#but it was SUCH A SHORT DISCUSSION I NEEDED MORE!!!!

[ms-demeanor]

Some people on the left are discussing whether the left is kind enough to me. Especially after the results of the election like lots of men of some demographics voting for Trump. Do you have any thoughts on that? Seems more about women should be nicer to men in some people’s opinions. And I am not sure about this discourse

i think that the social atomization that contributes to the radicalization of young men also contributes to, like, tradwifery and the radicalization of young women so I think that people are looking at a deep systemic issue with a shallow lens.

I don't think this is so much an issue of people being "nice" but of spaces making people feel *valued.*

The right-wing space full of toxic masculinity where people call disaffected young men "brother" isn't comforting just because people call you brother, it's because they're framing disaffected young men as valuable members of society who have been dismissed and degraded by the left. It tells them they're important and have worth and are necessary for the future of the world just because of who they are.

Of course they're getting called pussies and cucks and are being bullied in that space, but they're also being told that if they perform a certain standard of masculinity they are the future of their nation/race/species/family/etc. The toxicity of that space isn't something that makes them question their value, or whether or not they're a good person, or if they have something to offer the world. It is something they endure to prove that they are a member of the in-group, and that they belong, and that they do have value and are a good person.

So, there are people dunking on that post because it does kind of read like "i was almost eaten up by the alt right because women weren't nice enough to me" and to an extent i think that it was ungracefully worded. But i also think that it's addressing something that a lot of people feel in a lot of political spaces.

I do not think that whatever the hell we consider "the mainstream left" in America is particularly welcoming to anybody. I think that it very superficially values diversity while not actually valuing people. I think that it says "You are important! And that's why I need you to donate three dollars to my campaign to prevent the Republicans from harming [your identity group]! I am asking for your help as a senator, a mother, and a person who wants to defeat my opponent in two to four years."

I think that what a lot of people are looking for is not acceptance or niceness but is a community and i'm not at all surprised that people feel like they're not getting that from democrats/the mainstream left/whatever.

I mean. My real response to this is:

I don't think that the *actual* issue is that men don't feel welcomed by "the left," I definitely don't think the issue is women being insufficiently nice to men, I think the issue is that all of us are little cogs in a capitalist machine and actually there's very little out there that is saying to anyone "you are worth more than your productivity."

And it turns out that people will put up with huge amounts of abuse if the abuser makes them feel like they belong. People getting sucked into the alt-right pipeline because it is "nice" to them are exactly analogous to people who get sucked into cults because the cult provides community and affirmation and a sense of belonging.

Anyway, I am once again and as always begging people to put together or join any kind of at-least monthly meetup based on your specific interests. Start a radio club. Start a quilting circle. Put together a free store at the park once a month. Literally join a drum circle. Participate in a community garden. Start a walking club with your neighbors. Go to events at the library on weekends.

As a side note: there absolutely are lefty spaces that function by making people feel worthless or feel like bad people. They tend to have high turnover, short lifespans, and explosive fallout. These are shitty spaces and if your participation in a space is primarily motivated by some combination of guilt and self-flagellation, you should leave that space.

[shima-draws]

So every year my company has a huge conference where we all come together and go to different presentations and stuff. That’s the boring part. The FUN part is getting to talk to everyone and drink and party and listen to the higher ups talk about their experiences which always ends up being super inspirational.

Long story short they had a discussion about like. Taking chances and getting involved in things you want to be involved in even if it means changing positions in the company. And y’all know how much I fucking HATE my current job lol and while I have been searching for work outside of this company I haven’t had much luck (very competitive field + not a lot of open jobs that suit my experience + half the jobs in my field getting taken over by AI, etc etc). But!! While it’s not EXACTLY what I want to do with my life there is a position in this company that definitely has a more creative and artistic side. And that’s marketing. And there’s one (1) guy handling marketing for our entire company and he offhandedly mentioned to me a few weeks back about how he’s looking for help—and he went straight to me in particular bc he knows I have a background in art and design and stuff like that.

So being ✨ inspired ✨ by the conference I stepped wayyyy outside my comfort zone and worked up the nerve to tell him hey I’m interested in what you do and I know you mentioned you might need help and I’d frankly love to help. And he was SUPER excited lol I mean we’ve been friends for a while and he’s literally the friendliest and most extroverted person I’ve ever met. Things are already moving so quickly lmao he’s talked to my boss and his boss about getting me into marketing so I’ll be able to do things like. Photography! And video editing! And web design! And swag design! And lots of creative things!! And I’m very excited!! Bc I’ve felt so fucking stifled at my current job bc it’s just. Very opposite of a creative type job and while I do appreciate my teammates I just. Don’t want to be there anymore.

So I saw the opportunity and I was like. Clearly looking for other jobs is not working rn so you know, maybe marketing isn’t something I want to do forever, but it’ll at least give me more experience in my field if I do end up finding a job elsewhere. You know? And if I do this I won’t be absolutely miserable every single day doing something I don’t care about and don’t love doing. So.

Anyway long story short I might be getting a new position soon and I’m VERY excited and jazzed and grateful to finally get to have a job that I’ll actually enjoy doing. And I wanted to share. :))))

[fanaticsnail]

Resident Law

Masterlist Here

Word Count: Mini-fic (I wrote it on Tumblr instead of in a doc, so I don't know - but it's short)

Synopsis: Visiting a routine donation setting introduces you to a handsome young doctor. The doctor seems as infatuated with you medically as you are with him physically. Chemistry unfolds the longer he spends with you.

Themes: Law x m!reader, talks of blood and fluids, reader has 'O Neg' blood type, talks of needles, discussion of donation. (No gendered terms used, but considering platelet donation is discussed - implied m!reader is suggested), fluff, flirting, doctor Law, modern au. Bepo and Marco mentioned.

Notes: Inspired by conversations with @thenotsofantasticlifestory because residency Law is a good Law. Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, but I do have experience in donating blood. I hope you enjoy some genuine friendship and rapport with our favourite broody, tattooed doctor.

The flickering blue lights buzz in oblong cylinders above your head. Each square on the roof is outlined by checkered etchings of patterns made for calming patients that come in through the donation doors. The call to donate your life essence was felt as soon as you were able, always wanting to help

You're welcomed in by an extremely friendly white-haired nurse who goes over your check list before he leaves you to relax. While sitting on a hospital cot in a routine medical bay, you drew in some steady breaths as you steadied yourself in preparation for your extraction.

At the crack of the material sheet pulling at the curved rings in the corner, splitting aside to reveal a raven haired, tattooed doctor holding your charts in his hand. His lips move in a murmur and your eyes follow down to his whiskered chin bobbing each time he speaks.

"I'm Doctor Trafalgar, resident on duty today," he utters, moving a pair of glasses to press up the bridge of his nose while he takes in more of your information, "State your name, your date of birth, and your blood type for me." He moved the notes down his face and turns his attention back towards you.

Your lips curl into a smile as you stare your full name in a practiced speech, alongside your birth date and a small whisper of "O negative," to follow your confirmation. Your smile rises one on himself, his curved, crooked smile spreading up his cheek while he confirmed with you.

"Oh, look at you. Sitting all 'universal donor' and responsible like that," he teased you, placing your charts down and taking a few latex gloves and drawing them over his tattooed digits, "Not your first time donating blood, huh? How many times have given?"

"A fair few, Doctor. I do it routinely every two months or so," you nod as you recline back on the hard mattress and prepare for a long haul, "And I don't donate blood." You looked over to your arm, rolling up your sleeve and revealing your forearm to him for assessment of your veins.

"Oh?" he commented, quirking up his brow and moving to your side. He used the tips of his fingertips to fish around for your veins, slowly tapping and gently caressing the surface with practiced precision.

"I donate platelets."

His fingers pause on your skin, drawing up his honey-colored orbs to meet with your own. He darted them between your two, parting his lips as he darted his attention back down to your arm.

"Platelets, huh? What made you want to do that?" he resumed his tapping, finding a small port he could use in your arm and pressing his thumb to it to hold it in place. His unoccupied hand found his elastic chord to clasp around your forearm, alongside fishing out another for your other arm.

"Sometimes people don't need blood, and platelets are harder to come by for those in need," you smile back at him, watching in interest as his gentle actions continue on your skin. "I have a few friends who went through leukaemia, and a couple family members who had chemo. Couldn't do much else to help them through it aside from a good time watching movies. Wanted to do something practical."

"That's quite considerate of you," he strapped the chord to your arm, pulling back the toggle to tighten the band, "Beautiful veins, by the way. They just pop right up."

"Yeah, I get a lot of compliments from phlebotomy and the nurses every time I come in," you smile out, your nose expelling a soft chuckle through the words. "Surprised I didn't get Marco this time around. He usually brings me a cookie and a juice and chills out on his lunch break."

The doctor arched his brow up further while readying the instruments to prick and prod you.

"Marco's not in today. Unfortunately, you're stuck with me," he spoke dryly, focussing on your skin beneath his thumb, "Deep breath in and exhale slowly. Sharp scratch on the exhale incoming."

"Yes, sir," you laughed, reclining and taking a deep breath in. On the exhale, there was no pain to indicate he poked you at all, let alone successfully pop a port inside your body.

"And that's one side done," he smirked to himself, drawing his gaze up to you and whispering softly, "I can't get over how easily your veins are behaving for me. Usually they're a little more wriggly, even for regular donations."

"Guess I'm just special," you offer him slyly, narrowing your eyes and looking to your other arm, "Didn't get a chance to roll my sleeve up on this side before you chucked it in."

"Don't you lift a finger, I'll do all the work." His voice bloomed with a warmth inside you were in expecting. Drawing over to your other arm, he dutifully and softly rose your sleeve up with his hands and curled the material as you did on the other arm.

He removed his gloves before sourcing out a fresh pair, causing you to smile a little more warmly at the young resident for his perfect practice. The snap of latex at his wrists followed alongside the cord being fastened up your bicep, gentle motions again being found on your skin.

"Alright then. Another deep breath in, and a sharp scratch on the exhale," he warned you, thumbing over a vein and drawing a port to your flesh. Doing as he said, another routine deep breath through your nose and a whistled exhale through your lips was enough to distract you from a little prick on your skin.

"And that's the second in. I'll get a tap to the centrifuge all sorted for your platelets, and all you need to do is sit back and relax," he chuckled, moving over to the small device at your side.

"You sure it's in?" You chuckled in response, looking down at your arms with feigned disbelief, "Hardly felt a thing."

"In any other circumstances, I'd say that's a bad thing," he laughed with you before catching himself and gulping back his flirtation, "Sorry, that was unprofessional. You didn't hear anything."

"Oh, that's nothing. You should hear half the crap Marco talks while he does it. It's usually about ten times worse," you respond in kind, watching the doctor as he moves the tubes and wires from your body to the machine. "But if it makes you feel better, I'll forget it. Although, I'd rather not, you actually seem fun."

"Fun and me are usually not sourced in the same sentence, but I'll take it," he chuckled, removing his gloves and setting up the movement on the centrifuge. "Now, I know you've done this before, but I'll say again for my benefit. Your blood gets a little shake around: platelets and plasma go to the bottom, and your blood goes to the top. In the other port, your blood returns to you and will make you feel a little cold."

You nod your head in understanding, listening to each of his words and taking them in as if it was your first time hearing him.

"I'll go fetch you a blanket, and I'll put the kettle on for afterwards for a hot drink to warm you up," he moved to your side, releasing the cords from your arms and making sure the ports remained in one place. "No food or fluids while this goes on, alright?"

"Yes, sir," you give him a smile and recline on your cot while you felt the strange cooling of your internal temperature begin at your arm.

"Hm," he nods in response, moving to the side of the curtain and pausing for a second. "You, uh... Marco usually sits with you on his break?" You tilt your head to look up at him, taking in his posture and quirking your head to the side.

"Yeah. He usually just hung out and ate lunch, talking about whatever took his fancy," you shrug, your teeth starting to chatter as the strange cooling sensation met your chest, "Why do you ask?"

He paused further in his step, gently rocking on his heels and facing away from you.

"I'm due for mine. Don't really wanna eat in the common space," he spoke softly, turning his head to face you while avoiding your eyes, "Can I share my time with you? Just to have a chat and chill? The, uh... The other residents drive me up the wall."

You chuckled at his confession, closing your lips as your teeth chatter further.

"If you come with that blanket you promised me, I'd say you've got yourself a date," you respond in kind while shrugging your shoulders. He rewards you with his lips blooming in a soft smile of his own.

"You got yourself a deal."

Tag list: @mfreedomstuff @daydreamer-in-training @since-im-already-here @gingernut1314 @writingmysanity @i-am-vita @indydonuts @feral-artistry @the-light-of-star @empirenowmp3 @racfoam @sunflowersatori @carrotsunshine @skullfacedlady @jintaka-hane @thenotsofantasticlifestory @ane5e

[dreamyyesenia]

Always Keep Simming - Magic, Science, Alien Powers vs. Evil Spellcaster Sage

Jenna Blackburn, the sage of mischief magic, the master sage of the Realm of Magic, was beaten. It took the combined powers of science (Aileen & her freeze ray), magic (Colin, Raven, Deanna) and alien powers (manipulating her mind, Blurb & Pandora). Colin didn't want to kill her though, so they decided to discuss the matter together, as a group. But first, it was time to celebrate!

Lenore and Deanna?? Decided to celebrate privately 🔥

⬇️ Full Story below

Jenna Blackburn, the sage of mischief magic and master sage of the Realm of Magic, had tried breaking into the Blackburn’s estate to kidnap Colin's family but Aileen and Colin had been alarmed early by the specter’s guard their street. The aliens had worked on her mind so that she was led into the Goth’s estate instead - where Aileen happily freezed the evil spellcaster to ice. Confused, frozen and furious, Jenna had been too slow to defend herself. Colin had arrived with his spellcaster friend Raven and the sage of practical magic, Deanna, right on time. He’d fired off an electricity spell had his grandmother. The aliens needed a short break afterwards though, so Lenore took over. She used her vampire powers and ordered Jenna to go outside, into the snow, so that she wouldn’t be able to remove the ice. Ice and fire were the only elements affecting spellcasters. It weakened them and made them unable to use their magic properly. The group “Operation Deathify a sage” were really trying to work with everything they got.

Colin joined Jenna outside. Lenore was exhausted and the aliens needed a few moments to rest too, so he ‘d have to be ready to defend them. In fact, Jenna freed herself from her trance temporarily and manager to fire off a very powerful spell at Colin, who ducked and sent off a shielding spell. “You already helped me kill the other sages. Let’s see what we’ll achieve next! Stop this nonsense and just surrender to me, boy!”, she yelled. "Never. And I didn’t kill anyone. That’s all on you!", Colin yelled back, staying focused. "We are family. This is our legacy. Come to your senses and claim your destiny. I already apologized for the way I treated you. You want to be treated like a prince? You shall be. Just come with me and leave this nonsense behind", Jenna tried again. "My destiny is, to be a good husband and father to my family. My destiny is, to research the occults. It's not ruling the Magical Realm with you. I don’t want to see you ever again. Ever, you hear me?", Colin retorted. Jenna lowered her wand for a moment and looked at him, her eyes filling with tears. "Don’t you feel bad talking to an old woman like this? I’m your father’s mother. I’m your blood. You are so much like me, my stubborn brilliant grandson. I just want you to be the best version you can be. I want to spend eternity with my family. I already lost everyone else I ever loved...", Jenna cried. Colin was taken aback for a moment. Was she for real? He lowered his want and started to walk towards his grandmother. Maybe he could solve this issue without using violence? Maybe?

Faster than he could react, Jenna swung her wand and fired off a blinding spell. It was a powerful one that could erase his mind and memories and make him be completely dependent on her. Just as it was about to hit him in the chest, Deanna was able to block Jenna’s spell from behind her! The spell was reversed and hit Jenna, instead. Pandora and Blurb were already working on her mind again but it seemed that Jenna had fulfilled their task for them. Jenna was helpless. Aileen had seen enough though and just wanted to throw in something extra. She was getting more and more anxious something could go wrong. So, she used her freeze ray to order Jenna to change into her swimwear… in the snow. And promptly, already freezing Jenna turned into ice by herself… And stayed frozen. As her mind was wiped off clean, she didn’t know how to free herself from the ice. She was trapped. She had lost!

Breathing hard but relieved, everyone gathered inside to think about the next steps. And, of course, celebrating their victory! Lenore Goth approached Aileen, happy and smiling. “How do you feel?”, Aileen asked. “Hungry”, Lenore retorted, licking her lips. She then noticed Deanna who’d just entered the living room too, scanning her from top to bottom. “Oh my, don’t you look quite delicious.” Lenore licked her protruding canines this time. Deanna stepped closer to Lenore. “As do you.” Aileen looked between the two females, visibly drawn to each other. Wasn’t Lenore flirting with Guidry?

Blurb stayed outside, guarding Jenna the ice cube. Colin looked at Aileen, then turned to Pandora. “How much of her mind did you manage to manipulate?”, he asked.

Pandora giggled. “I don’t know, really. I ate a Bizarre Fruit before coming here, Blurby too. So we managed to manipulate quite a bit!”, she exclaimed raising her fist in victory. She then explained: “The Fruit kinda gives us a boost in powers for a few hours. Us two combined are like 20 aliens right now. That's how we could rebuild Sixam. We took the Fruit you have us and starting cloning it and planting Bizarre Trees. It's a fine business, too.” Colin was stunned. Aileen laughed. “I'm glad! But her mind is gone now, right?” Pandora nodded. “There’s nothing inside that egghead. Just a big black hole. She honestly finished the job herself, what a remarkable achievement!”, Pandora sighed. Aileen grinned. “Honestly, if you want to test stuff on her, you can have her. We don't want her on earth anymore."

On that, Lenore finally looked away from Deanna and asked: “But I thought I’d get a taste of her!? Spellcaster blood is said to be very delicious.” Deanna came close to Lenore, exposing her neck to her. “You can have a taste of me, if you’re up for it.” Deanna and Lenore were not to be seen for the rest of the day (and night). 🔥

-

A few hours later, the group (most of them anyway) sat by the fire, enjoying the warmth. After a long discussion, they had agreed to allow the aliens to take Jenna the ice cube with them to space. She was never to return, never to be impregnated but they were free to use her as a test subject in all other ways. If they chose to present her to the MOTHER - for judgment or, possibly, as a “gift” - that would be their choice. Colin was not a murderer. Neither was Aileen. They loved anything wicked and mischievous, but it was all for fun, wasn’t it? They were mad, maddeningly brilliant, but not evil. They just wanted to enjoy their lives with their family, make memories and go on adventures and discover unknown secrets. Most importantly, they wanted their lives to be filled with love and peace, for the time they had left. 🩷

[dashofmonsters]

Cream Tea Pt.2

Male Werewolf x Female Reader

"Thomas, I'm human," you repeat, not quite sure if he heard you.

He takes a step back and scrubs his face with his hand before opening his mouth but nothing comes out.

You feel your heart drop at his silence and unable to take it anymore you get up to leave. You hear Leighann call after you but you keep heading straight towards the gate to exit Thomas' backyard. You're done here.

Stomping off back to your new house you can't help but feel like this really was a mistake. You slam the door behind you and stomp off to your room.

"What the hell was I thinking?" you cry as you crumple to the floor. You know next to nothing about the world outside of being a trophy daughter being dragged to pageants and yacht parties.

Your phone rings then and you see it's Mama Joy calling you. For a moment you think about ignoring it but she's done so much for you that it hurts to even think about letting her call go to voicemail.

"Hey Mama," you answer.

"Hello deary you sound terrible, is everything ok?" she asks, concern lacing her elderly voice.

You sniffle and bite your lip, "No... I'm just feeling like I made a big mistake. Like I don't belong here and I just got too excited and didn't really think things through and... and I just don't know what to do now."

Mama Joy hums and sighs, "I'll be over soon dear and we can talk over some tea. There were some things that were left out about this place but I think you might have found out already."

"Like about the werewolves?" you say bluntly.

"I'll be there soon sweetheart, you just hang tight for me," Mama sighs and hangs up.

You toss your phone across the floor and slump against the wall as you hold yourself. The tears come back again but you try to fight them off until Leighann bursts through the door.

"Ok!" she starts. "Ok so um, fuck!"

"This was a mistake wasn't it?" you ask her.

"Shush you and no. This is just a minor set back, we can work with this. It's not that bad, just different. Unexpected. Unplanned for. Um..." she waves her hand and snaps her fingers a couple of times.

"It was necessary," Mama Joy adds.

You and Leighann look over to her and the two ladies behind her.

"Necessary?" you ask, scrubbing the tears from your eyes the best you could.

"Let's talk over some tea, come now. There's much to discuss," Mama Joy gives you a short smile.

Leighann helps you up and follows you to the kitchen where Mama is already preparing tea. The other ladies introduce themselves, one of them is Linda, the one who sold you this house and the other is Bethany, a small woman with round gold framed glasses.

"I think we should start with the obvious," Mama Joy starts.

"This is a retirement town for werewolves and most of the young ones out here are also werewolves," Linda states.

"Not even going to ease into it?" Bethany glares at Linda.

"This is a conversation not a hot tub Beth," Linda sighs.

"So did anyone know that she's, well y'know, not a fucking werewolf?" Leighann asks sharply.

You hide your face.

"Oh as a matter of fact we all did. Was a bit of a surprise but there are some humans that live amongst us so it's not that shocking. These young ones get so lazy that they forget to use their senses," Mama Joy answers and laughs a little.

"They act as if they didn't grow up around mostly humans once they settle in here. They get too comfortable, it's not good for them," Linda crosses her arms and shakes her head.

"That is true, they need to get out more often," Bethany nods her head.

Leighann groans and shakes you a little, "Listen, it's nice that you don't seem to care that she's human but Thomas kind of made her feel a little unwelcomed when she admitted she's human."

"Oh did he?" Mama Joy stopped what she was doing and wiped her hands off.

Linda stands up and takes her sweater off while Bethany removes her glasses and set them down nice and gently.

"Yeah, he just stands there with his mouth hanging open ready to catch flies while his buddies just look like a couple of fucking idiots. I fucking chewed them out and they did nothing. Pardon my French but that was unacceptable," Leighann shouts.

All three of the elderly ladies look at each other with raised brows and nod.

"It's been a good while since I had to whoop somebody's ass, don't want to stay out of practice," Linda stretches and starts removing her jewelry save for her earrings.

"It'll be a good exercise too, been a long time since I got to work out my other body," Bethany grins as she kicks off her shoes.

"I'm going to bite them," Mama Joy says matter-of-factly as she sets aside her accessories and starts getting a little hairier.

You can't help but to stare as each little old lady goes from granny to the big bad wolf. And they are big, at least six feet you guess.

They shake off the torn clothes and head out before you can say anything.

"So that just happened," Leighann wheezed as she fell into the chair next to you.

"Yeah... yeah I'm going to go and-" you started to stand up but froze when you heard the sounds of a howling.

For a moment you think about sitting your ass back down but that didn't feel right. Your feet move on their own and take you right out the door.

You head out and see the three grannies growling at Thomas and his friends while nosey neighbors step out to get a view of the drama. Thomas' eyes look everywhere and then to you and he freezes.

For a moment you think he's finally going to say something, anything but then you ask yourself... Do I actually care?

It was the same pain of rejection you've felt for years but this time it really stung because you actually like Thomas, he was actually nice to you without knowing who you were. But that's because he thought you were a werewolf...

You frown and turn away from him to head back inside. He calls to you but the second he does he yelps and growls.

Gritting your teeth you turn back around to see Thomas struggling as Mama Joy has his arm dangling from her mouth. Blood trickles down and his friends try to help but the other grannies stop them.

Once again your feet move of their own and before you know it you're trying to get Mama Joy off of Thomas, begging her that this is too much.

It takes a good few minutes to get her to calm down and remove her teeth from his arm but once she's done, her and the other grannies circle around Thomas and his friends a few times before they leave to go back to your house.

You peel off your sweater and start wrapping it around his arm as tight as you could.

"Do you have a first aid kit?" you ask Thomas.

He looks up at you stunned but nods.

"Good. Rick, get him inside and find the first aid kit. Tyler, go grab Leighann," you ordered.

Both of the guys hopped to it as you followed Rick and Thomas inside.

You have Rick set Thomas up in the kitchen where you get to work on cleaning the bite. Rick rummages around the house till he find the first aid kit and brings it to you.

Thomas' first aid kit was all that and then some, it was more like a standard first aid mixed with a trauma kit. You start to dilute the povidone-iodine while you have Rick keep pressure on the wounds.

Both Rick and Thomas cringe at the smell of the iodine as you start slathering it on the wounds. You can only guess it's from their wonderful sense of smell.

"You should probably go see a doctor as soon as possible. I've done all I can do," you tell him as you wrap up his arm.

"Rick, can you go check on Leighann and Tyler? They're taking a bit," you ask him and he nods before he splits.

Thomas is trembling even though he looks stiff, probably from the blood loss.

You start towards the living room to grab one of the throw blankets you saw only to be stopped by hand grabbing your wrist.

"I'm sorry," he finally says.

A lot of things bubble up inside you, anger, rage, anxiety, embarrassment and so on but you do as you've always done and push them down.

"It's fine," you says as you try to shake his hand off.

"It's not. None of this is. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...," Thomas starts to cry as he sinks down off of the chair and kneels before you.

"Please Thomas just stop, we can forgot that we had any conversation about anything. We can just pretend we're perfect strangers after today and move on with our lives. I'll get a job elsewhere and-"

"You don't have to do that, please... I'm sorry, this won't happen again... please," Thomas begs through an animalistic like voice.

Something in you notices that there's something off with Thomas and it's not just his voice. There's this need to calm him, soothe him, just like when you felt the sudden need to fight off Mama and care for his wounds even though you're still kind of mad at him.

"Ok ok, I'll think about it. Just relax ok? Please don't go and reopen your wounds please," you inhale deeply and wait as his grip loosens and he sort of just crumples before you.

"Thomas... Hey Thomas? Fuck," you wipe a hand across your face before you start the process of dragging him over to the front room and setting him up against a couch. You place a hand over his forward and sure enough, he's burning up.

"Hey, Tyler and Leighann are running the gran- Oh shit, shit shit shit," Rick storms in and sees Thomas slumped on the couch. "Ok, um... fuck I will be right back, with a doctor."

Rick rushes back out before you can say anything.

Thomas' breathing is a bit labored as you sit him up again and run to get a cool cloth to wipe the sweat away. Horrible thoughts start to stir and you do your best to hold your tears back as you take care of him but the gnawing anxiety won't subside.

This is my fault....

If only I didn't come here...

I shouldn't have overreacted...

Why am I even here..?

I should have done something before this escalated...

Why am I so pathetic..?

Why did I just jump into this move..?

I really hate this...

I really hate...myself...

You're a trembling mess as you get up to get another cold cloth. Your eyes are puffy and you feel dizzy from not breathing enough. When you return you see Thomas has slumped over again but he's holding himself up. His breathing is heavy as he slings himself back.

"Woah hey, take it easy," you panic as you wipe the sweat off his face with the clean cold cloth you just retrieved.

"I'll be ok. I heard- I heard Rick said he'll be-be back with a doctor," Thomas shivers as he sinks into the couch. "I really am sorry."

"Ok, ok. I am too," you frown as you plop the cloth across his face.

He lets out a strangled laugh, "You have nothing to be sorry for. I was the ass and then I got mine handed to me."

"This isn't funny," you snap.

"No, it's not. But neither is what happened to you. None of it was 'normal' or 'ok' or 'fine'. I had you open yourself up and when you admitted to being human I couldn't say anything. I made so many assumptions about you that my brain just fucking short circuited," he explains himself and sighs.

"It's fine, I'm used to people making assumptions about me. I don't want to stay mad at you because of some stupid misunderstanding," you cross your arms and settle into the couch next to him.

Thomas groans, "See, that's the problem! If you're mad, be mad. Stop sweeping your feelings under the rug like they don't matter. Be upset because someone assumed something about you and they got all hot and bothered or whatever. Stop living your life like you don't matter."

He's right and it hurts. You're so used to not mattering that it's so easy for you to not care about yourself or your feelings. This is supposed to be your fresh start but at this point you feel like you're throwing your old life into a dumpster fire and waiting for the whole thing to burn down.

"I'm not used to caring about myself or for myself for that matter. This is supposed to be me starting a new life from scratch, far away from a family who could give a shit about me," you say as you curl up.

"I know and I did a shit job making you feel welcomed on your first day," Thomas chuckles.

"Still not funny," you glare at him. "Was it really that surprising that I'm human? Mama Joy said there's humans who live around here anyways. Are you upset that I'm human?"

Thomas hums, "Not upset, I have nothing against humans. My brother Bernard is courting a human and my cousin's fiancé is human as well so I have no problems with humans. I was just, not expecting it?"

"You don't sound so sure of yourself," you roll your eyes.

"I'm not, like I said earlier, I just short circuited. I wasn't sure how to feel about you being human and then when you left I tried to go after you but Leighann chewed into me before she went after you. Rick and Tyler were just as confused but before we could go after you, Mama Joy and her friends called us out and then I saw you crying and I panicked and... I fucked up," Thomas grumbles as he attempts to fix his posture.

You quickly unfold yourself and help him before he hurts himself. His head leans against your shoulder and he relaxes into you.

"Sorry if this is awkward but this is comfortable. Do you mind?" He asks, his voice is strained as he slowly attempts to move off of you.

"It's fine, just try and stop moving around so much," you say but you feel your cheeks warming up from him being this close.

"Leighann probably didn't help. She kinda egged them on. And I didn't help since I didn't say anything," you admit.

"She's your only friend right?" he asks.

"Yeah, we're both from a similar background but she has more of a backbone than I do. Last time her family tried to get her to a party," you stop to giggle. "She uh she put her gown on a pig, set it loose and showed up in boxers and a suit shirt and jacket smoking a cigar."

Thomas starts laughing to the point he's tearing up.

"She's a wild card but she's always had my back, she used to scare the boys away from me every chance she got. The world her and I grew up in sucks because it's not real, it's just some fake ass bullshit," you scoff.

"You're cute when you curse," Thomas giggles.

"I think your fever's getting worse," you roll your eyes.

"By the way, where did you learn first aid like that?" he asks.

You open your mouth to answer but stop before a single word exits. You've been pretty straight forward with him and a lot of the things about your past, childhood and teenage years, have been nothing but upsetting.

You consider everything that had happened to help you hone these skills, all the times at camp, all the training, the years at finishing school, and the dance classes. They were normal, standard, but that doesn't mean sticking a little girl in high heels is right. You have chronic shin splints now because of that.

"Hey, is everything ok?" He asks.

"No...I'm not, I'm not ok. I had to learn first aid, we all did because-because," you start tearing up, shaking as you have a hard time breathing again.

Thomas pushes up and holds you to him with his good arm. He does his best to soothe you until Rick returns with the doctor. Thomas insist that you stay right here with him until you calm down but when the doctor starts to argue Rick stops him.

You cry the entire time during your panic attack, Thomas holding you as the doctor checks and cares for his wounds. Eventually their voices fade little by little and your tears stop as you slowly succumb to sleep.

~~~~

When you wake up, it's bright and sunny and you're in your bed. You have no recollection on how you got there or why you're in cleaner clothes and-

"Good morning princess," Leighann drags herself into your room with two steaming mugs.

"Coffee?" you whimper.

"All dressed up for her highness," Leighann smiles and hands you your mug.

"So you're living in a werewolf town? Kinda went from a hundred to a fucking thousand didn't ya?" She laughs.

You take a sip of the coffee, letting the warmth sink into your bones, "Might not be all too bad. At least I won't be forced into heels anymore."

"But what about," she nods her head to the window, gesturing towards Thomas' house. "Did you two even talk? I mean he and Rick brought you over after Tyler and I got back but you were passed the fuck out. What the hell happened?"

"Not much I guess, I trauma dumped and he apologized," you shrug.

Leighann groans, "Ok, now I see what he was talking about. You really don't care about how you feel. Oh my god..."

You recall yesterday's conversation with Thomas and wince when you remember admitting that you don't really know how to care about yourself or how you feel.

"I might be more fucked than we originally thought Leigh. What am I going to do," you grumble.

Leighann plops onto the bed and kisses the top of your head, "First, we're going to clean ourselves up, eat a decent breakfast and go for some fresh air. After that, we'll make a plan to tackle," she pauses and gestures to you, "all of this."

You giggle, "You just pointed to all of me."

"Well all of you is a hot mess. Now let's drink our coffees, dress up, and go out," Leighann takes a large swig from her mug and flings herself up and out of the room.

As you start to follow suit, you hear a knock. You wait a moment, a minute too long until Leigh is flinging herself right back at your bedroom door.

"Uhh change of plans? Got a certain next door neighbor with a large ass bouquet of flowers at the front door," she gives you a square grin while giving you a quick once over. "Get dressed, I'll wrangled him inside."

You blink, blank out, and curse as you realize that you should probably hurry and actually get dressed. You toss on a simple shirt and shimmy into a pair of pants as quickly as you can before making your grand exit.

Thomas and Leighann are awkwardly quiet when you enter the living room with Leigh glaring daggers at him.

"Uh good morning," you offer to Thomas.

He quickly looks up to you, a sparkle in his eyes before he clamps a hand over his mouth. You look to Leigh who points to her lip and then to you. You touch your face and feel remnants of whip cream there.

You quickly wiped your mouth and glare at Leigh who just shrugs. Thomas clears his throat and stands up, handing you the lovely and fragrant bouquet of flowers.

"I'm really sorry about how yesterday panned out. If possible, I'd like to start over... Maybe give you a tour of the town?" Thomas gives you a nervous yet hopeful grin.

Inhaling deeply, you hold the bouquet close and smile, "I'd like that, that would be nice."

Leighann makes a few noises calling attention to herself, "And I'll just tag along? Third wheeling whatever thi-"

A knock to the door is the only warning anyone gets before Mama Joy and her friends shuffle into the house and start kidnapping Leighann.

"Come now, we need a young thing like you with us today," Linda locks arms with Leigh while Bethany guesses purses and Mama smiles at you.

"Lots to do today, we'll be borrowing this one for a few hours," Mama laughs as the ladies just whisk your best friend away.

You hear them tittering as they slowly exit, leaving you shocked that Leighann didn't put up any sort of fight.

"Well that happened," Thomas laughs.

"Yeah that did," you giggle.

Before you know it, the both of you are laughing and having a hard time stopping.

"What the hell just happened? Why did- I am so confused," you chuckle, coming down from your hysterics.

"These things sort of just happen around here. It keeps everyone on their toes," Thomas grins, the light in his eyes sparkling like the sun on a jar of honey.

"So I should get used to it then?" you ask.

"Only if you're sticking around," he says.

There's some tension then, nothing to do with nerves or anxiety, but excitement. Where else would you go? Would you want to be anywhere else? Would anywhere else do? Would being neighbors with anyone but Thomas do?

Absolutely not.

Sure you both got off on the wrong foot yesterday, but you both sort of shocked the hell out of each other. Other than that though, you both are taking steps to move past that. You want to live here, want to start over here where you feel like you're wanted. Why on earth would you leave?

"Should probably keep a kettle around in case Mama breaks into my house huh?" you smile and watch as Thomas' own smile widens.

The two of you talk yourselves into your kitchen and then out the door where Thomas walks you to his car and opens the door for you. He's as nice and as goofy as you remember him being the first time you met.

You talk about how you want to start over, figure yourself out as he points out the various shops along the way and the details on who owns which. He takes you to a few of his favorite spots, a plant nursery, park, snack shop, and a spice emporium.

He winces a little bit here and there, his arm still healing from when Mama bit him but he laughs it off saying he's had worse from when he and his brothers were younger.

"Oh yeah no my brother Logan and I would scrap it out all the time. He was high energy and I just wanted to fight someone. I was one of those angsty military teen boys back then," Thomas laughs.

You raise a brow, "I cannot see that at all."

"Oh yeah, I even had a clean shave. Not a stubble in sight too," He pulls out his phone and shows you a photo of what you can guess is the teenage versions of him and his brothers.

"Oh my goodness, you looked so mad in this," you chuckle.

"I was a square back then," he shrugs. "But things happened as they tend to do and I wound up here."

You know there's a whole story behind that but you're not one to pry, especially since the both of you are starting over and trying to actually be... be what? Friends?

Friends...

"I think I get that but it took a lot of things to happen for me to finally get here," you add.

Thomas seems a bit relieved, he sighs and starts backing out of the parking lot you two were in. He had just taken you for lunch at the local diner, a cute retro rock and roll sort of place that you've seen in movies.

For a while you both sit in comfortable silence until Thomas pulls off the main road and down a dirt path. He smiles at you and tells you to hold on. The path is bumpy and you grasp at anything stable to keep yourself from being flung about. Thomas laughs as he hits a huge bump which causes the car to rock around. At some point you close your eyes, begging that this ride be done and over with soon.

When the car finally comes to a stop, you hear Thomas apologizing and asking if you're ok. Once you start peeling your eyes open you see what looks like a waterfall. No, it's definitely a waterfall.

"Again, sorry for the rough ride. Though the view's worth it huh?" He smiles and unbuckles himself.

You follow suit and exit the car to get a better view. The waterfall is large, with mist tickling your skin at a decent distance. The whole area smells like rain even with the sun out and the lush greenery feels so out of place having just come from an autumn setting.

"This place is beautiful," you say, still in awe.

"It's our town's hidden treasure. If word got out about it, we'd get hit with so many tourists," Thomas rolls his eyes and looks to you.

Then something in you clicks, a true sense of belonging. You live here now. This place is something only the locals know about and now, you're one of them!

"Thank you," you smile up at him.

"For what?" He raises a brow.

"For everything, for today, and just in general," you answer with a short shrug.

Thomas stretches and gives you sly smile, "You won't be saying that tomorrow, I gotta mow the lawn."

You shove him and laugh, "Oh shut up, you ruining the moment."

"Oh were we having a moment?" He pushes you back.

"I was at least," you shove him again but fall off balance and trip.

Thomas catches you and holds you close against his chest, "I'm glad you decided to move here."

"Oh? Uh I mean yeah, me too," you squeak.

"To be honest, that night when we first met... I regretted not giving you my number. I was kinda pissed off with myself for days," He admits.

"Wait, why?" you ask.

"Because I kept thinking, what if she needs someone to talk to? What if she's in trouble or needs someone to beat someone up for her?" Thomas hugs you then and chuckles. "And then I meet your friend Leighann and I was like 'No, she's good. She's got someone to kick ass for her'."

You laugh because Leighann would so kick ass for you.

"Even so, I still would have called," you blush, feeling... feeling shy over just saying that.

"You would have?" Thomas squeezes you a little, you hear his heart beat speed up just a tad before he peels away from you.

You nod your head before you notice how close Thomas' face is to yours.

"I know this is pretty sudden and maybe a bit too soon for you, but uh.. Would you- would you be interested in maybe.. Um possibly checking out the tea shop's kitchen with me tonight?" He blurts looking slightly red in the face.

"Oh uh sure, maybe after dinner," you agree.

"Great, after dinner," He smiles before going wide eyed and slapping his face. "I still owe you dinner after yesterday!"

"Oh no, it's fine really. You do-"

"No, I made a deal with you. I also like to think of myself as a wolf who keeps his word thank you," he poses all high and mighty with a goofy smile.

"Alright alright, dinner and then the tea shop," you roll your eyes with your own goofy smile.

"Great, sounds like a date," Thomas grins.

[punderdome]

WIP Wednesdays!

The Fine Print: Chapter 15: The Study

“Raphael,” Tav started, sitting down at the chair in front of his desk.  Raphael didn’t raise his gaze to meet her and continued his work comparing contract clauses and runes in the ledger.

“Dearest,” Raphael said curtly, carrying a sum from the bottom of the page and entering it into the relevant spot on the first line of the next page.

“I haven’t seen you in a few days, are you well?” Tav inquired, trying to keep the conversation short.  She was hoping for a quick kiss and to be sent to bed or to convince her devilish husband to take a break for the evening and join her.

Raphael paused to dip his quill into ink.  “I am well, Dear Mouse, though I am behind in my work.  I have contracts that need to be finalized and presented to their signatories within a short time.”

“What are you calculating?” Tav asked him, interrupting his work.  Raphael glowered at her.

“I am calculating exchange rates between soul power and soul coins.  Some of my more valued contracts command higher price points on the soul market.  Time not being infinite, I need to prioritize writing various contracts, and it is necessary to compare the souls’ values.”  Raphael lowered his eyes to the exchange charts in the ledger.

Tav risked Raphael’s wrath and picked up one of the contract scrolls that he had set aside and read through the contents.  Raphael hadn’t gone through the final edits on this contract for a disgraced patriar who was seeking to sell the soul of his spinster daughter in exchange for his family’s status being restored in the upper nobility and substantial wealth for an inheritance.  Tav sighed.  She hated reading contracts by proxy where the signatories had standing to sell the souls of their slaves or children instead of losing their own.  If the cowards sought aid from the Hells, they should at least be prepared to pay the costs themselves.

Tav read through the rest of the contract and the stipulations.  Proxy contracts tended to be far less valuable in power than contracts where the signatories sold their own souls, so it made sense why Raphael had deprioritized this patriar’s greedy plight.

Tav noticed an inconsistency in the description of wealth distribution that the patriar in question was searching to secure for the inheritance of his two sons.  Raphael could change two clauses with equivalent meanings in Common tongue and completely change the value of the contract.

“Raphael, can I have a quill?” Tav asked, looking up at him.

“Tavara-” Raphael warned firmly.

Tav snapped her fingers impatiently, waiting for Raphael to present her a contract quill to write her notes.  He clenched his jaw and handed her a quill to continue working on the draft.

Tav made a few quick notes in the margin.  Raphael watched her tentatively.  While he normally would have been interested to see what schemes she would come up with, he didn’t appear completely amused.

Tav made a quick edit to another clause of the work and handed it back to Raphael.  Raphael started to read through her notes on the proxy contract, raising an eyebrow at her.

“If you adjust this clause and also ask that the patriar secure potential contractual discussions with you and his noble children, it will remove the proxy limitation on the contract and the patriar is guaranteed to default, giving you his soul instead of his daughter’s.”

[clawsextended]

blink. blink. blinkblinkblink. she can’t help imagining claws sinking into her face, can’t stop seeing these fictional talons that slice so slow into her cheeks. blown pupils search the bat’s eyes patiently — she doesn’t move when she’s touched, frozen almost suddenly.

it’s strange, freakish. it makes her heart pound faster. obedience. she listens when she’s seized, even so gently. her face turns in accordance to kate’s fingertips, unconsciously making each motion easier.

“have some, at least. i don’t let anyone ask questions. don’t make me waste it.”

maybe for once it wouldn’t feel suffocating. to be honest. to discuss. maybe all this fear could be less suffocating. maybe it won’t be the scariest thing, maybe those words won’t feel like razors.

she shivers when she slides into the sweats, feels hands hands hands unzipping her suit like she didn’t just see it. peeling out of it is simple— it comes away with ease. but she can’t stop feeling hands, she can’t stop feeling hands.

if she wasn’t frozen to the bat’s touch she would’ve plunged even those short, blunt nails into her neck, her throat, her own shoulders. the feeling maintains and it nauseates her. she hates letting anyone take off the suit — that zipper is where it is for a reason.

she reaches up then, scratches nails along her own jaw, doesn’t quite know she is. now that she’s stationary the world isn’t moving, but outside it’s revolving just around her. she feels particularly tiny, wrapped in this cape, these borrowed pajamas. she moves back to her prior position, almost sheepishly apologetic, almost strangely fearful she’ll be scolded. legs tuck underneath her. the finger sliced up to replicate false prints aches, stings, jabs.

it’s startling to see her look her age — younger than she’s ever been. she’s suddenly more afraid than she’s ever felt — but it’s not violent. it’s a horrible, horrible freeze. she feels… stuck. but there are worse places to be stuck.

“i’m too far inside — here. i need — I don’t know. i just have to get out.”

the cat swears she can sense something off but it ceases to matter as she almost fluidly tucks herself into kate’s grip. she keeps her gaze solidly on those eyes and she doesn’t look away, utterly refuses to. she needs to see this, that’s all, this. the world outside can only hurt her. her mouth is dry. her eyes burn.

she blinks and tears again, droplets escaping pitifully down pale cheeks. she’s not dangerous at all in this moment — she’s hardly older than the little girl she cannot see. the cape settles so comfortably around her shoulders and she wraps herself in it, murmuring a soft thank you.

“right now anything would be more comfortable.

—this is the best cape i’ve ever touched. thank fuck for it.”

she’s desperate for the comfort and she feeds on it selfishness emerges again, a primal, childish need for comfort that she scolds herself for. even tucked at kate’s chest she finds herself unconsciously sinking her own teeth into the webbing of her hand, an old, old habit that yearns for the stinging comfort of pain. those tears won’t stop. she bites down hard enough around a gloved hand to bruise ever so darkly beneath.

and yet she can’t stop looking. she blinks again.

“if you put me down i can get my suit but i need a wall for that so can you get my suit?”

it blunders out clumsily in tremulous voice. she has to dislocate her arm to remove her suit — she can’t reach the zipper otherwise. it’s precisely in a place where only she can reach it, without very specific assistance.

“i can get my fucking mask.”

she absolutely fucking hates the way she’ll deal with that feeling, with it peeling away and the eyeblack that’s sticking to her eyelids. she blinks so hard her eyes close and she scrunches them like a child and they make bruises of dark blue and her father’s voice shrieks in the background and—

her eyes drift open. she reaches up with shaky claws and shreds the domino away besides, tossing it tiredly as though it’s of no consequence. her goggles sit securely on her head yet still. her eyes are comically darkly ringed — not unlike bruce, truthfully, she and him aren’t too unlike when the masks come off.

“fucking thing.”

[oooohno]

I think it’s crazy how the Devil Believers’ arc was so short despite addressing super important issues with discrimination & oppression within the clover society

[egophiliac]

So I was doing some math, and I THINK Skully is almost as tall as Malleus without his horns

I think the main reference to his height is Epel being surprised they're the same age because he's taller than Sebek, yes? which I find interesting, considering Jade and Malleus -- two of the tallest guys in the main cast -- are also there. and, since I've never been one to not think waaaay too much about the absolute stupidest minutiae about fictional characters, I see two possibilities:

one is that Epel is extremely good at eyeballing heights (I actually do feel like he could be? like. I'd believe he can estimate someone's height fairly accurately by calculating based on the life stages of an apple tree, or how many apples tall they are, or something else apple-related like that.) and Scully does, perhaps, fall into that narrow margin between Sebek and Jade in height.

OR two, out of the three certified Tall Guys there, Sebek is Epel's main frame of reference because he's the only one he's had any real interaction with for, let's be fair, pretty obvious reasons.

SO in conclusion, we still have no concrete answers and will probably have to wait until next year when we get his card profile, alas alas. 😔

[ruporas]

i’ll find you again in every universe. let us be a little more honest, let us have a little more time.

[ryllen]

[neil-neil-orange-peel]

I was thinking to myself recently how wild it would be if this fandom was big enough to do a kinktober. Alas...

[ahalliance]

how do i turn qantoine’s spontaneous marriage proposal to qetoiles into evidence of his early-days fear of qfrench drifing away and keeping secrets from one another

[b-blushes]

also i am going to the dr tomorrow so please can you send some spare good vibes my way if you have them thank you

[erisenyo]

Hey there, I know you probably meant well with the reblog on antisemitism but OP’s blog is full of zionist dogwhistle reblogs and I’m hoping that doesn’t align with your specific thoughts on this matter. I think it’s important to tread carefully around this discourse because the conflation of criticism of Israel’s genocide with antisemitism is regularly used to silence supporters of Palestine.

Hey anon - the post I believe you're referencing didn't say a single thing about Israel's genocide, unless I'm missing it?

It talked about the experience within the wider Jewish diaspora of antisemitism being dismissed, how this is happening more and more, and how Jews not being surprised by this fact. This something that I have both 1) seen within my own communities and 2) heard multiple different IRL Jewish friends express--particularly that they are not surprised to be dismissed and be told, functionally, that it's all in their heads, and 3) can see in your implicit assumption that any antisemitism Jews claim to be experiencing is actually just others responses to genocide denial, and therefore any reports of antisemitism are just silencing tools rather than genuine experiences with prejudice.

Anon, I agree it is important to tread carefully, which for me also includes keeping in mind the experiences and threats my own Jewish friends here in America have received, as well as Israel's actions. But I don't thoroughly review the blog of every single person I reblog, and certainly not for posts about antisemitism when I don't do the same for posts about Palestinian experiences. Maybe that means I shouldn't be reblogging posts about either, then? I tend to see "not educated enough to say anything" as a cop out (particularly this deep into things), but I'd accept that criticism here if someone (you?) could help me find it specific to this topic, as it feels counter to what I've seen and been able to find as the broader opinion/requests of the movement.

And I am struggling too with receiving a request to publicly reassure everyone that I find Israel's treatment of the Palestinian people reprehensible (my first such request!) only after reblogging one post about diaspora antisemitism. I reblog multiple posts about Palestinian experiences weekly--but I'm also reminding myself that just as I don’t thoroughly review the blogs of everyone I see on my dash, others don't either, nor do I think it's a reasonable expectation for how people use tumbr.

Thanks for writing, anon.

[icewindandboringhorror]

Recent game related things .. hrmm...