#and I can’t fix it so if it’s best to just have multiple options of contact ig

[pasta-n00dles]

Are your commissions still open?

Omg hey sorry!! I just saw this! My comms are still open yes! I need to check my asks more often 😅 I have no clue if you’re still interested but if you are you can feel free to email me at pasta.drawz@gmail.com as that will guarantee contact

[rafeandonlyrafe]

demonstration

words: 2.8k

warnings: 18+ only, smut, reader is toppers girlfriend, struggling to cum, female receiving oral and fingering, multiple orgasms, edging and overstimulation, protected and unprotected sex, cheating

“maybe you could ask one of your friends for help, top.” you pout, rubbing your hand over his shoulder, not wanting him feel any more upset than he needs to be, but at the same time, you’re not sure how much longer this can go on.

“you can't tell me what i can do to fix it?” topper asks.

“you know i was a virgin before you babe, i really don’t know.” you sigh, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “maybe ask rafe?” “rafe?” topper turns suddenly to look at you. “why him?” “i’ve just… heard talk from some of my friends. he can probably give you some good advice. i don’t know.” you shrug. “maybe it’s something wrong with me.” “no, don’t say that.” topper shakes his head, turning to pull you into him, a hand around your waist.

“you ask your friends and i’ll ask mine.” you give as an option. topper nods, pressing a kiss to your forehead, hoping the next time you’re in his bedroom, it’ll go a lot better.

--

“what?” rafe gawks at his friend, unsure if he heard him right or if he was going crazy.

“ive never… i’ve never made y/n cum before and i just… i need to know what to do rafe! i’m worried she’s gonna leave me if i can’t get it together and i guess- fuck! i don’t know! just help me out man!” topper paces quickly, bringing his hands to his hair, tugging on it, stressed out of his mind.

“okay, alright, jesus, just clam down!” rafe says, sitting down on the couch, gesturing for topper to sit as well. he’s not sure how long he can keep himself still, already feeling awkward and nervous about not being able to make you cum, only made worse by trying to talk to rafe about it.

“every time i fuck her, i just get so over excited and cum too quickly and i know this is tmi but i just try my best and every time she doesn’t cum and she says its okay but i know it’s really not.” topper blurts out.

“alright, well…” rafe sighs, pushing his hand through his hair. he’s never had this type of issue before with girls. “do you finger her? or eat her out? before you fuck her, i mean.” “i eat her out sometimes.” topper shrugs. “she says my tongue feels good and i can make her cum like that, but not when im fucking her, i just don’t know what to do, i just get so excited and… and i’ve never had this problem with girls before, it’s just y/n.”

“to be fair, she’s hotter than any girl you’ve been with before.” rafe comments. it’s no secret, so he doesn’t feel bad saying it, especially when topper nods.

“she’s way out of my league, thats why i’m sure if i don’t fix this she’s gonna leave me.” topper sighs.

“maybe a demonstration could help?” rafe suggests, making toppers head snap towards him, a look of fury in his eyes.

“you are not allowed to fuck my girlfriend.”

“no, man.” rafe shakes his head. “what if i’m there while you fuck her? then i can give you specifics, and she will know you are really trying. she told you to ask me right?” “yeah, i guess you have a reputation of being really good.” topper cringes at his own words.

“i am. so, let me help you, top. brother to brother.”

--

rafe understands why topper has such a hard time keeping it together as you lay out naked on the bed, eyes flickering between your boyfriend and his best friend, a cautiously optimistic look on your face.

“go ahead and spread your legs.” rafe says, trying to keep his tone even, to disguise the lust that he feels as his eyes move from your breasts down to between your thighs.

“can you get naked first topper? i feel weird here.” topper was shirtless, but still had his shorts and underwear on, even though he was obviously straining against the fabric. 

“yeah.” topper glances briefly to rafe before tugging them down his hips, letting his cock spring free. 

“so have you ever cum before y/n?” rafe asks.

“yeah, um… with my own fingers.” you cough awkwardly. “and when topper eats me out.”

“its really just when i’m inside of her.” topper says with a thick swallow as your thighs part, opening them wide to show off your pussy, already gleaming with wetness and a peachy pink color that makes rafe want to bend down and bury his tongue inside of your folds, but he has to behave himself, just happy to have this opportunity to see you like this.

“why don’t you finger her first? then you can show me. open her up a little, it’ll help.” rafe instructs.

topper nods, reaching down and pressing one finger against your hole. you tense up briefly before relaxing, allowing topper to push his finger in.

“is she tight?” rafe asks, without really meaning to, but he figures you must be from the way you are squeezed so tightly around his finger.

“yeah, that’s why i can never last.” topper says, thrusting his finger in and out, the slick sounds of his movement squelching throughout the room.

“does that feel good y/n?” rafe asks, eyes flickering up to your face.

“mhm.” you nod, but you don’t feel any urge to moan, needing more. “could add a second, top.” “okay.” topper nods, trying to work a second finger in, but you hiss at the stretch, primarily hurting around your entrance, despite your wetness.

“gotta rub her clit too.” rafe says, reaching over and pressing a fingertip to your clit, rubbing it. you gasp out, not just from the good feeling but from rafe touching you, like he swore to topper he wouldn’t do before he agreed to this.

toppers finger slips easily in once you’ve relaxed to having your clit rubbed. topper looks slightly annoyed, but he stays silent when he sees how much you’re liking it now, unable to hold back your moans. “oh, just like that.” you moan, eyes fluttering closed.

“see if you can add a third.” rafe says, flicking his finger over your clit before going back to rubbing.

“i’ve-i’ve never been able to take more than two.” you sit up slightly, surprised when topper presses a third finger and manages to begin thrusting it inside of you.

“aw, fuck.” you whine, trying to close your legs, but topper holds one thigh open with his hand while rafe grasps the other.

“keep ‘em open, cutie.” rafe says. “gonna cum?”

“yeah, yeah keep going-” you cut yourself off before you can yell rafes name instead of toppers.

“pull out, top.” rafe says, suddenly taking his hand away, making your back arch off the bed as you squirm, trying to chase their fingers, to get them back touching you.

“no, no, no.” you whine when topper also pulls out, leaving your hole clenching around nothing.

“sometimes if you’re struggling having her cum with your cock inside her, you can edge her first.” rafe says, switching easily back to teacher mode.

“should i fuck her now?” topper looks to rafe, before glancing to you, realizing he shouldn’t be asking permission to fuck his own girlfriend, but rafe has that type of energy, that commanding presence that easily makes him in control of any situation.

“yeah, put the condom on though.” rafe glances to the bed where topper threw a condom out of his pocket earlier. while topper slides it on, your focus on him, rafe takes a moment to reach to his crotch, squeezing his cock and begging himself to settle, to calm down.

topper lines himself up with your entrance, placing one hand on your hip as he lines himself up with his other hand, pushing inside of you slowly as you moan, eyes squeezing shut, obviously aroused and feeling good by him stretching you, so rafe is unsure what the issue is, until topper begins to move.

he’s thrusting too rapidly, overwhelming you. rafe shakes his head, “slowly, topper. deeper thrusts.”

topper manages to get control of himself, slowing down but still not thrusting deeper, and rafe realizes its because of the angle, topper not holding himself low enough to properly thrust.

“here.” rafe grabs a pillow, a different one from the one you’re laying your head on. rafe taps your hip and you lift them as he stuffs the pillow underneath. “try now.”

topper scooches closer, now able to thrust much easier, entering you at a far better angle as he takes you repeatedly, still going too erratically, too random.

“on a beat.” rafe says. “gotta fuck her steady, can’t just jackhammer.” “i-i-” topper groans out, pulling out, much to your disappointment as you let out a deep sigh. “i can’t, was about to cum.” “damn, baby, you must be real tight.” rafe glances to you, making you blush and close your legs slightly, which is hard as you are propped up, spread open on display.

“try again, top, it’s okay.” you soothe him, keeping your voice soft and steady.

topper nods, retaking his cock in his hand, pushing it back inside. you nod in encouragement as he moves, already going to shallow and too fast to properly build you up.

“gotta rub her clit too, man. remember she’s already close from getting edged.” rafe tries to instruct, but when topper places his thumb on your clit, his movements are jerky and too harsh, almost hurting as you cringe, but in your displeasure, your cunt clenches around toppers cock and he looses control, moaning as he cums, pumping into the condom.

“shit!” topper shouts out in pleasure, before he realizes you’re looking up at him with disappointment in your eyes. “shit.” he groans again, this time angry with himself as he pulls out in shame.

“it’s okay, top.” you sit up, moving the pillow as you reach out for your boyfriend, or at least attempt to, but he moves away, looking down in shame.

“you’re gonna break up with me now.” toppers voice is sad as he speaks.

“what?” it takes you back, not expecting it.

“you’re gonna break up with me, aren’t you? because i can’t make you cum, you’re gonna leave me? god, i’m so pathetic.” “i can’t believe you think i’m that shallow.” you scoff as topper pulls the condom off and tosses it into rafes trashcan, who is simply glancing back and forth between the two of you. “that i would break up with you over sex?” “you wouldn’t?” topper questions.

“you would?” you question back, growing frustrated. “topper, i let you take my virginity, i can’t believe you thought i would do that just… just go.”

“no, baby, listen.” topper begins.

“i’m not breaking up with you yet.” you tell him. “but i need some space, please just go.” 

topper can’t hide the tears welling up in his eyes, and he doesn’t want to cry in front of you, and especially not rafe, so he pulls his clothes back on quickly and haphazardly before leaving, slamming the door shut behind him.

you sigh, burying your head in your hands. you wouldn’t break up with topper just because of sex, but his reaction to what happened makes you question everything.

“you okay baby?” rafe asks, making you jump, forgetting he was there.

“yeah, sorry, i can leave.” you move to get off the bed when rafe grabs your wrists, making you stop.

“or you could stay.” rafe says, his voice suggestive, as well as the look on his face.

“i-but topper…” “just finishing off what he started. come on, you came here for help anyways. lets see if you can cum when i fuck you.” “i-i guess it wouldn’t hurt to try.” --

rafe finally picks his head up from between your legs, cunt now bright red and covered in mess due to your three orgasms his tongue and fingers brought out of you, deciding to go for overstimulation instead of edging, now that he was the one getting to have you.

“still thinking about topper?” rafe asks, pressing a kiss to your puffy clit, making you whine out.

“no.” you admit honestly, all of your thoughts have been replaced by rafe. “fuck me, please, rafe.”

rafe smirks, standing up and taking his shirt off, pleased that your eyes glaze over as you watch him undress, jaw dropping open when his cock is revealed, already hard and leaking.

“yeah, i know i’m bigger than him.” rafe smirks as he climbs onto the bed. “but i opened you up enough, didn’t i? or do i need to make you cum again?”

“n-no.” you shake your head, already so overstimulated. “i want your cock, i need it.” “he always fucks you in missionary?” rafe asks, wanting to make you cum in the same position that topper couldn’t, proving yet another way he’s superior.

“yeah, we haven’t tried anything else.” you say, leaving out the word yet not sure if you can go back to topper after this.

rafe nods, looking towards his drawer that he knows contains condoms, going to grab one before you speak up suddenly, “you-you can fuck me raw. if you want. i’m on birth control.” rafe can’t help but smirk, nodding as he grabs the same pillow again, placing it under your hips, bringing your tired legs up, thighs falling open.

“tell me if it hurts or if anything doesn’t feel good.” rafe says. he’s sure it’s toppers' inadequacies making you struggle, but just in case he wants to take good care of you.

“mkay.” you nod, hands fisting in the bed sheets as rafe rubs the head of his cock through your sticky folds, making sure to tap against your clit, just to tease you even further.

“gonna fuck you so much better than he ever could. ‘ts why you should be with me instead, baby.” rafe says, not letting you respond or even think too much about his statement as his cock pushes inside of you, making your back arch off the bed.

“oh my god!” you shout out, moaning wildly without care as rafe begins to thrust, deep and hard, hitting spots inside of you that topper has never touched before.

“oh, fuck.” rafe groans out. “you are tight, baby.” your cunt is squeezing him, molding to his walls. “no wonder he cums so quickly.” you shake your head, not wanting to think about topper, not wanting to feel any guilt or regret as rafes hips swing forward, cock pressing against your gummy walls as he moves a thumb to your clit, rubbing it in that same enticing way that made your high build so quickly last time.

“feels really good, rafey.” you moan, raising and lower your hips slightly in time with his thrusts, forcing his cock even deeper inside of you, feeling his hot skin against yours, the first person to take you bare.

“i knew there was nothing wrong with you.” rafe smirks. “already close to cumming, aren’t you?”

despite your body being tired from your three previous orgasms, you do feel another one building in your stomach.

“yeah, thats what i thought.” rafe moves faster, rubbing his thumb more intensely. “nothing wrong with you baby, you are perfect. perfect tight little cunt.” “please.” you whine out, unsure what you are begging for as tears slide down your cheeks, purely from being overwhelmed with pleasure. you’ve never managed more than two orgasms in a night, and he’s close to doubling that.

“cum for me, doll. don’t have to beg. wanna feel that cunt squeezing around me.” rafe encourages you, pumping quickly as he pinches your clit between his thumb and finger before letting go and rubbing quickly, forcing the orgasm out of you as you scream, entire body tightening as your hips rise, high overtaking you as your eyes open to see rafe looking back at you, cocky look in his eye, but his jaw is slackened in pleasure as your cunt spasms around his dick.

“that’s it, good girl.” rafe affirms, thumb now gently touching around your clit, bringing you down slowly as his cock stays lodged deep inside of you.

you shiver as you lower your hips, breath slowly coming back to normal. 

rafe bends over your body, taking your lips in a kiss. you moan into his mouth, his tongue licking against your bottom lip before pushing into your mouth.

“you just came on my cock, pretty girl.” rafe says.

“i know, i loved it.” you hum, eyes sliding shut as rafe kisses your jaw, obsessed with the taste of your skin almost as much as your cunt.

“hmm, so two more? three?” rafe suddenly snaps his hips forward, making you realize he’s still buried inside of you.

“wait, wha-” your question is cut off as rafe straightens, resuming his same pace as if he didn’t just deliver you the most mind blowing orgasm.

“you think i’d be satisfied with getting you to cum just once?” rafe tsks and shakes his head. “we aren’t even close to done.”

taglist: @drewstarkeyslut @rafecamerongirl @f4ll-for-you @dilvcv @drudyslut @jjmaybankswifes-blog @rafescokenostril @jjsmarijuana @jjmaybankisbae @seeingstarks @angelofcigs @cece45450 @babygorewhore @vanessa-rafesgirl @michelleisheres-blog @outerbankspov @drewstarkeyswifehoe @cutielando @kamninaries @buckyswhxre @rafeinterlude @bellbottombaby @deeaardiary @rubixgsworld

[tragedy-of-commons]

lay your life down and pretty

various hsr x gn!reader | wc: ~2k

In which you die (or they've already lost you).

tags/warnings: character death (reader), it's implied in dh's part but explicit and semi-graphic in hanya's, descriptions of mara and the insanity that comes with it, hardcore angst, hurt no comfort, there may be Lore Inaccuracies

notes: this was originally supposed to be four parts. i'm sorry it's only two but it's just been uhhh... hope you enjoy & thanks for the incredible support lately <3

Dan Heng makes the best pancakes.

You’ve expressed this undeniable fact to his face multiple times, louder in their progression just to see the tips of his ears burn that endearing red. These declarations are reserved for breakfast. At this time you also chide him for trying to weasel his way out of eating the most important meal of the day!

And he’d sigh, letting you hound him about food options until he’d crack under the weight of your grin and end up mixing batter at 7:30 in the morning.

(“I tried flipping them in the air once and the pancake slapped me in the face,” you’d regaled, head resting idly on your fist.

Dan Heng stared into the black of the skillet. “...Somehow, I don’t doubt it.”

“And just what is that supposed to mean?” you huffed.

He almost let not-quite laugh slip then, but because of his stuck-uppery, he just managed to look peeved. “I would appreciate it if you passed me the butter.”)

Instead it is around 9:00 in the morning, and Dan Heng is alone. 

He’d stayed up late the night before doing some reading, causing him to oversleep and rush the process today. He’s almost burned his hand on the stove eye twice, nearly dropped an egg on the floor, and has just narrowly avoided burning the batch. Dan Heng is not clumsy (not like you were), and he is painfully aware that he is late.

After he plates the food, the oven clock reads 9:19. He gathers everything, including two sets of utensils and one awkward wad of napkins - before setting the table by heart. Your plate goes in front of the chair closest to the window, and his goes in front of the one adjacent to yours. 

The rhythm of distributing each item eventually leaves him with empty hands. Everything is ready, but there is still something colossal missing from the scene.

Dan Heng stares hard at your empty seat before taking his own. 

The pancakes are blackened around the edges, but it’s nothing a good heaping portion of syrup can’t fix, and the smell that wafts upward is sweet and inviting. The sun’s rays shining in from the outside world paint the kitchen in flecks of light that occasionally catch on his arm when he brings his fork to his mouth.

Resigned, his silverware clatters noisily to the table.

“I’m sorry,” he breathes, “I’m sorry that I was late.”

Predictably, there’s no response. Dan Heng’s throat feels like it’s closing up on him, and the syrup definitely isn’t helping. He dabs his mouth with his napkin for a good long while.

He is sorry. It wasn’t enough that he’d stayed up late the night before, but that he deliberately kept glancing at the clock and counting the hours until daylight arrived - reminding himself that if he drifted off, the next day would come much sooner.

He isn’t the type to procrastinate either. Even when you’re not here anymore, you seem to have a profound effect on his character. Dan Heng pinches the bridge of his nose. The sound of his voice echoing off the walls of the lonely kitchen is unwelcome. “Happy birthday.”

It’s strained, imperfect, and painful; which only serves to remind him of your insistence on celebrating his birthday as well. You had practically prostrated yourself at his feet, begging him to let you fuss over him - even if it made his vision hazy and palms sweaty. He needs to return the favor, even if the mere idea of another important date passing him up without you makes him want to hide.

So here he is. 

Here he is, floundering terribly, missing you terribly, loving you terribly. Dan Heng wrenches his hand from its secure position in his lap to drum on the table.

“I got you something,” he says. “I… I didn’t know which color you’d prefer more, so…”

You’d tease him into an early grave if you were able to see the knitted oven mitt he’d picked out over two months ago. It’s an almost hideous shade of teal that he’s sure you’d love, especially since you forced him to bake with you regularly.

(He was shopping with March 7th when he’d seen it and then reflexively dumped it into his basket. His companion only asked him if he was planning on using it as kindling for the fireplace.)

Dan Heng closes his eyes and slides it over to your placement. For a second, he almost fools himself into thinking you might magically appear to brush fingers when you accept the gift with a bright smile. He has no such luck.

Your breakfast is getting colder, and there’s nothing to be done today; his friends, as much as he can say he appreciates them - also meddle quite a bit. His schedule was mysteriously cleared up and he was gently encouraged to go home and take the day off. The feeling of three pairs of eyes drilling holes into his back as he complied was a bit too potent to be coincidental.

So he sits there and pretends he’s eating with you for as long as he can. The stutters in the familiar rhythm that comes with today are things he can smooth out over time, even if it feels like a betrayal to you. You would never see it like that, which is why he can even live in a home without you in it at all.

(The oven mitt rests beside your full plate until the afternoon, because he cannot bring himself to clean up just yet. He doesn’t think he’ll ever be ready to.)

Dan Heng is not a man who can afford to hope, but he’s already been in debt since the moment of his birth. If just one of his prayers is granted, he hopes it’s the one he runs through his mind every night:

In the next life, please let us cross paths again. And if there’s room for it, please let me love you for as long as I can.

He’s never been one for optimism, but it’s all he looks forward to.

Hanya’s hands cradle the expanse of your face.

Her fingers ghost over any healthy glow remaining in your cheeks. You’re slipping, rightfully so, but does it make her a monster if she wants to claw and rifle through the sands of time to search for any universe where you were spared from this cruel fate?

(She thinks it does.)

You can’t get the words out, but there’s a resigned film that glazes over your eyes - one that tells her that she needn’t lie about where you’ll be going. Your mouth forms silent syllables punctuated by wheezes that will surely send her careening under the depths of the unconscious at record speed.

“Han.. ya,” you croak, “Stay.”

“I will,” she promises, because she needs to - over and over, until you remember it always, even when you’re gone. Even when you’re suffering through the last moments of your fledgling life. “I will remain here.”

Her duty as a Judge of the Ten-Lords Commission is to oversee life and death on the Xianzhou. When Hanya drifts aimlessly like a spectre between inky darkness and blinding daylight, it has occasionally struck her that one day she might have to oversee yours.

Presently, your mind is being swallowed by the maw of mara, a madness that she’s all too familiar with; faced with her dull countenance, she must have witnessed thousands succumb to the fate of infernal life. 

“D-Don’t cry,” you beseech. There isn’t much time until you’re no longer Hanya’s secret reprieve, but instead a writhing abomination - and she only has herself to blame. Had she not embraced you so tightly, would you be free of this curse? Would you still be smiling and dragging her by the hand through Exalting Sanctum?

“I will not send you there,” she breathes, “You are not deserving of—”

The agonizing cry you let out next is still beautiful. Even now you can mitigate the emptiness that’s dug its claws in her heart so deep that it’s become symbiotic with the organ. However, instead of the empty, Hanya feels its distant relative: the pins and needles. The hollow white noise crackles until she’s pierced with an arsenal of skeletal knives.

She could take it, and she would take it, if it meant that you weren’t about to die and then awaken again as a monster that desecrates the very concept of you.

She releases your now matching tear-stricken cheeks before seizing both of your arms. The thrashing has crept in, meaning that there isn’t much time before you start sprouting leaves and weeds like a statue abandoned by its devotees. 

A sharp inhale through clenched teeth. “You have… to. M’gonna hurt—” you convulse in her grasp, “—somebody...”

Of course you’re worrying about others right now. Kindness is a relic of the past that you’ve somehow managed to exhume, restore to its full glory, and gift to Hanya like she deserves to touch others’ lives in the same way you have. 

Every shopkeep knows your name, face, voice, and smile. Your warmth is infectious - even before she knew you in person, she knew of you by word of mouth. Xueyi had told her that the reason Huohuo was so resolute in her duties lately was because of “the person who defeated a bunch of reprobate hooligan bullies tormenting her”. 

If her big sister held you in high regard, she figured you were one she wouldn’t mind exchanging greetings with if you ever crossed paths. However, the thing about you is that you always give more than you take; you too eventually gave her your smile over tea, your opinion on her writing, and a perspective from the light she usually only smothers upon first contact. 

It seems that it was just a matter of time before Hanya extinguished you.

“You are not ready,” she begs pitifully, “You are not!”

She knows it’s never about being ready. Bad things always happen to good people - to sons, daughters, friends, big sisters, and lovers.

Lovers. 

The word is foreign on the tip of her tongue. It’s strange to be actualized and even stranger to ascribe that label to your relationship, but Hanya doesn’t know what else to think when the knives stab her over and over to the elegy of I love you, I love you, I love you.

The trek from Fyxestroll Garden to the Alchemy Commission is sizable. The Dragon Lady could see you and do her best, but she’s seen where that’s led; best efforts gone to waste, inconsolable loved ones given false hope because they were too stubborn to let go.

Is that what she is? Too stubborn to let you go, even when she’s brought this karma upon you?

(Yes, something ugly whispers, this is your penance. Now it’s theirs too.)

“I...” you let out a strangled groan, and when your chest jerks upwards, it barely registers that you brush your lips against hers. There’s tears and snot everywhere, and you’re getting stronger - too strong for her to hold. Hanya’s forearms ache with the strain as gingko leaves begin to ravage your humanity and rip you apart.

The transformation process is cruel, but she promised to remain by your side. Twigs protrude from your neck, nestled between thorny brambles that poke and prod. You are not a Cloud Knight, so your screams aren’t muffled by armor - or muted by the numbness she feels when dealing with other cases. 

It’s too real, it’s too much, and it’s not enough.

Drowned out by the previous mantra of I love you, the background vocals of I’m so sorry peter off into whispers that are soon lost among the sickening squelch of Xueyi’s blade cutting through you in one clean motion. The tip of the sword rests over Hanya’s heart, stained with your blood.

“...That’s not them anymore,” her sister says. It’s off-kilter, the way her brow is furrowed in a silent apology.

One can only hope.

taglist: @flower-yi, @moineauz, @aphrodict, @nomazee

[lingering-42-long]

Hiiii. I really wanted to ask for a fic about Captain Price. Something telling about him being in a relationship with someone who is younger (an appropriate age). Details: Can be an NSFW or SFW, either option is.

Thank you, I love your stories ^3^)

Age

John price x f! reader

Hello everyone! Once again, I have failed to load on a daily basis lol. I blame my writers block.

The story you are about 12 year separate in age. You are 23 and he is 35.

Enjoy!

Warnings: fluff, no mention of (y/n), John being slightly insecure about his age.

John felt old, like really old. When he got out of bed this morning, he could feel his bones crack and pop underneath the pressure, his back hurt slightly, and he was already in a grumpy mood, without his coffee or cigar for that matter, but deciding it was too early for the cigar, he settled with the coffee.

Looking over at you, he couldn’t help but feel old. Between you and him, It was an age gap of 12 years. It wasn’t a super big gap, but it definitely was off putting one too some. Some people called her a Golddigger and some people called him a creep. He didn’t care so much what they called him. As long as they kept you out of the picture he was fine he could deal with the torment.

Being a military wife wasn’t easy and he knew that. There have been multiple times where you had to make the tough decision of choosing between attending school or helping him on more than one occasion. He hated that. Being in the military meant that you moved a lot online school was an option, but you really wanted to attend inside a building with other people, your age, studying and learning together. John sometimes felt like he had ripped that away from you.

John rarely felt loathing for himself. He was very comfortable in his own skin and his own decisions. Sure, he had made decisions poorly in the past, and he does regret those, but he sees no reason onto why he should linger what he can’t fix. But it was days like these, where he got to really reflect on his life did he realize how much of an impact he had on other people… on you. If there was one thing, he hated the most it was the fact that he had to constantly be on the move leaving you to fend for yourself, in a new town that you had just moved in only to be picked up once again by the winds to move to another new town, again.

He knew that your education was so important. You’ve been working on your bachelors in your respected field and it had taken so long for you. With the constant moving and readjusting almost every two years or so, it was hard on you both.

John also regretted not having a proper honeymoon with you or a proper wedding for that matter. Yes you too did have a wedding with close friends and family members and it was really cute a little backyard wedding at one of his friends cottage farms, But he knew that you liked the city. He knew that you had a ton of other people that you wanted to invite, but due to him, leaving for departure soon, getting married, and at that time, not really having the greatest amount of money… it was rather hard for both of them who they wanted to invite.

The honeymoon was also postponed for a solid year as well, and when he was able to take you, it wasn’t nearly as long as he wanted. Once again, getting whisked away to serve his country. What was supposed to be a whole month was reduced down to only two weeks.

You were always OK with it. You always understood that this was just a part of being in the military. There was barely any time really for you two, as you both were competing for one another, as well as for the workplace calling out for him. Any time he had to tell you that he had to pick up and go again, you always gave him a smile and said where to and always try to make the best out of the situation…. He loved that about you. He loved how resilient you were. It took a lot to really irritate you and that’s what draw him to you. What had become a simple greeting at a local grocery store, had become their lives now.

Going back to reality he finally made his way to the kitchen to make coffee for both of them. He knew you would be up soon. You rarely slept in when he woke up. He was an old man with old habits. Waking up at three in the morning was some thing he was very accustomed to. You had adapted to that.

He made his coffee black while fixing yours the way you like it. Milk with a little bit of sugar to cut the bitterness out. His mind returning back to his wariness about his own issues. He didn’t understand why he was so reminiscent and methodical about the past.

He felt a hand, gently rest on his shoulder, followed by a head. It was you. You had just woken up and was still coming around.

“Morning love.” Price smiled softly as he turned around to hand you your coffee, and give your father had a gentle kiss. You had your hair in that cute little messy bun that he always enjoyed seeing you in, wearing an oversize shirt over his boxers that you had stolen. You had that tire drunken look that you always got in the morning when you were first waking up.

“Did I disturb you?” he asked, even though he knew the answer.

You shook your head and gently slept on your coffee while leaning on your husband.

He carefully ushered you into the living room with him so that he could enjoy his coffee sitting down with you versus standing up in the kitchen. You carefully curled yourself around him and wrapped a blanket over both of you. As the coffee was slowly kicking into your system, you asked,

“Did you sleep well?”

He had to think about this one actually. Did he sleep good? He felt like he did but at the same time he didn’t really feel all that restful, not like the other times he had.

“ It was all right. What about you love? This morning I caught you snoring.” he chuckled as he made light teasing with her. She made a pathetic, whining sound, and gave his shoulder, a gentle slap, which in return, made him chuckle and give her a tighter hug before placing a kiss on the top of her head. They sat in silence for a few more minutes. This was their ritual to slowly wake themselves up from their sleepy minds.

Once again, Price’s mind wandered. It was drifting all over the place. He felt like he was on a raft in a very rough sea. He felt a tap on his shoulder before he looked at you.

“Hmm? Yes love?” He asked.

“ What are you thinking about?” You ask as you gently set up a little bit more straighter, watching and reading his expression. He may be a soldier and a captain At that, but you had mastered the ability to read this light little details in his face. The way his eyes creased when he was smiling or the way his brow furrowed when he was in deep thought about something that he wasn’t too sure about. The way his left eye would twitch if something was irritating him. And the way he would pop his hands if he was bored.

“Am I too old for you?” John never beat around the bush. He was straight to the point all the time, but this wasn’t also the first time he had asked this question. He had asked it a few times prior before marrying you and during your marriage.

“ you know my answer, no of course not. Besides, I like older guys they have better understanding of how the world works and they have a better grip on their shoulders.”

You looked at him, letting him know that you approved at his age. He gave a slight home as he took more sips of his coffee.

“ I’ve just been thinking… I guess my mind is playing tricks on me… I’ve never been the type to be insecure about myself, but… I guess this morning when I got out of bed and felt pain, It made me feel really feel old, And I guess it’s borrowed from there.” He looked at her. “ if we have kids by the time they turned 10 I will be well into my 40s or 50s…. Are you sure you still want a life like that with me?” He looked at her with those soft, steel-blue eyes.

“Always. I would always want a life with you. I looked back at my friends who are marrying young guys, and their relationship isn’t doing as great as ours. Either both or one of them is more immature than the other, and it leaves the relationship feeling hollow or unstable…. I mean I hope you feel that we have a strong relationship, I feel like we do.” His wife fiddled with the blanket that was on top of them.

“Love you make me the happiest man, I love you never forget that, yeah?” He smiled and kissed her, this time on the lips.

“I love you too, my captain.” You chuckled and kissed back, feeling his bristly beard hairs, tickle your cheek as he deepened the kiss.

“So….” She looked at him once the kiss ended.

“So what my dear?” He asked.

“When can we try for a baby?” You asked looking innocently at him which was the worst timing for him, as he was just taking a sip of coffee before nearly spitting it out, which still resulted in him coughing a little bit.

“Are you serious love?” He frowned looking at her “ I don’t want you making any irrational decisions on my behalf.”

“Don’t be silly! I want a child too! I’ve just been waiting for you.”

“But what about your schooling? Would it be easier for you to finish that first before starting a family?” he was also worried about his career, not being able to spend time with his children, but that was for a different note.

“ I think I’ll be fine.” You smiled. “Schooling will always be there for me to go anytime, but the opportunity for a child may not always be there.” John sat down his mug on the little end table and hugged her close. “When should I start?”

“How about now captain?” You smirked, also setting your mug down.

“Oh my dove, you are one feisty woman arn’t ya” he chuckled and brought his wife’s wish to reality.

[mychlapci]

A hostile k9 Prowl would be utterly unapproachable at the rescue. In similar way to a non-hostile one seeing limited to no progress at the rescue, a hostile one would make negative progress. He’d actively get worse, actually. Hostile k9 Prowl thinks he’s getting trafficked. He didn’t just get stolen, these criminals are trying to retrain and *sell* him! And fear makes animals dangerous.

At the precinct he was docile with his handlers, desperate for praise and approval. The rescuers literally cannot think of a reason he’s responded so negatively to being removed from an environment where he was routinely beaten and hosed down and abused. Except he’s essentially gone from that to the same thing but Scarier because he’s *stolen* now. Prowl is reactive and mean and often wets himself from fear. His raw door wings are less painful but only because they have him sedated so frequently. Limp and drooling on the floor of a bigger kennel than he’s used to, because he’s too weak to crawl up onto a people-berth Prowl knows he’s not allowed on anyway.

And he absolutely fucking bites. If they don’t sedate him before handling him (and it’s getting harder, because Prowl can *tell* they’re doing something to his fuel) he will actively try to maul anyone who gets close. After months of seeing this and no progress at all, with three severe injuries, the rescue is at wits end. This is a person, but Prowl doesn’t seem to be one that can be helped. It happens some times. And there are limited options at their disposal. If they can’t help him, then it’ll either be incarceration, institutionalization, or (if even those can’t help), possibly even behavioral euthanasia. As in. Putting Prowl down like an actual animal.

Someone suggests a one-one-one care situation and although the rescue thinks it could be helpful, they hesitate. Prowl is dangerous. He’s injured multiple employees and put three of them *and himself* in the hospital trying to escape. There are taser burns on the surface of his plating and his paint is rubbed off on some areas from the strength of his restraints. Who can they trust to even be safe while handling him? Is this even really an option.

Enter Optimus. Prowl’s last hope before more extreme measures must be taken. To their surprise, he handles being shipped off to a home a lot better than the rescue. But then, Prowl thinks he’s been trafficked to a private citizen rather than held captive by some criminals stealing police equipment. He’s willing to give a wide-opticked civilian the benefit of the doubt, with regard to not recognizing that Prowl is a k9 unit. Not all city-states have them, so it’s possible his “new owner” just doesn’t realize. I do think that, if he’s still Orion Pax, he’d have more success helping Prowl realize he was a person over a much longer period of time. Prowl would be much less willing to maul a delicate civilian who thinks of him as a scared pet (not that Orion Pax would, but Prowl doesn’t know that). Some level of healing would ensue just… naturally, I suppose. Orion Pax isn’t going around tasering and restraining traumatized mechs. Prowl probably thinks he’s getting spoiled while he tries to find a way back to his precinct, but at least he’s safe and comfortable.

Now if it’s *Optimus Prime*, Prowl’s whole vibe changes. Suddenly he’s not entirely sure what’s going on. Because above even his own handlers Prowl is driven to *obey the Prime*. Optimus Prime would have immediate obedience, but see less progress trying to Fix Prowl. Because Prowl may have been stolen from his precinct, but there’s no way they’d demand his return from the *Prime* and Prowl understands that. So now he just has to figure out what Optimus wants from his new pet and do his best to deliver it. It wouldn’t do to disgrace his precinct’s training even inadvertently, after all! And while the rescue seems pleased that the Prime got him to stop biting and mauling people, Optimus seems to be the only person to realize that Prowl isn’t actually making much progress beyond that. It’ll be up to Prime to help Prowl heal, and that… may take a long damn time. And will probably never be fully finished.

Maybe… maybe adding some Praxians to his staff will help?

ough… Poor Prowl. We just keep making this angstier. One-on-one care helps mellow him out enough to stop mauling people, but it's still stagnating his recovery… Orion/Optimus hates it. He doesn't want to hate Prowl for not recovering, for being mistreated and abused to the point where gentleness feels wrong, but… it's so hard to watch this mech crawl around his floor like a dog, trying to please him, to obey. The rescue checks on him every now and then, happy that he seems to have calmed down a little, but Optimus knows that there has been no progress. He went through all that stress and pain only to be treated like a dog again..

hmmm. More praxians could help. If Prowl saw their raised doorwings, their bodies that are much like his… He might get curious. 

[gb-patch]

[The beautiful guest art piece is by allie_ozS on Twitter]

Welcome to 2023 everybody ✨!!!

We’ve got Baxter, Tamarack, and Qiu to celebrate with us. It is their year, after all.

It's always an exciting time thinking about everything that could happen over the course of a new year. Our Life: Beginnings & Always will at long last get its final DLC and Our Life: Now & Forever will be the major project in development. That's amazing. 

Speaking of, there are two major launches planned for 2023 at GB Patch Games.

Our Life: Beginnings & Always – Baxter’s Story DLC

Second Quarter (April-June)

Our Life: Now & Forever Demo Expansion + Crowdfunding Launch

Third Quarter (July-September)

And those happen to be all the goals I’m setting for 2023. We're keeping it simple, haha. I usually love to plan out as many milestones as I can, and it never works out as intended. Because of that I'm sticking to only the most central production points for the official goals.

But that’s not to say there won’t be anything else to look forward to over these next twelve months, it’ll just be a surprise for you, and me, what ends up actually happening.

For one example, it was mentioned in the year review post that right now the Google Playstore releases are on hold until an error is fixed in the engine we use. There is a chance we’ll be able to start putting games on that storefront in 2023, but it can’t be guaranteed or given a specific date.

And another consideration is that with Our Life: Now & Forever coming to the forefront of development, I'll want to have something else on the backburner. As excited as I am for the game, I couldn't only work on OL2 until it's complete. At least part of my efforts this year will be going into creating another piece of content. But I don't know exactly which, or if it'll only be one thing. There are multiple options. One of these days there might be some interesting previews appearing on the Patreon, and then later on the public social media as well.

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Along with these year-long goals, I’ve noted the usual monthly plans in the full post HERE.

And with the updating done, I wanna give all my appreciation to our players! I'm able to go into 2023 knowing with total certainty that I can spend this year working on developing our projects. GB Patch Games has gotten so much support from people who love the Our Life series, and our older games too. It's absolutely wonderful, and I never want to take it for granted. For however many more years I'm around to do this, I'll do my best to make all your kindness and encouragement worth the while.

Thank you again for coming here to see how things are going! I hope we'll all have a wonderful 2023 💕. 

Discord -  Twitter - Website - Patreon

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

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1. Tw noncon Can someone write a fic of wen Ning getting gangraped by Jin disciples in front of wen qing as revenge for what the other wens did?

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2. Can you recommend any fics with Wen Ning as a POV character?

In My Defence, I Have None (For Never Leaving Well Enough Alone) by SemiLocalCryptid (T, 73k, wangxian, Time Travel Fix-It, Established Relationship, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ, POV NHS, but only for the first chapter, POV Alternating, between Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi for the rest, WWX may have no sense of self preservation but he does have a husband, No one touches LWJ's husband, NHS has no more fucks to give and will save his brother just watch him, WN is very confused about needing to breathe again, but is ultimately happy about it, BAMF WN, WN needs a hug, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, WQ is a queen and everyone should fear her, Fluff, Inventor WWX, Gratuitous amounts of Wangxian fluff, WIP) wen ning is a pov character here

The Moon Reflected Upon Two Springs by Rubberduckieassassin (M, 2k, Post-Canon, Fierce Corpse wn, WN-centric, Farmer WN, WN Needs a Hug, Gūsū Lán Juniors Dynamics, Good Kid LSZ, Good Kid LJY, Wen Remnants Mentioned, Burial Mounds Settlement Days Mentioned, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Five Stages of Grief, Melancholy, Building A Home, Family Feels, W>N is learning how to 'live' again)

waiting (when the colors come) by frostferox (G, 2k, WN/WWX/LWJ, Modern, realizing polyam might be an option, Domesticity, Friendship)

Granny Knows Best by The_Snarkivist (T, 5k, OYZZ/WN, JL/LSZ, Getting Together, Fluff, Accidental Elderly Acquisition, WN Centric, Let Wen Ning Be Happy Agenda, Happy Ending, fast burn, Granny does know best, POV WN, Post-Canon)

Fierce Friends by TumblingTroublesomeTumbleweeds (G, 32k, NMJ & WN; SL & WN, NMJ & SL & WN, NMJ/LXC, SL/XXC, JC/WN, Friendship, Give Wēn Níng Friends, Cinnamon Roll WN, Rabbits, NMJ’s body does NOT cooperate, WN Centric, Everyone loves WN, Dysfunctional Family, Found Family, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Graphic Depictions of Pining, heart eyes motherfucker, WIP) it switches though

This Time With Confidence. by INSPIRETOWRITE (T, 129k, LWJ/WWX/WN, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Angst, Time Travel Fix-It, Action/Adventure, Polyamory, Developing Relationship, LWJ has feelings, Cute, Blood and Gore, Cultivation Sect Politics, Demonic Cultivation, Pining, WN-centric, Rabbits, POV Multiple, Action, War, Battle, Eventual Happy Ending, Developing Friendships, WN is a cinnamon roll, Bad-ass WN, WWX has feelings, They don't know they have the same feeling until later, Cultivation Discussion Conferences, POV WN, Slow Burn, WIP)

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3. Hello! Could I ask, for the next ITMF for fics where wwx experiences qi deviation of some kind? Thank you very much!

Twelve Moons and a Fortnight by stiltonbasket (M, 290k, WangXian, Humor, Slow Burn, Post-Canon Fix-It, Long-Distance Relationship, Epistolary, Love Letters, Family Feels, a-qing lives, teenage romance, Adoption, Romantic Comedy, Happy Ending, Weddings, Case Fic, Parenthood, Politics)

Confrontation by LtLJ (G, 21k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, discussion of a canon suicide attempt, breaks from canon during the timeskip, BAMF WWX, BAMF Everybody, Canon-Typical Violence, JC &WWX Reconciliation, BAMF NHS, BAMF JC, BAMF LWJ, YLLZ WWX, Complicated Relationships, canon-typical curses, Canon-Typical Behavior) It is part 4 of a series so it makes more sense to start with the first one which is Brotherhood

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4. CW: Trauma

Good day! I saw "Life as a house" by Terri Botta from the previous ITMF. I gave it a shot and read it, it is well written and I enjoyed the process of how they recover from their trauma, the reconciliation, and everything. For the next ITMF, do you guys know any fic that is close to this fic? Similar in terms of their journey to heal from their past/trauma, from seeing psychiatrist, discussing mental health, or about therapy. @httpskaixx

总有一天; a place to hide (can’t find one near) by yiqie (E, 76k, WangXian, Modern AU, Pianist, Getting Together, Mental Health Issues, Suicide Attempt, Suicidal Thoughts, Depression, Hospitals, Overdosing, Eventual Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Additional Warnings In Author's Note)

Many happy returns. by orange_crushed (E, 25k, WangXian, Modern AU, Mistaken Identity, Misunderstandings, Grief/Mourning, Loss of Parent(s), Implied/Referenced Suicide, Past Suicide of a Parent, References to Depression, Anxiety, Therapy, References to Anti-Depressant Medications, Escort Service, Loneliness, Everybody’s Abandonment Issues, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, Moving In Together, Oral Sex, Penetrative Sex, Hopeful Ending, Recovery, References to Escorting/Sex Work but No Actual Escorting/Sex Work)

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5. Want recommendations for slow burn angsty stories of wangxian

Concord by Deastar (T, 41k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Gūsū Lán Sect Rules, Depression, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending)

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6. Hi! ITMF wangxian cuddle porn or just lwj being so comforting for wwx and vice versa. It would be amazing if that was incorporated in longer fics though anything would be welcomed. Something for reference is “A Cyborg's Three Laws” by FairyGardenCorgis and “try a little tenderness” by ilip13. Thank you so much!

Just Ask Me To Stay by mrcformoso (M, 20k, WangXian, Modern AU, Former JZ/WWX, Minor NieLan, Minor XuanLi, No Powers, Dancer WWX, Musician LWJ, Roommates, Best Friends, Friends to Lovers, Break Up, Post-Break Up, Recovery, WWX Has Self-Esteem Issues, Fluff, Light Angst, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Oral Sex, Domestic Fluff, LWJ Has a Big Dick, WWX Has a Breeding Kink, Size Queen WWX, Belly Bulge, Porn With Plot, WWX Has Friends, LWJ Has Friends, Hurt/Comfort, A lot of comfort, Romantic Comedy, Cuter story than the summary makes it out to be, Feel-good) modern!AU cuddly lwx cheering post-breakup wwx

The Art of Communication by mrcformoso (G, 4k, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Meet-Cute, Engineering Student WWX, Music Student LWJ, Swimmer WWX, Martial Artist LWJ, POV Outsider, POV WWX, POV LWJ, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Communication Issues, But Wanxian Makes it Work, LWJ has limited words, WWX has too many words, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Love Confessions, Love Languages, Requited Love) ModernAU! Soft Wangxian where they make their communication issues work

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7. Hello again! I want to ask for a itmf about powerhouse wwx, inspired from this post

More detailed: The Scene with the water ghouls, wwx proposes to jump in the water (bc hes just that strong) in combination with lwjs thoughts and competency kink? Please? I hope that was understandable, English isn‘t my first language, sorry. @desperation-is-my-middle-name

Truth Will Out (when caught on video) - End_OTW_Racism! by KizuKatana (E, 108k, wangxian, WN & WWX & WQ, graphic depictions of violence, modern cultivation, canon divergence, YZY abuses WWX , caught on camera, partial core removal, WWX kicked out of Jiang sect, livestreamer WWX, meet ugly, dual cultivation, smut, no war, WIP)

My chain hits my chest/When I’m bangin’ on the radio by x_los (T, 2k, wangxian, modern w/ magic, case fic, competence kink, YLLZ WWX)

Howling by MimiSpearmint (E, 40k, wangxian, LSZ & WWX, Modern with Magic, Mortal Instruments Fusion, Horror, Eldritch, Domestic Fluff, Single Parent WWX, Witchcraft, Northern Ireland, fluffy but I cannot emphasise how much horror there will be, Celtic Mythology & Folklore, Case Fic, Getting Together, shifter lwj, yllz wwx, Intercrural Sex, Hand Jobs, Angst with a Happy Ending, playing fast and loose with canon, off-screen beloved character death, Switch wangxian, a bit of a degradation kink, anti-STI sex talismans, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Cameos by various characters)

hills and rivers by LtLJ (T, 56k, wangxian, Post-Canon, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Domestic Fluff, Family Feels, Canon-Typical Violence, the family that hunts demons together stays together, and doesn’t murder each other, Case Fic, BAMF WWX, Mojo’s post)

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8. itmf some good ol' damsel in distress lwj @jawla-mukhi

silk threads and precious metal by Sevidri (M, 4k, WangXian, Canon-Typical Violence, Sunshot Campaign, Whump, Blood and Injury, WWX' Canonical Vengeful Streak, LWJ Makes A Beautiful Damsel in Distress, Non-Consensual Ribbon Touching, Protective wwx, Hurt LWJ)

Vagabond by xantissa (E, 65k, wangxian, Slow Burn, Mystery, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Frottage, Case Fic, murders, Supernatural, Angst, Fluff, those two are so in love it hurts, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, badass LXC, Canon-Typical Violence, topLWJ, Bottom LWJ)

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9. Itmf time travel fics where Wei Wuxian is caught in a time loop reliving the Sunshot Campaign and ensuing Burial Mounds years over and over until he can save everyone? Thank you!

Karma by English is my death (Lena013) (T, 2k, JGY/XY/WWX, wangxian, LXC/JGY, XY/XXC, Time Loop, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Misfortune Fellows, JGY & WWX Friendship, JGY & XY Friendship, WWX & XY Friendship, (but they all hate each other), White-Haired WWX, But temporarily, XY is a Brat, XY Is A Little Shit, POV JGY, YLLZ WWX, Drama, Drabble, Humor, Immortal WWX, Immortal XY, Immortal JGY, These are cut pieces from their eternity together, By this point they had become insane)

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10. Hi! I was hoping you could help me bc I was on Twitter & saw someone else mention that they wanted to read it but I was hoping that you had any fics where YLLZ!WWX time travels to the future? (Possibly ends up shtupping himself along the way.) I can’t remember if there are any besides ‘a tide between two seas’ but I know that’s more multi-verse travel! @arisuamichan

不忘 | Don’t Forget by dragongirlG (E, 50k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Time Travel, Reincarnation, Fix-It of Sorts, Identity Porn, Social Media, Devotion, Reunions, Feelings, Family, Angst with a Happy Ending, Light Bondage, Names, References to Canon, Modern Era, Artist WWX, Sexual Content, Pining, POV Multiple, Additional Warnings In Author’s Note)

忘不了你的爱 (can’t forget your love) by PorcupineGirl (G, 25k, WangXian, Time Travel, Modern with Magic, Modern Cultivators AU, Canon Divergence, Time Traveler WWX, discussion of canonical character deaths, a whole lot of handwaving, conveniently localized fires, Discussion of Canonical Suicide Attempt, mostly happy but slightly bittersweet ending) first fic in a series

so when you go wherever it is you will go, take the moon with you by comforting_monachopsis (T, 115k, WWX & WWX, WWX & WN, WWX & WQ, wangxian, JYL & WWX & JC, past WWX/SS, past WWX/XY, Thirteen Years of WWX's Death, Canon Divergence, Literary References & Allusions, Time Travel, Dimension Travel, Private Investigators, Private Investigator WWX, Professor LWJ, Trauma, Serial Killers, Strangers to Lovers, BAMF WWX, Hurt WWX, WWX Needs Therapy, Modern Era, WIP)

atlas in his sleepin’ by anatheme (E, 48k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Reincarnation, Family Reunions, Dimension Travel, temporary transmigration, Transmigrator!LWJ, Angst with a happy ending)

drop me down to the dream below by AroPeterWam (E, 44k, wangxian, WWX & XY, Time Travel, Comfort/Angst, basically there is reincarnation and because of that WWX lives in both timelines, changes had to be made to fit this story, JC comes to terms with his emotions, Angst with a Happy Ending, Reincarnation, POV Alternating, ooc because different lives, fluff, Canon Divergence, Memory Related, explicit for like that one scene, Adopted WWX, sick WWX, Dimension Travel, Noncultivator WWX, JC & WWX Reconciliation, XY Deserves Better, time swap, WIP)

Horseshoes and Hand Grenades by Phantomhill (T, WWX & Juniors, JL/LJY, OYZZ/A-QIng, wangxian, College/University AU, Modern, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Minor Original Character(s), Background Relationships, Murder, Canon-Typical Violence, Minor Character Death, the juniors are doing their best, NHS has plans, not a reincarnation fic, JYL lives, JZX lives, WIP)

worm moon by serein (E, 103k, JC/WWX/LWJ, Post-Canon, Mystery, Angst, Humor, Grief/Mourning, PTSD, Identity Issues, Demonic Cultivation, eventual polyamory, Cults, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Implied past cannibalism, Switching, Canon-Typical Violence, Doppelganger, POV Alternating, Character Study, Explicit Sexual Content, Reverse Golden Core Reveal, mild horror elements)

So Call Me a Pessimist, but I Don’t Believe in It by Anonymous (Not Rated, 127k, WIP, WangXian, Food Issues, Family Feels, WWX is a music teacher, WN and WWX are Best Friends from the future, They use memes to talk covertly, Transmigrator WWX, transmigration au, Slow Burn) This is the opposite but I think OP will LOVE it

refrain; a musical phrase repeating in a song or instrumental piece Series by Cerusee, Mikkeneko (T/G, 51k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, Sort Of, Memory Loss, Canon-typical dismemberment, Post-Series, but also mid-series ya feel, Changing Tenses, Protective LWJ, Everybody Lives, Confused WWX, Crack Treated Seriously) This is… also the opposite? Sorta? In which everyone from the future gets pulled back except for him

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11. itmf hostage!LWJ, with WWX going berserk, kinda

silk threads and precious metal by Sevidri (M, 4k, WangXian, Canon-Typical Violence, Sunshot Campaign, Whump, Blood and Injury, WWX' Canonical Vengeful Streak, LWJ Makes A Beautiful Damsel in Distress, Non-Consensual Ribbon Touching, Protective wwx, Hurt LWJ) (link in #8)

the field meets the wood by astronicht (T, 7k, WangXian, BAMF WWX, slight whump, Ritualistic Self Harm, Canon Era, Tang Dynasty style, Blood Loss, Blood and Injury, salt economics, Post-Canon, [Podfic] the field meets the wood by semperfiona_podfic (semperfiona), [podfic] the field meets the wood by jellyfishfire)

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12. I'm holding out serious hope for some pride and prejudice au wangxian. I don't care about setting or time period, I just want that delicious Lizzy/Darcy dynamic with LWJ being a classist dick to WWX and instead of just trying harder and harder WWX's like fuck that asshole and then then oh no, LWJ falls in love and WWX wants none of it. (I mean, I'd love a subplot where LWJ tries to talk JZX out of marrying JYL, too, but not strictly necessary). Any pics out there remotely like this? @moku-youbi

In Wanting by thaliagrayce (T, 39k, wangxian, Enemies to Lovers, Inspired by Pride and Prejudice, Miscommunication, No Sunshot Campaign, we are ignoring all of the canon political drama to substitute our own, non-graphic depictions of torture, cw: offscreen XY)

Clans and Cultivation by ChalionKat (G, 81k, WIP, WangXian, XuanLi, ChengQing, SongXiao, Regency, Pride and Prejudice Fusion)

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13. Hi! 🤗 It's me, again. 😅

For the next ITMF, lately I'm looking for fics where WWX gets pregnant of LWJ. I'd prefer not abo fics, but if there is some good, it's ok too. I love Canon Divergence fics, Cloud Recesses arc, only the bad people dies and happy endings.

Thank you so much! ❤️😊 @wangxiansgirl

Unexpected Lullaby by SilverStark (T, 30k, WangXian, Minor Original Character(s), Unplanned Pregnancy, Post-Canon, Mpreg, Non-ABO, Fluff, Established Relationship, Reconciliation, Family, Dual Cultivation Baby)

🧡 Many Lan babies Series by LuckyMoonly (Varied, 396k, WIP, WangXian, Story collection, Mpreg, Pregnant WWX only, Family Fluff, Found Family, Kid fics)

Impermanence, Transience, Permanence by Best Bepsy (BepsyGray) (E, 39k, wangxian, canon divergence, unplanned pregnancy, mpreg, gore, sunshot campaign, assumed miscarriage, medical procedures, childbirth, golden core reveal)

Until The End by abCEE (M, 365k, wangxian, canon divergence, communication, established relationship, sunshot campaign, mpreg, canon typical violence, WWX has new golden core, canonical character death, happy ending, fix-it of sorts)

🧡 Like Rabbits by Setari (T, 41k, WangXian, Kid fic, Canon rewrite, Mpreg, Miscarriage scare, Crack treated seriously, Hopeful ending)

And they can always check the pregnancy comps! A/B/O is always tagged, so it can be avoided!

🧡 Accidents Will Happen by vesna (mrsronweasley) (E, 45k WangXian, Post Canon, Mpreg, Fluff, Light angst) I'm absolutely obsessed with

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14. Hello! 👋 I just find this blog and I saw that we can ask fics. This is for In the mood for.

My favorites fics are the ones where Wwx comes back in time and fix everything, get together with Lwj soon and saves everyone. I love longer fics. Thanks ☺️

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15. For itmf I was wondering if anyone had some recs for ChengXian mpreg with WWX as the carrier. @dragonfairies

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16. Hello! For my ITMF I'm looking for a fic where wwx flinches/gets scared from the Zidian (either held my jc or yzy) and people find out about his ptsd with the whip? Just want some justice and comfort for our bb boi @mrcformoso

🧡 Stunted, Starving Juvenility by TomatenMark (E, 686k, WangXian, WIP, Fix-it of sorts, Talisman master WWX, Not JFM Friendly, Study Arc, Getting together, Fluff and Angst, Engagement) So none that I can think of exactly, but this one has some tasty, tasty justice

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17. Hey, Im looking to read a fic or 2 where WWX wasnt in control of himself during his “k ll everyone faze” after the Wens are k lled and/or when his eyes turn red. So I guess like a burial mounds possession type deal? And if WWX is like seeing it all from inside, watching as all this tragedy unfolds at what he interprets as his own hand, for spice. May I have a fic rec or as many as you can find, please? @0call-me-rin0

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If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[thinkin-bout-milgram]

Double: Initial Thoughts

Hello Milgram community! It's time to talk about Mikoto's second MV, Double! This is pretty fun for me, given that Mikoto is actually the first prisoner whose MV I watched when it came out. I have gotten so much better at theorizing. The old theory is... meh. Ignore it, it was wrong and doesn't really matter.

Though, to be honest, and I think people will agree here -- I don't feel like Double actually gave us much to work with. The biggest thing is the confirmation (in my opinion) that there for sure only are two alters, which makes things easier to figure out, not harder. Because of this, these initial thoughts might be a bit less interesting than normal. Still, I'll do my best!

T/W: Murder, toxic work environments, mental health crises, blood

For the sake of this theory, I'll be using @onigiriico's English translation of Mikoto's new audio drama, Neoplasm! Thanks as always for your great work! I'd also like to thank everyone who sent in help with the translations! I'll be using Rochisama's (@barudo's) translation post, which translates all of the Japanese background text in the MV.

Also, as you'll see in the audio drama, Es takes to calling Orekoto John and Bokuto Mikoto. I... will not be doing that. They're called Bokuto and Orekoto to me based on the personal pronouns they use.

Disclaimer: I'm for sure not an expert on DID, so if I say anything wrong/offensive please let me know so I can correct it!

Anyways though, here's what thoughts I do have!

Orekoto's alter developed as a result of stress in Bokuto's life.

This is pretty much straight-up confirmed in the audio drama.

Orekoto: … I think… I might be the person Boku wishes he was. The person who stubbornly stands his ground, who doesn’t cry himself to sleep from stress, who gives people their payback. If I, the “ore” personality, hadn’t been born, I’m sure Boku would have reached his limit and fallen apart.

Based on this, we know that there's some general stressor going on in Bokuto's life, and we know that Orekoto seems like the new alter who developed for the sake of protecting Bokuto. I believe that's what's pictured at the beginning of the MV:

The glass breaking is most likely meant to display the "fracturing" of Mikoto's identity, signifying the creation of the Orekoto alter.

The most obvious stressor in Bokuto's life seems to be work. At the beginning of the MV (0:12-0:18), we see Mikoto's phone with text messages. The text translates as follows:

Chief (7 mins ago) Regarding the first draft you submitted today, I think option B might be the best after all, so can you remake by the morning.

Chief (5 mins ago) Also I forgot to mention, but you also made a lot of mistakes with the one we spoke about earlier, so make sure it’s all fixed too. This one also needs to be ready by morning, so I’ll leave it to you to get everything ready.

It seems like his "Chief," likely the boss of his job, is demanding a lot of work from him, and Bokuto is struggling to keep up with his work. On the whole, it seems like Bokuto is kinda just struggling to cope with living.

You’re overdoing it, you’re already broken

I was having such a hard time, I was trying so hard

That's what Orekoto comes into the picture.

Orekoto killed ??? people.

We don't know how many people he may have killed! The video is... pretty nonspecific about it. There are definitely multiple mannequins that he smashed, which for sure implies multiple.

Based on MeMe, I thought it was only one person, just because it seems like he only hid one body. Based on the new audio drama, I don't think he killed multiple different times, either.

Es: Who did you kill? Orekoto: Just someone who was walking around nearby. Es: … How many did you kill? Orekoto: Can’t remember. I was first born back then, you know. It’s kinda fuzzy.

If the murder happened right around when he was "first born," it would make sense if it's only the one time, right? It's possible that this is meant to refer to a broader time frame and I'm taking "first" too literally here, but I still think it's a definite possibility that he only killed one person.

It's gonna be hard to get a confirmation on that one, since it seems like Bokuto and Orekoto don't know the actual number. Still, we can look at the crime out of context of the body count and try to determine our forgiveness of that.

Neither Bokuto nor Orekoto are coping well with the guilty verdict.

Bokuto is, understandably, distressed. He's aware enough to realize that things have changed and that something must be happening while he's "sleeping," but he still seems to have no idea what's actually happening or who Orekoto is.

Notably, in both MeMe and Double, Bokuto is seen reacting to Orekoto in at least some ways. However, the way it's portrayed, I don't really think that's a lie or feigned innocence in any way. My best guess is that it's just using the visuals of what actually happened while showing Bokuto's distress with not knowing what's happening.

Either way, Bokuto was heading straight for a mental breakdown before accidentally committing ??? murders and getting told he's guilty for it by a weird mystery prison, so it's not surprising at all that he's faring poorly.

As Orekoto hypothesizes in the audio drama, the amount of stress Bokuto is under is actually why we've seen Orekoto fronting so much more now. Orekoto exists to help Bokuto escape from the stress of his day to day life, and given that Milgram has become extremely stressful, Orekoto fronts a lot.

Orekoto isn't doing super well either, though, likely as a result of the toll everything is taking on Bokuto. He exists and did what he did solely to protect Bokuto, so the fact that it's causing Bokuto stress and potentially endangering him definitely isn't something he'd be happy about. The MV focuses on this pretty heavily at the end.

The audio drama tells us that Orekoto is perfectly willing to own up to his guilt and take the blame for what he did. He's very clear about Bokuto not having done anything, though, and insists he has no idea what was going on. He was only dreaming.

I have no idea how the end of MeMe plays into this video.

I interpreted Orekoto handing Bokuto the death card as a moment where Orekoto shows Bokuto his existence and letting him know about the murders, but like I said, I don't really believe Bokuto knows anymore. If that's the case, though, I have NO clue what that scene was supposed to mean. I can't really figure out how to piece Double and MeMe together, and based on how little I feel like I got out of Double, it concerns me to just disregard MeMe-based theories entirely.

That being said...

VERDICT: INNOCENT

Please vote him innocent. For pretty much any reason I can think of, an innocent verdict is better.

Orekoto is right when he says that Milgram clearly instructs us to judge Bokuto specifically; Orekoto isn't a prisoner in regards to restraints or rules, but Bokuto is. If you're judging based on forgiveness, if Bokuto truly didn't know, it's hard not to forgive him, even if he arguably shares guilt.

Mikoto in general is probably more likely to have a further mental breakdown if we keep applying pressure with a guilty verdict, which in turn makes him more likely to lash out in stress again and kill another prisoner. We can't restrain Orekoto, who would likely continue fronting in the face of a guilty verdict, and we already know that his high-stress coping mechanism is killing whoever walks by. It's the safer option to vote innocent.

And then there's the fact that I just, like... want to help him? Genuinely forgive him? I don't want to vote Mikoto guilty. There's no point, and I just disagree with it. I'm pretty firmly in the innocent camp on this one, and based on the votes, it seems like a lot of people agree.

[friendfromdsmp]

Are there Marinette Salt takes that you disagree with?

So we’ve established in the last ask that I think Adrien gets a bit of a bad rap with salters at times, but that’s absolutely nothing compared to how I feel about Marinette salt takes. TL;DR at the bottom since this was much longer than I anticipated, as per usual with my constant ramblings

One angle I just really can’t wrap my head around are people who think Marinette is to blame for the LadyNoir conflict overarching season 4 because, in all honesty, I don’t know if Marinette was even made fully aware that there was an ongoing issue. I’m probably misremembering or forgetting some stuff, and I’m about to go on a long-ass ramble, so bear with me on this

The conflict begins with MariBug having constant breakdowns due to her responsibilities piling up, her alter egos bleeding into each other and having zero guidance or even vent options. Back in Truth Chat said that he doesn’t mind Ladybug being the new Guardian as long as it doesn’t impact their relationship/dynamic. But due to how overwhelmed and alone she is, Ladybug can’t always be there for all the patrols and silly little things the heroes do, which leaves Chat disappointed and feeling ignored

Is he entitled to these feelings? Absolutely. Can’t help how you feel. And for the most part he doesn’t bother Ladybug with these feelings, except for mentioning it once that he misses seeing her all the time and she explains herself and promises to try and prioritise patrols more. Healthy stuff, good communication, I’m vibing so far

But Chat continues not to voice his feelings while starting to let them dictate his behaviour, and this is where the problems arise - not just with Chat, but with Marinette salters, too. I was surprised to see how many people were mad at Ladybug for not prioritising Chat more or not being more considerate of his feelings

As far as I’ve seen, Chat hasn’t voiced his concerns to her, so you can’t expect Ladybug to fix a problem she doesn’t know exists, and even then you can see she doesn’t have the mental capacity or available free time right now, every other episode featured her having a mental breakdown. At this point Chat being disappointed that he’s not his coworker’s top priority isn’t… well, a priority

People were also getting mad that Marinette revealed her identity to Alya and not Chat was also a surprise to me. Alya is Marinette’s best friend and was chosen to be a hero for her loyalty and trustworthiness (arguable whether the show does a good job at displaying these qualities but I digress) and Chat Noir, the holder of the only other Miraculous Hawkmoth needs, is the most dangerous possible choice to share her identity with, especially considering what little Marinette remembers about Chat Blanc

Plus, Alya was there. Like, physically right there. And Marinette broke under all the pressure that was put on her. You think she’s gonna break and then sit around peacefully until Chat shows up before she actually acts on the breakage?

Anyway, speaking of Alya, her becoming more involved in the hero work makes Chat Noir feel replaced, resulting in him straight-up ignoring the plan after he was informed of his role in it multiple times by multiple people during Sentibubbler. I’ve seen takes that Marinette should have apologised for him not being better informed or for not including him more in the plan, and that absolutely baffles me

This wasn’t Marinette’s plan. Hell, Marinette herself didn’t even know half the plan, and she was the only other person aware of Alya’s trump card. Not to mention there was a whole thing about how Alya couldn’t contact Marinette, so how do they expect Marinette to have any way of knowing more than what was canonically stated to have been told to Marinette? There’s no way people aren’t just making up issues at this point

Rocketear then shows us something I think highlights one of the previous points very well; Ladybug notices that Chat looks upset after he’s learned that Ladybug broke the secret identify rule by handing Alya and Nino their Miraculous at the same time back during Heroes’ Day

She asks Chat what’s wrong and if he’s okay, and you know what he says? He fkn reassures her that he’s okay and it’s nothing

There you have it, ladies and gentlemen; Ladybug noticed there were signs of a problem and asked Chat about it, only to be told there was no problem. But as all the salters have told me, Ladybug just doesn’t care about Chat Noir or his problems. How do people expect her to fix a problem that she not only doesn’t know exists, but a problem that’s now actively being kept from her?

Now we come to Chat Noir no-showing to fights, which results in Ladybug needing to call in additional backup more often. At first Chat has valid reasons for not showing up; he had obligations as Adrien that he couldn’t escape. But the problem here isn’t that he didn’t show, it’s that he took the temp heroes showing up as a sign of Ladybug replacing him as her partner rather than filling a vacant but necessary role

And the problem only worsened when Chat stopped showing up to fights even when he had every opportunity to, opting out due to being depressed that Ladybug was relying more on the temp heroes… which in turn forced Ladybug to rely more on the temp heroes. He was creating his own problem

And it stumps me how so many Marinette salters decided that it was her fault for letting things get so bad between them that he was sitting out akuma fights due to depression. Dumber still, people agreeing with Adrien and saying that Ladybug is replacing Chat and she shouldn’t keep bringing out the temp heroes and instead rely more on Chat

Guys, I’m sure she’d love to rely more on Chat, but right now she can’t even rely on him to show up to his job. What do you realistically want her to do? Fight akumas all alone, without any backup? Not fight the akuma until Chat shows up first, thus enabling the akuma to run rampant and unchecked through Paris until then? Somehow figure out Chat Noir’s identify, show up at Adrien’s house and beg him to help her fight? What’s her realistic alternative to the temp heroes?

Kuro Neko is where this comes to a head. To start we have salters saying that Ladybug’s interview was insulting to Chat, but I don’t see it at all. Her exact words were “Of course [Chat and I aren’t at odds with each other], it's just that... umm, he's a partner like any other! The most important is to pick the best superheroes for each mission, with or without Cat Noir. No matter what, we've got a great team and we'll always be here to save Paris.”

She’s saying that Chat Noir wasn’t necessary for the fight, not that he wasn’t wanted or missed. Could she have phrased it slightly better? Yes. But she was put on the spot to answer a question she doesn’t know the answer to but probably secretly fears the worst for, all while knowing that she needs to reassure the public that they’re safe and that she and all the other heroes will transform back any minute now

She was trying to say “Chat Noir’s absence isn’t because of any fights between us, and I can assure you that with the help of the team, Paris won’t be any less safe than it is when we work as a duo”, not “Chat Noir is useless and I’m phasing him out in favour of all these other heroes”

Chat finally shows up and addresses his issues, albeit totally out of the blue for Ladybug since this is the first time she’s actually gotten some form of confirmation that something is, in fact, wrong. Chat shows up out of nowhere after missing a ton of akuma fights, wants to hang out and chat while Ladybug is already on the clock, then offers to help her out by going to all the meeting spots to collect the loaned Miraculous

The problem here is that Chat doesn’t know half of their identities, so in order to help Ladybug, he needs her to break the identity rule in a non-emergency situation and reveal secrets that aren’t hers to share

He tries to argue that he already knows some of the heroes, which is fair, but even then it’s made pretty clear that Ladybug doesn’t have time to work out which heroes Chat knows the identities of and then tell him where these specific individuals are currently located

They’ll all be turning back any moment now, Ladybug included, and if she turns back then it’s game over for them all. At very least King Monkey would have only lasted another three or four seconds if Ladybug had gotten his Miraculous back, and he was left dangling from a chimney

Seems to me that Ladybug is not currently in a position where she’s able to accept Chat Noir’s help, but she has made it clear that she’ll talk to him after everything is taken care of and she’s no longer racing against the clock

But because she’s turning down Chat Noir’s offer of help, regardless of circumstances, the salters blame her for it as if she and all the others wouldn’t have turned back before she even finished sharing all the heroes’ locations

There’s also an argument going around of ‘she should have told him all their identities before’, but this is ignoring that, while it’s Ladybug’s job to know this stuff as both their Guardian and not Ladybug’s place to share the secrets of others, we’ve also had several episodes detailing how dangerous it is to break the identity rule; Queen Wasp, Heroes’ Day, Miraculer, Miracle Queen, Optigami, Sentibubbler, Rocketear. Hell, three of those happened just the other week or something

And just to clarify, Ladybug still doesn’t know that this is part of an overarching issue; as far as she knows, he showed up out of nowhere after a fight, she told him multiple times that she has to rush around gathering these Miraculous and that she didn’t have time to explain where she needed to meet everyone, he was teasing and making puns while interrupting her and then she snapped that “If you want to save me time, stop wasting it in the first place!” since he was being pushy at an inappropriate time when she didn’t have the time to talk it out calmly or anything

It’s an understandable reaction when you’re trying to do something very important and someone swoops in out of nowhere and pesters you with puns and demands while you’re already on the clock, and frankly Chat did need her to snap a bit to show she was serious

And all I have to say is… that’s it? That’s all she had to do to be the bad guy in this situation, according to salters? Yes, she could’ve been more polite, sure, but Chat was the one keeping her from doing her job. Showing up with the intention of helping doesn’t absolve him of causing further disruptions. At that point he was the one disregarding social convention

And then immediately after that, Chat tells her that she should just take his Miraculous away from him as well, to which she just gives a barebones acknowledgement as she rushes away, then expresses that she doesn’t know what he meant by that. She still thinks this is just him wanting to be helpful and not taking her responsibilities seriously in favour of being playful

This is an extreme overreaction to what she perceives as just a minor bump in the road, if anything, which is probably why she didn’t catch on right away what he meant; he wouldn’t really quit being a superhero altogether just over her not having the time to talk to him right this second, right?

Plagg is the one to break it to her that there’s an overarching issue; Chat’s co-dependency issues making him struggle with the idea that he’s not necessary because job-wise he can be replaced with the temp heroes and his struggles to healthily communicate this due to his stunted social development resulting in his bottled up feelings spilling over… wait, what? He said it was because she broke Chat’s heart by not being in love with him? When the hell did that become relevant?

But some salters ate up the idea that Ladybug rejecting Chat is a moral failing on her part and all this would’ve been solved if she just dated him already. The love square isn’t even a contender in these issues, why is this the explanation? And why are people falling for it? It’s clearly just another excuse to make Marinette ‘learn a lesson’ and blame her for all this while absolving Adrien of any perceived imperfections

And to clarify once more; MariBug is now finally aware that there is some overarching conflict, but she believes it’s just Chat being butthurt that she’s still not in love with him. So nothing new. Same conflict as always

Oh, and a bit of a tangent but what the hell were the salters thinking when they blamed Marinette for going to London in Hack-San? We saw her make several attempts to get out of it, then when she couldn’t she called Alya - the second most experienced superheroine after herself and someone already familiar with Tikki and already aware of Mari’s identity - to take over for her to ensure Paris still had a Ladybug hero

Even after she was long gone, Mari was still texting Alya non-stop to provide tips for being the Ladybug hero, including special tips on how to make Chat feel valued and happy. Girl thought of everything, did all she could, and you’re still managing to complain that she should’ve just… what? Confessed to her parents that she’s Ladybug so they’d have to let her stay? Run away? Destroy all their passports?

Look, even Tom was vibing with not going, but Marinette tried every trick in the book and it all failed, so she ensured she appointed the most qualified replacement she could. That’s called being responsible

I bet those salters are the same people that got pissed off when Ladybug yelled at Chat for abandoning Paris in the New York special, despite the fact that he left completely unannounced yet pre-planned and willingly, while knowing Ladybug wouldn’t be there and without appointing anyone to fill in in his absence and as such knowingly leaving Paris undefended

Anyway, things come to a head again in the finale when Chat is yelling at Ladybug mid-battle for keeping secrets from him and being too reliant on the temp heroes rather than him and all that fun stuff. Now remember, this is once again coming out of nowhere for Ladybug, who has managed to reach the season finale without actually knowing that she’s in the middle of a season-long conflict as opposed to just same old, same old

Ladybug is trying to defend herself from both the sentimonsters and from Chat’s accusations and insults, with no idea where all this animosity has ‘suddenly’ come from

More salters argue that, once again, Ladybug should’ve caved to his whims by now, and all I can do is wonder why the middle of a huge fight is seemingly their definition of an appropriate time for that conversation, let alone any time at all being appropriate for spilling secrets that aren’t yours to share and are being kept for the purpose of child safeguarding

Salters really need to understand that while LadyNoir are equals in terms of a team unit going into battle, Ladybug is still effectively Chat’s boss due to her Guardianship role. They don’t have to be equals in absolutely every aspect, and Marinette doing her job is not a flaw in Marinette’s character or an argument towards her being a bad person who doesn’t care about Chat Noir

Then we get to the big risk of giving a Miraculous to ‘Adrien’, and salters love to claim that it’s all Ladybug’s fault because she chose Felix and not Adrien. Can you guess what I’m going to ask how, guys?

As opposed to what???

Ladybug was knowingly under the influence of an akuma that impairs judgement. She came to a very logical conclusion given the information she had that ‘Adrien’ didn’t have a mark, and thus was the only person in Paris not judgmentally impaired. She was, need I remind you, correct

The only problem is that she didn’t know - and had no way of knowing - that at that moment, Felix was pretending to be Adrien for completely unrelated reasons, just so happening to get caught up in the crossfires of whatever the hell MariBug was getting up to that day. Her logic was ‘I can’t trust myself to make a smart decision, so I’ll go to someone who I can trust to make a smart decision’. And just because Felix was already acting the part, a fact she couldn’t have possibly known, suddenly she’s to blame for the fuck-up?

Anyway, when we finally begin to conclude the LadyNoir drama, it occurs when Ladybug realised that she’s been tricked and Felix steals her yo-yo. Adrien gets in a snide comment about “If you’re gonna trust me once, please let it be this time!” which should make exactly zero sense to Ladybug

And then we get to the final scene, where Ladybug breaks down crying and apologises for lying to Chat, not listening to him, keeping him at a distance and refusing his help

And I just… what? Chat’s done all these things without context to make it understandable or called for in the moment, yet the Marinette salters are just nodding along and agreeing that she’s the one at fault. So many of them have said that Ladybug didn’t deserve his forgiveness or his loyalty or his pep talk, it baffles me

And that brings me to conclude my biggest gripe about the LadyNoir drama and the Marinette salters that go with it; MariBug was almost solely blamed by the narrative and the salters alike, but she didn’t actually know anything at all was going on until Kuro Neko (episode 23 of 26)

From there she figured it was just some of Chat’s habitual pouting on the job over his advances being rejected until the very last episode of the season but never got clarification on what exactly had been bugging him for this long, then it all magically resolved without apology or explanation

He didn’t bother with that because, by the end of the episode, Chat had gotten his way; no more temp heroes. Ladybug was now forced to rely on him and only him, so he instantly quit fighting her and carried on as though nothing had ever happened. Ladybug must’ve been reeling, no wonder she was just listing off all the bad stuff she could think of that she might’ve done; she was trying to see which one stuck. Girl lasted the entire season drama without knowing what the drama was

Marinette salters to that extent don’t take into account her perspective of many situations, and a lot of it is from Chat stans getting mad when MariBug doesn’t bend over backwards to his every whim, even when he’s actively keeping them a secret from her. She’s just supposed to telepathically know what the problem is and is expected to fix it simply because ‘they’re partners’, when even that isn’t an obligation to care for him beyond a professional capacity

Sorry I know this one is long as all hell but it really annoys me how certain Marinette salters will practically invent problems to blame her for - the show’s writers included. And to be clear, I’ve done my share of Marinette salting before, she’s far from perfect, but I do think that a lot of the salt she gets is pretty baseless

TL;DR is that my worst issue with Marinette salters is how they often blame Marinette entirely for the season 4 LadyNoir drama despite the fact that a lot of their problems with her behaviour don’t really have a reasonable alternative and she didn’t ever actually work out what the drama was truly about, having not even known there was drama until episode 23 of 26

[male-body-swap-lover]

Alcohol Led Me Down a Path to Age Progression

Note: Alcoholism is a real disease and if you are having issues with it, please seek help.

Picture it. 1990. I am a senior at Princeton. Colin Vanderway, only heir to the Vanderway fortune. I am on the top of the world. Rich. Hot. Smart. A different girl every week. I am one of the luckiest men in the world. It’s another Saturday night kegger. I love beer so much. Probably my only weakness. Derek, Nathan, and I went to Kappa Kappa Delta for one of the last blast nights before our graduation. The night is wild. One of the best nights of my life. But man I have had so much to drink. Fucccckkkkk. I’m going home. I get behind the wheel of my car. I’m falling asleep and I can barely see. I’m serving. Almost back to my apartment. Suddenly, an old woman comes out of nowhere and I hit her with my car. Oh God!

I get out and try to find a pulse. I can’t find one, but I am drunk. I yell for help but no one is around. Suddenly a man appears from out of nowhere.

“I can help you”, he says.

“I need to go find a pay phone. I need to call 911.”

“If you do, you’ll be arrested. Why don’t I help you.”

“Are you a doctor?”

“No, I’m your guardian angel. This woman is dead. There is nothing the paramedics can do. However, I can save her.”

“Then do it. Hurry! It was an accident.”

“Hold on. If I save her, then you will face my consequences. It won’t be the cops, but you will pay.”

“It’s fine. I’m rich. I can pay you whatever you want.”

“Oh I don’t want money.”

“I don’t care. Just save her!” I start crying.

“Okay, here goes”

Suddenly the winds start whipping and the woman seems to wake up. Suddenly, it’s like I’m sucked up into a vortex. I’m tossed around and and scream for help. Finally after what feels like eternity, I’m dumped in a dirty apartment. There are beer cans everywhere. Instinctively I burp and my stomach starts to rumble.

“Look familiar”. He appeared out of nowhere.

“Fuck, where did you come from. Where am I”

“You’re in the future. October 23, 2023 to be exact”

“This is like Back to the Future man! Why’d you bring me here?”

“This is how I am making you pay. You see, you had two options. Option one was to leave that woman on the street dead. Option two was to save her and you pathetically chose to save her. Had you chosen option one, your father would have helped you cover up her death and your life would have gone on like normal. He would have paid her family to be quiet. You would have taken your place as rightful heir to your father’s company. Married a girl from a wealthy family and had multiple kids. You would have amassed power and become a republican senator from Connecticut. And yet, you somehow have a soul, and chose option two.”

“What’s wrong with you. We saved a life. Why are you upset. You are my guardian angel”

“Yes, but I’m a fallen angel. I love evil. And that’s who I thought you were, which I why I appeared to you. Alas, you chose to be good, and now we are here.”

“A fallen angel. So you work for the devil”

“Hahahahaha yes I do. The mighty lord”

“So if this is option two, what does that mean?”

“So because she survived, she sued your family. Your father almost lost his company. He disowned you and kicked you out of the family company. He gave it to a distant cousin. Due to your college partying, you have had trouble finding work and have mostly worked factory and maintenance jobs, just enough to pay your bills, and enough left over for beer. You never got away from beer. You’ve been married and divorced three times with two kids who hate you. This is all you can afford between your alimony payments and beer. Isn’t it depressing. Oh, have you paid the price for being nice.”

“Wait, if it’s 2023, that means I am 55 years old. I still look like I am 22.”

“Oh yes, let’s fix that.”

Suddnely my stomach rumbles. I start burping repeatedly and my breath reeks of beer. My arm hair starts getting thicker. I feel a beard sprout on my face as hair falls out of my head. My chiseled jaw dissapears under a layer of fat. The worst is my stomach. It’s pressing out and turning into a big ball. My clothes are so tight, and then they change as well. My shirt turns into a pale button up that is left unbuttoned and underneath it, my undershirt turns grey and seem to barely fit me. My acid wash jeans turn into dad jeans and my belt gets thicker to hold up my new pants. My stomach finally stops growing and my grey shirt can barely cover it. The age lines come in everywhere on my face and my back starts killing me. With one final loud belch, the transformation finishes. I waddle to the bathroom and look in the mirror.

“I’m old and ugly and fat.”

“Yes, well that’s your punishment for choosing to save someone’s life. No good deed goes unpunished. Oh and one more thing!”

Suddenly, a mug of beer appears in my hand. The intoxicating smell of barley reaches my nose. I start drooling for a minute before taking a big gulp.

“Good luck. Your life is pathetic, but at least you have your beer. Your new memories should come to you soon. At the rate you drink, I give you fifteen years max. Bye”

My guardian angel, or guardian devil dissapeared.

I sigh dejectedly, realizing my life had not turned out how I wanted. I sit down in my recliner, turn on the football game, and eat some peanuts that were on the table next to my chair. Beer. The killer, but one would say my best friend. Lucky me. I drink my beer and scratch my new belly absentmindedly. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.

[aquarii-if]

Hi, I really liked your game! My favorite character so far is Vega, I’m interested to learn more about them. I have a couple of notes/questions.

First, when you meet your godly parent, they refer to you as “$lastname.” I assume this is because I never had the option set a surname during my playthrough; the option to tell the kidnappers your name only sets your first name, and both choices when you meet Estelle and Amare lead to your character refusing to give their last name, saying "I think my first name will suffice for now."

Second, is there a reason that if you decide Liviana should know about the mind control, you have to tell her right there and then, directly in front of Vega? My immediate instincts during that scene were to play along during that conversation and then pass on that information later in private, either during the security meeting or afterwards when MC is hanging out alone with Liviana. There’s no reason to think that telling her in the moment would change anything about the current situation, or that this is your only opportunity to speak to her, right? Vega already said that there’s not enough evidence for Liviana to arrest them, and Izar just told you you’re free to go. MC doesn’t indicate any doubt or suspicion about either of these things, and isn’t characterized as a particularly brash or impulsive person that would still blurt it out regardless.

Especially if MC has been acting cooperative with Vega and Izar so far, they seem willing to trust you and talk about their plans. It seems like an unforced error to immediately play your hand 30 seconds later and lose that potential tactical advantage, letting the ‘enemy’ know both your true allegiance and what intel you’ve gotten from them. There doesn’t seem to be a clear in-world reason why you can’t try to play both sides for a while, or even just test the extent of Vega’s control/access; If MC betrays them in private, but Vega still seems to know about it the next time they meet, that would be a good indicator of some form of spying/surveillance. I totally get if that’s not what you’re going for though, it’s just what I thought while I was reading!

This is a long post, so I put it under the cut.

1. Thank you for pointing that out to me, that’s a bug. I’ll send out a bug fix for that later. Apologies.

2. I want to preface this by saying this is not a permanent choice. MC will have the multiple other chances to tell Liviana about it in private without Vega knowing. Now, onto your question. If you choose not to tell Liviana, MC states that it’s because they don’t want to ruin Vega’s trust in them and also because they’re aware they don’t have any proof for their claim. Yes, they feel guilty afterwards, but that’s a natural feeling when you’re withholding information that could potentially help keep someone out of jail. MC does not have another chance to tell Liviana as she is more concerned with the meeting with the guards and making sure MC is safe. Maybe they could’ve told her in the aircraft, but if they wish to continue having a positive relationship with Vega, then telling Liviana that information right in front of the driver who is clearly on Vega’s side is probably not the best idea. The conversation after the meeting wasn’t very long, MC was still recovering after everything that just transpired, and didn’t have a chance to talk about any of it because they were interrupted by the announcement.

3. As for why the MC can decide to shout it out then, it’s an option for the MC to be more impulsive. They can cooperate with Vega and Izar, yes, but at that point MC is with people they feel safer around, and has no reason to continue going along with Izar and Vega if they have no interest in playing for both sides. If they wish to make it clear they side with Aquarii, this is the perfect chance to do so.

If you’re wondering why the allegiance stat goes down even if you plan on telling Liviana later, that stat is purely based on the other characters opinions of you, as well as the groups they stand for. In that moment, Vega took MC’s silence as them siding with Chronos. Thats just how Vega is, they’re quite irrational and impulsive. You’ll win those points back if you tell her later. Liviana on the other hand will not have any negative reaction if you decide to tell her during your second chance of informing her of Vega’s misdeeds. After that, however, you do risk a relationship drop with her.

Hope this could clear things up for you, I understand if you don’t agree of my reasoning here, but this was my thought process while writing the scene. Thank you for your insight and your praise, as well as the notice about the bug, sorry about that again! ❤️

[eoieopda]

all right babe, i wanna hear bts as roommates cause i'm curious 👀

OOOH. love this. this speaks to the very specific brain rot i have about domestic, day-to-day bangtan.

namjoon — he’s very likable, so you can’t get mad, but good god is he noisy. like, dropping shampoo bottles in the shower (aka bombs) during the MULTIPLE daily showers he takes; talking through movies with his thots/predictions/trivia; the snoring; the banging of cabinets and pots/pans when he tries his best to pull his weight in the kitchen. however, he never forgets your birthday and reminds you about things he correctly assumes you’ll forget about (appointments — how does he even know about them??)

seokjin — you barely see him because he’s holed up in his room, gaming into the wee hours of the morning, but you can sure as shit hear him yelling :’) he’s the “i made myself a snack, so i’m bringing you one” type, always making sure you take breaks when you’re busy because he knows he’s bad at that himself. he’ll fix broken shit in your apartment (oppa/hyung will do it!) but don’t you dare ask him to trap a spider (oppa/hyung would rather die!)

yoongi — i’m sorry, but he’s gotta be a god tier roommate. he keeps to himself for the most part, but he’ll quietly drop into your space when he craves human contact. like, you’re at your desk doing whatever, and he’s just sitting on your bed, vibing. he’s got major nesting energy, too, so he’s collecting carefully chosen decor + putting furniture together himself. he lets you help to some extent because he wants to teach you, but he realizes this was a Dangerous Move and banishes you to watch from a safe distance.

hoseok — he’s the renaissance man of roommates because he’s an 1) in-home hype man, 2) a cleaning fairy, and 3) a social butterfly. he forcibly removes you from your room when you’re becoming too solitary and ensures that you always have the option of plans — if and when you want to utilize them. had a bad day? not anymore, bitch!! it’s time to laugh until you pee!! just not on the floor he just mopped, okay? ✨💕

jimin — he’s the one your friends/family are most excited to see when they visit you. OMG IT’S JIMIN — oh, and you’re also here :’) you’ve given up on being the hottest gworl in the apartment because you know it’ll always be him. and of course your closet and/or skin care are now communal, whether you were aware of it or not 🤷🏻‍♀️ has simply the best “tough love” advice, the best house parties, the best vibes. and you KNOW he’s the one (1) person who shows up to your shit, whatever that may be (career-related awards banquets, recreational volleyball tourneys, etc.)

taehyung — you literally never know where he is or what he’s up to, but his dog is cute, so there’s that!! he forgot to mention that he’s going to paris/barcelona/the moon until he facetimes you from some insane party to let you know that he forgot to put out the candle he lit in his room several days ago. but when he is home, there are no dull moments. he does end up in your bed most nights, though it stopped surprising you when you wake up to find him strapped around you like a human backpack.

jungkook — he’s made you fully nocturnal with his late night noraebangs and galaxy lights. you don’t remember the last time you saw the sun. what is daytime? 🤔 who is it for? NOT Y’ALL. there isn’t a single executive function functioning between the two of you, but at least your laundry is always done :’)

[phoenixyfriend]

Secrets

We can do author reveals for @spreadyourwingsexchange now! Mine was written for PaxDuane (@callacabforme)

Read on AO3

Relationships:

Jaster Mereel/Mace Windu, The Daughter | Winged Goddess/Jango Fett, Jango Fett & Jaster Mereel, Depa Billaba & Jango Fett, Depa Billaba & Mace Windu

Characters:

Jaster Mereel, Jango Fett, Mace Windu, Depa Billaba, The Daughter | Winged Goddess, Morai (Star Wars)

Additional Tags:

Time Travel, Romance, Hard of Hearing Jaster Mereel, Asexual Depa Billaba, POV Outsider, POV Multiple, Dreamsharing, Age Difference, (But all are consenting adults)

Summary:

Jaster worries Mace teaches Depa watches Jango lives

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

Jaster first notices something’s changed when Jango is fourteen. The shift in personality is sudden, but the kid is well into his teenage years and picking up more responsibility, even if it’s under supervision, so… maybe it’s normal.

Jaster keeps an eye on him, sure, but if it’s important, Jango will come to him, right? He’s basically an adult now, he can handle some things himself. Maybe it’s girl problems. Or boy problems. Or something.

He hopes that, if it is a crush, it’s not on Montross. Jango keeps staring at Jaster’s second, and it’s with a curiously blank look that Jaster can’t figure out. It could just as easily be… uh…

Actually, a crush on someone twice his age who is definitely going to reject him might actually be the best option. Well, no, the best option would be that Jango wants to learn a skill that Montross has and other people don’t, but both are still better than, say, Jango suspecting Montross of something, or Montross actually having done something, to Jango, that Jaster hasn’t noticed.

So really, Jaster is… it’s just Jango being a teenager, right?

He’ll keep an eye on it.

Jango will come to him when he’s ready.

--

So.

Montross betrayed them.

Jaster hadn’t seen it coming. Jango had. That might be the only reason Jaster’s alive right now.

There were worse reasons for Jango to have focused on Montross as he had, but not many. Not many at all.

“Are you alright?” Jaster asks, clapping a hand on Jango’s shoulder. Jango twitches under the gesture, looking away from the empty space he’d fixated on. There’s something in his eyes that Jaster would have called unfamiliar a few months ago, but knows too well now. Jango’s always had eyes that are too old for his age, but it’s been more, this past while.

“I’m fine,” Jango says, in that rough and stilted way he’d picked up from… somewhere.

Jaster has the right to worry. He just doesn’t know what it is that he’s worried about, entirely. “Ready to tell me how you knew about Montross?”

Jango’s eyes flick away for a moment, and then back to Jaster. “I’d prefer not to.”

“Ad’ika—”

“I’m not a child,” Jango says, fast and odd and Jaster is begging the stars to tell him what it is that’s changed his son so much.

“You’re my child,” Jaster says.

The look Jango gives him is indecipherable, searching and sad and something that Jaster doesn’t have nearly enough information to really read. “I know. It’s just uncomfortable to hear.”

“Jango—”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Jango says, firm and final and frustratingly distant. “Please respect that, buir.”

There is no answer he can give that he hasn’t already. “Alright, I’ll leave it for now. Just… you’d tell me if something was wrong, right?”

His son looks away from him, and hesitates. He fixes his stare on nothing, ready to just go back to zoning out as he had been, and says, “yes, sir.”

“Right,” Jaster says, and they both know that he isn’t buying it. He sighs, pats Jango on the shoulder again, and heads for the door. “Get some rest, son.”

“Will do.”

--

The first time Jaster sees The Habit, he thinks it’s something else entirely.

He passes by the door to Jango’s room, and pauses at the sound of a single, agitated voice. The door is open just a crack, enough for the voice to escape, and Jaster steps back to look through it. The room is lit, and Jango is alone.

The boy is pacing, gesturing as he speaks and pausing every little bit. Jaster only sees flashes of this, because he doesn’t want to risk opening the door or invading Jango’s privacy even more, and Jango’s pacing is taking him all over the room. There isn’t an answering voice, and Jaster can’t see a comm from this angle, or even hear the low buzz of a response.

Jaster’s hearing is kind of a mess, though. He’s been in the vicinity of too many explosions for his eardrums to still be in top condition, and he doesn’t bother with the aides unless he’s doing diplomatic work. He’s sure as hell not wearing them in his own home if he doesn’t have to.

Would be nice to have them now, to figure out what the heck is going on with his son.

Jaster catches snippets of what’s being said, but between the lack of visual help and the fact that Jango’s speaking away from the door as often as not, it’s not much.

Jango doesn’t seem distressed, he decides. He’s probably either talking to someone on a comm that’s out of Jaster’s narrow line of sight into the room, or practicing an argument of some sort. Either way, he’s fine. Probably.

Jaster leaves him to it.

--

It happens again. This time, the door is fully open, and Jaster sees him argue with thin air, dropping names he’s never heard, like Kenobi and Boba and Windu and Tyranus. He seems to circle back to the same spot with his gaze, high up against the wall, and addresses it as ‘ma’am.’

Jaster knocks on the door, this time. It’s open, after all. Jango starts with surprise, and turns to face him. “Buir?”

“Heard you talking,” Jaster says. “Figured if it was loud enough for me to hear, then there was something wrong.”

Jango looks away, a flush rising in his cheeks. “It’s nothing.”

“Who were you arguing with?” Jaster prompts.

“It wasn’t an argument,” Jango says, too quick to be true. He won’t meet Jaster’s eyes. “And it’s… nobody, really. I’m just trying to get my thoughts in order.”

“Practicing for a debate?”

Jango snorts. “Something like that.”

“With…?” Jaster tries.

His son winces, looking away. “The New Mando types, mostly.”

Jaster frowns. “We’re on good terms with Adonai.”

This earns him a shrug. “I have concerns on some things I’ve heard. It might not come to anything, but it’s better to work out how to phrase things ahead of time, isn’t it? If I have to speak?”

Jango is not a good public speaker. Jaster is passable, at least, but Jango is… a work in progress.

“Practice is good,” Jaster tells him. “Maybe close your door next time, though. Keeps people from worrying.”

“Will do, sir.”

Jaster can’t help but ruffle Jango’s hair when he passes him, narrowly avoiding the offended squawk he gets for the act. It’s childish, especially considering how grown up Jango’s been behaving, and the return to something even slightly resembling acting his age is reassuring.

--

The way that Jango fights is controlled, but often uncertain. It often seems like he doesn’t quite know how to manage his own body, as if the size of it surprises him every other day. Jaster keeps an eye on it, but Jango had a growth spurt pretty recently, and that should probably be enough of an explanation, right?

Sure, Jango’s mistakes seem more like someone who’s adjusting to a smaller reach than they’re used to, not a longer one, but that’s… that’s…

It’s fine, right? Jango’s spending a lot of time practicing his forms, which is good, and he’s keeping up with his studies, doing well, even, and he’s been shining in missions and strategy sessions, keeping his calm when he argues for a tactic or insists on gathering more information or whatever it is this time. Jango’s fine.

Jaster watches him test the weight of a practice sword, swinging it in a set of forms that look more Jedi than anything, but still decidedly Mandalorian, and still testing and hesitant and almost as if he were… trying to reverse engineer lightsaber forms.

Jango’s never met a Jedi. Jaster would know.

Even Jaster’s only ever met two. Jedi are rare, especially outside the Core.

With a stifled noise, Jango takes on an odd jump, awkward and high and decidedly not designed with armor in mind, and lands surprisingly well. Jaster looks at the sharp grin and the confident way his son rises to his feet, the kind of competent that Jaster should be proud of, should be happy with, should support in all ways.

And he worries.

--

Jaster makes a habit of passing by Jango’s rooms when they have downtime. He’s not hovering, and he’s certainly not suspicious of his own son, but he’s… a parent. Right. He’s a parent, and this is normal for an unsure parent who wants to figure out what their child is going through without prying too much.

Jango has many one-sided conversations. He never has them in public, certainly, and he definitely doesn’t seem to be noticing or reacting to things that aren’t there, but Jaster starts thinking more and more that it’s something to look out for. It’s never big things, not really, but there are moments where Jango just… isn’t right.

It’s been six months, maybe more, when Jaster does roundup after a mission and finds that Jango is at the very edge of the meadow they’d landed the gunship in, right at the treeline, and holding a conversation with a convor.

People have conversations with animals all the time, Jaster thinks, just a touch desperately. One of their medics has a tooka that she talks too like a baby, every day. One of his snipers carries around a snake whenever they’re off duty, wearing it like a scarf and asking it ‘do you believe this shit?’ whenever something even slightly inconvenient happens. Myles wrestles with his father’s akk dog every time he visits home, with the ever popular ‘who’s a good girl’ dropping from his mouth as easily as kisses for the mutt. That slicer that joined up a few months back treats zir carnivorous rabbit as a coding partner, explaining problems in the program until the process of talking it through has led zir to an epiphany.

It's normal to talk to animals. Loads of people do it.

Sure, Jango seems like he’s having more of a business negotiation than a pet conversation with the bird, but it’s still normal, right?

Even if the convor, seemingly wild, nods to something, waits for Jango to raise his arm, and then delicately hops on.

Jango talks to the bird in quiet murmurs for another half hour before they part ways, and Jaster doesn’t know what to think of it.

--

So his kid is weird, practicing arguments and reinventing lightsaber forms and talking to animals, all normal things done in a decidedly odd way. It’s fine. Jango can be as weird as he wants, so long as he’s being safe, or as safe as a mercenary can be, and working towards being happy. He’s got an injury right now, a large cut that needed stitches and cracked ribs that needed taping, but he’s fine. Jaster almost even believes it.

And then someone shows him a security feed from the galley, something people barely ever look at, even on duty, and it’s Jango. He’s having a meal, alone, in the early hours of the day cycle. Nightmares, maybe, or just an awkwardly shifted internal clock. It’s normal.

It’s normal, it’s all so normal, until he tries to reach for a bowl, stops with a wince as he strains his stitches, and instead floats the dish down.

“So,” the soldier says, low and slow, “did you know?”

“Not this,” Jaster says. He wonders how much of the last months—almost a year now, if he’s being honest with himself—can be explained by this. “Don’t tell anyone. I’ll handle this.”

“As Mand’alor, or as a father?” the soldier asks.

“As a father,” Jaster says, “and if that doesn’t work… we’ll see.”

(Continue on AO3)

[redactedgeek]

a love letter to You and I

To the unfortunate ✨🥀 (or most fortunate 😌🌻 - perhaps neutral? 👀🌱) Soul who sees this:

I wonder what sort of state You’d consider yourself in… The possibilities are thought-wringing. Yes 🙂. Thought-wringing cx

This… may be an attempt to do a life check-in. Sooo, if you’d like to do one with me, please feel free -^u^- 🌸

aight c: Status report: Overwhelmed at everything. Not doing well; multiple breakdowns in a single week alone. Saw burnout from a distance, and promised to treat self with unconditional love, and did best not to take anything out on others. Positive at beginning and “keeping head up.” Proud of self for coming this far [;before, I beat myself up every time I wasn’t able to do what I felt I “needed” to do. Now, I accept that sometimes I do get knocked down, and I allow it to happen, and I do my best to heal while my theoretically burning body lays there].

I am a fool 🤧. For laying there and not rolling around [sometimes I lay in bed, on my phone for hours and declare that “rest” :’) ]. For not yelling out for help or in pain [lashing out because I keep holding everything in; regardless of the reason, I know I haven’t done my part to communicate 😔]. For patching up the wounds and expecting it to be better immediately, moving in such a way that the wounds open up again so it takes even longer to heal than if I had cared for the wound [isolating, and then coming out of isolation from fear-based reasons instead of from actually taking care of myself, so I isolate even more because I’m so exhausted running on negative stress-adrenaline ☹️].

There are two - perhaps three or four? - options I can choose from about what can I do with the above-information:

A: Conclude I can never do anything right and allow that to define me as a person and continue spiraling in the unalchemized darkness. “I try and it doesn’t work. I can’t do anything right. 😀👍✨”

B: Conclude that while I have work to do on the way that I do some things, I acknowledge that I am doing my best with what I have and what I know. Each time I am knocked down, I have an opportunity to be still, reflect on my experiences, and learn what works and what doesn’t. “I tried, and while that didn’t work, this did. I can do more of this and see if it works more. 😌💕”

X: Conclude that I am tired, I just wanna have a good time now, and I push this to future me to handle this because [think nihilism]. “Hey, Ego, here’s something for you [quick fix: ‘you’re doing your best, everyone makes mistakes. Just don’t think about it and move on. It’s fun to be silly li’l guy anyway.] 🤭”

Y: Conclude that each and every one of these are options that are valid, fluid, and each have their own unique consequences. I don’t judge choices that people make because I understand and each of us are on our own made-perfectly-for-us journeys (which I think is wonderful and amazing because we are all embarking on our paths on this Earth together! On the same planet and stuffs! And no matter what we might believe, we’re not alone!), and I should allow myself that same, nonjudgmental freedom >×< I conclude that, since I love myself, I do my best to carry out options that I would hope a loved one carries out. I want the best for my loved ones, and so I want the best for myself. And I hope… by sharing this… this helps more precious souls too uwu 👉👈💕

Now, refer to the beginning. What sort of state are You in? What are you going to do (or not do) with it? :] genuinely curious

[Whatever your answer is, I send you so much love, I wish for you the support You specifically need at this time. And we shan’t forget - there is an abundance of blessings within and all around us! I hope hope hope you accept the blessings meant for You. 143 infinity style ❤️‍🩹♾️]

[found-wings]

what would etoiles have to do after taking down phil though because every scenario I'm thinking hurts me T-T

either I think that he'd knock him out and try to return him to his actual home (which adds in angst from other people seeing him) or of etoiles having to unwillingly give him back to the feds as they need to undo this to him. a weird secret third route though could be etoiles bringing him to people such as pac and mike to see if they can undo the effects the federation forced onto him in their own experiments- aaaaa who knows everything hurts so muchhhhh - 💿

What I love about this idea is that there is no way to avoid the angst in this scenario <33 KQVS

Etoiles would have to constantly ensure that Phil is either entirely knocked out or firmly tied up so he can‘t move at all when travelling back. The safest option would be the first; or a mix of both.

Imagine going the first route :

Taking Phil back to his home. As you already stated, it would mean that others could potentially see him - and even then, once upon returning back home, what would Etoiles even be able to do? He already knows that Phil doesn‘t - or rather can’t - listen to reason, he‘s entirely acting on feral instincts.

Etoiles would have to put Phil in a reinforced place that he can‘t escape while figuring out what to do with him.

So what about the second route?

This could potentially play together with the first route. I‘d personally think this would be Etoiles last plan and he‘d rather try everything else first before giving Phil to the Feds with his own hands.

Imagine the guilt he‘d hold if it came down to him having to return Phil to the place he‘s sworn he‘d protect Phil from.

Well.. the third route would be the next best thing, then.

It‘d definitely involve in sitting down together with a few other people and discussing the options they have. With returning Phil back to the home area in the first place and having to build a temporary, reinforced room for Phil to be stuck in, already grabbed quite a bit of attention of those aware.

Etoiles eventually speaks with Pac and Mike to see if they can help even the slightest bit, just- anything, even the slightest of help at getting back his Phil.

Imagine being Etoiles in this situation.

Having to not only fight one of your closest friends by then again, but having to force him in an enclosed space. Watch him act as if he was nothing but a feral animal - losing his basic sense of self, acting purely on instinct.

With the usual 'fixings' even when Phil lost parts of himself in the process, they could still talk, enjoy each other’s presence, find comfort within each other and much more - so this? This is something not even Etoiles can properly help with.

Imagine Pac and Mike agreeing, however needing Phil to be knocked out again on multiple occasions so they can slowly do some testing & similar to figure out their options, and figure out what the Feds have done in the first place. And Etoiles having to help keep Phil in a weakened state because he‘s best for tanking any attacks.

( even if Etoiles had the chance at someone else doing it, I don‘t think he‘d take it. This is his responsibility, he needs to ensure not only everyone elses safety during this but also Phils safety in the long run. )

[rosebloodcat]

Who Finds Wally and Starts to Unravel What’s Happened?

That’s an excellent question that needs to be addressed too. I’m honestly not sure how it would go. If it would all fall on one character, or if multiple would end up tackling the mystery from different angles without knowing. But I can think of at least 3 good starting points for it all.

Let me go over them

One option/perspective is Barnaby: being Wally’s Best Friend means he would have a very large Wally Shaped hole in his day. He may shrug it off for a day or two (maybe, before all the Script stuff started, Wally was the sort to need “Me” days or just quiet days where he wanted to be alone and Barnaby still remembered that fact), but a whole week? With no one in town seeing him? Now that was just weird.

Plus, when something happens to the main character, it’s up to the Best Friend to fix it and find out what happened.

(And the feeling of a Watcher, one that was very intense at his back would break the illusion for Barnaby. No matter how well collected he’d been before then.)

Something that was urging him to find his friend and quickly, yet also telling him to be funny and make jokes at the same time. (He’s the comic relief, he’s supposed to keep the tone light) How was he supposed to be funny when his best friend was missing? Missing people was a serious thing!

The contrast in tones that were being forced on him would be what finally made Barnaby self-aware and snap him to “reality” for their neighborhood.

It would be a… distressing discovery. Even for someone who was as relaxed as him.

Another potential perspective is Frank: People like him (me included) and he seems like someone who pays a lot of attention to small details and to routines. As such, he could notice that Wally didn’t seem to be following his routine all of a sudden and that Home seemed oddly distressed yet very reluctant to share why.

His urge to know facts, to know the truth, could probably push him to find out what was going on with the town’s resident artist.

He’d make lists, try to gather information from his fellow neighbors and build a theory/deduction from there.

(Since he’s friends with Julie, it’s possible she could get dragged in as well.)

But, slowly, as he searches and investigates, he starts to notice things. Strange things. Things that don’t quite seem right once he’s started putting them together and trying to find patterns to them.

People not reacting the way he feels they should to his questions. All of them oddly blase about Wally being potentially missing. (Except for Barnaby, who seems strangely… Jumpy? Stressed? He’s not acting like he usually does.)

And, thanks to his methodical approach, he figures it out.

Achievement Unlocked: Frank is now Self-Aware! XD

And the last one (which I think would be interesting/funny/potentially really sweet) is Howdy: The running gag is him having to defend his apples from Wally, so the idea that he notices something is off because he’s not having to do that is really funny. Like, “Where’s that little gremlin gone? He’s not bothering me, what is he doing??”

Or “Huh, Wally should have come by for his weekly grocery run by now. I wonder why he hasn’t yet…”

He’s also the one who seems to have the closest thing to an “antagonistic” relationship with Wally (mostly over his Apple theft and inability to tell a joke), which makes him being one of the people to notice that Wally’s gone really fun to explore.

(I also just like the funky caterpillar man and think that him finding Invisible Wally first and trying to slowly help him back to visibility is really sweet.)

He may not even realize the invisible person he’s found is Wally. Just that he’s found someone that can’t be seen and can’t seem to speak wandering around (maybe he almost trips over him), and decides to invite them to stay with him for a bit. If only so he can make sure nothing happens to them.

If no one could see or hear them, how would they get help if they got hurt? It’s his duty as a responsible person to help!

And, hey, maybe Poppy has heard of something like this before? She knows a lot of stuff about people’s health, there might be something she can do about it! It couldn’t hurt to ask her.

He’d ask Frank, but he’s really focused on trying to figure out what’s happened to Wally. And he doesn’t want to distract him, because he’s worried about where their resident artist went too.

But helping this mystery person is a good distraction. They seem nice, if almost shy, once he figures out a way for them to talk to him. (Sure, it’s mostly yes or no questions, but they’re getting there!)

It’s nice to be more than just “The Shopkeeper” with someone. To let himself share things he liked and spend time with someone who wasn’t a customer...

(Actually, when was the last time he actually tried to get to know someone? Or let them get to know him?)