#Some just need a LOT of counseling

[sarnai4]

Archipelago Academy

Here are some modern headcanons I have for the younger Dragons characters (including the Defenders because they're fun. I don't actually they are young enough to be in high school with the others. Looking at you, Mala👀)

Hiccup: He's the geek for a while. He's still not athletic and gets picked on for that and absolutely hating gym. As a student, he's pretty good. Lots of As and maybe a few high Bs depending on the subject. (He'd do better if he didn't daydream so much and he's not acing any music class. Might be get a pity D). When he finds out he's really good with exotic animals, he starts getting popular and that's when more people realize that he's also a lot of fun, a nice type of sarcastic, and gutsy. He's probably in a chess club before he starts his own that's about unique creatures.

Astrid: She's popular, but she's a little bit of the mean popular type. It's not that she actually is bullying anyone, but everyone knows she's tough and most think she's unapproachable. She's one of the top athletes and is captain on just about every team for the girls. If she's on the team, she's the captain. She doesn't have time for clubs since she's at practice a lot. She's a strong student who gets mad if there's ever a B in her report card, so she works really hard to balance physical and mental sides of school. Afterschool, she'll take some time to hang out with her friends.

Fishlegs: The nerd. We all knew this was coming. He's getting A+ every time (respectable) except in gym. He has the skills, but he's too scared to really have the aggression he needs unless he's just pushed to the edge. Then, maybe he finally wins dodge ball. Aside from that, he's part of the mathletes, is in charge of a book club, is in the chess club too, and enjoys volunteering in his spare time. He sits with Hiccup the most often at lunch.

Snotlout: The jock of course. He's basically the boy Astrid in how he's the captain for all the other sports teams. He'll talk badly about the girls until they had an unofficial game and they wipe the floor with his group. Then, he'll give Astrid the credit she deserves. When his dad gets in his head, he acts like the school bully. When he's able to just be himself, he isn't afraid to not sit with the popular crowd and will actually just eat with his buddies. Still, he values his status in school and doesn't want to ever lose a real game since he takes that to heart. His grades are pretty bad, but it's due to him spending so much time at practice and training. He has no clubs and basically no life outside of this because of Spitelout being an overbearing and sucky dad.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut: They're the class clowns. Their grades are constantly as low as possible without actually flunking because they secretly could do great, but they want to annoy teachers. They're the epitome of using their energy in the wrong ways. Undercover geniuses who'd rather find the best method for making stink bombs. Every chance they get, they're pranking some student or teacher. You'll find them at the front of the class just so they can irritate the poor instructor more with questions they already know the answer to. They're not in sports because no one will let them involve boars, so they're not interested. They're only in clubs started by their friends. They also have a YouTube channel where they do dangerous stunts.

Throk: He's another jock, but I think he'd become a coach's assistant. He takes his studies very seriously and offers tutoring, but he intimidates most of the younger kids, so he never gets many pupils. Snotlout might alternate between getting tutored by him and Fishy, but that's about it. Teachers love him because he's great with authority figures and is always trying to get the others back in line. This leads to him getting verbally picked on a bit by those in his grade since they think he's a teacher's pet. No one invites him to parties, but his friends make sure he never feels excluded in things they do.

Heather: She's in some of the teams with Astrid, but she doesn't do as many. She does soccer and more of the graceful activities like ballet and gymnastics. She's a pretty good student and also does some tutoring, but not for Snotlout since he wouldn't stop flirting last time (even though he apologized). She's known as the sweet girl in school and is pretty popular because of that. Her fiery side comes out on the soccer field. She can get obsessed with projects and will normally be asked to help set up events for the school, which she takes very seriously. She's not one for parties, but sometimes, her friends talk her into them and she has a fun time solely because of them.

Mala: She's the class president and basically right under the principal. Because of that, some students are terrified of her. She's a no-nonsense person, but she's more fair than most give her credit for being. She tries to help the students who are struggling and keeps an eye out for anyone who looks like they're being mistreated. She's an excellent student and cannot fathom receiving less than 100% on assignments. She wants to join some teams, but she has too much time that she spends caring for injured and sick animals. She also volunteers at soup kitchens, but only her friends know this. Other people think she's a bit cold, but her friends help her reputation change.

Dagur: He's the one most of the students really try to avoid. They are horrified with the idea of being alone with him. Somehow, he's always getting into trouble. He isn't always trying to cause trouble, but it keeps happening. Despite what everyone thinks, he's actually a really good student because he thinks good grades will give his family something to be proud of him for. So, he's the only A student who's always in detention. He's normally in a fight and is the person bullies are scared of since he doesn't tolerate that being directed towards his friends. This put Snotlout in his line of fire for a while, but they're cool now. They were very not cool when Snotlout flirted with Heather, but a few death glares later and they're buds again. He's in no sports teams because he got banned after tackling someone in basketball and not stopping when his wrestling opponent tried to tap out (he misunderstood the rules). He's in his friends' clubs and winds up starting one of his own for the other troubled kids.

[kingly-court]

I’m legitimately gonna explode if I don’t find someone else who understand the background tragedy of the Gleeful Family in Gravity falls.

[pepperpixel]

“Can't remember when we walked past the O.R. sign!

(sur-ger-y!)

Can't remember passing out with her hand in mine!

(my-my-mind!!!!)

I remember waking up with my mind repaired.

(A-OK! ^^)

I remember when I realized, she wasn't there...”

Amnesia was her name….. is. so. horrifically. sadly fitting for these two in literally every single line. And I’m gonna NEED ALL OF U GUYS TO GO LISTEN TO IT NOW OK… THIS ISNT A DRILL GO GO GO GO!!!

Anyway�� uhh. the fact Betty “blessed” this guy to like. An eternally long lifespan w THIS FUCKED UP OF A MENTAL STATE IS SO SCREWED UP GHGH- Like poor Simon god damn…! u kno he’d rather just keep on not sorting out his baggage and trauma forever too cuz it’d be too complicated… too much… force him to admit things about himself and about BETTY that he really really doesn’t want to… better to just leave it all unexamined.. pack it all into lil boxes so he can just try to ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist… HE GOTTA LIVE FOREVER W IT THO… *ME BANGING ON SIMONS DOOR AT 3 IN THE MORNING*: “SIMON U GOTTA ACCEPT URSELF!!!! LOVE URSELF!!!! ACKNOWLEDGE N ACCEPT EVEN THE “BAD” PARTS OF URSELF!!!! SIMON PLEASE!!!!! SIMON EVEN PPL WHO LOVE YOU AND WHO YOU LOVE CAN HURT YOU!!!! ACKNOWLEDGE IT!!! ACKNOWLEDGE THE HURT AND ACKNOWLEDGE UR FEELINGS!!!! AND URSELF!!!!! SIMON!!!!” anyway… gGHGH YEA, SRRY. SIMON PETRIKOVS MENTAL ILLNESSES MAKE ME FEEL LIKE IM GONNA EXPLODE. ANYWAY HAVE SOME ART. W a bunch of diff versions cuz I’m indecisive!

[isfjmel-phleg]

It's my night to work, and I can't, and I'm very sorry. Can't argue with the campus nurse though.

I am also very sorry about the grass out front of our main building. The circumstances were desperate and hopefully it will never happen again.

[itspileofgoodthings]

okay not to be a walking cliche and I hate to validate overused jargon but I kinda had a self-care day today and refilled my cup and it really helped. ����

[caninecowboy]

had a four hour meeting w the group this morning on group grievances and it was surprisingly productive. did almost cry tho bc im so fucking frustrated w the lack of wet lab etiquette in this group lmao.

[floral-hex]

ayyyyyyy I set up an appointment for medication this Friday (telemedicine but whatever) and I get to see my former therapist again later this month. I’m kind of excited. More than kind of. Little sad, but I’m lonely and want to talk to someone. He’s a real cool dude. I’m a little worried to trauma dump the last 6 months on him, but whatever, it beats sitting there for an hour feeling like I’m wasting his time and struggling to think of things to say. dang dang dang, I’m excited.

[hidefdoritos]

.

[steakout-05]

headcanons i have about Craig the scientist :)

as are most of the characters i have headcanons for, Craig is on the autism spectrum. he has a flat effect to his voice and facial expressions, doesn't really get most social cues, doesn't know how to react to others in pain the "right" way, misunderstands metaphors and speaks in quite a direct manner because it makes the most sense to his brain. he's quite a literal thinker. he also tends to hyperfixate so hard on a task that he forgets his basic needs and hygene, and thus has quite an unkempt look underneath that hazmat suit of his (which i will get into later!). Barry often ends up needing to get Craig something to eat because of how long he hyperfixates on something.

Craig sometimes doesn't exactly pay attention to his tone of voice, so sometimes he can say something that, to him, sounds completely normal, but because of his tone, can end up sounding really ominous to other people by accident ("We know who you are, Barry.")

Craig has traumatic cataract in his left eye (or wherever the fuck craig's visor crack is supposed to be in canon lol) from the explosion in 'Level 2' and is half blind in that eye. his eye has a very clouded look as a result of the injury. he's also got a huge scar there too that required some pretty gnarly stitches later, and his skin is almost completely numb around that area.

Craig also never really had the best eyesight before the injury, so he's always wearing these big ol' nerdy glasses underneath his helmet. and yes, they are tacked together with a band-aid lol

Craig is one of the few scientists who is not a clone of Peter Simpkins, the late friend of both Professor Brains and (in my headcanon'd canon) Craig. i like to think that Craig and Simpkins knew each other when they were first recruited by Legitimate Research and was pretty close to both him and Brains, and since Simpkins died, Brains has kind of taken more of a liking towards Craig (mostly out of loneliness and needing someone to help around at the lab, but he has a genuine fondness for him under his demanding and angry exterior).

There's a bit of a fan theory that Craig is the same guy as the scientist in the 'Robot Bird' rock opera, which i like to believe is the case. i mean, he's got the same monotone voice as Craig, it's gotta be him. i hope this does end up becoming canon because i think it'd make for an interesting conflict between Barry and Craig!!

Craig may or may not be related to Lab Lady.

Craig's counterpart in the mirror universe is named Kayla.

Craig is demiromantic and is questioning his sexuality (he thinks he might be bi or pan), though he definitely knows he loves Barry <3

Craig has an unhealthy habit of wiping his embarrassing memories, like, a lot. he wipes memories of awkward accidents in the lab, particularly painful failures, and most importantly, the memories of losing literally all his stuff and his career to Barry, which is why he doesn't immediately recognise him in the shorts. Craig has a lot of trouble recounting stories from the past because of this memory-wiping and felt a sense of emptiness, which getting hit in the head certainly didn't help with, so he tried inventing that apple in the Multiverse Madness event to get some of them back. it was pure dumb luck that Barry didn't end up witnessing what happened to Craig in the 'Robot Bird' opera and both are completely unaware of the disastrous can of worms that could have opened. bro's gonna end up like wallflower blush if he doesn't keep that memory erasing under control

and finally...

under his helmet, Craig has messy dirty-blonde hair, a rounded face that has a few stray facial hairs he forgot to shave, a long scar down the left side of his face, hazel coloured eyes and pale skin. this design is inspired by the designs made by @dexterno-artz and @schnabel53 respectively :D

this is a sketch of my finalised(ish) craig design!!! i've shown earlier versions of this guy in a couple of older posts but i haven't really revised his design much until now. i kinda had the idea of him looking like a stereotypical nerd and then made him messier. i might tone the amount of hair he has down a tiny bit but also i really like the nerdy bird's nest thing he has goin on :) i like to think he literally hasn't brushed his hair in several weeks and it's just become a bird's nest from nights of staying up doing science stuff

how i feel about barry tbh. he's literally so dumb i love him

(also apologies for the photos being kinda blurry and me forgetting to turn off the filter. again. in my defence it looks really nice and orange on my phone)

sometimes i like drawing him saying stuff from the shorts to get a feel of how he'd look when talking and make sure he looks juuuust nerdy enough for me to go "yep that's craig". also his big,g, handns,s,

drew this as a quick side profile sketch to get a general idea of how i want to draw him from this angle. he's talking to barry offscreen and falling in love with him <3

stupid little comic with a stupid little interaction that would definitely happen between these stupid little guys <3 barry being a little asshole every now and then is very entertaining to me. i need to see him antagonising craig and starting an old couple bickering argument with craig, that would heal me i think

i think i'll post more of this design in the future, i really quite like it a lot :)

[oglegoggle]

Weird double emotion of lonely and longing & too mistrusting of others to really even want to attempt to date now (if ever again tbh)

[colourstreakgryffin]

Oh my gosh! HELLOO!

Anywho~

I had a request for Alastor with a reader who’s contract with Valentino just ended and Angel brings them to the hotel to help them get on their feet, they have lots of trauma from what the endured, maybe they stay close to Alastor because he’s very much a gentleman and never treats them like Val did?

Thank you!!

Oooh! I like this one a lot! We got a second Angel but unlike Angel, we’re probably better and less snarky and bitchy. Sorry, Angel. Anyway! Idk if it’s meant to be romantic or not so I am gonna guess—

Alastor- Redemption Path

Alastor can’t help but feel sorry and feel pity for you. You’re just like Angel but you aren’t as bad as Angel. A ex-pornstar that has finally been free from the pimp Overlord, Valentino and your dear friend Angel Dust is so relieved that you’re safe from him, now, he’ll take even more measures to make sure you’ll do better than him

Bringing you to the Hazbin Hotel, Angel Dust introduced you to the Hotel Staff. Hoping they could help get you back into Hell more stably. Out of Charlie feeling immense sorry for your sexual abuse trauma, Vaggie considering to sign you up for counselling and Angel Dust barking at Husk to be nicer to you. Alastor is the one who is the most interested in you

Alastor is the one who escorted you around the Hotel. He is the only one who treated you so perfectly, he is a true sweet gentleman and he is doing much for you that it’s unbelievable. He doesn’t want anything from you? How is that possible

Throughout the days since you first checked in as a client, Alastor notices the way you follow him around and he finds it adorable. You’re such a lost lonely little puppy needing somewhere to feel safer and he doesn’t mind playing that little safety spot for you. It’s quite amusing

“Oh. My dear, is something bugging you?” Alastor asked curiously as he finally turns around to face the cute eager shorter sinner that has been clinging onto him and following him around ever since he was polite and ‘respectful’ to them. Treating them like a person and not like an object. Unlike the first and only Overlord they knew at the time, he doesn’t even notice their curvy attractive body or make creepy sexual remarks in the slightest

He just compliments the cozy colourful classy outfits they’d wear, calling each and every one ‘adorable’. He finds you adorable as a whole and he is entertained that you’re so enamoured by his kindness, that you act like a baby fawn following his mother around

The sinner that has been following him around all day, takes a few seconds to even blink. You’re shyer around Alastor since he actually gives you a voice and a say-so, something you’re unfamiliar with. Having that… you never did back with Valentino and it’s almost overwhelming that such a friendly treatment is addictive to have, the way he handles you with delicacy. He isn’t usually a man to sympathise with an awful situation but for some reason, he sympathised with you in his own special little way. You’re thankful that he is even more polite and caring than anybody you’ve ever met, even Angel!

“Oh. My, you’re shivering. Are you cold?” You didn’t actually answer Alastor with words but instead with actions, approaching him and shyly reaching out for a handhold but you didn’t actually touch him, reminding yourself of his no touching clause. You hoped he’d let you slide this once. You don’t really have anybody to talk to after you were jolted awake from night terrors over what that awful squeaking sex-obsessed freak of a moth did to you throughout your contract with him

Angel is there as a friend but he’s busy still suffering under Valentino’s maniac rule right now, you don’t want to bother any of the staff nor Charlie about your problems whilst they are busy. Sooooo

You figured your emotional support, the one who has been very patient and understanding with you. He hasn’t let you down once just of yet

Alastor willingly takes your hand when he recognises your reach out attempt and brings you up to his side in a lone but strong tug. Not minding the sweater you wore being your only coverage for your bottom half. Just a cute off-the-shoulder sweater and thigh highs. Whilst your style mirrored Angel’s in an odd way, you didn’t gross the Radio Demon out like the current top pornstar did. You’re more innocent, more sophisticated

You’re nothing like Angel, despite escaping from the same ugly world as that spider sinner is still trapped in. You’re a recovering traumatised, overexploited pornstar in need of help to gain a new life within Hell and Alastor actually likes the idea of playing that knight in shining armour you clearly view him as. He can’t tell why but he likes it

Leading you down the empty, slightly dark hallway with one arm around your body to keep you close, pressing your face against the side edge of his broad chest and the other slightly stylishly twirling his signature staff-like microphone cane, the Radio Host plans to take care of you in other ways then just hand you some blankets and set you out to your own Hotel room. He’d prefer to personally put you to sleep and the process would be begin with a picture show, a talk and a darker warmer room

You didn’t know why but your face was beet red, your heart was pounding in your chest and your eyes sparkled as you tilted your slightly fuzzy head up to look at Alastor. In, what felt like a blink, his crimson red eyes flashed a sense of genuine affection before returning to the usual half-emotionless bloody haze as the radio effect on his rather mighty voice kicks in with the overlap of both sincerely caring and classic semi-mocking Alastor style caring

It doesn’t help that you swear you can feel his heartbeat grow faster…

Is Alastor feeling the same you are?!

“Come now, darling. You’re clearly having bad sleeping patterns. How about me and you watch that picture show you’ve been holding off? Yes. Yes, I know. I don’t like your technology but I wouldn’t be a help provider if I didn’t provide you help, now would I?”

[zzencat]

Your Best Qualities - Current ⏳

From left to right. Breathe and choose.

Some of your best qualities in 5 bullet points! Decided we’d get a post to remind you of your best qualities, in case any of you guys are feelin’ down or going thru some tough weather. Let’s bring it back and focus on the good :)

To enhance accuracy before choosing: Clear your mind. Time is now patient and still. Close your eyes, inhale deeply, fill your chest up to the fullest, feel the soft air brush up against the ridges of your nose. Breathe out.

—————————

Pile 1. Feels like family…

• you’re definitely capable of bringing peace to others or keeping harmony within your own relationships, whether they be platonic or romantic — mediator skills or a person with good judgment

• you think twice before making moves or saying things — able to find balance between being the listener and being the speaker

• your resilience is unmatched!!!! — emotionally stable and can manage finances well

• loyal and uncaring of what others think — you stick to your crew and keep good people around you

• you’re super creative and your sense of timing is impeccable — you grab opportunities like it’s nothing. it’s like you always know what to say to make others feel good, reassured, comforted, confident

Points of Interest: good natured person or has good intentions in general; balanced af; leadership skills; a good head on your shoulders; extrovert-ambivert/very healthy introvert; entrepreneurial skills; ceo/vice president/secretary vibes; the type that listens to both sides of the story before acting; calm and peaceful; bounces back easily; thoughtful; considerate; family oriented; cares for others as well as oneself; clear minded; good work-life balance; open-minded; cautious in decision making; “confident” - justin bieber; good self esteem; good attitude; faith in your abilities; optimistic; creative; cares a lot for animals; people like being around you; possible mbti: healthy exxj, enxp, ixxj

—————————————

Pile 2. I got your back.

• intimidating and classified as a loner, but in the best way possible — you either have an expanse of knowledge OR do a great deal of self-reflection — very intuitive person (EXTREMELY)

• BIG, BIIIIIIG defender energy. when it comes to defending yourself or those you love, no one can do it better than you (have you ever considered being a lawyer btw?) — potential to be materially abundant and wealthy

• you empathize and feel for others easily, even when nobody else sees it or thinks that you do (but I’ll tell ya rn, most of the time you’re the most empathetic person in the room) — in a world full of evil, you’d make villains cry and can actually help them turn a new leaf — your level of empathy and understanding is on a totally different level

• independent and mature — if people come to anyone for advice or counseling, or just a good ear, it’s you

• you are very deep and insanely caring under the surface — you might approach things logically first and try to see things from all points of view before making a decision or advising other people — you really do have the biggest heart and only those who are close can see it

Points of Interest: introvert; very smart; spends a lot of time alone; VERY LOYAL !!!!!! (almost to the point of possessiveness); may need to work on control issues and rebalancing social life; communicates differently from others; sees things from a different perspective; offers good advice; good listeners; prone to pushing people away bc you start caring too much; knows who to trust and who not to; selective; secretly creative; very nurturing but kinda doesn’t want to show it; humble/modest/doesn’t want to be seen; wants to help people but doesn’t want to be put in the spotlight for it; you’ve felt more hurt/seen more trauma than those around you; defending like their lives depend on it; perfectionists; behind the scenes, extremely intuitive; possible mbti: inxj, healthy exxj

————————-

Pile 3. Life of The Party

• confident, outgoing, charismatic, funny as hell — there’s a lot of charm to you — you carry the energy fam, no you ARE the energy — you laugh/smile easily or cause others to

• highly ambitious and have the will to fight for what you want — you’d prob be the last one standing in a mr. beast challenge

• you light up the room !! (i keep hearing “baby, you light up my world like nobody else by 1D 😂😂😂) — potential for fame/someone in the public eye/someone in a position of power

• mischievous and fun to be around/has the most jokes — always up for a challenge or touching grass activities lmfaooo you’re always down to hang out — you don’t care if you look like an idiot as long as you’re having fun or are out with friends/family

• you don’t give up easily and take opportunities as they come — persistent, stubborn and strong-willed — you’ve achieved many things or definitely will in no time

Points of Interest: A-Class comedian; daredevil; extroverted or highly energetic; prominent fire energy, possible zodiac signs that are prominent in your natal chart (sun, moon, or rising): aries, leo, sagittarius; mistakenly seen as the leader of a group; impulsive; instigator; jumps on opportunities immediately; wearing what you want; impatient/bored easily; fast-paced; has the most friends/wants to have the most friends; easily sociable; questionable decision making, but has the most experience; likes to experiment; has seen a lot in life/plans to see a lot in life; probably a fan of fast and scary rollercoasters; among leaders, you’re the “fun” leader; confident with self-image

——————————

Teddy note: what is guuuuuuud guys!!?!?! I’m feelin pretty nice today so I thought I’d put this out for you all as a reminder of your good qualities 😊�� we’ve all been working pretty hard lately!! Whether that’s on your physical, mental, emotional health—it’s all very draining to do SO I hope this reminds you of things you should remember to be proud of!! It’s a checkpoint! I hope it resonates with you and if not, leave it. Thank you v much guys 😎😎

Feedback through likes, comments, and feedback and very much supported!!

[star-anise]

are we talking about broke therapists yet?

I've been out of things for a couple of years now, which is why I'm willing to talk about it, and maybe the pandemic has helped things a little, but holy shit the counselling and psychotherapy field is not equipped to help its practitioners in the gig economy.

Of all my interests and talents, I pursued a degree in psychology because being a therapist is supposed to be a safe, stable, well-paid job. Every therapist I met who was registered before 2008 worked and lived under that assumption. And oh boy are all the fee structures--registration, supervision, continuing education, conferences--set up for that scenario.

After getting my Master's, I struggled like hell to get a job. It was especially bad because to get my license, I needed a supervisor to take me on. To take me on, most supervisors wanted me to already have a caseload and client base. To get a caseload and client base, I needed a job.

Friends: Every single job I heard back on wanted me to have my license before I could even land an interview.

Professors and career advisors and professional development specialists all advised me very earnestly to just keep cold-calling people on the supervision list, and it began to feel a lot like my parents' friends telling me to hit the bricks and hand out resumes. That's what worked for them, right?

I finally got a supervisor who agreed to take me on, and I'd be able to use her clinic for advertising and workspace, and we were doing the paperwork to send in with my registration, when she called me up and said, "Is this job going to be your only source of income? If you're trying to depend on getting clients and building your practice for your basic needs, this is not going to work out. This has to be something you're doing on top of a basic salary. Okay, so you're not working anywhere else right now? I'm sorry, I can't move forward with this."

Even once I landed a supervisor and a job building my own private practice, I struggled. I have ADHD and am not great at self-promotion, so trying to do all my own advertising, scheduling, bookkeeping, billing, and records management (on top of counselling) was an enormous strain. One my bosses, supervisors, and other senior professionals watched with a slightly critical eye, but consoled me about because in their early days, their clinics had had business managers, receptionists, filing clerks, and accountants, and getting used to doing everything online yourself was a bit of a learning curve, wasn't it?

I counted my pennies very carefully, because I had to pay my supervisor roughly $180 for their services every 6 hours of in-person counselling I did. This meant that to break even I had to charge my clients an average of about $30 (plus room rental and service fees) an hour--and my clients, being people with complex trauma, were frequently poor, disabled, unemployed, and had no health benefits, so even $10 or $20 a session was a lot for them.

Maybe it would have been easier if I could have taken some of those nice comfortable organization positions where they find clients and funding for you and you work 40 hours a week and get benefits and a pension, but I had to be disabled into the bargain, so working 40 hours a week just isn't possible for me. I start passing out from stress and exhaustion. Older colleagues gave me serious-faced advice about approaching my employer and asking them for some flexibility and accommodation in my schedule, and I tried to explain across the gap between us that employers simply did not hire me if I made the slightest noise about the workload. They weren't going to invest in me as a person; they were hiring 40 units of work a week, and if I wouldn't do it there were a dozen applicants after me who would.

At one point I broke down enough to email my licensing body because the Annual General Meeting/Professional Development Conference was coming up, and I wanted to attend, but I could not produce $500 to do it with. Was there some kind of way I could attend anyway? I felt ashamed to have to ask, and then absolutely mortified when the response came from the organization president, who needed to personally sign off on me being too poor to attend the single most important event in my profession's calendar year.

I honestly felt so ashamed all the time at how I was apparently failing to be a successful therapist, failing to be rich and successful, and every time I mentioned it around mentors and bosses, I could feel myself shrinking from a person to a problem to be solved. My closest therapist-friends and I have reflected on how much more difficult, poorly-paid and underworked, our various career starts have been than we were ever warned about. About the classmates and coworkers who couldn't get disability exceptions when they fell behind in their registration requirements, or burned out and left the field, or dropped their registrations and took up as life coaches, or moved their whole family somewhere exceptionally remote or rural because it was the only good job available, or worked for some godforsaken app skirting the bounds of malpractice like BetterHelp.

I like those conversations, because I feel less like an absolute fuck-up in them. There's less "Hey Lis, you were so talented in grad school, I really admired you, what are you doing now?" "Oh, I, uh... am professionally disabled, so I get government benefits, and I... sell embroidery patterns on Etsy now."

My own therapist kept asking if and when I felt like going back to being a counsellor, and I finally told him: I don't, actually. I don't want to go back and do it like I was doing it before. It was a profession I loved to the depths of my soul, and it profoundly did not love me back. I can't even imagine what would have to change, in me or it, to make it have a space in it that could fit me.

All of which I was way too scared to admit to at the time, because the more I let people know I was struggling, the more they hinted that maybe I just wasn't in a place in my life where this was a job I could do, and I needed to take a little break and wait to come back until money and disability just weren't issues for me anymore.

Eventually my cups of doubt and exhaustion did overflow, and I quit. I'm here now, living a much different life. And at the very least, all my years of helping people in bad life situations set me up perfectly for my own. I already knew what form to fill out for financial assistance, which student clinics to access for mental health support, and which government agency would, if pressed, cough out pharmacy coverage for the genuinely destitute. It gave me that much.

I hope this is just me being in extraordinary circumstances, sitting at the intersections of a few different shitty life situations that most people skip right past. Because it's on one level comforting, but another deeply infuriating, if I'm not, and I've just missed it or we've just all been too afraid to admit it to each other.

[forsworned]

It’s said canonically that simon riley has trauma around intimacy from torture 😔 If you feel comfortable writing it, can I please ask for a short fic of an Afab reader body worshipping/lovingly pleasuring Simon after they both work through his trauma and he’s getting all soft and emotional and babbling about how good reader is making him feel and how much he loves them and can’t believe someone cares about him this much? I always liked the idea of Simon being portrayed as vulnerable and soft and not this dom sex god a lot of people portray him to be. I really love your work and would love to see your take on this request :)

Soft ft. Simon 'Ghost' Riley

Author's Note: So I do recall someone making a post about this and I have to say I do not agree with everything. Men definitely process trauma, specifically sexual trauma a lot differently than women do. While women experience guilt, men experience anger. And maybe it's not all men who experience it that way, but after reading the comic and making my own assessment, I can say that Simon does have lingering anger. Of course, he is hell-bent on avenging his dead family, but all that pent-up energy could be going toward trying to even the score. He is pretty level-headed and able to compartmentalize. He has support from his comrades as well as undergoes mandatory rigorous mental health assessments because that's military protocol. He needs to be able to perform his duties on the field without putting himself or others at risk. He also most certainly gets mandatory counseling. Although he may be reluctant, his superiors are very much aware of the possible impact that it has on his mental health. So all that to say that Simon is not without help. He is not as "damaged" as people may perceive him to be. He's not a broken individual. As seen in the remastered MW's, albeit reluctant he can clearly put his trust in others. He develops relationships with the people who he works closely with meaning he is capable of change. SIGH. I just wish people would break this down a little more, but I do get what you're saying. His masculinity, trust issues, and the type of secret operations he goes on can lessen the effectiveness of the therapy. He's definitely a very complex character with layers to him, but I just don't think he's as weak as you may think he is. It's also important to note that it hasn't been confirmed that this current Simon went through the same thing. He could have a completely different background. Honestly, Activision is so fucking inconsistent but ANYWAYSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS I hope you enjoy this. Also if you read this all the way through, I applaud you. But thank you for enjoying my work, I didn't mean to critique you and your request, but I just couldn't let it slide LOL

Warnings: PnV sex, AFAB!Reader, Some Canon Simon Lore, Sexual Content, Mentions of Sexual Trauma

"Si—Simon..."

You sigh out in pleasure with every roll of your hips as you grind down on him. Your clit grazes against his lower abdomen, and his cock stretches you out pliant. Fingers dig into his shoulders, marking half crescents into his pale, scarred skin. But something feels off.

His hands loosen their grip on your hips, and upon opening your eyes you find him his half-lidded gaze distant in a familiar haze. He isn't present.

"Simon." You halt the rutting of your hips, cupping his stubbly cheeks. "Are you alright?"

His onyx hues fixate on you. He is clearly readjusting his withdrawn eyes to refocus on you. You didn't want to say it yet, but you had felt him go a little soft a few seconds prior. "We can stop."

"No, no." His fingers squeeze your middle as he sits up a bit. You shake your head, but he's not letting up. "Why stop?"

You firmly grasp his face and his blonde lashes flutter up at you with a seemingly unreadable expression, but you're no stranger to Simon's detachment. Although he loathes to admit it, it happens. The relearning of being intimate is tumultuous for him.

"Because you're not mentally here, my love."

He frowns. "But I want y'to finish."

You exhale sharply. He doesn't even deny it. "No, Simon. I'd feel disgusted with myself if I finished while you weren't here with me."

He struggles to reply. In all honesty, he doesn't know what to say. It's not exactly a common occurrence, but he's not too keen on having a conversation about it. You never pry though. His therapy sessions are his own, unless, of course, you join him if he so desires.

Couples counseling is mandatory. A rule you established when you first decided to tie the knot. If you had problems that were beyond just a sit-down talk, a professional would have to intervene. And Simon agreed. No fuss, no muss. To preserve the sacredness of your relationship, he'd do anything.

He sighs. "'m sorry, dovie." He caresses your sides, feeling the gooseberries on your skin rise. A small smile adorns his lips and you giggle at his smugness.

"Stop it." You begin to get off of him, but Simon holds you firmly. You feel his dick harden inside of you, now kissing your cervix. A little gasp escapes your chest as you readjust yourself.

"Y'like tha'?" Simon's grinning now. It's his confidence gleaming through the abysmal darkness of his mind. The life in his eyes feels revitalized, and you now feel his vigor—literally.

"Yes, but..."

"'m here, love." He reaffirms, squeezing your waist again. "'m here. Please, 'm achin' for you."

He groans a bit and bucks his hips when he feels you pulsate around him. You return your own moan, leaning forward but his fingers thread through your hair and he brings you into a sloppy, heated kiss. His hips thrust into you slowly and deeply, earning a guttural moan from him.

For a moment as you withdrew from the kiss, your gazes meet and Simon's eyes soften and become glossy with tears that brim over his oculars and spill over the corners of his eyes.

"Oh, baby." You coo, holding him close as you kiss his face. His sadness is silent, yet palpable. You're now babbling sweet, sweet words to him as you pepper him with kisses, and Simon holds you as if you're going to slip away. You gently guide him through the double inhale technique you learned from your therapist, and with the sweetness of your voice, the kindness in your eyes, and the tenderness of your touch, he feels at ease.

"I dunno how y'put up with me."

You grin, kissing the corner of his lip. "It ain't easy."

"Oh?" He flips you over on your back, pressing you firmly against the mattress and you giggle into the nape of his neck. "Wanna say that again, love?"

You thread your fingers through his sandy blonde hair and kiss the tip of his nose. "You're not hard to love, Simon."

His eyes soften once more and he kisses you deeply. Simon has never cherished anyone more in his life. You were always so patient and kind from the jump. You were truly the "greater woman" behind the "great man".

He rests his forehead against yours and closes his eyes as you gently card your fingers in his hair.

"Thank you, lovie."

[cupidlovesastro]

asteroid groom(5129) through the signs and houses

ˏˋ♡̩͙♡̩̩̥͙♡̩̥̩♡̩͙ˊˎ ع˖⁺ ☁⋆ ୭ 🕊.⋆｡⋆༶⋆˙⊹ ˏˋ♡̩͙♡̩̩̥͙♡̩̥̩♡̩͙ˊˎ. .

groom represents the male/ masculine counterpart of a marriage, aka the husband. if you are a man or present masculine, this could be about what you’re like in a marriage or as a husband

[very long post ahead]

paid readings 🩵

aries- he could be a gym rat and very masculine, either in nature or physically. they could also be very action oriented, which could also mean they might be quite impulsive. they may also be competitive or be in a line of work that deals with competition. speaking of work, they could be a fitness trainer/ coach, in sports, or sales(because of competition). they could also be outspoken, outgoing, or just bold in some nature. he may also be aggressive, which that doesn’t mean it’s towards you. he could be the “mean to everyone else, but you” type lol. others may be intimidated by him due to his very masculine and possibly aggressive nature. he could also have a short temper

taurus- your future husband could be a chef, fashion designer, or just a job that’s makes a lotttt of money, since taurus can represent materialism. he may be quite lazy at home, or when he’s relaxing he’s RELAXING, like he just wants to chill out. he could also like spoiling you, buying you expensive gifts, or even spontaneous gifts. he may also care about his looks, and he could wear flashy things, designer clothing, or just things that look nice. they could also be very dependable, reliable, and loyal. he may also like helping you with cooking when he can, or even cook for you. if not that, then he really appreciates when you do that for him. he could have a more traditional way of living, or a traditional perspective on marriage

‧₊˚🩵✩ ₊˚🌐⊹♡𓆝 ⋆｡𖦹°‧🫧‧˚꒰🐾꒱༘⋆⋆.˚🦋༘⋆ 🪼⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

gemini- your husband could be in a job where the speak a lot or think a lot. he could be a linguist, a teacher, comedian, spokesman, or commentator. geminis are also know to be outgoing and jokesters, so they could be a youtuber, streamer, or comedian. he will show you his love with words of affirmations, or physical touch, since gemini rules the arms and hands. he could have a baby face, or look younger than his actual age. he may be talkative, or even a rambler lol. he could like kissing your arms or hand area as well. he may enjoy doing things that keep his brain active or they could have many hobbies that they rotate through. he could like going out a lot as well. he could seem or be superficial at times , and may also seem flakey as well. he could also have a hard time talking about his emotions

cancer- he may be in a line of work that deals with families, empathy, and/ or children. so his line of work could be family therapy, child therapy, school counseling, school teacher, and maybe even a pediatrician. he could be very caring, loving, and understanding. he may also be intuitive of your needs, and possibly even heal your inner child. he could be emotional though, which can be good and bad. he could dress like a dad even if he isn’t one, and may even have father like qualities. speaking of parents, he could have traits similar to your mother or he could look a lot like his mother or be a mamas boy. he can have moments where he’s quite snappy and he could show his love through physical touch

leo- your husband could be in a job where he has a lot of attention, so jobs in the entertainment industry may be in his line of work. he could also have a job where he makes others feel confident so like a barber, interior designer, etc. he may have a very confident exterior, and great hair lol. he shows us love through physical touch, and maybe even words of affirmations. he could dress quite boldly or have a distinct style. he’s very expressive, wether that be emotionally or physically. he may also be dramatic lol. he could be the life of the party and very outgoing. he may also be veryyy masculine. like he works out, he’s very handy, logical, etc. he may also be very positive, and optimistic

virgo- he could be in a line of work that deals with a lot of analyzing and logic. so jobs like finance, statistics, or even engineering, could all be a possibility. i could also see he may be a veterinarian, or in social work of some kind. he could also be a very hygienic person, like you can smell detergent on his clothes, and his teeth are white, things like that. he could seem shy/ innocent, when you first meet him , or just in general. he also may have a baby face or he just looks younger than his actual age. he could be into working out as well, and may own a pet or two. he will show his love by doing things for you, like the dishes, helping you cook, etc. he’s could be reserved as well. he may be into skincare, and could even give his advice on your skincare lol

˙✧˖°📷 ༘ ⋆｡˚₊˚ʚ 💙 ₊˚✧ﾟ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪₊ ⊹🪻 ✧ ˚. ᵎᵎ 🫐જ⁀➴

libra- your husband could be a lawyer, judge, or just something apart of the justice department. they could even be an activist, fashion designer, or relationship counselor. i could see him being very friendly and flirtatious. he may also be quite shallow at first, like he doesn’t go too deep into anything, unless you ask, or he’s ready to. he like having fun, and cares more about the pleasures of life than other things. he could be pretty balance in some way like, emotionally balance, or a balanced personality. he could have a symmetrical face, and he could also participate in skin care. since libra ruled the skin and aesthetics. which speaking of aesthetics, his may change , or he could have 1 aesthetic, but pulls it off really well

scorpio- he could be quite mysterious, or even in a line of work that’s mysterious. for example, he could be an investigator, in the cia, or even the navy seals. scorpio can also represent rebirth and de*th, so he could be into forensics or the hospital. he might be quite good at flirting, and somewhat of the serious type. he could wear dark clothes, have dark hair, or a dark eye color. he shows his love through physical touch. once you get to know him he could be quite touchy, like touching your hand, arms, or face a lot. he also could have a high sex drive so be ware of that lol. he could have intense eyes, presence, or voice as well.(not in a bad way) you could become obsessed with him, and/ or he could become obsessed with you(doesn’t have to be in a toxic way). he values loyalty a lot, and he’s also intuitive, so don’t lie to him because he could be able to catch onto easily

sagittarius- he could be the adventurous, funny, and open minded type of guy. he might be in a line of work such as a philosopher, a college professor, travel agent, or other jobs that involve traveling. he could also have prominent or very muscular thighs, and he may also be quite brutally honest at times. he may also have a lot of opinions and could be reckless at times. he could also wear cultural items, or things that he got from different places in the world. he may show his love through quality time and words of affirmations. he might also come off noncommittal or you guys could’ve started off as making it clear that your not going to date and then ended up dating lol. he doesn’t like feeling tied down or like he has no freedom, and he may also feel this way towards you. he could want you to feel free as well, and he also wants to feel like your best friends with you!

capricorn- your husband could be in a career that’s makes a lot of money and is also ambitious. so sports, marketing, or even ceo/ boss of a company. he could also be an entrepreneur. he could have great bone structure, strong jawline, prominent collar bones, etc. he may also dress with flashy clothes like designer, or things that have diamonds in it. he could show his love through gift giving, and he could love spoiling you. he may also just give you money, like not even a gift, just money.💀he can be quite cold at times, or just distant. he may also get caught up in work very often, or just doesn’t know when to take a break. he could hate being unproductive because it makes him feel lazy. with that being said, having lazy days with him could be hard because he might do acts of service for you just to be productive lol.

༘⋆🌊🫧 ⋆˙ִֶָ𓂃𝑚𝑖 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑟 ༉‧🦋₊˚. 𝜗𝜚⊹˚. ♡₊ ⊹ .𖥔 ݁ ˖ 🪼✦

aquarius- he could be into technology, inventing, and could be apart of some kind of community. he may be an activist, since aquarius can also represent rebellion. they could care deeply about the world or a specific group of people. when you meet him he could be very social and friendly, but emotionally distant. he may be unpredictable with his aesthetic, words, or even behaviors (not in a bad way, it could be in a silly way). he’s also a logical thinker, but he may be an over thinker as well, since aquarius’s can represent the future. he could have many friends, or if he doesn’t, he makes acquaintances easily. he also likes standing on his own, he doesn’t want to seem dependent at all. he’s an observer, so he can pick up on social cues of a room easily, or the energy of it. he could show his love through quality time as well!

pisces- he’s giving me puppy vibes. he’s emotional, caring, compassionate, and loving. he could be into jobs like therapy, nurse, even a veterinarian. he’s also very intuitive, so he could pick up on your social cues or energies quite easily. he might be secretive as well, like you find out so much stuff about him over time because he didn’t tell you in the beginning. he may also be dreamy to you, like he’s literally your dream husband. he’s idealistic, and can be delusional at times. he may also have dreams often, and he could be interested in spirituality. he will show his love by physical affection. he could also be into feet, or specifically your feet😭. he could have dreamy eyes, and soft features. he may also dress in darker colors, or have an aesthetic that makes him come off mysteriously. he may also be a little ditsy, or just naive about certain topics

the houses

‎ ‧₊˚ 𓂃౨ৎ ⋆.˚⟡🌧️⊹₊⋆ ⁀✮₊ ⋆.˚⟡⊹₊⋆*ੈ✩‧₊˚ 🌪️.ᐟ‎ ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

1st house- your husband could care a lot about his appearance’s or looks. so he may have a distinct aesthetic to him, or you could catch him checking himself out at times lol. he may also have a genuinely good sense for fashion, vibes and aesthetics. he may be one of those people who are sensitive to first impressions and energies. like he might be able to learn and understand a lot about a person, just from first impressions. he could also have a big personality or just one that’s unique/ different from others. he might be very good at making good first impressions as well, and knows how to conduct himself in front of others depending on the environment, situation, people, etc. you could meet him in the beginning of the year, or beginning of the month, new moons, capricorn season, aries season, or even new era of your life.

2nd house- your husband might be money oriented or just make a lot of money. he may also prioritize his work as well. he also has some high standards, when it comes to relationships, or who he decides to marry. he could own things that he find special to him or he could be the possessive type over you. he could also spoil you and you are definitely one of his priorities. also, there could be something that you guys make apart of your daily routine. it could be having dinner together, or just taking time out of your day to spend time with each other. you guys could meet at a work place, or while looking for a job. you could also meet when you are doing one of your routines like going to the gym, getting groceries etc. i could also see that you could meet them on the 2nd or 22nd, february, taurus season or aquarius season.

✧˖°.₊ ⊹⋆.˚🧊₊˚⊹♡࿐ ࿔*･ﾟ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ જ⁀➴₊⊹ ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

3rd house- he could be very logical or just someone who’s an overthinker. he also might be quite talkative, or you feel like it’s easy to talk to him than other people in your life. you guys could be neighbors or neighbors at one point. you may also have met this person in early childhood, and you could also know them through a sibling. he could have a lot of siblings himself, or be close to his neighbors. he’s definitely a communicator, and the times where he doesn’t communicate, could be an indicator that something is wrong. you guys could also engage in social activities, like going to bars, clubs, parties, etc. you could meet him on the 3rd, the 30th’s, march, pisces season or gemini season

4th house- your husband could may have motherly energy, or be close with his mother. he could have a lot of respect for feminine figures in his life as well. he could really want children for his future, or may already have one/ some. he could be a good dad as well. he could also really want a family of his own, or is close to his family. he is like a traditional thinking man when it comes to marriage, like he wants to marry, have a family, and just be a good father. he might also like the idea of you being pregnant, or getting you pregnant, so be careful 😭. he could have a womanly side as well, like a feminine side. you could meet him through a family member, or your mother. you might also meet him while picking up your kid if you have one, or a place where there’s a lot of children. he also might prioritize self care days a lot, he could also want to spend his self care days with you as well

5th house- he could be a huge romance and also a child at heart. he could also be quite creative and a joyful person or more optimistic, or upbeat. you guys could meet through drama club, or when something dramatic was going on. you guys could’ve even met at a museum that has art, a art class, or other forms of creativity. he may also have a child, or really want children. you may also meet him when your in a happier time in your life, or maybe a time where you discover inner child. he could get along with children as well, and may enjoy things such as plays, or even have a form of art as a hobby of his. he may also express his love through art, like poetry, drawings, paintings, etc.

6th house- your future husband could be a gym rat, or just care a lot about health and fitness. he may be a teacher for health and fitness, or a fitness trainer. you could’ve met him at the gym , on a walk/ run, or in some other form of physical health class. he could be analytical, or even work a job where he deals with numbers and statistics. i can also see he may be in a line of work like nursing, therapist, etc. i could also see he may be he may also be a people pleaser. he finds validation through helping others. you may also meet while volunteering for something. he could have a lot of pets, or really wants one. he might just be an animal lover as well lol. you could meet at a pet store, or while volunteering for animals

₊✮⸜ ༘⋆ 𐚁⊹₊ 🧿⋆ ☾⊹₊ ⋆ ˖ ݁𖥔 𐙚⋆｡°🪩✩ ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆🎐｡˚ ⋆˚✿

7th house- your partner could really value a relationship, or partnership with you. he also may embody husband energy. he could talk about marriage a lot , or seem like he might be ready to settle down with someone when you meet him. he could also be in a job where he works with married couples or something with justice. he could be a marriage counselor, a lawyer, a debater, etc. you could also meet him at work during a group meeting/ activity or when finding a business partner. he may also love your skin, or touching your skin. he might even have unique/ beautiful skin himself

8th house- you could meet him while hooking up, or on a sneaky link. you could also meet him while moving houses, or he could even work as a realtor. he may also be a sex therapist or have a job that surrounds sexual things. he could come off shallow at first, or like he doesn’t have much depth and this could make him come off as a mystery. he could also value sexual intimacy a lot , and it may be something that is a theme in your relationship. he could also like giving you money, or buying you things, vice versa. moving in together could also be something he really wants. there could be a lot of similarities between you two, almost like your the same person in a different body.

9th house- this person could travel a lot and/ or know a lot about other cultures. they may also connect a lot to their own culture. you may meet them on a trip somewhere, or while participating in some kind of cultural event. he may also be very smart, like he’s beyond his years. he could have a lot of different philosophies or study that subject. he may also have many degrees, or when you meet him he will be working to get a degree. you could also meet him during a religious ceremony, doesn’t have to be church tho. he may also like touching your thighs or he could have big/ unique thighs himself

10th house- he could be very hard working, or just a very goal oriented person. he may also care a lot about his reputation/ status or he could have a high status. he may be known somehow. he may also be very masculine, and give off dad energy lol. he may be a father in fact, or really wants to be a dad one day. there may also be a certain relationship he has with his dad, like maybe he loves him or hates him. there may also be something that he is very educated on, like an expert at. he could keep you in line , or values structure, routine, and plans, rather than spontaneous things. you could meet him in the career you have , or you could meet him through your dad/ dad figure. if your high status, then maybe even that.

౨ৎ⋆˚｡⋆ 💠ೀ⋆｡˚ °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*🌧️:･.𖥔 ݁˖ 🌀✦ ‧₊˚⋅⋆⭒˚｡⋆🪩

11th house- your husband might work somewhere that deals with technology, or he could even have a degree that relates to technology. you could meet him online, like through a social media platform. you guys could be friends at first and then it leads to more, or you may have met through friends. there could’ve also been a group gathering you met at. like a party, concert, etc. you could’ve manifested him as well, or he could’ve manifested you. he could also be somewhat intuitive since 11th house can represent the future, and you could be exactly what he wished for or hoped for. when you guys go on dates , or your first date, you could often bring along friends, coworkers, etc. his love language could be words of affirmation.

12th house- your husband could work at a funeral, a recovery of some kind, a nursing home, a median, and other spiritual things. you may meet him when something is ending in your life, like a relationship, quitting a job, end of the year, end of school or a semester, etc. he may be very intuitive so don’t lie to him lol, and he could also be quite connected to the after life. he may also be connected to his dreams. you guys could get married in a secluded area, like a forest or even eloping. they may have limiting beliefs that you two could need to work through as well. if your really into astrology, tarot, crystals, etc, he may be interested in learning about it too and listening to things you say like that. he could make you feel. he may also be intuitive with/ to your needs

paid readings 🩵

[bountycancelled]

decisions

luke castellan x child of hecate!reader

requested: yep! I hope you like it anon

warnings: allusions about death, but no character dies.

content: yall, it's 1 am rn, and I just wanna go to sleep. it's unedited and nothing bad happens I promise. I'll do a proper content thingy in the morning. pls enjoy while I pass out.

"you know those kids are probably gonna have nightmares for at least a week, right?"

you didn't need to turn to know who was behind you as you leaned against a tree trunk, toying with a twig in your hands. Luke castellan seemed to have an affinity for interrupting you anytime you found solace in being alone. you didnt know how he just... knew, when and where to find you during times like these, but he always did. you found yourself minding his presence less and less as time when on.

"they should consider themselves lucky, I was debating whether or not I should just summon a ghost for them tonight, but I figured they couldn't handle it, and this camp doesn't have any trauma counselling so." the leaves on the twig in your hand withered at an accelerated place in your hands, and a part of you felt bad. you usually kept your distance from anything living since you knew your touch had the possibility of having an adverse, and sometimes deadly affect, but tonight was just one of those nights.

Luke chuckled at your words, plucking one of the now wilted leaves from the twig in your grasp as he spoke up once more. "you know, I actually want you to help me with something, if you don't mind. I need help deciding whether or not I should do something."

you rolled your eyes, giving him a pointed look. "you know I can't make decisions for you. I don't have the ability to know what consequences you'll have to deal with."

"isn't hacate the goddess of crossroads?" Luke countered, a small smirk on his face. you knew that he was only pestering you because he thought it was funny that you always needed to explain your abilities and your godparent to people, but you couldn't just keep silent at his bait nonetheless.

"that doesn't make me some kind of fortune teller, I can't decide for you which direction to go to when you reach a fork on the path. I just have a vague understanding over what you're currently debating if you should do."

"okay okay, no fortune telling. but can you at least point me in the right direction? it doesn't matter how vague." he asked, and you tilted your head to stare up at the starry sky, because you knew that even in the dark, Luke could convince you to help him with nothing but a pleading glint in his deep eyes.

he didn't relent at tour silence or your avoidance of his gaze, uttering a small "please?" which finally broke your resolve.

you took a deep breath, finally looking at him once again, your face deep in concentration. "not a guide either. but I get the sense that... if you don't do what you're thinking of doing, you'll regret it." you felt a bit lightheaded afterwards, but the tree you were leaning against was enough security for you.

Luke on the other hand didnt seem to think so, showcased by how his hands immediately went to your shoulders in an effort to keep you up, while also unintentionally coming closer. a bit too close for comfort, but you were too foggy for the lack of distance to hit you yet.

he nodded at your advice, biting his lip before speaking once again, not missing the way your eyes flicked towards his lips and then back to his eyes, almost instantaneously.

"then I'll just go ahead and say it, I like you. a lot." he had expected a few different reactions, you immediately jumping into his arms and accepting his confession (his personal favourite hypothesis), you shyly stating that you felt the same way, you being shocked that he had feelings for you at all (he liked to believe that he wasn't entirely obvious) but he didn't expect what you did next.

instead, you blew air from your nose, giving him a look he couldn't quite place. "you have horrible taste. and you're also delusional. we've had maybe 4 conversations the entire we've known each other, and you like me?" you rolled your eyes, shaking your head at the words you were about to utter. "but I guess that makes me delusional too, because I feel the same way."

he pouted at your words, feigning hurt with a hand placed on his chest. "you wound me. if I had known you were gonna be this mean... I would've confessed sooner." he added with a slight smirk, trailing his other hand from your shoulder down to your waist, leaning his face towards yours.

you were quick to shut down his advance, maneuvering your way out of his hold. "one thing you're gonna need to get used to, castellan. no touching. at all. at least, not until I'm sure I can control my ability. you have a goodnight though." you called out as you walked away from a now needy Luke, leaving him leaning against the tree.

he quickly followed after you, trying to plead his case. "no touching? that's insane, how could I not touch you? I'm not afraid of death, especially if it comes from my hands on your body, or vice versa. I'll happily forfeit my life for a kiss. come on, I'm fine with just a peck. actually, no. I take that back. if I'm gonna die, we need to make out before I go."

you simply shook your head, reiterating your rule, unable to stop a grin from forming on your face. you stopped abruptly, turning to face him with a serious look in your eyes. "... okay. but just a peck. im serious."

it was not just a peck. but luckily, Luke made it out alive. (though, he seriously wouldn't have minded if he didn't.)