#Whatever you've been doing to keep yourself safe is probably still fine

[polyamorousmood]

There's been an uptick in people discussing how much hate polyamory gets. While I have no doubt people are seeing it more, if only because polyamory is starting to come out from the shadows more, I want to say very little of it has been directed at this blog. So firstly, thank you to all of you following for being chill.

I think that's because y'all are poly too, which brings me to my next point. If the talk surrounding it has you fearful, breathe. This is a very public blog easily found through basically any poly-related tag. That should make it an easy target for bullshit, but I've gotten very little. So you're probably fine. If you DO have a repeated problem with it, I can promise it's only a few bad actors, and if you block them, your life will improve dramatically. Most people have better shit to do than harass strangers online, it turns out!

[suguann]

✎. you've been on the run for a while. you knew someone would come eventually—but not him.

tags. fem!reader, old west era, bounty hunter simon, size difference, size kink, implied the reader's husband is a terrible human, accidental voyeurism, period-typical sexism, masturbation [18+ only]

masterlist

You’ve been running for months, first from your husband (the phantom grip of his hand still sending an ache through your wrist) and now as a wanted conwoman for stealing the clothes from an unsuspecting cowpoke who thought he was getting lucky. You can only imagine what Mama would say about trading your ruffled skirts for grass-stained trousers and boiled-leather suspenders.

(It’s unbecoming of a respectable woman, dear. Uncouth.)

She’d probably have a lot to say if she knew everything you’ve done to survive.

You hop from one place to the next only by the mere chance someone was willing to let a helpless woman accompany them on their travels. Nearly a month has passed since being stranded in a dusty old mining town after a man and his wife dump you off and leave you behind. Washoe’s a little gritty and not welcoming unless there’s money to spend.

It’s not exactly safe, not unsafe, either, but nobody asks questions as long as you keep your head down and play the part of a mourning widow just passing through.

You know you’ve overextended your stay when you can’t leave your room during the day without worrying about a noose and the open end of a barrel meeting you outside. 

(That your husband or that gun-waving cowpoke finally found you.)

Sleep practically clings to you like a second skin, but you don’t dare close your eyes—you can’t.

This is how you end up sitting in the corner of the saloon, using the last of whatever you have in your change purse to order something strong, something your husband kept locked away, and anything else he thought women shouldn’t have a part in. 

You don’t even realize that your eyelids begin to feel heavy, steadily blurring out the flickering lantern on the wall while you wait for your drink. 

You catch yourself once or twice before your head can hit the table, rapidly blinking away the exhaustion before your eyes slide to the swinging doors.

You should stay awake. 

You need to stay awake just a little bit longer—

Your luck runs out that day. 

It’s one thing to know it’d happen eventually, and something else to realize that you make it easy for him—the man with an infamous name and a faded black bandana covering half his face—how he walked into the saloon and scooped you up (all unladylike sleepy dead weight) out of the weathered booth without a fight.

When you’d woken up to find yourself trussed up and thrown over the back of his horse, you cursed him out with every word you could think of that would make Mama clutch her skirts. Your captor ignored you, only talking to you whenever he warned you he was about to set up camp. 

“Did my husband send you?” Acknowledging him after all this time tasted like pennies on your tongue.

The man, Simon Riley, had leaned back against his bedroll and tipped the brim of his hat over his eyes. “Go the fuck to sleep.”

That was several weeks ago. 

Now, you find yourself stranded in another state that’s more green and vibrant than anything you’re familiar with, stuck with a man who refuses to answer the questions you throw at him. He doesn’t talk outside a few cursory words you greedily latch onto. Anything’s better than silence and the sound of hooves hitting earth. 

The pace he keeps you at is exhausting. You complain about it enough until he moves you in front of him, tying your hands to the saddle's horn.

“I would strongly advise you to shut that mouth for the rest of the ride unless you want me to do something about that, too.” The low growl of his voice in your ear makes the fine hairs on the back of your neck stand up, muddling your brain.

You’re distantly aware you had something to say to that, but you don’t. 

And that is really saying something.

It’s because there’s someone he needs to meet in town—an errand that lawbreakers who run their mouths aren’t allowed to go on.

This is how you end up sitting in camp alone, twirling around a knife he gave you solely for emergencies. 

(Surprise, sharp and quick through your middle, when he tosses his pocket knife into the grass beside you. “What’s to stop me from leaving?”

You could’ve sworn he rolled his eyes. “Will you?”

It doesn’t seem worth dignifying with a reply. You don’t want to travel alone, and there’s a high possibility of getting lost, finding yourself saddled up with worse company than the one you’re stuck with.

Until he evidently catches you again.)

He’s a lot nicer than you first gave him credit for—if only by a fraction—not that you know much about Simon other than what you overheard from gossip circles before you became Mrs. Thornton. Afternoons spent sipping tea laden with honey and lounging around a table full of cakes in the sun parlor while wealthy women talked behind their lace-covered hands to hide secret smiles you were too naive to understand. 

Trying not to stare at the bulge of his arms with thin pink scars—unlike the men you’re used to who got through life with a silver spoon hanging from their mouth—as he places his saddle back on his horse, you think you finally know what they smiled about.

You learn those scars also litter his torso from the time you accidentally walked upon him mid-way through putting his trousers on after washing in the river. It’d been too dark for you to see much else, and you quickly returned to camp before he could say something that would embarrass you both. 

Then, of course, tucked away into your bedroll, you can’t help wondering what the rest of him would have looked like if you had stayed a second longer. 

If his jaw is sharp or soft behind that mask he insists on wearing—that’s if he’d let you see at all. 

Simon’s always so serious that it’s often hard to determine whether he’s merely tolerating your existence until he can get rid of you or if he’s unused to traveling accompanied for so long. It’s not as if he goes out of his way to make pleasant conversation with you for you to assume otherwise.

You look off in the direction where he disappeared into the dense line of trees hours ago, wondering if you should go out looking for him (mainly because you’re hot and sticky from the humidity) despite his order to stay put. 

But after four hours turns into five, you head off, searching for something to help cool you off.

Luckily, unlike the heavily eroded lands you’re used to, there isn’t any water shortage in a place that sees rain three times a day, so it doesn’t take long to find a lake. You set your knife down on the stone-covered beach, followed by your boots, until you’re left in nothing but your undergarments. 

The water is icy cold and laps gently at your feet when you step in. You can’t find it in you to complain as the heat from the day slowly washes away the further you walk in and find a wide ledge to sit on. 

Your thoughts drift back to Simon, incessant and intruding even though you shouldn’t be thinking about him while wet and naked. And suddenly, you can picture it: his hands replacing yours as they trace along your neck. You have a feeling they’re probably rough and scarred from years of living hard and gunslinging, extracting the readily available knowledge that they’re big enough to encase your waist.

He could maneuver you around however he wants (you know this), and you feel dizzy just thinking about it.

Sighing, you sink deeper into the water while your hands smooth over the tips of your breasts and down your stomach. 

You wish you could see him without violating whatever personal preservations hide him from the rest of the world. Instead, you’re left with your imagination—the benefits of being a married woman and the little experience you have in the bedroom finally coming into play. 

Closing your eyes, you picture what he might look like under those sun-weathered leathers, knowing that the broadness of his shoulders isn’t only due to his vest and holsters but also from how his job has shaped him.

Your hands travel lower, fingers brushing through the creamy, soft wetness between your legs, evidence of what Simon does to you even when he’s not around. A moan, too high and breathy, slips past your lips as you use your middle finger to circle your clit in slow, clumsy swirls from lack of practice and patience that spreads warmth through your middle despite the cold water. 

It’s good, your fingers discovering places your husband always ignored—too many nights spent with your hand under your nightgown long after he’d tucked his cock away and gone to sleep—but probably don’t compare to the ones you’ve caught yourself staring at far too many times. 

They don’t fill you nearly enough, unlike how you know Simon’s would—thick and unrelenting. Rough and long, reaching deep enough to make you breathless.

Your breath hitches from pinching the tight, sensitive peak of your nipple until you feel a slight sting, and then it slips out, a tiny thing that’s only audible to your ears—Simon—a secret you now share with the lightning bugs and crickets.

“Dirty, no good rotten—” he’d tell you for thinking such lewd thoughts about him, for sinning so easily. Maybe you are, for getting so worked up over a man who isn’t your husband (no matter how terrible a husband he may be).

A man who’s so big that he makes you feel small, the type that gives before he takes. It’s enough to make you work your hand faster—your body vibrating from the chill of the water and the ache between your trembling thighs.  

Fantasies aren’t enough to sate the deep longing in your chest. Yet you’re slipping over the edge of ecstasy before taking your next breath—all of it builds up and gradually crests inside you like the lake rippling against the shore.

Afterward, it leaves you feeling soft and blurred around the edges, a watercolor painting drying under the sun while you wait for your rapid heartbeat to slow.

You don’t realize your eyes have fallen shut until they flutter open, and you’re startled to find Simon standing at the shoreline, his chest heaving as if he ran here. 

(Though he probably did to see if you took the opportunity to leave.)

You’re glued to your spot on the rock, suddenly struck with the mortifying realization that he’d seen you come—that he possibly heard you cry out his name so intimately.

You watch him remove his hat and hang it on a branch with wide eyes. Followed by his undershirt, guns, and—

He keeps removing clothes until he’s completely naked on the shore—aside from his face that stays hidden—scars marred his chest, spreading to his collarbones and below the water as he steps into the lake and sits on another ledge across from you.

His mask makes him look more menacing, erasing any trace of softness there. And you wonder if he’s angry at you for wandering off.

"Come here." His voice is low and deep, rumbling in his chest.

You don't think he'd hurt you. If he wanted to, he would have done it by now.

At least, that’s what you’re going with to settle the nervous fluttering in your middle.

Water laps at your arms as you wade through the water, each shaky step bringing you closer until you stop before him.

"In my lap."

Your breath sticks in your throat as you do as he says, settling down onto his sturdy thighs, palms falling flat against his broad chest. That same breath comes out in one large exhale as his fingers slide along your jaw, to the nape of your neck, curling into your hair, wet and falling around your shoulders.

“Like this?” you ask, trying to ignore how breathy you sound.

He grunts, apparently in confirmation.

You don’t think you’ve ever felt so conflicted in your life—fear and arousal turning into a messy cocktail in your veins.

“Why do I always have to use a heavy hand to make you listen?”

Your lips part. Breath growing short. “I’m sorry.”

And then—

Simon pulls your head back sharply, exposing your throat.

Your body goes slack against his. Mind blissfully blank.

“No,” he says, tone flat. “But you will be.”

[autisticlifelessons]

Tips for boosting driving confidence in Autistic people

For some autistic people, myself included, driving anxiety can be really detrimental to your ability to get around and be independent. However, this year (10 years after starting to learn and 9 years after passing my test lol), I have been working hard to improve my confidence and whilst I still have a ways to go, my anxiety isn't nearly as bad as it was and I've driven places I would never have dreamed of this time last year.

The following tips are aimed at autistic people, but I think they'll apply to anyone who considers themselves a nervous driver.

Practice makes perfect! - if something makes you super anxious, the natural thing to do is avoid it if at all humanly possible, right? Well, it might make you feel relief in the moment, but over time this just reinforces your anxious thoughts and can make it harder and harder to break the cycle. As much as it sucks, the key thing is to just. keep. driving. Start with just short journeys on familiar roads and build it up from there. The more situations you encounter the more your skills will improve. For various reasons - including issues with visual processing and sensory overload - it's natural that some autistic people take longer to feel comfortable and confident at doing something, so just keep working at it and you'll slowly but surely notice a difference.

Leave yourself plenty of time - being late is a massive trigger for me, so if I find myself in a situation where I have to drive somewhere in a tight time frame it really freaks me out. Give yourself plenty of time to get where you need to go, so you know you have wriggle room if there's unexpected road closures or if you make a wrong turn. This is especially important if you're going somewhere unfamiliar as you will probably already be anxious about this. Plus, if you arrive early you will have some time to regulate/decompress yourself in preparation for whatever you have planned.

Set out your boundaries - Ok driving alone but having people in car with you sends you into a flat spin? That's fine - say no to passengers for a while and then if you feel ready have a trial run with someone you know will be kind and supportive. Equally, if you find having someone in the car with you is reassuring, that can be a big help - just be sure they understand you are feeling anxious so they don't pressure you to go routes you aren't ready for. Also, some people are overconfident in their driving abilities and may try to get you to do things that are unsafe - don't listen to them! Trust your own judgement.

Set a goal - having something specific to work for can help motivate you and give you a measure of your confidence improving. Maybe you want to drive to an out of town shopping centre, or take a road trip with a friend? Just make sure your goal is realistic and you give yourself a big pat on the back once you achieve it.

Practice self compassion - driving is stressful for some people and that's totally ok. I've accepted that while I can safely get from A to B, I'm probably never someone who is going to want to drive for fun. Remember, you are in charge of your life, no one else. Whilst I'm ok driving short distances, if I have to go to another city I would always opt for public transport if at all available. I know it'll make the whole thing much less stressful for me (and is better for the environment, too). Also, if you've been trying for a while but driving just isn't for you, that's totally ok, too! It sucks that the way our society is built means not having access to your own car is inconvenient at best, but remember we all have different strengths and weaknesses, and deciding not to drive doesn't make you a failure. You can bet the minute I can get hold of a (reliable and affordable) self-driving car, my life will be made so much easier!

And there you have it! I do hope my tips brought you some comfort or reassurance if this is something you've been struggling with. Remember, these tips are what have helped me personally - I am not a driving (lol) or medical professional, and I certainly don't claim to speak for all autistic people.

Your support is hugely appreciated xx

[themultifandomgal]

Shelby Sister- Strained Relationship Pt1

YN and her older brother Tommy have never seen eye to eye. Their relationship strained from the moment she was born. Maybe it's because YN was born 2 years after Tommy, he was jealous that all his mums attention went to the young baby. Maybe it was because growing up their personalities were way to similar and now they just but heads. Even though there is this strain on their relationship, Tommy doesn't want to loose any more of his siblings. So with Luca Changretta in town after the murder of John Shelby, Tommy has taken extra precautions to try and keep his family safe

"Finn I'm fine. I'm just going to the bakery" YN tells her youngest brother who has always been very protective of his eldest sister

"But..."

"Finn seriously what's gonna happen?" YN crosses her arms

"Don't bother trying to stop her brother. She does as she pleases"

"But Tom..."

"You know our YN" Tommy puts down his paper and stands up walking towards his sister "but don't come crying to me if a bullet lands in your head"

"Don't worry. Rather that bullet kill me that come to you"

"When will you two stop hating one another"

"Ask 'im. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going. I'll be half an hour" YN takes her coat and and leaves the house.

On her way back home, with cakes and buns in her brown paper bag YN feels as though there are eyes on her. Turning around she can't see anyone, so YN picks up her pace. That is until she's pulled down an alleyway, dropping her purse and brown bag. Something sharp hits her head and suddenly YN is on the floor surrounded by a growing pool of blood.

Half an hour went by, then an hour, then an hour and a half. Finn starts to get worried

"Will you stop pacing" Tommy mutters

"She said half an hour. She was going to the bakery"

"Probably gone for a fuck

"Whatever Tom. I'm going to look for her"

"Knock yourself out"

"If she's dead, that's on you" with that Finn takes his coat and stormed out the house searching for YN. Tommy carried on drinking his whiskey, but something Finn said doesn't sit right with Tommy 'if she's dead that's on you' YN wasn't one to tell them how long she'd be and be gone much longer. Putting down his drink he sighs taking his own coat off the rack and heading out onto the streets of Small Heath. Deciding to look at the bakery first for his sister, he starts walking that way, noticing how the cool air is pricking at his face like a dozen needles. His sister must be freezing, he thought walking through the street. Half way to the bakery he sees YNs purse, a discarded paper bag and blood. Lots of blood. But no YN. For the first time, his heart sinks at the thought of YN being hurt or worse. Looking closer he sees a bullet on the ground, picking it up he sees a name engraved, Luca Changretta. He's gone to far now. Luca has Tommys sister, possibly even hurt her, he's going to kill him. 

YN wakes up to a pounding head. She's in a dimly lit room, tied to a chair

"Ahh your awake. Nice of you to join us miss Shelby. Your brothers should have noticed that your missing by now and dear old Tommy will come to save you" this makes YN chuckle

"Tommy doesn't care about me. You took the wrong Shelby sister if you want Tommy to hand  over the company. Your gonna have to do better than this"

"If Tommy still wants a relationship with the rest of his family then he'll save you"

"Yeah right" YN scoffs at the man she knows to be Luca Changretta "what's another death in the Shelby family eh? you've already killed John, least if I'm dead I'll be with my brother, away from this cruel world"

"Oh don't worry Miss Shelby, you'll be joining your brother soon, in fact all of you will, but I must wait until he arrives"

"Like I said. He won't"

"We will just have to wait and see, won't we mia cara"

[raccoonfallsharder]

First of all, i love your art. Your style is amazing.

We all know Rocket is amazing in repairing space ships (and even building them) but what about a normal Earth car?

i am BLUSHING. i feel like i don't really have a set style (at least when it comes to drawing rocket - i am still figuring it out) so this really means a LOT. you’re so sweet i could actually die, little fox. just a coin-sized blueberry pancake with whipped cream. thank you for the kind words ♡ truly ♡♡~

secondly, what about normal earth cars? ur boy rocket looks at any given machine and understands it almost instantaneously. the kree charted him within .024 points of optimum intuitive grasp. a puny little earth-car is gonna be child's play for him.

not that i would ever suggest letting him work on yours.

it'll be more or less safe (for you) because rocket does care about you and isn't trying to get you killed. and sure, if you let him do that oil change you've been needing, he'll probably make some sneaky upgrades that allow for a smoother ride and better mileage. but the next time you find yourself with a lead foot, you'll realize you can also go way faster than anything on terra should be able to go. and the next time you accidentally bump one of those buttons on the console you rarely use, you'll probably end up with laser rifles unfolding from your wheel-wells, or your taillights flipping down to ready your "brand new" plasma cannons. (brand new in the sense that rocket will probably patch them together out of some old tech he has lying around his own ship, combined with whatever he can steal out of your kitchen cabinets. don't be too surprised if that mixer you bought from the thrift store no longer works because he's jacked all the internal wiring). lucky you - he'll probably figure out a way to make your powertrain UNTN-compatible and from there, he'll figure he's only gotta get you to let him do one more tire rotation, and when he's "working" on that, he can probably figure out a way to get your car capable of actual flight. it might take a bit longer to make sure it has adequate life-support systems and an airtight seal for short-term space travel but hey, he'll figure he's doing you both a favor, piece by piece.

it'll take you a while to figure out where he's hidden all the artillery in your car - and the thrusters, and the additional fuel tanks - and how to keep yourself from accidentally opening up the wings he's installed when you're in the middle of rush-hour traffic or construction. more than once you'll scrape the bottom of your car before you realize that the clearance has changed because he'll have added some re-entry grade ceramic plating to the bottom of it.

"you got any repairs you need done?" he'll probably ask casually, the next time he's planetside. "thought you mentioned your climate control being out."

"air conditioner," you'll say dryly. "and no thanks."

his jaw will probably drop. he'll look wounded. "why not? i did a fine job on the brakes last time."

your eyes will narrow. "i keep getting pulled over by the fucken cops."

his nose will wrinkle. "ew. why?"

your glare will turn withering. "because they don't believe the thing i'm driving is roadworthy anymore," you'll have to tell him. he'll sputter, probably - outraged and insulted - but you won't really be too mad. you know he's just trying to maximize the amount of time the two of you can hang out.

besides, the upgrades he'll make to your sound system will be worth it. your music will never have sounded better.

headcanons & imagines masterlist

[theamityelf]

(In the Mini THH AU)

Some time after the execution for the fourth trial, Hajime speaks up to say, "So, Nagito. Are you finally going to let Makoto out of your pocket now?" Because usually that's when he'd do it, and give Makoto a chance to talk to the other kouhais about what they've just experienced.

But he looks around and finds that Nagito is long gone.

Back at his cabin, Nagito is running water in his bathroom sink, holding a ruler and thermometer to make sure the water comes to exactly an inch high and isn't too hot or cold. Makoto, standing on the side of the basin, between the faucet and the toothbrush cup, is trying to ask a question, but the running water covers the sound of his tiny voice. He waves for attention, and Nagito turns the water off.

"You still haven't explained why you hid me from the others," Makoto says. "Or what you read in that binder. Or why you've been angry all day."

Nagito scoops him up, mussing his sweat-dampened hair with one fingertip. There's a look in his eyes, and has been at least since Makoto could see his face again, that looks as if he's simultaneously hyperfocused on what he's doing and mentally detached from it. Like he's on autopilot with his eyes firmly on the road.

"I'm sorry it was so uncomfortable in there," he says. "There was no ice in the octagon, and nothing safe to soak a napkin with. I did my best to keep you from my body heat."

"It's fine. Please just tell me what's wrong."

"Maybe...We can read through the binder together later, okay? After your bath." He sets Makoto back down on the basin, turning his back so Makoto can get undressed. He pours a bit of shampoo into the cap of the shampoo bottle for him. "I'm going to hurry and pack our things before the others are back from the execution. Fortunately, they usually linger, and they'll probably want a meal first thing."

"Pack? Where are we going?"

"The beach house on the second island. We're surrounded, here. Even if I blocked off the door and the windows, someone could swim beneath us. There's only one path to the beach house, which makes it a lot easier to protect, and I can grab some diner food on the way so we can hole up until we've decided how to proceed."

"That...I know you said we'll read through what you learned later, but can you just tell me something to explain why you're suddenly so hostile to everyone else?"

"It's just because...they were never what we thought they were. They wasted their potential for hope."

"Wasted their potential...?"

"Hey." Nagito is gripping the edge of the sink tightly. "Once you find out the truth...it's okay if you hate me. I'll still protect you and care for you as best I can, so please don't feel like you have to pretend you aren't revolted."

"...Whatever it is, Monokuma showed it to you for a reason. He wanted to hurt you, and he wanted you to hurt them. We can't let him have that. You understand, right?"

Nagito makes a sound that is very difficult to parse as positive or negative. Almost like a sound Teruteru might make. Almost.

"Earlier, you were talking about all the ways you almost lost me. But, you're not giving yourself credit for the fact that you didn't. You always found me and made sure I was safe and well-taken-care-of. You made sure Hajime would be the one looking after me when you were sick, because you knew that Mikan-"

"Mikan," Nagito echoes. His body, which seemed to be gradually melting as he listened to Makoto's words, suddenly erects itself. "Yes, of course. It also explains why she..." The reminder seems to energize him, in a very unintended way. "I need to pack. I'll be back in just a minute."

When he returns, he has a heavy backpack on his back and a pillowcase filled with various other possessions in one hand. He helps Makoto out of the basin to dry off and get dressed.

"You rushed out before I could finish," Makoto complains.

Nagito kneels so he's at eye-level. "My apologies. But we should really hurry, before we risk running into the others en route. And...it's not fair of me to let you praise me before you know the truth."

Since Makoto has finished getting dressed, he scoops him up.

"Wait, wait! Are you about to put me back in your pocket?"

"I'm afraid so. But do remember that you're more than welcome to hate me for it."

Makoto is nestled gently into Nagito's left breast pocket. There is already a napkin-wrapped ice cube there for him this time, keeping the temperature manageable. He can both hear and feel Nagito's heartbeat. It could very well soothe him to sleep.

"You..." Nagito breathes. Makoto feels Nagito's big hand carefully cupping the pocket he's occupying. "What does it say about me, that the Ultimate Hope makes me desperately want to be selfish?"

Makoto gives an answer, but of course Nagito can't hear it.

He leaves his cabin without another word.

[thedelusionreaderbitch]

Poly! Catradora x gn! Reader - Triumph from a shadow (PRIDE 2023)

A/n: Here is the first installment to the fics of pride 2023! (This is also old, so don't expect the writing to be stellar!)

Summary: You've always been a third wheel to Adora and Catra, even when you stayed with Catra in the horde. You've been over shadowed by the two of them your whole life and you're okay with that. You've seen what power can do to people, but your destiny isn't okay with it, and neither is your feelings.

Warnings: panic attacks, ptsd from the horde prolly, mild violence, death swearing, low self esteem, abandonment issues, crying, unrequited love, I think that's it? You have been warned!

The three P's:

[Pov: 2nd person][Pronouns used: you/your][Pairings: romantic! Catradora x reader, platonic! glimmer x reader, platonic! bow x reader, platonic! Entrapta x reader]

You've been a third wheel to Catra's and Adora's relationship from the beginning. Even in the horde when you had decided to stay with Catra to keep her safe she was still obsessed with Adora. When you had defected the horde because you saw what Catra was doing to herself and not only could you not watch her do it, you felt like you were only encouraging it.

While you came back to Brightmoon and tried to help Adora and the rest of the Princess's everything had spiraled and eventually Adora couldn't just ignore her feelings for Catra and you were left alone.

Unlike Catra and Adora, you can ignore you feelings, because you know they're unrequited, you take one look at the way they look at each and whatever hope in you dies. They've never looked at you like that before.

We're you really that hard to love?

As you were on the ship - Darla, with the "best friend squad" and Entrapta you're eternally grateful Glimmer had suggested you come, because you didn't want to be on Etheria. Not really, you would have been useless, and even though when you look around at all these people who are so strong you know you're out of place. At least you were with the people you longed to be with the most.

Which, is a different kind of torture all on it's own.

On the couch in the control area of the ship tears come to your eyes as Darla is on autopilot for a planet called Nyxion, it's believed that the people there are called Nyx. Though you haven't gotten a transmission back after you guys had tried to send one to them.

Sniffles are heard throughout the room as you try desperately not to cry, you couldn't cry not only would it probably wake somebody up, it would only prove your weakness.

Although it seemed like someone was already awake because you heard footsteps from behind you as someone place's a hand on your shoulder.

"Y/n?"

It's Adora, you would know that happy, soft voice from anywhere.

More footsteps erupt from behind the two of you and another hand is placed on your other shoulder and you know it's Catra from the claws that slightly dig into you in worry.

"Are you okay?" Catra's soothing, hard voice, whispers and the urge to burst out into tears gets even harder to ignore.

You close your eyes and sigh, "I'm fine, you guys should go back to sleep. I know you need your rest."

Adora laughs quietly and wraps her arms around you and leans in so her head is against your shoulder, while Catra leaps gracefully into your lap and places her hands over Adora's.

"You're always putting others before yourself, just relax for a second." Catra's voice surrounds you.

"We're here for you." Adora says warmly. "We'll always be."

"What?" Your breathe out as your mind starts getting flashes of your memories from your childhood at the horde.

"Ya, we made a promise clumsy." Catra grins up slyly at you.

"Adora! Catra!" Your child self yells out excitedly for the two of them.

"We're over here clumsy!" Catra screeches at you as she and Adora wave you over to them. Of course you come barreling towards them knocking you guys all down.

"Nice work clumsy!" Catra snaps at you as she helps Adora up leaving you on your own.

"Sorry I was just excited." You say dejectedly, taking sudden interest with the floor below you.

"It's okay." Adora offers. "We're really excited to see you too!"

Looking up you see Adora nearly jumping up and down she's so happy and you see Catra soften her glare towards you and it almost turns into a smile.

"Where were you guys?" You question tilting your head to the side to observe how Catra grips onto Adora's arm.

"With Shadow Weaver." Catra murmurs fearfully, and shudders as she says her Shadow Weavers name.

Scrunching your nose you shake your little head.

"Shadow weaver doesn't like me."

Which wasn't entirely true, she had avoided you at all costs sure, but she hadn't yelled or screamed at you. Not like she did everyone else, she even sometimes would yell at Adora. But never you, it was like she admired you, or perhaps the truth is she was afraid of you. Of what you didn't know. All you know now looking back on it, is that Shadow weaver for some reason was afraid of you.

Adora shrugs and walks up to you and grabs you by your shoulders.

"That doesn't mean we can't be friends!"

As you shake your head the younger Catra comes up from behind you and wraps her arms around your torso (a little possessively) and cuddles you from behind.

"I'm just scared you'll forget about me, and leave me..." You trail off but Catra finishes the sentence for you. "Alone?"

You nod your head sadly.

"Hey." Adora squeezes onto your shoulders.

"We're here for you." She says quietly like it's the most important secret in the world, to say that she and Catra won't leave you. "We'll always be."

"What?" Your younger self thinks out loud.

"We're making a promise clumsy." Catra says affectionately.

Abruptly you pull away from the two of them and stand up.

You couldn't do this, you couldn't just stay in their embrace like you when you guys were young. You are young no longer, and no longer are your feels platonic and free. They are love and caged, and enraged because of it. The love you feel, would only hurt them.

"I can't-" You break off the beginning of your sentence and you nearly start to cry. "I can't do this again."

The two of them stand up and Adora stands in front of you, as Catra stands behind you.

"Y/n, we just want to help." Adora says gently and tries to take your hand in hers but you pull away before you can.

"Just leave, leave me be."

Adora looks at you clearly hurt by your actions and words, as Catra, being as protective over her girlfriend as she is gets a little bit angry.

"Fine, we'll leave you to wallow alone then! If you don't want us, we'll leave!"

Catra takes Adora's hand, and although Adora probably isn't very happy with Catra's choice of words but she doesn't protest when she leads both of them out of the control room. Away from you.

"No, wait-"

"We've tried Y/n, but we can't wait around for you while you push us away." Adora says quietly and her words stab you straight through the heart and they kick at your delicate walls. They come crumbling down around you as you collapse into sobs.

"Wait! Please!" Your voice borders on hysterical "I'm sorry I'll-" This time you cut yourself off as your own voice gets taken over by the cries that erupt from your throat uncontrollably. Cries that have been waiting a long time to be let out.

In seconds Catra is in front of you taking your face in her beautifully dangerous hands and moves your head so you're looking up at her.

"Hey, hey, hey." Adora's voice comes from behind Catra. "You're okay." Adora says while Catra says at the same time; "You're with us."

"We won't leave you alone." Catra whispers into your ear.

"We promise." Adora says as she takes your hands into hers and places it over her heart.

"Am I-" Your voice is hoarse, and still riddled with hiccups as tears still run down your face. Yet it isn't as hysterical and out of control as before.

"Am I hard to love?"

It's silent for a second before Adora shakes her head. "Y/n, I'm not sure we totally understand." She tells you lightly.

"Am I hard to love." Your voice is like a scorching fire. "Because you guys have never loved me, not once. Not even when I love you guys so much it hurts to be around you. So tell me, am I just that impossible. That unlovable." Your voice is hard and both of them look at you with surprised faces and while Darla starts beeping, alerting everyone that you've reached your destination.

Glimmer, Bow, and Entrapta come through as the ship starts opening it's doors and ramps to the ground as you rip yourself away from Catra and Adora. While you go to join Glimmer, and Bow who look at you with matching concerned expressions.

"Don't ask." You grit out as you wipe the rest of the tears from your face.

"Are you-" Bow starts, trying not to freak out.

"I said don't."

Everyone is quiet as you guys take in the seemingly abandoned planet.

It's primary colors are black, and different shades of grey, as vines twist across the ground and trees hang over your heads. Yet there's a certain beauty to the darkness. When the light hits the right parts of the dark vines and trees they glow an almost rainbow color.

In the distance there's a structure that looks vaguely like a broken down temple. You feel a pull towards it, and you know you guys have to head over there if you want any answers.

"We should head over to that temple over there." You raise your voice and there's no response from anyone, everyone is just stays extremely quiet, keeping their heads down. You want to scream in anger, at least it would break the heavy tension in the room.

Finally the tenison is broken by Entrapta (bless her heart) as she shakes her head full of purple hair.

"I'll just stay over here I think! But I still want to know what's happening soooo..."

She hands everyone small little body camera's and you can't help but smile at her. She really is a genius beyond compare.

"I can also speak through them and if you want to try and get my attention just say my name!" She says excitedly, bouncing up and down.

"Thanks Entrapta." You nod your head towards her, as everyone puts on the body cams.

Catra slyly glares at Entrapta as she harshly grabs onto your hand and starts leading the group towards the temple.

"What the fuck was that!" You scowl at Catra passive-aggressive behavior.

She doesn't say anything but she doesn't let you go either. If anything, she grips onto you harder as you feel her claws dig into your wrist.

Taking your other hand, Adora grips onto it like it's her last life-line before she's pulled into the sea.

They don't say anything at all, the only words that are exchanged are from Glimmer and Bow who are desperately trying to fill the awkward silence.

"Y/n." Adora starts. "We just wanted to say-"

You cut her off by shaking both their hands off not wanting to hear their ultimate rejection.

Just in time before the two girlfriends can say anything else, the temple stands before the five of you.

It's black like the trees and the vines, and it looks old. Nevertheless it's beautiful with some dark crystals and symbols engraved into the black stone. Although it feels like the temple is missing something.

You feel like you're in a trance as you walk through the entryway as the others follow behind you.

"Uh, guys?" Entrapta's voice comes through the devices.

"If you guys go straight it will lead you to a power source that may or may not be magical. And it may or may have been barred off from the planet for a long time and if you guys don't unlock it from it's cage it will make the planet below up in... 30 minutes."

Immediately, everyone starts running furiously forward trying to get to the center as fast as possible.

Running up next to Glimmer you jog beside her contemplating on asking her your question wondering if she'll actually say yes but... If you don't say anything you'll never know.

"Glimmer." You brush your hand against her arm to get her attention.

"Can you teleport me to the center."

"But I can't teleport everyone?" She questions you, eyebrows frowned.

"I know." You whisper as you don't really want the others to hear. "I just want you teleport me, just me. I just have a feeling to this place, a connection I think."

Glimmer stops and observes you before nodding her head. Out of everyone, Glimmer was the one to go with problems like these. The other person might have been Adora but you didn't want to talk to her right now and she had a tendency to freak out over your safety. Not that Glimmer didn't, but she wasn't dramatic like Adora, nor would she be irrational.

"Okay."

In a second she takes your arm and you're teleported into the center of the temple.

Glimmer teleports out quickly as to not worry the others and probably to leave you alone here. She would understand, you would think.

In the center of the... center you suppose, is a beam of magic that's red, and black light with a grey magic barrier surrounding it.

Looking closer you realize it must be dark magic.

Taking a closer look at the walls around you, you realize that these aren't random symbols, they were writings, and you could read them.

Memories from the past flash through your mind forcefully as you read them.

People that were born from dark magic, normal, happy, magic users who used it for good. They were shunned from outside planets but the queens did not tell their people to resent them, they told them they just didn't understand them.

The queens were powerful and together they birthed a child from the magic, but before they could raise them Horde Prime came and obliterated their people. In a rush they had contained it's magic making so only one person could contain all the magic. Dark magic would always stay on this planet but it needed someone to stick to.

They created a safety guard on the place so if anyone came inside they would have to fight an large three headed dog.

As Prime came closer the two queens kissed their baby on the head goodbye with tears in their eyes as they did what they couldn't do for their people.

Save them.

So they sent the baby away with a spell, sending the child through darkness hoping praying they would end up somewhere safe. And that child you - had ended up right into Shadow weavers arms.

Then Prime killed the queens.

You fell to the ground your head pounding at your heart yearning.

You knew what you had to do, you had to go inside the beam of magic and absorb it's magic's power before it teared the planet apart.

Getting up you start to trek forward before four hands firmly pull you back.

"What are you doing!" Adora yells at you.

"The magic is restless, someone needs to absorb it so it doesn't tear the planet apart!"

"It's dark magic! You won't survive!" Catra screams down at you as her iron hold on you becomes even stronger.

"Yes, I will." You say calmly, the tone of your voice surprises everyone.

"You don't know that!" Adora cries out. "I'm going to do it, She-ra can do take it!"

Instantly Catra lets you go when she hears Adora's words.

"No you will not!"

In the distance you hear a growl and the ground shakes beneath you and you know you've run out of time.

Dodging She-ra and Catra, you sprint up to the magic and you hesitant slightly.

What if it didn't accept you? What if your moms had it made for someone else?

"Y/n!" Everyone screams for you to stand back, and the rational part of your brain is agreeing with them. Really, you didn't know what you were dealing with, but the pull you feel here is undeniable.

You've never been one for rational decisions anyways.

"I love you." You declare to Catra and Adora before taking a step into the dark.

It envelopes you wholly, it's long black inky arms seeks entry into your body, it doesn't hurt. This much magic going into your body should hurt, but maybe it's had a place there all along.

You're lifted into the air and you feel the darkness seep into you, and you welcome it like an old friend. More memories of your moms, of your people are filtered through your brain, even that you don't stop. This is where you were meant to be, what you've been meaning to become.

You feel every last drop of the magic inside of you yet you don't come down. What happens if you just stayed there? Could you be able to learn more about your people, why would you ever need to come down? Down there is so confusing, and horrible, terrible things have happened down there.

However the shouts of Adora and Catra fill your ears, their pleas for you to come back to them are desperate. Then you hear Adora turn into She-ra but she's not trying to "save" you, you don't think Catra would let her, no there must be something attacking them.

The three headed dog.

Opening suddenly your eyes are filled with black as you descend down, while around you your body is glowing. You can feel every shadow across the universe, and all the secrets of every individual.

You stand in front of your friends and you send an inky black barrier to cover them with just the flick of your hand as the dogs snarls and howls at you. He's a afraid, not of you but of being alone, yet he feels like he has to fulfill his purpose.

"I remember you." You whisper. "Mom used to play fetch with you outside the temple, and mama would watch from the sidelines, claiming she didn't like you."

You tilt your head to the side and the three headed dog does the same, as if he too, is starting to recognize you.

"But she gave you your name, Spot right? And she was the one who would pet you in the middle of the night."

Spot howls and runs at you as he nuzzles your neck, and cuddles you. Slobber must have been all over you.

Giggling the barrier separating you, with your friends dissipates as your eyes slowly fade back to their natural color, of course with a dark tint that wasn't quite there before.

"Y/n!" Adora runs up behind you as she pulls you into a hug.

"I thought I had lost you!" She exclaims.

"We, thought we had lost you." Catra comes in front of you, and takes your hands into hers.

"You almost did, it showed me so many memories of me, my moms, and my people. I didn't want to leave, even when the magic had transferred over to me entirely." You sigh a bit shyly.

"What made you come back?" Glimmer is behind you in a spark, but you knew she would end up there - her shadow was there before she was. So you didn't flinch or jump at the sound of her voice.

"Well I didn't want you guys to hurt Spot." You pet the ginormous three headed dog, you joke with a sarcastic tone at the end. Yet you pause before what you're going to say next. Did you have to courage to tell them outright when you weren't in distress?

Still, as you observe Adora and Catra you think maybe it's them who have to say it to you, or break it to you that they didn't love you.

"My friends." You reply, "All of you, I thought Spot was going to go after you guys (it's what he was trained to do after all) and just knowing that anyone of you could die... I just knew I couldn't stay there forever, not while you guys were suffering."

"OH!" Bow screeches. "Best friend squad!" And he pulls you all into a big hug as Entrapta agree's from the cameras.

"How did you know about any of this..." Adore trails off as everything soon gets quieter at her question.

Chuckling you take Catra's and Adora's hands into your as you wink at Bow and Glimmer. "I'll tell you all on the way and maybe on the ship. Quite frankly it's a long story!"

____________

After you had told your story to them, Glimmer had informed you that you would have to start training with your newfound magical powers. Even if she still sounded a little uncomfortable at the prospect of dark magic, you had told her that you were basically a vessel made to hold dark magic, and control it. There was no corrupting you, plus your people and parents had never been corrupted.

Catra and Adora had been acting weirdly around you, to say the least. You would do something you would normally do and they would have matching bright faces. Along with the fact that the three of you still haven't spoke about you confessing your love for them... Twice.

"Well this is a familiar setting." Catra speaks from behind you in the control room, while everyone else are in their respective rooms.

You can feel Adora's shadow also coming to the control room a bit farther down the hall then Catra. Without turning around you call out to her;

"Hello Adora."

"Oh crap! That's like super scary!" She yells as she jogs up to the couch where Catra now is laying her head inside your lap.

"That's the point Adora." You snicker but there's definitely a teasing tone to your voice.

She comes up behind you and somehow slides in behind you so her arms are warped around you, and your back is flushed against her chest.

There's silence for a while, for long time. It's not awkward or bad, it's actually pretty great as you cuddle the two of them.

"Y/n?" Adora's voice comes out a bit croaky.

"Yes?"

"We love, you like a lot."

"I know."

Catra sits up and slides into your lap. "If you were any other person right now I would slap you."

Giggling you run an hand through her hair. "I think- I think even I deserve love. Whether it be platonic or romantic."

"Hey Y/n." Adora whispers as her lips touch the shell of your ear.

"You aren't hard to love."

Catra kisses your cheek and smiles down at you, it's that smile you know not many people other than Adora and now you have seen.

"You never were."

Words 3774

-thedelusionreaderbitch

She-ra taglist: No one yet!

[sarnai4]

M'aider

Exaggerated headcanons for how the Berkians and Berserkers would ask for help. (Key note being that they're asking for them specifically to be helped. If they were asking for someone else, I would change these)

Fishlegs: Politely. He doesn't want to bother you, but after trying out everything he can think of, he asks if you could please lend a hand.

Gobber: Through others. He doesn't know how to do something and when someone nearly loses every limb because of that, it's probably time to step in and give the blacksmith some advice.

Astrid: Angrily. She has been spending all day doing something. She doesn't want you to get involved, but her plan obviously isn't working, so she'd rather you just help out vs continuing to give her that look.

Stoick: Subtly. He's actually unconscious and has been for a few days. Now would be a good time to help.

Snotlout: Indirectly. Well, if you really want to help, then he guesses that it wouldn't be terrible. Sure, he's been going at this for however long and has enough cuts and scrapes to show for it...and he could probably handle it if you give him about 5 more minutes, but since you're so worried, he'd feel bad stressing you out. There is totally no other reason he's accepting help. Ignore the limp. It doesn't exist. He's just doing that to make you feel useful.

Tuffnut: Through actions. He probably doesn't actually need your help because this is definitely a scheme or a project that has little importance, so you've declined helping a lot. This doesn't stop him. Therefore, he keeps putting himself in increasingly more danger until you realize it's between getting involved or him dying. He's very happy when your concern finally takes over. Now, you two can look for Chicken together.

Ruffnut: Forcefully. She never asked, she just grabbed your arm and you found yourself in the middle of nowhere on a quest. You're still not really sure why you're there or what this quest is. You just know that you're not allowed to leave because she keeps tackling you when you try. It seems like you might need help before this is over.

Hiccup: Dramatically. He almost dies. Then, he does that again. Then...you get the point. So, you hide Toothless's tailfin, his leg, and sit them both down to have a long talk before you're down a dragon and Berkian. Depending on the situation, you might have to sit down on him to keep him from trying to get both items and run off again. Just be wary of that.

Heather: Dramatically but a little less than Hiccup. She doesn't almost die. She just gets captured. You asked if she needed help first, but she kept insisting that she didn't. After watching the third wave of enemies capture her and/or Windshear, you decide to take matters into your own hands.

Dagur: Implicitly. He's currently bleeding out somewhere and would appreciate your help, but he's not really in the best position to ask. Of course, if he could talk, he'd say he was fine and could handle whatever danger there is so that you're safe. What's a concerning amount of little blood loss going to do? Hope he isn't too heavy because you've got some dragging ahead of you.

[betweenthings2]

holding hands during a stressful situation, it’s giving matty being nervous to fly or on a high ledge for some reason

Thank you for the ask!! The prompt list is here if anyone else wants to see it =) Poor Matty not liking flying--I love flying. The airport is the only place I can pay $15 for a beer at nine in the morning with the best and worst dressed people I've ever seen.

Anyways, here's holding hands in a stressful situation from the physical intimacy prompt list.

Matty has been on edge since they got to the airport. George knows he doesn't like flying, but he didn't realize it put Matty on edge like this. He hasn't stood still since they got to the airport, practically vibrating while they stood in line to check luggage and go through security, then pacing once they get to the terminal. They're early, partly a product of Matty's anxiety, so don't have a gate yet, but there's plenty of open seating and space in the terminal, but Matty can't be still enough to sit. George watches him pace for about fifteen minutes before physically making him sit down. Matty lasts about thirty seconds before he gets fidgety and gets back up.

George asks him to go for coffee in an effort to give him something to do. Matty probably doesn't really need any caffeine, but it's usually about a fifty-fifty shot as to whether or not caffeine will amp Matty up or almost knock him out. George is banking on the latter today. By the time Matty comes back, their gate has been announced, which George would have thought would have calmed him down some, but Matty is still just as on edge as he had been when they get to the gate.

It's not long before Matty's anxiety starts to earn him glares and glances from the other people waiting in line, so George takes his hand and pulls him close, murmuring, "You've got to relax, love."

Matty wrenches his hand free, stepping away, and glares. "Don't fucking tell me calm down. I'm fine."

"You haven't sat still since we got to the airport," George counters. "You're gonna exhaust yourself or you're gonna feel awful later."

"I'm fine," Matty insists.

George fixes him with a sad look and agrees, "'k."

The line moves forward a bit, then Matty steps close to George again and quietly admits, "I fucking hate flying."

George takes Matty's hand again, running a thumb over his knuckles, and says, "I know. Flying is really safe, though."

"Human beings are not supposed to fly," Matty grumbles. "It's a metal tube held up by witchcraft or some shit."

George can't help but smile and chuckle. "I'm pretty sure it's math and physics," he says. "And aerodynamics."

"Witchcraft," Matty counters, shuffling forward as the boarding line begins moving again.

George presses a quick kiss to Matty's temple and agrees, "Whatever you say."

Matty keeps himself close to George as the line begins moving again, moving and letting go of his hand only when it's time for them to show their boarding passes and their passports. He's quick to take George's hand again, holding a little bit tighter as they head down the jetway. He only lets go when they get to the door of the plane, George urging Matty to go first.

Matty's nervous fidgeting is quick to return when they finally sit down and he's quick to take George's hand again. George feels for him, they have a ten hour flight and a photoshoot when they land and Matty is liable to be tense and stressed the whole time. George just isn't sure how to help.

"This is stupid," Matty mumbles. "What the fuck is a seat cushion supposed to do when the plane crashes in the ocean?"

George glances up, seeing Matty glancing over the safety pamphlet. He's like this just about every time they get on a plane, though, and George has learned to just let him share his thoughts.

"You know you used to be able to smoke on planes?" Matty continues, tucking the pamphlet away. "Why they'd get rid of that? I'd feel better if they brought that back."

George can't help but chuckle again and he runs his thumb over Matty's knuckles again, saying, "'s probably a safety hazard."

"So they want me to just freak out instead?"

"How many planes have you been on and been just fine?" George tries.

"Yeah, but what if this is the time it's not fine?" Matty says quietly, clinging to George's hand.

"I think it's going to be ok," George offers. "I think we're going to get to LA and we'll be fine."

"I just don't like it," Matty admits, gaze falling to their hands. "And I don't like not liking it."

"I know," George murmurs. "I'm sorry this stresses you out so much."

"Thanks," Matty mumbles, resting his head against George's shoulder. "Sorry for being so annoying today."

"You're not annoying," George counters. "You're allowed to be stressed. That's ok."

"Still," Matty insists.

George presses another kiss into Matty's curls and quietly says, "'s all ok. Promise."

[alightbuthappypen]

twenty questions for fic writers

As a treat entirely for me I get to do a meme. I wasn't tagged and I won't tag anyone but invite anyone who wants to do it to treat yourself too!

How many works do you have on AO3?

33, though 3 of those are posted anonymously (2 RPF that I'm not wholly comfortable having attached to my name anymore, 1 based around a Problematic Trope that I'm too chicken to own up to)

That's like an average of just under 2 fics per year I've been posting to Ao3, ha.

But I probably have about 20 wips for CQL alone, you know how it is

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

92,993 apparently.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Pretty monogamous at any given time - obviously CQL right now, though I did slip out that cathartic Good Omens thing earlier this year.

Previous big hitters (by my standards) were Dragon Age and The Musketeers (BBC version, yes I know)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

From Now On (陈情令 | The Untamed (TV) (1,013)

The Look You Give (陈情令 | The Untamed (TV) (995)

Retrospect (陈情令 | The Untamed (TV) (552)

In the Quiet It Will Grow (陈情令 | The Untamed (TV) (507)

A natural liking (Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, Good Omens (TV) (487)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I go through phases...I think it's polite to, and I do try, but also when I comment on a fic I don't actually expect a response from the author (though it's always nice!) so I don't angst about it. I obviously LOVE comments, it's not for lack of caring.

When I don't respond it's always because I end up overthinking what I should say, like does "thank you! <3" ten times in row look insincere.

Sometimes I go on a reply binge and start responding to really old comments, and that probably looks weirder.

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I think I gravitate towards bittersweet or melancholy endings generally, though not usually real downers. Stories that take place within an angsty point of canon are good for this, like

A Promise (X-Men: First Class)

A Kind of Cruel (BBC Musketeers)

Probably angstiest of all is the very short For the wounded (Dragon Age: Inquisition) which is set in a Bad End post-canon.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I feel like "happy endings" suggest some kind of narrative arc and most of my finished fics are too oneshotty to really have that. But I'd say my fluffiest, most angst-free are probably:

Safe Keeping (Dragon Age: Inquisition) 

Nights Bright Days (Good Omens)

A natural liking (Good Omens)

In the Quiet It Will Grow (The Untamed)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I don't think I've ever got a hateful comment? If I have I've repressed it. I've had a couple that I wasn't sure what to make of, or which I felt misinterpreted what the story was about, but nothing mean.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

DO I. Smutty oneshots my beloved.

In terms of like, sex acts, pretty vanilla, though I think some of my favoured tropes could be considered Problematic (a bit of dubcon, Cloud Recesses arc smut). Whatever it is, it has to be extremely emotional. If the participants aren't experiencing heightened emotions of some kind and having them described in long introspective paragraphs it's not me.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

No, my tastes are deeply boring and I have zero interest in crossovers or most AUs.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

In the Quiet It Will Grow was translated into Brazilian Portuguese with permission, though I didn't realise it was going on wattpad and didn't think to ask (it's fine, but I do prefer the Ao3 "inspired by" function). A bit random, but still, flattering.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, I kind of like the idea but I think I'm too precious about the process and have too specific an idea of what the final piece should be.

I do love the collaborative storytelling of D&D, but prose is a whole different matter.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Surely it's whichever one you're into at the time of asking? So obviously right now it's wangxian taking up most of my brainspace, but really most of the serious ships I've had I still have affection for. But wangxian is the only ship I've done both art and fic for, and overall feels like the deepest cut.

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

SO many unpublished wips, but Against your will is one of my two published wips and for that reason I would like to see it finished, but unless I get back in and refamiliarise myself with the canon again I don't think it'll happen.

Also I have all these other wangxian wips that are like...look at them, they're everywhere, spilling out of my pockets, strewn across the floor of every room

16. What are your writing strengths?

My method is usually to overwrite then trim back to the bare bones so I think my finished prose usually feels quite..."clean", and to the point. That might not count as a strength to everyone though!

In terms of things I most commonly get good comments about: characterisation, emotion, and clear description of action (people can easily picture what's happening)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue, maybe? I hope it doesn't feel weak in the finished story but it's definitely the thing I find hardest - I'm very conscious of dialogue feeling right for a character and it's usually the part I rewrite the most.

Also actually sitting down and drafting stories in the first place. Obviously.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I mean, I don't speak any other languages and dialogue is hard enough so god, no, unless it's a word or expression that is used by the characters canonically.

I don't mind it in fic as a reader but if I'm having to copy-paste paragraphs into google translate just to figure out what's going on I'm probably not going to persevere.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Oh, you mean the Buffy self insert fics I hand wrote in a notebook 14-year-old me kept under their pillow.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

This is hard because...I'm pretty happy with most fic I've published. I can definitely see flaws but overall if I've finished something and stuck it online I like it, and I've reread every one at least once (I am my own target audience).

Secondly, I think my favourite fic is usually the one or ones I'm in the process of writing. I'm always trying to improve and like to think the next one I finish will be the best I've done (unrealistic I know).

That said,

Keep Burning (Dragon Age: Inquisition) is a fic I'm still really proud of. It's far from perfect and I remember it being a tough experience to write but it came out mostly how I wanted in the end. It still feels like one of the most emotionally...honest things I finished. Also I know it made people cry, and I don't know if anything else I've written has done that.

Also There Grew Between is probably the CQL fic I'm most satisfied with, I just think the pacing and structure work really well and it's the one fic I wish got more love because I like so much how it came out.

[leafdebrief]

a tree falls in a forest

it was struck by lightning.

a weird thing that came from nature shot down from the sky unexpectedly. it's reasoning for location and target are not known. indiscernible really. all we know about it right now is that it must've been full of energy and crazy fucking power because a whole tree fell over when it got hit.

and now there's a fire all over the branches.

lots and lots of destructive energy flying everywhere indiscriminately.

now: you are looking right at a branch. right now. this branch is on fire. hello 👋 i am that fire.

let me tell you some things about myself to get acquainted. as a fire, if you want to ask me "what do you know how to do?" i could answer a couple of ways. if you mean know in a kind of "what does this thing do?" way, i can can at least answer in the spirit of your figure of speech.

i'd say:

if you must think of me, a fire, as something of intelligence that can know things, then i 'know' how to take a bunch of matter around me and turn it into energy that could potentially be very useful. if someone were to come along who happens to be the first actual intelligence to figure out how to use my energy, they might make some pretty neat tools. heck, they might kick off an evolution—i'd love to watch that, as a lowly fire with no real intelligence.

really though, i'd prefer to answer the question a bit more literally so nobody gets confused.

i'd probably go:

that's tricky to answer, because fires don't really know things. there's nothing really special about me, and if you look to the branch just over there, there's a really fucking huge fire burning that does my fire things even better right now! i look up to them in my fire passions of being a fire that burns.

and that's it?

well, pretty much. but when you think about it, there's still some neat things about just being a fire at all. despite not knowing how to be anything different, i still think fires everywhere are pretty hot.

and why's that?

well, for starters (ha! 🔥), in spite of all the fires on this tree being different sizes and temperatures, all of us can be a really fucking huge fire given the time and some tree to consume (ha!!! 💨) so it seems to me that all fires are equally badass the moment they start, right?

well that depends surely, because fires are destructive too. we know because those batteries you leave precariously close to yourself leave marks on our skin when the lithium in them touches you or any humidity in the air and loudly goes FfffrFSSSSHHHRRRttTtTt💨🔥

hey! you speak emojinese too?

it's just on my maternal side and i'm not conversational. stay focused please.

shit. sorry. got burnin there for a sec.

all good. but let's use that an example: i took my eye off you for one second and it got a little hairy in here. are you sure fires are even safe to be around?

oh definitely not. things with that much energy and no real intelligence to keep them at least in one spot just burn stuff. a lot! you should've seen this bridge support we were just making little marks on once, then in a few sec—

—f o c u s.

FUCK. ok. sorry again. what were we talking about?

fires are clearly not safe.

no no no ok i remember!! bear with me here. so fires: they burn things. i'm not going to try and sell you a false bill of goods there. but what i'm trying to impress is that someone who, for whatever reason—training, insanity, luck—is really good at managing fires, might have that intelligence that could take something destructive like me, a fire, and use it to actually do the opposite

chill my drink?

where did you even get that? is that scotch?? i'll take a vodka, room temp, highest proof you've got please

NO.

..🤏🥺🫱🍸.. 🫵🥃??? 👯‍♀️! 🔥!!!

👁️👁️👁️

OK FINE. you have the fun. i can still burn stuff. i've got wood. HA. erection jokes too. what do you have?? a bougie glass that you put ROCKS inside. ROCKS. can't burn that shit, and you pooOooOoUred perfectly good fuel aAAaAAaLL over them, just shao youccould rookallSHOOPEErio—

Jesus Christ. where did you even get that other bottle? how it is almost gone?

is there more? there was a tree here before but it looks–*HIC*–smaller in this lighting. i'm hungry now. do you do–*HIC*–all night poutine and also extra curd plzss

let's get you into a lamp somewhere, you seem a little burnt out tonight buddy. we're gonna grab a wick and move you in a second, just stay there ok?

(broken english/emojinese slurs) the really 😎 thing about 🔥s is the way they haff all🚫of like 🔻▪️shape like. NONEx but still 🔛when put in things be FULL! and if ʸᵒᵘ ᵖᵘᵗ 🔥ᶠⁱʳᵉʷᵒʳᵏ—.. (moves to cozy spot in dry grass) (sleepy ember is soaked in ethanol and not burning b/c oxygen kept at bay)

...hey where'd you go? i said stay put.

(..did any of you see a fire around here, bout yay tall? nothing? fucker's gotta be close, give me a holler if you smell burning weeds nearby ok please, it could be an emergency, thanks)

[safetyandsurvival]

Tips for the ladies (defense)

1. Fun fact: your elbow is EXTREMELY powerful. Use it.

2. 🍇 drugs taste salty. If your on a date with someone your meeting for the first time, get a drink you usually get. If it tastes salty, or odd whatsoever, don't drink it.

3. You think someone is following you? Stay on main roads, don't take that shortcut down the shady alleyway. Don't immediately go to your house, if you can, go by a nearby store and wander around inside for abit. If you still think your being followed, get on the phone with someone. Anyone. Your mom, your dad, your great aunt; it doesn't matter. Hell, PRETEND to be on a phone call (helpful if your phone is dead).

4. Being attacked? Be gross. It sounds odd, but it's the truth. Spit, piss, shit, it doesn't matter. Whatever you think is going to get them off of you, do it.

5. Relating to point 4, don't fight fair. This isn't a friendly fade, your being attacked. Grab hair, pinch, bite, scratch, kick, punch, do whatever you need to do to free yourself.

6. Considering on your whereabouts, some defense tools aren't legal. But that doesnt mean you can't carry something that can't do damage. Keys are a big yes. Alot like a butterfly knife, you can get "butterfly clombs" which are the exact same but have a metal comb (sorry, but imagine slashing someone with the metal teeth of a comb. That's going to hurt). For anyone in school, something as simple as pens or pencils or protractors will do the job. Break a ruler in half, keep it in your pocket. Be creative, anything can be sharp and stabby if you want it to be.

7. For all my girlie's who wear nails, don't punch with a fist. You'll break your actual nails, and probably damage yourself more then your attacker. Instead, put your hand out like your giving someone a high five or use the base of your palm to hit. Its affective, and if you clock someone in the nose, it's going to hurt.

8. Heels. Did I mention carrying something sharp? Yeah, heels fit into that category. Just picture a heel and a person's eye and you'll start to realise what I'm getting at.

9. If you are walking in a place you don't know well or you've never been there before, don't be shy. Head high, walk with purpose. Looking like a damsel in distress will only make you one. If you have earbuds or headphones, put one in (or if you are wearing headphones, only rest one on your ear) and put Google maps on with that little annoying lady who screams the directions. This way, you don't look like a target but you can still manage to get to where you need to safely.

10. This one is drastic, but if your trapped in a car with the door locks on, remember that the headrests are detachable. Car windows are easier to break from the inside, and the pointy metal antenna looking things at the end of the headrests can be used to drive into the window and hopefully crack it.

11. Last one, don't ignore your gut. If you think something seems like a bad idea (walking down a new route, going to a club with bad reviews, even walking home alone, etc.) Then it probably is. Go for what you think Is safe, and you'll most likely be fine.

Stay safe lovelies!

[bentleysbeetle]

//please may we request a tarot card reading, we need to figure out if we're gonna catch the cat flu that every roleplayer has. (I want to be a cat. I can sleep all day.)//

//Beetle's secretary here!! Just wanted to say that seeing as she is still a cat I will be. Translating what they are saying. Imagine how silly it would be if you waited for this reading to only get a bunch of meows, huh?//

Ok!! I decided to do 5 cards for this one!! I could have done only 1 card to see if it's a yes or a no but these cards don't say yes or no on them :( but the first one means you and the situation, the second is what you can do, the third is obstacles, the fourth is the outcome and the fifth is how you can be affected!!

The first card we got is the tower upside down!!! The tower is burning and collapsing and there's lightning, and there's 2 little people falling off to the ground! It looks like they're gonna be really hurt :( but it's upside down, so it's fine! The lightning is actually catching the tower an keeping it safe, and the fire is now red juice that is flowing down, and the people are climbing up to the ground! It looks like they'll be fine :) so uhh!! That probably means that since the people aren't fine YET that means you could be fine or you could not be fine? And it's up to you if you want to keep climbing up to the ground or if you wanna slide down and walk on the lightning! So it could go either way? And you're the one who decides!!!

Ok this one is easy. Your second card is the queen. That means you can do anything you want, the queen is the most powerful person (and chest piece I think I heard once?) and also Queen is the best band. Oh!! It probably means you should do whatever you want AND you should listen to Queen while you do it!!! And she has a very cool wand!! Like a magic wand!!!! I KNOW!! you should turn YOURSELF into a cat WHILE YOU LISTEN TO QUEEN!!!

Uhh the 3rd one, your obstacles, is 7 cups!!! They're in a river, and cats don't like water, so uhh I think there will be lots of water if you turn into a cat and you'll have to knock over a LOT of cups. So be careful!

Oh no uhh.... The um... The fourth card is uhhh the 7 of pentacles but it's upside down... Uh... They look like little shields! And they're in a grassy field! So uhhh the outcome is you will be very very safe in a grass field? Oh no but it's upside down!!! That means the OPPOSITE!! Maybe you'll be hunted for super long by DOGS!!! D: Oh no oh no, be careful anon!!!

Okay the fifth one... How you'll be affected... It is the wagon and there is a guy with two horses, a brown and a white one.... Maybe uhh...... Okay either you'll ummm... Get a ride from Aziraphale and Crowley? Or you'll turn into a horse instead of a cat!!! Oh no!!!! I hope not!

That's my tarot reading!!! Thanks, anon!! Best of luck!

(//actual reading under the cut!//)

//Ok. Actual reading here

The tower usually represents catastrophe. (CAT astrophe 🐈) The tower (in the card) is meant to be your hopes or ambitions or something of the likes, and it's of course falling apart. HOWEVER it is upside down, so it's more like your biggest fears hit when smthn falls apart and u know it's partially your fault (according to my little guide book). However it's meant to come with relief as well, like a battle that's finally over.

My intuition is telling me that this thing falling apart is a facade or barrier of some sorts, like maybe you've been trying to stay alone because you thought it's for the better, but now you realize maybe you're missing out or something and you'd rather join in on things.

Or it could be that the cat thing is nearing an end and you better hurry in joining it. Either or. Beetle is gonna stay a kitten for a while at least, no worries, I'm having fun with this.

Oh and just btw take what resonates, leave what doesn't, I don't know you, maybe you're the most social person ever 🤷🏻

Okay so, queen of wands for the second card (which is what you can do for the situation) The queen of wands represents creativity! She's empathetic (apparently), good at talking and listening and she's popular! She's not scared to tell people her ideas and she is inspiring!

To me, the cards are telling you to be creative. Since the booklet specifically mentions that she's popular with other people, I'd recommend talking to those around you (honestly I'd reccomend that anyway)

But I still also stand by Beetle's reading. Turn yourself into a cat while you're listening to queen

7 of cups represents confusion. It says there will be lots of opportunities and such, some of which can help you and some of which won't. There's a lot of options here and it's getting confusing, so you have to trust your gut.

I feel like this is pretty straight forward, there's lots of ways to get the cat flu but just go with your instinct. Unless your instinct was to get a tarot reading about it, which while it's fun, I doubt that the cards will make you a cat all by themselves /silly

Contrary to popular belief, pentacles represents money and safety, and not dogs.

Anyway, the 7 of pentacles represents endurance. I'm not sure what my booklet is trying to say it means upside down (my booklet is in Swedish, which I do not speak, and Google Translate is giving me.... VARIED results) but I'm guessing my booklet means hesitance? And the first link I pressed said lack of results. It says that it can feel like you have too much to do, you or someone you're close to are uneasy in a situation based in finance or trust. It also says that the problem is way more simple than it seems.

My brain is latching onto that last part a lot, it feels like that's the relevant part here, that the problem is a lot simpler than it seems. It also says to just do something to fix it. And honestly, in these kinds of situation (roleplay in general, as well as wanting to be included overall) a lot of the time all you have to do is ask! Or just include yourself! Don't be scared to just take action <3

I forgot for a moment that this was meant to be the outcome so- there may be a chance you're too busy to roleplay or this will take up a lot of your time, but hey honestly that's just life.

And finally, the wagon! I love the big arcana they're so much fun. Okay this guy represents a travel, determination, self-control and departure. This card has a young man in shiny armor in a wagon, he's just started his journey, he's filled with charm and ambition, and his horses have no reigns so he can control them with his will.

I feel like this is a start for you, anon! Maybe you don't do this stuff often, or maybe you'll just experience some fun and whimsy in this mission!

Something just tells me you've maybe been a bit anxious to include yourself in these kinds of things, you realize you've been lonely or bored, and you're finally trying to join in on something and it'll help you doing stuff like this more often in the future! Maybe you need to speak out for yourself, or maybe you just haven't done roleplay much before.

Either way, I hope this helped! As always take what resonates and leave what doesn't! I spoke a bit from just a gut feeling so I'm sorry if I got some stuff wrong! Best of luck, and if you need just say your @ and I could help ;)

[arobinwithoutbatman]

((Lol whoops it's been 4 weeks since I did this. Onto The Search!))

Oh we're finally back in Santa Prisca and seeing wtf Bruce and Alfred have been up to!

So Bruce's wheelchair is all tricked out and thank fuck for that! Because God damn, not even a minute and he's getting attacked

Oooooo local hero! Nice!

Damn, Bruce pulled some strings and got himself 2 Justice League heroes to keep him safe though I don't like the name of one of them. Why are we still using that slur as a name?

Lol, Green Arrow is hanging out there too

...Tim is like 14 at most, why does this art style make him look 40

So miss subterfuge specialist ~~I refuse to use her actual hero name and I will die on this hill~~ just casually turns invisible, love that

And they're attacking the drugdealer hotel Bruce is staying at. I'm betting he's already left

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

Called it! Bruce is fine and already playing 5D chess to keep his identity a secret

Jack isn't doing too good though and these kidnappers are fucking awful

Oh cool! Angry rabid dogs! Love that!

Oh hey Ollie! Finally revealing yourself to the others... you've really just got your whole face out like that? Shadows from your hood don't do shit, you should know better!

Setting a fire and smoking them all out, nice!

And of course Shondra ran after Jack, she's his doctor and she's a damn good doctor

Oh and Bruce has a yacht waiting anyway

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

...I'm sorry, is there random vampire oneshots in this? Why? Does it have *anything* ot do with the current plot?

I don't think it did? But hte plot continued after a few pages anyway sooooo -shrug-

I'm sorry, is there some kind of hunting going on?! Jack is just there to get Shondra to agree with whatever this sicko is planning?!

Waaaiiiiitttttt the beginning was actually necessary... I got he gist tho. Bruce met up with Hood as Batman even though he's still not fully walking yet and now Hood (named after Robin Hood, Jason hasn't even come back to life yet) is helping out while Bruce and Alfred are in London

...Shondra has a power? And it's healing based? Makes sense

Oh dang, Bruce really loves Catwoman... okay Talia and Viki Vale I knew about but he actually had a bit of a fling with *Poison Ivy?!*

*O H* Shondra heals and this Asp asshole amplifies. Oooohhhhh I don't like this. She knew him as a girl? Something is *very* wrong here

I'll give comic writers this; they got the London accent and general slang right. Though I wonder how much it hurt Alfred to drop his RP dialect

-----------

Okay but those disguises tho

Oooooooo comics entering the discussion on fox hunting~

Huh, figured out who Hood is, nice! But I'm pretty sure he's clocked Bruce and Alfed too

So Asp is looking to store Shondra's ability to eradicate disease? ...he's storing it alright but I doubt that's his end goal. Nah, if he's got files with MI5 that say he didn't exist before the age of 25, something's wrong. He's working with outside forces

CALLED IT. He's not looking to heal, he's looking to kill

And Bruce is having an identity crisis

Ah and this is when Tim calls in while Azreal's going nuts

Eeeeyyy found her! And also, Asp is awful, he just wiped out most of the surrounding village! Now was that sign language Shondra made or pure coincidence?

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

Holy fuck, *he caught a mum and baby in that wave* I hate him. I utterly despise him

Shondra's gone but Jack's here and just barely alive!

Mmmmm not quite right, Bruce, she's protecting herself, she's getting threatened and smacked around, she'll say anything to keep herself and her power safe because I get the feeling she's not really been using it all that much

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

Bruce is gonna be stuck in this misunderstanding, isn't he? Better to focus on that rather than focus on teh fact that he's probably stuck with chronic pain for the rest of his life

Mind control drugs now? Well damn, that's not gonna be good

Tim, wtf is going on with your hair

Shondra/Sandra is still fighting like damn... oh you bastard! He's planting false memories! Wait... those aren't false memories?! Oh fuck. Poor woman's been through hell

---------

Back in Gotham and apprently, a fkae name and appearance are enough to dodge this new power. Good thing too!

Oof, you know Alfred's serious when he threatens to resign

Holy shit, he actually resigned!

And gone to Jean-Paul so that Bruce at least has a body guard... but is Jean-Paul going to care?

...Bruce are you going mad or are you trying to draw out Asp fucker?

Not going mad but might be a touch suicidal

Jean-Paul proving he's not Batman cause he almost let a wheelchair bound disguised Bruce fall... or a decoy... but at least he tried?

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

So Bruce is now in the Carribean with the killer asshat and Shondra and even without a name, he's tried to redirect that anger from her upgringing to the voice she's hearing and *she's* the one thinking of both Bruce and Batman

But because she settled on Batman, Bruce is just knocked out, thank fuck

And now, Tim's chatting to Commissioner Gordon

Oh damn, getting Tim to listen in to try and help and find him. Or at the very least, bust this whole operation

He's trying for an escape! With a paralysed arm

Oh shit, she guessed! And now she's regressing and talking like a child so she's just blabbing and neither of them have realised there's a transmitter in the room oh shit!

...or he could be killed. That works for me, tbh! Bruce, you didn't kill him and tehcnically, Shondra, neither did you. It was definitely self defence. But also, with you age regressing all over hte place and somewhat in love with your patient, you both will kind of have to change things

Huh... she made sure to keep touching him and that healed a good portion of the damage while they weathered out the monsoon and it just skips to them all being back in Gotham

Shondra's got her own estate now and medical staff because she's stuck in child headspace, poor woman :(

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

...Tim did you fall asleep *in your Robin uniform?!*

Awww picking up his dad from the airport... and does that porter in the background have a sign that says C Kent? Is that an Easter Egg?

Jack really wants to try... and it seems like he's definitely going to try once he's healed

And they've broken into the Batcave and holy shit WaynManor is a mess and *Alfred is still very much gone*

Oooooo car race!

That didn't end well... yeah sorry Tim, you need to leave this for the adults

And Bruce is going back to get some crash course training from... I feel like it's either gonna be Talia or Cass' mother who's name currently escapes me

[forbidding-souda]

Korekiyo Kokichi and Mondo with the ultimate daycare worker? Like they can take care of any kind of child and any age?

Shinguuji Korekiyo, Kokichi Ouma, and Mondo Oowada with the SHSL Daycare Worker S/O

my friend got me barnes n noble classic phantom of the opera for my birthday i am screaming and crying hitting the nae nae

-Mod Souda

Shinguuji Korekiyo

❤ He doesn't mind being around children. On days where he's actually staying with you and not out on whatever business he's summoned for, he will often bring you lunch and sit down and eat with you while you're at work. Being the SHSL Daycare Worker means you don't always get a break - so most of the time while the two of you are sitting together you still have to look over the kids. Some of them are weary around him but others don't consider him very different at all. To them, he is just the tall man with the tall tales. What also comes with being the SHSL Daycare Worker is the fact that some parents will just leave their kids with you - some you even have to let stay at your house because their parents knew you would take care of them. Shinguuji is very content with sharing a home with a child temporarily.

You wander around the area, keeping the count of children in your head. How remember how many there were at the start of the day; how many left, which ones came in; now there is one missing. Before you let yourself worry, you think rationally. Shinguuji probably has them somewhere. That has to be it. No child has been harmed or gone missing under your care.

It's just a matter of where.

You can hardly see out of the windows, since this morning had heavy rain, and the water droplets still remain, some even freezing.

So when you stick your head out of the back door you are more than relieved to see Shinguuji sitting near the child on the dirt.

"Ah," you say. "It's good to see you both."

They are saving the worms, the child explains. Making sure they get home to the dirty safely.

Shinguuji stays quiet, smiling to himself from under his mask as he watches you take control of the situation and reassert yourself as the 'boss' figure. He loves watching how controlled you are. The responsibility and maturity is something he admires about you. He almost loves making you worry, just to see the soft smile on your face when you come to the conclusion that everything is fine.

❤ No because him reading them bedtime stories? Amazing.

❤ Realistically he'd probably freak them out with facts about death. The older kids who are edgelords would like him a lot better.

❤ He would be extra helpful when it comes to kids of different nationalities. He can talk about their native country, watching their face light up because somebody gets it.

❤ Lets the little girls braid his hair.

❤ ^ I'm obsessed.

❤ I think the girls would be a lot nicer to him than the boys would.

.

Kokichi Ouma

❤ He is a very bad influence. He's taught the kids your pet peeves and small pranks they can do around the daycare. You've tried to stop letting him talk to them, but it's so hard when you don't want to prohibit him from your workplace altogether. He is making your occupation a lot harder, though it's not as if you can't handle a few trouble makers. Plus, after knowing Ouma for so long, you know his tips and tricks by now. If you really wanted to 'get back' at them then you'd know the perfect way as to how.

❤ He is very gentle with kids. You didn't expect this at first. You imagined him to be the type to grab them by the arms and swing them around - but he doesn't. With the tinier kids, he will pick them up and carry them around on his hip, their small hands reaching up to play with his hair as he conspires with the older ones. It's a maturity that you hardly see out of him in public.

❤ I can see him sneaking in unhealthy snacks for the kids he really likes.

❤ Also for some reason (with no evidence just a hunch) I feel like he'd be good at calming crying kids, or helping them go to sleep.

❤ It's funny when some of the older girls come up to you and complain about how annoying he is. "You get used it it," you say.

❤ The preteen boys handle him a lot better than any other demographic.

.

Mondo Oowada

❤ He is very unsure as to how to interact with kids. Does he give them noogies - or are they too soft for that? What if he breaks one, oh god what would he do. When a kid comes up to him he'll just awkwardly stand there and maybe give them a high-five before sending them back your way. Sometimes, to mess with him, you'll just be like "hold this baby for me" and then walk away and watch from a distance as he slowly begins to panic.

You eye the security camera feed, watching him pick up a crying baby, looking around the room to see if you are anywhere nearby. It's very amusing his nervousness when it comes to little kids - it means he cares. It's cute.

He cradles the baby in his arms the same way you taught him. While sitting in the chair you keep your eyes on the mini television. So he does listen to you.

He pets the child's head, rocking it back and forth, his head still searching in need for you.

You whisper to no one. "You're doing good."

You can see his lips moving. Is he talking to the baby? That's even cuter. Deciding that staying here wasn't satisfying enough, you sneak down to the nursery and linger by the door.

"Just uh," his voice is low and calm, "fucking chill out or something. Your life isn't hard yet."

An eye roll finds its way onto your face. But the baby actually starts quieting, obviously soothed by his soft tone. When you walk through the door, offering to take care of it, you find that Mondo is a bit hesitant to pass over the child.

❤ He probably holds the single digit kids as if they were handbags or potato sacks.

❤ They are going nowhere near the bike. This is for their safety. It might crush them, or, more likely, Mondo will crush them if they try to touch it.

❤ Is probably only confident in teaching kids how to tie their shoes. It's like - "Oh! I know this one. I got this."

❤ The more time he spends around kids, the more comfortable he gets. He starts acting like the big brother figure that Daiya was for him.

❤ You have to hide him whenever he's at the daycare and a parent comes in. You do not want them knowing he's allowed with the kids.

[bbyheedeungie]

Fluttering Machinery | Robot! Sunghoon AU

Genre: Fluff, mild angst

Pairings: Robot! Sunghoon x Reader

Warnings: Character death, little suggestive content

Synopsis: Sunghoon was a humanoid built by your father, with the sole purpose of taking care of you once he passes away. But it seems like taking care of you came with discovering emotions that wasn't necessary for cooking, cleaning, and keeping you safe. What is this warm fuzzy feeling that resonates deep inside Sunghoon's mechanism?

It's been months. 6 dreadful months since your father has passed away. The doctors have warned you that he didn't have much time left, but that didn't make the goodbyes hurt any less.

You were 4 years old when your mom left you and your father for another guy. A more successful guy. Your father was bright, with an insatiable hunger for discovery and invention. But his field of work didn't always bring food to the table. And so on most days you had to, well, compromise.

But you loved your father so much, and still do. Although you didn't grow up to be a scientist like him, you knew the basics on automation and robotics. You were 11 years old when you first saw it, the humanoid that he worked on for years came to life before your own very eyes.

He had no skin nor face that made him look human yet. Just a chunk of metal with a head, arms and legs that moved mechanically. Nevertheless, you will never forget the joy and pride in your fathers' face as he watched his creation. The humanoid was a work in progress and you knew one day he's going to change the world. Unbeknownst to you, he was going to change your world.

And now here you are, years into the present as you stood infront of the humanoid who had his eyes shut. Yep, he's a he now. He is Humanoid SH-1282. Your father made him for the purpose of serving the community, to help people. But when he discovered his illness, he started making alterations to his design. He made SH-1282 to serve as the perfect companion, but only to you.

He filled the humanoid's hard drive with everything that he'll need to help you and take care of you. He input cooking, cleaning, and even martial arts. You sighed, remembering your father's last words.

"I'm gonna leave him in your care now, err leave you in his care or whatever. Take good care of each other okay? I love you both so much."

You were such a crybaby, holding on to your father's arm as the nurses were ushering you to wait outside because the doctors are about to perform surgery.

"You'll be okay." Your father mouthed as he smiled knowingly in content.

You reach for the humanoid's neck to find the power button, finally deciding to activate him after holding it off for months.

You held your breath as his eyes open, immediately scanning his surroundings. His eyes land on you, a smile forms on his lips.

"Hi, I'm SH-1282. It's nice to finally meet you, Y/N." He said naturally, offering his hand. If you didn't know any better, you would think he was a normal boy.

You let out a shaky breath as you accept his hand. He frowns, it seems like he is studying your facial expression and posture.

"You seem like you are in distress. Are you alright?" He asks in concern.

"Yeah, I am." You reply weakly.

"Will a hug improve your mood?" He asks. He was programmed to know about the benefits of physical intimacy, but he was also programmed to know consent and so he will not do anything unless you want to.

You contemplated, biting your lip.

"No, thank you." He simply nods, stepping out of his charging port.

"Will you show me around the house?" He asks and you nod.

"Damn this feels so awkward." You think to yourself.

"So here's the living room." You say as SH-1282 takes a good look around the area, his eyes falling to the dirty coffee table with tons of papers stacked messily. The couch looked greasy, with breadcrumbs stuck to the sides of the couch cushions. He scrunches his nose, involuntarily adding a new emotion to his database: disgust.

And as you led him to the kitchen, this emotion intensifies as he sees the containers of Chinese takeouts and cup ramen littered around the counter. He walks to the fridge and finds it empty except for a carton of milk that you put into your cereal for breakfast.

This awakens another emotion for the humanoid, frustration. He pinches the bridge of his nose as he contemplates on what to do with the mess, aka you.

"This won't do. You have been living unhealthily which may reduce your chances of living a long life."

You scoff, "Excuse me?" He gives you a dead stare, an eyebrow raised.

"No, excuse me while I clean up all this. I'll leave you to your own devices, thank you for showing me around today." He says sassily as he goes to find where you hide your cleaning utensils. You stood there dumbfounded.

"Unbelievable." But you let him be anyway. He wasn't wrong, you've been a total mess this past few months but that was all because of the grief. You basically had no family now.

And so for the rest of the day, you lock yourself in your room and do homework. About 5pm, you hear a soft knock at your door.

"Hello, it's me. Can you spare me a minute? I have something to ask of you." You inwardly groan, not really wanting to face the humanoid.

"Can you accompany me to get groceries? I swear this will only happen one time. It is only because I am not yet accustomed to my location. But after I mentally note the directions, you won't have to come with me next time." He didn't really want to bother you, but he knew that going out by himself and getting lost will be much more bothersome for you.

"Sure thing, just let me change into— oh no, you have no other clothes. It's kinda chilly outside today." You mentally facepalm yourself. Why didn't I go shopping for men clothes first before activating him?

"That is fine, I am immune to any temperature." He says as-a-matter-of-fact. You roll your eyes.

"I know that but people will probably get suspicious to see a man walking around in a shirt and jeans when everybody else has coats on. We need you to fit in as much as possible."

You search for your father's old coat that you refused to throw away even months after he's passed.

"Sorry dad, but he kinda needs this right now." And so you dress the humanoid in your oversized university sweatshirt (which surprisingly fits him perfectly) and your father's old coat.

"How do I look? Will I fit in now?" He asks as he scans his appearance in the mirror.

"You look—" absolutely breathtaking. You had every urge to slap yourself. Your father really didn't play around when he made the humanoid's face. He could pass up as an idol. And the cute little mole on his nose was a good addition to his features that made him even more realistic.

"Great. People won't suspect a thing."

The two of you head out. Contrary to your expectations that he would marvel at everything he sees outside, he just casually looks around. You ride the bus together, and the humanoid processes everything that you do, noting how everything works.

What caught you by surprise though, is how he immediately stands up in instinct to let an old lady sit down in his place. He sure was programmed with manners and chivalry. You smiled at the thought.

You made your way inside the grocery store, only intended to grab a basket but the humanoid insisted on a push cart.

"We have so much to buy, I've taken a mental note of everything we'll need." You simply roll your eyes and let him push the cart around as you wandered behind him. You look around as he reads the nutritional facts of every single thing he sees.

"This is definitely going to take a while." You muttered.

"Y/N? Is that you?" A voice squealed. You hissed and attempted to turn away, pretending you didn't see her. The humanoid saw how you reacted and swiftly rushed to your side in a protective stance. The stranger eyes the humanoid, her eyes sparkling at the sight of such a gorgeous man.

"Why hello there. Y/N you didn't tell me you've been busy with your boyfriend, we haven't hung out in a while." Both of your eyes widened at the misunderstanding.

"Oh, no he's not— we aren't—" You tried to explain but she just laughed out loud.

"Look how flustered you are. You know what, it's okay. But we have a lot of catching up to do!" She said, squishing your cheeks in a playful manner.

"So what's your name, handsome stranger?" She asks, turning to the confused humanoid.

"I'm S—"

"Sunghoon! His name is Sunghoon." You blurted out. Sunghoon was the name of your childhood crush when you were like 7 but that'll have to do. Unfortunately, it seems that the humanoid got even more confused.

"I am Y/N's—"

"Neighbor. He lives next door to my apartment. I was just showing him around because he just recently moved into the city." You say quickly. She can't know that you're living with a guy. Even if said guy wasn't human.

"Awww how sweet of you to go shopping with your neighbor." She said, winking at you. She's definitely not convinced.

"I'm Yeonmi, Y/N's friend." She introduced, offering her hand to Sunghoon. He took her hand reluctantly.

"You mean my super obnoxious friend." You roll your eyes.

"Shut up, you love me." She teased. Admittedly, you've been avoiding her for months now. Ever since your father passed, it was as if you didn't want to deal with anyone anymore, with the fear of being left behind again. So you shut everyone out. You know it was a very selfish move and must've made everyone worry, but you have yet to figure out how to fix things back to how it is.

You said your goodbyes not without a long, tight hug from Yeonmi and Sunghoon noticed from his scanners how your vitals greatly improved from it. This made him feel another new emotion: relief. He was very thankful for your friend who made you feel better.

You continue venturing down the aisle of food, and you find the humanoid smiling to himself. He notices your attention on him and he shakes his head, as if shrugging his thoughts off.

"What?" You asked.

"You gave me a name. Although I'm unsure if it is necessary, thank you." He says genuinely as he smiles at you, your heart skipping a beat.

"You're welcome, Sunghoon." You smiled back.

He picked up lots of fruits and vegetables, with you whining the whole time. Your whines unlocked another emotion of his; annoyance.

"No wonder her father thought she is in need of taking care of, she acts like a child." He concludes, running his fingers through his hair as he lets you get an ice cream of your choice. Oddly, seeing a bright smile on your face as you show him what flavor you got seems to put him at ease.

The two of you got home at dawn, with quickly stacking up the groceries into the cabinets and fridge, with you slumping down on the now squeaky clean couch.

It had been quite a long day and you found yourself dozing off. You woke up from the light tap on your shoulder, eyes fixating on Sunghoon with your apron wrapped around his torso.

"I could get used to this." You thought, admiring how adorable the humanoid looked but quickly pushing the thoughts away.

"Sorry to wake you, it's time for dinner." He announces and you lazily nodded, not before yawning and stretching your arms.

"Uhh, what is this?" You asked, eyeing your plate.

"It's your dinner." He says nonchalantly, expecting you to start eating. Your face shows utter disgust at the plate of vegetables.

"Please don't make me eat that." You begged. Sunghoon rolls his eyes; a trait he adapted from spending just a day with you.

"Don't be dramatic, vegetables are good for you." He states, taking the plate from you and attempting to feed you.

"Come on, say ah." He says playfully. After realizing how much you acted like a child, he researched on how to take care of children and downloaded it into his database. You scrunch your nose, leaning away from the food and shooting him a glare.

"Sunghoon, I'm not a kid." You deadpanned.

"Oh, but you won't get your ice cream if you don't eat this." He says, pouting at you teasingly. He's really good at this. With a sigh, you open wide and allow him to feed you.

"Yep, definitely a kid." He thinks to himself as he smiles in satisfaction, another emotion unlocked.

That night, you decided to move his charging port (with his help) from the lab into the spare room of the apartment.

"You know, I'm completely okay with staying at the lab." He reasoned but you quickly hush him.

"Nope. That is no way to treat a person. You deserve your own room, okay? A room that you can fill with your own stuff and decorate with your own preferences. End of discussion." You sassed as you fix his charging port into place. Sunghoon blinked at you, unable to express how grateful he is of how kind you are to him.

"She wants to treat me like a real human being." He thinks, his mechanical heart overwhelmed with gratitude.

Days went on with a routine, with him cleaning all day and you attending online classes. There were occasional bumps in the road, with you getting annoyed with how much of a neat freak he is and him getting irritated with how lazy you are at taking care of yourself. You've also taught him how to watch tv, deciding not to let him use the internet yet because he might gain too much unnecessary information online.

And so on a saturday night, you sat together on the couch as you watched figure skating competitions. Sunghoon was at complete awe the whole time, studying how the skaters moved through the ice.

"I want to skate too." He states absentmindedly, attention still on the television. You smiled, thinking how it was the first time he actually said he wanted something.

"Then let's do it, let's go skating tomorrow." You say, his head immediately shot to you.

"What, really?" Sunghoon asks in disbelief, his eyes widening.

"Yes, really. Although I'm warning you, I don't know how to skate." You laughed, with him chuckling as well.

"Then we'll learn together." He promises.

What a total lie that is. He didn't need to learn, as you watched him move swiftly against the ice, the wind in his hair as he circled around, his focused eyes twinkling in the fairy lights. He looked ethereal. You could have sworn there were tears there as you cheered him on like a proud momma. Ah, they grew up so fast.

People at the park also stopped to watch Sunghoon, whispering about how talented the young man is. His eyes caught yours, and you weren't sure if you were seeing things but you thought you saw him send you a wink and smile.

"The TV been teaching him things." You muttered, blushing but not from the cold. Sunghoon skates towards you, pulling you with him. You're eyes widened in fear.

"N-no Sunghoon I can't—" but he was already leading you through the ice, eyes never leaving yours.

"You can." He whispers, taking you by the waist as he spun you around. You giddily laughed as you threw your arms out, savouring the chilly air. You didn't even notice the people watching and cooing at you as some joined in as well.

That night, Sunghoon felt something he never felt before, and you in a long time. You felt happy.

"Say aaaah~" Sunghoon said as he fed you chicken soup. You caught a cold from skating yesterday and now you're wrapped in a super cozy blanket with Sunghoon worrying about you.

"You know I can feed myself right?" You said, swallowing the food.

"I know, but I just feel responsible because I was the one who wanted to skate. You got sick because of me, and that kinda defeats my purpose because I'm supposed to be keeping you healthy." He rambled. You roll your eyes at him.

"Colds are normal, okay? Besides, I haven't had that much fun in a while. Thank you for that, Sunghoon." You say, reaching up to tussle his hair playfully. He froze, cogs in his mind unable to process as something inside him stirred, but in a pleasant way.

--

"So you dance while rubbing your body on a stranger?" Sunghoon questions, but he's not sure if he wants to know the answer. Tonight, you wore a simple black dress that teasingly showed a little bit of cleavage and a decent length of fabric that hugged tightly around your upper thighs but had a daringly high slit. Sunghoon approves and disapproves at the same time.

"Yeah, it's kinda like that. But don't worry, I won't be doing that. I'll just stay by the bar the whole time." You reassured as you struggled to put on your strappy heels. Sunghoon kneels down infront of you and helps you clasp the straps around your ankles, handling it very delicately. Your heart thumps as he looks up at you.

"Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you?" He asks for the fifth time as he follows you around the house like a puppy. You sigh, actually considering it. Although it was supposed to be a girl's night according to Yeonmi, you thought maybe having Sunghoon tag along wouldn't do harm.

But it did. It did harm to you, alright. And you wanted to harm those girls who kept on grinding their asses onto Sunghoon as slow, sexy music played. You were fuming, regretting dressing Sunghoon in such fashion that screamed big D energy. Why am I being so possessive? But then again, Sunghoon does look uncomfortable. I should go save him. Yeah, I'll do that.

"Hold my drink." You tell Yeonmi as you made your way to Sunghoon.

"You go girl! Get your man!" Yeonmi cheered drunkly.

Your train of thoughts were blurred by the alcohol as you struggled to walk straight. You had only one clear thought in mind: Sunghoon. I need to get to Sunghoon.

Sunghoon stood uncomfortably, eyeing the girls who rubbed their bossoms and derriere all over him. Is this supposed to be fun? He thinks innocently. He sees you walking towards him, swaying your hips side by side as you strode towards him like a predator.

Girls hovering around him going unnoticed as you were the only one he could see.

Stunning, beautiful. He thought.

"Hey handsome, care to dance?" You asked, pulling him to you before he could even answer. The girls spat at you, telling you to 'get in line' but you just shot them a smug look.

"Sorry ladies." Sunghoon apologized, but his smile told otherwise as he let you pull him away from them.

"You don't know how badly I wanted to get away from—" He froze in his spot as you wrap your arms around his neck, inching closer than ever before. You felt bold, but maybe that was just the alcohol in your system. And as you started moving your body against Sunghoon, you knew it wasn't just you who felt the heat. His large palms go down south, resting on your swaying hips as both of you moved to the sultry rhythm.

His mechanism was going nuts, threatening to malfunction as his sensors detected your very close proximity to him. Whatever you were playing, it was dangerous. But Sunghoon couldn't help but to want more, to desire more.

"Y/N." He whispers, and you look up at him with half lidded eyes. And damn did he find you so sexy right there, under the strobe lights. No girl in the club could ever compare.

"Home?" You suggested.

"Home." He agrees.

As you got in the cab, you immediately find yourself half straddling Sunghoon's lap as you attempt to kiss him. Luckily, Sunghoon can think clearer now and concludes that a drunk Y/N is a very horny Y/N. And though the thought that it was only the alcohol that made you want him made him feel sad, he knew it was wrong to demand such things from you.

And so with your futile attempts to get into his pants, he gently lays your head on his shoulder and hugs you to keep you still. But even that couldn't stop you from squirming to get away from his hold, trying to get some action. He chuckles as he held your hand tightly in his to prevent it from landing into his crotch.

"Now now, you have to stay put. I won't be taking advantage of your state." He scolds gently. And by the time the cab had stopped in front of the building of your apartment, you were fast asleep in Sunghoon's arms.

Times like these were when Sunghoon is glad he was made of aluminum. He scooped you up in his arms like a pillow as he walked up to your apartment. You snuggled up into his chest, looking so innocent as you soaked up his warmth. Sunghoon cooed about how adorable you are, talking to you in your sleep.

He placed you delicately on your bed, contemplating whether to change your clothes or not. He decided not to, noting how your privacy is important to you. You're too drunk and asleep to give him permission right now anyway. He took off your heels and wiped your makeup off very gently, and tucked you in properly.

Long minutes pass as he studies your face, stroking your hair softly as the corners of his mouth lift up unconsciously. He really loves taking care of you. He loves you.

This realization hits him like a truck of overwhelming emotions, but it all makes sense to him now.

"I love you, Y/N." He whispers, leaving a soft kiss on your forehead before retiring to his own room.