#and i don't have the energy to explain why it made me feel awful

[therefugeofbooks]

As someone neurodivergent with depressive episodes, it's so hard to talk to people about being sad. I know I should be grateful for the things I have. I know I should be grateful for the people around me. I know about all my privileges. And still, I can't stop being saaaaaaaad. I don't want to hurt anyone around me, but it's so hard for me to just LIVE. I'd rather not. I wish I could opt out.

[luveline]

could i request teacher!reader with hotch? like maybe she’s jacks teacher

thank you for your request! fem!reader, 1.2k

You're a teacher: you're always tired. Overworked, underpaid, everybody knows how it goes. And maybe you've let yourself go because you don't have any real material hopes for the future beyond getting Macy Danish to read at a first grade level, but how were you supposed to know that Jack Hotchner's father would be so overwhelmingly attractive? It's not fair. 

He's handsome though older than you'd been expecting, but that isn't the cut and dry of it. When he comes in, it's alone, in a well-fitted suit. He's tall and remarkably dark-eyed, shaking your hand without trying to impose any authority, as some of the fathers tend to do, and when you call him Mr. Hotchner, he says, "Aaron, please," but continues to call you Ms. L/N.

"Aaron," you say, pulling your skirt under your thighs as you sit down. You're dressed in nice clothes for the parent-teacher conferences, but you could've covered your sleeplessness better. "Jack is the nicest boy in class. He's actually my loveliest kid. Um…" You search through your notes for the preliminary assessment of Jack. "Sorry, two seconds." 

"Take your time. I know what it's like to dig through a mountain of paperwork every day." 

"Jack mentioned you work in the government, he calls you a special agent," you say, smiling. "You get the bad guys." 

"I am a special agent. Supervisory." Aaron is conscientious enough to pretend he doesn't notice your surprise. "I'm chief of the behavioural analysis unit." 

You can't even begin to guess what that entails. "Oh," you say breathlessly. 

"I understand that it sounds fantastical." 

"It sounds impressive," you say, floundering to correct yourself. Behavioural analysis? It must be obvious to him how nervous he's making you, then, and when you realise that, you get worse. "I'm so sorry about this. I should be more organised. I usually am." 

"That's alright. Take your time." 

Does he always speak that way? His voice is like fucking silk? Is he messing with you?

You yank the notes you made for Jack from the pile and flatten them across the desk. "Okay, sorry. Like I was saying, Jack is really the nicest kid, him and his friend Molly. They're both lovely, and teachers shouldn't have favourites, please don't tell the other parents, but they're my favourites." You smile at him quickly and return your eyes to the paper. The words swim in front of your eyes. "Jack can read better than you could ever hope for a first grader, he's immensely intelligent for his age group. He's patient. He'll explain anything to anyone if they ask him too, and he does it well." 

"I'm glad to hear that," he says, again so softly. 

You pick up one of your skinny biros to have something to fidget with. He's a very good looking man, but you're a good teacher. You can focus on what to say. Some parents need good things only. Some need reassurement that they're doing a good job. Aaron is harder to read, but you know what he needs, too. 

"He can be lonely," you say, looking him in the eye. "I don't think that that's down to any fault. I'm sure you know better than I do why he might feel that way." You know about his mom's passing over a year ago. You've seen grief in children too many times. "He… I understand if this isn't okay with you, but he eats lunch with me sometimes. I encourage him to sit with his peers, of course, but I think he runs out of energy pretty quickly." 

Aaron nods thoughtfully. His brows quirk into a furrow that you're afraid is directed at you. 

"I don't think he necessarily has trouble connecting with his friends." 

"What do you think?" 

"I think something awful happened to your family, and Jack will feel it for the rest of his life, but that it won't stop him from being great. It already isn't. And… he clearly has a father who loves him and who he admires. You're his second favourite topic." 

"What's his first?" he asks. 

"He's really into Fruity Fridays," you say with a laugh. "I bring in fruits you don't get often in America. Someone would've had to sign a form." 

"No, I remember signing it. He likes that?" His smile is golden. "I can't get him to try new things." 

"He had all the leftover gold kiwi last week." You rub your lips together. Time is ticking. You have nearly thirty parents to see tonight, but talking to Mr. Hotchner has been so normal. He's a regular person in a sea of inattentive helicopter narcissists. It's a relief and a half to meet him and know a kid as gentle as Jack is in good hands. "Mr. Hotchner, I have to tell you, I'm really relieved to meet you." 

"Aaron," he corrects.

Your tone drops too low. "Aaron." 

"I'm more than relieved," he says. "I knew that this year would be harder for him. I didn't know… I'm grateful to you, for being so kind with him." 

You look down at your notes, flushed from head to toe despite your airy skirt. Crossing your legs, you shake your head. "It's my job." 

"To let him take up the only break you get all day?" he asks. 

"It's not like that. Jack doesn't bother me." You fold your notes in half. "I can see his role model measures up." 

"I could say the same thing." 

The next time you see Jack, bright and early Monday mooring shepherded by his aunt Jessica, he's very happy to see you. You offer him a hug and pat his back when he wraps his arms around your hips. "Hello, Jack. Was your dad pleased with your drawings?"

Jack smiles at you. "I have a note for you." 

"You do? Can I see? Where is it, honey?" 

Jack takes off his backpack and pulls out the note and a tupperware container. "Oh, wow, did you make treats for the class? Jack, that's so nice!" 

"No. Dad said those are for you. He said you should have nice for nice, or something," Jack informs you. 

"You'll share with me, though? I can't eat them all by myself," you whisper. 

He nods with enthusiasm and runs off to put his backpack in his cubby and his coat on the hook. You look down at the cookies and note, which is actually an envelope. 

You open it with your thumbnail. The writing is Aaron's usual tight cursive.

Dear Miss L/N, 

I hoped to thank you again in person, but work makes that hard. I appreciate everything you do for Jack. There are teachers who work, and there are teachers who go above and beyond. I can feel confident anywhere in the country knowing Jack is being taught by the latter. 

Gratefully yours, 

Aaron Hotchner. 

P.S. Please don't feed Jack too many cookies. They're not for him. 

You keep the letter even if it's lame to do so. When is the next parent teacher conference, anyways?

[sillylittleguy420]

It always sort of upset how much people in this fandom seem to misread Giyuu and Shinobu's relationship? Not in the sense that it "is or isn't romantic" but more so in the sense that Giyuu is a sensitive wittle baby and Shinobu is bullying him - I hate that read, it feels like a lot of people have just NEVER had actual friends in their entire lives - and more importantly I feel like it downplays the obvious fact that these two are really fucking tight.

I mean I could bring up the fact that Giyuu manages to match Shinobu's passive aggressive energy, Shinobu being the only person outside of Ubuyashiki who GETS Giyuu in any meaningful way (According to the Light Novels, which we can assume are canon. I mean hopefully, that's literally where half of the dynamics come from, BECAUSE THE MAIN SERIES SURE AS SHIT NEVER ESTABLISHED ANY OF THESE -), Giyuu having a clear reaction to her death in Infinity Castle, or even Shinobu knowing exactly what Giyuu means when he says "I'm not like you guys" and telling him to explain himself. But instead - I will raise another point!!!! It's clear that when these two banter there's a clear sense of Catharsis between them. Shinobu gets to drop the act and actually be herself, and Giyuu can loosen his shoulders and relax. I think them gnawing at each others throats during Mount Natagumo is a pretty clear example of their dynamic - even if it's more violent than it would usually be. It's very sibling coded if I had to put a nail on it? There's not really a sense of decorum between the two of them, it feels like at any moment either one of the two will throw a jab at the other. Maybe a "You're not reaching that, even on your toes." Or a "Ah, Your awful expression scared those kids away! For shame." And I think both of them appreciate that level of comfortability. If she was paired with anyone else during Natagumo, I don't think Shinobu would've been so biting? Like if it was Rengoku, Mitsuri, or even Sanemi? (Who I think she's also VERY close with, but in a completely different context to her relationship with Giyuu) I think she would've kept up the air of kindness, instead of jumping straight to "Nobody likes you, you fucking dork." But because it was her favorite Wet Cat of a man, she felt comfortable in being so crude. Even if Giyuu probably sat on that for a while for sure. He probably made direct eye contact with Tanjiro and went "Kamado likes me. . ." in his head. But ah, that's a part of the reason I view it as so sibling coded. I wish we got to see more of Shinobu and Giyuu's dynamic, we got a bit in Giyuu Gaiden, and some in the light novels, but it never felt substantial enough for me - and that's probably why so many people misread it so thoroughly, because the series doesn't really do a good enough job of establishing their sibling-like relationship and ribbing tendencies. Then again. . . Demon Slayer and not expanding on these fun and interesting characters in any meaningful way outside of the exact moment where they fucking DIE go pretty hand in hand.

[dashitsxx]

i might just be in lo-lo-love | hawks x fem!reader

summary. Bumping into him one time was an accident then the second time, until it gradually turns to coincidences. Yet, you've never realized to have your heads over heels for this man.

genre. fluff. sfw.

word count. 600+

warnings. none. just pure fluff <3

notes. inspired by so american by olivia rodrigo <3 it was initially supposed to be long but it was slowly diverting to angst for no reason 😭 anw! enjoy this short one shot! <3

A burst of enormous laughter leaves between both of you. The atmosphere dances in the joy of your relationship as grins plaster on your faces. The music on the radio blasts its harmony as you and him sing forth, enacting gestures and movements.

The speed of the car reaches for the wind as it refreshes the both of you.

Keigo looks at you, a charming smile forms on his pretty lips. You were in a joyful mood, bopping your head. To keep up with your energy, he does the same thing you do.

"You look pretty in my clothes," he smirks as he places his warm hand on your thigh. You feel your face burn as your cheeks are soon painted red, and you clear your throat to focus on driving.

"Stop teasing me," you blush. Keigo only chuckled as he squeezed a squish of your fleshy area. You giggle at the his response. Then, hum with the song.

Soon, you arrived at your destination and the both of you got out of the car. You breathed in the fresh air as you smiled widely and your eyes beamed at the scenery before you.

Being on top of the mountain gave you shivers but from exhilaration. The sun is falling slowly to sleep as it emits a glow of golden light. The trees swayed with the wind with its fluff of colourful variants of leaves. After the fence, the city comes into view.

You sprint with giggles towards the fence before grabbing a hold of it, in awe of the city under you.

"Keigo, this is so beautiful! Come, look at this!"

He watches you run forward as he lets out a grin then follows in pursuit, standing beside you. You had your mouth agape as you carefully studied the cityscape.

As a foreigner in an unfamiliar place, you will never forget how you met him initially, he showed you directions to the restaurant you've been dying to dine at. It took a few bumps of coincidence for you to have the courage, and ask him for dinner. Surprisingly, you and Keigo vibed with each other. Thus, the second date is followed by the third, the fourth, the fifth, and so on.

After all the shitty break-ups and worthless exes you've dated, Keigo was the only man who made you feel like you were a dream to him—it sounds absurd but it's true. However, being in this dream, you fear that sooner or later, you'll wake up to a nightmare... and you don't want that to happen.

"Isn't a heavenly scene? Kei, look there—hey, stop looking at me." You tapped his shoulder rapidly as your gaze lingered on the city.

"I am already looking," you shift your attention to your right side, only to find his eyes on you. You felt a rush of red flowering your cheeks instead you pushed his face backwards.

"Stop it."

"Okay, okay, I will," he chortled as he faced forward.

You place your elbows on the fence as you palmed both of your cheeks, trying to calm the butterflies that emerged in your stomach. Your eyes glance at him on your right side. You spot the corner of his lips tilted upwards subtly as a soft gaze crosses his face. The light of the sun adorned him as it gleamed on his golden-brown eyes. His blonde hair was brushed against the wind and his chin held a bit of a goatee, giving him a suave, chill look. Especially with that casual attire; a clean grey shirt and brown cargo pants matched with numerous accessories.

Oh, why is he so damn handsome?

You feel another rush of butterflies swirling in your abdomen as you abruptly look away.

Oh god, it's just not fair of him to make you feel this much. He is so unfair. Finally, a realization hits your mind that explains your wonders as you let out a silent giggle, enjoying the feels of nature.

You might just be in love with him.

all dividers are from @/cafekitsune, thank you <33

[drowningmist]

11:11 am GOJO SATORU

gojo entered the class with a shit eating grin directed towards his professor

He was late .

the professor just sighed and nodded his head allowing him to come in, he already gave up on his blue eyed student, one reason being his annoying persona another being his surprisingly high grades, so he didn't need to worry bout this one.

gojo sat on his regular place with a content expresssion, though he was always late but today's reason was different unlike everyday today he wasn't late due to playing digimon till dawn , he had went to sign up for a club the club being the book club and ofc not for the books but for a certain someone who caught his eye yesterday.

A girl who punched him yesterday.

Well, tried

He wasn't sure why tho? She was yapping something about him bullying her lil brother and he stopped listening after that .

Her lil bro was in his class. He didn't exactly bullied him, ofc how can he do such thing? He a sweetheart

Satoru just told him "hey !thanks, had a nice laugh listening to your presentation ! So awful♡"

Satoru just criticized him..criticism is important..gosh people are so fragile..BUT he hadn't expected to see that wimp to have such a hot headed older sister.

So here he was waiting for the lecture to be over.

"Gosh 'm so fckin bored"

He turned to his right and oh yes! The lil bro!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Man was grinning heading to the club the same time he knows you arrive.

How?. Intimidated your brother into telling him Politely asked him

He entered the room and immediately spotted you, you soaked in your work haven't noticed him yet he took a seat next to you.

"Can u pass me the papers?" You asked without looking up

"Here"

You looked up.

"Thank- tf are you doing here?!?"

"I-

"Who let you come in-

"I welcomed myself-

"Get. Out."

"Meanie"

You gritted your teeth god this man was INFURIATING.

"I am a member here i applied today" satoru smiled

You scoffed "why?"

"Wdym why i love books-

"Stop fckin with me satoru i don't have time and energy to deal with you ik you have an ulterior motive"

You stared at him waiting for him to explain but satoru? Well he has selective hearing all he heard was you calling him by his first name not idiot not gojo only satoru.

Why was he feeling this way? It's not a big deal..then why is his heart thumping so loud? why does he feel dizzy?

"Satoru?"

"Huh?"

"Nvm idc about your motives you can take back your form and shove it down your ass for all i care i don't want you in my club"

"I wa-

"The door's there"

"Wait i want to-

"And here your application it's neat btw did u bully someone to ghost write this?"

"Jesus woman would you stop cutting me off?"

You deadpanned and took a sip from your banana shake♡

"I am here for you"

You choked on your banana shake♡

"And I'm not quitting this club, and as far as ik you are not the head, so you can't force me to leave, and now that it's settled, give me your number"

"No"

"You rather i go to your brother everytime i wanna text you? I don't mind but i bet he'll mind his phone stuffed with horny texts of us?"

"You are NOT goin anywhere near my brother"

"Then give me ur number"

"This is harassment i am senior if i complain you will face actions"

"Hey now you are making me feel bad"

He sighed and slumped in his chair staring at you intensely

"You will give me your number"

..after a week you did give him your number. You realised nothing good with come out in pushing him off ; his interest in you is temporary it will die down once he gets to know how boring you are, how different your lifestyle is compared to his lavish one.

It was on Christmas when you agreed to go on a date with him. 4 months passed he still didn't give up? So u agreed and a part of your agreement was your loneliness on Christmas.

Maybe after a few dates he will give up for good.

He didn't.

Not after a few dates

Not even after you kissed him in the parking lot after your 5th date. He made you earrings with small cherries glued infront for the aesthetic. They wouldn't last long but they were cute and he made them for you. He took his time to make them for you. And he added cherries cuz they were your favourite. Why? You had a habit of pushing people pushing everyone who will slow you down. People who will distract you from your priorities.; your brother. Your brother only had you and you only had him and you didn't let anyone come in between. After your parents died in an accident you were just in high-school. You had to take the role of a mother.

You weren't here to chill. You reminded yourself.

"I apologised to your brother fr this time and gifted him new headphones his bullies broke his previous ones."

What? Your brother had bullies? Why did he never told you?

"I broke the bully's hand you don't need to worry about anything so stop being fidgety and focus on me hmm?"

Huh?

"You have this frown on your face our entire date. So rude of you."

You haven't realized how overwhelmed you were until your date was over. He was taking the car out of parking when he did you told him to out . He did without any questions. You clutched his shirt with your hands trembling; he let you without a word

Did he sensed what you were feeling?

You grabbed his jaw and, without thinking further pressed your lips onto his. He kissed back so softly so gently you weren't sure this is how people kiss. Does it feel this heavenly? Like the ringing on your ears stop? Like you have finally gained peace? Like how life will suck a little less?

You were a storm he was willing to embrace.

Knowing neither of you will be stable.

He didn't gave up. You grew tired of pushing him.

Not long after he was on you. He was everywhere. He was picking you up he was dropping you off , your brother was now his best buddy. Your brother started getting lively maybe cuz he was finally free from all the bullying. YOU were lively and you were suprised at the change.

And now you let him. You let him in. You were too far gone into this. You let him hold you, kiss you, and now he won't stop. He was always kissing you any chance he got. Sometimes infront of your classmates who now won't stop teasing you for dating a junior.

But you didn't care now. You felt alive. Your brother was happy. Maybe you can slow down a little bit. Maybe finally start to live?

"Not going to the club?" Satoru asked as you pulled him in an empty classroom.

"Don't wanna" you locked the door and he let out a whistle.

"Are we fucking?- Ouchie?" You hit his arm and he leaned towards the wall rubbing his arm with a pout looking at his carefree self you let out an easy smile .

"Come here you" he pulled you closer by your waist his hands caressing your sides.

"You have slowed down a bit sweetheart, first you bunked your maths class and now not going to club?" He asked while pressing kisses on your collarbone.

You replied with a shrug and pulled him in for a kiss.

"I love this" he muttered between kisses

"Me too"

This was my brain rotting help. Might fix later this is actually a prequel kinda to this♡ all can be read as standalones.

For more here☆

[selineram3421]

🌊The Water-Bending Sun Warrior☀

Zuko X Reader

Part 1

Prologue

The first time you entered the spirit world was when the moon died.

Everything was red for a bit and then you felt a deep ache in your heart before falling into darkness. It was strange at first, being awake but your body asleep. Seeing visions of a giant water-like creature commanding the waves.

Upon awakening, you heard your father speaking to the chief of the tribe.

"Please explain, I don't understand what's going on!", he cried.

"Your child is fine. They will wake soon and come back to the physical realm.", the chief replied.

The next few days were odd, you kept leaving your body, traveling to places you've never seen before. Strange spirits were everywhere and you learned to be extra careful.

You've tried to tell your father about your journeys but he refused to listen or believe it. It confused you how he could trust the word of the chief but not yours.

A few months have passed since then.

Sitting near a small stream of water, you moved your hand back and forth, following the flow. The water following your command.

The first time you made the discovery that you were a water-bender was when you were helping the healers in your village.

You didn't tell anyone but the old man who had helped you out of the spirit world when you fainted on the day of the dead moon.

His home was near the healers as he knew more about chakras and spiritual energies, being able to take care of wounds that would normally take longer to heal due to lingering trauma or evil spirits.

"A water-bender, the same as your mother.", the old man, Xbalanque explained. "You flow with the tide and the moon gives you strength."

"Is that why I lost consciousness that day?", you asked.

"Yes.", he nodded. "You are a little more sensitive to such things since you were born during an eclipse. Thankfully your mother heeded my warning and wore red, so it is not as bad as it could have been."

"Is there any way for me to control it? I feel like this won't be the last time.", you say with some concern.

There is a strong feeling in your gut that this "ability" would not cease.

"Ah, so you've felt it.", Xbalanque chuckles. "Yes, it will continue. And I have just the thing.", he says and stands up.

He walks over towards a shelf and begins to move various things, all trinkets that might be for fun or carry some importance. There were a lot of little things, some hung on the walls and some were bigger and had to be placed on the floor. All of them were colorful.

"Here we are!", the old man says and brings back a box as he walks over to you. "This was something I gave to your father and he gave it to your mother.", he explained and opened the box, taking out a necklace.

The ribbon fabric was like fresh red blood, the stone was obsidian with a carving on the surface that had gold in between to make out the image of a flame with a water drop in the middle.

"I gave him this stone and blessed it with protection.", he said and placed the necklace in your hands. "Your father used it to propose to your mother, as her customs from the North were for the person of interest to be presented with a betrothal necklace."

You stared down at the jewelry in your hand in awe.

There aren't many depictions of your mother, you can't really imagine her with anything at home. This gives you a small glimpse though.

Why is it here? You wondered.

"It was hard on your father when she passed. He gave this back to me with a foul tongue, saying it didn't work.", Xbalanque sighed. "But nothing can stand in the way of fate's plans."

Apá...

"You can keep it. I have no use for it and I feel like your mother would have wanted you to take it.", he says. "Obsidian is used to contact ancestors, so you can always have a guide when you travel."

How convenient.

"Thank you.", you smiled and put the necklace on.

Visits to his house became common for you as you had many questions.

Now, looking at your reflection in the water, you still wore the necklace.

You haven't traveled recently but you have paid more visits to Xbalanque's residence, having more questions about the obsidian stone and its properties. His response was for you to meditate with it.

So that's what your plans were for today.

Maybe things will get more interesting after doing so.

Wow, it's been a long while. I was stuck thinking about what to write for this part. This fic will update slowly.

Read tags for more details.

~Seline, the person.

Next: Part 2

🌊TW-BSW☀️ | Zuko ML

[yanmunchymochi]

2P!Poland Info

(concept by @j0jorocity , i only do the arts)

sigh... i can't believe I'm gonna post this instead of jojo, but at least i don't need to gatekeep the 2p lietpol arts anymore after this heh

Human Name: Czesław Łukasiewicz

Name Meaning: “Czesław” means “glory”, which is quite ironic…

Physical Age: 26

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Gay

Height: 5’6

Weight: 119 lbs (53 kg)

Eye Colour: Pale green

Hair Color: Dirty blonde

Outfit: He always wears a long crimson red scarf with solid pale yellow sweater and dull blue baggy pants.

Personality/Background:

For a man with that strong of a name, surely you expect a knight in shining armour. Actually, Czesław is frail and notoriously weak, normally relying on his servants or Kęstutis to do things for him. Most of the times, he doesn’t even have the energy to get out of bed.

He’s somewhat of a crybaby and really pessimistic. It feels like it’s in his blood to be a mood-killer—he spent his first 16 years cooped up in an empty palace with nobody to speak to besides his workers, so once he finally came into the real world, he had no experience what it was like to hold a conversation about the weather. Like aforementioned, he is notoriously weak—despite being royalty, he really can’t do anything… Czesław is practically on his own with nothing to tie him to besides his title; prince.

Somehow, he managed to make one friend—Kęstutis. The latter finds him annoying and weak and really pathetic… but he’d give his life for him in an instant. He doesn’t confirm, but it’s possible one of the reasons Kęstutis tries so hard to escape from Nicholas is so he can finally be with Czesław.

Relationships:

- soon -

Extra:

• Czesław's red scarf - one of his most important things - was given by Queen Jadwiga, which she made it herself. Then she gave it to Czesław as a little birthday gift, which means a lot to Czesław. He treasures it a lot and often wears it since then.

• Czesław's natural hair colour is dark brown/black. He dyed his hair when Kęstutis was taken away by Nicholas.

• Czesław is used to living under Kęst's caring at that point which he relies almost everything on to Kęstutis. Sometimes Kęstutis gets annoyed by Czesław's requests and he could be very strict towards Czesław at times.

Czesław sometimes uses the excuse of "I didn't know" to get Kęst to do stuff for him, and Kęst doesn't mind at all.

• Czesław often feels guilty about the way he uses Kęst and the way Kęst helped him without asking for any repayment, so Czesław tries very hard to make up for it in little ways although Kęstutis thinks it was unnecessary to do so.

• Czesław have a lot of plushies and soft pillows in his room. When Kęstutis is not around him, he could hug the stuffed animals or pillows while imagining them as Kęstutis to release stress and get away from the feelings of anxious, loneliness and the hallucinations of being stalked or watched by someone.

• Czesław suffers from PTSD, panic attacks and sleep paralysis, and he often catches cold. This explains why his cabinet have a lot of bottled pills and medicines.

• Czesław was aware that he's underweight, but he has crippling anxiety and forgets to eat sometimes.

• Czesław experiences through religious guilt. Although raised mostly alone, was raised in a religious environment. His servants had sent scholars to him to teach him about the Bible and other Christian things, so you can imagine how awful he must have felt when he finally realised his feelings for Kęstutis were romantic (since he was taught homosexuality was a sin).

Song:

[superkooku]

Have you listened/watched epic? And if you have what’s your thoughts?

Personally I think it’s a good thing to show to a friend new to Greek mythology. I just finished watching the last saga and I have to say I loved it, beautiful. Sad it ended tho :(

It might not be very accurate but I love the hardwork the cast put into it and so I love it very much

My thoughts on Epic the musical

So yes, I know about Epic. I even participated in the secret santa thing and am what we may call 'a winion'.

I just finished watching the livestream too ! I especially loved seeing the cast members were reacting to the sagas (Luke Holt was so funny in this 🤣. Also, Jorge carrying Mico like a baby in 'Just a man' and Mason being extra the whole time... so many gems in that livestream)

Since Epic is finished AND I have animatics of the Ithaca saga, I'll use this opportunity to make a more in-depth review of the musical. Instead of separating it in "good" or "bad", I'm reviewing it criteria per criteria.

The cast

Like I previously said, I LOVE the cast chemistry. They're all so fun and lively. I follow some of them separately, like Janani or Troy Doherty, and they're just delightful. Especially Troy as Hermes, he always manages to make me laugh. Every single time 😂.

Also, he gives me a bit of Mettaton vibes since he's extravagant, always over the top and a bit self-absorbed (the Hermes persona, I mean, not Troy Doherty himself). Maybe that's why I like him so much :3

And of course, there's Jorge, mr. Jalapeño, the man with the plan. I love how both passionate and humble he is, how he takes the time to thank everyone and just how much of a bundle of positive energy he is. I know it's an internet persona, but what I can see from him is some hopefully really nice guy in real life too.

Anyways, awesome cast chemistry, everyone made me laugh and they're all having a good time.

The music

This music is so beautiful 🥰. All the motifs, the emotions, the instruments, the voices ! If I had to rate Epic from the music alone, it would be 5 stars. I'm not saying this in a professional angle or anything, it's my personal feeling.

Seriously, I don't really have that much to say about the music because, to me, it's just that good. I love the variety, how different instruments synch themselves and, yeah.

The characters

Annnnd that's where the blind positive praise stops, unfortunately 😂.

Don't get me wrong, it's not awful either and there are good points. My favorite Epic characters are Hermes and Athena.

The rest ? It's mixed. In order not to make this too long, I'll focus on only some of them.

The story is very character-driven so I won't really delve into it in detail.

Odysseus : he's a good protagonist, especially in the first act. His dilemma is interesting, he has a strong personality and I like that he is just a broken man and not some mighty overlord... except in the Thunder and Vengeance sagas. I feel Jorge exaggerated the monster message a bit too much, imo. Odysseus is supposed to be a witty liar, a warrior of the mind. Not someone like Achilles who solves problems by fighting or fights gods like Heracles, much less freaking Poseidon.

Poseidon : okay ! I liked him in the first act, because FINALLY Poseidon isn't a surfer dude. He's a terrifying force of nature that was angered by mortal hubris (though the hubris thing isn't explained by Epic). In Get in the water, he kept his intimidating side. Because he's, yk, the king of the oceans, one of the most powerful Olympian gods. But his defeat partially ruined him for me 😂. It just doesn't make sense. Why is Odysseus afraid of Scylla and even tip-toes around Hermes, who is friendly, when he can stabby-stab Poseidon ? Why didn't Poseidon counterattack? So many questions.

Zeus : my problem with Zeus is easier to explain. Again, he was awesome in the first act, less so in the second. What I loved initially is how regal he was. Powerful, intimidating, kingly, but not evil either. He warns Odysseus of the gods' will and of fate, which always realizes itself in mythology. In Thunder Bringer, he's fine. His lustful and flighty side is shown, but we could interpret his intervention as avenging Helios and punishing the ones who ate the cows, instead of "Zeus is evil". But in God Games ? He's so pettyyyyy and childish. Where is the kingly attitude ? This "Beast Zeus" should come against Kronos or Typhon, or maybe when Athena and the others threatened his position. Not after a freaking game ! He just strikes Athena with thunder because she won fair and square. At LEAST Luke Holt absolutely killed it, so it's cool to listen to.

Penelope : she's underdeveloped :( . Okay, her bond with Odysseus was respected, they're adorable together. On her own ? Eh, she's fine. Which is a shame because she simply didn't have enough room to exist outside of Odysseus. Also, the fact that she doesn't interact once with her son is criminal imo.

I do have some other issues with characters like Circe and Calypso (basically they're declawed compared to the Odyssey), whereas I'm completely fine with others like Eurylochus, Telemachus or every god except Zeus and Poseidon. Though they're not perfectly accurate either but I don't have problems with them.

The crew in general is also underdeveloped, so I didn't feel much for them (until discovering the scrapped Elpenor and Perimedes songs/lh). They played their roles correctly.

I hated the suitors (that's a positive in Epic) and laughed when Antinous died. Though I wished they were more pathetic and less threatening. Musically it'd be worse but story-wise more fitting.

The story

Overall, it's fine. Most of the best points come from the Odyssey itself, the one change I liked the most was having Odysseus and Poseidon meet (not the way it ended though).

Also, story-wise, I prefer act 1 over act 2, because it's less over the place and more grounded.

But emotion-wise and music-wise, forgetting about the Odyssey, act 2 wins the cake.

Those were my thoughts on Epic :3

I tried not to judge it too much according to the Odyssey and some of my friends are more demanding on that plan (for perfectly legitimate reasons btw). But it's hard to separate Epic from the wonderful work of Homer and it's lacking in some areas.

Still, this journey was very fun, I love all the passion Jorge, the singers and the animatic artists put in, there are a lot of good things about it (I can't mention everything). I don't want to rate it because it's too rigid of a system. I listen to the songs on loop and, ultimately, I'm thankful Epic exists :)

I may come back to this post and reblog stuff if I have new relevant thoughts to add. I'll probably rank the sagas in another post.

[oddballwriter]

An Eternal Kind of Love

Summary: A blurb, for Anselm with a Vampire!Reader. Because even though I've never seen Big Gold Brick in full, Rally has sold me on Anselm being a loyal, weird, little lover. So I made this.

Warnings: The reader is a vampire, so there's the obvious like mentions of drinking blood, killing, and doing some kind of morally questionable stuff for the sake of consuming said blood, along with consensual blood drinking and sexy times that involve said blood drinking. Anselm being himself, I hope, this might be out of character. like I said, I've never really fully seen it. I'm just going off secondary sources and vibes that I get from there. Please do be mad.🥺👉👈

Author’s Snip: I am yet again vampire posting 🦇❤️

I’ll shut up now. Enjoy! And don’t be afraid to request.

Taglist: @reallyrallyauthor @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction

Getting into a relationship and moving in with a massive high-end boss of organized crime who was, for lack of a better term, trigger-happy was the best decision you had ever made as a vampire in all your years of being undead.

You had all the sources of food you could ever need, if they hadn't already lost quite a bit of blood when Anselm was through with them, topped with the fact that Anselm was loaded with a seemingly bottomless amount of wealth and a drive to make sure you were well taken care of. He invested in replacing all his window curtains with full blackout ones, ensuring that if the sun wasn't wanted, it wasn't getting in. He also invested in creating a fake story for why you have so many strange habits and needs.

You're not a vampire! You just have rare conditions and ailments like solar urticaria! That's why you can't be in a room with any light from the sun and need to wear gloves, a sun hat, and carry around a parasol when you do go out in the day. You also have just chronic anemia and that's why you need so many fridges full of blood bags, sourced from those who Anselm deemed antiquate for business, on the premises. It's for when you have a flare-up, you can be tended to quickly, and it also explains why you sleep so much in the day. You have to rest and save your energy, and so that leads to you being more active at night when you finally feel better. You even have an on-site nurse that helps you with your 'care'! It's really just one of Anselm's men who has a forged nurse's badge and papers from a hospital that Anselm's got under his thumb, who's only real job with you is getting you a blood bag when you're hungry and occasionally pushing you around in a wheelchair to sell the "anemic" ruse whenever company is over. The wheelchair isn't really needed, but you guess it's great for when you're actually tired and don't want to walk all the way around the huge estate.

But when it's just you and him in the privacy of your home, and the NDA and possible threat of death if house staff say a word about what you actually are, things are nice.

Anselm loves you. Truly, he does. He loves you both as a person and the uniqueness that you bring with being a vampire. You intrigue him with all your stories that you've witnessed in all the years that you've been haunting this earth. Anselm doesn't even know how old you actually are. You tell him so many stories from so many different time eras and reference so many things regularly that imply that you've lived through literal history. Like the time the bubonic plague was mentioned in a conversation and you mentioned that it made blood taste awful, or that time you implied that during the French Revolution they wouldn't wash the blood from the guillotine off the pavement and you'd come out at night and lap up what was left, referring to both instances as "desperate times for you". And Anselm loves it. He also jokes that "You give me a good reason to kill so many people. I've saved so much money from not having to buy so much bleach anymore.".

You love him also because he accepts you with open arms, and neck, regardless of if you're a blood-sucking creature of the night, and sees you as a person similar to him, who is just like any other human being if they let go of social norms, pressures, and the law. Though you know he likes the blood-sucking part.

He enjoys the fact that he aids in sustaining you by using the blood of those that he sees no use for, or has simply grown tired of, but he also enjoys when you feast off of him too. The fact that he's providing you something from him that he needs himself, like his living blood straight from his body, is undoubtedly something that arouses him among the millions of other things about you that do that to him. But drinking his blood is his number one.

Of course, he can't do it as often as he'd like to since he needs it to live, so he settles on doing it during sex since he's already hard. But he always said that if he could find a way to give more of his blood directly from his body for you to drink, he would do it in a heartbeat.

You aren't sure if the pun was intended but knowing Anselm, it probably was.

[messedupfan]

Chapter 9

Summary: Wanda struggles with how she feels about Y/n's rejection. Y/n struggles to with knowing who they should be with. And Daisy finally gets some action.

A/N: Hello!! So, this is possibly my final chapter of the year! Sorry, I don't think I will get any writing done during my trip and I don't return home until after the New Year starts. But I will interact with those who want to and of course, I'm always active on my discord! As always, like, comment, and enjoy!

Masterlist | All Stories Taglist | All Chapters

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“Do you want to go see a movie?” Daisy asks as she scrolls through her phone. The two of you are hanging out in her apartment after you dropped Rachel off with Jean. You are laying on her bed with your eyes closed and she is sitting next to you with her back resting against the wall. 

“If that's what you want to do,” you say with your eyes still closed. 

“Or we could just stay in while you mope,” she sarcastically suggests. 

You scowl as you open your eyes, “I'm not moping. I'm just… tired.” You are much more than tired. You spent your entire week with Rachel trying to forget about what you and Wanda did. It was just a kiss and you put a stop to it but it kept playing in your mind and the guilt was eating at you. If the kiss didn't mean anything then you would feel fine with not telling Daisy about it. But it did mean something. It made you feel things you're almost certain that you've never felt before. 

How can you explain to Daisy that you do want to be with her when something inside of you wants to be with someone else? You can't. So you won't. 

“Are you sure you're not moping? Because you look a little down,” Daisy says as she starts to play with your hair. 

“Yeah, I'm fine,” you assure her. “You know me, I hate trade off days.” Daisy believes that's all it is and leans down to give you a kiss. 

“Maybe I can help take your mind off of it,” she says as she starts to crawl on top of you. As much as you don't want to, you kiss back. You hold her against your body. As she starts to deepen the kiss you start to imagine she is someone else. You don't realize that you're doing that until Daisy's roommate, Jemma, barges into the room and you are brought back to reality. The two of you spring apart as if she came at the both of you with a bucket of ice water. Daisy lays one of her pillows on your lap as she asks her friend why she interrupted them. 

“Because I got the concert tickets! I had to let you know!” She says excitedly. 

Daisy hops out of her bed matching the energy of her friend. “You're lying! No way!” She says as she grabs her friend in a tight hug. The two of them hop around the room with joy and you're trying to figure out what kind of concert could make the two of them so happy. “I thought it was sold out! I can't believe it!”

“Uh, what concert are you going to?” You ask as you sit up. 

Daisy stops celebrating with Jemma for a moment and turns to you, “Oh it's just some indie band. You don't really know them. But I can't wait to introduce them to you!” Jemma gives Daisy an odd look and opens her mouth to say something but is stopped by her friend. 

Jemma takes the hint, “Yeah they are really underground. It was only hard to get tickets because, because,” she looks at Daisy for help. 

“Because they only allow like twenty people at their venue,” she says. It's obvious that they are both lying to you but as it is, she's withholding concert information and you're imagining another woman when you kiss her. She can have her secret concert. 

“Alright, that's cool,” you stand up and make sure you have everything in order to leave. “When is the concert? So I can plan around it,” you ask as you look between the two. 

“Next Saturday,” Jemma answers with a big smile. “I was so lucky to score these tickets!” She boasts. 

“Aw, babe, I'm sorry. I don't think I can go. I get Rachel back that day,” you put your hand on Daisy's back and kiss her cheek. She looks a little disappointed but you can't read if she's being genuine or not. She must've known that you wouldn't be able to go to this concert. “I should probably go home. Maybe we can hang out tomorrow or something,” you offer and Daisy’s frown deepens letting you know that she doesn't want you gone. 

“Wait no,” she isn't able to stop you until you're in the living room. “I'm sorry about the interruption but I don't want you to go. Please, come on, I feel like we were,” she dances two fingers down your chest and stops at the top of your jeans. She bites her lips and smiles up at you. “We were finally getting somewhere, you know?” 

You take a deep breath and nod, “I don't think we should do that here. At my place we have privacy. Plus, I feel like I should at least take you on a fancy date before we cross that line.” 

This makes Daisy giggle, “You are too old fashioned sometimes. You know that you're still in your twenties right?” Her remark reminds you of kissing Wanda and you're hit with a pang of guilt. She turns around to look for any of her other roommates and then turns back to you. “I don't need a date, Y/n. We've been on plenty of those. I'll just, I'll meet you at your place. I have a few surprises that I want to bring. Okay?” She gives you a quick kiss and sends you off. 

You sigh once you're in your truck. You look at your phone to see if there are any missed calls or messages but your notifications are empty. You look through your photo album and smile at the pictures of Wanda laughing and the ones of her playing with the kids. You miss her. It's been a week and neither of you has contacted the other and you miss her. But you can't miss her. You have to go home and get ready to be with Daisy for the night. 

Meanwhile, Wanda is cleaning her house to get ready for the boy's return. Her phone won't stop going off with messages from Natasha. The woman was persistent in asking her out tonight but she wasn't in the mood. 

This entire week, all she could think about was how stupid she was for trying to convince you to sleep with her. She can't stop playing it in her head. She was embarrassed that she initiated the kiss, she was embarrassed that she begged for more, she was embarrassed that she gave you the cold shoulder the morning after. She was embarrassed by it all and she doesn't know how she can come back from this mistake. Wanda doesn't even remember much of what happened. She knows she kissed you and started to unbutton your shirt and that you put a stop to it. But she doesn't remember what you said, only partially what she said. Moreso what she was thinking when she watched you talk. 

Wanda shakes her head now to clear those thoughts that haunt her. The two of you are friends. Nothing more than friends. The more she tells herself that, the less she believes it. But for the sake of her boy's friendship with your daughter and your friendship slash professional relationship with her brother, she will force herself to accept that as the only truth. You are her friend and that's all that you will ever be. 

Her phone buzzes again and this time, instead of ignoring it, Wanda picks up the device and opens the explicit image that Natasha sent her. Wanda shrugs and sends a quick invite and the woman informs her that she will be over as soon as possible. Wanda doesn't need a relationship right now. She just needs release and time to find herself again. 

That's what she is going to do. 

“Wow, um,” Daisy clears her throat and shifts awkwardly next to you. “Is it me?” She asks with a frown. 

You shake your head, “No, no. It has nothing to do with you. I’m just in my head. I need to um,” you look around your room to find a solution. “I just have a difficult time relaxing and sometimes I need something,” you climb out of the bed and grab some shorts from the floor and frantically pull them on. “Stay right here, I will be right back,” you kiss her on the lips then leave her in the bedroom. You slide into the kitchen and pour yourself a shot. Then another. And one more for safety. The last time you drop the glass to the counter you look over at your phone and lick your lips as you consider looking through her social media page. But it’s better not to. You felt guilty enough. 

You walk back to the bedroom with a mission, to follow through and make your girlfriend feel desirable. You close your eyes and push through to make Daisy feel good. In the end, you feel better about having done it. There’s a sense of freedom from having finally had sex after so many years. It even overshadows the guilt you would have felt for having to think of someone else in order to get started. But once you did, you brought yourself back to the reality that you are with a beautiful woman and you really got to show her how much you like her. 

Although, once she is asleep in your bed you don't want to stay and snuggle with her. You begin to wish that you had done this at her place so that you could get some distance. Make an excuse to go home. Can't do that when you are home. When you've checked to see that she was truly asleep, you sneak out of the bed and pull on sweatpants before grabbing your pack of cigarettes and your lighter and going out to the balcony. You stand out there and take the time to look within yourself and really consider what you're doing with the girl in your bed. Are you just going to end up hurting her? Despite what you promised Phil, you're not sure if you can prevent that from happening. 

But maybe you won't have to hurt her. It's not like Wanda is a real option. You confessed your feelings to her and she kicked you out of her room, ignored you the next morning, and hasn't reached out to you since. It was clear she doesn't reciprocate those feelings. She's probably keeping you at a distance until you apologize and assure her that you only see her as a friend. Something that she's going to have to wait on because you don't want to have to lie to her. You will if you have to but you're confident that you can get over the crush if you just focus on what's in front of you. 

Twisting the butt of the cigarette on the old ashtray, you walk back inside the apartment and crawl into the bed. It takes you a few minutes but eventually you're able to fall asleep. 

Wanda is sitting on her deck staring out at the colors of the sunset as she smokes a cigarette from the pack she bought the day that she met you. As her lips meet the butt of the cigarette she remembers the way your lips pressed eagerly against hers. How is it that she can remember your touch so vividly, but she can't remember your words? Were you disgusted with her or yourself? Did you tell her to forget that it ever happened? She wasn't aware that she was so drunk that she could forget details of the night like that. 

Wanda clearly remembers pouring her heart out to you. She remembers making the decision to kiss you. But anything after that is all a blur of emotions. Embarrassment remains the shining star so far. As she rolls the cigarette between her fingers she thinks about how she tried to remove your shirt and she scoffs and closes her eyes, ashamed of her actions. Even if you weren't putting an official title on it, you are still seeing someone and she feels horrible that she has put you in the position to lie to that person. Or maybe you didn't lie to her. Maybe you told her right away and she gave you an ultimatum. Did you choose her over Wanda? Is that why you haven't reached out? 

She taps the ash off of the tip of her cigarette as she sighs deeply. If you don't want anything to do with her, that's fine. But she won't let her boys suffer from her mistakes. Not anymore. It's a good thing that she got Jean's number so she can make sure that her boys can keep in touch with their friend without having to always go through you. If you didn't want to be her friend then she was fine with that. Sure, part of her was going to miss you but she wasn't going to fight for the friendship if you are so willing to give it up so easily.

“I had no idea you smoked,” Natasha says from the back door as she adjusts her clothes. 

Wanda blows a cloud of smoke out of her lips, “I don't.” Her monotone reply keeps Natasha from asking anymore questions. 

“Okay, well, I guess I will see you sometime next week?” Natasha awkwardly steps closer to Wanda. It was hard for her to know where she stood with the single mother. When she pursued her, she thought it was just going to be a casual fling. The kind of relationship that she is used to having. But then she was being ignored and there is something magnetic about Wanda that made her fear losing the chance to be with her again. She hopes the feeling passes because she knows that Wanda isn't looking for anything more than what they have. But then she hopes Wanda will have a change of heart. Except when she leans in to give her a kiss, she is given Wanda’s cheek. It's enough for her to realize that this needed to end.

“Yeah, I'll um, I'll call you,” Wanda says without looking at the blonde woman. 

“Okay,” she does her best to hold the tears back until she is at the front door. Although this is what she signed up for, she knows that this isn't what she deserves. Without letting the divorcee know, she promises herself that this is the last time she comes to this house. 

Over the course of the week, you lose sleep because Daisy is knocking on your door after her shift is over. She brought an overnight bag on Sunday and practically moved in with you for the week. It was nice to have someone in your bed again. Although, opening up the relationship to a more sexual aspect has shifted the dynamic a bit. Neither of you talk to each other anymore because why have a meaningful conversation when you can be pleasuring and exploring each other in a more physical way? Most importantly, it keeps your mind off of Wanda and the pain you feel everyday when you realize that the friendship is probably over. 

It's not until Saturday when you're saying goodbye to Daisy before your daughter gets dropped off that you remember the other reason you pulled away. You didn't want to complicate things for the kids' friendship. Now you aren't sure what to say to Rachel if she asks to hang out with the boys today. You hope she wants to have a playdate with other friends or is even okay with just hanging out with you. 

You check the time when you feel like she should have been dropped off already and call Jean to find out what's taking so long. As you open your phone you notice quite a few missed notifications and check your messages. Your heart sinks when you read and find out that you are going to have to pick her up from Wanda’s house a couple of hours from now. You close your eyes and take a few breaths to prepare yourself to go over there again. 

It's been two weeks now with no contact. Was it going to be weird to pick up your daughter? Will she allow you to explain yourself? Should you stay in your car and honk for her to send Rachel out? You aren't sure what to do or how to act. You shake your head at yourself as you start to feel a little ridiculous. You needed to pull it together. You need to be an adult and try to work through this awkward phase. Is it worth it to lose this friendship over a kiss and confusing feelings? No, it is not. 

You check the time again and get in the shower to wash up. You get dressed in something a little nicer than you normally wear to her house. Then you decide to drive out to the liquor store to get her a peace offering. You find a bottle called “Enchanted Rock,” a vodka that you've only had once before. You can't remember if it was good or not but it sticks out to you because of the song your daughter would play in the car on the way to and from Wanda’s house. 

You pick up a couple of packs of cigarettes now that you're low from how much you've been smoking lately. Looking at the wall of cigarettes, you recognize the brand Wanda bought the day you met her and ask for a pack. Just in case. You stop by a pharmacy to grab a few extra things. A plain gift bag to hide the presents and a few candies to add. Then you find a card that says, “I messed up big time,” and although you don't feel like you did anything wrong, you feel as though that's the best card for this situation. When you open the card it already has the words “I'm sorry,” printed on it. As you sit in your truck you take a moment to think about what you want to say. Do you want to write a novel expressing your feelings? Or do you want to keep it simple? 

To keep things from getting complicated further, you decide to keep it simple. You write, “Let's forget it happened. Please can we go back to being friends?” You look it over a couple of times to make sure your handwriting is legible. When you're satisfied, you look at the time and realize that you're running late. 

You arrive at Wanda’s house a few minutes later and before you’re out of the car, Rachel is running and ready to go. You give her a big hug and help her to the truck. You keep looking back at the closed door to Wanda’s house and wonder if you should take this as a sign to leave it alone. She is going to keep the kids connected through your ex until it's no longer a friendship. Until there is no reason for either of you to talk to each other. Is that what you wanted? 

You look down at the gift bag in your hand and consider tossing it in the truck and driving away. Following her lead. But maybe the peace offering will prevent the long game of avoiding each other. Maybe it will restore everything to normal. “What’s that?” Rachel asks as she points to the red gift bag. 

“Uh it was a gift for miss Wanda,” you say as you look down at the bag again. “She’s kind of mad at me right now so I don’t know if it’s a good time to give it to her.” 

“Well, did you apologize to her?” She asks as she looks past you to the house her friends live in.

“This is my apology,” you admit. 

“Then you have to give it to her, Baba!” Rachel nudges you backwards. “Go!” She insists. You nod and shut the door on her side of the truck, telling her that you’ll be a moment. You nervously check your watch as you walk up to her door. You lightly knock once but she doesn’t answer the door. You look back at Rachel, who is watching from the window and gives you a thumbs up. You feel like a kid again, her mom made the same gesture when you were in high school and was asking some girl to the homecoming dance. But you aren’t that awkward kid anymore that needs their best friend to encourage them every step of the way. 

You knock again, this time with more confidence and more persistence. You feel more sure of yourself as you wait for an answer. But the door doesn’t move. So you ring the doorbell next. It’s one of those smart ones with the camera and you realize she could see you the entire time. You sigh. 

“Wanda, please, can we talk?” You ask with a solemn tone. There is no change so you try harder. “I know that I shouldn’t have told you that I have feelings for you but I couldn’t-”

The door swings open to reveal a wide eyed Wanda. “You said what?” 

You’re thrown off by her confusion. “Is that not why you’re not talking to me? Is it because I kissed you back, was it a test?”

Wanda shakes her head, “Wait, no, you’re the one not talking to me because I kissed you.”

“No, I haven’t reached out because I thought you hated me. You wouldn’t even look at me the next morning,” you admit. The two of you stand there confused and staring at each other trying to piece together each other's misunderstandings. “I brought you something as an apology for the way I acted that night and the weeks that followed,” you hold the gift out to her and Wanda is crushed with guilt as she accepts it. 

“Why are you apologizing? I’m clearly the one in the wrong here,” she says as she admires the plain bag with tissue paper sticking out. You told her once that your mom taught you how to do that when you were very young and you loved arranging gifts because of it. “You really shouldn’t have. But thank you,” she opens her arms to wrap them around you and you step into the hug. “I’m sorry that I was being childish. I don’t know why I started to assume the worst in you.” Wanda says into your shoulder. 

“Can I ask what you thought?” You ask as you step back. “I’d be happy to tell you my thoughts in exchange." Wanda fiddles with the strap of the gift bag as she nervously explains that she thought you were given an ultimatum and didn’t choose her. You shake your head with a frown. “No, um, that uh, she doesn’t know that it happened. But we are officially together now so I figured um now was a better time than any to tell you that although I meant what I said that night, I’m not expecting you to return those feelings. I have someone who I also really like and she has some strong feelings for me… I think.” She asks you what you mean by that and you go on to describe your side of the events and she starts to blush, moreso from embarrassment than from flattery. 

Wanda nods as she bites her bottom lip, “I actually didn’t remember that part of the night. I just remember thinking that you looked very attractive and I wanted to kiss you. Well, clearly I wanted to do more than kiss you but we’ve been over that.” She awkwardly laughs and you join in because it’s what feels right to do in the moment. “So the two of you made it official?”

“I, well, kind of?” You say, unsure of yourself. “We have definitely taken things further but I think we’re close to a conversation.” 

Wanda nods and does her best to hide her disappointment with a smile. “That’s really great. I’m glad things are going well.” She looks at the gift in her hand and then remembers that you have a little girl in your car that is probably anxious to get home. “Alright, well, I won’t keep eating your time with Rachel. I’m glad one of us is mature enough to want to communicate.” she jokes and you smile in acknowledgement. “I will go back to texting you and calling you. I promise and thank you again.” She goes in for one more hug and you accept it. The two of you say your goodbyes and each of you are filled with relief as you separate. Wanda slides against the front door with a grin on her face, feeling giddy from hearing that you have deeper feelings for her. She knew that with Daisy in the picture nothing was going to happen and right now, she isn’t in the best state of mind to take on a relationship. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t revel in the fact that someone likes her. 

Meanwhile you are singing word for word of the song that Rachel loves to play on the ride home from Wanda’s and Rachel sings along with you as she celebrates the idea that her plan might work after all.

Chapter 10

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[artisticxlly]

trick or treat =3

This one will probably be my last one! A sweet sickfic, fooooor Tsukkiyama! Hey, I bet you didn't guess that :P

"Tsukki?"

Kei sits up when he hears his nickname be called. "Come in." His voice hangs thick in his throat, nose closed up.

The door opens and there stands a very concerned Tadashi, still in thick clothes, his school backpack on. He also held a plastic bag in his hand that seemed to be filled with some things.

"I saw your text, and I got really worried! So I thought I might check on you. I... Also brought you some stuff, and the homework."

"It's not like I'm on my deathbed. And you could've given it to Akiteru, you know." Kei mumbles, leaning back against the headboard of his bed. The dino plushie he previously had held is hidden behind his aching back.

"Oh uhm... He's not here? Your mom let me in though, she was glad to have someone check on you." Oh, that's right. Akiteru had told Kei that he was going out.

"Fine, come in. Close the door." Kei answers, pushing his blanket down so it bunched up in his lap. He felt like his head was stuffed with cotton, heavy and aching. Come to think of it, the slightly cold breeze in his room was making his skin burst into painful goosebumps. When did someone open the window?

Tadashi had stripped himself of his thick jacket and gloves, standing there with the plastic bag still in hand. "I didn't quite know what to get but I hope there is some useful stuff in here." He explains, coming closer.

Kei stops him. "Let me put a mask on before I get you sick." He tells Tadashi, before coughing into his elbow. His throat had gone very dry.

"Its fine, Tsukki. Even if you do, it's just a cold."

"You have a weak immune system." Kei argues, but Tadashi doesn't care. He sits down on the bed, by Kei's socked feet. Kei sits up, crossing his legs and scooting closer. Maybe it was because he felt utterly miserable, but being closer to Tadashi right now seemed to be a good decision to give him comfort.

"Why are you sitting like that?" Tadashi asks, and Kei realises that his back is fully hunched, his elbows on his knees.

"My back hurts." Kei states. "Some kind of muscle aches." He feels something warm on his back. Tadashi had placed a warm palm on his spine, finger gently touching over the bumps of his vertebrae.

Kei usually would've flinched away from Tadashi's hand by now, but he didn't. The gentle touch is awfully pleasant.

"Want to move the blanket over your shoulders? It might help you keep your back warm."

"If you think it'll help." Kei tells him, not having energy to protest. Tadashi sits up on his knees and grabs the edge of the blanket, draping it over his shoulders. It was still nice and warm on the inside, soothing the painful goosebumps away.

The other looks worried still, sitting back across from him. "Better?"

"I'm fine, Tadashi." Kei says, sneezing a few times.

"Bless you. And you don't seem fine. You need to tell me how I can help, okay?"

"I just feel miserable, to be honest." Kei curls in on himself. "I feel awful."

"I'm sorry Tsukki."

Tadashi closes the silence by rummaging through the plastic bag.

"Sorry." Kei mumbles, feeling dumb for complaining.

"It's okay, I get it." Tadashi reassures him. "I'm surprised you even let me get this near to you. Usually you're very persistent about personal space."

Kei goes quiet. He doesn't even tell Tadashi to shut up. "I don't know, I just... Really don't mind it right now. Being close to you makes this feel less insufferable."

Tadashi doesn't tease him. "Do you want me to be closer? I'm warm." He offers in a soft tone instead.

And Kei did feel cold.

He couldn't deny that that offer made him feel warm, mostly in his face. Was he seriously blushing?

"Mm."

"Just a-an offer-"

"Sure." Kei looks at Tadashi, who was blushing too. Something was making Kei's pulse quicken in his ears.

Tadashi scoots closer, offering Kei to lean against his side as they both rest their backs against the headboard.

"It's mostly just snacks, but I also saw some uh... Cute dinosaur stuff." He explains.

"You don't need to explain, just show me." The other nods, taking out the lightest things first, since they needed to be stacked on top, otherwise they would be crushed by the heavier stuff. There was a slice of strawberry shortcake, which caught Kei's eye.

Tadashi was pretty much the only person that knew Kei loved that specific cake, from that specific bakery. He had also brough some salty things, as well as some medicine and a... Is that a dinosaur-shaped heating pad?

He must've said it out loud, because Tadashi laughed softly. "Yeah. I had a feeling you'd like it. You can put it in the microwave until it's nice and warm."

"Tadashi..." Kei mumbles, having to hide his face in the other's shoulder. "Thank you." Tadashi looks surprised. "-Oh, you're welcome, Tsukki."

"You're..." Kei looks up from Tadashi's shoulder, but all thoughts leave his head when he locks eyes with Tadashi.

"..."

"Tsukki?" Tadashi asks, eyes widening with worry. "You're uhm... Crying." Kei blinks, looking down slightly.

Was he really? He was.

"Sorry." He could only mutter.

"No, don't apologise. What's wrong?" He asks, placing a hand on Kei's head, taking off his glasses and putting them on the nightstand.

"Can you tell me what's going on?"

"I-I don't know."

"Okay..." Tadashi wipes his tears away, holding Kei's face in his hands. "I'm here. Whatever's going on, I'm gonna... Try to help." He tries his best to comfort Kei, who didn't know why his chest felt so tight. His vision was out of focus.

Tadashi is still holding him, now having a hand on his forehead. "You have a bit of a high temperature..." He comments.

Something about Kei's expression must have made Tadashi feel really bad, because he pulled Kei into a hug. Kei didn't like hugs, but right now it felt like Tadashi was holding him together. Then again, his sickness made him crave the things he'd usually feel uncomfortable doing. Like being this close to Tadashi, or being... Vulnerable in general. He hugs Tadashi back, face buried somewhere between his jaw and shoulder. His hands splayed over the small of Tadashi's back.

When he starts wheezing and coughing he's offered water, which he accepts. Tadashi rubs his back, even after Kei had stopped crying.

"Why am I... Such a mess." Kei muttered in embarrassment, looking down at himself.

"You're just... Sick and overwhelmed maybe. It's okay." Tadashi reassures him. "Do you want some cake, Tsukki?" He asks.

Kei nods.

"Kei?" Tadashi asks, voice soft. He was offering Kei the cake on a plate, which the taller of the two hadn't noticed. Kei takes it, after realising Tadashi just called him by his first name. And he didn't mind it. At all.

---

Thanks for the ask! This one is OLD, I'm sorry if it's bad :,)

[talekinesis]

Magical Burnout

Fairly Oddparents fic

Since I'm sick, I'm also gonna make Irep sick :)

I've seen people headcanon Irep and Peri as co-workers/ co-fairies so I'm gonna jump on that too

Summary: Irep gets Magical Burnout and Peri takes care of him

Irep snapped awake and sat up, only to be pushed back down by his goody-two-shoes counterpart. He went to argue, but ended up turning away to cough into his elbow.

"Would you relax? I don't know why you wake up like you fought in war, that's the third time today." Peri grumbled. Though he couldn't help but look at his anti-fairy with pity. The poor guy was pale, thin, and despite sweating and having a fever, he was also shivering. Even his wings were pale and dry.

Dev sat off to the side, sort of just watching them, trying not to give away the fact he was worried, even though Peri had already explained that Magical Backup, and Magical Burnout weren't the same thing.

"Magical Burnout isn't lethal, it just means Irep was stupid and over-used his magic, and now he's sick. He'll be okay." He had said.

Though he told Dev he didn't have to worry, the kid still insisted on staying, and had sat quietly in the corner all morning, playing his puzzle game.

Peri helped Irep sit up and placed a bowl of soup in his lap. "I hope that shark-tornado was worth you getting this sick." He scolded.

The anti-fairy took in a wheezy breath. "Very much so-" he turned away and coughed again as Peri rolled his eyes.

"You look horrible, what spells did you even cast?" He asked, feeling Irep's forehead, and cringing when his forearm came back sweaty.

Dev looked guilty. "Hazel and I watched a bunch of sci-fi movies, and I thought they were cool so I wished for them to be real.. It's my fault-"

"No, Dev, it's not. You're a kid, he's an adult, he should know when his limit is and when to say no." Peri pinched the bridge of his nose. "What movies?"

"Sharknado, Piranhaconda, Robo-Croc, Tremors-"

Peri stopped him. "Some of those movies are too mature for you and Hazel- and I'm sorry, Tremors?? Did you at least wish them away??"

Dev shook his head and Peri groaned, though he turned his frustration to Irep. "You didn't magic them away??"

Irep gulped down the broth and lowered the bowl from his mouth. "No? Why would I do that?"

The fairy groaned and rubbed his face. He pulled out his wand and wished the sci-fi monsters away. "There. Now," he took the empty bowl from Irep and stood up, "Dev, he'll be fine, I'll look after him. You go on ahead and head to Hazel's, alright?"

Dev nodded and hopped down from his chair. Peri wished him over to Hazel's house, and looked back down at Irep, who seemed to be pouting.

"What?" Peri asked.

Irep huffed. "Why are you helping me? I left you to die when you got Magical Backup, and mine's not even lethal, I'd be fine without you're help."

"Yeah, but Magical Burnout sucks. Trust me, I've been there. It's not fun being sick on your own. No energy, struggling to get up and walk. Well, I got it when I was a kid, my mother just carried me-"

Irep scoffed. "My parents would never. My mother had a tendency to drop me-"

"Yeah, my dad too. Grand Canyon."

"And my father made me stay in- I'm sorry, did you just say you were dropped into the Grand Canyon??" He laughed, which just turned into a coughing fit.

Peri shook his head and laid him back down. Irep complied, too tired to protest, and turned over onto his stomach so his wings were comfortable, which told Peri he was planning on sleeping again.

The fairy placed a hand between his wings. "Get some rest. I'll have more soup for you when you wake up." He said. He got up from the bed and without thinking, he rubbed Irep's head before he left the room.

The anti-fairy breathed heavily into his pillow, figuring maybe working with Peri wouldn't be awful. 'He's a better person than me,' he thought.

___

hi sorry this was short or if it didn't make sense, I'm sick, tired, and I ended up rushing it so I could take a nap

I hope it was okay and ended up somewhat legible.

you can kinda see where I tried a "Oh look they're bonding now," thing but again I'm just tired and not feeling well

Anyway, I hope someone liked it

[thelittleliars]

Darkness

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Warnings: Depression, suicidal thoughts

Words: 902

A/N: I wrote this for my OWN comfort. Depression sucks and I know no matter what I'll always have to live with my it for the rest of my life. This all is just wishful thinking, the way I'd want it to go away even tho it never will. Pls don't see this as me romanticizing depression or any other mental health issues/disorder.

The dark days always hit you hard. The darkness crept upon you as if you hadn't seen the signs but you had seen them. You just couldn't do anything to stop it so you stopped wasting your energy on that and let it happen. Though during the days you always hoped for the next day to be better. It never was. At night all the Demons & Monsters were lying next to you in bed wide awake thinking about all the things you couldn't change. 

Mornings were incredibly hard for you as you could never seem to get up and often question if you still got the guts to keep waking up. When you did get up and were among people in public you hid every part of yourself so no one would see how close to the ledge you were about to jump off from.

A bunch of times followed where you were close to simply get hit by a bus or leaning too far over the railing of a skyscraper. It never happened, it made you even more miserable and at some point it seemed as if even death didn't want you. 

You sat once again on a bench at the Central Park consumed by thinking shallow thoughts that kept you somehow still afloat. Friends were long abandoned, you hadn't reached out in days if not weeks. You couldn't bring yourself to care them, not if this darkness robbed you of ever little strength you had left, you also had no mental capacity for yet another living creature.

Someone had sat down next to you as you were digging yourself your mental grave, you did not notice them, at least not until you felt the first snow flakes falling against your skin. It was Natasha Romanoff, your supposed 'home'. Only supposed home since you didn't feel the feeling of home for a long time now. You had once pushed her away from you. It was something you regretted but never made an attempt to make up for.

"Sharon called me." She started which not explaining further since she knew that you'd know exactly the reason why. "Shit sounded bad so I tracked you down. Was surprised at how good you became at disappearing." You did not utter a single word. Natasha knew you wouldn't answer, most times when it all got too much you turned semi verbal or even nonverbal. "Let's get you to your apartment?" She stood up and held her hand out for your to take. You didn't want to go, sitting there in the cold gave you a sense of comfort that you longed for. "We can watch a movie or simply lie in bed while staring at the stars we hung up on your ceiling." You were hesitant with putting your hand in hers since the lump in your chest felt only heavier. You dreaded to go 'home'. The single reminder of your bedroom reminded you that those four walls had seen too much already and that added more suffocation to your existing pile. 

At your apartment you seemed to crumble even more into yourself. How much more falling into the deep was possible? You didn't know, still hoping that the bottom would come soon enough. The deep bottom you thought would come and wished it came, didn't come, instead a steadiness of the dark arrived, you believed this was your bottom of this awful 'phase'. 

One night of staying with you turned into fully two weeks. Natasha basically moved back in with you. At first she wasn't so sure if it would be worth it but then she really thought about it and came to the conclusion that it was worth it, you were always worth it. As hard as it were for her, she knew how much harder it must had been for you. She single handly saw how at the end you were. You didn't even had the energy to push her away anymore. 

Night after night she laid quietly in bed with you. Day after day she helped you cooking, doing the dishes, changing clothes and if it was an extremely bad day she helped washing your body and hair. On a day you felt better yet still awful, you bought her flowers and her favorite alcohol. You were grateful for her and everything she did for you. She soon became a reason for you to start fighting the dark again. This time you were hopeful that things could get better. And they did, extremely slow for your liking but you couldn't complain, not after surviving your demons and monsters. 

Natasha stood by your side of every step you took. She even went to therapy with you when you told her you wanted to try it. She made sessions lighter until you were comfortable enough to go alone. Looking back you wanted to cry over how much she sacrificed to help you. You felt guilty about that but she reassured you that she'd do it all over again if she had the chance because it was worth it. You were worth it all. To seeing you smile, to seeing you being you, to gazing into each others eyes, to getting to touch you, to being held by you, to loving you and getting loved by you. 

Sometimes all you need is someone who understands you deeply and helps you simply with their presence. 

[loganswdc]

so....! yesterday's race was.... something....

firstly LET'S GO OSCAR !!!! HECK YEAH I'M SO PROUD OF HIM I CAN'T BELIEVE I GOT TO SEE HIM WIN HIS FIRST RACE !??!?!?! i do feel awful for lando ,, that entire situation created by mclaren was entirely unnecessary . their bullshit reason saying they needed to cover hamilton hence why lando got pitted first is so stupid -- it's like they realized they messed up and suddenly needed to come up with something to explain it .

it's especially frustrating because that entire mess that mclaren created only made it so that no matter what happened , fans would be mad: if lando won , people would be pissed that oscar didn't get his first win . oscar won , and now people are pissed that lando didn't win . and the entire win for oscar just doesn't feel the way it should: the energy surrounding his first win isn't as positive and exciting as it should be .

and that genuinely makes me so sad for oscar , because i know he's been waiting for this day . he's been waiting for his first win , and it's completely dampened and stomped on because of mclaren's awful strategy calls near the end . i was genuinely yelling at the screen when they pitted lando first , because what was that for ?? why pit him first ?? he did NOT need to cover hamilton , like there was genuinely no need for that . they were leagues away and lando was fast enough that he could have pitted second and still gotten p2 , or lando and oscar could have actually fought for p1 . and it wouldn't have had this bad , awkward energy around it like it does now .

mclaren seriously needs to get their shit together because they're only harming both of their drivers through these things . and them airing out dirty laundry (considering how they were saying "you need the team to win this championship" or how his race engineer mentioned the morning debriefs , etc. etc.) and trying to guilt trip lando over the radio is actually insane !!

it was honestly just a mess .

i also lowkey found it so funny how lewis was trying to break the tension in the cooldown room and lando was just NOT having it . bro was so mad , he threw his p2 cap on the floor and lewis just side-eyed him 😭 multi-21 all over again literally and lewis is in the middle of it , poor guy HAHA

now on to logan's race !! i felt so bad for him , i know he could have done well but unfortunately he had a really bad start and it all just went downhill from there :( the tyre strategy they had him on was... it actually pulled out of no man's land . i genuinely don't get what they were trying to go for there . it seriously sucks man , this weekend was almost his weekend and then it all went to hell 😭 his post-race interview broke me , too . the fact he looked like he was about to sob and said that start will haunt him ... please someone give him a HUG i need him to know we're so proud of him no matter what . shit start or not he did everything he could to fight for positions in that race :(

i was genuinely so confused about what their thought process was ,, and then the fact that logan had to pit for softs at the end because his hard tyres were destroyed... ugh . and we know logan is good at tyre management !! like that man gets a new set of tyres and he is gonna treat em REAL GOOD . so it just goes to show how much of a mess the tyre strategy was .

especially considering how on the radio alex was practically yelling at his engineer for being indecisive with the strategy , saying that the tyres are destroyed already and that they need to be more sure with what they want to do . williams seriously needs to start listening to both their drivers , honestly . it's incredible to me that this tyre fiasco happens SO often on race weekends . they need to get it fixed , and they need to fix it now.

also the fact we found out that alex's teammate is going to be revealed in two weeks... i am actually terrified !! i need either logan to stay with williams and they pull themselves together or he goes to another team that will treat him better .

overall this race was just . it was something . exciting for oscar , but still dampened by mclaren's mess ups and logan's race was doomed from the beginning , both because of his unfortunate start and tyre strat :/

hopefully next week will be better , for everyone , and the teams will get their shit together !!

and that concludes my weekly rant session , thank you very much for reading <3

[marblecakemix]

I loooove my baby brother. (tw: misogyny, kys)

Today I made breakfast for both of us, bc he was sick and I was feeling generous. Throughout he was saying how much he loves me and appreciates that I'm making the breakfast (I don't cook often, bc of low energy aka adhd).

We were just talking casually. I was telling him a story and the moral of it was for him to not underestimate women's ability to find a man on the internet and make his life worse (if that said men did something bad). His reaction to that was "why so gendered?" - his exact words. I tried to laugh it off in oh you know, women are just better at that because they need to save themselves from dangerous men. He didn't understand why I was telling him that, so I explained that it's a warning for him to not cheat in a relationship. He did not like that one bit lmao. He said that I was awful assuming he would do that, I didn't think so, bcuz mostly men chest on their girlfriends and wives, which now he was pissed because how dare I say women's crimes are not equal to men's. He started going on about how women are more awful than men. How they cheat more and SA more than men, which is a fat lie and I did call him out on it. Throughout our conversation I was always supporting those imaginary women without skipping the beat. In the end he stared at me dead in the eyes and said that he wanted to kill me on the spot. We argued some more after that. My last words were that he is, in fact, the problem. I quickly dressed up and walked out of the house.

I know I don't have a self-preserving instinct, but I can't stop myself from challenging his beliefs. This however is not the first time he said to me that he wanted to kill me, so I knew I was somewhat safe (I know I'm not).

I hate it. He used to be such a nice person. He used to be my little baby brother whom I loved dearly. I fucking hate every Andrew Tate guy out there that distroied him. No matter how much I or my mom tell him that he shouldn't listen to him and other guys on YouTube, he still does it. I hate men so much. I really hate them with a burning passion. I also hate the new "feminism" movement that imbedded the idea that we all are equal in him. I really hate it all.

[slaythebirdman]

does the peanut choir in Quiets head become too much? Does he ever just stare into space engaging in the latest nonsensep while the princess can only wonder what is going on in there? and conversely does the princess ever have times when all of her facets pulling in different directions become too much?

💗 the times where the princess interrupts the voices because birdie has been silent for a really long time were sooo funny. i understand that the game can't make that joke every single time the voices go on and on, but the peanut choir really cannot keep quiet, can they?

(as a side note, what the hell is going on with the poll? why is smitten so popular? i honestly cannot stand him. yellow and i will be posting our individual tier lists for the voices at some point, and smitten is easy at the very bottom for me. if anyone could explain the hype, i'd appreciate it)

The voices can be... distracting.

- The Voices™ are great, really, don't get him wrong. They all mean the best, even if they have wildly different opinions on pretty much everything. But with those differing opinions comes many, many, many arguments, and while it's possible for the Quiet to tune them all out, he feels kind of bad about leaving them alone.

- Sometimes he can't help but engage in the conversation, especially when they often involve himself or an important decision. Usually nowadays it's all trivial matters, and the Quiet finds silent entertainment in sitting back and listening to them all bicker about proper grammar or music tastes.

-The Quiet is pretty decent at responding to the voices in his head, though he will sometimes slip up. He might be washing the dishes and the Princess will walk by and hear him mutter, "This plate was too expensive, I'm not turning it into a shiv."

- There are times when he doesn't realize, however, that the Princess is standing nearby--often right in front of him--with a questioning look, playing her game of "How Long Will it Take for the Bird to Notice Me." The Quiet has before emerged from his own head to a hand waving in his face, to a card game being all set up and ready to go, to hats being stacked on his head. The Princess finds it entertaining at least and doesn't seem to mind too much when he spaces out mid-conversation.

- Sometimes she asks what was going on in there. Sometimes the Quiet can't answer without hours and hours of context. When that's the case, the Princess tells him that she's lost interest.

- The few times where the arguing becomes too much and he can't help but shut them out, he feels awful. It's just too much for his head to handle sometimes. The Princess knows that the Quiet needs some dim lights, cuddles, soft kisses, and whispered reassurances. The voices are all pretty apologetic when he finally tunes back into them and are quieter for a while after.

- A few of the voices have gotten to know the signs of the Quiet reaching his breaking point. Usually it's the Narrator who notices first, though there are times when he's too caught up in an argument to realize. The Paranoid or the Cold are the most likely to notice after the Narrator. The Hero is... bad at realizing, but once he's made aware, he is one of the most active in getting everyone to cool down or at least be quieter.

The facets can be overwhelming.

- The Princess does sometimes experience something similar, though instead of voices in her head, she gets strong, conflicting emotions. She has to sit out and take a breather lest she blow up at the Quiet out of frustration like she used to, allow herself to listen to and feel all of her emotions, understand what they're trying to tell her. It's exhausting and takes a lot of mental energy.

- Some facets will overtake others. It's easier for the Quiet to tell if facets like the Beast or the Witch are the most dominating, and he's quickly able to advise the Princess to take a deep breath and take some time to herself. Ones like the Prisoner and the Damsel, though, are more difficult to detect and are scary in their own right.

- She'll often disappear into the bedroom and close all the curtains to lay in the darkness in silence. The Quiet knows not to disturb her, waiting for her to come back on her own time, offering a hug, a cup of tea, a game, or an ear if she needs it.

- The Princess still loses her cool sometimes, angry tears streaming down her cheeks as she races to the bedroom and slams the door shut. She's incredibly ashamed and apologetic after she's taken time to collect herself, and the Quiet is understanding and reassuring.

...

- They're both aware of what each other needs by now, able to offer the right kind of support without really needing to ask. It's not always easy, but it's them.