#and doing something really kind and really cool in the process

[sirfrogsworth]

Looking at some of your work, it is stunning but it is very similar in style to AI artwork, do you have any recommendations for how to tell apart photography like yours from AI.

I've been thinking about this. And this may sound controversial at first, but I'm hoping people will hear me out.

We should stop trying so hard to detect AI art.

I think we should all lift that burden from our brains.

I have often talked about "woke goggles." Where conservatives have lost the ability to enjoy anything because they are hypervigilant about detecting anything woke. They've cursed themselves into just hating everything. All they have left is the "God's Not Dead" Cinematic Universe.

And I worry people are getting AI goggles now. They are so concerned about accidentally enjoying robot art and hurting artists that they have overcorrected to the point where they are hurting artists.

One cannot say "AI is all soulless slop that always looks bad" and then accuse a real artist of making something that looks like AI and not hurt them. By doing so, it includes the baggage of all of the "slop" comments along with it. This crusade is having collateral damage to the very artists we are trying to protect.

Yes, we need to be cautious about malicious AI images. Misinformation and deepfakes are going to be a big problem. People using AI imagery for profit is already a mess. But if you are cruising your feed and like a cool sci-fi robot gal or a photo of a waterfall and it turns out to be AI... that's fine.

It was trained by real artists and AI is going to create some cool shit because of that.

Honestly, I think a lot of the worst slop is because the dipshits creating the prompts have no artistic taste. People keep blaming the AI for how bad it looks and often don't consider it is a product of the loser who published it.

There is plenty of non-slop out there that has fooled me. And, like it or not, it is going to get harder and harder to tell what is AI. Until there are better tools or better regulations, I don't think there is much we can do to avoid enjoying AI art every once in a while. If only by accident.

Current "AI detectors" are mostly a scam. Even the best forensic-level AI image detectors struggle to stay above 70–80% accuracy across a wide range of models and image types. And that's in controlled lab conditions.

Free online tools often drop to near coin-flip accuracy (50–60%), especially with newer image generators and post-processing applied.

The best way to avoid AI imagery is to look at an artist's body of work. It's much harder to create consistent, non-obvious fake images in a large sample size. That is usually enough to have confidence in authenticity. Plus, if they have posted similar art before 2022, you can pretty much rule out any shenanigans.

Otis literally died before genAI was available.

But images you see in the wild, just let yourself enjoy them if that is what your brain wants to do. It'll be okay.

I just think we are attacking this backwards. If we want to protect artists, we need to support them.

Calling out random AI art does not support them.

It does not put money in their pockets.

It does not grow their audience.

Over a decade ago I tried to lead a fight to create better systems of attribution on websites like Reddit and Imgur. I even spoke to the Imgur team after an article was written about me.

I asked them to allow sources on their posts and to develop tech that would help people find where an image came from. They said they were "working on it" and it never manifested.

IMAGE SHARING SITES STEAL MORE FROM ARTISTS THAN AI.

But we just kind of accepted it. No one really joined me in my fight. The prevailing defeatist attitude was, "That's just the way it is."

I think now is the time to demand better attribution systems. We need to be vigilant about making sure as many posts as possible have good sourcing. If an image on Reddit goes viral, the top comment should be the source. And if it isn't, you should try to find it and add it.

Just to be clear, "credit to the original artist" is NOT proper attribution.

And perhaps we can lobby these image sharing sites to create better sourcing systems and tools. They could even use fucking AI to find the earliest posted version of an image.

And it would be nice if it didn't require people to go into the comments to find the source. It could just be in the headline. They could even create little badges "made by a human" for verified artists.

Good attribution helps artists grow their audience. It is one of the single most effective things you can do to help them.

I literally just got this message...

There are maybe 10 popular artists who I helped grow their audience early on. Just because I reblogged their work and added links to all of their social media. I even hired my best friend to add sourcing information to every post because I believed so much in good attribution.

Calling out AI art may feel good in the moment. You caught someone trying to trick people and it feels like justice. But, in most cases, the tangible benefits to real artists seem small. It impedes your ability to enjoy art without always being suspicious. And the risk of telling someone you think they make soulless slop doesn't seem worth it.

But putting that time and effort into attribution *would* be worth it. I have proven it time and time again.

I also think people should consider having a monthly art budget. I don't care if it is $5. But if we all commit to seeking out cool artists and being their collective patrons, we could really make a difference and keep real art alive. Just commit to finding a cool new artist every month and financially contributing to them in some way.

On a bigger scale I think advocating for universal basic income, art grants for education and creation, and government regulation of AI would all be helpful long term goals. Though I think our friends in Europe may have to take the lead on regulation at the moment.

So...

Stop worrying about enjoying or calling out AI art.

Demand better attribution from image sharing sites.

Make sure all art has a source listed.

Start an art budget.

Advocate for better regulations.

[kawhh]

Oh my God, I really need to read about Dark! Quinn when the reader finally gets pregnant. I need to know what he would be like during the pregnancy process, feeling like she would be his forever now, even though he wished she wouldn't just focus on the baby that would be coming but on him too.

Going through the ask pile and I'm truly realising how many people I made feral with all the baby trapping and pregnancy then lmao. I fear I may have just tripled down on his paranoia. Warnings: dark!Quinn. Talk of forced pregnancy through tampering. Past manipulation. Camera stalking mention.

It's like he's drugged for a while after you confess the results of the panicked pregnancy test you took while he was hovering outside of the door, his face pressed against the cool sensation of the wood, the cold sensation grounding him, keeping him calm. Keeping him from storming in and watching you pee on the stick in impatience.

His vision hazy when you open the door, his eyes unfocused like his brain is racing, like he can't keep up with the thoughts in his head.

Crowding against you with your every step, obliterating your personal space even when you beg and plead for him to give you air. It's a brutal, unexpected shock for you. It wasn't planned for you like it was for him.

All of the condoms he slipped off, reassuring you that you were making up the different sensation of his cock in your head. All of the supplements he was sneaking you in the daily smoothie made out of the kindness of his own heart.

He's been mentally preparing for what feels like months, even if everything is hitting him hard— he's good at masking. Even if masking means he almost looks checked out. His gaze focused on you, his hands holding you the minute you stray too far from him. You're fragile. It's happening.

He doesn't know if you realise what he was doing now— surely you must look back and realise how he removed alcohol from your diet, surely you must realise all the holes in the web of lies he's spun for months.

He doesn't fully care if you do, it's not like you can do anything now. He won't let you out of his sight enough for you to get any ideas. He can see you wearing down, the realisation forming. Submitting to your fate. The way the disdain is slowly scrubbed from your gaze when you look at the growing bump. You're on different levels— you're getting more attached over time, he's getting more paranoid.

You're more apathetic to him and it bothers him. You stop glaring at him when he hovers. The fight inside you dimmed by the day, the focus more on your child— his child. He should be happy that you're accepting this, that you're on board with birthing and raising his child. He acknowledges that you're binding yourself to him further by the day, he understands. But it's changing your relationship and he needs control. He doesn't feel like you're his in the way he thought you would be.

You're not being more submissive like he planned, you're just detatched. Like a doll. Like you're just existing in the same space as him now instead of him having you. You don't even listen to him when he argues with you, it's like he's talking to a brick wall. He's losing you while having you. You can't leave him when you have the baby, but he's losing his mind.

You don't care about the cameras you know he's watching you through when he has to leave. You aren't trying to hide things between the cones of their vision range now. You just sit there, your arm wrapped protectively around your bump.

He doesn't know how to regain control. He's just watching you go through the motions. Months and months. He's just a passenger and he's going to have to do something drastic.

[thirstkanaphan]

*spoilers for the In Your Fantasy tour*

A lot of our ATINYs seem to think this way, but honestly - even when I was writing the song and planning the stage direction - my original idea was more like… a small venue?

Something intimate, like a bar setting where someone’s DJing. That kind of mood. And you know, usually when someone’s DJing, they don’t really rap at the same time. So I thought, “Wouldn’t it be really fun and interesting to try combining those two things?” That’s how I got started with preparing it. I watched a lot of videos for inspiration and began working from there.

But the thing is, the venue I’m performing in is Inspire Arena, and now that I’m in the U.S., we’re doing arenas and stadiums - massive spaces. So even if the direction started off minimal, it naturally started to shift more toward something like a festival - almost like an EDM festival vibe.

Thanks to our ATINYs, this stage naturally had to grow into something on a much bigger scale. At first, we started simple with the direction team - but then it turned into a full-on festival vibe. But you know, that has its own kind of cool charm too. When I first joined the direction meetings, honestly, I just had a lot of ideas. Since this isn’t my main field or area of expertise, I always put a lot of value on what the professionals have to say - especially when it’s not something I specialize in. That’s why I really like working with people I can trust, people who are true professionals - because I need to be able to believe in their skills and feel confident about the process. And this time, when I met and worked with the concert direction team, I really felt that trust. They gave me a strong sense of confidence, and it felt right.

So the idea I brought up was something like this: “I want to disappear from the stage for a moment.” Honestly, I thought, “Our ATINYs might not like this.” Because… if I’m not on stage, some might not enjoy it as much. But I still said, “Just hear me out.” What I meant was - even if it’s just for a short time - I wanted to hype up the energy, and then step off the stage for a bit. Because the song is Number 1, NO1 - and I wanted that moment to be a time where ATINYs themselves could become the “No.1” and enjoy the moment as their own. Because as long as I’m on stage, I know our ATINYs will always think of me as their No.1 - and that’s why I wanted to give that spotlight to them, even if just briefly.

So my thought was - if I could hype up the energy and then disappear just for a moment, our ATINYs could each become their own No.1 and just have fun. I really wanted them to experience that - to truly feel it for themselves. Even while I was sharing that idea, I was honestly nervous.

I thought, “Ah… ATINYs might really not like this…” But I also felt like, “Let’s just go for it.”

And that’s why I disappeared from the stage for a bit. So even before I disappeared from the stage, I was already showing only the dancers having fun on stage. And actually, the dancers were playing the role of “teachers” - it was a way of giving a little hint. It was meant to show ATINYs:

“This is how you can enjoy it,”

This is how you can dance and have fun.”

We were trying to suggest that through the dancers’ movements.

Then, once I disappeared, everyone was free to enjoy themselves - and when I came back up, it was a moment for all of us to be No.1 together and have fun as one. That was the kind of structure and concept I had in mind for the stage. And then the direction team took that idea and added their own creative touch to it - they interpreted it so well in their own way. So yes, of course, I had my role, and the direction team had theirs, and the music team had theirs too - but honestly, the stage was only truly complete because our ATINYs enjoyed it so well and brought it to life. That’s what I think. That’s how it was.

[sphinx-n-friends]

◬ ~ Avengers' Hobbies ~ ◬

Here are some hobbies and interests that I think the Avengers will have when I shift, including my own that I already have here. I will probably update this when I shift and we'll see if I'm right! Some of these are canon, but I'm throwing them in here for fun anyway.

▲ Tony ~

△ Rubik's cube (and other little puzzles) - That brain of his must have mastered it in a day, so he probably does it mindlessly while he thinks.

△ Formula 1 - As seen in the MCU. But it's SO fitting for him, I just have to put that out there.

△ Concerts - He loves a good party and, based on his t-shirts, he seems to love music. I wouldn't be surprised if he just hangs out on the side of the stages because he's Tony Stark and can.

△ Design - He's made quite a few suits, so I can see him really getting into the creative aspect of things. This applies to all of his inventions too. They have to look as "cool" as he does, right?

▲ Rhodey ~

△ Reading - Give this man a newspaper or a biography or something, he'll be set.

△ Pool & Ping Pong - Somehow, someway, he's just way better at both of these than 94% of the population. And yes, he will definitely rub it in your face.

△ Piano - I feel like his mother or grandmother taught him how to play when he was young so it's a very sentimental talent of his.

▲ Peter ~

△ Photography - Obviously. That little stinker is too talented for his own good.

△ Tinkering in the Lab - Based on his enthusiasm in the MCU, I think he spends a lot of his time just messing around in the lab, even if he's alone, though of course he prefers to have company. He gets so excited when an idea of his works.

△ Quality Time - Like I mentioned, he likes company. He might be a little awkward sometimes, but I think that's what makes that time with people mean so much to him. It makes him happy to know that people want to hang out with him.

△ Slacklining - Hear me out. He uses his webs to create a makeshift slackline across buildings or whatever. Maybe he's on a stakeout and gets bored, I don't know, but he's damn good at it.

▲ Bruce ~

△ The Opera - As we saw in the MCU, he uses music to calm himself down. But I think he has a deeper connection and fascination with it than most may notice. There's something about the harmony between all of the instruments and voices that mesmerizes him. He could go on and on about it, and I can't wait to listen to him rant when I shift!

△ Scientific Research - If he's not the one doing the research, then he's reading all about it. He loves hearing other people's discoveries and he craves getting all the knowledge he can.

△ Meditation - With all of the Hulk nonsense, he got into it to help his anger. Maybe it works sometimes and doesn't other times. I don't know, but I think he has grown to love the process.

▲ Thor ~

△ History & Storytelling - As we know, he loves sharing stories of his own, but I think he also enjoys hearing them from others. He might one up them afterwards... Still, though. He really likes learning about makes people and places the way they are: their history and experiences.

△ Tests of Physical Strength - He has strength, a lot of it, and he likes to show it. He loves competitions between the Avengers (and winning). Even tug of war, he'll be there.

△ Singing - He sings in the shower. There's no way he doesn't. And he's actually quite good. For some reason, I feel like he might not do it in public much (unless he's drunk or joking around). Maybe it's an Asgardian culture thing.

▲ Scott ~

△ Scott is just excessively talented for no reason. He can learn any skill. It's actually kind infuriating. Anyway, I'll list a few.

△ Magic, Drums, Arts and Crafts, Card Games, Juggling, etc...

▲ Pietro ~

△ Sports - He's ridiculously athletic. He has mastered every sport. He probably doesn't even need his powers to be good at them. He's just a boss man like that. I do think his specialty is soccer (football, I know; I'm American, I'm sorry), as in I think he probably played it as a child and was obviously the best.

△ Wii Sports - He's unstoppable. No one can beat him. He has set impossibly high records. Still, he loves playing them so much.

△ Just Dance - Yeah, it's the same situation as the Wii. Those hips don't lie. Unfortunately, this means that it's very hard to convince people to play with him. He happily plays by himself, but of course it's more fun with other people.

▲ Wanda ~

△ Cooking - As seen in the MCU, but I'm so excited to taste her creations, are you kidding? I bet she finds all sorts of cute recipes on Pinterest too.

△ Ukulele - I remember seeing a guitar in her room in the Compound (Civil War I think?), but I think she started with a little ukulele! Maybe her parents bought her one for her birthday and she was devastated that she lost it during the incident we shall not name. She's such a sweetheart, I can't.

△ Crochet - She could probably crochet using her powers with her eyes closed. I also think she likes doing it to practice her control of her powers for precision purposes.

△ Jigsaw Puzzles - Just like I previously mentioned, I think she enjoys it for practicing her powers, but I also think she likes the peacefulness of it.

▲ Clint ~

△ Pool - Remember when I said that Rhodey is better at pool than 94% of the population? Yeah, Clint is the one person he can't beat. His aim is unearthly.

△ Harmonica - This guy will whip out a harmonica out of nowhere (one of his many pockets) and give the crew a nice little tune. He's quite skilled too. Name any song and he'll learn it for you in an hour.

△ Card Games - He may act nonchalant or like he doesn't really care about the game, but he will turn around and win with one incredible move and blow everyone's minds, then shrug like it was nothing. That brain is bigger than we give him credit for, I'm calling it right now.

△ Surfing - He just has that vibe. Not the stereotypical surfer dude, but a guy who will casually surf a forty-foot wave after he finishes a mission in Fiji or something. He's cool like that.

▲ Nat ~

△ Ballet - Despite all the trauma associated with it, I think she still has a soft spot for dancing. It was such a major part of her life for so long, so maybe she does it to heal her inner child.

△ Yoga - She has to stay flexible somehow, right? Also, I think she'd enjoy doing it to calm down after a mission or when she's stressed.

△ Aerial Silks - Speaking of flexibility... Same goes for this! She does all sorts of cool tricks too.

△ Hair - Her hairstyle changed like every movie, who has time to go to a hairdresser when you're a super spy? That lovely lady learned to cut and dye it herself, and I'm sure she'd happily do it for others if they ask. (*Nat and Steve will be together in my DR and I bet she cuts his every time!)

▲ Steve ~

△ Drawing - As seen in the MCU. He definitely doodles during meetings.

△ Calligraphy - Writing in cursive was way more common and just what everyone did. So, due to his physical limitations, I think he probably spent a lot of time practicing his penmanship and perfecting its art form, especially while he was sick. Drawing and writing were two of his major pastimes.

△ Running - Since he kind of couldn't, or rather, couldn't to the average extent or the extent he wanted to, he takes advantage of his abilities now. He loves the rush too. Can't relate, but go you, Steve!

△ Museums - He likes catching up on what he missed, but also enjoys the stories the world holds. He has always like history, so learning everything about the past seventy years and the rest of time keeps him busy.

▲ Sam ~

△ Cooking - As seen in TFATWS. But I also think he loves food and is totally a food critic, so obviously he wants to have the best cuisine on deck whenever he wants.

△ Psychology - Since he was a counselor for veterans, I think psychology interests him a lot more than some think. He may be a goof, but there's some wisdom inside him too.

△ Chatting - It's his favorite thing to do. He could talk for days straight. He loves it so, so much.

△ Board Games - He might get a little distracted during card games, thanks to the chatting, but if a board game is pulled out, he is completely invested. There's something about the map-like structure that makes his brain spark.

▲ Bucky ~

△ Reading - As seen in TFATWS. He loves a good fantasy book to take his mind to a different, sometimes better place.

△ Welding - He would be so good at this. I don't he did this exactly on Sam's parents' boat, but I'm sure he has the mechanical experience.

△ Repairs - As seen in TFATWS. I think he really likes fixing things, having the control to make something right and doing it, even if it's something small like a leaking faucet. It makes him feel helpful.

△ Gardening - Hear me out, stay with me. Imagine how much love and effort he would put into a couple plants, even if they're just houseplants. That nurturing side of him that he showed to Steve in the forties must still be in there. He wants to nurture something (and someone, aka me lol) in the way no one did for him when he was a slave for HYDRA. And once he masters it, he's damn good at it.

△ Games - As seen in TFATWS. There's playfulness in him past the brooding.

▲ Me ~

△ Abstract painting - I've been painting for a few years now and I love it! I just play some music and zone out, letting the paint take me away... I'm excited to make some art for people's birthdays and whatnot when I shift, just like I do here!

△ Baking - I definitely prefer baking over cooking. Give me a recipe and I can make anything. Plus, I have a major sweet tooth. My CR mom tells me that baking is my love language and she's not wrong.

△ Writing - Creative writing is my passion! I have so many possible book ideas, we'll see if I actually write any of them someday. I certainly want to!

[didhewinkback]

i do think harry bringing out stormzy at london's ono in 2019 was a perfect encapsulation of him as a solo artist

[whenthelightisrunninglow]

finally got my hands on the BW manga thanks to: YOU GUESSED IT, THE PUBLIC LIBRARY!

[deoidesign]

Can you make a tutorial on how you world build and make ocs? I can't seem to make any people in my brain, but then when I try to come up with environments jobs, beliefs and little details to slowly come up with someone, I think: well I don't really know how people have influenced the world- it's a weird loop

To be honest, I don't think I can! Writing is an extremely personal process. The way I write is directly related to how I process things, what I find important in stories, years of my own analysis of my and other's writing, etc... The way you write will be unique to you, as well. But I can explain how I personally think of it.

The short answer:

Write. Write anything and everything, it's a tool to explore your ideas. Analyze your own writing, and write more. Then, as you discover which ideas you want to develop, write more to explore them more. You won't know what you want otherwise!

The long answer:

I think this kind of loop is common. It's easy to feel like everything needs to be done "at once," because our job as writers is to make elements logically fit with each other for our readers. But as you've discovered, developing multiple elements simultaneously isn't really possible, or at least is extremely difficult.

Personally, when I think of writing, I break it into three major elements; characters, world, and plot. As much as possible every scene explores one or more of these, and as much as possible these three things tie back into what I personally consider most important: theme.

Everything I do is in service of the themes I want to present. Without them my events feel aimless. It can take a while to discover them, but they're the core of my work. You will have to discover what you feel is the core of yours. Analyzing other media helps with this too.

Concepts in your brain exist in a state of infinite potential. But when you start writing you have to start making choices, which removes potential as you move forward... But you have to move forward anyways. If there's ideas you want to explore later, you can always explore them later.

What this ends up meaning, to answer your question, is that I don't think of my characters as "people in my brain" or my worlds as something people have influenced... Not at their core, at least. They are tools that I use to represent specific ideas. Obviously they're also my blorbos, but mostly they're serving a specific narrative purpose.

So above all else... Write. Write, and discover what you're writing about, and then start over and write with that in mind. Keep doing this. But you have to write!

[bowlofmie]

Need to share:

Went to an artist talk yesterday. People have been talking about it quite a bit around the art building because he’s so famous. Guy was egotistical and kept name dropping. Oh well.

Talks about painting dinosaurs! Okay! I’ll note that for a question I can ask at the end. I’m really anxious but I try to ask at least one question at lectures I go to. I ask about James Gurney and if he had ever worked with him or come across him, because I really look up to him as a creative, and he makes some of the most interesting dinosaur paintings I’ve seen. I’ve also learned so much from his YouTube channel and it’s a really lovely space he’s created there.

Before I can get the whole question out, dude calls him lame, tells me other artists he likes more, and tells me to do my research when I don’t recognize them. No recognition whatsoever of his skill and expertise to at least cushion the insult. Ouch.

That’s all. Anyways, James Gurney is a delight and his work is much more interesting and technically impressive, and that’s on top of him being a kinder person

[theokusgallery]

OKAY OKAY I SAW YOUR MOST RECENT ART POST

AND I LOVE IT

BUT BUT

I'M SORRY BUT

SUNNY LOOKS LIKE HE'S PROCESSING THAT THIS BLONDE GAYASS GUY LIKES HIM

HE GOT NO THOUGHTS

AT ALL

BEHIND THOSE EYES

I'M SORRY DON'T KILL ME PLEASE

Sunny's like "oh shit when he said he liked me he meant it"

[elytrafemme]

obvious preface that academic achievement is in many senses bullshit and intellect is not based off of your scores on things in school that makes zero sense and the structures we deem as objective like academic institutions are at their roots subjective and biased. this being said i must admit that it feels really fucking nice to get a good score on a test

[lookwhatyoumademelou]

.

[a-little-bit-oddish]

so i'm joining the stem cell registry and donating blood regularly now, because i like, should. and it's been a good process and they're very nice. but as i was signing up for things, it had the box for sex at birth. Which is kind of an insane question. not "what hormones does your body primarily run on". but just... sex at birth. something that is not relevant for blood donation, and also extremely misleading??

they check your red blood cell count when you show up. if I told them my sex at birth was female they'd be fucking horrified by my count. testosterone does shit to the blood! It is so much more relevant to know that my body runs on testosterone! i keep seeing medical fields doing this.

i think that they assume it's nicer, somehow. they don't just ask sex anymore, they just go haha please tell us what you were called as a baby :) we're doctors so we need to know, it's important :)

except it's not. at all. it is more ethical for me to lie to the blood donation centre so that they don't see my blood and flag it, when it is perfectly good blood for people with more testosterone.

i have to go to a throat doctor next month. they specifically asked for my sex at birth. there was not an option to tell them what they should actually expect from my voice and body. when it asked me to list medications, it physically wouldn't allow me to list testosterone, and it flagged it.

it's nuts, because all these places have actually been really welcoming and cool about me being trans, but the actual system is horrific, it's just forcing me to out myself by having to reach out after to correct it. because answering honestly is medical misinformation.

anyway you can just fucking lie i guess

[dark-l-angel]

Omg love you know what I have been thinking of? You know that trend on TikTok of filling a t-shirt with painted missed on some type of symbol ?

A while ago I saw a girl putting her paint kisses on a Batman symbol shape, and I just thought of dick grayson’s reaction.

I’m not one for cheesy things, but I just imagine doing that shirt for him (with a nightwing symbol ofc) and I just know he would be over the moon 😭

A/N : the Batboys getting gifted a shirt with a symbol kissed all over by you? Awww 💕🥰

Batfam x Reader - making them a kiss-painted shirts

You didn’t mean to start a war. Really.

It began as a silly idea, something you saw on TikTok: paint your lips, kiss a symbol onto a shirt, and gift it to someone you love.

So naturally… you made five.

Five shirts. Five symbols. Five completely different reactions.

Dick Grayson :

You saved his for last. Blue paint, the Nightwing symbol sketched lovingly across the chest. Every inch of it smudged with perfect, pouty kisses.

You don’t even get a full sentence out before he scoops you off the ground like you weigh nothing.

"You kissed the bird?"

"I kissed it a lot."

"You kissed the bird."

He’s spinning you in the kitchen, laughing like a man who just got proposed to.

"I’m never washing this shirt. I’m wearing it to bed. I'm wearing it to my funeral. Babe, you just made me a relic."

He takes a photo of it next to his abs. Posts it. Captions it: "She kissed me. On the bird. I win."

Jason Todd

You’re not sure how he’ll react, so you play it cool. His shirt is black, the bat symbol in red, your kisses in blood-red paint like lipstick stains on a crime scene.

He stares.

Long.

Silent.

Then:

"You do realize I’m gonna wreck this shirt jerking off to the idea of you doing it, right?"

You smack his arm. He grins like the menace he is and tosses it over his shoulder.

"Make me one with your real lipstick next time. And wear nothing but heels and a red lingerie while doing it."

Tim Drake

You hand him his shirt during one of his 3 a.m. caffeine binges, expecting a distracted glance.

Nope.

His tired eyes snap wide the second he registers the symbol… covered in crimson lip prints.

"Wait. Wait. You did this? With your mouth?"

He holds it like it’s a sacred text.

"This is… statistically speaking, the most romantic thing anyone’s ever done for me. Do you have any idea what this’ll do to my oxytocin levels?".

You shrug. He immediately pulls you into his lap, shirt in one hand, your waist in the other.

"New rule. You don’t do arts and crafts for anyone but me."

Damian Wayne

You had to custom-print a tiny “R” logo for his, but it’s the only one with perfectly centered, crimson kisses all around it.

When you give it to him, he squints. Tilts his head.

"Did you damage your lips during this process?"

"No?"

"Hmm. Then I suppose I have no objection."

He immediately puts it on.

And doesn’t take it off.

For like, two days.

You catch him in the mirror, touching one of the kiss marks with the barest hint of a smirk.

"You have excellent aim, Beloved."

Bruce Wayne

Now this one? You expected confusion. Embarrassment. A gruff "thank you."

What you didn’t expect was the silence.

He stares at the bat symbol covered in red lips. Your lips.

He touches one with his gloved fingers like it's sacred.

"…You kissed every inch of it."

"Yeah."

"On purpose."

"Yeah, Bruce, that was kind of the point."

He sets the shirt down. Walks to you. Cups your face like you’re the only thing in the world not made of shadows.

"Do you have any idea what that does to me?"

Needless to say… he doesn’t wear it in public.

But he keeps it in the Batcave.

Right next to his suit.

Framed.

The conclusion my lovely lil kitten is:

no. You didn’t mean to start a war.

But now they’re all in quiet competition, seeing who gets the most kisses next time. Jason’s trying to make you paint his helmet. Tim’s trying to code a program that lets him detect how many lip marks are truly present. Dick’s commissioning a second shirt. Damian’s been spotted sketching his own designs for "future projects with your mouth" and Bruce? Bruce just added a lock to the Batcave display case.

You win, baby.

You always do.

[nereidprinc3ss]

no sweeter innocence (than our gentle sin)

in which spencer reid is gentle with overwhelmed fem!reader after sex

18+ (fluff, implied intimacy) warnings/tags: it's just aftercare, but like psychological aftercare, implied intimacy duh, vague descriptions of sex but nothing explicit, hurt/comfort without the hurt, allusions to postcoital dysphoria, reader cries but its not really sad, spencer reid is so kind i wish men were real, i think that is all a/n: guess who wrote an entirely different thing instead of touching her wips..... AGAIN...... this bitch cant do anything omggg!! but this was based on a request so go me also what a strange time to be posting but it's only 1k words and nobody can stop me

“Hey. Are you with me, angel?”

You blink your eyes open in the dark room—reorienting yourself to the tangle of your bodies. How many minutes has it been?

“Hm?”

He chuckles—a quick huff from his nose as he brings a hand up to push hair from your face. 

“I asked you if you’re with me.”

It takes you a moment to answer. You’re still trying to make sense of where you are in space, each sensation coming back to you one by one—the weight and pressure of him against you, the slip of cotton sheets and a cool breeze from the cracked window over your heated sticky skin. 

“Oh.”

It’s not much of an answer and your voice is small. For a moment he lets it sit, cupping your warm cheek. Your eyes flutter shut again. His voice comes gentler, dipped in concern. 

“You okay?”

This time you don’t try to speak. Your tongue is like a lead weight in your mouth and your brain is running on dial-up. The best you can do is to cling to him, hiding your face in the curve of his neck and hoping he’ll understand that your firm hold on him is a request for him to tighten his own arms around you, until you’re sure you won’t float away. He reciprocates and it makes you feel more secure immediately. 

“Can you answer me?” He murmurs, all sweet solicitation, lips brushing the top of your head in this new airtight position. And then, a moment later— “Baby. I wanna hear your voice.”

“Mhm,” you manage. 

Spencer rewards you by rubbing your back in slow circles. His hand feels nice on your bare skin. The way you love him is too big for words. It could make you cry. 

“Wasn’t too much? You’re not hurting anywhere?”

You shake your head and try to ignore the ache in your bones when you can’t seem to get him close enough. 

“Mm-mm.”

It’s not entirely true—your legs are sore, but it’s nothing that needs tending to, and your lower back is a bit crampy, but he’s already working on that. 

He hums. “You’re pretty out of it, sweet girl. What’s going on with you?”

Spencer is always careful with you. He’d never hurt you, or sacrifice your comfort for his pleasure. That said, he’s just as passionate as you are. The stretch of your arms above your head is still fresh in your mind—the ghost of his grip, pressing your wrists into the mattress, or pushing your leg up, or pulling you exactly where he wanted you by the hips. It’s all wonderful, and you never feel safer than you do when you’re with him, but it doesn’t make you feel any less vulnerable, any less raw, after all is said and done. Maybe it’s precisely because you trust him so much that you’re so sensitive afterward. But he never, ever makes you feel bad for having an intense reaction to an intense experience. He always meets you where you’re at. That in itself makes you emotional. Spencer is different than any of the partners you’d had before. 

Again, he’s patient as you try to process his question and work up a response. Maybe a minute later, you’re breathing out something that feels true. 

“Overwhelmed.”

The word is a tap against glass you didn’t know was there until it’s fracturing like a spiderweb. With no warning, and for no good reason, you find yourself choked up. 

“Oh,” he says, sympathetic and drawn out as understanding sets in. “Do you need me to back off for a minute?”

You squeeze him even fiercer and shake your head, unable to stop the tears from drawing their shiny paths down your cheeks and sinking into the weave of the pillow case. 

“Shh. You’re okay,” he murmurs, quiet and slow and almost sing-songy as he smooths your hair, though you know he doesn’t really expect you to stop crying. “You’re okay, pretty. Remember what I said about all the hormonal shifts in your body after you come?”

Once more you nod against him with a small, shuddering sniffle. 

“And how sometimes your body regulates by crying? Kind of like a… a reset button?”

“Mhm.”

“Mhm.” He shifts from rubbing your back to tracing light lines in shapeless patterns with the blunt edges of his nails, and your breath catches before you’re melting in his hold. “It’s okay to have big or confusing feelings after sex. It’s actually really common. I just want you to be honest with me about those feelings, right? So we can keep you safe?”

“Right.”

“Would you tell me if you were hurting, or if something I did or said was bothering you?”

“Yes.”

If you were looking at him you know he’d be smiling ever so slightly at your monosyllabic responses, charting an upward path with his hand and pushing it through your hair at the nape of your neck. “You can just nod, baby. You don’t have to talk. I know you’re tired.”

You make a small noise of gratitude and nuzzle closer, feeling better as the tears slow, quickly as they’d come. 

“Do you want a bath in a little while?”

Another nod. He scratches at your scalp. “Okay. We’ll do a bath, and then dinner, and then I’m finally going to make you watch that documentary about Helvetica. It’s a little outdated, and there are a few basic errors about the origin and development of the font as well as misinformation about the typeface subgroup in general, but I can amend those as we watch and afterward we can read the director’s tenth anniversary statement. I was waiting to read it until we watched it together.”

Spencer knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that you’ll fall asleep ten minutes in, curled up on the couch under a blanket in your biggest hoodie with your head on his lap and his hand in your hair, just like this. 

He’s actually really looking forward to it.

[arrenjo]

Summary: Your apartment floods and you do your best to make it on your own, but when Robby finds out he takes matters into his own hands.

Notes: I’m a slut for a one bed trope, whoopsie. These can probably be stand alone but I like having somewhat of a series going. Obviously inspired by Whitaker’s whole living-inside-the-hospital deal. Also omfg I’ve looked at this draft for so long I might die.

Back | Next

“Shit shit shit!!” You jumped at your alarm from a dead sleep and threw on your scrubs. Resting in this hospital was fucking impossible and you had finally gone to sleep— and subsequently overslept.

You ran a brush through your hair and brushed your teeth in the bathroom in a matter of about a minute before you threw on your shoes, slung your backpack over your shoulder, and raced out the door. Thankfully you only had a couple of flights of stairs to go down.

Your apartment had flooded earlier in the week and everything was a total loss. You had the things you had in your work bag and a bag you kept in your car, and that was it. You weren’t really sure how your apartment complex got away with not offering you another place to stay that wasn’t triple your rent, but you were fucked. You went to Gloria in a desperate time of need and she was kind enough to let you use a spare hospital room for the week and promise her discretion, but you were running out of time to find something else and there were no options.

Dana, Donnie, and the rest of the ED nurses would absolutely have your ass if they knew you refused to ask them for help, but it wasn’t their problem. You ran into the nurses station, out of breath, and got report on your patients. After a bit of running around to play catch up, Dana caught you at your workstation charting.

“Hey kid, you alright?” She asked, placing a cup of coffee in front of you.

“My angel,” you said, taking a sip and giving her a grateful smile. “Yeah, you know how I struggle with being on time for dayshift sometimes. Your girl is not a morning person.” You lied with just a little too much enthusiasm. It was partially true, dayshift really did turn your world upside down. You and mornings did not particularly get along.

“Yeah, uh-huh, okay,” Dana said and rolled her eyes. She patted you on the shoulder and walked away. You’ve got to find a place. Your exhaustion was starting to show and people were starting to notice.

__

“Hey,” Dana’s voice snapped Robby’s attention to her face as she pulled out a chair and sat down beside him. Oh shit, he thought, whatever Dana was about to talk to him about, she was serious.

“What do you think’s going on with our girl?” She nodded in your direction. Your back was to them, your head in your hands. It was clear that something was up, but Robby hadn’t put his finger on exactly what yet. He had been watching you, observing your every move. The casual touches had stayed casual, but he could feel the increased tension in your body when he first made contact. When the touch lingered for more than a second, he could feel you relax into his touch. He didn’t say anything to you. To tell the truth, he liked it, but he didn’t like that you were so tense to begin with.

“I don’t know,” He muttered, his eyes still on you, looking over the rim of his glasses. He paused for a moment to wonder if he should play it cool or lay his cards on the table for Dana.

“Abbot’s got a big mouth you know. Heard he and Princess had a bet going on and that Princess won.” Dana interrupted his thought process with a knowing smirk. Robby sighed and took his glasses off, reaching to rub the side of his head in the same motion, his eyes searching to find you across the nurses station again. You ran your hands through your hair and got up, starting towards the med room.

“Abbot doesn’t know half of what he thinks he does,” Robby countered, glancing at Dana after the med room door had closed behind you.

“I’m just sayin’, you watch her every move. I’ve seen how you look at her when you think no one’s paying attention.” Dana said with a shrug.

“Dana!” Whitaker appeared out of a room, beckoning the charge nurse to him. He looked bewildered and a little scared, but Robby had come to realize that was his normal facial expression.

“Saved by the bell,” Robby said with a chuckle.

“This conversation isn’t over, but check in with her, will ya?” Dana said, already starting towards Dennis, mentally preparing herself for whatever was behind the curtain that he had just popped out of.

__

An exhausting twelve and a half hours later, you feel disgusting. You had blood, sweat, and bodily fluids— none of which were yours— what felt like everywhere. After you gave report to the night shift nurse, you slung your backpack over your shoulder and headed for the stairwell. All you wanted was a long, hot shower and the one good thing about the hospital was that the hot water never ran out. You had one more pair of clean scrubs for the week and then you had to figure out what the hell to do about laundry. Your thoughts preoccupied you as you walked, never noticing Robby several paces behind you. He had called your name once, but when you started up the stairs instead of outside, he made the decision to follow you.

You entered the hallway on the 4th floor and ducked into the first room to the left. The hallway was empty except for you, no nurses working upstairs meant that there were no patients and the entire 4th floor was shut down. You pushed the door closed behind you with your foot, leaving the door just slightly ajar. The tunnel vision had really set in on that shower. The small crack between the door and door frame spilled just enough light into the dark hallway for Robby to find where you had gone. He pushed the door open and opted to stand in the doorway, his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. It only took him seconds to assess the scene and figure out what was happening. There were half dried out pictures laying on a few surfaces, your duffel bag sat on the chair with a towel draped over the back on the opposite side of the room. You had dropped your backpack just inside the door with your shoes. The cot in the middle of the room looked tiny and uncomfortable, no wonder you were exhausted.

In the bathroom, you had just taken your hair down and were just about to start the water for your shower when you realized you had left your towel draped over the chair in the next room.

“Shit,” You muttered and stepped out of the bathroom, looking down to untie the waistband of your scrubs as you did. The stupid fucking knot wouldn’t come out and-

“Ahem,” Your head snapped up to the sound of someone clearing their throat. Robby stood in the doorway, arms crossed across his chest, leaning cooly on the doorframe. Oh fuck. You pressed your lips into a tight line and closed your eyes for a brief second.

“Robby,” You breathed, opening your eyes to look at him. He was silent as he took you in, his eyes catching for just a split second at your exposed skin. Your cheeks immediately heated and you knew your face was red.

Fuck, how do I explain this?

“My apartment flooded,” You began as you grew uncomfortable in the silence. He had been staring at you for a solid ten seconds, never offering a word. “The only places they offered me were triple my rent and I can’t afford that,” You met his eyes from across the room.

“Why didn’t you come to me?” He asked, taking a step towards you. His hands moved from across his chest to inside the pockets of his hoodie again.

“I’m not your problem,” You said with a snort, shaking your head.

Robby groaned your name and ran a hand through his hair, resting his hand at the back of his neck before he dropped it to his side.

“Let me help you. You tell me that I have to take care of myself, but you have to take care of yourself too.” Robby’s eyes were set, determined.

“Let me spot you the cash and-“

“No, Robby, I can’t-“ You stopped short, feeling the hot tears threatening to spill. The embarrassment made your chest tight.

“Okay no, bad suggestion, I’m sorry,” He immediately apologized. You took a steadying breath, opting to come clean.

“I can’t afford it, and I don’t want to be a burden or a freeloader. It makes me feel weak when I can’t just do everything myself, y’know?,” You told him, avoiding eye contact, desperately trying to regain your composure. The tears were threatening to spill again. Robby gingerly walked towards you and stopped just in front of you. He took your face in his hands and tilted your chin up to him.

“You are not a burden. You could never be a burden. Sometimes you gotta have help.” He said, you felt your muscles relax into his touch.

“I have an apartment,” He started slowly.

“No, Robby. They said it could take months,” You said softly. “I don’t know what I’m going to do but I can’t ask you to do that.” You put your hands on top of his, he searched your eyes for a moment before continuing.

“You’re not asking, I am, please stay with me. I won’t be able to sleep knowing that you’re here, and then both of us will be exhausted and cranky.” He gave you a small smile, his thumb gently stroking your chin. Your cheeks burned at the contact, your gaze dropped to his mouth. It seemed like he was having the same thought, because when your eyes found his again, he was staring at your mouth. His eyes snapped back up to yours, waiting for an answer.

“Why do you care where I sleep?” You asked softly. He grinned and shook his head

“You want to stay with me or not?” He asked rhetorically.

“Okay,” You started “-But just until I figure something else out.” You said. You already had feelings for him and this was about to get a hell of a lot more complicated if you acted on them. You dropped your hands to your sides with a small sigh. His hands lingered on your cheeks for another second, then he ran his hands down either side of your neck and across your shoulders, he stopped at your biceps and gave your arms a reassuring squeeze.

“Come on, we gotta be back early tomorrow.” He said casually, dipping his head to look at you. The trail that his hands had made felt like your skin was on fire, and him using the word ‘We’ made your stomach turn flips. Your eyes widened. He was asking you to come home with him now.

“You mean… tonight?”

“Yeah, you have to sleep, and just looking at you being so exhausted makes me tired.” He feigned a yawn and a stretch that made the corners of your mouth twitch.

“And just how hard have you been looking, Doctor Robinavitch?” You teased, turning back towards the bathroom. He rolled his eyes at you and pulled a box from the closet.

“You coming or not?”

“So impatient,” you shot back, but then quickly started gathering your things. Fuck it, might as well go all in. Robby snorted and started helping you gather your clothes and the few personal belongings you had left into the box. You worked together in silence until Robby picked up the box and slung your bag across his frame. You reached for the box and he shook his head.

“I got it, it’s a little bit of a walk.” He said, you held your hands out for it again, making a ‘gimme’ motion. “I said I got it.” He insisted, pulling the box out of your reach to the other side of him.

Most of your walk with him was quiet, you were deep in thought about how in the hell you were going to live in the same house as this man and not embarrass yourself. Your skin still ached for more of his touch.

“You don’t have to do this,” You said suddenly as he took his keys out to unlock the door to his apartment. He glanced up at you before turning his attention back towards his keys.

“I know.” He said simply and unlocked the door. “But I want to,” he said and held the door open for you. You felt your cheeks flush as he turned on the lights. His apartment was clean and simple, the most decorations he had were books on shelves and a blanket folded on the end of the couch. He had the basics: a couch, TV, a kitchen that looked functional, coffee table. You didn’t get red flag vibes from being here, but you could tell that this was a place that he didn’t spend a ton of time. Robby walked through the apartment and you trailed behind him. You walked past the kitchen and into a hallway, and into what looked like a bedroom. He turned the lights on and you could quickly tell it was Robby’s bedroom.

“Oh I’m sorry I didn’t mean to-“ you started but he cut you off.

“No, this is where you’re going to sleep. I have other rooms but there’s not another bed.” He placed the box on the bed and reached up to scratch the back of his neck. “Never really had the need for one.” He admitted sheepishly.

“No, Robby I’m not coming into your house and taking your bed,”

“I’m not asking.” He said simply, locking eyes with you. “I’ll sleep on the couch.” He said matter-of-factly, like there was absolutely no question to it.

“Shower is off the bedroom, it’s the only one.” He pointed to the door in the corner of the room. “I changed the sheets on the bed this morning. There are towels in the cabinet, and the laundry room is through there if you need to wash anything.” You nodded, giving up on fighting him about the bed for the moment.

“Is it okay if I shower?”

“You don’t have to ask, make yourself at home, I’ll be in the living room.”

By the time you hopped out of the shower half an hour later, you found Robby sitting on the couch, reading. He had a pillow and blanket folded up beside him. You stopped to take him in, he was sitting with his legs crossed, glasses perched on his nose. He didn’t even make a move when you walked in the room, hair still wet and falling down your shoulders. Robby patted the seat next to him without looking up from his book. You sat down next to him and pulled out your phone, scrolling while nervously chewing on your lip. When you looked back at him, his book was closed on his lap and he was studying your features.

“What’s wrong?” He asked softly. You turned your phone so it was face down on your lap.

“I don’t want to fight with you about the bed, but I don’t want to sleep in your bed, Robby. You’re doing enough by letting me be here.” He chuckled at the response and took his glasses off.

“Here I am thinking that you’re in some emotional distress and you’re upset about sleeping in my bed?”

“Robby,” You sighed, running a hand through your hair.

God, no. I’m not upset about sleeping in your bed, I’m upset that you won’t be sleeping in your bed with me. You decided that confession would be a little too honest.

“I just don’t want to overstep,” you settled on that response and he gave you a grin.

“I promise it’s fine, couch is comfy.” He shifted back into the couch and spread his arms. One settled behind you and the comfortableness of the gesture made your stomach flip.

“I am going to go shower though,” He said and started to stand. You nodded and pulled out your phone again, but as he turned you looked up from the screen, watching him walk to the bedroom. You let your mind wander for a split second and a heat rushed across your chest and down your abdomen.

A hot shower with Robby was probably the best thought you had had in a while. You lingered in that thought for a moment and then shook your head to clear it, pulling your phone back out and settling into the couch to scroll. You must have been more tired than you realized, because the next thing you felt was warm hands sliding up under your back and your legs and lifting you in the air. You started to scramble and were immediately comforted by Robby’s voice.

“Shh, shh,” He soothed, “I’ve got you.” You felt him making his way towards the bedroom and your heart rate picked up. The way he picked you up with such ease made your stomach flutter.

“Please don’t drop me,” you mumbled with a half hearted giggle into his chest, clinging to his shirt tightly. Robby snorted.

“I’ve got you,” he murmured into your hair. He continued walking down the hallway, carrying you with ease. When you got to the bedroom, he eased you down on the bed, gently laying your head on the pillow. He hovered above you for just a moment and he started to pull away. You shook your head, your mouth just inches from his.

“Don’t go,” You whispered. He stopped in his tracks, his breath warm across your lips. He searched your eyes, lingering for just a second, almost as if he wanted to say something, and you swore you saw him open his mouth.

“Please,” You said softly, you weren’t sure if it was the sleepiness clouding your judgment or the fact that he cared enough to carry you to bed, but you wanted him close more than you ever had.

“Okay,” He said simply, you weren’t sure but you thought you may have heard some relief in his voice. He crawled in the bed beside you and you scooted closer to him. The smell of cedar shampoo made your mouth water, you were desperate for his touch. Both of you knew that you were blurring lines between the two of you, but neither of you seemed to care. He wrapped an arm around your waist, holding you from behind. You settled into him, he buried his face in your hair, his breath on your neck.

“Thank you… for this. For everything,” You said quietly, relaxing further into him.

“I might be a little bit selfish,” He admitted, you could hear the defeat in his tone. “I wanted you here. I mean, here,” he gestured vaguely to the room with the arm that was draped around your waist. “But here too,” he said and wrapped his arm back around your waist, pulling you closer. You smiled and ran your hand down his arm, interlacing your fingers with his.

“I wanted to be here too.”

[mayhaps-a-blog]

There's something that bothers me a little about the complaints that the Preservation Alliance team aren't "professional" in the show compared to the books, and I think it's just... I have a different idea of what professional science looks like.

Even in the books, we don't actually see the team do that much science. They take some "samples", and SecUnit thinks of them as professionals, but other than SecUnit's internal monologue, they don't do that much more than in the show. They actually talk more about their work in the show than in the books!

I wonder if some of it is that the Preservation Alliance doesn't fit what people's idea of a competent scientist, particularly a competent scientist on TV, looks like. They're expecting the Big Bang Theory, or Gurathin bent over a computer terminal muttering "I'm in" as green code plays across his face, or Arada rattling off a bunch of jargon while dissecting an alien creature, or Bharadwaj IDing the alien remnant based on rocks or something. And that's not really how science actually... works.

Honestly, as a scientist, this is one of the more realistic depictions of actual science I could expect from a TV show, unless you wanted to watch several hours of people working quietly at their computers with expressions of various levels of exhaustion, annoyance, and stress on their faces, or sorting samples, or wandering around staring at the dirt, or sitting around debating the nature of "nature" and the ethical implications of terraforming or whatever (which would be cool, but also, not plot relevant, I'll just assume it's happening off-screen). I could sort half my coworkers by which character they're most like: the upbeat professor who's always trying to help (Bharadwaj), the hippy biologist who freaks out about disturbing 'natural processes' (Arada), the extra-friendly super outgoing possibly ADHD guy (Ratthi), and the overly cynical constantly complaining about capitalism and swearing over his grants analyst (Gurathin). I don't know who's got the open marriage because I prefer not to know about the sex lives of my coworkers, but I know some are in pretty messy relationships - that don't spill over into their work. Because they are professionals.

Basically, I look at this show and I see - my office. So when people say that they're not competent, that they're bumbling or not good scientists, honestly, it's kind of annoying. They're people, not just scientists, with stuff going on outside of their work, namely: someone's trying to kill them, something that absolutely none of them are prepared for. You don't learn how to handle that in grad school! Of course they're going to be messy and make mistakes - that's what people do. Scientists too.