#and that giant joint of course! lol

[dreamings-free]

louist91 instagram story 16/6/24 at 1:05am BST

[mihii-i]

I loved your parent Arle headcanons ahh <33

May I request something similar but instead it’s oneshot Arle finding out fem reader is pregnant? I was thinking reader is a harbinger too and they both find out together while on a mission in another nation but it’s up to you !

with you.

Pairings: arlecchino x fem!reader

CW: sfw, moderately but also slightly suggestive, female reader, pregnant reader, arle referred to as husband, wlw, GIRLS KISSING OH MY GOD?? it’s their biological child bro don’t even ask how don’t ask and just hc whatever u want there’s like baby magic, arle’s real name mentioned blah blah yk this, harbinger reader, mention of sex, fluff, lazy writing toward the end, not proofread.

A/N: I want to write so badly but my homework says no anyway guys my brain loves cooking so much omg also my tea tastes EXTRA good today—update the second half was done the next day I have no tea :(…actually I’m just too lazy to get the giant jug out of the fridge and I’m finishing this so I can go get bubble tea instead lol���️

Heaps of fluffed blankets bunched up at the edge of the bed, messily piled below yours and Arlecchino’s feet. Her hand was draped over your loosely covered shoulder, the black gradient trailing up her arms contrasting with your skin dimly brightened by the illuminating candle filling the room. Small shivers surged through every vein of your body as you slumbered, stomach churning as you felt your muscles tense roughly even in your sleep. Arlecchino carefully blinked one eye open, her cross marked eyes eyeing your scrunched up expression of discomfort.

Soft fabric of your undershirt brushed along your shoulder decorated with goosebumps blistered across your skin, the shoulder strap of your undershirt sliding a bit lower past your shoulder as her hand brushed up and down to ridge along the blooming bumps decorating your skin. The constant jabs continued to rack your body over and over, a swelling ache seeming to stiffen every joint in your body and making you stir in your curled fetal position. Hunching your shoulders, you rolled over onto your side once more, the tip of your nose lightly grazing Arlecchino’s neck.

Honestly, couldn’t even think up a single reason why your body continuously harbored a pang of soreness spread through every small compartment of your body. It had initially crept in as a few light cramps, starting off bearable and only irritating you every now and then. Musing all the possibilities, you shrugged off the periodic stings stabbing at your abdomen as muscle cramps or mild injuries from your mission. After all, mild injuries weren’t anything of concern to a harbinger of your status.

Ever since you had been dispatched on a mission along with the Knave, or rather your dear husband Arlecchino, everything had gone smoothly up until the present. The two of you had carried out the Tsaritsa’s orders accordingly, and found a lavish inn to stay the night at in order to replenish your strength. Golden light shadowed across the hall endlessly, the bright glows of the looming chandelier swinging back and forth carefully above your head gave quite the nice impression of the inn the two of you had come across. After all, you deserved a nice, opulent stay for a night after getting through a tedious mission around the outskirts of Snezhnaya.

Even now as you looked back on it, the receptionist’s expression didn’t make much sense as she slid a polished room key across the wooden table in your direction, the quiet grate of steel on wood bristling across the wood in sync with her morphed smirk. You simply exchanged confused glances with Arlecchino, who was equally puzzled with the receptionist’s words of: “I wonder if the Fatui shake entire rooms…have fun in there!”

Of course you could shake entire rooms, you had one of the highest rankings that any member of the Fatui could bear.

You and Arlecchino stepped foot into the warmly lit room, a comfortable bed with draped silk covers spilling off the sides situated square in the middle along with a spruce bedside table and porcelain decorations standing proud on the other desk tables across the room. Sure enough, the lighting clearly wasn’t the only thing in the room that was warm. Your body was suddenly flooded with an unshakable heat, raising the temperature of your neckline as pores of sweat accumulated at the base of your neck. The faint scent of jasmine grazing your nostrils was too strong to ignore, enveloping you in a sense of fervor and mild passion. And surely enough, Arlecchino was affected too.

The next thing you knew, the two of you basked in the dimmed lights and gentle air tickling your skin within the cold darkness, movements intensifying as you took in each other’s unclothed form. Arlecchino clawed at your side with each breath you drew in, nails raking along your plush hips as the two of you were lost in the thick heat clouding the atmosphere around the two of you.

By the next morning, you both continued with your day, heading back to the Fatui’s headquarters as if this was a normal occurrence between you two. Upon creaking open the heavy doors to the Tsaritsa’s well furnished chambers, you and Arlecchino had knelt before the Cryo Archon, the black fluff of the coat’s neckline feathering against your cheek with each sway of wind slipping in through the small crack of the opened window.

A near frustrated groan came dangerously close to pushing past your lips as the Tsaritsa commanded a mission for the two of you once more, ordering you both to take care of matters somewhere around Fontaine once again. Of course, you two couldn’t deny a mission from the Cryo Archon. It was significantly less tedious compared to the one you had just returned from, so why not?

However, as you and Arlecchino wavered through the sea parting the way to Fontaine, you couldn’t shake off a gnawing sense of nausea clawing at your belly as the ship rocked along the currents. A few droplets of ocean water trickled onto the ship, the clear liquid stilled on the edge of the boat as it seemed to glare at you despite being a mere inanimate state of matter. Your mind couldn’t help but race with unnerving possibilities shrieking like a parasitic voice thickly buzzing around your skull. You had clearly never felt so agitated before, nor paranoid over seemingly nothing.

“(Name). Seriously, are you alright?”

Ah. Peruere’s firm, yet collected tone always washed a sweet comfort over you. Especially when she seemingly showed concern over your well being.

You simply nodded, palm running along your side in circular motions as a way to soothe the throbbing pain which thankfully subsided a few solid moments later. By the time you were already in Fontaine, the pain was almost always present. You began vomiting quite frequently, often removing yourself from diplomatic relations to go throw up somewhere else. If not that, then you sure as hell were drowsy 24/7, feeling like you were about to break and collapse onto the earth at any moment.

In this very moment as you huddled into Arlecchino’s neck, you drew in a sharp breath quickly as your hand rested atop hers, which was currently thumbing at the strap of your undershirt. Her sweet scent momentarily distracted you from the ache in your stomach growing to pester you every moment of the day? Sure, they stopped, but it felt as if something was landing blows on your gut from the inside, kicking vigorously at your swollen stomach. Thankfully, Arlecchino finally arose beside you, her body tilted forward as she sat upright groggily. The soft hue of the dimmed lights warmed the tone of your face, your drained expression on full view for her to see.

She simply quirked an eyebrow in concern. She was aware you could handle yourself, yet your fatigued form couldn’t help but fill her with a sense of worry upon seeing you stir in supposed pain. The past week had plagued her mind with constant anticipation and uncertainty about you, wondering if she should contact the doctor situated not too far from your accommodations in Fontaine’s main city.

“About 3 weeks, Miss (Name).” The doctor replied, pressing his forefinger down onto the middle of his glasses to lower them as his eyes glided along the scribbled paperwork in his hand. You blinked in surprise, hand resting on your own thigh as an awkward silence fogged the room for what felt like centuries. Carefully, you rose to your feet as to not exert yourself too much, before delivering a thankful wave to the doctor who examined you. Swallowing down the nervous rise piling in your chest, you creaked the door open to exit the office, mind racing with what Arlecchino’s reaction would be.

Would she be happy? Upset? What if she isn’t ready to have any children with you in particular? Would she feel tied down?

The pestering questions continued to eat away at you as you slowly paced to your quarters, growingly anxious about how she would react to such major information being dropped onto her. You simply shook your head as you reached the foot of your shared room, shaky hand resting upon the doorknob. It didn’t matter how she reacted. You were 3 weeks pregnant and that was for sure, it was just a matter of what the two of you would agree to do.

As you turned the doorknob with a soft click, creaking open the door, your body suddenly felt heavy and sluggish. Each trudge forward felt like you were opposing gravity when you set your foot down in a single step. Arlecchino was situated on the bed, sitting on the edge as she remained lost in thought while tracing her own cursed hands. She didn’t take long to notice you, and her head snapped up to meet your gaze once she caught sight of your form standing at the corner of the wall.

“Ah. Love. How did the visit go?” She inquired, her voice gentle and soothing. You felt frozen in your spot, staring at her like an unmoving stone statue as your fists opened and closed slowly. By this point, your hands piled up a small amount of sweat between them as you clasped your fingers close, breaths coming out slowly in your perception.

“Arle, I’m pregnant.”

The atmosphere of the room was stunned just as silent as it was when the doctor revealed the same information to you, your anticipation growing as Arlecchino stood up and started walking toward you. You began fidgeting with your own hands, thumbs slipping against each other as her tall stature slowly drew closer and closer to you. Within seconds, she was right in front of you, hands raising to rest onto your shoulders gently.

“What do you want to do with the child, my love?”

You found yourself almost immediately relaxing, tense muscles resting upon hearing her sweet tone brushing against your ears. It was as if the world around you slowly cleared your vision, alluring you into Arlecchino’s arms as she wrapped you into a soft hug. Her blackened hands pressed along your back in circular motions, massaging you comfortingly as her lips ghosted over the shell of your ear.

“I…was thinking of keeping it.”

Arlecchino simply smiled, a rare occurrence that crossed upon her expression…unless she was with you. Her arms hemmed around your waist carefully, drawing you in against her chest as she rested her chin onto the top of your head. She simply let out a quiet hum in response, closing her eyes to rest against you. You followed suit, closing your own eyes slowly as you relaxed in Arlecchino’s grip.

“Very well. We’ll finally be able to be at peace together.”

A/N: I am sorry BUR IM SO SKEEPY RN IM NOT GONNA BOTHER ANYMORE WITH THE END IM SORRY

[alpaca-clouds]

Rural Living vs Capitalism

Something I find rather funny is this one thing that somehow left wing and right wing people will agree on: They kinda hate farmers and their protests and them wanting living wages - just for different reasons. Like, sure, there is a certain group of right wing traditionalists who idealize farmers, but pretty much everyone else just is angry with them in one way or another.

Among left wingers I usually make myself unpopular by looking at farmer protests and go: "Yeah, well, actually they are right?" Because most of the times the protesting farmers are the smaller and middle sized farms, who get fucked over by the big coorporate farms. And that is an issue. It is among the issues they are protesting about.

And this is a general thing when it comes to the rural communities.

See, a lot of times left wing people tend to be rather suspicious of rural folks, having this idea that everyone in rural areas is super conservative - not to say racist, misogynist and queerphobic. And... Like, we know that statistically speaking a lot more people with "conservative" ideas (if not outright rightwing) live in the rural areas, which has to do with folks in those areas generally being older. And if younger families move into rural areas, they often are better off and hence statistically also more likely to be right-leaning at the very least.

However, the fact is that nobody gets quite as fucked over by capitalism as people in the rural areas are - both farmers and people just living there. And there are always people living in rural areas for the other reason people might move there: The fact that living in rural areas is on the surface a lot cheaper. Homes are cheaper there at the very least.

But that is where it starts. Because rural folks get fucked over in so many way. Generally there is the fact that a lot of other stuff is more expensive in the rural areas. Often amenities might be more expensive. You want fast internet? Lol good luck finding someone offering it. The internet cables lying in your village are probably like 15 years old. You remember ISDN? You wanna go shopping? Well, you gotta drive 30-60 minutes to the next supermarket. Need new clothes? Well, it is a two hour drive now. Also, the supermarket might be more expensive than the one in the city. You cannot drive a car for some reason? Well, we have a bus that comes two times a day, if you miss it, you are fucked. The next train station is like an hour away. Mostly because for "small" rural communities it is just not payign under capitalism to put all those things into the villages. A big supermarket? Does not make enough money there. Fast internet? Costs too much to put down there. The same with everything else. And thus... Because capitalist companies want to make a profit, a lot of stuff is not available in rural areas. In the worst cases this leads to food deserts - large areas where no supermarkets and ways to get food (other than fast food joints) are avaialble.

Oh, and schools? At times the next school might be more than an hour away as well.

And if you are a farmer? Well, if you are a small farmer you are fucked as well. Because no way in hell are you able to work your farm as efficiently as a coorporate farm management company is able to, who underpay the farmers working for them. Those companies can afford for giant automated systems, too, that take care of a lot of the stuff. Things that a lot of smaller farmers just cannot pay for or need to go into dept for.

So, in so many ways... Yeah, people in rural areas get fucked over again and again. Both people living there - and the farmers. And... Well, yeah. Of course because in the rural areas people tend to be a lot more conservative - but in the end they might be fucked over more than anyone else by capitalism. And due to the lack of basically everything around them, they often lack access to the information of how and why they are fucked over.

Which is not to say, that there are not left wing organizations active in rural areas. And some people there start to see how they get fucked over.

But I just wished for left wing people to also realize that this really is a big issue. And have some sympathy for those people.

[genshingarbage]

So, uh, this is just some mindless drabble type stuff that sprouted for my sheer love for Al-haitham lmao, not me with the C1 Al-haitham whaaaaaaat??? Lmaoooo, but yea, this is just pure smut for the sake of smut, so uuuhh? Yea, enjoy, I guess? Lol also fair warning, in my mind Al-haitham is only cold and distant at work and to those he doesn't really trust, with those he trusts he's a giant sweet goofy teddy lmaooooooooo - Mod Diluc

My Business Not Yours.

||NSFW||

Al-haitham x Reader / Smut / One-Shot

The voices inside saying to turn tail and run, not to bother the man, leave him be and that you're just going to annoy him, after all he had stopped showing up at the Akademiya for a while now, and you had already clued in as to why; it was no secret, to you anyways, of the man he shared his home with, how close they seemed to be too. Where ever Al-haitham was in that building, Kaveh was right behind him, as if joint to hip.

You swallowed down the thick lump that was in your dry throat, nervously tugging at the bottom of your shirt that hugged around your body, your skin paling as the thoughts in the back of your mind began to grow increasingly louder the closer you got toward Al-haithams home.

Of course you liked Kaveh, pray he don't misunderstand! He's never done you any ill, and not once has he been rude or dismissive of you, whenever you use to visit he was so chatty and engaging toward you, it almost could've been mistaken for him enjoying anyone's company other than his own boyfriend's. Because they were boyfriends, they had to be. It just made sense in your mind.

But it didn't stop the little pain that nestled into your heart everytime you thought on it for too long, whether you wanted to admit it or not, you had fallen for Al-haitham, pathetically hard might you add. It wasn't your intention too, of course not, The Scribe was merely tutoring you as the Akademiya were low on staff as of late. He always kept discussions, work related, and professional.

Until as of recently, that is however, roughly two months ago, if you were to try conjure an estimation exactly of when he suddenly became a little more informal toward you, making jokes, asking more personal questions, ones that were on the level of what friends would ask. And with this sudden change of behaviour spiked a change in your way of seeing him, feeling for him.

You originally thought he was single, for he'd never mentioned the existence of Kaveh before, not for the entirety of the year you've known him. But he was if anything, a private man, kept to himself on almost everything and anything, so it shouldn't have been a surprise to you when he asked you round one evening for a few drinks, and some light chatter, to suddenly be introduced to this man who unbeknownst to you, and the rest of Sumeru City it would seem, had been settled here for some time now, in Al-haithams home.

But surprise you, it did, and you'd be lying if you didn't have to choke down the raw disappointment and heartache that swelled within upon the realisation as you smiled politely and introduced yourself to Kaveh. But still, you didn't blame him, of course not. You weren't entitled to Al-haitham in any sense of the word. The man can love who he wants, and Kaveh was a charming man to boot, not to mention friendly and sweet. You just got your hopes up is all, silly of you to do so in hindsight now, but what can you do? You're only human.

Still, it had been three weeks since Al-haitham had last been seen by anyone from the Akademiya, and that was unbefitting to The Scribe, other students and colleagues began to chat and spread rumours that he'd chucked his role in, but you knew better, no way in all of Teyvat would he quit his job, one, not unless for immensely good reason, and two, not without showing face and telling you, you hoped...

That is why you now stood here, hand clenched tightly around a case of yours, and his favourite alcohol shipped all the way from Mondstadt, the type you both enjoy when chatting the night away and killing time, knuckles whitened from your tightening grip as your other hand, clenched in a fist raised up toward the expertly designed door. Nerves gnawing away at your sanity and the burning desire to give up on it all and go home, but despite all the sirens going off in your nervous brain, your hand subconsciously knocked all the same.

Knock, knock, knock.

Nothing.

...nothing.

......still nothing.

Was he not home? It would be just your luck, after all, that he be out the one day, the exact time you come by to visit.

Knock, knock-

You jumped slightly as the door suddenly clicked opened. You hadn't heard him approach from within. How silent must he have been?

"Hello Al-" your voice died down in its happy greeting instantly, at what you saw before you.

Al-haitham hung against the door, drowsy, silver hair dishevelled, eyelids half closed, clothes wrinkled and... exposing parts he probably wasn't aware of, or by the lack of enthusiasm on his face, didn't care of.

"...Haitham" your meek voice finished your greeting that had partially died on your tongue.

He sniffed casually as his eyes opened more, revealing those oddly coloured pupils you could fall for again, and again, as he clocked it was you, his demeanour relaxing instantly he lazily turned and began to walk away from the door he now left open.

"Y/N, what brings you here." He asked in a monotone voice, though it didn't sound like a question, more so a statement.

You took it upon yourself to warily step inside his darkened home, closing the door gently behind you. Glancing around, you softly sighed. You'd feared this outcome. He'd been dumped, hadn't he? It's the only reasonable excuse as to why he's been absent, and now being here, seeing him so hopeless looking. Kaveh would've greeted you by now, but as you expected, the blonde never revealed himself.

"You've uh, been absent for some time, I grew worried is all Al." You continued to glance about realising; Kaveh's paintings and various other decorations were gone. Almost all that was him had disappeared without a trace. Your heart ached, not just for Al-haitham but also yourself, for you'd began to grow a bond with him too, seeing him as a dear friend.

"How thoughtful." He merely spat out, laced with nothing but sarcasm, his mood was sour, and it filled the place with tension. He slumped down on the stool in his kitchen that faced his island in the middle, resting his chin boredly in his palm, which was propped up by his elbow on the hard surface. His eyes darting to you and then to your hand.

"For me?" He questioned properly this time, albeit in a muttered tone, making you draw your attention back to him. Seeing his eyes on the dandelion wine case in your hand, you blushed softly at your forgetfulness.

"O-oh yes! Sorry, I thought maybe we could, uhm, I don't know, chat, I guess? And catch up." You hated how timid you sounded, but it was natural for you to be so around him at this point. He was intimidating even when he was not trying to be.

"Chat?" He mused lowly before huffing aloud, "Sure, haven't seen you in weeks. It would be nice to know how you've been, at least." He finished. You blushed harder at his confession, but he paid it no mind for his eyes were already off you and glancing ahead of him, at, nothingness, blankly.

You made your way around the kitchen island and placed the case down. You were nervous around him, sure, but once in is home, you found it second nature manoeuvring around and making yourself busy. Grabbing some glasses and pulling one of the bottles out, popping the cork off and steadily pouring the glasses out with the beverages. It just felt right and easy to go around his home and have it feel like it was part of you now.

Once filled you slid the glass across the surface to his open palmed hand, he gripped it and began to sip it instantly, it concerned you how fast he was consuming the liquid, but you'd just decided to keep a silent eye on him for now. Taking a small sip yourself, you tried to seem natural with the questions you had bubbling at the surface, wanting to ask them for minutes now; "So... Kaveh?"

"Gone." Short, curt. You expected that response.

"As in?" You replied.

"As in, not coming back." He finished.

You nodded to his words, swirling the glass in your hand as the other rest against the kitchen surface, before adding; "Am I allowed to know why?"

"Disagreement." Elusive again, he clearly didn't wanna talk about it, and you weren't in any position to press further either.

"I see..." You stated flatly, "I'm sorry." You felt obligated to say it, but his solemn look as he nodded slowly in appreciation to your care made you realise why it felt like an obligation in the beginning.

He held out the now empty glass, a silent request for a refill, so you did, placing the bottle back down once finished. He bought the glass back, but this time, he took a more tame sip before placing it down.

"How's work?" He suddenly questioned.

"Boring." You scoffed softly, to which he chuckled gently in response. It felt nice to hear him make that sound, even if it was only briefly.

"You meeting the deadlines?" He continued.

"Of course, I had you as my tutor for a year, remember?" You jested.

His brow furrowed as he sat up properly now to look you in the eye, "what you mean, had?"

The question caught you off guard because, in all honesty, you hadn't realised you'd used past tense. You looked up at him now, your eyes no longer transfixed on the coloured liquid swirling in your glass, gaze locked with his expectant look.

"I- well, uh, I just, people have been talking-"

"Saying what." He demanded.

"Well, that, uh, uhmm, well... that you've chucked the position of Scribe in, that you uh... aren't coming back to The Akademiya..." You finished shakily as if a student being interrogated by her teacher.

He let a sigh draw out his mouth slowly as he shook his head, eyes scanning up to the ceiling of his house as he muttered below exhausted breath; "Archons have mercy."

You stood there unsure what to say next as he just huffed out at nothing before feeling his gaze on you again, the weight felt instantly by you, your eyes shooting back to him to focus now.

"I'm just taking a small vacation Y/N, don't listen to them idiots when it comes to anything to do with me." He stated before taking another sip of his drink.

You nodded, affirming your understanding to his words as you chuckled; "I had a feeling you wouldn't quit your job over a break up anyway." You let out a soft laugh as you took a large sip of your own drink in hand.

His eyes nearly popped from his head at your words, however, as he set his glass down and stood from his stool now; "a what? I'm sorry? Did you say breakup?" The disbelief in his tone had you taken aback again, your tongue really was running loose right now wasn't it? You had a right mind to cut it out.

"I- I," you stuttered, unsure where to take the sentence formulating in your mouth now.

"Y/N... did you think me and Kaveh were..." he looked at you, brow quirked up in utter disbelief still.

You placed your glass down and sheepishly nodded your head as you scratched the back of your neck awkwardly.

You expected him to shout, to yell, but instead, he let out a boisterous laugh, guttural too. It rose from the truthfully deepest parts of his chest. You couldn't help but chuckle slightly yourself, seeing him laugh so giddily, it was contagious.

The tears swelled in his eyes and threatened to spill as he laughed so hard from your assumption before finally wiping his eyes and sighing aloud, coming down from his high.

"Y/N!" He said loudly but not in an angry way more of 'I can't believe you' joking kinda way, "I'm not gay?! What on earth gave you that idea?" He snickered again, his lips curving up into a wide smile. You opened your mouth but quickly shut it, wanting to save grace and not make yourself more of a fool.

"I- well, I don't know! Maybe the fact you had a man living in your home in secrecy for one! Sheesh, you can't blame me for thinking you two were an item. You bickered like an old married couple every time I came around to visit archons sake!" You lifted your hands in a gesture akin to 'help me out here'.

However, his smile faded when the realisation of the fact Kaveh had come back into play hit him, and you mentally yelled at yourself again for ruining the mood.

"I'm sor-" you instinctively went to apologise as the sad face he now had hurt your heart so desperately, but he waved his hand, dismissing your words.

"No, it's alright, don't be sorry, it's funny you assumed we were together, but no, we are just g- we were just good friends." He smiled at you as if to be reassuring to him saying he's alright, but the look of brokenness didn't help him in that effort. "We hadn't seen eye to eye for a while, and it was only a matter of time before, well, this," his hand gestured to the lack of Kaveh's decorations and designs, and presence "finally happened." He sighed, reaching for his glass again and taking another large swig.

You remained silent for what could you possibly say right now that would be of any comfort? He'd lost a once dear friend, and you'd now realised you'd lost a blossoming friendship too, and it stung you bad, so you could only imagine how much it hurt for him. The way he downed his drink made you happy you'd bought it in the first place, though you wasn't one to agree with drowning sorrows with alcohol. It helped every now and then, at least.

You stretched out, allowing a loud huff to leave yourself and effectively kill the silence that had begun to drown the room in tension; "Come, no more sad talk, let's take the drinks to the sofa and have some catch up time, I've missed my drinking buddy." You smiled warmly, and he simply smiled and nodded back.

-

The night quickly went by with you both talking about work, discoveries you'd made, ideas he'd been sitting on, interests and further hobbies you'd both decided to reveal to one another, reminiscing on past funny moments when working together, joint dislike towards certain colleagues and disagreeing with many of The Akademiya's methods in pursuit of knowledge.

It was moments like this that made your heart swell harder and reminded you why you'd begun to fall for him in the first place. You both clicked together over every little detail. You either complimented each other perfectly with your agreements on matters or delicately accentuated your differences in debates on others. Either way, you were both puzzle pieces that perfectly placed together in any jigsaw.

From both yours and his humour to your hobbies and interests, it didn't matter. You just enjoyed the company of each other over everything, you were comforted in his presence, and he was comforted in yours. There was no need for further questions or desperate attempts to create conversational topics, they fell from you both so naturally, and even more so once the alcohol had finally began to take root in your mind and his.

Cut to fifty-seven minutes later, and you're both closer with one another than how you'd oringally started out tonight, figuratively and literally. The jokes becoming more daring with underlining tones you couldn't quite take as anything more than flirtatious banter right now, and your tongue becoming even more looser than before.

-

You couldn't stop laughing, not with how Al-haithams drunken impersonation of one of your more annoying work colleagues was so spot on! Right down to the way he always flicks his hair as if he's a famous scientist known world wide.

"Pffthahahaha!" Your tears fell from your eyes freely as you couldn't stop laughing. You'd broken into such a giggle fit it even caught Al-haitham in the midst of it beginning to wheeze himself, you both sat on his sofa, the light basking you in a relaxing glow as the nightsky had claimed territory above Teyvat outside now.

You tapped his knee gently pleading for a time-out to catch your breath, though he'd stopped impersonating a full minute ago now and so you both were just clutching your stomachs and wheezing like two utter mad men as the alcohol sent a pleasant buzz down your spine.

Once the laughing had finally begun to die down, you found yourself just staring at him, your head cocked to the side and resting in your palm as it pressed against the back of the sofa. He breathed in deeply to regain some slight composure before looking at you, cocking his head playfully at you now.

A small smile crept onto your lips uncontrollably, and your words fell effortlessly from you; "you're just a big goof ya know that?"

He gasped mockingly as he turned to place his glass down on the small coffee table stowed away at the side of his sofas' arm rest. Turning his attention back to you, "so rude Y/N."

You giggled, rolling your eyes, your other hand loosely holding the glass at a slight angle, the wine inside close to spilling out if you were to tip it anymore so; "No, honestly, I use to be so afraid of you, worried I'd make you unhappy with my work, or you'd not even bother to grace me with your attention ever. You came off so cold and distant..."

He began to nudge himself closer to you, subconsciously maybe, but you weren't finding it anywhere in yourself to complain right now.

"That so?" He drawled out in a smile, "makes sense, I suppose, I do tend to keep everyone at arms length. Can't trust people that well from The Akademiya, even so-called colleagues." He finished slowly. His eyes locked with yours, "Why'd you stick around if I was so unwelcoming?" He questioned.

You shrugged as you broke the joint gaze to bend round and place your own glass down now, feeling your mind become ever so slightly dizzy you had little foresight left, which gave you the reasonable reaction of putting the glass out of harms way, turning back round you noticed Al-haitham had moved even closer now, and the proximity had began to make butterflies flutter in your stomach ever so slightly, but the alcohol made good distraction of said feelings.

His eyes searched yours for something. You were unsure of what, but they were definitely searching and searching deeply, too. Neither of you spoke now as your eyes were lost in one another, till he finally broke the silence; "I wanna kiss you." It was sudden, and so crystal clear you couldn't even pretend to have not heard it. Your cheeks burned as you suddenly felt hot and entirely trapped by him. Your throat ran dry all too quickly, and you swallowed down a lump that had begun to form; "i-... okay..." is all your drunken mind could respond with, for it seemed much easier to follow your hearts wants and desires now that you'd drowned yourself into intoxication.

He shuffled closer slowly, his eyes burning into yours before dropping to your lips, his tongue swiping across his bottom lip subconsciously, your mind was moving at a thousand miles a second right now, but the only thought that stuck out from all the rest was how unbelievably sexy he looked right now, as the redness dusted over his cheeks became more visible, and the slight huffs of his breath became more audible, as the air grew hotter and more tense as he drew in closer, his arm spreading over you to lock his fingers into the armrest beside you, effectively caging you in, his other hand cupping your cheek softly but firmly, angling your chin just right and then-

A relaxed sigh escaped your mouth only to be swallowed by his own as his lips pressed gently into yours, his tongue seeking permission to enter inside your mouth, to which you eagerly granted him, your eyes had closed instantly upon the feel of his lips meeting yours, and he slowly closed his eyes a few seconds after, the kiss now deepening as his tongue danced around yours and laid claim to your mouth with his dominance.

You felt your mind going light and fuzzy now, the kiss drifting you further into a dreamlike buzz. You so hopefully wished to never wake if it were just a dream all along. The breathing that exited both your noses were louder than usual as the intensity of the kiss grew more feverish, the wheeze of your lungs be pushed to their limit began to sting, and it must've been doing the same to the scholar above you as he then slowly, albeit it reluctantly, removed his lips from yours.

The string of saliva that connected both your lips snapped once he took a somewhat bated shaky inhale, his eyes never leaving yours once you'd finally reopened your eyes to catch your own breath. His thumb absentmindedly began to stroke sweet circles against your jawline and cheek, and you found yourself happily pressing further into his touches.

"How long?" He questioned, though his voice was more hoarse and rough now.

You looked into his eyes, knowing what he meant instantly, for you could see the same want spread across his face that you were also clearly painted with too.

"Several months now." You replied, honestly.

Still looking at you he began to manoeuvre you both softly, guiding you down, back pressed against the sofa chair, him now looming above you, the light that lay suspended in the air from his living room ceiling being blocked from directly shining in your eyes by Al-haithams towering figure above you now.

"Is your assumption of my relationship with Kaveh the reason I've been getting zero response from you with my advances?" He asked earnestly. His eyes make you feel naked with how intensely they stare at your every detail.

"I... I suppose so, yes." Your mind couldn't think straight anymore. You were in such a proactive position with the man you'd had a burning desire for months for now caging above you, alcohol having now also dammed your senses and sunken your defence, and he was interrogating you? When your mind clearly hungered for something else right now.

He chuckled softly as if it was all a big joke the world had been playing on him from the start. He lowered his face abruptly and placed warm, open-mouthed kissed against your neck and the juncture between where your neck and shoulder connect, eliciting a breathy moan from your numbing body.

"You nosy little minx," he began to gruff the words out through intakes of air between his onslaught of sensational wet kisses that marked all over your neck and shoulders, his hand gripping the top of your shirt to lazily pull it further down to reveal more skin for him to revel in. "That was my business, not yours," he nipped at a specific soft spot on your neck that made you hitch your breath under his magnifying pleasure. "Because of your sniffing around, you conjured up false accusations, and it cost me," you began to pant harder as his kisses grew more heated and possessive in their nature to mark up your skin and lay claim to you.

"Al-...mmhaahh- Al-haitham," your voice was soft, barely above a whisper as you shakily moaned his name out, a plea, a beg, you wasn't sure what, but your instincts could only give you strength to say that one word, however as he hungrily bit down on your neck you couldn't stifle the proper moan that slipped from your lips this time.

"Make more of those noises for me," he sounded drunk on his lust, and you were in the same ship as him, his lips and tongue were made by the devil, they had to of been, to elicit such sinful sounds from your very own mouth. His fingers clutched tightly on your shirts fabric. It was only a cheap, flimsy thing you'd thrown on in your haste to come see him today, "this, is in the way," he practically snarled the words out as a loud tearing sound echoed throughout the spacious living room, a blush burning at your cheeks now as you felt the temperature change, you hadn't worn a bra either-

"Temptress." He stated in a frenzied manner as he dipped his head down past your neck now, you cried out in sheer overwhelming pleasure as his hot mouth encased round your nipple, sucking on it fervently, his tongue flicking it around between the clasp of his teeth inside. Your hands slipped through silver locks, so silky to the touch, you giggled to yourself inside, as depressed as he was, he always made sure he was well pampered, such a pretty boy.

Your eyes closed as you got swallowed up to all the burning sensations that engulfed your body right now, his tongue, lips, teeth made sure to bite, kiss and suck any and all flesh that held his attention, while his hands left delicious squeezes and gropes all over your thighs, slipping underneath your arching behind to properly feel your rear too, he made sure to leave no part of you undiscovered by him.

"Tried so damn hard," he continued to growl hoarse and roughly as he bit against your fleshy mounds that were now glistening in slight sweat, "to make you realise my obvious want for you," he panted heavily as he began to shuffle about again, your body too weak and overwhelmed to resist anything he'd do to you now, but as you felt your legs being lifted and the feel of your pants being roughly pulled down you mewled in excitement as to what's to come.

Though your mind was hazy with the thick fog of arousal as the room slowly began to permeate with that smell of sex, your hands slid up his body, squeezing into his firm muscles on his arms, your mouth watering slightly as you took into consideration the sculptured frame of perfection that hungrily stripped you as if you were the marvel to behold here.

"Feeble Scholar, my a-ass." You breathed out to which he once having finally thrown your pants on the floor bent back down closer to your mouth to properly hear, "what was that?" He panted out his request, his face so flushed with his burning desire for you. "Yo... you can't blame me for having... doubts, how could I have ever expected to... engg... have a chance with you? You're so... perfect." You confessed your insecurity to the whole ordeal that had been burning at the back of your mind since the moment you began to pine after him, alcohol really was a dangerous thing you'd drunkenly realised.

He sat up, an almost flustered amusement painting his face as he lulled his head back, lazily running a hand through his silver hair, looking as if in thought, before sniffing in sharply through his nose and lowering his head back down to burn his gaze back into yours. You suddenly felt that naked feeling again, and it wasn't because you were in nothing but your dampening panties underneath him, no, it was that look he gave again, as he burned every detail of you into him, as if blinking would make you disappear so he wouldn't dare too.

"I won't be held responsible for this," he muttered out as you felt a tug at your waist and then heard another snapping sound. You gasped about to voice a complaint over one of your favourite panties now being ruined, but instead, you choked on your words and hiccuped a moan out instead. His long fingers deftly shoved into your now soaking entrance, two push inside which caused you to shudder hard under him and writhe around, his grip on your hip kept you in place however, bruises were sure to show tomorrow from his hold.

He began to scissor you open in an expertly way that left you speechless and mewling with delight, his thumb pressed against your clit and stimulated it simultaneously with quick and fast circular motions, your eyes beginning to water as your body wracked with pleasure as if small sparks of electrocution ran through your very veins, the heat pooling below rapidly now. "Heh, that's it, keep singing for me Y/N, keep," he began to spread his two fingers wider inside you, stretching you open deliciously past your normal limits, "making, those, faces." every word he gruffly barked out with that hot underlining tone of lust was accentuated with the spread of fingers lodged deep inside you.

You felt your climax barrelling into you so suddenly, the way your body tensed under him, your eyes rolling back as you cried out, the gush of your own slick and juices coating his fingers and hand, dribbling down to his wrist, he merely smirked as he watched you unravel beneath him, a gift for himself, so beautiful and alluring, he continued to scissor and thrust his fingers slowly inside you as you rode down from your incredible high.

He then leaned down beginning to pant harder, he sounded out of breath, much like how you sounded right now too, your face flushed red from cheeks to nose and ear tips, he wore the same expression, both of you intoxicated by far more than just alcohol. You had so many thoughts and words wishing to be voiced aloud but you found them dying on your tongue with every attempt, the sensations causing too many shudders and delectable thrums of ecstasy up your spine.

It wasn't long at all till his mouth was on yours again, another hot, sloppy make out between you both, tongues twirling with each other as air was squeezed from your lungs, teeth clattering in the transaction but it meant nothing to you, feeling him on you like this, devouring you, it felt good, so good, and so right, you submitted yourself wholly to him and he could sense it in the way your body relaxed and fell pliant beneath him as he continued to domineer the stinging hot kiss between you both, a muffled groan leaving his throat only to be swallowed hungrily by you in return.

"w-want you..." you whimpered softly while catching your breath.

"You're gonna have me." he concluded as he sat up and swiftly removed his tight emerald green vest that often left nothing to the imagination of his amazing physique.

You hesitantly lifted your hand up, the intrusive thoughts of wanting to explore every crevice of his skin, every ridged bump along his six pack down to the sharply carved V-line that disappeared beneath his unbelievably tight trousers. But your hand stilled, as if worried or more so, undeserving to feel such a beautiful being like him. He merely scoffed incredulously to your hesitancy, gripping your hand firmly and placing it flat against his abs, your cheeks flaring red as he guided your hand along those said tempting ridges and bumps, feeling the divine skin underneath you.

"We are past shyness of touch dear, stop looking at me with such hunger, and start actually acting on it," he chuckled in a far too sexy way above you as he knelt between your legs that were now hung either side his own legs. His hair a cute mess, his lips wet from your constant need to suck the air from one another, his eyes glossy and coated over with soul damning lust.

You let your hand continue to explore his abs before slowly sliding up and over his pecs, across his toned chest, he truly was stunning, so well built, he lies when he says he doesn't work out, no one gets a shape this godly without putting effort in, but you would reprimand him for lying later, now is worship time, your other hand began to join you in its neediness to explore him and he chuckled airy like toward you, his brow raising in amusement making him look like a smug god before you, "You really like what you see huh?"

You scoffed with the first sign of confidence you'd had since this whole crumbled down fiasco transpired, "Wouldn't you if you was faced with such an unremarkably sexy person?" you quipped back, he then swiftly gripped your hands and bought them to his lips, soft gentle kisses pressing into them as his eyes locked with yours once again, a smile pressing into your hand from his lips as the hot breath fanned against them as he spoke, "I am." is all he rebutted back at you before guiding your hands up and above your head, locking them together with one of his own, his strong fingers clasping round your wrists.

You blushed hard at his compliment, suddenly he has such a way with words, so suave and smooth out of nowhere, you were use to the cold distancing from before, and then the goofy and sarcastic man after, but this new side of him was just as welcome as all the ones you'd seen before, any side of him you would accept as part of him, just as you knew any side of you yet to be revealed would be seen no differently by him.

You blinked the tears away that swelled in your eyes from the overwhelming insanity of all that was taking place currently, sniffing softly as you tried to regain composure, the buzz of the dandelion wine and the heady scent of sex clouding your judgement so easily, your focus was redirected down south sharply however, when you heard the sound of his zipper ringing out, your throat suddenly felt too dry as you swallowed in anticipation.

You didn't even notice the cocky smirk on his lips as he watched your shining eyes focus solely on his fingers under his trousers away from your prying sight, he couldn't deny the desperation frothing inside him to feel your walls clenching around him however, so in one swift movement he pulled the front of his trousers down and with it the spring of his nearing eight inch cock bounced out in all its well trimmed glory.

Your eyes bulged wide at the sight, Archons he was massive! ...was, ...was he gonna be able to fit inside you? Suddenly you wasn't so sure as you looked at the pretty shaped pink head weeping plentiful of its precum, the thick girth and more than generous length, so heavy it was that even with how hard he was to the thought of taking you, the blood pumping down south couldn't properly lift the darn thing, it stood straight out and drooped ever so slightly.

"Holy fuck Al, you're ma-massive." You choked your words out with little care of modesty, you were worried and impressed, and you wasn't gonna deny it to him. He laughed, properly, full of warmth and genuine amusement, it gave you that giddy feeling again to see his sweet smile with no filters. "Relax Y/N, if you don't think you're up to it-" he was being polite, you knew that, but the look in his eyes was obvious, and you also knew he didn't mean it, he wanted you, bad, and you're anything but a liar, your mind could hardly even catch up to your current thoughts as you blurted out shamelessly, "No, fuck me-"

He squeezed your wrists in his grip tighter, to the point that you'd almost forgotten he still had them caged above your head, his eyes simmering into a darker shade as his lust consumed him, his expression looking ravenous and hungry now, "Thank fuck you didn't say no, I need you, so fucking bad," he snarled the words out beside your ear to which you mewled at as you felt his thickness now rubbing against your slick covered walls, your hole clenching around nothing in desperation to feel full.

Just as his head began to prod and poke at your entrance, sending tiny shivers rippling all over your muscles, for some reason, completely lost to you, your mind thought about the condition of his clearly expensive furniture. "W-wait! Your s-sofa..." your voice was so unsteady now, words became harder and harder to force out, you just wanted to make animalistic sounds of pleasure, pleasure he kept sinking you further into. He shook his head as his hand released over yours and placed firmly beside your head, the other now on the other side too, caged beneath him once more, just how you'd grown to like it apparently. Your hands reflexively shooting out as your hands dug into his muscular arms, flexing beneath your squeezing fingers, you squeezed tightly, trying to ground yourself to him, to anything, just, to feel as if you wasn't drowning, but oh, you were.

"May come as, a haaah... surprise to you, Y/N," his voice strained as he began to push his thick girth deeper, and deeper inside you, spearing your insides and stretching you unfathomably around him, your juices spurting out in unbelievable amounts, coating his cock in a shiny layer of slick as it continued to bury deeper inside you, your voice gone entirely now, replaced with heavy pants, whines and mewls, your brain frying all that's coherent. "But I don't give, a shit, about my sofa, ahhh f-fuck meeeerrngh, right now." he snapped his hips forward suddenly to finish bottoming out inside you fully, your stomach looking slightly bulged to his sex driven mind, but he could just be high on endorphins right now.

Upon feeling his tip press and kiss against your cervix it forced a combined moan from the pair of you, you'd never felt so fucking full, you'd only had sex a handful of times, but you didn't need to be a slut to realise no cock would ever have this man beat, he remained still, his thick veined cock lodged deep inside your spasming and tight walls, his eyes fluttering shut as he sucked a breath in harshly trying to steady his control, "fucking...hell Y-Y/N, you're so bloody tight mmnph.." you panted heavily, your tongue lulling out as you did, he couldn't help but to lean down and kiss you with a searing hot passion, your fucked out expression did something wild to him and if he had any less self restrain you'd be fifty-shades fucked out your fucking mind right now.

Your tongues danced with each other in nothing but a messy exchange of saliva, muffled moans and whines at his testing little thrusts, short and slow, but he was so deep that he was already making you see stars, you pulled away to breath once again, your lips shiny from your messy and continuous make out sessions, "well sorry, but did i-it ever occur to you, you're too f-fucking deep," you hissed as he suddenly rolled his hips into you causing him to rub and press against several of your sweet spots, your shuddering and spasming causing him to shudder as well, both of you cursing to high Celestia and back in unison as he then breathily chuckled against your ear, "nah, you can take more feisty thing," he mused.

Before you could question what he meant though he began to thrust fully into you now, slow but continuous and deep, your eyes squeezed shut as you began to moan loudly with wild abandon, he had no neighbours anyway so what'd you care? "S-see? taking me so well, good girl, haah." his voice was deep, strained, rough and hoarse, everything and all things that make him sexy to you at any given time, he was all in one at this exact moment, and his praising made your mind go fluffy and flash white behind your eyes, he realised it instantly with the way he almost came from your sudden squeezing and sucking from your ever so tight fluttering walls.

"ahh, fuuucckk, you like that baby? mmh?" he tilted his head as he sat up, his hips flushed against yours still, but now knelt between you sitting up he could probably admire the picturesque form you currently were in, sinfully gorgeous with how thoroughly fucked out your face was, your eyes half open, filled with lust and want, your cheeks red, your skin glistening with more sweat, panting and mewling, you were utterly divine to him right now, he laid his hand flat against your stomach slowly, pressing the bulge that he could certainly conclude was actually there now.

The way he pressed down on your stomach made you stutter out a sobbed moan, he was making you feel more full if that were even possible, he pressed against his own cock that was wedged so deeply inside you now, "mmh, I never did realise, just how... small you were, fuck, compared to me Y/N." he bit his lip harshly and you somehow found the energy to chuckle, though you were becoming rapidly more lightheaded, "telling me you have a size kink now, h-huh?" he smirked at your jab as he rolled his hips roughly against you again, causing your eyes to roll back and let out a wanton moan, "what was that, my little good girl." You mewled in response to the praise, the pet name if you will, your walls fluttering vigorously around his length again causing him to bite his lip once more to remain composed before beginning to trust at a steady pace now.

You couldn't believe you both were just idly revealing kinks while he was actively impaling you. But like you'd come to accept, opening up to him really was easier than breathing at this point. And breathing was suddenly becoming harder for you too, with how he continued to spread you open, rearrange your organs and insides to mould into the perfect sleeve for his cock, and his cock alone, he was burning his girth, his length, him, inside you fully, and you knew you weren't gonna forget the feelings he gave to you, and you didn't want too.

Your eyes had closed what, ten minutes ago, twenty? …forty? You really wasn't sure, but his pace hadn't let up, the battering of your poor insides was starting to ache you, you'd already came again and he'd just thrusted you through it into utter overstimulation, his lips trailing your neck, your shoulders, nibbling your ear, marking your chest, overstimulation was clearly another one of kinks, but with the way your tears spilled so gratefully and the delicious burn of your battered inside built you quickly to another encroaching climax, maybe... you were also into over stimulation, hmm.

"Fuck... Y/N, sorry but, I'm close..." if you were able to form anything of coherent audibility right now you would tell him to shut the fuck up with the whole 'sorry' sorry for what? Idiot. If he thought he was under performing right now... he needed a serious talking to, but as you felt his cock begin to twitch wildly so deep inside and the way he showed no signs of slowing down or pulling out, you started to realise why he may have said sorry...

"w-ahh wait, wa-wait, Al...mmhp, Al, you aren't s-seriously going to, to..." he shook his head as he pressed himself down onto you, his chest pressing against yours, your breasts rubbing against his chest as his hand flatly laid over your mouth, so big it was his fingers had to part to let your nose have an airway to breath through as your eyes widened to your sudden forced silence, "shhh, be a good girl, take it, take it all Y/N, Mmph...," he rolled his hips before beginning to rut into you, his hand sliding between your bodies and hurriedly swirling circled motions against your swollen clit and with that your eyes rolled back as he sent you over into another blissed out orgasm that flashed your sights white and your hearing just ringing out.

"Ahh fuuuck, yes, just like that baby, just like that, keep cumming on my cock you slut." you couldn't say anything, even your moans were muffled into near silence, your harsh breaths through your nose as your head went fuzzy and utterly fried from overstimulation now to the point of being fucked dumb, your nails scratching down his back leaving marks, eliciting a sharp hiss and growl from Al-Haitham as he continued to rut hard into you, "f-fuck, I'm cumming baby, I'm cumming, take it, take it a-all, arrghhh!" his head lulled back as he groaned out and then you felt it, spurt after spurt of hot thick ropes of his cum painting and smearing your insides, filling you to the brim, the squelching of your ridiculously soaked and battered entrance around his throbbing and twitching cock, hungrily your insides sucked and milked his balls dry till his shallowed thrusts into you and the twitching of his cock had nothing left to give.

He dropped down onto you, careful not to fully crush you under his weight, both of you panting heavily as he slid his hand from your over your mouth up into your hair, softly petting your scalp, the affectionate gesture made a warm swelling feeling inside you, that or you know, the bucket load of his cum and cock still deeply buried inside you. It was only once the haziness began to leave and you were left post thoughts after sex that you began to chuckle before breaking into a fit of laughter, his eyes had closed from exhaustion, but opened slowly to your laughing fit, chuckling himself and lifting his head softly before the contagious laughter caught him too, causing him to break out laughing as well while dropping his forehead against yours, both of your eyes watering with joy filled tears and overwhelming emotions.

Once the laugher died down and you were both now just sniffling with slight chuckles his eyes sunk downward then back up into yours, "Darn, the sofa's ruined now." he snorted to which you giggled at childishly, then the silence took over fully and you both lay together, eyes locked on one another once again, "I like you too Y/N." He boyishly smiled at you to which you rolled your eyes before a smile couldn't help but form too, "I would hope so" you returned.

-

After your pillow talk to one another you both got up and cleaned the mess up as best you could, he offered you first shower to clean yourself but you decided it was easier to just shower and clean together, you both continued to chat and joke, somewhat naughtily in your washing up time, but managed to come out of it actually clean. You didn't further discuss his prior feelings toward his ex-friend, it was his business not yours after all, though it saddened you to think you may never see Kaveh again, people come and go unfortunately, and in all honesty, no one knows what the future holds do they? Optimism is best suited in these saddening times to keep one going, and you wanted him to remain positive, you wanted to help relieve some of his sorrow and tension and you felt the mood had finally lifted and unbelievable progress had been made, the man you'd been crushing so hard for, reciprocated your feelings fully and it left you warm and fuzzy whenever you thought about it.

You stayed the night, to which more less than innocent things took place in his bedroom with you, no surprise there, he had amazing stamina and recovery time you'd thoroughly figured out during this endeavour. But the next morning you ate breakfast with him and continued to bask in the comfort of just being around him, to which he fully and equally returned the mutuality of. But alas, you did have work back at The Akademiya, so with a chaste farewell kiss you bid him goodbye till the next time you had time to come see him, assuming he still wasn't ready to come back just yet, which you were fine with, at least you had closure to his absence and could tell your colleagues to shut up with their bickering and rumour spreading.

-

The sun was rising bright above Teyvat as you were inside Al-Haithams office giving it a quick clean over, it was growing dusty from the lack of attention it had received for weeks now, it had been a couple days since you and him, took the next step in both of yours relationship, so to speak, and you couldn't help but already be missing him, did it make you petty? Probably, but at least you felt somewhat closer to him in here, in his office, and the excuse of spring cleaning kept everyone's suspicions at bay.

"Missing me so much already are we?" His voice came from behind you suddenly, causing you to jump near out your skin, whipping round fast eyes wide before resting your hand on your chest calming your nerves, "Archons Al, don't sneak up on me like that."

He quirked his brow as he set down some various documents and paperwork onto his desk turning to you, "Me? You're the one skulking about my office stalker." he squinted his eyes in challenge but you knew better than to raise to it, "Am not." or so you thought.

He smiled as he glanced around realising you had been cleaning his office during his absence, "Thank you though, honestly, for taking care of things while I was too busy moping." He turned back to his papers beginning to organise them in order of projects in dire need of attention on top, with the less urgent ones beneath.

"Well, everyone needs their time and space Al, even the amazing Scribe." you smiled warmly as you finished the left over areas that needed cleaning, gasping softly when you felt hands suddenly squeeze your hips and spin you back around, your hands dropping the cloth as they rested quickly atop his broad and firm shoulders, meeting met face to face with Al who stared down at you, your cheeks flushed red, you were in public was he mad?!

"Al?! Not here you mad man!" You whisper yelled to him trying your best to have a serious and scolding expression but he merely chuckled an kissed the tip of your nose lovingly, "Whatever happens between us in this office, is of no concern to others." he flatly stated as he began to trail kisses down your neck, your core beginning to pool with heated arousal and neediness for the man against you, a sigh of content seeping from your lips as your eyes fluttered softly, "What do you plan to do to me in here AL..." your voice was soft and laced with nerving excitement and anticipation.

He lifted his head to let his eyes capture yours once more, his breath hot against your lips as he whispered seductively, "That's my business, not yours."

[taifenggg]

The brain has been obsessing over pokémon lately again, and now I gotta ask the obligatory question:

What pokémon would be each character’s favourite/what type would they be a gym leader for?

YKNOW ITS FUNNY YOU SENT ME THIS CAUSE I ACTUALLY HAD MY OWN THOUGHTS ABOUT POKEMON X OBEY ME.

Here's my basic rundown and explanation for why I made things the way they are for my own Pokemon AU. I'm probably not going to do Mephisto, Raphael, and Thirteen in this unless people ask for it lmao.

long post under the cut

The Brothers:

Lucifer: Since he's the strongest avatar of sin, and technically Diavolo's right hand man he would probably be an Elite 4 member. Lucifer would most likely specialize in fire type pokemon with his signature pokemon being Houndoom(which can mega evolve) because he has Cerberus.

Mammon: I struggled a bit with Mammon's but ultimately I settled on him being a dark type gym leader. His signature pokemon is Honchkrow because of its crow motifs and how it kinda fits into the mob boss aesthetic which I think Mammon would love. His gym puzzle would probably look like a casino, so if you've ever played Persona 5, the gym puzzle would probably look a lot like Sae's palace and you have to play your way up to Mammon in order to challenge him. Also if you start getting upset or look sad he'll most likely panic and go easier on you.

Leviathan: The most obvious choice here is a water type gym leader. He literally sleeps in a bathtub and has a giant fish tank in his room lmaoo. I could definitely see his signature pokemon being Milotic because he thought Feebas was just a little guy and took it. And then he got mad when Mammon said Feebas was useless, so out of spite leveled up his Feebas and got high friendship with it so he could wipe the floor with Mammon using Milotic. His gym puzzle most likely consists of a TSL quiz and if you get anything wrong you get doused with water and sent back to the beginning of his gym. He's a sore loser though so if you beat him he might refuse to give you his gym badge and Lucifer has to intervene.

Satan: I feel like he'd be a grass type trainer just to spite Lucifer because he has fire types and he wants to show that he can use grass types to beat Lucifer's ass(spoiler alert, Lucifer wins because of the type matchup). His signature Pokemon is Meowscarada because obviously Satan loves cats so he'd probably immediately pick Sprigatitio as his partner, but also I chose Meowscarada because its Pokedex entry states that it's sensitive and prone to jealousy. So in a way, kind of like how Satan is with MC when it comes to Lucifer lol. His gym is modeled after a library(so like Lenora's gym), and you're tasked with going around the library and finding certain books for Satan.

Asmodeus: For Asmo, I feel like he would be a fairy type gym leader! I feel like it suits him, and I think he would love how both elegant and cute fairy types are. His signature pokemon would most likely be Sylveon, also evolved via high friendship. Both Sylveon and Asmo have the ability to charm others which I feel is very fitting for him. Asmo's gym puzzle would probably consist of something like a fashion show or something of the like, because Asmo would probably love to garner the attention of his beloved fans whilst at the same time showing up any challengers that come to his gym.

Beelzebub: Beel would most likely be fighting type gym leader! He would probably have a Bewear as one of his signature because like Beel, it appears friendly, you shouldn't underestimate it. Also Beel to me is like a big bear, cuddly, adorable, friend-shaped, but definitely not something I'd want to piss off. Him and Belphie would probably have a joint-gym where you can challenge the twins, and once you beat one of them you can then proceed to challenge the other. His side of the gym looks kind of like a sports field and you have to make your way through an obstacle course, working together with your team to get past.

Belphegor: So like I mentioned before, Belphie would have a joint-gym with Beel most likely in this instance. His signature Pokemon would probably be Snorlax! Not just because Snorlax falls asleep in the most inconvenient places but also because it eats A LOT. He likes that because it reminds him a lot of Beel. He's also the type of trainer to have the tankiest Snorlax that just refuses to faint and it's super annoying to deal with. Belphie's gym is modeled after a planetarium, and he's also a part of the sore losers gang. So he won't give you his badge cause he's a petty bitch and Beel needs to step in.

The Dateables:

Diavolo: the Champion, probably the most obvious choice because he's literally the ruler of the Devildom, and wants to help the three worlds come together. So two things, a leader and he has a goal that he wants to achieve in mind. I feel like his signature Pokemon would be a pseudo legendary and I settled on Goodra because like Diavolo it's known to be very friendly towards anyone but will not hesitate to fuck you up if you enrage it LMAO.

Barbatos: Another member of the Elite 4, Barbatos would be a psychic type trainer. I definitely feel like he would have an Espeon because they're known for being extremely loyal to their trainers, kind of like how Barbatos is with Diavolo. He is not someone that you want to mess with and he's noted to be one of the harder Elite 4 members because he somehow manages to stay one step ahead of you at all times.

Simeon: 3rd member of the Elite 4, Simeon specializes in flying types. His signature Pokemon is Togekiss, and its pokedex entry states that it's extremely friendly and concerned for others. Kind of like how Simeon will always go out of his way and still cares deeply about the Brothers and Lucifer, even after they were rejected from the Celestial Realm. Togekiss like to avoid conflict so like Simeon, he also likes to stay out of trouble, operating behind the scenes and only stepping in when necessary.

Luke: Your rival! Luke's always one step behind you, trying to prove that he can keep up with you. Luke's signature pokemon is of course, Fidough/Dachsbun. He got it as a gift from Simeon and his goal is to become to Champion so he can impress Michael and Simeon.

Solomon: I struggled a bit with Solomon's mostly because I couldn't decide what would be the most fitting for him. It didn't really feel right to put him as your other rival because he's clearly much more knowledgable on a lot of things, and he's of course your teacher in the base game. And an ace trainer didn't feel fitting for him either because he doesn't really seem like the type of person that would constantly be out and about. Ultimately I figured that the professor would fit him best because again, he knows a lot of things, and not only this but he would most likely guide you on your journey to becoming the Champion. I feel like Solomon would definitely have an affinity for ice type Pokemon, but his team is pretty well-rounded. His signature Pokemon would probably be Froslass because of how mysterious(?) it is, and how Froslass can also be very protective towards those that it cares about, just like how Solomon is with MC.

That's all from me for now! Here's my brain dump lmao

[elentiyawhitethorn]

Older but Never Wiser

CW: a bit of language

AN: Happy (almost belated) birthday @leiawritesstories my love!! This took way longer than it should have but depending on your time zone this might not be late yet lol, I’m dusting off the cobwebs to give you a little present :)

Based on this prompt: “you’re at the high school reunion and everyone’s talking about how you and [insert jerk here] were prom queen and king, unaware you dumped them years ago, and you’re moping… until you run into your nemesis from high school and you’re thoroughly distracted” (I can’t remember where this came from, it was just in my prompts folder, maybe I came up with it? Maybe not? Idk)

1458 words

Aelin could feel her shoulders begin to hunch as she drew in on herself. She’d known Chaol would be here, of course, but she hadn’t known the subject of prom queen and king would come up so soon, nor their joint senior superlative of “most likely to get married.”

She also hadn’t known Chaol would show up with a gorgeous woman taller than her, hotter than her, certainly classier than her, and wearing a giant diamond on her finger.

“I really thought you two were going to last,” Essar said, voice dripping with pity and sorrow as if she’d truly been invested in the relationship of two high school classmates she’d hardly ever interacted with ten years ago, let alone following graduation.

Aelin smiled tightly. “Well, it was for the best. I’m much happier now with my new boyfriend.” A lie, and an obvious one at that, if Essar bothered to notice. As it was, she was clearly more interested in the piece of gossip than its verity, even a decade after high school.

Some things really didn’t change.

The subject of Chaol was a bitter one—they had lasted several years following high school, and while Aelin had had plenty of time to move on, and multiple relationships following Chaol, seeing him now brought up old insecurities. Being interrogated about the end of their relationship by some random classmate at a high school reunion wasn’t making matters better.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Aelin cut in, “I should make some more rounds. It was nice to catch up with you.” There wasn’t an ounce of sincerity in Aelin’s tone and she couldn’t quite bring herself to care.

She and Essar exchanged goodbyes and Aelin fled, hurrying over to her friend Elide. Elide had been the class valedictorian and was now head of some tech company in Rifthold.

After catching up with her and a few others, Aelin headed for the refreshment table. She wasn’t one for social events, and after the tedious process of listening to the reunion’s organizers give speeches, followed by a solid half hour of unstructured mingling, Aelin was drained.

She poured herself a cup of punch. Staring into the reddish liquid at a distorted reflection of herself, Aelin sighed.

“I can’t believe Aelin Galathynius, socialite, gossip, prom queen extraordinaire, is moping at the snack table at a social event. Hell really has frozen over.”

Aelin started at the voice, looking up to see a man with stark white hair towering over her. He had certainly changed over the past decade, but the sharp pine green eyes clued her in on his identity instantly.

“Rowan Whitethorn,” Aelin drawled, grinning. “You…” She looked him over, taking in the size of his crossed arms, the deep tan, and the hard features. A tattoo snaked up his neck from somewhere underneath his shirt. Aelin whistled. “Time has served you well.”

Rowan chuckled, the sound all too familiar. “You think so?” He paused, and gave her a once-over of his own. “I could say the same.”

Aelin leaned against the table, smiling. “Do tell me what it is you do for a living. Wait—let me guess. Sly business man. Lawyer? Oh, tax collector!”

Another, louder laugh left Rowan’s lips. “I’m a child psychologist.”

Aelin’s jaw dropped. “Damn, okay.”

He grinned. “You’re what, a fashion designer? A housewife?”

Aelin rolled her eyes. “I work at a pharmacy.”

Rowan shook his head in disbelief, smiling widely. Silence settled over the pair, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable pause—merely a moment to take in each other after so long. Aelin remembered arguing with the boy this man had once been over schoolwork, over sports, over absolutely nothing.

“Gods, tell me you’re not with that asshole anymore,” Rowan said, breaking the quiet.

Aelin blinked, then felt her lips unconsciously stretch into a another smile. “No, I’m not.”

Rowan hmmed noncommittalaly. “You two were never a good match.”

He was the first person who hadn’t offered her condolences like it was some kind of recent tragedy, and for that Aelin felt her smile turn soft. “Remind me why we hated each other again?”

A breathy laugh. “I believe that was thanks to the time you scraped up the side of my car trying to park on the very first day of junior year.”

“We were sixteen! No one could drive well at that age.” Aelin was grinning.

Rowan crossed his arms. “Or perhaps the time you literally tased me? With a fucking taser?”

Aelin let out a startled laugh. She’d completely forgotten about that. One of the football boys had hosted a party while his parents were out of town, and his mom was a cop so he brought out her taser for a game of whoever can hold onto this $20 while being tased in the hand gets to keep it. Gods, high school had been quite the experience.

“That was part of the game! You took the risk, and you lost; I can’t be blamed for that. Besides, I happen to remember you making out with my boyfriend on one occasion.”

Rowan groaned in faux embarrassment, a hand running though his short locks. “Lorcan dared us to. Besides, you’d already broken up with Dorian at that point, so it didn’t really count.”

Aelin’s face started to ache as she realized just how widely her smile was stretched. “That definitely still counts, but fine, let me think of some other instance you were an asshole to me. I’m sure there were plenty.”

Rowan shook his head, eyes dancing with mirth, and opened his mouth to make a retort—but someone else beat him to it.

“Aelin! I was so happy to spot you here. How have you been?”

Of course, it was Chaol, leering over at her in a suit far too sophisticated for the occasion.

Aelin felt a wave of calm wash over her as she realized that as much as she didn’t want to have a civil conversation with Chaol, she wanted him to have the upper hand even less.

“Chaol, my gods! I’ve been great; I take it you have been as well judging by the beautiful woman on your arm?”

The woman in question blushed, and Aelin wondered what exactly she knew about her.

Chaol grinned and held up the woman’s hand—and the ring perched on her fourth finger—like some kind of prize. “This is Yrene, my fiancée. Yrene, meet Aelin and… Ronan?”

“Rowan,” Rowan correctly coolly, then glanced at Yrene. “It’s a pleasure.”

Chaol nodded dismissively and turned back to Aelin. “Is that a new haircut?”

It had been a solid six years since she’d dated the man, and at least three since they’d crossed paths. “Yes, it is.”

“And how are you getting on with that Fenrys fellow? Still happy?”

The last time Aelin had seen Chaol had been at the grocery story—fucking small towns—with her boyfriend at the time. He hadn’t lasted more than a month.

“No.”

A flicker of glee crossed Chaol’s features, and Aelin writhed internally.

“Much to my benefit, that is,” Rowan interjected. Aelin had nearly forgotten he was still standing with them. “For now I have her all to myself.”

What?

Chaol blinked, dumbfounded. “You two are together?”

Rowan shrugged. “We reconnected a couple years ago and hit it off—better than we ever had in high school,” he added.

Aelin had just enough self-control to paste a smile on her lips. Now understanding what Rowan was doing for, she took his hand casually.

Rowan’s hand envoloped Aelin’s, and his rough calluses scraped against her palm. It took restraint not to shudder, and Chaol be damned, Aelin was no longer paying attention to the conversation. Her world focused in on the warm hand interlaced with her own.

Less interested, probably now that he’d realized he didn’t have much to hang over her head, Chaol said a farewell and retreated with the fiancée who hadn’t spoken a single word. Aelin watched them leave gratefully.

Rowan slipped his hand out of Aelin’s and she almost objected before realizing herself.

“Thank you, Rowan,” Aelin said softly.

Her gaze drifted over to him and snagged on his piercing green eyes.

Rowan stared back at her for a moment. “No problem.”

Aelin shook her head. “It wasn’t no problem. That was very kind of you.”

Rowan shook his head, but said nothing more about the endeavor. “How long are you in town?”

“A whole week. I wanted to stay with my parents for a bit.”

“And I don’t suppose while you’re here you want to grab coffee together? I still need an example of the atrocities you claim I put you through, after all.”

Aelin’s expression turned fiendish. “Does tomorrow work?”

———

Tag List (this is so outdated so lmk if you want to be removed/added!):

@aelin-bitch-queen

@autumnbabylon

@charlizeed

@evolving-dreamer

@feysand-loml

@flora-shadowshine

@gracie-rosee

@infernoqueen19

@julemmaes

@leiawritesstories

@lemonade-coolattas

@live-the-fangirl-life

@midsizewitch

@morganofthewildfire

@mybloodrunsblue

@nehemikkele

@realbookloverproblems

@rhysandswingspan

@rowaelinismyotp

@rowanaelinn

@sexy-dumpster-fire

@sleeping-and-books

@story-scribbler

@swankii-art-teacher

@thegreyj

@the-lonelybarricade

@thenerdandfandoms

@yesdreamblog

[the-king-of-hell-66-6]

57 Follows! Thank you!

So, as I promised, here’s my favorite date with the love of my life.

Sorry that it took a ton time, been busy with wedding plans.

((Poor English))

One day, at our joint account, one of you guys asked what Adam’s ideal date would be, and he talked about how he’d like to go flying with me like he always dreamed of, and I said we could one day.

Even though he was fine with just Hell’s sky, I wanted to do something special, because well it’s him and since his creation day was not so far away. ((It was 5 months lol))

So, I decided, we’d go up in Heaven and fly together in the best sky of the existence.

But of course, as most of you know I’m obviously not allowed anywhere near those pearly gates, and they hate making exceptions especially when it’s about a relationship they don’t approve.

It took me whole 4 months but I finally got them to give us a secluded part of Heaven we could use for only one night, only Sera and Michael knew.

Side note it was probably Sera’s motherly love that got us here now that I think about it.

After that, I blindfolded Adam, guided him through a portal, assured him it was not a punishment, and opened his eyes when we came. You should’ve seen the surprised and excited look on his face hehe.

After a little more formal shit from Michael, we were finally left alone to fly all by ourselves.

It was amazing.

We raced for a while first, I always won of course, then he decided to jump from clouds and we just did that for hours like little kids, and we just sat down tiredly and enjoyed the view of the sky and the whole forest we were on top of aftarwards.

Then, he told me to stay there my eyes closed for a while before he went like a jet in the air. I could hear his wings flapping fast but I didn’t look like he told me until he came up and opened my eyes.

He had written a giant ‘I love you Lucifer’ inside a heart and with reddish clouds in the air right in front of me.

He begin thanking but I didn’t hear much as I went striaght to kiss him. He was startled by it as usual, but then it just escalated into making out sessions inside puffy clouds for a long while. We laughed, we hugged, we tackled each other and all of that until we were tired again.

Then we sort of just lied down, talked, watched the sunrise and waited for angels to come to tell us our time there was over.

So yeah. Even though this was Adam’s date, it’s nonetheless my favorite one of them all.

Maybe I should’ve proposed there..

@ask-adamsapple66 ((Took me a forever 😔))

[fulgurbugs]

hey i’m making another doll post today!

this doll actually doesn’t belong to me, but is my roommates! one thing about me is i never shut up about this stuff so eventually one hit her enough that she wanted her. and since she’s nice she let me take pictures

so here’s stitched in style frankie!

we had quite the ordeal freeing them from this box, but we managed to do it with joint effort. the box did not escape unscathed tho, oops

the turnaround! you might not be able to tell from the box, but one side of this dress is super super short!

the face card. i love this dark metallic lip on frankie, it suits her perfectly

it’s a monster high post, i gotta show you the shoes. frankie has soles that look zigzag stitched and the heel is a needle with thread wrapped around it

a couple more detail shots. my favorite little detail is the tiny scissors hanging off the chains. the earrings are also a needle with wrapped thread!

.5 shot (obligatory)

roomie managed to fit her in this spot, so you can see her misc collection too lol. also tried to get a nice pic with just frankie but buff psyduck was still in the shot lol.

overall i really love the motifs in this doll. the skirt itself looks like a giant pile of gathered fabric hastily sewn into something wearable, and the tulle and leather textures all contrast each other so nicely, in a way that’s very… well, frankensteined.

as for my roomie, her main opinion is that she wishes this frankie had a prosthetic leg like g3, which i think would have looked super cool but of course mattel does like keeping their gens separate lol.

anyways, if you stuck with me for another long doll post, thanks! see you for the next one because there will be next ones… trust

[danganronpa96]

You've talked about the concept of "third cast" if you were to do another DR type thing and who could be in it which is fun n all. But what about location? I think when it comes to the Killing Game formula, location is overlooked or not really talked about all that much from what I've seen. So I ask, if you had the ability to place this "third cast" in a location. What kind of location/s do you think would have potential/fun for a Killing Game Setting?

To be fair, you do have a good point. I think most people stick to a school location as that was done the most in DR and we have a safe understanding how thing can go down in such a place.

I chose a school for DR69 for a similar reason, plus it was already a subconscious thought I had to use it (also since I didn’t think it mattered at the time because I didn’t think it would get as popular as it did). DR96’s location was chosen to be island to spice things up and to provide the opportunity for different facilities in the form of buildings rather than rooms, but it still sort of falls into the same ‘safe choice’ category (but I don’t really mind that too much imo as it was fun designing my own islands).

Now, onto your actual question. A unique idea I had was the killing game taking place in ‘SEKAI’s. Now, if you don’t know what that is, it’s basically a world in Project Sekai born from a person/a group of people’s feelings, therefore the scenery, vibe and the way everyone dresses is very unique to it’s SEKAI. For example, the Wonderlands x Showtime SEKAI is like this giant and colourful theme park with fantasy-like things like a flying train. This is because the band’s dream is to perform cheerful and upbeat shows to make people smile.

For a killing game, however, it could work as a base SEKAI with new SEKAIs for the cast to gain access to after a murder (like the new floor/island formula). The theme of each SEKAI could be connected to a few characters at once, perhaps with similar themes. For example, Frye, Shiver and Eve could have a joint SEKAI based on art and creativity, which may look like a mix of the Splatlands during splatfest and Eve’s district Dream Fever. Wallace and Duck could have a SEKAI that has a felt/clay theme to it, as a homage to their media’s artstyles. Those are just some ideas based on the characters I’ve thought of so far for the cast lol.

The characters doesn’t necessarily have to be alive however before their SEKAI is available. Perhaps they die right before it opens, leaving everyone to walk through the memories of who they were…

Of course, since this is only connected to Kanade and no one else in terms of knowing the existence of SEKAIs, it does look suspicious. But hey, anyone could make their own worlds to be fair.

Otherwise, I can only think of other more grounded locations. A hotel in the style of Luigi’s mansion 3 with strangely themed floors where perhaps more than one floor can be opened after a murder would be fun. A death game facility in a similar fashion to YTTD could also be interesting the way the past floors are actually locked up as everyone moves forward from the previous deaths. Maybe the SEKAI idea could work like that too: each time they’re all moved to a new SEKAI with no way to return to the previous.

[ponyguru]

hello! I saw your post about the G5 Hitch toy and as someone whose interest in G5 is only surface deep ATM but wants to know more bc My Little Pony is my special interest I was curious about the different lines of toys that have been released for G5. I have that exact Hitch toy as pictured, minus accessories, that I picked up in a thrift shop as a set with the rest of the ponies from the first movie and while I assumed that that was the standard size pony now I'm curious if there are different lines with different sizes. Apologies if this doesn't make sense as I'm very tired and thank you very much for your time! ฅ⁠^⁠•⁠ﻌ⁠•⁠^⁠ฅ

Hi there! MLP is my special interest too, LOL! You found the right person!! But you're in for a long answer, which you are probably prepared for, come to think of it!

tl;dr: There's multiple sizes, and the most common release seems to be the "brushable"/3" size, with the next biggest being the "styling size"/6".

It's tricky to 'officially' categorize the G5 line in general, I think, because it seems like every release is - IDK, maybe I'm just not in tune with the fandom stuff, but it's kinda random!? For starters though, Strawberry Reef is often a very good resource, although I know during the G4 line she fell behind a bit!

It does look like she has (almost) everyone covered so far, to my understanding!

In my mind, I kind of split them up into the "standard" line (the little guys with the jointed legs, the first line was released as the Crystal Adventure line I believe!), which would have been called the 'brushables' in the G4 line, but ... these all have sculpted hair! T_T And then there's some variations, like the Dollar General singles which do have brushable hair (yay!) except for Hitch, but they have no jointed legs. Strawberry Reef calls these "Regular Size 3"" which does imply that they're the 'standard' release.

And then I call the bigger ones (Strawberry Reef's "Large Size 6"") the styling size, because back in G4 days they were called that due to typically coming with a lot of styling/accessorizing type accessories. The little brushables might come with a comb or pet, but the big ones would get comb, clips, elastics, etc. (Not to be confused with the styling heads, of course, which you can see down at the bottom of SR's page!)

I believe (correct me if I'm wrong!) that the "movie set" of the 6" guys came in a big multipack with all of the characters, Mane Five and Sprout, and the way to tell Hitch apart is whether his hair is flocked or not. SR doesn't have him listed yet (so she is a little behind!), but the one I just got at the 99 Cent Store has flocked hair (and more accessories), and Hitch (and Sprout) from the group set from 2021 (as listed on SR's site) do not have flocked hair.

And that's not even getting into the Ponyville/Blind Bag/mini sized ones!! lmao!

ANYWAY, that was a big info-dump, but I hope it helped you and maybe anyone else who is confused! When I say styling size, that's mostly just me using a holdover from the G4 collector terms, since I don't think they call them that now. I think it's just like ... 'Sparkle Adventures'? But then they call the big multipack 'Shining Adventures', so I don't think there's any consistency there yet for collectors to latch onto. But there's several different sizes to find, and there's even GIANT ones, if you scroll down on SR's page! She has lots of fun info! Happy hunting!

[mareenavee]

WIP Whenever~

OH yes I'm tagging a bunch of the the mutuals again for we have suffered greatly in tossing words at the documents. Proof below the cut.

Tagged by the most esteemed @thequeenofthewinter <3

Tagging: @paraparadigm, @changelingsandothernonsense, @friend-of-giants, @thana-topsy, @rhiannon1199, @snippetsrus, @tallmatcha, @gilgamish, @archangelsunited, @rainpebble3, @oblivions-dawn, @saltymaplesyrup, @the-storytellers-seer, @airiat, @elfinismsarts, @inquisition-dragonborn, and any others who have not been tagged :> Consider yourselves tagged. TAG ME. And always remember to re-tag mutuals even if they've been tagged, and especially if they've posted. Pile 'em on so we can outrun the notification problems on here and always be aware of each others' work LOL Below the cut we have NEW OC nonsense in a piece of an upcoming chapter 25 of The World on Our Shoulders!

“You have to help me,” the Thalmor said. “I cannot best her. And she will not let me close to my superior without leverage. If you recall, I shot you.”

Teldryn glared at the man, though he’d not be able to see through the chitin. He thought about it for a second. What manner of bullshit was this, anyway? He didn’t refer to himself as Thalmor before, despite the outfit. Despite the battalion and superior nonsense. Something was amiss.

“Yeah, that’s even less reason for me to help you,” Teldryn said, rubbing the inside of his elbow joint in distaste.

“See reason! All of that was for appearances. And, to be honest, my own safety. I saw how you cut down my associates,” the elf said.

“Appearances to who? The dead Thalmor? Sure,” Teldryn snorted. “Fuck you. Go figure it out on your own.” If he annoyed the elf just enough, his story would fall right out. That, or the details about Nyenna.

“Excuse me?” the elf asked, aghast. “And what, pray tell, do you intend to do instead?” His face and neck were slowly going crimson. Teldryn noticed his fists were clenched at his side. He smirked behind his scarf. Perfect.

“Sail this stupid fucking bucket back to Raven Rock. I don’t need a patron who summons dragons and demons,” Teldryn lied and let out an exaggerated sigh. ��Not worth the coin. I’ll cut my losses.”

“Mercenaries,” the Thalmor hissed, the word sounding more like a curse than anything Teldryn had managed so far. Of course he wasn’t going to leave Nyenna stranded here. But the elf didn’t need to know that. The Thalmor huffed, drawing attention back to himself. “Fine. Fine, what is your fee? I’ll hire you instead. You speak in coin, right?” He fished around desperately in his robes and produced a coin purse. “They’re at a standstill. They’ve been since before we were sent to retrieve that Skaal bastard. And if my superior doesn’t die, not one of us is going to get out of this alive, even if the consequences take some time to catch up to us.”

So there it was. The superior was evenly matched with Nyenna, or at least held some kind of advantage she couldn’t overcome on her own. But what did he mean about the consequences? And why was he including himself in this problem? Not that Teldryn would normally argue about offing some Thalmor leader, but all of it was bordering on insane. Figures Nyenna would have gotten stuck in the middle of it. He eyed the Thalmor as he sat down across from him and placed the coin purse on the bench.

“Before I take this job, sera, you’ll need to tell me what you mean by consequences,” Teldryn drawled, “as I don’t see how this affects me at the moment.” He didn’t move. The Thalmor sighed and ran his free hand down his face. He swore in Altmeris, but relented, finally. Teldryn smirked behind his scarf. The s’wit didn’t think through much, it seemed.

“Fine. Here’s this, then, if it will sweeten the deal, speaking of fetchers,” the Thalmor said bitterly. “I am and am not Thalmor. I steal secrets from them and pass the information back to a friend. I have a part to play. Only, a scout returning on my own without my contingent will indicate failure. Failure will mean being sent back to Alinor for retraining. And who will keep the information about the Dragonborn out of their hands then, hm?” He interwove his own fingers in a nervous fidget. “I can only survive retraining unchanged so many times.” His voice trailed off as he scrubbed at some of the scars on his head.

“So you’re a double agent?” Teldryn asked, dropping just a fraction of his attitude. He tucked away the man’s apprehension in the back of his mind for later. “Why? Why not just escape?”

The elf was taken aback by the question, blinking as if the sentiment hadn’t occurred to him before. He sighed and twisted his fingers together for a moment before finding the answer.

“It’s not as simple as one would think to get out from under their control,” he said. “So I threw my lot in with — well, that part doesn’t matter. Suffice to say, our goals probably align closer than you’d think.”

“But you shot me,” Teldryn pointed out, “and poisoned me, no less. Then, you sit there and have the gall to ask for my help.”

“It was risk management and nothing more,” the Thalmor quipped. “Do not take it personally.”

“Then why did you not poison the Dragonborn?” Teldryn ventured. He’d already taken the coin purse from the bench next to the Thalmor without being noticed. He grinned as the man’s face twisted through several different emotions until he buried his face in his hands.

“Oh, please. At this point, you must know I never did claim to be a good double agent,” the Thalmor lamented. Teldryn let out a loud cackle.

“You can say that again,” he laughed and stood up with a stretch. The Thalmor peered up at him. “Let’s just go get my friend out of trouble.” He offered his hand. “Teldryn Sero, best swordsman in all of Morrowind.”

“Varlais,” the elf said miserably. He shook Teldryn’s hand. All in all, this one looked tougher than he was. He’d been a decent actor at first until the confidence melted away. There was an explosion from not far off, tearing Teldryn from his thoughts. He spun around in surprise looking for the source. Varlais sighed heavily next to him. “Yes, that’ll be the Dragonborn.”

[10blue10]

The Evolution of Dragons Pt 1

Okay, so me and @arourallisreborn​ were discussing how the dragons from HTTYD might have evolved, and my research has led me to an exciting discovery. To start off, I am making two assumptions for this. One: HTTYD takes place in an alternate version of Earth. Two: the prehistory of this version of Earth followed a similar path to our own, except for the dragons of course.

Evolution of Flight

Now you might think that dragons evolved from some mutant six limbed ancestor, but arourallis came up with another hypothesis. Namely that the ancestors of dragons were gliding reptiles with wings supported by elongated ribs, similar to modern ‘flying lizards’. If you look at the Bewilderbeast’s wings, for example, you’ll see that the wing-struts run from the wing edge to its torso.

In most dragons, the wing struts all converge at either the ‘shoulder’ or the ‘wrist’ of the wing, depending on how articulated it is. For example, a Thunderdrums wing is like a giant fan that only articulates at the ‘shoulder’, whereas a Rumblehorn’s wing clearly has a ‘shoulder’, ‘elbow’ and ‘wrist’.

So, that exciting discovery I mentioned? It turns out there was a family of flying reptiles called Weigeltisauridae that lived during the Permian period, between 260 to 251 million years ago. Like this little guy, Coelurosauravus:

To quote Wikipedia: “They are characterised by long, hollow rod-shaped bones extending from the torso that probably supported wing-like membranes…These have been proposed to be modified gastralia or otherwise a novel bone ossification.” In other words, these guys had wing bones. They also had lightweight skeletons thanks to air spaces within the bones.

What I’m saying is that these reptiles were already two fifths of the way to a dragon lol. The first major divergence from IRL prehistory is this: instead of going extinct, at least one genus of this family survived the Great Dying and then split in two, with one group staying arboreal and the other becoming aquatic; perhaps to avoid competition with the ancestors of pterosaurs.

As for the arboreal group, a chance mutation might have made their gliding wings more flexible. This would make them a bit more manoeuvrable, just enough to give them an edge. From there they could have evolved true powered flight. I think these proto-dragons would fill out a similar niche to insect eating birds, millions of years before birds evolved from dinosaurs.

Now for millions of years, the draconids as we’ll call them would have stayed relatively small, to avoid competing with all the other reptiles in the Mesozoic era. Perhaps they’d have evolved slightly more articulated wings by the late Jurassic/early Cretaceous, as well as diversified into the main groups of short necked or long necked air dragons or sea dragons. It’s difficult to judge.

As for how more articulated wings would evolve, from what I can tell it would start with the bony rods supporting the wing moving from being at right angles to the spine, to converging at the inner crook of the wing. Or maybe at a point further along the leading wing bone. As their wings got larger, the leading bone would get stronger and more flexible, evolving an ‘elbow’ and ‘wrist’ joint.

I also think the dragons stomachs would be full of symbiotic bacteria that produce lighter than air gases. These, combined with hollowed bones, would allow them to fly even as their bodies got larger. Since we’re using SCIENCE, let’s assume that gravity is slightly less strong on this alternate Earth, to explain how even massive dragons are able to fly with relatively short wings.

If all this seems a bit far-fetched, keep in mind that it would take millions of years. Besides, whales evolved from weird little hoofed deer things in about 8 million years, so evolution can be pretty fast (by geological timescales).

Some of these early dragons might have grown large enough to directly compete with pterosaurs, but those species would likely have gone extinct when the asteroid came along. It’s possible that the remaining species survived by feeding on carrion or even on fish that also survived the impact.

(Arourallis has a theory that dragons took shelter in the Hidden World when the asteroid hit. Whilst I have issues with the ‘hidden world’ cave system existing in the first place, I like the idea of them taking shelter in cave systems.)

As @arourallisreborn​ put it, once the other large reptiles went extinct, dragons would have rapidly diversified and grown larger to refill that niche. I also think they’d mostly be living on what would become Europe and Asia. Thus giving our own ancestors in Africa time to evolve before the huge flying fire breathing reptiles showed up. As for how fire breathing evolved in these dragons…

That will have to wait for part two ;)

[acommonloon]

The best whiskey bars in THE WORLD. lol reeeeeally?

Just my two cents…

I spend too much time in bars and in some bars, any time at all is too much. For me, two of the bars mentioned on this list have no appeal at all. They are:

Proof on Main, the bar at the swanky 21c Hotel downtown, is nice for a hotel bar, but if you want to deviate from their current drink list or ask a bartender a question about whiskey anything… don’t, they are busy. They couldn’t make me a Vieux Carré and instead were pushing whatever their manager wanted them to. Of course that’s just been my experience. Around the corner though is Meta, and they have some of the best bartenders in Louisville with a much larger selection of booze.

Tartan House

I try many new bars each year. Usually I give them a few months to catch their stride before going in. Not sure why I waited so long to go to Tartan House because I was excited at the idea of a Scotch bar. Yeah No. A meager list of 30 usual suspects and I had to ask for the list. When the bartender warned the prices were by the ounce, I was shocked/disgusted. I nearly left but noticed they had a Penicillin on their drink list. I watched him make the $14 drink and when it was time to float the .5oz of peated Scotch, to my horror, instead he picked up a perfume style mister and sprayed the glass from a foot away. The tiny drink was gone in a minute then so was I.

Neat is a nice place with some interesting atmosphere, located on Louisville’s party corridor known as The Highlands. While they do have an impressive amount of vintage bourbon on hand to purchase, it’s an arm and a leg job, as my Welsh friend Marguerite used to say. Stick to their creative drink list or order a traditional drink and you’ll likely enjoy it. If you want to drink the old stuff you’ll need old money.

North of Bourbon is a newish joint in a building that too often seems to have a new joint opening in it. It’s in my favorite neighborhood, Germantown, and it’s quite nice inside. Some of the booths look like giant bourbon barrels, kitschy but cozy. I found a very well stocked bar there with plenty of new releases and barrel picks to try and the bartender was great.

The best my fav place on the list is The Pearl. It’s also in Germantown and is owned by some of the best whiskey people in town. They typically have the most talented bartenders and a great selection of booze, including bourbon. Prices are reasonable and yeah, it’s one of my constant recommends.

[typingatlightspeed]

TF2 Fanfic - Collar and Elbow

In anticipation of his upcoming contract in America, Misha has been training his sisters harder than ever in fighting, so they can best defend themselves while he is away fighting in the Gravel Wars.  Zhanna, being the oldest, bears the heaviest burden of this responsibility, and thus bears the brunt of her brother's aggressive training regimen.  And she really hates his training regimen.

Yes this is another one of those Luna Wants An Excuse To Write Pro Wrestling fics, lol.  Shout out to Tyson Dux's youtube channel for being helpful in figuring out the actual physicality of how specific moves work and how to escape them.  Also: ARMBARS EVERYWHERE

No warnings!  Genfic of siblings kicking each other’s asses because sometimes I decide to write wrestling.

---------

Zhanna grunted as her arm was wrenched, turned in with her palm up, twisted so that her shoulder felt like it would pop out of the socket.  Without hesitation, she launched herself to the mat, rolling forward and coming up to her feet to yank her wrist free.  Misha released his grip, a bit surprised by the acrobatic way in which his sister had removed his leverage, only to be seized by his own arm, his sister forcing it behind his own back and threading her arm under his, pressing against his back for leverage as she forced his shoulder to bend back too far, making the joint pinch.

It wasn't an impressive hold, by Misha's standards.  He knew she was holding back. He turned, pivoting as he dropped to his knees to catch her at his side, gripped her thigh with his free hand, and casually tossed her over his shoulders and let her roll off onto the floor.  Zhanna landed with a thud, splayed out on her back and glaring defiantly at her brother.

Both siblings climbed to their feet and circled one another.  They had been at it for ten minutes, exchanging holds in the home-made ring in the gym Misha had built into their home.  He wanted to be sure that in his absence, his sisters would know how to defend themselves. No one felt that responsibility harder than the eldest, Zhanna. So she trained, alone and with Misha's instruction.  Twice weekly they would trade strikes.  Twice weekly they would trade grapples. One day was a full-on fight, and the other two days were for firearms training and to let their bodies recover.

Misha had taken a contract in America.  The money looked to be impressive, but it would take him far from home.  He'd been training his sisters for years, keeping them strong and sharp.  But even so, he worried, and it fell to Zhanna to be the one protecting everyone in his absence.

So he'd been harsher than ever in the lead-up to his leaving.

"Zhanna, you cannot just go for whatever grapple presents itself.  You must pick your moves, leave no openings, make each action count.  You're going to tire yourself out before you do real damage this way," he chastised, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"If I could strike you while I held you it would be different," Zhanna replied.  She hated grappling-only days.  Especially now, as the pressure was on for her to prove her might to her frustratingly massive older brother.

"Of course it would be, but you need to master the fundamentals of both to truly use them effectively together, I've told you as much," Misha countered.  "Even with strikes, if you waste time with weak holds you're just presenting opportunities."

"You talk too much."

Misha huffed at that, and stepped in, moving to grab Zhanna.  One of her hands shot forward, jamming the heel into his collarbone, letting her fingers wrap around the side of her neck.  He did the same to her, his giant hand dwarfing her shoulder.  In unison, they brought their opposing arms up to put pressure on the other's extended elbow, their faces inches away from one another as they circled and jockeyed for leverage in a collar-and-elbow tie up.  Misha's nostrils flared, and Zhanna grit her teeth, narrowing her eyes at her brother, her opponent.  Digging her fingers into Misha's neck, she pressed in enough to make him falter forward, and in that moment of weakness, she jolted him forward, dragging his head into the pocket of her shoulder, and hefted herself to that side, turning her body and letting herself fall, dragging Misha down with her.  She lifted her leg to Misha's side, providing a fulcrum around which he pivoted as he fell, letting her spin out under him, tuck that foot under him, and throw her other leg over his neck as he landed, his arm fully in her grasp as she shifted her grip to hold his wrist and forearm in an armbar.  Misha landed flat on her back, and Zhanna did the same, using the leverage of her leg over Misha's neck to arch her back and his arm along with it, forcing his elbow in the wrong direction.

Misha roared, shifting and trying to alleviate the pain, a burning stab shooting through his arm, Zhanna's leg refusing him the leverage to fight back.

"Are you going to tap out, dear brother?"

"It will take more than a fancy armbar to make me tap," he growled, casting himself from side to side to attempt to roll toward her. Zhanna untucked the foot she had planted on the floor and threw it over Misha's ribs, both legs tensed over him denying him the leverage he needed, and in a moment of frustration, he went slack, his face pinched as he tried to clear his head amid the growing pain in his overextended elbow.  Taking a breath, he realized that the leg over his ribs was his way out, and took hold of Zhanna's leg across his neck, seizing her by the ankle.  He crossed her ankle across the other, and pushed both feet up together, removing the pressure on his torso enough for him to shift his hips.  A younger Misha would have an easier time of the next part, but he was not about to let the aches and stiffness of age make him look weak in front of his little sister.  Misha lifted his legs, scissoring them around Zhanna's crossed feet, and rolled, using his legs to pull hers off and away as he forced the two of them to roll, coming up atop Zhanna, her belly to the floor, his arm tugged from her grip in the confusion.

Misha rolled to Zhanna's side, to his hip, and stepped over her to straddle her back.  He snatched up her legs and wrapped his arms around them, spreading them and cinching them against his waist, then squatted, forcing her back to arch at a sharp angle.  Zhanna slammed the mat with her fists and forearms, searing pain sparking through her spine. "Son of a bitch!"

"Don't talk about Mama that way," Misha teased, squatting deeper, nearly sitting on her shoulderblades as the angle lifted her hips and belly from the mat.  She roared in agony, clawing at the mat, trying to find purchase, trying to figure out an escape.  "Do you see? I could have done any number of holds here, but a Boston Crab can completely immobilize an opponent.  A leg lock might not have.   A toe hold might not have.  A chicken wing or hammer lock might have also worked, but this hold is terribly painful, don't you agree?"

"Fuck you!" Zhanna yelled, her voice strained with a mixture of pain and difficulty breathing.  She pushed her chest off of the mat as much as she could and turned her shoulder in, tucking herself under and forcing herself to curl in, under herself, under Misha, until she was looking up at him from below.  With a heave of her hips, she forced herself out and onto her back, throwing Misha to the mat with the force of the inversion.  He released her and grunted in approval, nodding.

"You're getting good at using your dexterity to your advantage," he noted, sitting up.  "That's good.  Press every advantage you have.  Against normal men, you have strength.  Against me, you have dexterity."

"Tell me things I don't know," Zhanna spat, climbing to her feet.

Misha chuckled at that, rising to his feet.  He rolled his shoulders and got back into stance, a grin on his face.  "Fine.  I'll tell you that you leave your legs open too much."  He ducked into her space, bringing a forearm to her hip and snatching hold of her calf. Using his forearm as a fulcrum he pulled her leg out from under her, forcing her back to the mat with a slam, punching the air from her lungs as he dropped her leg.  Misha stepped in for one of her splayed arms, his toe on her bicep to keep her in place as he bent and took hold of her wrist.  He stepped back, yanking her until she was sitting up, then knelt next to her, tucking her shoulder into his armpit and taking her wrist in both hands to take full control of her arm.  He sat, pushing her forward with his leverage, forcing her over onto her belly and prone, leaning atop her, holding her down with his weight atop her shoulder and back.  He twisted her arm so she was palm-up, wrenching it up and back, pain lancing through her shoulder and elbow.

"What do you say, Zhanna?  Submit?"

Zhanna shoved her other arm under herself, trying to wrench herself up, give herself leverage, but to no avail.  Misha was too heavy and too much of his bulk was leaning onto her.  Every time she tried to shift he'd wrench her arm harder, and it was quickly growing difficult to think straight.  She settled down and tried to relax, tried to think, tried to analyze her situation.  Then she saw it, her salvation: the metal jug of water that Misha always brought to the gym for their training, so they would have a ready source of hydration without having to leave the room and interrupt the flow of the lesson.  It was small, about the size of a beer growler, and made of hefty steel, a ridiculous thing he'd picked up at the trading post and was always looking for excuses to use.

Now, she had a use for it.

Stretching her arm out, Zhanna clawed for the edge of the mat, to where it sat, hoping it was far enough.  Misha, feeling her try to escape, leaned harder onto her, actually pushing her the couple of inches she needed.  Taking hold of the jug, she grunted, "No, but Misha, look at this!"

Misha turned, confused, and was met with the jug crashing into his nose, breaking it with a sickening crack.  He roared in pain, releasing his sister and rolling away into a heap, cradling his face. Zhanna took the opportunity to climb to her knees and shake her arm out, rolling it to try and work out the pain.  "Submit?" she asked, lowering her voice to mimic him.

His hands falling away from his face, Misha was not surprised to find them covered in his own blood.  He sniffed, to no avail, and turned to look at his sister.  Blood poured from his nose, down his lips and chin, and a bruise had already begun to spread across his face.  A lesser opponent would have been cowed by the rage on the man's face. Zhanna merely rose to her feet and settled into a fighting stance.

Misha barked out a laugh, slapping the mat with his bloody hand.  "Finally! Finally you understand!"

Zhanna had not been prepared for that.  "Understand what?"

"Striking only days, grappling only days.  Yes, learning fundamentals is important, but what is more important is learning that in a true fight, there are no rules."  Misha rose to his feet and considered wiping his nose on his arm before thinking better of it. "There is no such thing as a fair fight, Zhanna, and anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is just trying to make up for their own lack of ability by imposing restrictions on you."

"So all of this time all I had to do was break your stupid rules?" Zhanna gawped.

Misha tapped his temple and grinned, then settled back into a fighting stance.

"What about your nose?"

"We'll fix it after this match.  Now, no more baby games.  Fight me!"

Zhanna roared and charged in at her brother, a laugh bubbling out of her as the thrill of combat finally took hold.

[addysfandomdump]

Eggshell hypermobility disorder chronic pain icon ✨ she hurts most in the hips, shoulders, and most of all, the neck, since those are integrated fleshy parts (elbows, knees, and hand/foot joints are entirely mechanical, so Eggshell doesn't feel anything there) (the neck is especially sensitive considering her spine was essentially split in two) (I am also projecting my own chronic neck pain onto them lol). And of course. Phantom pain.

Eggshell has a strange relationship with sensation. Her mechanical parts don't "feel" and "touch" the same way normal flesh limbs do. It's all very detached, emotionally. When Eggshell touches something, they don't really "feel" the thing, it's more like something is telling her that they are touching something, or something is touching her. Instead of feeling "pain," they're just told "left arm is damaged" by her body.

Eggshell's limbs can move independently from one another and reassemble themselves akin to the Iron Giant. And yes, Eggshell can and has popped her hands off and had them scurry around like Thing from the Addams Family.

[flockofdoves]

today was really really bad. was in the middle of cleaning my roommates cat shit off the floor today in preparation for our landlords inspection tomorrow that my roommate never responded about helping out with when my roommate got home from work. and of course she did her usual thing of trying to ignore me and running upstairs but i repeated her name a couple more times til she was forced to acknowledge i was there and when i said 'hey can we please talk for a little bit' she said 'haha no thats okay thanks though!' with a weird mocking tone while not looking in my direction continuing to walk up the stairs

and i started fucking panicking i walked outside for a bit with my gf and couldnt stop myself sobbing and hyperventilating and shaking once we were back inside which my roommate obviously could hear.

and i just didn't have the energy to clean up her mess anymore when i was so emotional right then and kept coming back to wanting to Really Well express my feelings even though i knew it wouldn't amount in anything and she never responds to texts anyway unless she stands to benefit from it

but just so i wouldn't push down and stop feeling my emotions and so i could let out my energy in an effective way i spent the last 2 and a half hours writing this all out

and of course when i went to text it it wouldn't deliver so i'm sure she blocked my number in preparation after that lol. but i also emailed so like whatever

katie —

i acknowledge that texting or emailing a giant wall of text is not really an ideal form of communication. there are some things i have hoped to express for a while, and i don’t want to pile it all on, so i hope despite the format i can do an okay job at expressing my hopes and needs without making this overwhelming to read or anything.

today jacqueline and i spent the whole day cleaning downstairs. as me and jacqueline are hoping to renew our lease here, i have been scared that if the apartment isn’t clean enough for the inspection that was going to be tomorrow (as of an hour ago moved to saturday instead) that we would have no housing in a month from now.

i feel drained in our current living situation. it is upsetting to smell months old moldy dishes in the sink every day, or to find the source of the fly problem in an old fermented cup of coffee full of larvae. but i get that you probably feel similarly, and it wouldn’t be productive to tie up my emotions surrounding that into blame, and i hope i can word things here in a way that makes it clear that i am writing to express my needs and where i am at, and not to simply leave you to handle my emotions or anything.

i have had times of my life where keeping things clean and sanitary has been hard, and even if i don’t know your specific situation, i empathize with that struggle a lot. i know that (beyond of course combatting structural issues in society and health issues that can often contribute to that sort of struggle) the way out of that struggle is in support and help from the people around oneself. we may not know each other that well, but i would like to be able to help in some form.

it isn’t sustainable for me though for the form that that help takes to be for me and jacqueline to deep clean everything every few months once it gets really bad again. i have a physical disability that causes me chronic flare ups of extreme joint and muscle pain. i have been in the middle of a flare up during this week leading up to the inspection, making cleaning a very slow and draining process for me. i’m sure that between being busy with work and any other situations i am not aware of that you clearly have a lot on your plate as well that is making doing stuff like cleaning a struggle too.

obviously there is no ideal solution to stuff like that when all parties involved are struggling and there aren’t enough external resources, but i believe from past experiences that the best thing that can be done to improve the situation as much as possible for all involved is for people to work collaboratively, communicating openly about what they might need help with, lessening the strain on them when the other person is able to do more, reciprocating the same when they can, and finding a compromise to push themselves a little and equitably share the strain when things are hard for both people but stuff still needs to get done.

even if i, for example, do not feel like i am at a point in my life where i have the time and resources to consistently take care of a cat and didn’t expect to have to worry about that responsibility, i would be much happier if you communicated stuff like for example, ‘hey would you be able to scoop her litterbox this week, things are really busy right now and i’m struggling with doing it myself’ as opposed to the current situation where it technically isn’t my responsibility, but it still needs to get done and i’m not sure if it will happen. i want to help you and kitty, and having stuff like that explicitly communicated would make things a lot easier for me.

i get that it is hard to communicate, especially when you’re in a bad situation, and i know i have been awkward in my communication as well, but no matter how hard it is i think it is still crucial for fostering a healthy environment where none of us feel too burnt out.

the same applies to a lot of other situations. if you are struggling with having the resources needed to get enough food for whatever reason, i want to be able to help you out, and if you ask i’d be happy to give you any food you want, no further questions asked. i also love to cook and share meals with people. but i feel upset when i allow myself in my budget one snack to look forward to, only to see it gone with no notice, or when my mom bought me a snack box when i was going through a hard time, only to find it empty out on the deck. what is important to me in these types of situation is the communication, i would be happy to share stuff if you asked.

i would really like if we could be more communicative with each other in our last month living together. while i totally respect if you wouldn’t want to, and its not at all in my expectations for what our household dynamic should be, i also would be happy to maybe even have movie nights and stuff like we talked about when we first moved in together. while there’s other small things that have built up that would be nice if they were resolved but i totally respect if they can’t be (ex. if by any chance you didn’t throw out me and jacqueline’s dishes that were on the deck i would love to have them back so i can wash them and use them again, or if you have the money to, our electric bills every month have been over the $70 you pay for electricity and its been a bit tight for me and jacqueline to pay your remaining portion of electricity after subtracting for the wifi if you can afford to compensate us) but the only thing i really want out of this last month is for us all to be able to equitably share the work of keeping the house sanitary and the cat healthy, and for there to be communication whenever you might need extra help, and then i would be happy to do it. please of course let me know anything i can improve on as a roommate too, i want you to have a good environment to live in too.

i know every sentiment i wrote out here jacqueline also shares too.

thank you for reading, chiara