#blame it on the suspected adhd

[knoxious-and-devoted]

just realised how much shit im ignoring is a problem so i have a shot at functioning... huh well that's not great, wonder what's gonna happen with all that crap...

eh i don't even have the time right now

[anaalnathrakhs]

...i'm starting to wonder if i wasn't actually pretty often failed by the adults in my life as a young kid tbh.

[metalheadsagainstfascism]

Heat Intolerance

This disability pride month I'd like to talk about heat intolerance. Because honestly although it's not the first health issue that presented symptoms in my life. It was the first time I was like "I don't think my body works right".

And honestly given disability pride month is during one of the hottest months in the year. It seems fitting. Especially because there's a lot of disabilities and medications that cause it.

What is heat intolerance?

Simply speaking it's the inability for the body to regulate it's temperatures especially in hot settings to cool itself down.

Why is awareness important?

Because gaslighting people or worse not providing them a place to cool down just because you "feel fine" is extremely fucking dangerous.

What are the medicines that can cause heat intolerance?

Antihistamines (Allergy medications) . Decongestants (Sudafed or any medication that has the D at the end of it). Stimulants (ADHD medications. Steroids. Caffeine.) Beta-blockers (blood pressure medications). Overactive bladder treatment. Psychiatric medications (including but not limited to medications for depression and anxiety). Pain relievers. Antibiotics.

What medical conditions can cause heat intolerance?

EDS (Elhers-Danlos syndrome). Autism. ADHD. Migraines. Brain/spinal-cord injury. Sensory processing disorder. Chronic fatigue syndrome. Endocrin problems. POTS. Menopause. Hypothyroidism. Diabetes. Heart Disease. Multiple sclerosis. Mental health disorders.

What should I do if I suspect I have heat intolerance?

Reduce time outside during hot months. Keep your electrolytes up. Drink plenty of water. Stay out of the sun whenever possible if outside. Be aware of the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Clothes that are best worn for heat intolerance. Loose lightweight breathable fabrics. Natural fibers. Long sleeves that protect from sunburn as sunburns will increase your risk. Light clothes that reflect light. Wide brimmed hats that shade the face and neck.

Cool. So what are those symptoms I'm supposed you be looking for?

Headaches. Excessive fatigue. Mood changes. Muscle cramping or weakness. Nausea/ vomiting. Rapid heartbeat. Excessive sweating or not sweating at all.

When should I do to the doctor?

If you suspect you have heat intolerance you can go to your PCP to discuss what medications you may be on and what you can do about it. Otherwise, please go to the emergency room if you have symptoms of heat stroke.

This is good information and all but why are you making this post?

To raise awareness. Not just for the people that have it but weren't aware of what it was called. But for all of the idiots that tried to gaslight me when I was in school because I was like "I don't think this is normal. Every time we do our mile run outside I vomit all over the place but other kids aren't doing that."

Also because people always blame me for over heating if I wear long sleeves or pants. I always like to take notes from what people in the middle east wear because they literally live in the excessive heat and spend long hours in the excessive heat. Often in clothing that covers most of their body. They've gotta know what they're doing, right?

I have some type of xenophobic comment about why people from the middle east cover up

Shut the fuck up 😊

-fae

[scroogemcfork]

Honestly still not over A Guest For Mister Spider.

So we have Jon. Funky little guy. He’s paranoid and in denial and suspecting his coworkers of murder, but like. In a quirky way. Go little dude go. So the end of season two rolls around, and I’m kinda bummed out about the whole “framed for murder” thing, so I jump right into season three, expecting the plot (and Jon) to go on its merry way. So I, the picture of naïveté, turn on MAG81.

And then Jon goes “The woman who raised me was never able to truly love me because I was a constant reminder that her son was dead, and also never cared to monitor my reading, or what I was doing at all, which led to me being severely traumatised. Also I was bullied by an eighteen-year-old at age eight, and either my grandmother didn’t care, or I never bothered to tell because I knew I couldn’t rely on her. And then that same teenager was eaten by a huge fucking spider, unwillingly saving me from the same fate, and I’ve blamed myself for it ever since. Also I definitely have severe undiagnosed ADHD. Anyway I’m wanted by the police, byeee>3”.

And I’m just. Supposed to listen on. With the knowledge that my Projection Pillow Number One has felt like he shouldn’t be alive since he was eight. What the fuck Jonny. Genuinely. What the fuck.

[captn-trex]

oldest trick in the book

Hardcase x F!Reader

word count: 3.4k

description: you've been secretly pranking hardcase as payback for a prank he pulled on you, but this time he catches you in the act

warnings/tags: friends to lovers I suppose, hardcase is a smug little shit at the beginning & a little bit adhd-coded, reader is described as shy/anxious and potentially also neurodivergent in some way but I wasn't writing it to be like that on purpose am I telling on myself? I feel like this is very cheesy lol

a/n: alright. I wouldn’t say this is my best work but I just needed to get it out of my system. this definitely took a more sweet turn than I was anticipating, probably because I didn't plan it at all and just pulled it outta my ass. I blame @ghostymarni making me thirst for this man to a concerning degree

masterlist | join my taglist | read on ao3

Perhaps if anyone knew what you were doing, they’d think it was weird, and honestly, maybe it was.

You tiptoed into the barracks, your footfalls light and ear reaching out in search of any noises. You knew there shouldn’t be anyone in here at this time, but it didn’t stop you being cautious. After all, that was how you had kept this operation going so long.

Not entirely sure which bunk was the one you were searching for, you tried to look for any identifying items. A pack of smokes? He didn’t seem the type. Hairbands? Definitely not, that one most likely belonged to Tup. A pile of laundry? Could well be his. Among other things, you knew Hardcase could be messy, something you had picked up on in your time studying him, figuring out his daily routine. It was much the same as the other clones, naturally, but in watching him you’d realised just how different from them he was.

As strange as this all sounded, you didn’t start it. At least, that was how you rationalised what you were doing.

Hardcase was a known prankster aboard the Resolute. Him and a few of his brothers, namely Fives, filled their spare time by terrorising the rest of the crew, and you were not immune. You had been burned by them on several occasions, and the most recent was a tipping point for you.

That time, it had been just Hardcase, and he had made you look a fool in front of your employees. You were the head technician aboard the venator, and standing in front of your team, giving a briefing without being privy to the ‘kick me’ sign stuck to your back, was not something you had been pleased about. It was especially irritating as you were still relatively new in the role at the time, and to have your leadership put into question, being a little shy to begin with, did more damage to your confidence that Hardcase probably realised.

So, you had been pranking Hardcase back. They weren’t so much proper pranks as harmless inconveniences for him, but in any case, it was a satisfying form of payback. Most of the time you’d steal his things only for them to ‘turn up’ in the strangest of places, none where you could be implicated, and other times you arranged little situations designed to embarrass him.

The only problem with that was that he refused to be embarrassed, and honestly you admired him for it. His ability to brush off jokes at his expense was commendable, and made you feel like a spiteful cynic for reacting in the way you had to his admittedly innocent prank. Though, you were having too much fun with it now to stop. You knew you were safe from him suspecting you, considering he probably just saw you as the quiet ship tech who he liked to bother when he was back on the Resolute, and he was yet to mention it if he did.

So here you were, rifling through the drawers beside his bunk for something you could steal or use to your advantage. You opened the final draw and your lips curled into a grin as you saw the only item inside: his music player and headphones. You had stolen them before, and remember him being particularly irritated about it, more so than at your other exploits.

You were so caught up in your glee at finding the player again that you didn’t register that someone had entered the room. The pile of dirty blacks should’ve been a clue really, but when someone cleared their throat and you whipped around, finding Hardcase himself with just a towel slung around his waist, you couldn't help but gawk.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his suspicion as obvious as his amusement at your flustered state.

Your hands were behind your back to hide the almost stolen item, your eyes fighting to keep away from his bare chest and failing miserably. You had no idea that his tattoos stretched down his chest, and the way they dipped beneath the edge of the already dangerously low towel had your mind reeling.

“Nothing, just a— it's a routine check” you finally peeped out, trying to sound casual. You had never been good at lying, and you could tell that much was obvious to Hardcase by the way his lips twisted in a smirk.

You quickly darted for the door, the offending item still behind you back to not get caught. You knew the jig was going to be up soon enough, but you didn't feel like answering for your crimes while he was only wearing a towel and you couldn't keep your eyes on his. Unfortunately, Hardcase had other ideas.

He reached out, blocking the exit and causing a small startled yelp to fall from your lips. Your eyes trailed along the toned arm that stopped you from leaving, lingering on the tattoo that circled his bicep, and finally making your way up to his face.

“A routine check?” he spoke, smirking broadly at you, “mesh'la, we both know that's well beneath you”

“Well, I like to know what's going on aboard my ship” your voice was wavering and you internally cursed yourself for letting him get to you like this.

He leaned in a little, his voice dropping fractionally, “you need to know what's going on in my bunk specifically?”

Hardcase had always had fun toying with you, even outside of the pranks. When he'd seek you out during his moments of respite and natter away, telling you a great many things about his most recent deployment, he'd always find a way to gently push your boundaries, not enough to make you uncomfortable, but just enough to get you flustered. It was low hanging fruit really, with you being so shy it was so easy to make you blush, as you knew you were now.

“I— it wasn't just— I was—” you shut your mouth, just looking up at him not knowing how to explain yourself without some kind of confrontation.

Hardcase stared back, his gaze appraising and amused. He nodded behind you, “what have you got there?”

Your eyes went wide, “nothing! It's like I said, just doing some checks”

You knew you were bright red, betraying your lies even further than your shaky and stuttering voice, and you had to look away from him. He took the opportunity to quickly reach around you, taking back his property and holding it above his head so you couldn't seize it again, even though you tried to. He was much taller than you, it was helpless.

“Ah, my player, you know this has gone missing be—” his eyes thinned as he looked back at you.

You rocked back onto your heels and clasped your hands together, looking up at him innocently. You knew you were caught now.

“…Before” he finished the thought and his eyes widened, “you're the one who's been stealing from me?”

You were surprised to see that he was grinning as he said it, and it only unnerved you more.

“No! I don't do that sort of—” you tried to argue your case, but he wasn't having it.

“And yet here you are… stealing”

You looked away, your face aflame, and uncertain of how to get out of this situation. Before you could figure it out, you felt his hand on your chin, tipping your face back his way.

“I must admit, I'm impressed” He said as he looked down at you with a thoughtful expression.

“Impressed?” you practically squeaked, unsure what direction this was going in.

“Mhm” he hummed as he ran his thumb over your chin, “I didn't realise you were so… devious”

You didn't say anything, but one side of your mouth quirked up on instinct. His gaze flicked down to watch it happen and then he peered back into your eyes, mischief swirling within his own.

“You know, you owe Jesse an apology” Hardcase said, towering over you even more as he stepped into your space, and you frowned a little, not understanding his words. “I called him a thief and said he was stealing my stuff, started watching him more closely”

You were entirely captivated by him, hanging on his every word, and it was as much a shock to you as it was amusing to him. He was still holding your chin and with his proximity to you now, your head was tipped back to look up at him.

He gripped you tighter with a calculating smirk, “Only… you were the little thief I should’ve had my eye on”

You gulped, the deep baritone timbre he was employing evidently having its intended effect, and rendering you speechless.

“Better watch your back, mesh'la”

You didn't know what that word meant, he’d said it to you before, but that was no comfort as he left your space and went back over to his bunk, placing down the items you had tried to steal. Still rooted in your place and watching him, he hooked his thumbs into his towel, and smirked at you once again when he noticed you standing there.

“you're not gonna try steal my towel too, are you?”

At that point you scrambled from the barracks and back to your own quarters, too embarrassed to do anything dignified.

It had been so long since Hardcase had caught you in the act, that you'd forgotten just how long it had been.

You'd kept your eye on him ever since, and watched out for incoming pranks every moment of every day, but nothing had happened. Hardcase went on like he hadn't even caught you that day, continuing to throw small adulations your way as he passed you by in the corridor, occasionally sitting by you in the mess hall, coming to irritate you when you were working late. Though, unfortunately for you, it wasn't so irritating anymore. Maybe it never had been.

While you were weary of incoming tricks, his presence was such a simple joy that you didn't mind it at all. It was often soothing in a particularly strange way. You didn't speak an awful lot, but Hardcase would fill the silences with stories of his time in deployment, telling you about the tricks that him and his brothers had got up to. The friendship between you worked well because of it. He didn't mind that you were quiet, and in fact seemed to respect you more for it.

You were working in your office, sat on the floor with a cup of caf balanced dangerously on your knee as you tinkered with your malfunctioning datapad. You would be sat at your desk, but the mess that was atop it made doing any sort if work difficult. Besides, you preferred working on the floor, it made the work feel less tedious.

The door slid open and Hardcase strolled in, as if the office were his own, and he walked over to your position with a grin on his face. Without a word he sat down opposite you, cross legged to mirror your posture, his knees almost touching yours as he grabbed the mug of caf from your knee and took a sip. He placed it down on the floor as you eyed him suspiciously.

This behaviour wasn't abnormal for him, and you didn't mind it, but you were still suspicious of any incoming pranks. Your eyes roved his body, looking for anything unusual, but you found nothing. His expression was amused, watching you evaluate him.

“What?” you asked, giving him an uneasy look.

“What?” he asked back.

You narrowed your eyes at him. He wasn't usually bugging you at this time of day, usually he came by during the evening, but right now it was early in the morning. You had gotten up before everyone else to finish up a personal project; fixing your datapad. It had been on the fritz for a few days and it was starting to affect your workflow.

“Why are you awake?” you asked, looking back down to your datapad and flipping the tool in your hand to access a new angle.

You saw him shrug in your peripheral, “why not”

“As good a reason as any, I suppose” you muttered, your focus more drawn to your work than him.

He began tapping his foot gently, watching you as you worked. It was more of a comforting rhythm than a distraction, but you noticed it all the same. Then it stopped, as if he'd been thinking and come to a conclusion.

“Tell me something mesh'la” he spoke quietly, and your gaze snapped up to his, “have you been watching your back like I suggested?”

You frowned, suddenly very unnerved, “yeah, I suppose so”

“You've been watching me? making sure I'm not up to anything” he asked, the hint of a smirk lifting one side of his lips.

You were hesitant, but you answered, “yeah”

He hummed, nodding a little, “and what have you noticed?”

“Nothing”

“Nothing? Mesh'la, I'm hurt” he pouted, his hand rested over his heart, mockingly upset.

You huffed, unimpressed, “stop saying that, I don't know what it means”

In a distinctly agitated manner, you continued on tinkering with your device. Hardcase tipped his head so that he entered your field of view, trying to gain your attention.

“Come on, humour me”

Your eyes flicked up once again, and the look he was giving you made your stomach flip. His smile seemed genuine, so you put down your datapad and tool, clasping your hands together in your lap and giving him your undivided attention.

“I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary” you said honestly, looking for an indication of what he might have done in his reaction.

His eyes narrowed a little, sending you an almost puzzled look, “then what is the ordinary?”

“I don't know…” you trailed off, the response somewhat of a default, but Hardcase looked strangely interested, “I don't need to tell you what you do ordinarily”

He chuckles, “maybe not, but go on anyway”

“Okay…” you gave him a strange look, not understanding why he wanted you to report your findings about his everyday routine. You thought for a moment, looking down to your fiddling hands, “well, you… you’re always more excitable right before meal times, just because you have more energy then. You use your music player when you've been around your brothers for a long time and they're being loud. You sometimes shy away from things if you've said you're going to do them, but otherwise you're impulsive. Uh— not that that’s a bad thing. You're… more focused than your brothers give you credit for, at least, when you are focused it's—”

You halted when you looked up, Hardcase’s expression was so tender that you were startled into silence for a moment.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” you asked hesitantly, your body recoiling unsurely.

“You already knew all that stuff about me before I said to watch your back?” his voice was quiet, quieter than usual, and everything about his demeanour made you put your guard up further.

“Yeah, I mean I—” you stopped, eyes widening as the credit dropped, “wait…”

Hardcase’s lips lifted into an amused smile, though it was no less genuine.

“This was the trick, wasn't it?” you gestured vaguely in the space between you, “getting me to watch out all the time?”

He huffed a small laugh as his grin grew, “maybe, I figured you might torture yourself trying to figure out where it was coming from, so I just let you get on with it”

You shook your head in disbelief of your own foolishness, a light scoff passing your lips as you looked back down to get on with fixing your datapad. You really should have thought of that, but the more you let your mind dwell on it, the more you realised it was the perfect prank for someone as anxious as you.

You heard your name called before you could pick up your datapad once more, letting your eyes wander back to the man before you.

“I don't—” he paused, mouth twisting as if holding himself back before he found the right words, “I didn't know you… knew all that stuff”

“Well, it's just— no one pays attention to me, so it's easy to move around unnoticed” you shrugged nonchalantly, “it was pretty easy to figure you out”

“My brothers haven't figured out half the stuff you just said” he pointed out, his smile bordering on a smirk.

You scoffed quietly, “they're just not paying attention then”

“And you are?”

“I—” you then realised what he was really saying, what he had been saying, or trying to imply. You had to look down with the way a rosy tint spread across your cheeks, mumbling a reply, “I don't know, maybe”

Hardcase leaned forwards, resting an elbow against his knee as he tapped your chin gently, urging you to glance up at him once more. He was a lot closer than he had been, his face only a few inches from yours now, but you didn't back away.

“I did notice you, for the record” he said gingerly, his tone far more reverent than you were prepared for, and your insides constricted at the sound.

You waited for him to continue, make himself clear; you didn’t want to misinterpret what he was saying. Looking between his eyes to try and search for his meaning yourself, he let a small smile lift one side of his mouth to give you a more subdued version of his usual lopsided grin.

“I noticed you watching me, I just didn't know why”

You tilted your head to the side, “why didn't you say anything?”

“Didn't want to get my hopes up” Hardcase shrugged.

A frown creased your brow as you tried to understand, “I don't— um…what?”

He chuckled, the sound so warm and inviting that your heart skipped a beat, “I guess I hoped you were watching me because you were… interested in me, or something”

As his eyes darted to the side, his hand curling around the back of his neck in a sheepish manner, you saw the way his cheeks bloomed with colour, his eyes a little wide as if he'd said something he shouldn't have. You had never seen him act so bashful, and something about it made your stomach erupt into butterflies.

“And if I was?”

“What?” his eyes snapped back to yours, growing even wider.

“Interested in you” you clarified.

Hardcase's mouth hung open slightly, and you couldn't help but let a gentle smile curve your lips at his almost shocked expression.

“You are?” he was now grinning, his voice a whisper of disbelief.

You nodded tentatively, and his hands reached forward to grab you. A squeak left you at the sudden motion, and you had been pulled into his lap before you could even comprehend what's going on. His grin was enough already, but the steadfast grip he had on you made any self-discipline you had crumble into nothing.

“Mesh'la…” he whispered the foreign word as his eyes trailed the lines of your features, his fingers gently brushing across your cheekbone and resting his palm against you.

You offered a fake pout, and he chuckled, running the pad of his thumb over your bottom lip, “sorry, can't help it”

He didn't seem very apologetic at all, and as much as it drew a laugh from you, it made your intrigue grow. The words were almost on your lips, to ask what the word meant, but Hardcase got there first.

His lips captured yours with an eagerness and fervour that made your heart implode, beating against your chest and his as his arms snaked around your waist and pulled you flush against him. It was good really, that he held you so tightly and kept you rooted in place, otherwise you may have melted into a puddle as his ardour thawed any of the apprehension within you.

You pulled away, unable to hold yourself back from asking, “what does it mean?”

“what?” he blinked at you, his expression almost worried at your sudden departure from his lips.

“Mesh'la” you clarified.

“Oh” he broke out into a grin, rubbing his nose against yours as he chuckled lowly, “I'm not telling”

You huffed with a frown but he just smiled broadly at you, his eyes shining with the usual lick of mischief. Of course he was still going to find a way to toy with you, even now. You shook your head and brought your lips back to his with a fond smile, and he melted against you, a blissful hum sounding in his throat and rumbling through his chest.

taglist: @darthnihila @cdblake1565 @heidnspeak @burningnerdchild @orangez3st

[sevenrenny]

Recently a relative asked me why I'm 'suddenly' always sick and that I was so healthy as a kid.

I was never a healthy kid. I was always in pain, but nobody believed me. I complained I had moments of dizziness, momentary visual blurriness and blindness, moments where I couldn't balance myself, and intense migraines so bad I fantasized popping a hole in my skull hoping that would get whatever was hurting me out of my head. I had days where it was just brain fog, but I was too young to know the word 'brain fog'. I'd have days where I was in so much pain I'd vomit.

But I got scolded for 'faking it' for attention or to get out of school. I got punished for 'being lazy'. So little by little, I learned complaining about constant pain that made me suicidal would make things worse for me. People punished me for telling them I was hurting, so I shut up.

Even when I became quiet about it, there were things I couldn't hide and my family rug-swept them: I passed out at school a few times from intense pain. I had multiple intestinal issues my family told me were normal, that 'it happens to everyone', telling me that 'Your dad had that happen so many times' while chuckling like it was funny. Every time, they waited for me to 'stop being dramatic' until I started screaming and writhing on the floor and they finally got me to the ER, scolding me the whole time for 'not saying anything sooner'.

During one of those visits, a doctor found a large tumor I was choking on. He found it by accident when he was putting a tube down my throat. I'd been having trouble breathing, but my family accused me of lying, and I'd started to think I was imagining it. Upon discovering the tumor, my mom's reaction was to scold me for giving myself a tumor.

After the tumor removal, the doctor had told her something seemed odd, and he talked with my mom for a bit but I can't remember what they said. We never went back to this doctor. When I asked my mom about it later, she told me the doctor was stupid and he had no idea what he was doing. (It was in my 20s when I went to check on my intestinal issue that the doctor told me he suspected I had gastroparesis, which he later confirmed it was.)

I struggled with classes because of the combination of undiagnosed medical issues, undiagnosed ADHD, undiagnosed dyscalculia, and having panic attacks (later got diagnosed with c-PTSD). My mom threatened to marry me off or kick me out of the house for almost failing math. I was sworn at, told horrific things that still stick with me (and the rest of the family blamed me for 'being lazy' and making her angry with me). I was a kid and couldn't understand why existing hurt, why, if it was so 'normal' to be in consent agony, everyone else seemed to not be struggling like me. I couldn't wrap my head around why everything that seemed so easy for everyone else was almost impossible for me.

It wasn't until an online friend asked me if I had some sort of disease because I was constantly in the hospital. I told her, "No, not really. What's the average number of times someone's in the hospital?" She said, "Renny, I've never once been to the ER." She was older than me. It was then that it clicked for me. I'd been so convinced that all of this was normal, that I was behind everyone else in life because I must be just a weak person because I was so behind even when I gave it my hardest.

I wasn't behind because I was weak. I was behind because I was never given the assistance I needed.

As soon as I became an adult and financially independent, I started seeking medical help. Got diagnosed with severe chronic migraines and other illnesses typically comorbid with chronic migraines and gastroparesis. (There are some issues I can't get medical help for in my country, so those will have to wait). I'm on medications now. Because of gastroparesis, pills didn't work for me too well, so a friend taught me how to use autoinjectors. I have friends who actually help me, give me advice, drive me to my appointments, and just be there for me emotionally.

Being medicated has made being alive so much more bearable. I can actually live my life now. Yes, I still have days where I'm in pain (not just migraines, but my other conditions, most of which don't have any treatments to manage them) but it's such a massive improvement from where I was before. I'm happier. I go to therapy. I found people I can talk about my pains and conditions freely to without being told I'm faking it or lazy. I don't work myself to the bone anymore; I shouldn't be giving my 100% to a job that refuses me accommodations when I'd need most of that to manage my health.

I'm back to complaining about pain because, before my family trained me to shut up about it, I was doing it right from the beginning. I'm supposed to complain about pain. Just because I can talk about it freely now, doesn't mean I was never sick before. Just because I'm on medications now, doesn't mean I didn't need them years ago.

I'm happier now as an adult. You just don't like that I'm visible about my illnesses now. It makes you uncomfortable that I self-administer injections, that I talk about my health the way that I want to. The thought of chronic illness makes you uncomfortable; you liked it better when I was quiet. You'd rather I don't find diagnoses for my illnesses, because, in your logic, if I don't go get the diagnosis then I'm not sick.

I was never a healthy kid. You just don't want to admit you went along with the rest of the family to abuse a disabled kid for being disabled.

[vaspider]

Recently you reblogged a post about the insufferable "I'm SO realistic!" pretensions of GRRM and how A Song of Ice and Fire is, in fact, highly unrealistic. This got me into A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry, a delightful treasure trove of a site that will no doubt greatly improve my own attempts at writing at least semi-realistic fantasy. (Although unlike GRRM, I will admit upfront that I will likely make many errors, because worldbuilding is hard.)

I am curious, though, after reading through that post and ACOUP, if you have any recommendations for fantasy that is realistic? Not in the sense of "historically accurate to a specific time period", but just in the sense of "the worldbuilding doesn't fall apart if you apply logic, science or too much thought to it" and "people/populations react in ways that make sense/feel realistic to events within the book(s)". You strike me as someone who either knows some good books in that vein or knows people who know. I'm sort of a fantasy newbie in that my only reading in the genre has been some GRRM and all of Lord of the Rings and that's it, so I'm looking for more to read. But I keep getting warned by people that there's a lot of bad fantasy out there, which I'd rather avoid given my limited free time and crowded schedule.

Sorry if this ask is rambly. I'd blame my ADHD for making me go on too long but honestly most of my family is like this. I suspect we were all cursed in some niche way, to start off interesting and then go on too long.

P.S. On a totally unrelated note, because va can be a prefix to titles in Karakalpak and I did a paper on the language once, I have been reading your name as, basically, The Honorable Spider and it only occurred to me as I was typing this that it probably stands for Virginia or something. (But I fully plan on continuing to think 'The Honorable Spider' because that's just funnier and makes me imagine a spider that is also a judge and wears a robe and wig.)

I honestly don't care about realism in fantasy at all. I just hate GRRM's Hobbesian grimdarque wankery.

[poppitron360]

Lost Trio Week- Day 1: “Wilderness”

@lost-trio-week

GLEESON HEDGE, STATUS REPORT 09/07:

As reluctant as I am to be posted at this backwater dumping ground of a school, I am pleased to inform you that I have been keeping a close eye on the new students here.

No clear suspected Half-Bloods yet, but I’m still getting adjusted to the smell of this place. I’ll sniff ‘em out sooner or later, don’t you worry.

GLEESON HEDGE, STATUS REPORT 09/21:

A particular girl has caught my eye as a potential demigod. Name’s Piper Mclean, daughter of famous movie star Tristan Mclean. Daddy paid a lot of money to shove her here. Known kleptomaniac, has a scary-good way with words. Last week, she suggested a specific place to shove my baseball bat, and she sounded so persuasive I was almost convinced to do it… I didn’t, though. But I almost did. Powerful stuff.

No mother that we know of, which is a good sign. Probably dyslexic, too, if her worksheets are anything to go by. I’ve put her through the wringer in gym class, and she’s lasted well. Indications of enhanced speed and strength.

I’ll keep an eye out for any others, and will report back soon.

GLEESON HEDGE, STATUS REPORT 09/30:

I’ve been watching closely to see who Mclean keeps company with. Demigods tend to gravitate towards each other.

She’s made friends with this delinquent boy, Leo Valdez. Mother died when he was small, has spent the last seven years between foster homes, correctional schools, and the missing persons’ registry. No father on record. Diagnosed ADHD. Definite Half-Blood smell.

He’s a smart one- got a good knack with gadgets. He reprogrammed my megaphone last week. He’s also a troublemaker. Him and McLean are always up to mischief, doing my goatly head in. I fear Cabin 11 should get a bunk ready.

In other news, I’ve started to sniff the scent of a monster, perhaps masquerading as one of the students. But it could just be the axe body spray some of the kids wear. When can you get me outta here?

— — — — — — — — —

GLEESON HEDGE, MISSION LOG 12/19:

Today, I woke up in a canary cage.

Jason, Leo, and Piper have apparently been on this valiant mission to rescue me from the clutches of the storm spirits. With their top priority out of the way, the four of us are now on a quest to rescue Hera.

After me and Jason bravely fought off King Midas (back from the dead, by the way), narrowly escaping danger within an inch of our lives, we made it safely to the riverside, where we are now attempting to douse Mclean and Valdez who have been unfortunately gold-ified. More to report soon.

— — — — — — — — —

GLEESON HEDGE, MISSION LOG 07/18:

One month into our voyage on the Argo II. Iris messages are becoming few and far between as we get further and further away from home.

I spent my day helping Valdez with one of his damned “projects”. He’s been all over this ever since he found those Archimedes stuff under Rome. I don’t understand it.

Kid’s been anxious. I can tell. I can’t blame him, considering how much he’s got on his shoulders. I know he feels guilty about what happened to Percy and Annabeth. I’ve been trying my best to console him, but I think he thinks it’s pity. The best I can do is help him out with his stuff, keep him smiling, and make sure he remembers to eat.

Jason and Piper saved me a job today, as they came in at around midday with some food for him. The three of them really seem to care for each other. In my 107 years of living, a sight like that is always nice to see.

I patrolled the deck in the evening, with the help of the Di Angelo boy. He puts on a mean exterior, but he’s a sweet kid, and was eager to help me out when he saw me patrolling on my own. I’m not as skilled an empath as some of the other Satyrs at Camp, but it doesn’t take much to feel the waves of pain coming from the boy. After going through Tartarus on his own, and then being trapped in that jar… I can understand why he acts closed off. I would, too.

It won’t be long until we reach the House of Hades. Soon, this will all be over.

— — — — — — — — —

Dear Chuck,

You are one week old today. I look into your eyes, and I see so much joy, so much wonderment, so much love for the world. I hope you never come to know how cruel life can be.

Today, I went to a kid’s funeral.

The aftermath of the battle hit both camps hard. Many demigods lost their lives. A few of them I knew, a few I didn’t. One of them struck me more than most.

As I watched the shroud of the Half-Blood I’d sworn to protect go up in flames, I thought about that joy, that love for the world in your eyes. Leo Valdez was a brave boy, but I could tell he’d had a hard life. I never want you to experience the pain he went through.

There’s talk he might still be out there. I’ve heard rumour that the Seven managed to acquire a physician’s cure, but I’m sceptical. I don’t think anyone could have survived that explosion, not even a son of Hephaestus. But Leo’s a fighter. He’s strong, and I just hope he’s strong enough to make it through.

He gave up his life only a few hours after you were born. He was only sixteen, and even though that’s a lot compared to our lifespan, it’s still so young. Too young.

You will grow up in a safer world because of his sacrifice. I want you to remember that.

I was his protector. And I failed him. I promise I will not fail you.

Love,

Papa xxx

— — — — — — — — —

Dear Clarisse,

I’m not sure if you’ll get this with coms down, but the primitive mortal postage system seems to be a bit more reliable than the usual forms of contact. I did manage to receive your letter last week.

Yes, Mellie is recovering nicely- now four months post-partum! Little Chuck has begun teething (so if this letter is a little chewed up, that’s why). He’s hitting all his milestones and is well on his way to being a healthy little boy. You should see his little face when he tried tin cans for the first time!

On a sadder note, the search for Valdez still turns up nothing. Piper’s close to giving up, but Jason, bless his bleating heart is still adamant that the boy’s out there. If you ask me, it’s putting a strain on their relationship. They’ve been fighting more and more. I’d be surprised if they make it ‘til Christmas.

I wish I could be a glass-half-full kinda goat, but as it’s been four months since Leo disappeared, and with no sign aside from that initial message, I hate to admit it but I’m losing hope. And I can’t help but feel like I’m responsible. I was his protector. I could’ve done more to stop it.

There’s something suspicious going on over here in Southern California. Jason and Piper are looking into it, but until we know more, there’s nothing I can really report.

Work as Mr Mclean’s life coach is same as usual.

How is University of Arizona? Are you blending in with mortals enough? If anyone gives you crap, I can beat them up for you.

Lots of Love,

Hedge.

— — — — — — — — —

GLEESON HEDGE, STATUS REPORT 04/02:

Jason Grace is dead.

If Grover managed to get home before this letter did, you probably already know.

Leo Valdez finally made it to us, with news of the siege at Camp Jupiter. It’s not looking good. Apollo is heading over there to fight.

Leo seems relatively unharmed considering his brief death.

That’s now two demigods that have died under my protection, despite Valdez’s resurrection.

I will be escorting the Mcleans to their new residence in Oklahoma, and will continue to serve under the guise of Mr Mclean’s life coach, keeping a close eye on Piper and Leo while they’re away from camp. After the war and the fight with the Triumvirate, I don’t think they can take any more onslaught from monsters. I’ll keep them safe, don’t worry.

— — — — — — — — —

GLEESON HEDGE, STATUS REPORT 09/01:

I saw Leo and Piper off on their first day at New Rome University today.

I’m glad we got that minor issue of having blown up the city out of the way in time for Valdez to start his freshman year. That kid’s got a bright future ahead of him.

Sometimes I hate being an empath. There was a bittersweet aura around us all, remembering the friends who never got to make it this far.

Nobody said Jason’s name. But I could feel it.

I’m glad these two get a second chance. A chance to keep living. They’re lucky that way.

I hope they do okay there. I really do. I’m gonna miss those two.

Now that they are securely out of harm’s way in the city, I think it’s safe to say that they are no longer under my protection.

And I think it’s time I retire.

— — — — — — — — — — — —

Happy Lost Trio Week!!!

Day One and off to a great start! I am so excited for this week and can’t wait to read all y’all’s fics and see your fanart when I get back from Hiatus.

Some bits with the timeline are probably wrong. I went of Fandom Wikipedia as there’s not much Coach Hedge stuff across the books, but they don’t deal in exact dates (I had to write the dates the wonky American way for the sake of realism but just know that it pained me to do so).

Thanks to @demigod-shenanigans for helping me out with this. The hcs really helped.

I love Hedge. I really do. And I think his relationship with the Lost Trio is super sweet. He does care for them, despite how much of a liability he seems. The fact that Leo died the same day his kid was born is never brought up.

Something a little different to what other people might be doing, I hope. I know it’s not “technically” lost trio but Coach Hedge is the unofficial 4th member and he doesn’t get enough recognition. And showing the Lost Trio through his eyes was quite fun.

@euryvices-deactivated20241019 @deciduowl @lavenderfairiez @ottpopfic @ginnyluna @groverapologist @echo-stimmingrose @keefessketchbook @sleepyycapybara @123letsgobestie @kaleidoskuls @fairytalesociology @four-leafed-queer-gal @child-of-helios @green-tea217 @puzzled-pegasus @twomanyfandomshelp @lokiwiiiiiii @yoshuko-ew @frayna-of-the-hollow @via-rant @daonedaonlyskh @hadeslegacyhephgirl @siimplyapril @pjowasmy1stfandom @thetourturedwritersclub @m-for-now

[nomatterwhatnomatterwhere]

What a (Not so) Strange World XVI

A.N: Soo, uhm, will you believe me if I told you that I thought I had already updated this chapter? Because that's exactly what happened. I feel stupid. Like, a lot. I was soo sure I had done it - and I thought nobody actually read it or like it - so when I went to update the next part ( what a spoiler wow) I was flabbergasted. I would really like to blame it on my adhd but honestly, I've had a lot of things going on and I simply forgot.

All this to say I'm sorry for being late? yep, but also because I like to be dramatic - difficult to notice I know -

Anyway... uhm... I'm not really sure on how I feel about this chapter, there are things I really like and others there are just ...meh, could be better, so let me know what do you think

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Pomfiore Dorm was really beautiful, architecturally speaking, giving you a sense of calm and order that you haven't felt in a while. Maybe to some people it might have come across as a little tacky or snobby, but not to you.

Whoever had decorated the place had good taste: everything was perfect, not one thing too many. Everything in the right place

It made sense Vil was part of this dormitory, at least on a purely aesthetic level.

( After all, you knew firsthand that despite Vil's perhaps somewhat brusque manner, he was not just a beautiful face) .

Finding Rook had not been difficult, although you suspected that when he wanted to he knew very well how to go unnoticed-he had the air of a hunter after all.

Hearing that the people of this world also thought him a peculiar individual made you smile.

An odd duck, Riddle had said, and you knew it was a figure of speech, but remembering your first encounter with the older boy, that was not the animal that came to mind.

It reminded you more of a hunting feline

“Whoa. That dude's like a glitter bomb in human form.”

You did not venture to bring up the subject, but following Ace's statement you found yourself wondering if he was talking about Rook, Vil, or the lovely boy who was with them.

To your eyes they all shone. They were almost blinding if you looked at them too much.

In fact, however, everyone in this dormitory was incredibly beautiful.

You were distant from the trio, so you didn't understand what they were talking about, but you were pretty sure Rook had noticed you.

You were also sure from what you knew about him that he was the person you needed for your plan to begin.

When the others nodded at the idea that he probably would not be the target and that it was best to keep looking you took a step back, announcing that you would stay there a little longer and join them as soon as you finished.

You also warned them to let you know their location, the last time you had split up you had found them again by sheer luck .

They didn't ask why you wanted to stay behind, just a few uncertain glances, but Riddle asked you in turn to let them know when you were finished doing what you had to do.

Rook's smile had widened slightly when he had seen you approach them; you were about to speak, but his Roi de Poison anticipated you

“Has anyone ever told you that it's rude to show up uninvited?”

You tilted your head, and smiled faintly

“I am aware of that, but I have a very good reason for doing so, so I hope you will excuse my rudeness.”

A few minutes of silence had passed in which you and Vil simply stared at each other, as if you were having a conversation behind closed doors before the Housewarden sighed and you took a seat in one of the lounge chairs.

“I'll only take a few minutes of your time” you took a sigh “In the first place I have to apologize, I may have made some of your housemates uncomfortable, but you should let them know that not all wrongs are dealt with at Duel, also … I may have told them that we are friends and implied to them that if they really tried to duel with me you might be offended…I apologize for bringing you into that conversation…but that's not why I'm disturbing your…tea time” you turned your gaze straight to Rook ” Could you help me find someone? ”

You did not doubt Cater's ability to find information, the info he had retrieved about the Spelldrive players was plenty and well curated, but you needed something else.

From what little you knew about him, Rook always seemed to know what was going on, and the words he told you later were just confirmation of that

“Am I to assume it's about the recent incidents of Spelldrive players?”

He had squinted his eyes and smiled, like a cat who found a funny game in another situation his actions would have made you hugely uncomfortable, but in that case, that was the answer you wanted.

With Rook's help it was very easy to find the information you needed, you were so happy you almost bounced on the spot.

You thanked Rook and apologized again to the other two for interrupting their tea time - or whatever they were doing

Vil excused you, reminding you about your previous appointment which you smiled about because there was no way you would forget something like that

( He didn't need to know that you had mentioned it to Yuu only a few hours earlier).

He also let you know that he would inform Jack to be careful-thus letting you know that he too was a Spelldrive player for Savana Claw-if that was okay with you, which you thanked him for, since you had not yet had a chance to meet your childhood friend.

Back in the Hall of Mirror you were elated, you wanted to stay grounded but it was really hard to do that.

You had asked Rook who he thought might have the most interest in winning even by playing dirty. He had given you a few names, some even from his own dormitory, but he also pointed out that many of them didn't have the skills to not get caught if they tried to cheat

When you asked if there were any really difficult players to beat it was Vil who replied

“Diasomnia Housewarden. The Headmaster even proposed to induct him into the hall of fame, so that the gamefield would be even. We rejected it.”

That was important information, crucial in a way, and you were grateful Vil shared it.

If this Malleus was that good you had no doubt he would be a likely target, but it wasn't just that.

“Who suffered most from his presence on the field?”

It was the little boy who answered you, although maybe he really wasn't? He had whispered a “Savana Claw” that you had had trouble understanding, and you were sitting next to him.

Both Vil and Rook, however, had heard it, you knew it from the rising edges of Rook's lips and Vil's side-eye, but neither of them denied the statement

“Roi de Leon has really been terribly unlucky. The last few years Savana Claw has always been matched against Diasomnia, and they have always lost” he had shaken his head, almost sighing ” A real shame.”

“Leona though is the one who first opposed the Headmaster idea” nodded to the information.

Now that you had a somewhat broader picture of the situation you needed only to ascertain a couple more things: the components of the Spelldrive teams , with a focus on Savana Claw, and their Unique Magic.

Vil had told you that the teams' rosters had been delivered to Octavinelle's Housewarden -- Trein and Crewel had also mentioned his name to you that morning actually -- but that you needed to be very careful about what you told him

That had scared you a little bit. If you had to pay attention to the words you used did it mean that this student was a fae? Because otherwise you couldn't explain all the attention you had to pay to what you were saying.

But from what you understood the Fae attended Diasomnia Dorm, which made sense if that was the Maleficent-inspired Dorm.

Octavinelle was the Sea Witch's Dorm, you didn't see the connection between the two

( It had completely escaped your mind how famous the Sea Witch was for her pacts and her way of bending the rules.)

Just before you passed through the portal to that dormitory a message from Cay alerted you to how Riddle was returning to do his 'Housewarden duties' while the rest of them headed to the Savana Claw Dorm

You replied that you were almost finished and would meet them there.

You were really relieved there was Cater with the others, at least that way you avoided worrying about the possible trouble the whole early years gang could get into,

It was a given that Octavinelle Dorm was underwater, but you hadn't given it a second thought.

As you passed through the portal you felt yourself run out of air for a few moments and your body stiffen for a few moments before you realized that you were back to breathing normally.

You asked where you could find the Housewarden, and despite a few odd looks, worried perhaps, some students directed you to what was the Mostro Lounge

It looked like a nice place, but the lights were off so you assumed it was closed.

Too bad you couldn't wait until opening time :you knocked a couple of times before a guy who didn't look much older than you came to open the door.

He was…particularly elegant, and definitely exuded a certain aura, but it was nowhere near the aura of Mister Fae or that of Maleficent ( or even that of Frau Grimihilde or Madame Tremaine)

Perhaps, if you hadn't had so much contact with the Fae, the person in front of you might have intimidated you, after all, he seemed like someone who always knew what to say- knew what he wanted-but unfortunately for him you were used to being around people who gave off a certain aura so his presence didn't intimidate you as much as it might have.

In fact, he didn't even intimidate you, but he definitely seemed like someone who demanded a certain amount of respect

“I regret to inform you that the Monster Lounge is not yet open. I must inv-”

“It doesn't matter. I'm looking for Azul…I was told to come here…?”

He had looked at you, scrutinized you, before letting you in, with a smile you could only describe as polite.

The lights were dim, but they gave off enough light to admire the place: the Mostro Lounge really looked like a classy place, you would have loved to come here-if it wasn't underwater of course.

“Allow me to introduce myself,” his voice was faux-sweet, faux-gentle, as if he wanted to set a tone and at the same time appear a certain way ”I am Azul Ashengrotto. I am Octavinelle's Housewarden and the head of the Mostro Lounge.”

You passed the Lounge to cross the threshold of what used to be the V.I.P. Room-that's what the plaque on the door said-but you were convinced it was Azul's study.

The Lounge was elegant, but this room did not even look like it was part of the school (it looked more like the presidency than the presidency).

He sat down on one of the sofas, inviting you to do the same.

“How can I help you? Do you needs help with the upcoming final exams because….”

“Oh, nothing like that” You didn't know why he thought you needed help with exams, but perhaps it was a request he was often asked "My grades are pretty good, but thanks for the offer."

“Then how can I help you? I'll make sure to be as helpful as I can.” His smile was friendly and you could read a glimmer of interest in his gaze.

It was the first real thing you sensed about him.

“I've been told you have the roaster of the Spelldrive team” you mirrored his smile, tilting your head slightly as he nodded slowly ” I need them.”

Auzul seemed taken aback for a few seconds, before coming back to hi senses

“May I know why do you need them?”

“You may not” Vil's warnings had not left your mind for a moment ”So? Can I have them?”

He looked at you, adjusting his glasses, before replying

“You have to understand” the friendly tone had slipped slightly, giving way to a more serious tone ” They're my responsibility, I can't just give them to you just because you need them. Furthermore I don't even know what you're going to do once you have them. What if you cast a spell on them?”

Oh sure, who knows you might have decided to set them on fire. What a great loss

“Let's say it's confidential information.” You saw his smile sharpen,you had captured his interest .

Now you had to hope that was enough

Omake Vil had had to modify his skin routine that evening. He was absolutely irritated. Not only had you not looked him in the eye as you informed him of the unbecoming behavior engaged in by his dorm mates, but you also seemed extremely embarrassed at having him--you thought--indirectly involved.

Why? He didn't understand. It was his job to intervene in such cases; you had done well.

You thought he did not want to be associated with you. That was the only solution.

And it irritated him.

Taglist: @jessiegerl, @mewchiili

( As always, let me know if you wanna be tagged )

Diveders by @sweetmelodygraphics

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for kissing my friend's crush?

I feel the need to add a bit of backstory: I grew up with my friend. I love her to death, she is my best friend and family. We are both the same age (26 now, 25 when the event occurred). We both were socially awkward throughout school, and recently I have been diagnosed with ADHD.

Growing up however, people would always choose her over me. I did not blame them, my friend is attractive and I do not think I am. I have been told to my face I'm too tall and she's perfect height (I am 6" and she is 5"4'). I've been told my chest is too small compared to hers, or that my thighs are too big. People would compare us a lot and always said she was more attractive but I was smarter. This i know has subconsciously made me compare myself to her in many ways.

My friend was telling me about this guy. Really talked him up, stated she thought we would be a good match. A few months went by and all of a sudden we wouldn't be a good match, we liked different things. It was a complete switch up from what she had been saying. I knew she had a crush on this guy.

Well, me and my friend were at a party and this guy was there. I had never met him prior to this night. She introduced me to a whole group of people I had never met. This dude was extremely charismatic and later I found out he had been flirting with me most of the night. I had thought he was being friendly, because in my mind he treated me the same as everyone else.

Well, my friend had went outside to do something (vape or smoke im not sure what) and me and him were in a corner of the living room talking. He kissed me first. I asked him why he did that and he flat out told me he had been flirting all night. I told him I had zero clue and thought he had flirted with my friend. He told me he did not like my friend that way at all.

We spoke a bit more before I asked if I could kiss him, which he readily agreed. We made out and my friend caught us. She was pissed and was my ride so we left. I thought she was mad at first because she had caught us making out and my friend has said she doesn't like PDA.

We didn't talk about it until the next day, which she then told me it was a bad idea and she was mad because she had a crush on him. This was the first time she herself had confirmed she had a crush, but I had suspected up til that point. I told her I had guessed but wasn't sure. She then got more mad because if I had guessed she had a crush, I shouldn't have kissed the guy.

Normally, I would agree. However, the guy said he didn't like her but he did me and had been flirting with me, im just bad at social cues. But the real kicker here is my friend is married. She is married and they are NOT in an open relationship. I am fully single as was the guy.

I thought the whole thing was over as it happened a few months ago, but she brought it up again because I was showing her a picture of a guy I liked and she told me that maybe she should kiss him so I'd know how it feels. She admitted she is still upset about it, even though she doesn't have a crush on the guy now (she even admits she only had a crush on him because she went through a rough patch in her marriage where her and her husband were fighting constantly but they've been in therapy and she says things are good now). She says the reason she is upset is because I had suspected her feelings and still kissed the guy even though I knew it would cause her pain.

So AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[johnslittlespoon]

(tiny headcanon that rly won't have a big effect on plot or anything, but i feel like it just fits very well with john/his character in leaving– dude's got madddd undiagnosed adhd. he's written off as a loud mouth/troublemaker in his childhood, but he wants to be a good kid, his mind is just always going too fast and sitting still is torture and his parents get frustrated and don't look into the root of the problem, trying to discipline it out of him instead. i will heal my inner child by healing him alright)

OMG THIS THIS THIS. because now i’m thinking about gale healing bucky’s inner child in this au :( like i have soooo many thoughts. bucky opening up to him about his parents harsh and strict approach to dealing with his ADHD. the fact that they thought they could discipline it out of him :( ugh that kills me. orrrr imagine gale or one of his friends makes an offhand comment one day about bucky being unable to focus or sit still and it’s a joke but it just sends bucky back to his childhood and he and gale have a long talk it’s fine i’m fine

referenced post | yes!!! in healing john's inner child gale would also be healing his as well because he gets to give john the stability he never had (and in turn finds stability through john <3)

i imagine john's parents would not even register it as adhd and would just blame it all on bad behaviour, it's such a common thing when kids go undiagnosed, especially with neglectful parents. that, or they'd suspect something is up but just not care/have the resources to deal with it, so instead they get frustrated with him and try to discipline it out or bury it.

i think john would genuinely grow up thinking he is a bad kid and being so confused because he doesn't want to be reactive and scattered, he wants to be good and to be liked (also would tie into him being into praise and all that with gale lol). it's not until he's older that maybe he starts to look into it, or maybe he meets someone who points things out to him and is like hey you should get this checked out, or maybe gale's even the one to sit down and do some research and help john make some appointments after john breaks down in tears in front of him one day because he's so frustrated with himself and his brain.

maybe before that outburst john has mentioned little things about how his parents would deal with the behaviours they didn't like, or gale would just pick up on it with the way john apologizes for certain things or gets touchy at certain jokes, etc, and he'd connect the rest of the dots on his own since he knows by that point what john's relationship with his parents is like.

and yowch that scenario :( </3 it would be something so lighthearted that john would feel silly for being affected by it; maybe gale's had a long day and wants to sit down and watch tv together, and john's feeling keyed up but he wants to help gale relax and he's missed him, so of course he joins him. but his leg won't stop going and he's absentmindedly fidgeting and gale puts a hand on his knee and says "do you ever stop moving?"

and gale means it as a light tease, because it's not bothering him; it's more so him opening a conversation for john to tell him "oh, i'm just restless" or "this show is boring" or whatever reason he might be antsy for. but word for word the question is all too familiar to john (even if his dad would say it with a lot more malice) and he abruptly stops moving and gale feels him go rigid under his hand and turns to look at john in confusion when he hears him apologize quietly and finds his face flushed in embarrassment/nervousness.

obviously the tv gets paused and gale asks what's wrong and assures john he's not upset in the slightest, that he was just joking, he's genuinely baffled at what set john off. and so john opens up a little and gale feels terrible, both for unknowingly making john feel for even a second that he was mad, and for john having to walk on eggshells at home over something he can't control (something gale is starting to have a sneaking suspicion he might know the name for.)

i'm not sure i'll go into detail on this in the fic or not, depends on whether it flows because sometimes mental health talk in fics can feel forced if it doesn't fit in naturally yk, but as someone who had these behaviours shrugged off until i got older and got diagnosed and realized it wasn't just a me thing lol, i see so many emotional habits/behaviours with john in this au that could stem from being undiagnosed (among the familial issues).

it would be interesting to pick it apart and see how he and gale would tackle it, especially because adhd is still so commonly viewed as some # quirky silly thing and i don't often see the heavier consequences/affects of it on the person dealing with it/on their relationships written about in the same way say anxiety or depression might be written about. either way, thx for giving me an excuse to delve into it a little here! i feel strongly ab it clearly LOL <33

[lizzibennet]

*we’re at the part of the movie where laurie comes back from europe engaged to amy and is telling jo. literally we’re like 80% in at this point*

mom: hey this guy really looks like the other guy who was kissing the other lady before!

me: … mom that IS him

mom: oh haha! that explains a lot actually

came downstairs to see my mom randomly watching little women of her own volition???

[saintsenara]

flood, landslide, eclipse?

thank you very much for the ask, anon - which i'm going to combine with this one from @poetryandbloods-blog:

thank you for celebrating the start of autumn [still no rain here!] with the weather ask game.

🌙 eclipse: what's the most common / reoccurring theme of your wips? and 🪨 landslide: which wip has the most worldbuilding?

answered here and here.

💦 flood: how many wips do you have?

yes.

🌪 tornado: who is your most impulsive character and why?

across every single thing - even those, like scylla and charybdis, in which he barely appears - the answer is harry james potter.

the reason is because he has adhd believes himself to have very good gut instincts, to always be correct in the judgements he forms on people, and to always be acting for a correct and righteous cause.

which means in one year in every ten he's fucking up a murder investigation by failing to following basic standards of evidence collection, because following them is slowing him down when he knows who's to blame. [he's also banging lord voldemort.]

in the war of the roses he's giving sirius the silent treatment for not dying.

in subluxation he's being credibly suspected of having killed dumbledore, and is also giving all the lovely death eaters running the ministry - and their ginger-haired collaborators - much, much more paperwork to do by breaking in, decking dolores umbridge, and stealing something augustus "department of mysteries" rookwood knows very well wasn't just a piece of tacky jewellery...

in scylla and charybdis he's constantly resisting the adult snape's attempts to keep him alive [although i would certainly describe that as snape's own damn fault...]

and in the cheeky bit of riddledore i have upcoming...? he's getting lord voldemort spared the death penalty by being easily outfoxed by a well-paid barrister. which is going to cause dumbledore a lot of trouble...

🔥 wildfire: who is your most emotional character and why?

across everything, lord voldemort. aka tom marvolo riddle, tom sorvolo riddle, tom narivoloz riddle, tom evildo reger, tom rojvol raddle, tod morvosc rodlel, tom elvis jedusor, trevor delgome, tom musvox ruddle, and - on occasion - romeo g. detlev jr.

why? well, growing up in an orphanage has quite a lot to do with it...

[somerandomcryptid]

So you know a bit about our lovely developer. But what about some of the play testers? Maybe you'd like to know about the person with the most play time on Adventures in Esempi?

Well dear reader thankfully I can help. XD has kept extensive logs about them. of course I know more. But I like to keep to information that's been gathered or said(of course excluding my lovely sketches) so I'm afraid there will be a few holes.

Annnd there might be some retrospective. So a few things have been removed for spoiler reasons. And most of XD's... notes have been removed. They tend to be of little consequence beyond showing his obsessions.

Now how about some sketches of PT51, or "Cryptid", as is their chosen name.

I've taken a few sketches from across the timeline, for your enjoyment :3

PT51 was not supposed to be a playtester, actually. They are the kid of PT43 that asked for a copy of the game to play test for themself. Despite this they have the highest play time by far. Maybe this should be expected since they were doing it more for leisure then work? But even then, in the 2 months and a half they have spent a little under 360 hours on the game. That is a fourth of their time. And their chats are fascinating! So of course I did some digging, (sorry. I can't include this bit :3) So here's what I found. Their legal name seems to be "Rose Victoria(?) Eliott" Victoria as their middle name is only speculative, but I find it likely. However, this may not be their preferred name. In game they go by "Cryptid", not telling in it's self but they have always refered to themself with they/them and their father has always referred to them with they/them and exclusively "my kid", even correcting himself when he almost used she/her. All this to say I will refer to them as "Cryptid" and use they/them. Another thing I find fascinating is the fact they are homeschooled. I know this because when I asked about their playtime in relation to school (their father said they were 14 previously) they replied with quote "I'm homeschooled. And my schedule's pretty loose. So it hasn't really messed with it :)". The reason for their homeschooling I haven't got confirmation on. But I suspect it might be related to their ADHD. They seem a lot like Dream in that way. And they have bonded with the ai. though one thing about their playtime is that the AI's have been active so much in their save that they have gotten more... Aware. I've tried multiple soft resets. But it hasn't helped too much. They're getting antsy. I don't blame Cryptid though! They seem like a lonely kid. A lot like Dris was after Dream's death. If not quite a bit more cheerful. One other issue of note is their player ai has gotten... aware... Not fully yet. But in the times Cryptid isn't playing it's been developing. I've try to delete it but it seems to be popping up again

It doesn't seem to be dangerous. But I would still prefer it didn't exist. It's having too many existence crisises and I'd prefer it to not to break things. It's not even supposed to exist.

That's all of their file I'll share for now. The rest turns much more... Unhinged.

And since I asked and they said they did want me to tag them @calamari-minecraft-corner :3

[destiny-in-the-universe]

Internverse (RC9GN AU) [Name Subject to Change]

Lovely timezone, my dreamers!

So, I blame the constant brainrot I have somehow developed for a ridiculously dead fandom (but we continue to exist lol). The idea, however, is not entirely my own and I do have to give credit where its due (it simply wouldn't be possible without @7-inches-of-satanic-panic having made a post about it and i simply decided to write something for it!)

Now, to explain this AU- canon divergent storyline- it mostly follows McFist and Viceroy (it was Viceroy pfft) coming up with a new plan on capturing the ninja which leads to them creating an internship program in an attempt to unmask the city's 'vigilante'. By the power of well-placed plot logic, and because well, it'd honestly fit the theme- Randy's accepted as an intern and begins working at McFist Industries as he's using the opportunity to figure out the evil duo's next steps but of course, the question remains: what happens if he gets caught?

Unable to easily back out, Randy is left having to complete the internship and if he happens to be enjoying himself a little, that would be a lie- what are you talking about?

Now everything after this is my own interpretation!

Everything takes a sudden turn because Randy isn't exactly the most qualified, but at the same time- i feel he does have some range of skills that McFist and Viceroy could be interested in. ADHD! Randy taking an interest in math for instance? Absolutely, but now he's literally interning for his archenemies and for the time being, the Sorcerer isn't as major of a villain as he would be in the canon; anyway, moving on-

Randy doesn't really seem to find anything amiss and mostly spends his time interning under Viceroy as McFist is, well, McFist- but things get interesting when he (Randy) ends up in the radar of McFist who's a bit suspicious and comes to the conclusion that Randy might be the Ninja due to the type of slang he uses- (which becomes dismissed by Viceroy because apparently Randy is a bit clumsy, and how could someone like that ever be the Ninja, amirite? /lh)

Though I also like to imagine at least Randy and Viceroy bond because, well, who wouldn't be slightly interested in the new technology Viceroy's developed for video games? Honestly- this might be partially inspired by me having read other AU's where Viceroy sort of adopts Randy and I will get my dues with this pfft, but anyway-

At some point, things get tense because Randy mysteriously vanishes when a robot attacks the city, and now has to come up with a plausible excuse to why he left McFist Industries-

(author's cut: i might either write this as a long one-shot or it's going to be a multi-chaptered work where it explores dynamics a little bit more and may gain more 'lore' behind it so to speak)

Headcanons + Thoughts

~ To fit the theme a little, Randy is something of a math prodigy- though it's not something he made an effort in showing before and it's due to this he's accepted into the internship program

~ Personally the program is only meant to last the course of a single month since it's mostly to unravel the Ninja's identity, but things kind of... derail- because Randy does have his skills and Viceroy's curious

~ Randy is peak ADHD in this; I can cover everything about it in a separate post (but basically- he can't sit still for longer than five minutes and is always fidgeting with something)

~ McFist isn't a total idiot and he suspects something strange about Randy, but it's mostly him realizing that Randy uses the same sort of slang as the Ninja- even attempting to bring this idea to Viceroy, though it's not enough

~ All of the expenses are paid for- including lodging in order to make the internship seem more legitimate (and it is, it's also a ploy to capture the Ninja but no one needs to know that)

~ Bash and Randy? We'll see where this goes, but they'll definitely have interactions with Bash being McFist's stepson and well, Randy's interning so they're bound to see each other repeatedly

~ the Sorcerer isn't an overarching element in this as he would be in canon, but he might get cameos- or it's something introduced in the second half of the series to keep things interesting, genuinely we'll have to see

~ if there is going to be reveal, I honestly want the suddenly dawning realization that the Ninja is a teenager- that it's not something to be taken lightly, and while McFist may honestly ignore it, Viceroy certainly will not (and that's all I'm saying on the matter right now)

~ what lesson am i going to be using for this? i'm honestly on the fence of whether i use a preexisting one, or if this is going to be something entirely new Randy's facing-

~ for the sake of how things are going to run, Randy's family is absent during this- i do think he either lives with another relative (half-credit to @7-inches-of-satanic-panic since it's possible it could be an aunt acting as his surrogate mom? or the hc i've talked about before- that his parents are just constantly working and busy, and tend to neglect Randy a lot)

Under-the-Cut Information (+ Thoughts)

I am definitely treating this as a more lighthearted story, but there's going to be serious elements because there isn't a single way that Randy's completely fine being the Ninja and sure, he does love it, though there's got to be an emotional toll happening he isn't realizing (we've seen this in canon, it isn't out of the realm of possibility)

I do want to say that I am using neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ headcanons and elements in this piece, and if that's going to be a problem- please, find something else to read

I'm going to explore the depth of Randy's personality as he genuinely should've gotten more development and I felt his character had a weird... switch during the second season-? Like, it still felt like him but he also could be a massive jerk for seemingly no reason and then regret his actions as if this isn't the most adhd coded kid i have ever seen in my life, it would explain a lot

might play around with character designs? i'm not sure yet honestly-

currently the au will be titled intern randy au until further notice, so if you want to follow the story- the tag is #internrandyau

That is all I've got for now!

Mod Danny (They/Them)

[defender-of-jouvente]

@ Mod

Do you have any specific Isabeau headcanons you want to share?

{oh i have lots! buuuut theres a fair few that i suspect will be brought up in the story, whatever way it happens to go- and some are spoilery. sooo ill give you a few that i don't think are super spoilery. (you're absolutely free to ask isa for more details, im keeping these a bit vague.)

isabeau has like 5 siblings. (its canon that he has many siblings, although its never clarified how many.) all of which were raised by a single mother and a diaspora of other random relatives and family friends. "how does a single mother have 6 children?" you ask? [shenpai voice] iiiits complicated.

he needs glasses, but refuses to wear them. had contacts but he lost them at some point during the trip and hasnt brought it up since he Knows mira will feel guilty about it and blame herself. needless to say he's been getting more headaches from the eyestrain.

specific vision problems include astigmatism and differing prescriptions for both eyes (neither of which are 20/20). yes i've thought about this.

has ocd and adhd. there is literally no evidence that i can recall for the former i am headcanoning that for sheerly self indulgent purposes.

good at masking so the ocd isnt really super evident at first glance. not sure about specific problems it causes for him yet tho lol.

his meticulousness about his appearance actually comes from a place of like. rebellion against his past self, who didn't care much for their own appearance and did the bare minimum. it makes him feel like he's grown.

has a diaspora of information on random subjects, but especially the sciences- from biology to geology. do not, under any circumstances, ask him about any this if you arent ready for a tangent.

craftonomy is a special interest of his. don't tell anyone

annnd thats all i got. there you go! take it! or dont.}