#and where you think being nice or safe is evil

[weebsinstash]

Now that we've witnessed the Invincible War, I can't help but think of a scenario of "it turns out you're Mark's partner/unwilling darling in every single other universe and when the alternate Marks show up for the big battle, they all freak out at the sight of you because all of them have lost you in their own universes"

Like it's almost a Spiderverse scenario where you arrive on the scene and you find out you're dead in every other universe. Maybe you're the only version of yourself that has powers. Maybe you're the only version of yourself that DOESN'T have powers. Maybe you're the only version of yourself that has Mark as a good platonic friend and every other version of him became Nice Guy Incel From Hell that felt like you belonged with them and either drove you to suicide, lost you in an accident, or accidentally killed you themselves, or maybe you were even totally cool with him and someone else killed you or even something tragic like dying in childbirth

Oh, so there's an evil version of Mark that missed his mom so badly he was going to kidnap an alternate universe version of her to take home?? So you're telling me these guys would absolutely have enough screws loose to immediately call up Angstrom and say that taking you is now part of the deal then?

The versions of Mark who were raised on Viltrum or joined his father, the ones who pride themselves in their superiority and violence, being so impressed by this powerful majestic, strong, superpowered version of you, oh so ready and willing to straight up kill them to defend Earth. But on the flip side, these vicious versions of Mark who knew you as that stoic hero now seeing you powerless and vulnerable and scared and so, so easily hurt.

Some of them can't help but immediately freeze up at the sight of you and stare, unable to look away as they process that, yeah, that's really who they think it is. Some of them start crying and beeline for you immediately. Some of them just start freaking out and all but hyperventilating, "holy shit is this for real?! Am I dreaming right now?! Is that really you?!"

Can you imagine one of them grabbing you and saying some WILD shit like, "oh my god, I'm so so sorry, I didn't mean to kill you, you just kept screaming and crying and i-i freaked out and I didn't realize I was squeezing so hard, I didn't mean to snap your neck, I promise it'll NEVER happen again" like genuinely that shit would make me u-turn right the fuck out of that battle and have Mark and Cecil or whomever the fuck get to fight this crazed psycho who looks and sounds exactly like your good friend, but let's be real, the second you try to run you would have EVERY version of Mark immediately after your ass

Picture this: one of the evil Marks is so genuinely euphoric to see you again that he rushes up to you and hugs you so tightly it cracks one of your ribs and makes you cry out in pain. Suddenly he's jerking back, his face cycling through several emotions. He's still holding on to a wrist or your shoulders and he and any other Marks present suddenly realize, oh fuck you don't have any powers? Like imagine trying to pull yourself away with all of your strength and they can all tell it's doing absolutely nothing as the one holding you just murmurs, "wait, why are you so weak...?" with obvious fear and concern trickling into his voice

All of them instantly detouring their plans to start fighting over you. Another Mark knocks out the teeth of the one who just cracked your ribs. A Mark whose entire goal was to use Angstrom to find another you completely unable to stop himself from scooping you up off your feet, promising he's going to tell you somewhere safe and about to fly away with you before getting suckerpunched by another Mark with the exact same idea. One Mark flying up. "Oh sorry, this was your little date-night buddy? They were my SPOUSE"

On the flip side, you being a viltrumite hybrid yourself or some other mutant or superpowered individual that they're completely unused to and the ones who lust for battle getting the biggest adrenaline/endorphin rush of their lives as you're actually strong enough to knock them around. More masochistic Marks all but having their eyes roll back into their heads as you punch or kick or throw them. You being so strong that it takes at least 2 or 3 of them to completely pin you down

Something something "evil Marks having to team up to take you down and once you're finally subdued and are pinned down and helpless they basically run a train on you in the middle of the rubble of a burning city" something something

The good guys and you and your friends managing to win and drive the variants away and kill Angstrom and you ultimately find out "your" Mark is just as equally obsessive and mentally unstable as all the rest and he was just the best one at hiding it. He was happy juat pretending to be your "platonic friend" and looking after you but he was intending to play 4d chess and work his way into your heart. Now that your life and safety were threatened, it finally triggers him to drop off the deep end and start making more drastic moves. Ok, so Cecil wants him to work for the government again and lead the Guardians huh? Maybe he'll consider accepting IF the GDA helps him contain you and keep you safe and healthy. Maybe he'll consider IF Cecil basically signs off on you being a captive of Mark's that the government turns a blind eye to as long as he protects the planet. Maybe you try and fly away and find out YOU have a thingy in YOUR head and Cecil basically knocks you out of the sky because damn it, he's not going to let another however many millions of people die just so you can stay single, let alone risk finding out what Mark is going to do now that he's starting to lose it

Whether you're a human or a hero, you'll be fucked either way

[ohisms]

✱˚｡⋆ ↪ 𝐈 𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 . ( a collection of dialogue prompts from the film the hobbit : the desolation of smaug . adjust phrasing as necessary . )

this is no chance meeting , is it , [ name ] ?

take back your homeland .

what if i were to help you reclaim it ?

that's not the worst of it .

we have another problem .

what did i tell you ? quiet as a mouse .

will you just listen ? i'm trying to tell you there's something else out there .

the bear is unpredictable , the man can be reasoned with .

come away from there , it's not natural . none of it .

it's obvious , he's under some dark spell .

you'll be safe here tonight ... i hope .

we grow in number , we grow in strength .

death will come to all .

there are others like you ?

you're running out of time .

a darkness lies upon that forest .

i would not venture there except in great need .

go now while you have the light .

this forest feels ... sick . as if a disease lies upon it .

something moves in the shadows unseen , hidden from our sight .

if our enemy has returned , we must know .

i would not do this unless i had to .

you've changed , [ name ] .

you must stay on the path . do not leave it . if you do , you'll never find it again .

is there no end to this accursed forest ?

we're going around in circles , we are lost .

the sun . we have to find the sun .

we're being watched .

they're growing bolder .

not just a thief , but a liar as well .

i myself suspect a more prosaic motive .

i have seen how you treat your friends .

you turned away from the suffering of my people .

a hundred years is a mere blink in the life of an elf . i'm patient . i can wait .

did he offer you a deal ?

shh ! there are guards nearby .

you were supposed to be leading us out , not further back in !

are you mad ? they'll find us .

please . please , you must trust me .

this is not a nice place to meet .

why now , [ name ] ? i don't understand .

a human sorcerer could not summon such evil .

in our blindness , the enemy has returned .

the enemy is preparing for war .

i started this . i cannot forsake them , they are in grave danger .

you want me to cast my friends aside ?

i think we've outrun the orcs .

we've no weapons to defend ourselves .

do it again , and you're dead .

what makes you think i would help you ?

no doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed .

oh , come on - enough of the niceties .

i would like to know who you are . and what you're doing in these lands .

we need food , supplies ... weapons . can you help us ?

i'd wager there are ways to enter that town unseen .

for that , you'd need a smuggler .

there was more he could have told us .

i don't care what he calls himself , i don't like him .

we don't have to like him , we just have to pay him .

i've been bled dry by this adventure ! and what have i seen for my investment ?

if you value your freedom , you'll do as i say .

folk in this town are suffering .

you'd do well to remember ; we know where you live .

it's a small town , [ name ] , everyone knows where everyone lives .

who would have the nerve to question my authority ?

you promised us weapons .

death ! that is what you'll bring upon us .

have you forgotten what happened to [ name / location ] ?

let us not be so quick to lay blame .

join us when you're healed .

[ name ] , you belong with the company .

i belong with my brother .

we have no time to wait , we're on our own .

the evil that is hidden here ... i command it reveal itself .

you have keen eyes , [ name ] .

let all those who doubted us rue this day !

i know these walls ... these halls , this stone .

i do not know what you'll find down there .

it never ceases to amaze me . the courage of hobbits .

if there is in fact a live dragon down there , don't waken it .

come , now ... don't be shy . step into the light .

there is something about you , something you carry .

there you are , thief in the shadows .

i did not come to steal from you .

do you think flattery will keep you alive ?

what else do you claim to be ?

truly , you are mistaken .

you have nice manners , for a thief and a liar .

i know the smell and taste of dwarf .

they are drawn to treasure like flies to dead flesh .

did you think i did not know this day would come ?

you should leave us .

and go where ? there is nowhere to go .

the dragon , it's going to kill us .

i kill where i wish , when i wish .

my armor is iron , no blade can pierce me .

i need you to distract the guards .

time to do what , to get killed ?

yes , i'm afraid . i'm afraid for you .

you're not yourself .

the darkness is coming ... it will spread to every corner of the land .

you were only ever a means to an end .

i will not part with a single coin . not one piece of it .

your reputation precedes you .

you have no equal on this earth .

i think our little game ends here .

so tell me , thief ... how do you choose to die ?

we've given him the slip .

there may be a way out .

it's our only chance , we have to try .

i've heard tales of the wonders of elvish medicine .

that was a privilege to witness .

i will not die like this . cowering . gasping for breath .

if this is to end in fire , then we will all burn together .

perhaps it is time i paid them a visit .

this isn't their fault !

you care about them , do you ? good . then you can watch them die .

i am taking back what you stole .

you will take nothing from me .

i laid low your warriors of old . i instilled terror in the hearts of men .

this is not your kingdom . these are dwarf lands .

revenge ? revenge ?! i will show you revenge !

i am fire . i am death .

what have we done ?

[iconicname]

What I hate most about fanon woobie Tim drake is that he has to be the center of Jason's world. It literally doesn't matter what type of dynamic they have.

If they're acquaintances jason will be dumbed down and has to ask Tim for help, putting Jason in his debt.

or worse Tim will just insert himself without any social repercussions (as in no one fucking likes it when they're boundaries are violated even if they "need" it).

If you're going with the family routes where everyone is brother or sister, Tim has to be Jason's favorite brother (Dick Grayson who?). Because of how "nice and cool" he is or alternatively because tim is some poor wittle baby who needs big strong jason to take care of him.

Or jason and Tim are just "best friends" but it's never shown, jason just takes one look at this expensive saltless cracker and gets hit with the "omg child soldiers are bad! This poor kid 😟" but it only applies to Tim and Tim only.

If they're angst in the dynamic, there's never any nuance. Because they lovvveeee to hammer in the "titans tower incident😱😰😨😱😭😢😥😩" but never how tim was speaking so nasty about jason (a dead kid he did. Not. Know.) Because he was insecure.

It'd be nice if it was a story about how Tim was insecure ( not in the cutesy uwuw baby kinda way i mean the i shit on the dead because i can't handle feeling inferior to my predecessor) and Jason just didn't like him, but they work their differences and they wouldn't exactly be friends or anything but they were least acknowledge each other in a positive way through being Robin and stuff but that would never work because Tim is a character who can never be lifted without bringing others down. Because outside of Robin, he literally has nothing for him, and he knows it.

And like it's one thing if jason was like Dick. (Got fired. Had a crisis. Moved on.) because at least Jason would have the ability to defend himself/prove tim wrong whatever. But he wasn't. He was tortured to death for the cause.

The total lack of empathy from Tim is astonishing. It reflects a lot on his character. Forget Jason for a second. what type of hero shits on the lives lost to your villains?

Imagine your crying because your loved one died in a villain attack and Superman is like "ummmm they died because they fucking sucked and were inherently inferior. Not me though, I would have survived I'm better than them"

Yall don't think that attitude didn't stay when jason got revived? It definitely would, jason is the pariah, and if Tim felt safe enough to shit on a dead kid who at that point has not directly "defied batman" you think he wouldn't say that type of shit to the other robins, around jason or to his face?

Even if he didn't, jason would know because let's be real 🙄

But no, there's no nuance. Instead, jason has to grovel at Tim's superior feet, while Tim gets to feel benevolent and magnanimous with every godamn interaction.

(Also Canonically jason was basically testing Tim's mettle as Robin which Tim supposedly succeeded, thats why Jason left instead of idk knocking Tim out or something. If Tim is truly traumatized and can't be in the same room as someone who aggressively sparred with you, what the fuck are you doing out in the streets in tights you bitch baby go back home.

And if Tim isn't traumatized, the flinching and godforsaken whimpering just reeks of someone using their higher status "elite class robin" to get someone of lower class "street rat, pariah" into trouble. Like Tim going, " All I have to is flinch and act scared to get Bruce and other vigilantes to hurt you. It doesn't matter what you do, they'll never take your side. "

Which sounds ridiculous, but I've seen fics do this many times, and it's never acknowledged outside of "jason should stop being evil and keep apologize over and over"

Because fanon woobie Tim is never with fault. Even if he does something that might hurt someone, it's always overruled because he was "right" or too socially inept to understand what he did wrong thus instantly forgiven (a trait Bruce shares)

Fanon woobie Tim's feeling and conforts is always the priority, it doesn't what any other character is going through, Damian, Jason, Dick, Stephanie, Tim is automatically more important, and if another character has conflict with him that means they're in the wrong.(another trait Bruce shares)

Fanon and Canon Tim is defined by his insecurities, and he refuses to acknowledge or overcome it.

Which is why even in "jason centric" stuff Tim is always there in his face, and jason HAS to have a good opinion of him, he HAS to say you're a good robin. He HAS to say you're my favorite brother. He HAS to constantly affirm that Tim is smart and a good person. It doesn't matter if the titans tower Chapter is included or tim was on a victim blaming spree. jason has like/admire him anyway and should feel so stupid for not seeing it sooner.

[cinnamorollcrybaby]

Am I the only one that things that sator would be just so cute like if he got a little bit of a tummy? nothing major he'd still look the same everywhere else just soften up a bit around his belly. I think it be nice to touch while cuddling.

(This was anon request that was sent in for cinna but cinna deleted it since they made a mistake and the request had disappeared)

LMFAO let’s try this again… sorry again for accidentally deleting the request!!!

i actually think you’re so right anon.

i imagine that after being put back together after the incident of 236…. satoru’s forced to retire. his friends and peers love him, but it’s time for him to relax and not worry about being the strongest anymore. they can take it from here.

while he’s relaxing during his retirement, he finds that his love for the sweets you bake stays incredibly high while his routine for working out slowly starts to slip…

he doesn’t have to be the strongest anymore, right? he can slack a little…

and his body naturally grows a bit of scar tissue, and maybe some fat around the scar that hugs his lower belly. it’s a natural preventative measure that the body takes on it’s own.

when he looks in the mirror after a shower, he sees a small bit of pudge around his lower belly, and he pokes at it with a small frown on his face. he’s still toned, but he’s not chiseled anymore.

was he letting himself go? were you going to notice? what if you didn’t love him anymore?

you step into the bathroom, being the pervy girlfriend you are, you can’t resist the charm of seeing your handsome boyfriend with just a towel wrapped around his waist.

“hey- i’m glad you’re here. can i ask you something?” satoru asks in an uncharacteristically serious tone. you tense a bit, wondering what he might ask. was he not enjoying retirement? was he already trying to go back?

“go ahead, honey.” you prompt.

“are you into bigger guys-?”

you gape at him, wondering what kind of fucking question was that. you have to crane your head up to look at your boyfriend. it should be pretty obvious how you like your men.

seeing your expression, satoru lets out a laugh. he pokes his stomach again. “i think you’re trying to fatten me up on purpose, sweets… makin’ all those delicious desserts. you know i can’t resist them. evil, evil woman.” he teases with his signature lopsided grin.

“you caught me.” you play along, letting out a small laugh. you look down at where the towel is sitting snuggly along his hips. the scar from the attack is staring back at you, but you don’t feel fear when you look at it anymore. you see your husband: happy and healthy.. finally not putting his body in duress to protect the world.

dropping to your knees, you press sweet kisses all along satoru’s tummy, making him giggle and shy away from you. “stop it! that tickles! sick, evil woman! evil!”

it’s safe to say that satoru is loving retirement, and you’re loving it too.

[cryptidmickle]

hi your amnesiac au has me in SHAMBLES plsplspls im crying sobbing stabbing the floor

im so glad i discovered your blog 😭 your art is so lovely and nice and just. Yes. eats everythibg snd leaves no crumbs /silly

PLEASE i require more info about amnesiac au.

could this happen to the other Beasts? if it can happen to Shadow Milk, it might be possible with the others, should their Ancient counterparts get lucky with their attacks

does Shadow Milk gradually become less of an ass? does he seek answers as to Why he was so awful? does he care at all?

how horrified is he at the revelation that he was such a huge issue for the faeries + PV, if at all? he already doesn't know much about himself, so would not knowing he was such a problem, such an awful person, terrify him, considering he doesn't remember any of this?

idk. i personally would be so so incredibly horrified and terrified that i was so terrible and..well, monstrous, if i may. i kinda project onto Shadow Milk im ngl so that's probably why im saying any of this

IM SORRY THIS IS SO LONG im just so,,, AAAUAGTHYBHLRHTLBFLTTKG /POS abt this entire au. hoenstly it inspires me; both your art and your ideas and concepts

hope you have a good day!! stay safe /gen

SOBS IM SO GLAD YOU LIKE THIS AU!!! i read all the tags on my posts btw so if any of u went crazy in there i saw it and went crazy w u. im deranged and mentally ill if u cant tell.

i would say the cracking of the souljam and loss of power is very possible for the other beasts! the amnesia however is a Very special case of pure vanilla fucking up the spell he cast

the other beasts would be depowered and much weaker, but retain their memories...... actually, would their corruption break as well since the souljam disconnected entirely from them? hm, i think redemption would be more possible if an ancient got a lucky shot, in that case

shadow milk does in fact become less of a jerk! what with no longer being secluded in a spire losing his mind and sense of identity all by himself, his personality is forced to become. eh. LESS THORNY.

pure vanilla is socializing him like a dog and he is NOT enjoying it. but i am. put that guy in situations.

shadow milk does in fact seek answers to why he did so many terrible things! he knows his... current personality isn't the greatest, but he can't imagine doing some of the things described

he feels a certain disconnect to the him others describe terrorizing them to the him of present, while he feels bad for what happened to them he doesn't really feel apologetic because was it really him? how's he supposed to know?

should he feel sorry because it technically was him, just.. evil? would that excuse it if he doesn't feel sorry at all?

this is where shadow milk and white lily have similar dilemmas because they both have previously done terrible things to others, especially pure vanilla. they feel bad about it, they dont wanna hurt him or others like that ever again

but then this is where they separate because shadow milk doesn't feel at fault, he doesn't remember doing all those things, he doesn't even know who that was! you want me to grovel forever about it? pathetic, what's done is done anyways, why not try to do something now?

white lily absolutely despises that mindset as she's competing with pv over who can hate themselves more, and she is winning. she thinks they both deserve to repent forever for their crimes but is constantly reminded of the fact that she remembers but shadow milk doesn't! she knows what she did, why she did it, it was bad and terrible, but she understands and that's what's important and she must repent for it

shadow milk doesn't know, he doesn't know anything at all and theres even more that they can't tell him as he's apparently been evil for centuries. it's hard to argue that he needs to feel bad when the personalities are truly separated.

......i went on a ramble again.

he doesn't feel bad about what he did but he is in fact, very unnerved that he may be capable of those actions again, and with pure vanilla trying to teach him to be good and kind its...... panic inducing sometimes, that maybe he can do something terrible again, that the evil is possibly just lurking under the surface and hes fooling himself and everyone around him

[dontbesoweirdkira]

Idk if it’s just me but this is how I see Yandere Mark with batsib.

Batsib who had a neglectful parent and needs to be obsessively loved

Mark Grayson who’s obsessively in love with them.

I also feel like batsib is also adopted but could be blood related to Damian. Oh I also feel like batsib and Mark were close friends before they started dating. I just like the premise of Mark and batsib being friends before dating because that’ll mean they batsib trusts him.

Also I feel like mark isn’t that bad of a boyfriend it’s just his obsessive tendencies and possessiveness. I feel like Mark would def take batsib out on dates and make sure there well taken care of. Idk I’m desperate

This is so late but I def agree. My last post was purely a joke post.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely am a fiend for evil boy Mark. Evil Mark has my heart idc idc idc.

Mark is such a good boy he loves every single girl he's been with so much. Like he's such a family boy. ;-; his mama raised him right. He love Batsis more than anything and would do whatever makes her happy.

I think Mark would love being able to be an obsessive partner with batsis. Like you said it wouldn't even be in a bad way, he gets to be extremely over protective and keep you safe without ever worrying about being too much. If he ever did push a boundary he is so apologetic, he's so cuteee.

Even when he has to be away for a while doing hero stuff, he comes back and is treating you like you're the only girl in the world. How nice it'd be when he takes you on late night flights to where you wanna go. All the kisses and attention. He's great on sending you updates, you literally are all that matters.

Dates are great. Perfect teenage/young adults dream. You're always going on adventures together. I think his mom would love you and wouldn't care if you was constantly over. Like you can have that spare room.

There's tons of lazy days where Mark is holding you in his bed for hours while you guys eat junk and be bliss. He just never wants to be away from you.

Even when his dad is talking nonsense, he could never in a million years think about killing you. He doesn't care if he'll outlive you and still be young when you're old. To him, you're the only one that could ever fill that void within him. It's not years wasted to him, if it's spent with you. He'd love you as much as you need for the rest of your life..

but ughhh after Norman started being weird, can you just imagine how protective Mark would get. He's never leaving your side. He doesn't trust anyone or thing. You're his baby, he's willing to take any beating from his dad if that means you will be safe. He'll bounce back but you are so fragile...he cannot risk it. He's never abandoning you, not after you parents.

it would be funny though for him to have beef with some of the batsiblings tho, even if it's friendly. I think it'd just make sense, especially if the batsis are yanderes with too. Like come on Bruce would at least def hate him and Norman. Mark didn't even do anything wrong but he's still a threat.

[sasahuaa]

Idia Shroud as an omega

Riddle - Leona - Azul - Kalim - Vil - Malleus

gn!reader, sfw

out of all of them, i believe this is one of my best fics, was really inspired in this one! i am experimenting with a new format for this series and i am really proud of how this turned out, i love exploring internal conflicts of characters, and i hope you all like this fic too. i cant believe i have just one more from the dorm leaders to go

Since his childhood, Idia came to terms that his life was already decided by circumstances out of his control. The future heir of the household, the head of S.T.Y.X, what school he would attend, the circles he would be part of.

Though when his mind wandered with fantasies and dreams of countless adventures, with his little brother by his side as his partner in crime, Idia held onto hope that at least some parts of his life, as little as they could be, could be decided by himself.

Idia hopes he will be able to play games and have free time, he hopes that he can simulate a place of freedom where all his fantasies are reality, all encompassed inside his room.

Ah, wouldn't it be nice to be the one choosing his own mate? Preposterous as it may seem to him, in a faraway land, or another reality, he could be loved.

Courting

It was supposed to just be a security check, a routine he followed countless times. 

Once again he received a message from Crowley, something about a mishap during  a magic class, somehow turning into a virus, contaminating both people and - sevens, Idia would like to know how - machines. Idia pets himself in the back for creating a good antivirus system for Ortho, else he doesn’t know if he would be able to stop himself from hunting down the perpetrators. 

Good thing his baby brother is safe, inside his nest, where no evil can get to him.

Leaning on his chair, Idia finished up his job, while running the code again on his computer to make sure everything was good to go, he looked away to the cameras, checking if they were back from malfunctioning. He scrolled quickly from each of them.

Camera 1, camera 2, camera 3… a long way until he got to camera 52 in an almost deserted classroom, just one student and a very cute cat.

Feeling indulgent, the omega enhanced the settings, zooming with a perfect 4k quality, although what first got his attention and a small smile was the catlike creature, what completely stole his breath away, made his jaw drop, and his skin hotter than usual was the human who calmly spoke to it, with mischievous glint in their eyes and a teasing smile.

Between the daydreaming adventures he shared with Ortho years ago, a mate is not something he often fantasized about, at the time thinking many other things were much more exciting than alphas. Because of that, Idia doesn't think he has a type, a mate was never in his plans, not when it means tying them down with him, in a place even Idia can barely tolerate.

But looking at them, Idia thinks you are totally his type.

He felt like he was flying.

– 

Idia told himself that he was not a creep, your pretty face may have caught him off guard, but he would not go out of his way to search for you.

If by chance his tablet crossed your path or he stumbled on a camera with you in it, and he lingered a little longer than appropriate, that was just a coincidence. 

You're just so enticing to watch, to the way you're diligent in classes, trying to catch up on the knowledge you were deprived of being a non native of this land, to how you're so willing to help, and an undeniable strength making up for the lack of magic. 

Everything about you screamed ideal alpha. He was sure he was not the only omega who noticed, if other omegas getting shy and acting like pre-pubescents first meeting a potential mate was anything to go by.

Not him though! He would never embarrass himself like these normies do! Actually talking to alphas? Ew, he is too much pleased with just observing when it happens that you appear on his screen.

But maybe he got too careless, and it was all your fault - how dare you be so mesmerizing, he will have his revenge someday. 

While he was admiri- ahem - doing really important stuff, Ortho sneaked behind his back and caught his gaze on you. Not cool Ortho, absolutely not cool. And his very much NOT crush was figured out by his little brother, which again, Ortho, Idia swears you are just seeing things.

“But, brother, why are your body heat and heartbeat higher than usual?” he would counter with a cheeky tone any time he tried to deny.

Idia rather die than to like someone, to have to meet expectations and give himself. It’s reaching up for something that demands more than he is capable, going too close to the sun, none the wiser setting oneself to flames and far away from salvation, the end always being falling to the hard ground, no one to stabilize his feet in the end.

All his protests fell in deaf ears, for one thing the two Shrouds had in common was great stubbornness when they had an idea in mind. Suddenly, Muscle Red couldn't contact him anymore, a blink of an eye later,  a recently released MMORPG was installed on his computer.

A new game meant that most players were rushing to complete quests, farming and, as expected from a game from that genre, forming guilds of 2 to 5 people. The importance of guilds was purely made for easier fights against bosses, completing special events, fighting on the weekly championship, earning higher rewards if you and your teammates do good, and, ugh, socializing.

Typing or talking behind a screen is much easier than real life, the anonymity is comforting for Idia, but it also comes with being familiar and, at the same time, unknown about the other person. Muscle Red was both of those, his current guild… is not.

Ortho was very smug about the fact that he prevented Idia from playing with Muscle Red in this MMORPG, eyes glinting with mirth only a child his age could have. His brother also made sure to be the one creating the guild, accessible only through invite, which was great! Less randoms and noobies for him to carry! Idia was perfectly fine with being a duo with his brother.

Except he was not.

Ortho made a whole show of inviting you to the guild, searching for your username using the IP from Ramshackle, the character named Catluv following right behind them was daunting. Idia could at least count the small victory that though he was one step away from his comfort zone about knowing who he was playing with, at least you didn't know about them, a small grace that Ortho granted him.

Worst of all, his brother constantly sent both you and him to do fetch quests or killing mobs while he decorated the base. But mostly surprising for him, being playing with you didn't feel like a chore. Of course, he was still doing most of the work, but you also put your fair share of work done and when bored, started chatting about anything that got your interest and aimlessly wandering around his character. Most important, you didn't seem to care about his lackluster responses.

[Base upgraded! Return to spawn to check what's new!]

Catluv: im omw back, was waiting to buy that armor

Catluv: u coming or will keep farming?

Catluv: also want to search for that boss in the plains later, increased rate drop to legendary weapons, if i get that 0.01% spear i'll literally cry

Gloomurai: im coming with you, i can help you later

Catluv: yay

It was nice, if the omega had to admit to himself. Another type of comforting he wasn't used to, he guesses it comes from spending time with someone he has positive feelings on while also keeping his own privacy. What surprised him the most though, was the deep purr that he made anytime a notification from you popped up, the first time Idia heard himself he almost jumped from the chair, being caught completely off guard.

Idia was surprised that he could purr, he thought that this was another one of his failures as an omega, he was not nurturing, not the normal gentle, kind, petite that was expected, he felt like any omega behaviour he had was more bothersome than enjoyable, except the nests he put effort into.

The housewarden was also warming up to you, conversations went easy when he felt no judgement from your behalf. When he first saw you, Idia thought you didn't look like the type to tolerate conversations about game mechanics and probabilities, but you were indulgent whenever the topic came up. He also had a brief suspicion that you would seek openings for those kinds of conversations, since he always rambled and many times lost track of the original question.

Gloomurai: so you see, if our guild get to rank 5 or above, we will get more 0.4% of legendary drop rates and increase epic rate to 10%, that's why i planned a strategy for the next weekly championship

Catluv: u nerd

Gloomurai: problem?

Catluv: i love nerds

Falling in love was getting too close to the sun, to permit your wings to melt and fall again to the ground. Idia repeated this many times, but he still felt tingling and yearning to the warmth of sunlight.

– 

He was done for.

r/relationshipadvice

u/GloomySamurai

I (18Ω) think I fell in love with an online friend (α)

We study in the same school, but never met face to face. I don't like going out of my room, sometimes I think I would like to go out and meet them. They are inviting me to hang out, especially now that they discovered that we are both students from the same place. How should I do that? I fear that they won't like what they see, if they know it's me.

u/AppleReaper

why would an alpha be forcing you out of your room? very loser behavior of them, red flag, stay safe OP

u/FlutheEmperor

Maybe you could invite them to your room if you don't want to go out at all?

u/Sheep1647

DO NOT invite them to your room, they are an alpha, you can never trust them in your place of vulnerability when you never met them personally, and you look distrustful of them, since you are afraid that they may stop being your friend if they met you, what do you think they won't like? Your personality? Appearance? If it's the latter they don't deserve any more time of your day, it's so superficial. A public place is always the safer choice INFO: do you have any trusted person to you that can vouch for their character? 

Idia felt like throwing up, he wanted to throw his phone across the room in rage. He was so close to doxxing all these people for saying unsavory things about your personality when they don't know you. You who stays with him until the moon turns to sun just because he didn't feel like sleeping, you who made him feel heard and cared even through the chat system of the guild or the occasional voice calls, you who always extended a hand to all your friends.

He should have thought better before seeking the opinion of reddit users, they are certainly more single than him!  The omega decided, he will meet you face to face and prove to all of them how wrong they are.

But still… he had one problem.

He didn't feel like he was good enough, not when he had unsavory feelings towards you. The dorm leader always felt eyes on him in the rare instances when he left his room, people talking behind back about his hair and personality. He hoped you would overlook his shortcomings. The omega hardly has the courage to face you!

Because you are beautiful, an otherworldly presence surrounds you, and a demeanor that would put prince charmings and enchanted princess alike to shame. Why would you choose a scrawny omega like him? it's unfathomable, he curses at himself, it's simply impossible for an alpha like you to become enamored with an omega like him, not when athletic omegas like Leona exist, or with ethereal beauties like Vil.

If you knew about the feelings deep inside him… how he wishes to be held in your embrace, to be the sole object of your affections, you would laugh at him! Deservedly so!

He knows he is not the best option, yet he couldn't help but hope. Idia spent his entire life drowning in a sea of voices, where his own went unheard even when he forced himself to go above the surface. He expected for you to be just one more tide that pushed him down, but it seems you cleared enough room for him to fit in your world.

– 

When Idia finally met you in real life, it was much more than he had expected.

His lungs flooded, having just online interactions rendered him unable to smell your scent, and now he wonders how he could have missed this in his life before. If he had any doubts about wanting you before, it turned to dust in a mere snap of a finger.

Falling in love was foolish, the hard ground is always the final destiny, yet Idia couldn't help but suspect that you would wait for him from below, arms ready to catch him before he gets hurt. If this is what falling in love means, he could accept that.

Growling

Idia is not much of an growler. Many of the Ignyhide students never heard him growl, much less the rest of NRC. This is not to say he doesn't growl, most of all, Idia is a passionate person about his hobbies and interests.

If there are people talking behind his back about his appearance or personality, he would most likely just ignore it - maybe give a sad whimper when he is alone in his nest. But doubting or thinking they are better than him in gaming and engineering? Idia will push the fiercest growl out of his throat.

Even when he is playing and in a difficult match, he rather keep himself quiet, otherwise the rumbling in his chest distract him.

Though in his personal opinion, even when he doesn't enjoy growling all that much, he thinks your growls are really hot.

If you are immersed in your own interests or defending his honor while growling, Idia is quietly chirping behind you.

Purring

As stated before, Idia rarely ever purrs. He used to do it more frequently before, when Ortho was still alive like any other being, but ever since the shock of his death Idia thought his purr box got broken.

During courting, he is still getting used to purring, many times pissing him off more than calming him down. But with time, he learns to accept as a part of himself.

Idia's purrs betray him sometimes, the omega gets easily embarrassed when you shower him with affection, he may try to hide himself behind a pillow or under a blanket, yet his purr box is working like a machine, satisfied to be receiving attention from his alpha.

Nesting

Idia has his nest covering his bed, a very big and warm nest. 90% of his day he is laying there. If he was asked to mention one quality of being an omega, he would for sure say nesting. For him, it's impossible to understand why betas and alphas do not indulge in nesting themselves.

He wants to share his happiness with you, so date nights are most of the times spent in his nest. Idia almost suffocates you with how many blankets he has, of so many kinds. Also, he prefers blankets than pillows, but he is open to introducing to his nest merchandise plushies from fandoms he is part of.

This omega is super insecure in your relationship, at least in the beginning of your relationship, so to reassure himself, he tries to make his room a second den for you, acquiring things he knows you'll like. Idia likes to imagine that his room is a den proper to keep the most prized possessions of his alpha - he wants to include himself in this category too.

And vice-versa, he wants to have permission to make nests in your own den.

Marking

Quite possessive, doesn't like to imagine other omegas looking at what is his.

At the same time, he doesn't want to appear overly clingy or do things these embarrassing couples do. But if he sees super cringe matching cups with "player 1”and "player 2” stamped, he is buying it without a second thought, in fact, he is not even having a first thought.

Also buys necklaces with both of your initials - he is what he judges the most.

Probably wants to scent mark you, but is too shy to suggest unless he is in a fit of jealousy. When this happens, besides his natural scent, the smell of bitterness and warning are glued to your skin. He'll be seen more often by your side, wearing one of your hoodies, until he calms down.

Omeganspace

Nail marks embed your arms and back, Idia doesn't want to let you go. A healthy blush flushes from his cheek to chest, and he nips your face and neck while chirping.

It's during these times that Idia is shameless to claim, he'll openly admit his desires and fears, holding you tightly and almost merging your bodies.

He would do it if he could, better yet, he wants to find a way to do so.

Idia have a selective hearing, he can be obedient and listen to you if he thinks his reward will be worth it. But if you suggest leaving to do any other activity? Suddenly it's like he does not have years at all and your arms are full of putty omega.

☽ ☼ ☾

“Are you finished yet?”

You murmur beside him, watching your own gaming PC that Idia installed in his room. Both of you were playing Stardew Valley, Idia's character was almost passing out from exhaustion after spending the day in the cave, while you decided to stay back and take care of the farm.

He wanted to laugh menacingly at the reddit users who deemed you untrustworthy, because look at you! being a perfect not-his-yet-alpha in game, taking the housework duties while he works hard to provide.

Yep, that's how it should be, Idia sees his future and it's bright - he should really turn down the brightness on his screen a little. 

“Hm,” and his character falls down, spawning in his own bed, a bed beside yours!

“I have a gift for you,” you giggle, urging him outside to meet you. “Close your eyes~”

Idia waits in front of your home and does what you asked. He can hear your steps as you approach, the sound coming from your computer as you mess with your hud.

“You can see now”

The omega opens his eyes, his face heats up and he inhales a deep breath. A marriage proposal pops up on his screen, your character with a mermaid pendant standing right before him.

As he glances to the side, he meets your gaze, an expectant look and a soft smile graces your features. With a hand gifting him an scented scarf, a proper courting gift, Idia can just think that you promise much more for the future.

[daisys-reality]

PAC: What kind of reality should you focus on right now? ♡๑

general tarot reading disclaimers apply here. dividers were made by me, the pictures are from pinterest but edited by me. this is a reality shifting themed tarot reading. for more tarot readings, check out my masterlist. now, think about your shifting journey and choose a picture from above and read your pile below :)

ᯓ. 𝙿𝙸𝙻𝙴 𝙾𝙽𝙴 ⛲️

As this is a collective reading not all keywords have to match with you, pile one!

'Dark' world, ice world, viking age, underworld, a world with magic (Merlin? Harry Potter?), romance/love but not as main theme but as sub-genre, anime world, martial arts, school life, power/influences, isekai/regression, war, dangerous powers, being humbled by greater forces, summoning, creating deep bonds and friendships, facing darkness and choosing the light, bravery, facing fears, evil, sorcery/magic, past/ancient time, castles, "soldiers" fighting for the good, taking on responsibilities and being accountable as lesson/struggle, needing lots of patience, as external factors or unforeseen complications causing setbacks, having many responsibilities and feeling stressed or burden, circumstances force you to be more harsh and cold and withdrawn to protect yourself, suffering, nightmares, misfortune, death, pain and/or experiencing trauma might be common themes in that world, disturbing things might happen or exist there (makes me think of the ugly curses in jjk), horror?, its a world that moves you deeply, where you feel a strong longing for.

ᯓ. 𝙿𝙸𝙻𝙴 𝚃𝚆𝙾 🌲

As this is a collective reading not all keywords have to match with you, pile two!

A world with lots of drama, chaos, upheavels, and transformative changes. you being a genius or overpowered - walking through this chaotic world with ease, experiencing true freedom/just living carefreely, strong focus on romance/love passion/s3xual desires lol, and maybe even experimenting with or exploring sexuality and gender, webtoon world, historical/time travel, "your favourite dr" (the one based on your comfort show or the main reason you started shifting or sth like this), a little bit of comedy - not taking things really seriously, outsmarting everyone, being an "off-worlder", extraterrestrial, being in a leadership position, you might have siblings there, domestic abuse or death by fire accidents might be a common theme in that world. "taking over" the body of a character in a novel/show, soul incarnation, diamonds and jewelry - makes me think of these fantasy history webtoons where the mc wakes up as the villain of the novel they read and now have to survive and change the plot haha

ᯓ. 𝙿𝙸𝙻𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝚁𝙴𝙴 💭

As this is a collective reading not all keywords have to match with you, pile three!

There are many choices and multiple possibilities, it's up to your imagination - an original place (made up by you), somewhere where you can follow creative projects, a dreamy place - dream world? dream life?, fantasy/fantastical, clouds, stars, sparkling lights, place and time to research, not knowing future outcomes, energy fields/auras, a place with unlimited information, calm place, nice ambience, a place strongly conected to you- somewhere where you're safe to be your true self or safe to find out who you really are, deep within - perhaps something like the void state but more personalized?, close to nature or the essence of this world, a place that leads you to your true self, your purpose and/or destiny, the focus is on you and your uniqueness, galaxy, starchild, elusive yet radiant place that might be less materialistic or logical and more spiritual/mythical in nature, could also be based on a fanfiction or AU of sth you love, a place/life beyond the mundane - what did you desire when you were young? don't try to overthink, just follow your heart, be creative - there is no 'unrealistic reality', whatever you can imagine can be experienced and explored by yourself in another reality!

ᯓ. 𝙿𝙸𝙻𝙴 𝙵𝙾𝚄𝚁 ⚓️

As this is a collective reading not all keywords have to match with you, pile four!

A place to rest and recuperate or heal. A place that you can truly call your home. Where you're on the throne (quite literally even), the centre of everything. A compassionate place where you are able to freely expand yourself and what you call your own. Maybe a place you depart from but always come back to. I see music playing, lots of nature, flowers and animals. A gentle and peaceful place where your heart is safe. People might be worshipping you as divine, or faith might be important in that world. This could be a more supernatural/magical place. You might be living like a royal. Your home there is a safe and peaceful place, but this world also has its tragedies... some people framed as villains and others as heroes. It's a bit mysterious. Realistic visuals - not really based on a cartoon or anime but perhaps a novel or book you enjoyed! Pink might be an important colour? If not that world i just described, then you might also benefit from focusing on your CR world and manifesting a better life for yourself here (better CR or an alternative OR).

ᯓ. 𝙿𝙸𝙻𝙴 𝙵𝙸𝚅𝙴 🏛

As this is a collective reading not all keywords have to match with you, pile five!

I see a few things for this pile: dragons, chains, maids or a maiden? bridges and destruction, endless hills and forests, late bronze age?, gold/silver/iron/wood, war, older men, torches, abuse/torture, a place like historic Europe, connecting two or more worlds/lands, travel between realms, exploring unknown land, healing, magic and lots of communication. A world based on a book or story. You travelling alone, you being in a past or historic time - time travel? A few other themes are: freedom/carefreeness, crime/mystery, comfort/peace, smut/desires. You being in a state of curiosity, wonder and learning - learning more about relationships, ideologies, different places and histories. Norse mythology perhaps might play a role. Living a long life and gaining lots of wisdom and love for the world - like an ancient dragon. A place more raw in its nature. Breaking free from negative patterns and dependencies is a personal theme for you there as well as overcoming obstacles and achieving greater emotional health - self liberation (in mind and heart). Your time in that world will be a time where you focus on self-improvement and emancipation - this will help you to live a healthier and more balanced life (in general, in your cr and other realities).

ᯓ. 𝙿𝙸𝙻𝙴 𝚂𝙸𝚇 🏝

As this is a collective reading not all keywords have to match with you, pile six!

To be honest, this pile is a bit elusive in energy and hard to read. Themes of this world are conflict, defeat, or victory that came at a high cost, inner struggles, isolation and manipulation, and fighting for your own rights. There is a high tension between individual people or between two groups/societies? One of them might feel abdondend, forgotten, or surpressed by the other. Secret societies might exist? Early modern age. The night sky, bright stars and moonlight, planets, moon cycle, and solar system might play an important role in this world. Swords, boots, coats, and earth colored, simple clothes. Arcane came randomly to my mind? A very human-like experience - having forgotten your innate creative abilities in this spiritual world. Ceremony and rituals, recitation of oaths, karmic ties, destiny, ancestors, underestimating the power of your words and promises? Myths and riddles - mysterious and deep energy "focusing harder won't do it. Neither will increased effort. Time, surrender, and humour are your only alies." - you might need to hear this message. Putting here some other kepoints from my self made card deck: royal life, hero/villains; dark vibes; steampunk; animated world; anime/manga/manhua; isekai/regression; fanfiction/AU; better or alternative CR - focus on manifesting; having a minimalistic or simple WR (eg. just a room)

ᯓ. 𝙿𝙸𝙻𝙴 𝚂𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙽 🍷

As this is a collective reading not all keywords have to match with you, pile seven!

Starting off with random themes because i think you know exactly what world I mean: Water/ocean/atlantis/doplphins, nostalgia, healing and comfort, childhood innocence, simplicity and emotional connections, reuniting with someone or something, being a wife and/or having children, floating in the deepths of the ocean or your consciousness, white marble, healing and finally releasing the blockages in your soul, love, compassion and mercy for yourself and that world, a unique vision or dream from childhood, a world that makes you truly feel alive - leaving the dull and exhausting past behind, "Bring back the mystery. Bring back the dreams."... on a side note you have a sharp intellect and strong principles and know what is right and wrong - you might be working for some court and enforcing law for the citizens there! Or some of you might plan out/script a whole society with rules and whatnot for this world, just follow your vision! Additional messages from my self made card deck: "non realistic visuals" - you might be loving anime/manga/webtoon or game worlds like genshin impact that are more otherworldly - with mythical creatures even (demons, angels, vampires, mermaids); "doing it for the plot" (saving someone, changing the ending,...) and "doing it for the activity" (studying, following a profession, travelling,...); "a world with tragedies", "villains and saints", "being overpowered", "slice of life" - enjoying just living your everyday life there

ᯓ. 𝙿𝙸𝙻𝙴 𝙴𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃 🎠

As this is a collective reading not all keywords have to match with you, pile eight!

Wow, there are so many golden hues in every card I got for you - it makes me think of royalty, nobility, kindgdoms, wealth, and divinity! Even 8 is the number of abundance. What else am I getting... the natural cycle of life with ups and downs, destiny and fate shaping one life in that world, major turning points or you turning things around (cutting people off, preventing suffering, being a merciful ruler?), mythical creatures like angels, historical setting, literally being a king/queen/royal, having immense wealth or a great inheritance, gambling? lol, people there having a fanatic faith in something, being a lover and having a 'found family' and you fangirling for someone ("wow they are even better looking in real life")🤣, you will feel free and carefree, a very self indulgent place, having passionate 18+ experiences there and a bit of comedy haha, more realistic visuals even if it's based on a webtoon or fanfiction, some people dying because of childbirth? or having miscarriage (not you but someone close to you...another royal maybe?), you reading the room and knowing exactly what to do, you being a teacher or mentor to someone or you having one yourself, you being at service for the greater good, enlightment, taking care of the land and it's people, avoiding corruption, being benevolent and strong (in mind and heart), this could also be like a waiting room for you actually, you might plan/script a lot beforehand how you want it to be but once you're there the future will be surprising or unexpected - but not in a bad way!

[rogueddie]

Eddie couldn't take his eyes off of the ugliest, evil looking polo top that he's ever had the misfortune to lay his eyes upon. It's everything he hates in one piece of clothing, so horrible that he'd gagged at it when he'd first seen it.

His friends had laughed, agreeing that the top is an abomination and crime against humanity.

But Eddie couldn't stop looking at it.

It's the exact type of thing that Steve would wear. It's the type of thing he would love and brag about.

Even though the party, with the help of Robin, have been trying to 'fix' Steve and his taste. They're currently targetting his wardrobe and they're almost wearing him down enough to get him to stop wearing so many polos.

It's making Eddie feel... conflicted.

He agrees that Steves taste is horrible. He listens to bad pop music most of the time, he has no sense of fashion and loves romance so much that he thinks awful rom-coms are the height of cinema.

But it's Steve. Those things are what make him so... Steve.

He sneaks back to the top when his friends aren't looking, crouching behind racks to get to the till and quickly buy it. He buries it in the bottom of his bag, ignoring the bored and judgemental look the staff are giving him.

"There you are," Gareth squints at him when he rejoins them. "Where did you go?"

"Fainted," he sneers, throwing an arm around Jeffs shoulders. "All these neons and pop are making me dizzy."

They laugh, quickly moving on.

After dropping them off, he goes straight to Steves house. He doesn't want the ugly shirt on his person longer than necessary and the last thing he needs is someone finding it in his closet.

He nearly cheers when he pulls up to Steves house and his parents car isn't parked out front.

They'd only caught him in their house once, when they'd come home early, and he's sure he only escaped with his life because the entire party was there too.

"Eddie?" Steve frowns when he opens the door. "What are you doing here? Are you ok?"

"Yeah, fine, just..." he huffs, rubbing his eyes. He digs through the bag, grabbing the offending shirt, and throwing it at Steve. "Got you that. I thought- whatever. There. Good night."

"Woah, woah," Steve quickly catches his arm. "It's ok, man. If the others ask then I'll say I got it. It's... this is really nice, Eds."

"It's ugly."

"Sure," Steve snorts, looking back to the shirt. "But it's definitely my style. This really means a lot to me. I think it looks cool."

"Uh, yeah, I guessed," Eddie shifts, squirming with how genuine Steve is being. "It's just a polo."

"No, it's not. It's special to me."

"Right, because you think that pattern is 'so-"

"You saw it and thought of me. Like, you hate it, but you knew I'd like it and... it just means a lot to me, that you're thinking of me."

"Alright, it's just a shirt, calm down."

"No, I don't think I will," Steve gently tugs him inside so he can shut the door. "I get it if this is difficult for you but I'm getting impatient."

"If- what?"

"Do you need me to make the first move? Or- is this a move? Is your love language gift giving or something?"

"You've lost me."

Steve huffs, putting his hands on his hips and giving Eddie a look that he can only describe as 'disappointed parent'.

"We've been flirting for months and you haven't done anything about it." Steve falters quickly when he sees the shock on Eddies face. "Or... am I missing something? Is it the whole, like... keeping it secret thing? Because I don't mind! It's not safe to be out in Hawkins, I know, and I'm not expecting a big date at-"

"You knew that I was flirting with you," Eddie interrupts. "This whole time?"

"Well, yeah, I was also flirting with you."

Eddie stares at him for a moment. "And you've been waiting for me to make a move on you?"

"Exactly. Was I not being obvious enough? I didn't want to out you or anything..."

"No... in retrospect you were being very clear. All of Robins cryptic advice makes so much sense now. Oh, God, even Wayne figured it out."

[vanilla-bean-buttercream]

You know, life necessities aside, I think it's actually an important thing to teach kids how to handle not being included in things, especially social events.

Not only because rejection is an important emotion to experience and learn to navigate, but because sometimes things just aren't for them.

Obviously, we don't want our children to feel lonely or rejected by their peers, because we remember what it's like to be on the outside looking in, and I'm not out here saying that it's completely fine if other kids completely exclude people from participating or never demand that accommodations should be made, like wheelchair accessible ramps or sign language interpreters, but like... there has to be a line in the sand.

If they're at a birthday party, they shouldn't expect to get party gifts, because it's not a celebration for them.

If they don't make the sports team, it's not the end of the world, because there are games to play with other friends.

If they lose, they should be fine with not receiving something that makes them feel like they won (yes, I'm jabbing at you, actual boomers and gen x parents, for fussing about participation awards when I was growing up then complaining about how my generation didn't know how to handle losing).

If an event is for support of a certain demographic, such as say... the LGBTIAQ+ people, they should be completely fine with the A not standing for Allies (not salty at all she said with sarcasm) or a movie celebrating black history or heritage without asking where the token white person is.

And dare I say it, but if they go to a party where things are going to be triggering or something is going to set off their sensory issues, such as a karaoke party or a crowded place with fireworks, it absolutely sucks, but you have to explain to them that other people are allowed to experience those things without being called evil for doing so.

It's nice to include people. It's a lovely gesture when someone goes out of their way to make someone feel safe and part of the group. But we also can't neglect how to handle when things don't go their way, especially when they're sensitive to rejection, and teach them that it's not the end of the world. They just have to look for where they belong. And if they can't find it, make it, because someone else might be looking to belong too.

[levemetal]

My work for the Qijiu Secret Santa!

Giftee had multiple prompts but I ended up on"SJ didn't end up on CQ. Their reunion is different than in canon."

Anyway I am now 47384 layers deep into hell another Qijiu AU so more under the cut if you wish to dive in.

So essentially the AU starts simple enough: Everything is the same as in canon, except SJ never makes it out alive out of the Qiu Manor fire. Too embittered and angry to die, he becomes a ghost and sets out to do what he does best, which is survive and claw his way to a spot where he can be safe and not fear others as much. So he becomes a calamity ghost.

On his adventures to find Yue Qi (or what remains of him), he comes across Ning Yingying, Ming Fan and Luo Binghe at different times. Against all odds they stick with him and he doesn't hate it. It's nice to have company even if he reasons the dead are probably not the best company for kids. But he can't just leave them to the slavers. So they are now adopted and his lil ducklings. He finds they are equally unhinged as he is very quickly. The reason they look similar to him here with the veil and all is cause they wanna look like A-die :3 Bingus’s seal gets accidentally destroyed when SJ senses something odd about the boy when meeting him and whoops. Well there goes the seal. Guess they have to take him along now (not that NYY and MF were gonna let him leave without taking Bingo along). I figure this probably has good consequences on Bongo’s self confidence issues as he would learn early on that being half demon does not mean he’s evil. Afterall his A-die is literally a ghost.

YQY still becomes sect leader, albeit a very, very depressed one. He killed Wu Yanzi at the IAC but SJ wasn't there this time. He wants to die but is stopped at every corner by either his Shizun or fellow sect siblings. A few years later, at one of the disciple selections, he sees a boy with a strong resemblance to SJ and picks him up immediately, hoping him to be either a relative or reincarnation. Either way, that's his son and sole reason for living now. Said son is the transmigrated Shen Yuan who is very much confused about the current state of the plot (wdym SQQ is not there?? Who is that QJPL? Where's Binghe??)

Anyway the ducklings weren't necessary but happened anyway so. Figured I'd mention them. One day Yqy goes on a nighthunt with Shen Yuan which then leads them into Ghost City by accident. And lo and behold who he runs into.

They reunite, probably take a while to sort their shit out and now Yqy's sect siblings just gotta deal with Zhangmen-Shixiong having an emotional support calamity ghost and husband and 3 new kids. (Mqf counts this as a net positive since at least he doesn't have to guard Yqy's sword anymore lest his shixiong pulls it out. Liu Qingge is Conflicted and takes a bit to get the memo. He DOES enjoy sparring with the calamity tho eventually.)

Apologies for recycling my one calamity SJ design but I am perpetually tired and couldn't think of anything different. And I am sorry for once again making a calamity SJ AU. I notice a pattern. Unfortunately I possess no illusions of having any control over my life.

Maybe one day I get around to fic writing I'll write this and the 37288483 AUs I have... but first, bonus sketches:

[phyrestartr]

Their Burning Bodies Keep Us Warm (1/2) | Sukuna x M!Reader

W/C: 3.4k #NSFW, top!Sukuna, bottom!Reader, ABO dynamics, cannibalism, mentions of sex trafficking, mentions of cults, questionable relationship, suggested Stockholm syndrome, post-apocalypse, enemies to friends to lovers, angst, drama, gore, typical zombie shite, not rlly edited kekw SORRY

tags: @flowersatwork @tr4nniez @kamote-kuneho @prettorett @better-imagination-9

You ran. Even when your lungs tore apart, your legs burned to ash, your mind split and ruptured, you ran. 

The destination was simple: anywhere. Anywhere away from the hell hole you'd been swept up into–a camp full of soldiers getting hopeful little bugs stuck in a honeypot with promises of safety and a life well-lived despite the end of the world. A colony. A chance to stop hoping to simply survive. 

But that wasn't what happened. You and so many others were victims of a breeding ring–a puppy mill, so to speak. One where those able to bear young were forced to. One where a hivemind fooled the naive into thinking this was all for the ultimate goal of repopulation, for a chance to reclaim the world should the infected finally fall.

Yet humans, as smart and powerful as the hive claimed, had already lost once, and now twice as they lit their humanity ablaze for the greater evil of satisfying twisted desires under the guise of necessity. You couldn't take it anymore. 

So, you ran. 

Then, you saw a light. Just faintly. It whispered promises of warmth in the cold deadness of Winter's night; you couldn't help but be drawn to it like a moth to a flame. 

But that meant someone was inside, too, which could be a blessing or a curse–if they found you, sidling up to the house, listening for signs of life or unlife, they could turn you in to the men chasing you; on the other hand, you might find a friend. A companion. A safe person to sleep by at night. To eat with. To talk to. That'd be nice. 

Your daydreams shattered when the voices of those soldiers echoed in the empty streets of the town you'd found yourself in. You peeked from your perch by the front door of the house, and ducked out of view when you saw two bobbing lights flicking and scanning over the snow. 

Shit, shit, shit. You swallowed thickly, trying to thick through the frost biting you and the snow melting on your bare arms. What were the odds they'd be able to follow your scent? All the way down to the spot where you hid beneath the front steps? It was hard to track another when it was raining, so snow had to be the same, right? So why were they coming closer and closer, why were their voices becoming hushed and their words rushed, why were they–

The door above you slammed open with the unmistakable sound of a gunshot. You covered your mouth with a shaky hand, hoping the boom coupled with your stalker's shocked, angry barking (just one voice?) stifled whatever pathetic squawk you garbled out. 

It must've. Because the person--the man--standing on the weather-worn deck above you laughed, and stepped down the creaky stairs with heavy, lazy steps before following that soldier's voice. 

Go, go, go. You forced yourself to move, pushing yourself up the steps under the cover of barked threats and the outbreak of a fight. You thought men like that stuck together. That they'd help each other out with delivering omegas back to one another. That they'd invite him to join their diabolic cult–especially when the thick scent of alpha filled your lungs.

You swallowed thickly, your inner omega going wild with curiosity and wonder and a need to curl up in the musk and laze in it all day, but your petrified self picked up the slack and kept you in motion, kept you scrambling for a place to hide. Staying the night was the plan–you wouldn't be able to survive outside, not like this. Not with a t-shirt, worn joggers and runners being your only defense against the cold. 

What happens in the morning? He'd no doubt catch your scent. He'd no doubt realize he had an unwelcome guest. What would he do with you? What would he do to you? 

“I don't care,” You breathed as you jammed yourself into the darkness of a bedroom closet and burrowed into whatever lay on the floor. “I don't care.”

And that was true; being a slave to one was better than being a slave to many. 

–

His eyes shone red.

You weren't sure if you woke in the night to find the demon. You didn't know if your dreamscape simply enjoyed tormenting you. But the burns left by that searing, glowing gaze were real. 

He stood there. Features melded with shadow. Body engulfing the snowy light of night. Staring down at you. Quiet. Still. Inhuman. 

Only your shaky breathing filled the thick, damp void of silence his presence brought. What were you supposed to do? What were you supposed to–

He closed the closet doors, and his lumbering footsteps sauntered away.

–

When morning came, the stranger was not so willing to leave you alone. 

You thought you were being quite crafty, quite sneaky with how you planned on escaping; you waited for sounds of his to stop in a far-off room, then you donned yourself in whatever gear and warm clothes you could find in the closet, and then you carefully, so so so carefully, opened the closet doors and–

“Leaving already, little omega?” A deep, playful voice taunted from the doorway of the room, just out of sight; if you pushed the doors all the way open, you'd see the man standing in the doorway to the left. 

But your hands fumbled alongside your heart. Your voice died in your throat. 

You were caught.

A large hand gripped the side of the closet door and pulled it open. You stumbled backwards, heart shattering from its frosted paralysis to jump into overdrive. 

Because the man, the alpha standing before you, was unlike anything you'd seen before. 

He was tall. His shoulders stretched wide and, judging from the strain of his shirt, his build was formidable and downright predatory. Muscle shifted and adjusted under an expanse of gilded skin everytime the beast moved, changing from looming over you to leaning against the doorframe. Maybe in an attempt to make himself smaller. More likely because of his cocky laziness. 

The smirk plastered on his face bore the same arrogance, too. As did the care in brushing back his hair and actually looking presentable in the guts of a fucking apocalypse. But maybe he relished in the anarchy. You could only assume so much from tattoos marking his skin and the mirth gleaming in hellborne eyes. 

“Go on,” the man drawled, hooking a thumb into his belt, bringing your attention to the thick knife strapped to his side, “Let's hear your pretty voice.” 

“I wasn't gonna stay,” you choked out, and the demon in front of you smiled wider. “I just–I saw your light, and–” 

“And you walked on in without even knocking.” He sighed and shook his head. “Kids these days.” 

“M'not a fucking kid,” You bit out, surprising the both of you with your venom. You thought you'd lost it long ago, but maybe not. 

The man laughed, showing off his brutal, jagged canines. You swore you saw red staining them. 

“You've got some bite, huh? Like that in a bitch.” He stepped closer, and you tried to meld into the wall of clothes behind you, but failed to escape the calloused hand that grabbed you by the jaw and forced your head up, down and around as he inspected you like a piece of meat.

You tried to pull away, tried to turn your head to break free from his grasp. “Don't fucking touch me–”

“Hah. This how you tried to get those alphas off of you?” He taunted, grinning at your sudden wide-eyed stare. “No wonder they used you up like a–” 

You headbutted him and kneed him in the dick before pushing past him and running. Your head pounded thanks to your stupid opener, but at least it worked. Now, you just had to get out of the damn house and–

“OMEGA.” 

–and escape from the devil chasing you. 

His growling voice ripped through your skull like a chainsaw revving to life as you threw yourself down the stairs and out the front door. You slipped and slid, nearly falling and breaking your fucking neck on the porch, but you caught yourself and made a break for the street as the thundering of footsteps clamoured after you. 

Churned snow painted in sour shades of rusted red greeted you. You could almost envision the struggle, the stabbing, the warmth bleeding from their bodies as they died for their selfish desires. It chilled you, gave you pause–and that's where you fucked up. 

The horizon reeled and spun when a heavy body crashed into you and pinned you to the ground. You gasped, straining to catch the breath that'd been punched from your lungs, failing to stop the burning in your chest as your face froze against the pavement. 

“Wily little cunt, huh?” The stranger breathed, rage and amusement fighting through his words. “You bring that much fight to the sack, omega? Hey?” 

You tried to rip free or push him off or something as he taunted you, but you couldn't. You were trapped. Again. Again.

“Fuck you,” you spat. “I'd rather fucking die than–”

You froze. The slow, stuttering shamble of footsteps pricked your ears before low, ungodly moaning and wheezing rattled through the streets. The noise was quiet, but so loud to a frightened deer. 

“Lookit that,” your captor whispered, leaning down to your ear, “Guess God heard your prayer.”

Your heart hammered. “Get off, get off.” Your voice quaked and broke as you thrashed beneath him. “Please.” 

“Thought you said you'd rather die.” His knee ground into your back and you bit back a yelp. 

“Please.” The diabolic gasping came closer, became more frantic as the thing saw you. You couldn't see it, but they always got so fucking excited and loud when they saw fresh, living meat. You knew it was coming. 

“Ah-ah, can't let you go. Your buddy won't be able to catch up and end things for ya.” The stranger cackled something hideous and unnerving. “That'd be a right fucking shame.” 

“Let me up,” You begged.

“Not yet.”

It got closer.

“Please!” 

“No.” 

Just a metre away, now.

“I'll stay.” 

The scent of alphan approval washed over you.

“Good pet.”

You were pulled up and off the snowy ground with ease as soon as you submitted. You even vaguely saw the man kick the undead back with ease, sending it toppling over into the snow and stuck on its back like a helpless turtle. Its motor functions were shot in this weather. It probably wouldn't be getting up for a while. 

You wondered if you were going to suffer the same fate: stuck on your back, unable to move, at the mercy of a sick freak you accidentally met while running away from other lunatics. You were doomed. But at least you were alive. At least you'd be warm.

The pink-haired menace locked up the door before throwing you down onto the couch with little grace. You would have been more mad if the purring roil of the fireplace didn't breathe warm gusts of comfort over you. And, well, you weren't being dragged into a bedroom and tied down. Not yet, at least. 

The make matters worse, the man didn't really say much. Just closed the blinds and ensured the entrances and windows were secured while you sat still and quiet, patient lest you suffer a worse fate. 

He glanced at you over his shoulder before returning to the task at hand. “If I wanted to kill your sorry ass, I woulda done it last night,” he said into the quiet of the room. 

You remembered those eyes staring down at you. How inhuman and evil they were. How much fear they bred in you. And now, you had to accept how real that was. 

He sat down on the coffee table in front of you and leaned towards you, resting his elbows on his knees, holding your gaze with his own. 

“Here's what's gonna happen,” he said, low and dangerous. “I'm gonna let you stay. Real nice of me, yeah? I'll give you food, water. Keep you warm, keep you safe from all the bullshit going on outside. Sounds good, doesn't it?” 

You looked over his face, brows furrowed, heart pounding so loud you almost couldn't hear him. But you nodded for fear of what he'd do otherwise. 

He smiled, satisfied. “Good. And in return,” he started, letting a hand slip up to your knee, “You'll make like a good little whore and keep my bed warm. Fair deal, don't you think?” 

You nodded. It wasn’t like you had a choice, anyway.

–

Sex with the man–Sukuna, as you’d come to learn–wasn’t the worst thing imaginable; for one, he had some level of patience and tact when it came to stretching and lubing you up for your occasional “duties,” which put him in your “good book” right away (Christ, your standards had fallen so low). 

Secondly, he didn’t make you participate. He’d command you in the same way each time (“face down, ass up, don't bite”), and he'd have his way with you. He never made you kiss him. Never demanded you speak. Never bullied you. He seemed like he just wanted to stuff his cock somewhere warm and forget about the world for a bit.

And you didn't really mind it. Sometimes. you almost looked forward to it. Sometimes, you let little noises escape when he railed you into the bed with reckless abandon. Sometimes, you wanted his hands on you just a little longer. 

Because when he wasn't fucking you, he might disappear out of the blue and leave you all alone, only to return a week later with supplies and clothes, unperishable goods and other random odds and ends he found along the way. Once, he even found a retro game store and scooped up an endless supply of gameboy advance and colour games and consoles. Another time, he carried home a bag full of weather-worn books. 

What'll it be today? You wondered when you caught sight of the man wandering back up the steps. He cursed under his breath as he messed with the lock for an eternity, and you took the opportunity to scurry away from the living room to put some distance between the two of you just in case; at this point, you didn't expect him to hurt you, but wild animals were unpredictable, even when seemingly domesticated.

“Fuckin' shit-ass door,” Sukuna grumbled as he nudged it open before kicking it closed and locking up. “Need to fix that shit.” 

You peered down at him from your perch halfway up the stairs and watched him saunter around, heavy boots clunking on the floors you just washed as he looked around. You had to wonder who the hell had taught him shoes inside was okay. 

“Where the fuck is that little bitch,” he mumbled, walking out of your line of sight. He traipsed through the bottom floor thoroughly before walking past the stairs again, pausing, rewinding, and meeting your patient statre. “The fuck are you doing?”

I don't want you to bite me; I don't know if you'll randomly kill me if you're in a bad mood; I don't trust you like that, all ran through your head, but none felt like a good option to admit to. So, you shrugged.

Sukuna sighed, loud and laced with an aggravated growl. “Downstairs. Now. Need you to do something.” 

Your brows furrowed slightly. Normally, you weren't asked to do much. The sudden command had your skin itching. 

“Now.” 

“Coming.” You tried to control the quivering of your legs on your descent to him, and just prayed he didn't notice. 

He stared down at you with narrowed eyes and a bit of a sneer before he leaned over, sniffing for your scent, circling around you a few times, and finally rubbing his wrist against your neck to half-heartedly re-mark you. 

You cleared your throat. “Is that it?” 

Sukuna scoffed and turned away, grabbing the medical bag from the kitchen cabinet and dumping it on the counter. “You know how to sew, yeah?” 

“Well, yeah. I can sew.” You approached warily as he gestured you closer. 

“Hah. Good to know you're not completely fucking useless.” He sat down heavily onto a bar stool and shrugged off his jacket and shirt before turning his back to you; a long, jagged gash marred his skin with trails of dark, gooey ichor and scarlett smears. Whatever had happened was serious.

“Holy shit,” you breathed, scrambling to look through the medical bag to find something, anything, that seemed like it'd help. You found some essentials: gauze, tape, bandages, antibiotic cream, disinfectant wipes. But you'd definitely need more than a few dinky wipes to deal with his back.

You felt his eyes on you as you puttered around the kitchen, grabbing this and that and some other things before returning to his side with salt, bottled water, and booze in-hand. 

Sukuna quirked a brow. “The fuck is all that for?” 

You jumped a bit when his voice interrupted your whirling thoughts. “I–gonna, um, try to make some kinda…saline. To clean it.” You cleared your throat again and set the mostly-empty bottle of sake by him. “That's for…y'know.”

“Loud and clear,” Sukuna sighed, dreading what was to come, and took a long, long drink from the bottle.

You pursed your lips and nodded to yourself before starting to mix the salt and water together in the bottle. You weren't sure what the ratio should be, but you figured there wasn't necessarily a limit, not when you were lacking isopropyl alcohol and hydrogen peroxide. You'd be sure to mention it to him next time he went out. 

“So. This'll…suck,” you warned, voice nervous and weak. 

Sukuna sighed again. Took a swig again. Then ripped his belt from his waist, folded it a few times, and bit down. 

He gave you an unenthused thumbs-up, and you found the nerve to jab a hole in the plastic bottle cap before spraying your makeshift saline solution against the wound. 

You nearly shit yourself as Sukuna growled with the force of a jet turbine. Faintly, you heard the creaking groan of leather crackle from his mouth as his teeth sank in deep. His canines probably already pierced through the material. 

“I know,” you whispered, actually feeling badly for the animal keeping you prisoner. “I know.”

You took your time cleaning the wound out, being sure to remove any sort of gravel or shrapnel embedded into his flesh. Luckily, the gash looked worse than it actually ended up being. It bled a lot, but it didn't cut all the way through to his ribs or beyond. Talk about lucky. 

When a majority of his trembling and snarling ebbed, you hazarded the question: “So…how’d this happen?” 

Sukuna groaned, and you almost smiled. “Fell off a fucking roof. Hit a sign on the way down.” 

You cringed at the thought. “Well. It's…not that bad.” You drenched the wound with another round of salt water before patting it dry.

“Yeah? Then no stitches,” he half-declared, half-asked. 

You gave his back a pitying look before reaching for the needle. Sukuna scoffed and muttered colourful obscenities when he saw your fingers snatch up the tool before disappearing behind him again. 

“Fuck me.”

“Sorry,” you offered softly, trying not to laugh. 

You saw his knee bounce in trepidation as you wiped his skin and the needle down with those cute little towelettes. You kinda felt bad for him. Healthcare in the apocalypse was a bit lacklustre.

As carefully as you could, you pushed the needle through his skin, and tried not to gag at the obscene feeling. The sound of his fist hitting the countertop helped ground you, though, and helped keep you on task stitch, after stitch, after stitch, after–

You set aside the tools and cleaned off your trembling, crimson-stained hands as best as you could before applying whatever ointment you could under gauze, and finally bandaging his torso up. Sukuna's eyes followed you, but you couldn't bear to look at him, quietly afraid of what he might do if your unsteady gaze met his; but that wasn't acceptable, judging by how he grabbed your arm and stopped you from turning away to clean up the mess. 

You looked at him, then, eyes laser-focused. Every shift pumped your veins with ice. Every flick of his attention sent electricity down your spine. Every silent word his lips failed to commit to filled you with dread. 

“Thanks,” he said. And he let go. 

[amuseoffyre]

I’m emotionally ruined by the fact that Aziraphale hasn’t broken out of his heavenly conditioning. He still loves doing good. He gets happy when people tell him he’s an angel and says “it’s nice to tell people about the good things you’ve done now that I’m not reporting to Heaven”. He will literally put himself in harm’s way to make sure he does the Good and Right thing.

It can’t be understated how much Heaven’s influence still impacts on him. Aziraphale has been created, ordained and conditioned to believe it and he can’t just switch it off or walk away. Crowley didn’t get the choice. He was Fallen. He was kicked out and - as per the rules of toxic and terrifying cults - Aziraphale was always told for centuries and millennia, Falling was the worst thing that could happen. If you’re bad, you’ll be forced out. If you’re bad, you’re not one of Us. You’re one of Them.

When he did something he perceived as Right (ie. saving innocent children from death), but knew it wasn’t what Heaven intended, he broke down. Crowley found him a crying, shaking wreck afterwards because he was so convinced he was Evil. He was so convinced he was going to be dragged to Hell and that he was now a demon because he did one thing that saved some children but because it wasn’t a specific directive, it was Bad.

It shapes so much about him and it’s why the whole series looks like he’s having so much fun doing silly human things, but there’s this brittleness to it. He’s happy and excited and he’s doing his human-life things and having a lovely time, but he’s also constantly stressed because of the Need To Do Good. From the moment Gabriel turns up, he’s a nervous wreck and is trying to hide it by Doing Good, by Solving the Problem, by Fixing Things, by being so active and reactive rather than letting himself think about it. It’s a sign of exactly how frantic he is that he starts giving away his books and letting humans touch them.

Watch his face when the Archangels show up unexpectedly: that isn’t joy. That’s blind terror. He’s so afraid of doing the wrong thing in Heaven’s eyes, even though he made the active choice to do so because it was the Right thing to do. He’s a Guardian and he will protect, but he is so very afraid of the repercussions, even now. 

At the end of S1, Crowley said “they’re gearing up for the big one” so Aziraphale’s not oblivious. He knows a big one is coming. He knows something worse than the Antichrist will be on its way. And he’s trying so hard to pretend that everything is normal and fine and if he ignores all the looming bad stuff, it won’t happen. If we don’t say anything about it, nothing has to change.

But then the changes come knocking at his door holding a box and the choice is gone. He can keep trying to blinker himself to it, but then there are angels and demons in the bookshop and he’s had to use his halo and everything is falling apart.

So when he realises that he can get himself into a position where he can guarantee those repercussions won’t happen to Crowley? He will absolutely take it. He says himself “I don’t want to go back to Heaven”, but the instant the Metatron offers him a free pass for Crowley, to take Crowley out of both Heaven and Hell’s sightlines, to keep him safe (Another bee inside the hive, if you will), no wonder he grabs it with both hands.

The tragedy is that Crowley thinks that when they saved the world together, that was the end of Heaven’s influence in Aziraphale. When he was cast out the split between him and Heaven was sharp and clean. He doesn’t - he can’t - understand how deeply it has tangled around Aziraphale. It’s built into Aziraphale’s entire being and unravelling it isn’t that simple. Aziraphale’s trauma is a horrible, terrible Gordian knot and Crowley can’t understand that he couldn’t simply cut through it, because that’s just not how Aziraphale works.

[heartaces]

𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐃𝐔𝐑'𝐒 𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝟑 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 ASTARION EDITION ⟶ part one

“there is a time and place for violence. i mean - this place is perfect. but is it the time?”

“heaven forbid. we’re all entitled to our secrets.”

“sitting by the fire while you do all the hard work sounds marvelous, actually.”

“couldn’t you wait ten minutes before being an absolute freak?”

“you’re welcome to try and kill me, of course. but i don’t die easily these days.”

“ugh, don’t be so nice to me. it makes me want to be nice back.”

“a horrible death is always just around the corner with you.”

“stabbing someone a dozen times can be many things. but ‘the right thing to do’? hm, i doubt it.”

“immortality is only as good as the life you’re living. an eternity of luxury sounds a lot better than an eternity of struggle.”

“what are you doing? this isn’t safe. you can’t trust him.”

“look, i’m a not a details person, all right. but turning up and causing chaos has worked for us so far.”

“they were clearly artists. you can tell because it’s a mess in here.”

“you know, there is a point where bravery becomes stupidity. and walking into that thing would be very, very stupid.”

“i’ve had enough of bad poets singing of my looks - urgh.”

“is the plant bothering you?”

“until then, try not to die.”

“oh yes, i’m fine. i just feel… awful.”

“shut that oversized chicken up.”

“you know, the only way to cure temptation… is to give in to it.”

“next time, just warn me before you do something stupid.”

“there certainly is a strong ambience down here. i don’t know if it’s the bats or the decaying - everything. it’s quite homey.”

“it’s nice to see heroes are as awful as the rest of us.”

“unusually polite for a god.”

“of all the places you dragged me, this might just be the most foul. and that is saying something, given some of the things you exposed me to.”

“i mean, i hate to judge the proverbial book, but that oath may be all cover and no pages.”

“a shapeshifter? it could be anyone. i mean - it’s not me. but it could be anyone else.”

“sometimes we need to think with our heads before our knifes, dear.”

“you could watch for anyone acting strangely, but - well, you know the lunatics we camp with.”

“thank you. for being that evil bastard.”

“can you feel that? the dark, it’s - hungry. best watch the shadows.”

“this place brings back the worst memories.”

“well, that’s disturbing. still, better than having an actual conversation with him though.”

“oh no. not again.”

“honestly, just once, could we end up somewhere normal?”

“i prefer to travel in smaller groups. it’s more… intimate.”

“nice as it is, she still doesn’t have the best hair in the camp.”

“thank goodness. i was worried i’d have to get involved. now, let’s keep our hands to ourselves.”

“i much prefer it when i’m the one prowling in the shadows - about to strike.”

“ah, nothing says ‘true love’ like faking your own death to avoid someone.”

“you’re not going to eviscerate him? i was hoping for a show.”

“it’s just a waste of a perfectly good cult we could be controlling.”

“can you - ugh, can you shut up and let me read?”

“i hate to be negative. but they’ll carve you up like a goose.”

“my, she sounds positively demented. i love it. let’s tell her everything.”

“you villain. i didn’t know you had it in you.”

“a well-presented face can open a lot of doors.”

“hardly a promising introduction.”

“do you mind? i’m brooding.”

“i’d rather be the only dark power inside your body, if it’s all the same to you.”

“easy now, let’s not do anything hilarious.” 

“i’m with you, my dear. wherever this leads.” 

“i appreciate anyone who opens a conversation with bodily harm.” 

“nothing like a little camp drama to spice up the evening.” 

“it’s almost a pity things ended up amicably.”

“what do you see when you look at me?”

“i would’ve liked more for my trouble than a pat on the head and vinegar for wine.”

“do you have any other chaos you need to unleash here?”

“all i want is a little fun. is that so much to ask?” 

“don’t be so sour. i like a good time as much as anyone.” 

“this seems like a lovely little spot. the sense of impending doom aside.”

[chxrrywines]

Maybe something with the reader being shaken-up about a case?

hi lovely! tysm for the ask <3 | sam winchester x fem!reader, 1.2k, hurt/comfort, implied trauma, brief implied gore, brief mentions of death, brief mentions of vomit, sam being so soft and gentle, mostly comfort

She didn’t realise that she was crying until she couldn’t see.

It was like she was looking through an obscure glass window. The bunker’s kitchen blurred out of view, lost behind the film of tears that was quickly leaking.

It was almost funny. She was only eating a sandwich, nothing more. Nothing had been said, nothing had happened. She wasn’t even thinking, not really. Her thoughts had sounded fuzzy and distorted since the case they’d worked two days ago.

She blinked, the film of tears broke and dripped down her cheeks, and the bite of sandwich in her mouth suddenly felt like chewing cotton, like it wouldn’t melt down. She had to swallow it in two lumps, by which point she couldn’t see again, the tears were building too rapidly.

With her impaired vision, the only reason she was able to tell that Sam had also realised she was crying, was when she felt his warm palm against her face.

“Hey,” his voice was so soft it made her chest hurt. “Hey, baby, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

She blinked rapidly to repair her vision, eyelashes tickled with the tears that dropped from them, and when she looked up at him all she could do was nod. She was scared of the sound that'd come out of her if she tried to talk. The pressure in her chest was building like a mentos and coke experiment. If she opened the lid, she’d burst.

Sam thumbed her tears away, delicate as always, and crouched in front of her. He looked so worried. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t his sadness.

“Easy, sweetheart,” he squeezed her knee, and rubbed at her thigh with his free hand. “Do you want some water?”

He didn’t wait for her nod to get up and retrieve it. The glass was cold when it was pushed into her hands, and it took four sips before it felt like the lump in her throat had dissolved only slightly. But it was helping.

Sam didn’t push her to talk. He sat beside her on the bench of the table and rubbed his palm along her spine as she sipped from the cool relief. He was so nice it made her want to cry more. How could someone be so loving? How did he fit all of the gentleness inside of him? His ribs must’ve been straining with the pressure.

“Sorry,” her voice felt too small, too weak. “I don’t know why I’m crying.”

Sam rubbed the heel of his palm between her shoulder blades. “Don’t be sorry,” he murmured in that gentle tone of his. “Do you think it could be… I mean, is it the case? Is that what’s bothering you?”

“I’m…” her breath wavered on her inhale. “I don’t-”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Sam took one of her hands with his free one, laced their fingers until all of their knuckles were kissing. “It’s alright, sweetheart. You’re safe.”

The lump in her throat bobbed, and she had to sip the water again.

The case they’d worked that past Wednesday was the first case that had made her physically throw up. The grass has been damp beneath her knees, dew from the green soaked into the denim of her jeans as she hunched over and emptied her stomach, the side panel of the Impala cold beneath her palm where she steadied herself. Sam’s hand had been warm against the back of her neck. Dean’s jacket had been a little heavy over her shoulders. The scene that played in her mind of what they had seen inside that house like a broken film reel had been disgusting. It had been downright evil.

It was the first case that she’d had to step back from and let the boys do their job. The first case she’d sat in the backseat of the Impala for whilst the boys buried what was left of the body.

It was the first case that had numbed her mind a little on the drive back home.

And it was the first case she’d cried about two days after.

The obscure glass was back in the role of contact lenses. Her hand squeezed Sam’s until hers shook, but he didn’t mind. He leaned over her until she was tucked against his side completely, like he’d held her on the drive home from the case.

“I don’t like our job sometimes.” Her voice broke, muffled by his collar. She inhaled deeply, tried to ground herself with his scent.

“I know.”

“I wish we’d never gone there.”

“I know, sweetheart.”

“She was already dead-” the words came out warped around a hiccup and she put her glass down to hug him instead, arms wrapped around his waist like she couldn’t bare to be any further from him.

Sam’s hand came up and stroked through her hair, something that he knew soothed her. Deft fingers pushed through the strands of her hair, nails scratched at her scalp so so lightly, until some of the tension had left her body, left her drained against him.

Her chest still ached.

“You know what I think about, after cases that we don’t win? Cases like that?” Sam’s voice was soft, she heard it through his chest, a deep rumble that had as much of an affect on her as a cat purring in her lap.

“Hm?”

“It’s cheesy, I know, but I think about all the people we’ve saved,” his fingers continued their ministrations as her tears soaked into his shirt. “And we’ve saved so many — you’ve saved so many.”

“But not her.” Her voice broke.

Sam took a breath. “No, not her,” he murmured. “Nobody said this life was easy. But if we wanted the easy life, think about how many people wouldn’t be here because we hadn’t saved them.”

It was a nice thought. That there were people around, living and loving and breathing because of them. But that girl…

“It’ll hurt for a while,” Sam murmured. “It’ll hurt for longer than a while. I can't say anything that’ll ease it. I wish I could, sweetheart,” he kissed her temple. “But… we do a lot of good, you know. You do.”

She nodded, but didn’t respond. She breathed through the rest of her tears in Sam’s arms, and only when the ache in her ribs had lessened did she lean back and looked up at him.

He smiled so softly that made her wonder how he was so perfect for her. It made her wonder how many lives they’d lived together before this one.

“What do you need, sweetheart?” Sam murmured as he lifted a hand and delicately wiped at her eyes, before he just held her jaw like he was holding light. “A bath? A nap? D’you wanna go for a drive?”

Her head rested in his palm like it was crafted for that purpose alone. “A nap sounds nice.”

“Yeah?” Sam smiled a little more, and leaned in to kiss her forehead. She wanted to cry again. “Then we’ll nap.”

Her eyes watered again when she murmured, “Thanks, Sammy.”

“Hey, ‘course,” Sam wiped at her tears once more, like he was trying to brush water from the pages of a book. Delicate, not wanting to ruin what was underneath. “I love you, okay?” He kissed her forehead once more. “We’ll get through this.”

We’ll. Maybe they would, if she had him.

[cripplecharacters]

Hello! I hope this is fine to ask, because this isn't about writing per se, but it is about disability and characters, so I thought your opinion could help me.

When a fantasy character doesn't have ability that isn't real, but is normal within their world (like magic), people usually agree that they're disabled and count as representation in a way. What about things like facial differences? If a character looks different within their setting, but it isn't based on realism, can you say they're representing this group of people? Trying to come up with example – what if it's an object show -style media and someone has permanent noticeable mark, when is it safe to say that they have facial difference or similar?

Hey,

I'll start with saying that I'm probably one of the worst people to ask this since I'm actually in the minority who doesn't think that the "unmagical character in a magical world" counts as disabled literally at all. But I'll try to answer in a way that would be inclusive of that.

The annoying answer: it depends. "Facial difference" is a social category more than a medical one. Freckles and moles aren't facial differences, but vitiligo and birthmarks are, even if they don't cause medical problems of any kind. The difference is social i.e. how people with them are treated. Freckles are "normal", birthmarks are "different".

For an objecthead type thing, whether it "counts" would depend on two things: how it's treated in-universe, and how the viewer sees it. If it's supposed to be a facial difference equivalent, but the average viewer doesn't realize anything is different, it can't count as representation. The same way, if no in-universe character sees the difference as actually different*, then it also probably doesn't count.

*- (Seeing them as "different" doesn't automatically mean "being ableist towards them". You can be 100% aware that someone has a facial difference and still be nice to them. There's nothing wrong with just acknowledging someone looks different.)

A birthmark is kinda tricky, IMO, since it can come off as just a stylistic color choice. In this case it would be helpful to have some sort of "control group" (=similar characters who don't have a birthmark) to actually let the viewer know that this one is Different.

The safest bet would be to give them a difference that affects the features that objectshow characters usually share with real people: mouth, eyebrows, eyes. Some IRL facial differences that could IMO be easily replicated:

microphthalmia/anophthalmia/missing eye(s),

strabismus,

ptosis,

scarring,

facial paralysis (Bell's palsy would be the easiest),

conditions that cause structural facial asymmetry, like hemifacial microsomia, Goldenhar syndrome, Parry-Romberg syndrome, etc.

if all the characters have the same facial proportions, then you can play with those too. E.g. one character has an eye that's much lower than the other one, or their whole face is much more "compact" than any other character, etc.

Other differences that are more what-object-is-it dependant could be things like:

oculocutaneous albinism (either if it's an object that doesn't usually come with that coloration; or you could also give them sunglasses and/or a white cane to drive the point home),

tumors/growths, like with neurofibromatosis for example (again, for an object where that'd be clearly "different"),

birthmarks, vitiligo, etc. (if the object the character is based on is generally something that would be uniformly colored),

microtia/anotia (if the character has something that can be interpreted as ears),

a structural difference, like not having a part of their skull or jaw (if it's an object that normally would have a specific shape).

With some of these I would just caution you to pay attention what kind of character you're putting those differences on. Strabismus on the comic relief, neurofibromatosis on the creepy guy, skull indentation to imply a character is stupid, scars to show that the character is evil/heartless, just no - it's overdone and potentially offensive.

For non-object characters, it's generally much easier, because animals absolutely have facial differences. So you can just reference actually existing ones rather than having to make them up. Monty the cat is probably the most famous animal with a facial difference (and to test my "does it count as a facial difference if it's not on a human" question from earlier: this is a literal cat, but people still actively see him as different from other cats. So facial differences are definitely not a human-only phenomenon in the real world either).

Hope this helps,

mod Sasza