#a patient partner

[enigmatic-mystery-777]

In lieu of day 20 of the challenge because I simply did not have time to write the one-shot after work before I needed to nap for my dentist appointment (to then have to go right back to sleep after the appointment to sleep for work tonight), I offer you the next chapter of my fic!

The Things We Don't Know

Secrets are not something Daniel Jackson, your boyfriend of two years, has ever kept from you with one exception; you're okay with that exception, really. He's a wonderful man, one of the best boyfriends you've ever had, and you trust him implicitly. It's a good life the two of you have built. ...Until that exception starts taking him away from you. You try to handle it, but your relationship begins to feel the strain every time he has to go. Fears and doubts begin to creep in. Can the two of you keep the relationship going under these new conditions? Or will something give?

*them

Chapter 26: A Bad Brain Day

Daniel takes care of you after his meeting with Hammond, slowly and patiently bringing you back out of your mental storm.

Gentle Danny has me weak af ugh I can't get enough

Taglist: @cuillere @stargaterevival @frostysfrenzy @geekygumiho @riverageleis

We should be on our regular schedule tomorrow (10/21/23) and I will tack on day 20's one-shot at the end of the month.

Thanks for reading!!

[bananas-mode]

I know this scene has been redrawn a million times over but I had to

[noecoded]

heartbreaking:the worst people you know just started an emo band

[chocolatecatcupcakecheese]

Lord Enver Gortash is rocking the fucking lesbian manicure who the hell is he fingering

[messiahzzz]

as much as i dislike the dialogue option that leads to this scene, i genuinely appreciate gale's response. it is easy to overlook what he is actually trying to convey here and is instead commonly dismissed as him being "overdramatic" or as a display of his bruised ego.

player: it was fine. gale: i see. gale: well, fine is... fine. nobody weeps because the weather is fine. no monarchs were overthrown because their ruling was fine. no artworks were burned because they were not masterpieces, but merely fine. player: would you have rather i lied? gale: the dignified thing for me to say is 'no. of course not. forthrightness before all.' but honestly? yes... i would have rather you lied. gale: i'm just a man. an imperfect one, with needs, wants, and flaws by the bushel. a fragile vessel in which to place potentially world-ending power. gale: perhaps it would be better to not shake such a vessel. gale: forgive me. these were already trying times before elminster delivered his missive. now, for me at least, they are potentially end times.

gale is no stranger to introspection. despite having his natural blindspots, he is fully aware of his flaws and imperfections. he lacks an inherent sense of self-preservation, displays impatience on occasion, can be hypocritical, has trouble handling pointed criticism well, and has a tendency to respond in passive aggression if he feels his competence is brought into question. he seeks admiration and is known to not honor his limitations and own safety for the sake of receiving praise.

gale: [...] people have always commented on my confidence, sometimes my over-confidence, and in one particularly cut throat assessment at university - my 'abject and incorrigible self-delusion.'

gale is not blind to how he is perceived by others, nor does he dismiss their conclusions without careful consideration. instead of deflecting he simply takes what they dish out and files it away for later contemplation and inspection.

player: because you acted the idiot. and paid the price for it too. gale: as always, i endeavor to be invigorated by your candour, rather than eviscerated by it. gale: blunt as your summation is - it's correct. i dared to call myself an archmage while acting the apprentice. the hallmarks of a most excellent idiot, unfortunately.

player: i can't say i share the same high opinion of you, gale. gale: always bringing such candour to our conversations. some would think twice about mocking gale of waterdeep, but you just go straight for the gut. nodecontext: playing along, making fun of himself gale: i like that about you. it's one of your rarer qualities, though i fear my ego can take no more of it tonight. nodecontext: cheerfully accepting the brush off, not taking it personally

needs, wants, and flaws by the bushel.

gale craves as mortals do. for relevance, safety, consideration, loyalty, care, acceptance, and love. he's desperate, he's angry, he's petty and hurt and lonely. he's contradictory, and at times inconsistent. he's afraid, he stumbles, he yearns. if he loves, he does so with all his heart but forgets to extend the same love to himself. he gains understanding only to disregard it later. he is absorbed yet devoted. he expects kindness but is bewildered when it is extended to him in turn. he's neither a perfect colleague, a perfect companion, a perfect lover, nor a perfect husband. he's just another human who's trying to navigate and make sense of the world. who is silently hoping for his soul to be handled with tenderness and care, to finally be seen for who he is —no need for performance or pretense — and to be unconditionally cherished nonetheless.

a fragile vessel in which to place potentially world-ending power.

he knows the burden he carries. understanding that even a momentary lapse in judgment could spell catastrophe if he doesn't exert tight control over his emotions at all times. he knows what is at stake should he lose the composure he painstakingly had to master. a mere moment is all it takes. this self-assessment isn't an "indirect threat" intended to subject pressure on tav or solicit pity, it's a stark acknowledgment of the truth. he is a fragile human, housing powers that should've never been his in the first place.

player: unbelievable. did you ever think what would happen if the tadpole got the better of you? gale: every waking moment. every dreaming moment too. but there was no way out.

he is also keenly aware of how his (former) colleagues perceive him, following his fall from grace.

player: bold. few would dare to reduce a goddess to their 'muse.' gale: i am, after all, the villain of the tale.

this line in particular is one i often think about. it makes me wonder about the extent of information gale received from the outside world after locking himself in his tower for an entire year, setting magical wards so no one but tara would be able to enter. did he hear the whispers? ("shunned by the goddess of magic herself, of course, it was only a matter of time before he flew too close to the sun.") were his colleagues ridiculing him, applauding mystra for cutting off the rot at the source? how did he arrive at the assumption that he is perceived as "the villain" and not the victim?

player: you must have been lonely, with only tara for company.. gale: sometimes. but i imposed it upon myself, after all. i set up enough wards to keep an army at bay, never mind the few colleagues who sought to inquire about my welfare.

or is this solely his own harsh judgment of his folly? that there is no chance anyone would meet him with sympathy, kindness and understanding after what he had wrought. he was too greedy, too impatient — selfish in arrogance, ravenous in ambition. letting delusions of grandeur guide him. he brought it all upon himself with his lack of patience. entirely convinced of his success and skill, blind to the possibility of failure. now doomed to drag innocents into the abyss with him. the hallmarks of a villain, right? after all, who would truly believe him that his ambition hid no ill will?

players: by rights. i should kill you. gale: perhaps that is what i deserve, but you deserve no such thing. [...]

[knaccblog]

Rescuing Aziraphale isn't what makes Crowley happy, not really. He doesn't want him to be in danger in the first place. He wants him safe. He wants him happy.

But he does like having an excuse to take care of him, to protect him, to dote on him in a way that's safe, acceptable and would be honestly illogical to turn away. Like Crowley walks into that church, burning his feet all the way and Aziraphale nearly shoos him away? (Because of the fight all those years ago, because he must be in league with these Nazis) But Aziraphale is in actual, real danger of being discorporated, of being sent back to heaven for who knows how long, so how can he actually reject Crowley's offer to protect him, right?

So every time Crowley does this, the whole "gallant knight swooping in to save Aziraphale from his own follies" thing, it's basically completely irrejectable, safe love Crowley can offer up to Aziraphale with no fear of rejection or overstepping the invisible line between them. Aziraphale can say "you go too fast for me, Crowley" a hundred times in so many varied ways and Crowley accepts this but he's never going to reject Crowley's love when it comes to him as a hand pulling him free of oblivion. That's what Crowley likes. Being able to love Aziraphale in a way that he knows will never be rejected.

[foldingfittedsheets]

Hey, I saw posts about how you used to work in a sex shop & are open about sex stuff. I really hope this is an okay question to ask? I’m sorry if it’s not, though!

How do I discuss having vaginismus with a new sexual partner? I started dating this guy and I have no idea how to explain that even though I am very attracted to him, we won’t have sex for a while.

Anyways, I hope you have an amazing day/night :] take care!

Hah, this is always a tough kind of question for me as I tend to be an incredibly direct person. But in general if you’re having a cuddly little quiet moment saying “Hey” with the right tone sets the stage for an intimate sharing where the other person is attentive and empathetic.

I’d also just kinda start with, “I have this thing that means sex starts out different” because not being able to have penetration does not mean sex has to wait. Unless you want to wait of course.

But hands and mouths exist and there’s all kinds of non penetrative sex options available. Bringing up a topic with “here’s what I can do comfortably” is way easier than saying, “here’s what I can’t do at all.”

Good luck!

[ropebuny]

I just want someone who will not leave when things get difficult

[dumbass-hyperfixations]

but what if after eddie shaves his moustache, he goes back to work like nothing happened (because whatever he’s going through is barely even his business, let alone anyone else’s), and the 118 fam sees him looking like his old self again. and hen just promptly goes, "oh thank you JESUS, that thing is finally gone from your face!"

while the others snicker, chim even joining in kn the roasting, and eddie just looks at them all betrayed like, "so no one liked the moustache?? Why didn’t you say something???"

meanwhile bobby and buck bring food to the table. and as buck sits down next to eddie, he bumps his shoulder and goes, "hey, for what it’s worth, I liked it"

and (freshly realized he’s gay and in love with his best friend) eddie.exe just stops working. and we see him get all uncharacteristically at a loss for words and stammering for like five seconds (not even long enough for buck to notice anything amiss). but then he quickly clears his throat and regains composure, trying to distract himself by putting food on his plate as chimney goes on about the moustache. and he already thinks he’s in the clear, when he looks up and sees hen staring all 👁️_👁️ eddie diaz i know what you are. at him. what then

[soultied-bz]

and with that special someone there will be a bond that nothing could ever tear apart.

you‘ll fight, you‘ll make up, you‘ll fight again and make up again.

if it‘s your person you will see that whatever happens, it will still work out in the end.

just be patient.

[kirby-the-gorb]

[deoidesign]

something that makes me sad is when people tell me the healthy communication in my writing is "unrealistic."

like guys this is how me and my partner talk with eachother... I'm writing from personal experience...

[peekychu]

Historically I have awful travel anxiety, I’m so lucky the biggest road trip I’ve ever been on gets to be with my favrite person ever 🥺

[landfilloftrash]

someone. on tiktok. is making a youtube presentation. about how the original resident evil 4 merchant is obsessed with leon and im going. to eat a dresser. i need that on my desk by yesterday

[daily-hanamura]

[captain-lovelace]

Protect the innocent. Lead the guilty to the wolf.

Aren’t you hungry still?