect, only for him to fight with arcee and go rogue again. there's this moment where starscream gives optimus the biggest puppy dog eyes, and it made me think, "oh, these two would be cute!"

then there was the orion pax episode, and especially the antarctica episode, and it just made me ship them even harder. it got me thinking about starop in other continuities, and now, if starscream and optimus are in a series together, then i'm probably gonna ship them.

i absolutely love starop primarily because i see myself a lot in starscream, someone on the wrong side of things suffering from abuse. starop, for me anyways, represents a possible redemption. it represents a way out, finding someone who cares for your well-being and wants you to become a better person.

one of my favorite starop dynamics as of late has been armada. a lot of people know that starscream joins the autobots in that continuity, but those who haven't seen it might not know that starscream is manipulated by thrust into rejoining the decepticons. even after he rejoins the decepticons, optimus has faith that starscream will do the right thing and become a better person, and starscream even openly worries about optimus in episodes after that. i'm not writing fanfiction here, this is canon. optimus being willing to give starscream a chance was what sent him on the path to becoming a better person. none of the other autobots had faith in him except for optimus, and that changed him forever.

so yeah, i have a ton of love for this ship! it's criminally underrated, and i'm always happy to talk about it!

[kathleenkatmary]

I worked in a Catholic school on and off from the late 2000s to the late 2010s, and while we weren't beholden to education bills like NCLB and ESSA in the same way public schools were, it would simply be untrue to act like they didn't have an enormous impact on the way a lot of private and religious schools operated. While private schools aren't required to follow state standards, many private schools will still follow them, for a variety of reasons. And NCLB had a huge impact on state standards, and a lot of that carried over to Common Core. So there were plenty of private schools (especially Catholic ones, because for some reasons Catholic schools are really big on the idea of doing everything public schools do, just with religion classes and church added it, but still acting like they're somehow inherently better schools, it's so fucking weird).

I think NCLB continues to be devastating, because even though it's gone, it's not like ESSA magically just undid everything NCLB put in place. There's still way too much emphasis placed on standardized test scores, and that preoccupation with that kind of thing has developed into a general obsession with a class's overall 'scores' even outside of standardized testing. That focus on a class succeeding rather than individual students succeeding is still going strong, and it's still leading to kids who don't just immediately perform well slipping through the cracks. It also means that even kids who do perform well aren't meeting their full potential because. And a lot of the shit that teachers do to try to meet the 'scores' their class is supposed to meet kind of blew my mind. There would be times that I'd grade an entire set of papers, and when the teacher whose room I worked in saw that the scores on those papers was low, she'd just throw them out and wouldn't record the grades. The only time things were ever recorded into the gradebook were when the average grade was high enough. Every week I was giving at least one kid a "make up" spelling test when everyone else was at church on Friday because they hadn't done well enough on the first test. And I was always supposed to 'review' the words with them until I was satisfied that they would do well on the test. Shit like this meant that students who struggled weren't actually given the extra time and attention they would need to succeed. They were given just enough to get them a good enough grade that it wouldn't pull the class's scored down. And a lot of the time that translated to all but giving them the answers.

We also ignored the rules and, in my opinion, blatantly cheated on the standardized test we did have. But most of the reactions I've gotten when I've said that to people have been little more than shrugs because they're first graders and it's really just a practice test so it doesn't really count. But if it didn't really count then why bother with the cheating? Because those scores were still looked at by the school's administration and still taken just as much into account as everything else.

I think that's probably the most insidious thing about NCLB, the way it shaped the sort of larger mindset around education in such a massive way that even though one of the biggest outcries surrounding it was that there was too much focus on standardized testing and scores, that idea of evaluating things based on a group's scores and grades, and the importance those things are given, in a way that hurts both those who excel and those who struggle still has a stranglehold on education in a lot of ways.

I was today years old. That is disgusting.

No Child Left Behind is one of the worst things to ever be incentivized in schools. It was signed into law when I was 14. Reading Rainbow was my show as a kid. LeVar Burton played a big part in why I became an avid reader to date. The joy of it. It's an adventure around the globe and through different time periods without stepping on a plane or time machine.

Children parrot behavior. In grade school, I always wanted to read the same amount of books as my teachers (50 books) and managed to double that each year. Before No Child Left Behind, book fairs and Scholastic catalogs were a serious matter like your grandma's Fingerhut catalogs. Libraries were (and still are) a wonderland.

Reading comprehension and proficiency in schools has been declining for decades. A crisis. The joy of books isn't pushed anymore and I'm always saddened by it. It's one of the reasons why I post my book reviews and recommendations on here, as well as posts from others to encourage reading and (novel) writing. Kids will parrot your behavior while the education system sadly fails to return as that example.

[hergrandplan]

Nina!!! I feel it is my duty as your enable to ask about Breaking Beds please <3

im wondering if you like. Know what this fic is because you know the premise but idk if i ever mentioned the working title to you... which. honestly I do think I did

very enabler of you indeed

SO . Breaking Beds. my current Big WIP (I have two I'm actively working on, one is a small one-shot, the other is.. this beast of a fic). A title that's btw definitely going to change because even though I got it from a song lyrics, every time I see it I think about Breaking Bad. Very different vibe.

They made their way down to the dining room after Minou called them, Simon falling into step beside Wille. "So… you just live here?" he said, while shamelessly eyeing the portraits they walked past. Wille chuckled. "No, me and Ilse, my fiancee," he clarified when he saw Simon's confused look, "have a house in [rich area]. I won't move here until I become king, and even then I'm planning on keeping my house as an official residence." Simon gave nothing more than a hum, and they continued to walk in silence. What did Simon see, walking through these halls? A lavish display of wealth? A poor use of tax-payers' money?

GOD im even more scared to mention the plot of this one than I am to talk about the Fic that is a Rewrite that I posted about just now but don't want to fully admit what it's a rewrite of yet. but fuck it I posted a snippet of this fic on Sunday, it's happening we ball

BASICALLY this is a fic that kind of came about after listening to Gemini Moon by Reneé Rapp one too many times, and also writing a ficlet based on it. It's an idea I've been playing around with in my head for actual ages, that basically comes down to: what if Wille didn't realize he was queer until he was in his late twenties? And what if he has a fiancee? Who he genuinely loves? And what if the reason he realizes he's queer is because he meets Simon, the author of his biography, and in getting to know Simon and talking about himself so much, he slowly finds out that ... oh. he's not straight at all.

Now this sounds all fine and dandy, but the reason I'm scared is because I'm employing a lot of less standard things. Like... actively cheating. That kind of thing. But I have always been intrigued to write a more messy kind of story, the explore the messiness of humans because damn, we can be messy and why should Wilmon be the exception? It's very interesting for sure and I love writing it but damn if it doesn't also scare me to actually post it lol

Ask me about my WIPs

[drabbletron]

Rodimus my sweet bb you don’t need to out do anyone we love you AHHH

Anyways I love the soft side of him you write, he’s so sweet and I just wanna gift him a teddy bear and see his face light up damnit

Love the bonded ‘now I feel your pain’ vibes, I think it would be cute if it went the other way too, since you’re bonded now you two feel the good sensations, and no I don’t mean only nsfw, (though that is a thought to explore hmm) like a deep tissue massage? They normally can’t get them bc of their plating- I imagine he gives his partner a massage while their on their period after learning it helps and is just like “holy PRIMUS this is good” lmao

I'm glad I could do him some justice! He I feel would need a lot of love and for someone to really see him for himself, not the self-centered ass he can be or the guy who isn't Optimus.

I'm sure that sharing sensations could be a thing, but I imagine it happening when the feeling is super intense like agonizing pain, incredible joy, deepest sorrow, especially for an organic and a bot. It may even happen less often because of the difference in species.

Lately I've also been exploring the idea of being able to feel a bot's EM field in the same way one can feel static electricity or the crackling of touching an old pot-belly tv set. I think there's a lot to play with in terms of exploring alien biology here.

I saw this post about how cleaning a computer can be rather intimate if you subscribe to the objectum subculture on the internet (tl;dr: being attracted to inanimate objects like machinery or computers), I was thinking about doing a fic where reader is asked to help clean their bot s/o's inner workings in that same way. It'd be like a sensory play type deal that involves a lot of trust and it could be akin to wire play or almost spark play. Or maybe the bot's s/o has a custom built PC and they walk in on them taking it apart and carefully and oh so delicately cleaning and repairing the insides.

The human doesn't know that this is an intimate thing for them and mayhaps the bot does or does not tell them. Or even it could be something that brings up the topic of other, non-sticky sexual interfacing that they could explore. It could even be non-sexual in the way that cleaning your s/o can be relaxing for them and even yourself.

I'm rambling, but there are so many different ways that could go and stuff like that is even referenced in Alex Milne's Hot Motor Oil and Beast Wars (both have mentions of removing chest plating being erotic to a degree).

[laylajeffany]

Break Even | Melissa Schemmenti-Centric Multichapter Story

Summary Melissa has always been a gambler. She is a pro at knowing when to hold her cards close to her chest, or when fold and give in. On top of it all, she has been walking away from whatever tugged on her heart for the last decade.

…And everything about her life both in and out of Abbott is telling her to run.

Determined not to let her chips fall, Melissa goes all in, playing every dirty move she has until the day she runs out of aces.

Melissa-centric, focusing on her relationships with the full Abbott crew - her acceptance that they’re more than just a work family, dealing with the dynamics of her biological family, the district actually coming through for Abbott to have a counselor three days per week (future femslash slowburn), and all the reasons that Melissa has a difficult time opening her heart up to love that can’t be explored in a sitcom without it becoming a drama

Read on AO3! Chapter one features Melissa missing her roommate after Jacob spent the summer away, arguing with her sister, leaning on Barb, needing to do something about her unhappy relationship with Captain Rob, and the Abbott crew reuniting before the new school year kicks off.

Info for anyone new to my writing below the cut!

POV I only read and write in third-person passive voice, so there is no x reader content - which is what it seems like most of the Melissa fandom likes, lol. I'm so sorry - but I literally cannot scribe or comprehend fictional text in anything but third person POV. (I had a meltdown reading Amber Brown is Not a Crayon in front of my second grade class in the late 1900s and learned that anything but third person, passive voice was not for me.) Romance For a big project that is centered around a single character's POV/development, romance is generally the C plot at most. It's important, and I wouldn't be able to drive the story forward or have a satisfying conclusion/story resolution without it (it's often also a plot device), but it's not the focus of the story. Romantic relationships help spur the individual development of the main character, not define them.

Word Count Egregious violations of word economy principals are my passion. I write a lot. I write excessive detail. I love to add extensive slice of life content in addition to the main plot; it's what makes characters feel like real people to me. Every chapter has an outline - and the length of the chapter just depends on how long it takes to get through the main points plus add the slice of life elements that make the world feel complete. For multichapter fics, my chapters tend to be 10k at minimum, but might average as high as 50k+, and have been known to get up to 76k. (I have previously broken AO3's character limit.) If the thought of reading a single chapter of a fanfic that is longer than the entirety of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is overwhelming to you - my writing might not be your style, lol.

Original Characters I do love an OC in a world where there isn't a character that matches what I need to drive a plot forward. I spend a great deal of time building their character, getting to know them in pages upon pages of notes about their backstory/interests/hobbies/personality/catch phrases, etc., so that they feel like as much of a real person who belongs in an established universe as the actual characters do. Across fandoms, my OCs have generally been well-established and beloved enough to even earn their own fanart, so I'd like to think I do a good job at developing them. That said - I'm fully aware, OC's aren't for everyone.

Unique to Abbot I've written a lot of stories that contain school settings in my 20+ years of writing fanfic, but nothing that I think hits so close to home as Abbott will. Having worked in underfunded public elementary schools in large cities in the United States for the last decade, I have an extremely in-depth understanding of the very specific setting that Abbott is. While Philly has not been my teaching home, the parallels from incompetent leadership to rodent infestation to being unable to send children home with highly contagious infectious disease are coast-to-coast teaching realities in America. I look forward to releasing some work-based tension with this story! The only thing I find unrealistic about Abbott is the fact that all the teachers get a lunch break every day (and at the same time, at that), and regular 'free periods' (what I assume they mean is planning time sans children) because that simply hasn't been my experience teaching in America, lmfao - they love to violate our contracts. I think it's a planned psychological experiment to see how long we can take it before we have complete mental breakdowns. I've seen a few - teachers up and leave in the middle of the year...I guess some of us are either content hostages and/or just suckers.

[spr1ngtweaks]

Hiiii, this is kinda of a weird ask, but I'm absolutely in love with all of your William Afton posts (in all his different forms) and was wondering if you'd be ok with writing a lil angst(/comfort??)request.

What would William (in any form of your choice) do with a s/o who doesn't actually care a whole lot about what he's done, but is actually just a lot more hurt about him not telling him. They somehow find out (somehow) and they start crying and saying stuff like "How could you", and at first he thinks they're upset about the while child murder things -which they are but that's not the main thing they're upset over- but they finish with "How could you not tell me this! Don't you trust me?!"

Idk it's just a silly lil thought, because I've been thinking about it a lot. Especially with all your recent William Afton fics being an absolutely amazing works of writing.

Notes: It's a great honor to hear that you like it, anon^^! Wishing you the best things, have fun.

"How Could You Not Tell Me?"—William Afton’s Reaction

At first, when you find out—really find out—William is already bracing himself for the worst. He knows exactly what people think of him. Monster. Murderer. Liar. He’s heard it all before. If you’re screaming at him, sobbing, he expects it. He knows he deserves it.

But then—you say that.

"How could you not tell me this? Don't you trust me?!"

And it stops him cold.

1. At First—Disbelief and Confusion

His first instinct? He misreads it completely. He assumes you’re crying because of what he’s done—because you finally see him for what he is. But then you say those words, and something flickers across his face. Confusion. Hesitation.

Trust? You’re crying because he didn’t tell you? Because he kept it from you?

William actually falters. For the first time in a long time, he doesn’t know what to say.

2. His Defense Mechanism Kicks In—Deflection, Sarcasm

William Afton is not good with emotions. When he feels vulnerable, he deflects. He says things to push people away—sometimes cruel things, sometimes just outright dismissive.

🔹 "Oh, that’s what you’re upset about? Not the murders?"🔹 "You’re crying because I didn’t tell you? Do you hear yourself?"🔹 "What, exactly, did you expect? That I’d sit you down and—what? Confess?"

At first, he won’t acknowledge the real weight of what you’re saying. He doesn’t want to. Because that would mean facing the fact that this—hurting you, breaking your trust—is something he actually cares about.

3. But Then It Hits—And He Can’t Laugh This Off

Maybe it’s the way you’re looking at him—shattered, betrayed. Maybe it’s the way your voice shakes when you say “Don’t you trust me?” Because that is what gets to him.

Trust? William doesn’t trust anyone. Trust is a liability. Trust is a weakness.

But you?

He realizes, too late, that this—**you—**was the one thing he didn’t want to lose.

4. The Silence—The Moment He Can’t Dodge

For once, he doesn’t have a snide remark. He just… stares at you. There’s something in his expression—something almost unreadable. Guilt? Regret? Fear?

Maybe all of them. Maybe none.

His lips part slightly, like he wants to say something—but he doesn’t.

Because what the hell is he supposed to say? That he’s sorry? That it wasn’t about trust? That it was never about you?

Or maybe—it was always about you. About keeping you in the one place he still had control.

5. His Answer—Not in Words, But in Action

William doesn’t apologize outright. Not in the way you might want. Instead—

🔹 He doesn’t look away. He lets you see him—really see him—for what he is. 🔹 He doesn’t argue when you call him a liar. When you demand to know why. 🔹 He grips the edge of the table, his knuckles white—like he’s holding himself back from saying something real.

And then, finally—his voice, low. Rough.

🔹 “I didn’t want you to look at me like this.”

That’s the closest thing to the truth you’ll get.

Because William Afton is selfish. He keeps things from you not to protect you—but to protect himself. To keep this—**you—**separate from everything else that he’s destroyed.

But now? You know. And there’s no taking it back.

6. The Aftermath—What Changes?

You could walk away. Maybe you should. But if you stay—if you force him to face this, to face you—he doesn’t run. He doesn’t beg. He doesn’t even try to convince you he’s a good person.

But he does something he never does:

🔹 He tells you the truth. Maybe not everything, but enough. He lets you in. 🔹 He stops lying to you. Not because he’s changed, but because he owes you that much. 🔹 He watches you carefully, waiting. Because now that you know, the power is in your hands—not his.

And that? That terrifies him more than anything else.

[beeholyshit]

They just need to look at each other and everything's ok 🩷

[soratsuart]

Decided to be self indulgent and doodle my KH OC Chrome, I love them very much, thank you

Yes, they're Gula's apprentice, gonna be self indulgent like that

[chxrrylungs]

how long are you willing to keep that promise?

[milosquietplace]

I'm not even into piss like that but fuck. The way cis dudes just whip it out and do it anywhere....

Need to be on a camping trip with Dad where he doesn't even pause the conversation when he unbuckles his belt and I see his huge adult cock for the first time as he pisses against a nearby tree. And I'm so embarrassed because I shouldn't be seeing that but also I don't want to look away and the way he groans in satisfaction is making my parts feel all weird and tingly and UGH-

[godmadeaterribleerror]

✨5 Things You Will Always Find In My Fics!✨

Thank you to @dingo-ate-my-hot-lettuce-crazy and @aylacavebear for the tags! I fear I'm super late but you know, better than never.

🤍1 - Metaphors/Similes🤍

I would rather, personally, shoot myself than just say "they were sad." I gotta say HOW they're sad. It's more interesting, it challenges me more, and it tells you more about the character based on what type of sadness they're experiencing and how their internal dialogue convays it. Emotions feel different to differnt people, and on characters ocean-like sadness might be another's iron on their chest sadness. The bad part of this is I write the words "like" and "as if" a lot, but I think it's worth it.

🤎2 - Dialogue🤎

The reason my word counts often get so high in all my writing is because I love making the characters yap. It builds all they're individual dynamics better, and I think it's a better way of conveying story than just explaining what they talked about (no hate to people who do that! It's just better for myself!) Plus I often find that the dialogue flows out of me, like I'm getting fucking possessed or something, and it's always so much fun to write. Plus it will often change the direction of the story for better, because I'll be planning one thing, the characters will be talking, and then they'll say something that makes me realize what I'd been planning isn't in character for them at all. Dialogue for the win.

🩷3 - Love🩷

I love love. Love it. There are so many things to say about it, to express it even if it all leads back to the same place. I could write a whole dissertation about my thoughts about love, but instead I'll just direct you to the million words I've written about it in my stories. Love fucks so hard. Gotta have love.

🩵4 - (Hopefully) Layered Characters🩵

There's always the chance I'm not conveying this as well as I want within my writing, but I truly believe a perfect character is just... boring. Writing is supposed to be a reflection of life, and in life, people have flaws and secrets and oversights and tunnel vision, and they can be frustrating and stupid, knowing something is bad for them and still doing it anyway. Even all my reader characters have to have layers and personalities, because it means I can give them stronger dynamics and when they make a choice, it can fall into the character I've built for them. The characters drive the story. They have to have flaws and merits and vices and virtues to do that.

💛5 - (Ideally) Silly Jokes/Emotional Whiplash💛

I could also write essays about how the most emotionally potent media is FILLED with people being ridiculous because people are, inherently, ridiculous. Part of the complex characters is giving them humor, and the softer moments where they're just joking make the pain hurt all the more, just as the angst makes the fluff more releiveing and the emotions more powerful. I don't think I can write something and not include one joke. It would make ME too sad. And being sad is only what we do here HALF the time.

No pressure tags - @maddie0101 @ambiguous-avery @elle14-blog1

5 Things You Will Always Find in My Fics

Ooh fun trend.~ Thanks for tagging me @bettystonewell and @littlesoulshine! 💜

1. Romance. I'm the biggest hopeless romantic on the planet basically. 😘 It doesn't always have to mean smut. I write what I feel the story needs, but there's always going to be some level of romance and intimacy.

2. Adverbs. I know, I have a problem loll. It's actually something I'm conscious of when I'm editing to make sure I'm not going overboard on adverbs, especially on dialogue tags. 😂

3. Flawed characters. Whether it's a reader insert or an OC, I try my best to make the characters feel realistic with strengths and weaknesses that could either compliment or conflict with the person they're falling for (Dean, Soldier Boy, Russell Shaw, Beau Arlen, etc.).

4. Shifting POV. I know I write in second person for the most part, but I like to occasionally shift the close POV with other character's thoughts and feelings. So it becomes more omniscient, almost third person in second person, if that makes sense. 🤣

5. Canon elements. Even if it's an AU, even if it's 500 words or a 100K series, I try to make the canon characters feel and sound like themselves. Especially if it's an AU story, one of my favorite things is weaving in those little canon easter eggs to splash in for extra razzle dazzle lol. ✨

If you notice anything else I do in my writing that I might not realize, let me know! 😂💜

No pressure tags (or anyone else who wants to join in): @luci-in-trenchcoats @waynes-multiverse @supernotnatural2005 @lamentationsofalonelypotato @rizlowwritessortof @spnbabe67 @jollyhunter