#drawing them is now part of my daily routine

[julesdraws]

thrantober-day4-chiss ascendancy

(thrawn sporting a manbun with dedication for @twocrowssinatrenchcoat :)))

[toast-on-dandelioms]

🕷️Just Another Neglected Story🕷️

[previous] - Part 4.1 - [next]

Any names that you find familiar, in this part, were taken (with permission) from the fanart made by @the-broken-truth, while some changes like description of what's happening were made by me then modified by my beta reader, my bbg, Jamie.

tw: Joker, angst/no comfort, small description of injuries, small description/mention of a panic attack (I am unsure if it was that, please tell me if I am wrong).

Weeks passed with you still being Spider and a 'normal' teenager at the same time. But some changes and new things happened in these weeks.

You got visited by Superman almost daily, or nightly since he always visited when you were patrolling at night. You never questioned how he knew where to find you, you didn't want to think about it and just let him follow you during your nightly patrols.

He also helped you train while using all of your strength because you usually held back in fear of hurting people, so his tips helped a lot  considering that he also had the same problem before.

Furthermore, now that you started to help with small problems around Gotham, like small thefts and gang problems, those problems started to slowly stop, giving you more time to train with Superman and help around the community.

You still didn't join the Bats or even the Justice League whenever Superman tried to propose it, you just didn't want to fight big shots like Joker or other super villains.

You liked doing small things and loved seeing the change it brought from you helping.

Just defeating super villains won't reward you with a pie from the nice old lady after helping her move her things in the apartment and give her groceries if she can't go to the supermarket, or getting drawings of little kids after you help them go home safely.

You also scored candies whenever the moms had them, which made you incredibly happy because they always had the candies you loved. 

So you were happy, especially since Alfred never mentioned your breakdown after that night and kept on the usual routine of leaving your food on the desk in your room so you wouldn't have to come down to the kitchen.

You did notice him acting a bit weird but you pushed those thoughts aside since you didn't really notice anything weird happening around the Manor so you thought he was just nervous for something Bruce did.

You gave him too much trust and sooner than later you will regret doing that.

But something did change around the Manor, you just didn't notice because you started to walk on the ceiling, without shoes or Alfred would kill you, to avoid annoying encounters with anyone in the house, even if listening to music while on the ceiling was a bit difficult but you’re managing.

Well, Alfred knew that if he walked to Bruce and told him about you and what you felt he would've been ignored, especially since Bruce barely remembers that you even exist in the Manor and that you're a member of the family.

And even if Bruce did remember that you exist he would be annoyed, especially since he clearly hated your mother and was only paying the child support because he had to, especially since your mother threatened to take him to court if he wouldn't pay when he first got the news.

Talking to any of the batkids would've also been useless, because he also knew that no one in the Manor remembers you, especially now that you could walk on walls no one could even see you.

He couldn't count how many times he almost got a heart attack whenever he could see you on the ceiling, just hanging out or doing your homework, even though he still didn't understand how you could work without gravity making everything fall.

So he decided to do it in small steps, starting with leaving photos of you around the house in places where everyone sees them.

He put almost every picture that he owns of you, like you at a dance recital as the lead dancer or you at a science fair to which you won first place with an invention of yours.

One thing Alfred knew by putting your photos was that every person would notice how in all your photos you were alone and how your face never showed any emotion.

He knew it was small but he couldn't wait anymore, he needed to take action now or before you decided to leave for the Kent family, he couldn't let you go after he heard you talk about Clark and Conner while he made food in the kitchen.

He just hoped it wasn't too late for you, especially with your break down. He hoped you could still let someone in after all these years of being alone.

He did try his best but he was only a butler and he couldn't change someone's view of another person if that view was filled with hatred.

And you never noticed thanks to your walking on the ceiling or walls, moreover, you couldn't care less if they actually noticed you now. You were finally moving on and having a new start thanks to Spider.

But now it's not the time to think of Alfred's attempt of getting you acknowledged by the family, you were getting busier thanks to all the work as Spider, school and also dance classes.

You also kept on using yourself as a test subject, just to check the process of the spider DNA that's now in your DNA and seeing if anything changed or you had some mysterious new powers, taking videos to record the process of your evolution with the now Spider DNA in your body.

One thing you acquired after a while was invisibility, or camouflage as you called it since invisibility sounded magical and you didn't want it to sound like you were a kid.

How you found out you could use it was not a good experience.

You were in the kitchen with Alfred, just hanging out with him while he cooked when Damian suddenly entered the room to ask Alfred for some food for a new pet that he adopted.

In your panic at the sheer thought of Damian seeing you and hurting you like he did in the past made you freeze up, squeezing your eyes shut in hopes that he would just disappear from existence. Praying to every god you could recall that Damian wouldn't find you, you tried to not breathe too loudly so he wouldn’t hear you.

After a few minutes of paranoia passed and you didn't hear anything around you, you slowly opened your eyes and saw Damian still waiting for Alfred to give him the food for a cat he adopted and completely ignoring you.

You were still scared he would see you so you stayed silent and waited patiently, albeit apprehensively, for him to go away before actually making a sound, which was a loud sigh of restrained relief as air poured back into your lungs. Somehow you hadn't noticed that you'd been holding your breath the whole time. Strange.

You slowly got down from the counter you were sitting on and walked up to Alfred, confused as to why the old man wasn't looking at you and instead was looking at the ceiling before softly calling out his name.

You got even more confused and slightly worried when he got scared since you were standing right in front of him but he, for some reason, couldn't see you.

After a bit of Alfred trying to explain that he couldn't actually see you and you not understanding why, you finally managed to make yourself visible.

You quickly went to work at the corporation to take a few tests to see what happened and didn't see anything with those tests but after a few days of trying to understand what happened and how you could make it happen again, you managed to go invisible on command.

It took a bit but you managed to do it, which got extremely useful to sneak into the kitchen when you need to get some snacks in the middle of the night so that Alfred doesn't catch you on the wall eating chips at 3 am.

Plus thanks to that time you found out that your eyes glow in the dark, which was a bit weird since the spider that bit you wasn't a bioluminescent one but you figured it was your own DNA that changed some things.

In the time following that discovery and training with Clark, you slowly started to join him in solo missions for the Justice League, but made sure to tell him that you didn't want to partner up with another person except him.

And you made sure that he knew you weren't an official member of the Justice League or of the Young Justice League, you just joined him so you wouldn't get rusty since Gotham is still filled with crime but fighting with teens or men who just swing a crowbar or knife is not really challenging.

You didn't want anyone except Clark to join those solo missions, not because you were scared of hurting another person since you learned to control your strength thanks to him and got pretty good with your spider senses.

You just hated being around people you didn't know or trust, especially if they were a member of the Wayne family, you absolutely detested them.

You refused to look at them and especially talk to them even though you had the voice modulator.

One of the many reasons you used the voice modulator was to not get recognised but also because you hated your own voice and the voice modulator helped when talking to lost kids or just kids in general.

You never told anyone why you hate your voice, you just refused to talk one day and learned asl to communicate with people and also used notes if people didn't know asl.

The mask was like a hearing aid, it changed your voice and helped you use it more so you could talk sometimes.

As time passed, the birdies (basically all of Bruce's kids, you just called them all bird to show how much you didn't care about them) kept on trying to talk to you and showing up where you were when you were patrolling.

You had a list of most annoying to less annoying since you couldn't really do much about them, especially since Clark forbade you to throw another one of them off a roof if they got too close to your liking or just breathed wrong.

They never sustained grave injuries since you always threw them to another building or a dumpster, or to Superman if he was around.

Most of the time in a dumpster to make yourself smile since you would take a photo then swing away before they could do anything, but they started to pose whenever you would take a photo, making you annoyed and ruining your fun.

The most annoying was Dick, with how persistent he was even if he was stuck on a wall thanks to your webs when he got too close or made you uncomfortable by continuing to call you nicknames that he would use with Damian and Tim.

You hated how he would just laugh and call you his little sibling, especially since he would never call you that if you didn't have a mask on and you felt that it was unfair that he suddenly cared about you just because of the mask.

It made you feel like you were getting ignored and forgotten once again but this time to a version of you that he likes while the one behind the mask is always getting ignored.

Just like at the Manor, the real you will never be appreciated and accepted with love.

The second most annoying in the list is Tim, it was gonna be Damian but Tim took second place with how creepy he is around you and how he knows too much of what you do.

Like, you knew he's the one who knows everything about every hero and villain since you saw him work on the bat-computer while you were stealing a few grappling hooks for your web shooters since they broke. (You were invisible and you got lucky that Cassandra wasn't there or she would've found you immediately.)

But seeing him open a folder and watching how many videos and photos he has of you in the bat-computer, like when you were fighting some gang members or when you were helping some nice old lady crossing the street.

If anyone else showed you their collection of you doing badass or just normal stuff while you were a vigilante then you would've felt impressed and very honored because you never thought someone would actually go out their way to be a fan of you.

But seeing Tim, someone you still had some respect for, having so many files, especially from when you first started and hit so many walls while swinging around made you weirded out and somehow violated, especially with how concentrated he was while staring at the videos.

Seeing that folder and all the information he had on you made you lose all the respect you still had for the boy.

Another thing he did was that, whenever you met him while patrolling or eating a few hot dogs with your favorite guy, he would always talk of things you did like he was there and creeped you out so much that you had to restrain yourself from throwing him off a roof or wherever you two were.

Most of the time you just tased him and went your way, paying the hotdog guy a little extra so he wouldn't stop selling you hot dogs.

You're also starting to think that hot dog guy is using you for the tips since you always tip him 50$ or more to stay silent and let you grab more hot dogs from him.

Third annoying but still so annoying that you want to punch his face is Damian. Mostly because he treats you like you're his older sibling.

Like he respects you and looks up to you. But you knew it was because of the mask since you also knew that if you ever took off the mask in front of him he would try to kill you.

You have to be supervised by Clark and even Jon since your only solution to get rid of Damian when he’s around you is throwing him off a roof without worrying about not using your super strength.

You hated the kid and didn't really hide it but he never said anything about it since he thought you two were bonding and you acting like you hate him is normal.

You wanted to tase him when he dared to call you his older sibling in Arabic, hating the look on his face that had so much adoration and admiration for you since it actually made him look like a normal teen.

(You learned some Arabic to get close to Damian when you found out where he was from when you were young)

Like he didn't create so many scars on your arms and legs with his sword and those batarangs. Like he didn’t make you so afraid of the Manor that Alfred had to assure you that he wouldn’t hurt you or you would get a panic attack by getting near the Manor.

Least annoying but still annoying is Jason Todd. You hate that mask he wears because you can't see his face and know what he’s really thinking about, and especially how he acts like you two are two old friends who meet up everyday.

You hate how he pats you on the head when you're distracted, since the spider sense doesn't really deem him a threat for you, and manages to evade your attempts to kick him away or throw him off a roof, laughing whenever you try to do so.

Like you two were just playing and you weren't angry at him and wanting to throw something at him but couldn't.

So your one solution was ignoring him and walking to the side of the building so he wouldn't reach you since he couldn't walk on walls like you.

Which did make you smug whenever he complained about it on the roof of the same building, finding it funny when he acted all offended when he understood you were smug by how you were acting even if your mask didn’t show your face.

Yea you and Jason did get along sometimes, most of the time if you were having a nice day and if he was the first one you would meet of the birds.

You had a decent relationship with Jason, yes you did have fun sometimes but you wouldn't call him a friend or even your brother.

Plus you never forgot about the years he would ignore you and especially when he punched you in the eye and didn't even apologize decently.

Or how he would complain about how terrible of a father Bruce is, or how annoying Dick is to anyone else while you would just stand there, completely ignored since he was probably talking to someone else or to himself.

And acted like he was the only one who's life was 'ruined' when Bruce got in his life when he's still loved even after everything he's done.

Even though he's still remembered every Christmas and given big gifts that means that the person who bought them thought of him, and birthday while no one even remembered you had a birthday and you always celebrated it with a cupcake or some friends.

So you preferred to ignore him or you would punch his skull if he tried to complain one more time about Batman and his death.

Not like Cassandra, Duke and Stephanie were any better.

Cassandra was annoying because of how silent she was. You always managed to see her but you knew she wanted you to see her.

Plus, 'hanging out' with her was just you doing your usual stuff while she followed since you couldn't push her away like the others.

And fighting wasn't in the option since she could kick your ass with just a hand and without moving, so you just ignored her, even though your spider sense was always going crazy when she was around since she was a walking threat.

Even five minutes with her would give you the worst headaches that you had to ask her to stand very far or you wouldn't be able to even walk around without wanting to puke.

You hated her because she was taken in by Bruce like you but instead of being hated because of her upbringing, she got accepted with open arms and he always loved her.

What did she have that you didn't?! Why does she get all the attention and love you always wished for while you're getting forgotten and hated?!

You saw her getting accepted, getting all the love you always wished for, seeing your father going to her dance recitals while he didn't even bother to even acknowledge that you do the same sport as her but in a different and smaller dance studio since you couldn't afford to go to the one Cassandra goes because of how expensive even one lesson was.

Stephanie was another person you hated. You knew of her past, you used the bat-computer whenever no one was in the batcave when you managed to control the invisibility.

You knew about what her dad did. You understood her reasoning to become a vigilante. You didn't hate her for her past, god you didn't even care who her father was.

You just hated her because of how loved she was by everyone. She was like Cassandra but once again, all the love was going towards the two and it never even touched you.

You did try to bond with her when you arrived at the Manor but she did look like she wanted to be everywhere but not with you.

Even when you only talked about things you knew she loved, it still wasn't enough for her. She still avoided you and preferred to spend time with either Barbara, Dick or Tim.

And after a bit you gave up and let her live her life without you in her way since she clearly didn't care about you.

The worst part was that everyone prefers Spider than you, since she also keeps trying to hang out with you when you're patrolling or spending time with kids and teens.

Or getting beat during a game of basketball since you sucked at that game and the teens you played with would tease you which made you laugh since you liked spending time with people the same age as you.

But it would be ruined when she would show up, wanting to play too even though she would just play with you and make it obvious she wanted to make you win.

Which ruined the game entirely for you and always made you leave after a bit with the excuse of being busy as a vigilante, which made the teens and also Stephanie confused.

Duke was the only one of them that you knew tried to hang out with you when you weren't Spider. That's why he was one of the ones you hang out with most if he came to see you while you were patrolling.

He came when you were almost 15, you didn't remember how old you were but you knew he was one of the ones who actually paid attention to you.

But after a while, all his duties as Signal, as a high schooler and as one of Bruce's kids made him too busy for him to spend time with you, to which he explained whenever he was late for something you two planned to do.

And you understood, you cheered for him from the back and always smiled at him whenever he was with you as Signal, even if he couldn't see it. And he did tell you the best places to get food during patrols so you liked him for that, but you remained loyal to the hot dog guy.

But then there was Bruce, acting like he was the savior from his kids that kept annoying you even though he wasn't any better than any of his kids, he was one of the worst in terms of how annoying he was.

He was starting to compete with Dick for the first spot on your list, which you didn't like since you just wanted to be alone, or with Duke and Jason.

Like he would keep on calling you kid and other nicknames you heard him give to his sons over the years, which made you sick because it reminded you of when you were little and that your biggest wish was to also get a nickname like your brothers and sisters and spend time with him as your father even if he never paid any actual attention to you.

But what you hated most was how he always smiled softly at you, even when you tried to kick him away and he would just grab your ankle like it was nothing, like you were his favorite child. Like he didn't tell you that he would never be a father to you when you gave him a father's day card when you were 12 and trying to bond with him.

Looking at you with so much love and adoration, making you disgusted since he was the same man who once looked at you with disgust and hatred just for entering his office because you needed his signature for something.

The same man who clearly told you to not expect him to treat you like his child since you weren't. You were just an annoying kid who had to come to his house since no one else wanted to take you in.

You wanted to puke whenever he looked with love, refusing to forget about everything he did just because you were a child of someone he hated.

You understood why Bruce hated your mother, you couldn't force everyone to like what you like, but you still didn't understand why he had to ruin your life by keeping you with him.

He could have sent you to a foster home, he could have sent you to boarding school all your life so he could never see the face of the one he hates. But he didn't.

No, he decided to accept you in his home and ruined your life, making you miserable by keeping you there and then basically neglecting you and forgetting you even exist.

You wanted to puke whenever he looked at you with love when you were Spider, you had to take so many showers and had to scrub your skin so hard it turned red by how hard you tried to wash away his touch whenever he managed to actually touch you on either the shoulders or head.

You found comfort in Clark since he never forced you to interact with the Robins and Batman and understood why you hated them since you explained to him who you were but didn't tell him everything.

He did annoy you whenever he tried to suggest you to come with him to Metropolis even after you explained that you couldn't just move to another city right in the middle of the school year.

Moreover you were still a minor and you would need Bruce's consent, which you refused to ask since you refused to acknowledge that he was supposed to be your legal guardian.

Plus you always had fun with his kids when they were around since they would throw you in the air and catch you, making you laugh like crazy since their throw was like making you fly for like 2 minutes before catching you.

Conner was more fun to be around because he understood what you were going through since he also had problems with Superman when the kryptonian refused to accept the clone as his son.

Plus he always made the best jokes and made you laugh whenever you would have a bad day after seeing your legal guardian and his kids having a fun outing together while you were at the Manor since they didn't even remember you existed.

Or when you had a bad dance practice and almost destroyed your pointe shoes with your strength because you thought you weren't good enough to be a ballet dancer which spiraled to thinking that because of you not being good at dancing then you weren't good enough to be recognised by your legal guardian and his family.

He was more like an older brother than Dick, Jason and Tim ever were for you. And you didn't even care, you loved him as a brother and loved hanging out with him.

Jon was nice but he was also friends with Damian and you didn't really spend that much time with him because of that. You were scared Damian would be with him and you didn't want to see the evil spawn.

But the times you did hang out with him were nice, he always brought cake that his grandparents made and shared it with you while you listened to him talk about whatever he wanted.

He was fun and very nice but you weren't used to hanging around a small teen who actually wanted to be with you and actively seeked you out for your attention.

You were more used to a small teen who would glare at you and attack you if you dared do anything, even just breathing in his direction, the scars on your arms and back proved that.

But you never said anything to Jon about what his best friend did to you, you didn't want Jon to feel like he had to choose between two sides.

And you knew he would choose Damian's side, no one ever chose your side. You knew no one would even dare to be by your side.

Well after a while of going to missions with Clark and him letting you do most of the work as training with his close by to make sure you wouldn't get hurt, you were finally going on a relatively simple mission with Conner and unfortunately with Jason.

You knew Conner didn't want him there but he probably got Batman to convince Clark and him, so you didn't say anything to him about Jason being there and just stayed by his side while you were in the small ship.

The whole ride was spent in silence, only stopped whenever Conner would check the coordinates or by the sound of you fixing the web shooters to make sure they wouldn't go haywire when you were fighting.

You finally landed in the spot where you were supposed to start your mission, near the villain's lair, if you could call it that since it was an unused bunker a group of cultists found and are now living there, which made you get down eagerly since you wanted to finally do a mission without Clark's supervision.

But your excitement immediately died when you saw Stephanie waiting for you there, making you let out a loud string of curses.

And yes, you did ignore the message on your phone from Clark that said 'language' and just walked past Stephanie and Jason, just wanting to get the mission done and go home with Conner.

Plus he did promise you his grandmother's best pie if you finished the mission and you could not pass up the opportunity of getting another slice of that delicious pie.

As you walked up to the lair with Conner, you patted him on the back before standing in front of the door as Stephanie tried to open it by picking the lock. You waited exactly 10 seconds for Stephanie to unlock the door before pushing her away, kicking the door down with your strength since she was taking too long for your liking.

You didn't even care if they were watching, you just glared at them all in silence for a few seconds before they were able to hear you say.

"Stay here and you two don't follow me, Conner don't try anything or I will tell Clark"

Then, right in front of them you became invisible before walking off, the only sound they could hear were of your sneakers walking down the metallic stairs.

(Switch Pov to Stephanie)

Stephanie knew she wasn't the best person. She knew of her father's evil doings and she knew she wasn't the best Robin or the best vigilante.

But when she saw Spider, she thought that they were perfect. They were always helping people and never too busy for everyone.

She, at first, didn't even know who Spider is because of how busy she was with her life and her vigilante job. But when she saw Tim researching them, she was amazed.

She knew there were other vigilantes in the city, it was a big city but she didn't know about a vigilante who didn't fight big villains like the others.

She saw Spider helping old ladies, stopping small gangs from forming by helping the teens and just being an image for the people to rely on.

She knew Bruce stopped high grade villains like Joker or others but Spider, Spider was different.

They didn't fight Joker, no they just fought the criminals who would bother people that couldn't do anything to stop them.

She admired the vigilante and wanted to be friends with them, maybe one day she could convince them to join her and her family at the Manor.

But what she didn't understand even though she craved to know was why they hated her. Why they hated her and the rest of her family.

She tried so much, she craved their validation so much that she trained so hard and tried so many times to interact with them.

But she would keep on getting ignored or she wouldn't be able to follow them by the speed of them swinging or when they walk on walls to avoid her.

She cried so many nights at the thought of her idol, the one person she wanted, no craved validation would hate her so much when she can't even remember or know why they hate her so much.

But when she heard of Jason joining Spider for their first mission, she was so jealous that she used the bat-computer to check where Spider's mission was supposed to be and followed them in another ship.

She wanted to show to her idol how brave she was, so maybe they will praise her and laugh like when they're with Conner, Clark and Jon.

Plus she wanted to wipe Jason's smirk off his face since he kept on bragging about going to a mission with Spider for days and how he was the favorite since compared to the rest of them, he was the one who Spider stayed the longest before leaving or throwing him off the roof.

But all her excitement and hope died the minute she heard Spider curse when they saw her, her head slowly lowering as she tried not to cry.

And when Spider told them to stay there, god she wanted to protest but strangely Jason held her back and just told her to hack in the security system to watch Spider with the cameras.

She didn't understand why she couldn't follow Spider to help them but did as Jason told her to, watching all the cameras with him and seeing henchmen getting knocked out or tased by Spider even though they weren't visible.

Plus she found it hilarious when a goon got knocked out by a flying metal tray and the others just stood there confused before also getting knocked out by a taser or a punch then getting tied up on a wall or floor.

As she watched the security feed, she noticed that Spider entered the boss's sanctuary, filled with small and useless artifacts that the Justice League used to trace the villain so they could capture him and stop him before he tried to grow his cult or summon some demon.

She kept watching and trying to find a camera inside the sanctuary, starting to get annoyed and also panicking a little because if she couldn't see anything in the sanctuary then she couldn't call for backup if something went wrong, especially by how far Spider was, and even if they were going to help them, it would take too long.

She kept on switching cameras and trying to hack into anything that was electronic, getting more frustrated as time passed since she could see the villain approaching the sanctuary with someone next to him, making her confused since he wasn't supposed to have partners that helped him.

She managed to switch a camera in time to see Joker next to the villain, the blood in her face draining as she stared at the clown on her screen in silence, her eyes wide like bugs and no sound could be heard from all three of the teens.

She went back to where Spider was and noticed a camera was on, to which Stephanie immediately tried to warn them by moving the camera a bit but it was too late and both villains entered the sanctuary and closed the door so Spider wouldn't be able to leave without getting noticed by the cultist and the clown.

She watched the feed without moving any part of her body in terror that if she even moved then the two villains would notice Spider and do something horrible to them.

She gasped when she saw Joker suddenly pulling out a gun and pointing it at where Spider was supposed to be, not managing to hear what he was saying since the cameras were old and didn't register any sounds, plus his psycho-smile made it difficult for her to read his lips so she couldn't even use that to her advantage.

As Stephanie kept watching, not noticing that she was holding her breath by how focused she was on Joker then cursed loudly when she saw the screen turn black, throwing the tablet in anger as she got up, making signs for Jason and Conner to follow as she ran into the lair.

She quickly jumped over any henchmen on the ground, needing to get to Spider immediately and save them.

She had to help. She had to stop that psychopath from hurting them. She needed to protect them.

As she ran, her vision was starting to get blurry by the tears threatening to fall as she ran. As she ran, she suddenly got blocked by the metal door that was blocking her from saving Spider.

She immediately called Conner, wanting to use his strength to open the door but unfortunately he couldn't even throw a decent punch that could leave a dent on it.

Even after a few tries Conner didn't do anything so she started to try to open it by using the panel next to the door, her frustration already growing by how useless he was.

So Stephanie sent Conner outside to call Superman and Batman while she and Jason tried to open the door as they waited for the two heroes to arrive.

As the three of them waited for Batman and Superman to come, Jason and Stephanie saw something coming out the door that made their blood cold.

Some form of gas kept on coming out the door and the only thing they were able to hear were some noises of something or someone getting hit and coughing.

Stephanie did smell the gas, trying to pinpoint what the gas was but she couldn't recognise it since the only thing she could detect was that it had a sweet smell, which was nothing like all the gasses she ever smelled before.

The only thing she knew is that the gas wasn't the usual gas Joker uses on his victims since she wasn't laughing or having a maniacal smile but she still couldn't pinpoint what the gas was.

Stephanie stayed silent, trying not to show how terrified she was while Jason was trying to kick down the door while yelling curses directed at Joker.

Conner was outside the lair to use the ship and communicate with Batman and Superman, knowing they were both on different missions and he couldn't fly to both of them to ask for help, especially since he found out that he couldn't even fly, making him even more desperate for them to come.

As they waited Stephanie tried to make Jason stop punching the door when she saw his knuckles bleed, not wanting another one of her siblings get hurt because of her incompetence before looking at the door.

The blood drained from her face, her knees giving up on her and making her fall to the ground as she heard a scream, the cold metal floor the only thing she could feel at the moment.

She knew the scream couldn't be of Joker. He heard him yell before and this scream wasn't his. She hoped for every god as she tried to hack the panel of the door, even though she already tried before, with a bit of difficulty, her vision starting to blur as tears started to fall and her hands trembling as she was trying to ignore the multiple screams she kept hearing.

She couldn't let Spider get hurt, she should've been there to help them. They didn't deserve the pain and hurt she and almost all of the Robins went through because of Joker.

She stopped when she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder, the realization that she was just messing up the wires and making it even more difficult for the door to be opened when she looked at her hands tangled in between the wires.

She looked up at the man and visibly relaxed, completely giving out on the floor as Jason helped her by cutting the wires tangled in her hands while Batman examined what was happening as Conner explained what he knew, Superman next to him and waiting for Batman to give orders since he knew that if he acted irrationally then Spider would be in danger.

(Switch to Bruce's POV)

Bruce knew he wasn't a good person and a hero like Clark and Diana, that's why he called himself a vigilante since heroes save people and stop criminals but he couldn't save everyone.

Sometimes he was too late and he couldn't save someone innocent that unfortunately crossed ways with a villain or a gang.

Another thing Bruce knew was that he wasn't the best father because he let his kids get hurt by going on patrols with him as a vigilante, not thinking about what could happen to them if they fought someone too strong or if he suddenly decided to make them stop being a vigilante by saying that it was to protect them, which made everyone sneak out to be a vigilante.

He had to bury his children too early because of vigilantism and couldn't help his son when he was being trained by the League of Assassins.

But when he saw Spider for the first time, seeing a child that looked no older than 14, maybe 15, made him think that maybe, maybe he could help this one become the best version of themselves.

And if he was good enough, he could be a father again and get another child saved from the darkness and evil that surrounds Gotham.

Even if the only evil Spider saw was him and his family.

One thing he hated was that he couldn't understand why Spider absolutely loathed him and everyone of the vigilantes who live or have lived under his roof.

He couldn't understand why and even after checking every mission he ever did that included helping kids/teens in Gotham, nothing gave him a lead as to why Spider hated him.

And the worst thing was that Spider decided, out of all the heroes and vigilantes in the world, and especially in the Justice League, to trust and get close to Clark.

To Clark! His enemy! He was supposed to be the one teaching Spider to control their strength! He was supposed to be the one laughing with them while eating hot dogs and sharing funny stories of stupid people they say during patrol.

(He knows about it thanks to a small camera he put on Clark’s costume after he found out that he and Spider got close)

He didn't trust letting them go on a mission even if Clark told him that they could and that they were ready.

He thought it was too early and that they weren't trained to fight villains like he and the others fight everyday, especially with Conner since he wasn't perfectly trained so he managed to convince Clark, with much manipulation and guilt tripping, to let Jason come with them if there was trouble.

He didn't know Stephanie would also be there, especially since he didn't talk about it in the batcave about the mission but he already guessed that Jason bragged about going so she also went to also see her idol, knowing about her obsession with Spider to which he didn't say anything but encourage it with his own obsession towards the arachnid vigilante.

Not that he minded, two of his kids were better than none and Spider needed all the protection necessary even if the mission was one of the easiest possible. Especially since he chose it as a way to make sure Spider wouldn't be in actual danger.

But the moment he got a message from Conner explaining that Spider was in danger because of Joker, someone who wasn't supposed to be there in the first place, made his world crumble as he ran to where his jet was, needing to get there as soon as possible.

He couldn't let another person, no he couldn't let Spider get hurt or worse, killed, by the clown bastard.

He needed to save them, he needed to stop that fucking clown and he couldn't let Clark beat him to it. He knew that if he was the first one to save them, to help them then they would trust him more.

He couldn't lose that huge advantage to Clark or it would be impossible to even be able to get Spider to trust him or any of his kids. Which was already difficult but he saw them being more comfortable with Duke and Jason.

He arrived almost 3 seconds before Clark did, even though the kryptonian made his presence known since he made a crater at his landing and looked extremely infuriated as he walked towards Conner.

Bruce was already next to the boy and listening to his explanation on what happened, his usual frown that always made him seem annoyed with everything since he didn't want to show that he was scared.

He listened to superboy as he explained what happened in detail as they walked in the lair, a small smile appearing on his face whenever he saw henchmen and cultists knocked out and all tied up in Spider's web.

As they walked he noticed Conner and Clark weren't flying even if the space was big enough for them to even float, so he approached the boy, knowing it couldn't be Clark since the kryptonian was flying just two seconds ago, to see if he had anything on him and saw a familiar glowing green stuck to the boy's shirt.

He quickly grabbed it and put it in a container to block its effect since he knew it was kryptonite, the result showing on both kryptonians because they now could fly again.

He showed the container containing the kryptonite when both Supers looked at him "it was on Superboy's shirt, not sure who put it on him" he explained, now confused but especially enraged to who dared to interfere with the mission and put Spider in danger.

When they arrived at the door he saw something that made him frown more but also worried. He saw Stephanie continuing to tangle her hands in the wires of the panel next to the door, probably trying to open it but he saw her shaking and sobbing, making him understand that the girl was too focused on trying to save the vigilante inside the room that she couldn't focus on the task she was doing.

He then turned to Jason and saw him kicking the door and punching it, small dents on it to show how much strength he was putting in it and his bloody knuckles showing for how long he was doing that.

Bruce quickly checked on Stephanie and Jason before telling Superman to get rid of the door, the silence around them being too suspicious and dangerous since almost 2 minutes before they arrived both Stephanie, Conner and Jason could hear screaming from inside the room.

Dividers were made by @cafekitsune so please check them out because they do amazing stuff.

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[run-little-hero]

“What surprise awaits me today?” Hero leans against the bars of Villain’s cell, smiling. It’s their daily ritual, something Villain hates to admit they always look forward to. Hero is kind to them.

“You have such high expectations of me. You guilt me delivering them.”

“And you never disappoint.” Hero drops their head to meet Villain’s eyes from outside the cell. Villain smirks like they’re sharing a secret.

They hate that this is the happiest they’ve ever been—behind bars, swooning at the attention of the hero who put them there.

Villain retreats to a small desk in the corner of their cell. It’s littered with graphite drawings, a privilege granted for ‘good behavior.’ Villain scoffs at the irony, but decides not to challenge it.

They return to the bars, slipping a choice drawing through. Their fingers brush against Hero’s as the drawing is passed along. It’s calculated, Villain knows it. Just like the visits—a prescription to keep them from going off the rails and trying to escape. Villain swallows the medicine.

“Beautiful. As always.” It’s a landscape. A recreation of something they sketched years earlier. Hero seems pleased.

Emboldened by their reaction, Villain tests, “When do I get a surprise from you?”

Hero is nothing if not generous. They play along. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise, would it?”

“Give me a hint?” Villain sets a hand on the bar, They shift their weight so the motion is hidden from a security camera in the corner.

Hero isn’t phased by the gesture. “What would you want from me anyways?”

“Hm…” Villain trails. “Something genuine. Something beautiful. That’s what my art is to you, isn’t it? You should return the favor one of these days.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

For a moment, Hero’s hand finds Villain’s against the metal cell before they leave. Villain knows their routine by heart. They know Hero will never return their affections unless they need information or expertise out of them. But they’re content to play along, bask in a bit of that attention.

Villain believes Hero is kind. But at night, Villain does everything to squash the fractional piece of their heart that believes Hero cares for them.

Hero appears outside Villain’s cell late one afternoon.

“Where’ve you been?” Villain asks, approaching the bars. “It’s nearly dark. I thought you might’ve forgotten about me.” They keep their voice light, agreeable.

“I’d never. I just needed to prepare something.”

Villain crosses their arms. “And do I get to know what that is?”

Hero is beaming. “Of course. I tell you all my secrets.” Liar. “Come here.”

Villain indulges them and steps forward. Before they know it, Hero grips their arms and pulls them close. They embrace through the bars of the cell. Villain’s stomach plunges and their eyes dart towards the security camera.

“What are you—“

“I’m looping the footage. We should have about five minutes before it goes back to normal.”

Villain focuses on Hero. “Are you crazy? What the fuck are you—“

“You wanted a surprise,” Hero interrupts. They grip Villain’s side, steadying them. “How’s this for one?”

Hero’s lips crash against Villain’s before they can comprehend the fingers lacing through their hair. They can’t believe this is happening. They give into the desire they’ve been fighting since their first battle with Hero.

They part slowly. Villain keeps their gaze low. “Why did you do that?” They mutter.

“I’ve been thinking about doing it for a while.”

Rationally, Villain knows it’s not the best idea to trust a hero. “We’re enemies. You put me in prison.”

Hero grins. “But, you have to admit. Now we get to see each other more often!”

Despite everything, Villain can’t deny the gesture. “You’re insane.”

“You know, we still have four minutes. Care to do it again?” With a nod from Villain, Hero takes the lead and connects their lips again.

Villain supposes they can figure out what this means for their relationship tomorrow.

—

snippet #12

[alltimefail]

Agency Assignments: A comprehensive to-do list for saving Dead Boy Detectives!

I'm very easily overwhelmed, so I wanted to break down all the ways to help "Save Dead Boy Detectives" that I have seen floating around. This is meant to be something you can reference when you feel like there is so much you need and want to do to help, but don't know how or where to start.

Note: I will be updating this post as we go when necessary, so feel free to bookmark it in your browser for easy access, add it to your homepage, whatever! I'll always have a link to it in my Pinned Navigation post on my blog as well!

It is of the utmost importance that we fight as an organized, well-informed front. We need to be on the same page if we're going to save our show, so let's get into it! 💜💀🔎

➪ First and foremost, follow @savethedeadboys! They're going to be our best resource during this fight.

➪ Next, follow @deadboyagency for news and updates: they've been around since the show dropped and have been an invaluable source of information the entire time.

Now for some task breakdowns:

"One-Time" Tasks

➪ Like the header says, these things can only be done once. Once you do them, you don't have to give them any space in your mind.

Sign the petition*

Review & Rate Dead Boy Detectives on Google, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes. Be sure on IMDB you don't just rate the show as a whole, but you also rate each individual episode! You can also "Like" the show on Google and click "Watched" which helps the show's engagement scores. (If there are other popular sites I haven't listed here, feel free to share them and rate Dead Boy Detectives highly on them!)

Notify Netflix customer service (through their online chat feature) that you're unhappy with the cancelation of Dead Boy Detectives. This is a short, 5-minute task that I wrote a guide on (with an example message) here!

"Repeat" Tasks:

➪ These tasks can become a part of your daily routine; do what works best for you! You don't have to do every single one of these tasks every day if that is overwhelming!

Share the petition* over and over again, on every one of your socials! Make everyone you love sign it!

Stream Dead Boy Detectives!* Keep it on a loop in the background on low volume as much as possible. Try to get others to stream it as well, especially if they haven't watched it before! Netflix cares about VIEWS: views save shows and I broke down the reasoning here. (Bonus: if you post over on Twitter about your rewatch, use the tag #ReviveDeadBoyDetectives)

Talk about Dead Boy Detectives!* You're probably doing that already, but just be sure that you're tagging your posts. Here on Tumblr use the "Dead Boy Detectives" tag at least (to boost our tag to trending) and anywhere that uses hashtags (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram for example) I would recommend #SaveDeadBoyDetectives and #DeadBoyDetectives as those seem to be the most commonly used tags! IMPORTANT: do not use more than 20 tags here on Tumblr! Any more than 20 and your posts might be marked as spam and hidden from the tags!

Create art, edits for TikTok, fics, gif sets, doodles, crafts, analysis posts, and so on for Dead Boy Detectives.* Having fun is important, too! This is an extension of the "Talk about Dead Boy Detectives" point, but it needs to be stated - don't remove the joy from the fight. If a drawing of our boys or a smutty fic with your favorite trickster cat king is what you can bring to the fight on any given day, that is a perfectly valuable contribution! It's not all emails and hashtags.

Daily request a show through Netflix. Bonus if you're signed in! (I do 3-5 times a day)

Send Emails advocating for Dead Boy Detectives (Email list & Email Template). You can do this as much as you want or just one time.

Send Snail-mail (physical letters) to Netflix advocating for Dead Boy Detectives. I also send a copy of my letters to Warner Bros. Studios. Again, you can do this one time or multiple times. There are dates set aside for "mass" mail sending as well, so check out info on that here!

Interact with articles posted about Dead Boy Detectives. Read them, share them, comment on them, thank the writer for writing them, etc. We want lots of press about the cancellation, and supporting journalists and publications will make them want to write about Dead Boy Detectives more.

NOTE: Anything marked with a * means it's extremely important; if you can only do a few things, these tasks are the ones that you should focus on first. Remember to take care of yourself. This is a marathon, not a sprint, so don't burn yourself out!

WE WILL SAVE THIS SHOW.

Say that to yourself as many times as it takes for you to believe it. We're doing this to get justice for the writers, the actors, for ourselves, and assert to these companies that diverse, queer stories are not disposable one-offs; they deserve to be told in full!

Hugs and Handshakes to you all - whatever will suffice. 💜 Always feel free to reach out if you have any questions, whether that be through private message or my ask box. I'm not going anywhere!

- V

[silksongeveryday]

Drawing Hornet everyday until Silksong comes out - Day 400!!!

Well then.

Thanks to everyone for all the love and support, genuinely one of the biggest reasons I still continue doing this daily. You all are amazing :)

And thank you for 2.3k!!!

…I don’t really know what else to say at this point lol???? I’ve been doing this so long these milestones are starting to become less and less exciting. /lh

I’ll be honest I was really banking on Silksong being released in 2023 I genuinely wasn’t expecting to make it more than 250 days tbh. But hey, I guess I was joining the delusional crowd with that one lol. I just really hope Silksong releases this year or at least we get a confirmed release date at all???? All this waiting is starting to feel like kingdom hearts 3 all over again

Well anyway, here’s my 100 day checkup I guess:

Burnout has been wavering in and out I think. I’m not putting in effort like I used to during the day 150-250 period of this blog but hey the fact that I’m still dedicating a brain cell to this at all is impressive to me. Generally speaking I’m not a person who likes to commit themselves to something for more than a year unless I absolutely have to. I could literally take a break from this blog whenever I want but it’s been such a consistent part of my daily routine that I just haven’t lol.

I’ve been debating back and forth with myself on whether or not I want to have a couple people helping out with the blog. On one hand it would be really nice to have a helping hand so I could take more consistent breaks but on the other hand I’ve never been good at communication especially because organizing something like that is wayyyy out of my comfort zone. I run my blog a very specific way and I’m often bad at explaining my process to others without something getting misunderstood.

So I’m thinking up a few other ideas as well. Don’t feel like going into specifics because I’m not certain on them at all but if I feel like one works I’ll talk about it more in the future here or on my main blog.

Life has been really busy lately but after a long time I think I might finally have time to dedicate a full day to drawing multiple doodles so I can mass schedule and take a longer break I think. No promises on that but here’s to hoping.

Oh yeah also today’s specific drawing is inspired by Day 174. Also considered a redraw I guess??

That’s all I can think to say right now, so I guess that’s everything, thanks for reading! Here’s to more doodles! :)

[highblkfemsociety]

Finishing Strong: A Guide to Ending the Year with Intention

Hello Beautiful,

As we enter the final quarter of the year, it’s time to reassess, realign, and step into our power. For the high-achieving woman, Q4 is the perfect opportunity to manifest abundance, success, and peace. The last stretch of the year can be incredibly transformative if you take the time to focus on intentional growth and clarity. This guide will help you make the most of it.

Vision Boarding: Your Visual Blueprint for Success

A vision board is more than just a collection of inspiring images— it’s a visual roadmap to your goals. As the year draws to a close, this tool can help you stay aligned with your deepest desires and prevent distractions from trends that may not serve your higher purpose.

Why Vision Boarding Works:

Clarifies intentions: Visualizing your goals helps solidify them in your mind.

Amplifies focus: It’s easier to stay on track when you can see success every day.

Boosts motivation: A visual reminder reignites passion when the journey gets tough.

Tracks progress: As you achieve goals, you can reflect on how far you’ve come.

Encourages self-reflection: It’s a tool for assessing what truly matters to you, even as life shifts.

How to Create an Inspiring Vision Board:

Set your intentions: Before you begin, ask yourself what you truly want to manifest in the final months of the year. Be specific. Is it financial abundance? Career growth? Deeper self-love?

Gather visuals: Find images, quotes, and affirmations that align with your intentions. These can come from magazines, online, or even personal photographs that symbolize your goals.

Display with purpose: Place your vision board somewhere you’ll see it daily. It could be your workspace, bedroom, or even your phone wallpaper—wherever it can regularly inspire you.

Review regularly: As the quarter progresses, check in with your board. Adjust it as needed, whether adding new goals or removing old ones.

Vision boarding is not just about aesthetics; it’s a way to stay grounded in your purpose and connected to your inner desires. This practice empowers you to remain authentic and committed to meaningful objectives, ensuring you don’t stray from your path as the year winds down.

Journaling for Clarity: Unlocking Your True Potential

Along with vision boarding, journaling is an essential practice for self-discovery and personal growth. It allows you to access your innermost thoughts, uncover desires, and identify areas where you need to pivot or push harder.

The Benefits of Journaling for Clarity:

Fosters self-awareness: Writing helps you process emotions and ideas, leading to deeper understanding.

Refines your objectives: Journaling can reveal what’s most important to you, helping to prioritize goals.

Uncovers hidden strengths: Often, we don’t recognize our capabilities until we reflect on them through writing.

Helps you strategize: By identifying potential obstacles, you can develop plans to overcome them.

Enhances focus and motivation: Regular journaling keeps your objectives clear, making it easier to stay disciplined.

Journaling Prompts for a Powerful Q4:

What do I want to achieve by the end of this year?

What obstacles have held me back in the past, and how can I overcome them?

What are my strengths, and how can I leverage them to reach my goals?

How do I want to feel when I look back on this year in December?

What am I grateful for right now, and how can I use that energy to propel me forward?

When you make journaling a part of your daily routine, you create space for clarity and creativity. This practice is especially powerful for manifesting success and growth because it fosters a mindset of continuous self-improvement and reflection.

Mindset Shifts: The Power of Affirmations and Mental Resets

The final quarter is not just about working toward your goals but also about transforming your mindset to support your journey. Affirmations and mental resets are two key strategies for doing this.

Why Mindset Matters:

Success isn’t just about hard work; it’s about believing you are worthy of the results. Affirmations are a daily tool to remind yourself of your power and potential. Whether you say them in front of a mirror or write them in your journal, affirmations help shift limiting beliefs into empowering ones.

Examples of Affirmations for a Powerful Q4:

I am deserving of all the abundance that is coming my way.

I am capable of achieving everything I set my mind to.

I am worthy of success, love, and happiness.

I trust the process and know that everything is unfolding for my highest good.

I release any doubts and embrace my power fully.

Daily mental resets can also help you stay grounded when challenges arise. These can be as simple as taking a few deep breaths, practicing meditation, or taking a short walk to clear your mind. By intentionally resetting, you can approach tasks with renewed energy and focus.

As the year draws to a close, the fourth quarter provides an opportunity for reflection, growth, and manifestation. Whether through vision boarding, journaling, or affirmations, reclaim your power and finish the year with intention.

How are you planning to end the year with intention? Share your goals and insights below!

Check out our Instagram & Facebook for more!

[randomgirl005]

The Secret History

Hi! I'm currently halfway through the book, and I thought I would share some reflections I've had about what I've read so far.

I find it absolutely fascinating how the story draws you in, and you unconsciously start resenting Bunny. You feel like he’s making everyone’s life impossible and that he’s half-crazy. But honestly, it’s wild because, at the end of the day, they’re all a bunch of unhinged people who’ve murdered someone—they’re literally killers! And the problem isn’t Bunny—it’s Richard, who just keeps living his life alongside them as if nothing happened, sharing his day-to-day with them without it affecting him at all. And, of course, the book is narrated by his future self, which is what gives you this initial perspective. Insanity how it all is written.

Bunny is the kind of person you could easily dislike in any other context because of his personality, his stupid jokes, and his overall vibe. But in this situation, you hate him because he’s losing it over the fact that his so-called "friends" (who end up killing him) are actual murderers.

I mean, they make him out to be this awful person, when the ones taking people's lives (just because they’re high out of their minds) are the others. And Richard narrates it all while siding with the murderers!?!? Like, the real problem is Richard. He’s the one who's messed up (honestly, it could be me).

So, here’s my reflection halfway through the book: if someone you care about, someone who’s part of your life, practically part of your daily routine, commits a murder or some other serious crime—would you be able to carry on normally with that person? Yes, they’ve committed a crime, but they’re still the same person you laugh with, talk to, and hang out with. It hasn’t directly affected your relationship or your life (beyond knowing and covering for it). So what do you do in that situation? Do you lose it like Bunny, or do you just go with the flow like Richard?

I mean, they’ve directly told you about it. You haven’t seen proof, nothing suspicious has happened, there’s been no change in their attitude, and it hasn’t altered your environment or the way you relate to them. Would the relationship stay the same? Would you really notice the difference? Or would it just remain as casual as someone telling you they bought a new car?!??

Obviously, the most logical thing would be to go to the police, but let’s ignore that part for now.

Let me know if you've got any other thoughts about it!

[orangez3st]

In Some Other Lifetime - Chapter 2

Torture me to sleep

Clone Commando Scorch × F!Reader

✧ Chapter Summary: For a fleeting moment, there seems to be the tiniest glimpse of hope. Although, the future remains uncertain—with Scorch's constant and cold presence towering over you.

✧ General Tags & Warnings: reader is a jedi turned bounty hunter, soulmate au, clone commando scorch fix-it-verse, the bad batch season 3 canon, rescue mission, prison break, other tags will be added

✧ Word Count: 3.3k

✧ Chapter Warning: f bomb, female body search done by a male (non-con, so beware! you may skip that part, it's almost at the end. tried to make it as vague as possible. really vague, nearly nothing graphic.)

Story Index ✧ Join Taglist ✧ Other Clone x Reader

Tantiss is supposed to imprison clones. 

Oppressing them under a medical routine to fuel Hemlock's underground cloning project where they draw blood out every single day.

Witnessing Crosshair, drained and his back hunched, as they pass each other every morning twists something in her stomach.

Omega no longer casts a concerned look, though. It breaks her a little to see her brother suffering that way, but she has to be more clever than wearing her heart on her sleeve in enemy territory.

Tantiss is supposed to imprison clones, she affirms herself—again—as she watches your calm meditative form through the bars of your cell. It's understandable. Part of your routine. You need peace. Tantiss is stressful. She gets it. Gungi taught about the essence of finding inner peace through meditation, after all.

And especially since you and Gungi are similar.

The thought must be a jinx somehow because when her attention returns to you, you're already acknowledging her presence.

“Oh. Hello,” Omega says with a small wave of the hand. Wandering in the detention block and chatting with prisoners are not part of her daily assignments, so she'd want to appear small when sitting by the door.

And a single raised eyebrow from you is all she gets for now. Your attitude kind of reminds her of that bounty hunter. Fennec Shand.

“What's your name?” she starts carefully, understanding your stance. “I'm Omega.”

You know Omega. You'd been the one hunting her down through systems and back. It was exhausting, especially when Clone Force 99 always put up quite a fight—especially since you weren't fully present for the cause. Everything about it was wrong. You were hunting a kid.

And loud voices aren't meant for the detention block. It incites trouble.

“Call me Eight, Omega,” you say, making your way to the door and lean close in the kid's direction.

“But–”

“I'm no longer associated with my birth name,” you interrupt her firmly. “You can look it up in the system. But I don't answer to that name anymore.”

The Empire never knows of your past existence as a Jedi. It was a protocol of the Order to erase every single exiled Jedi profile from their database for their own safety. You crafted a new identity the moment you were released into the wild. Your fellow bounty hunters and the rest of the damned galaxy recognize you by that name. The Empire has no idea of your real birth name. It'd been swallowed into the void long ago. The ones who know of your true name are either dead or have forgotten already.

Omega studies you, surprise and pity present in her eyes. Eyes which color are quite familiar to you. “Why?”

The question somehow puts you on edge, reminding you that the kid roams free instead of getting incarceration like you are—looking less of a prisoner than you are. “The Empire does things to you,” you answer curtly.

Omega looks away momentarily. “Does it involve you to throw away who you were before the war?”

Who you were before the war was a lovesick young adult who thought ignoring the Soul Mark was ridiculous. Even though it's just numbers. You clench your left fist, where it is. There had been someone out there who loved you. Scorch. Not the commando who tails Hemlock like a massiff pup. Your Scorch.

And as always, you deflect the thought in the presence of others. Reminiscing on how it went and how it's supposed to be with Scorch is private. You feel like you're desecrating him somehow. Desecrating the bond. Kriff, you don't even know if the bond still exists. Your dreams remain empty—no more whispered voices. Your heart is left hollow and floating in the darkest of chambers.

“What are you doing here, kid?” Shaking your head, you swallow the bile in your throat. “You'd get caught. You better go and do whatever you're supposed to do.”

Seeing you getting up to your feet, Omega starts, the panic creeping in. “Wait!”

You're a potential ally. She can’t lose you—not when she barely gets past building the start of a good rapport.

“I promise I don't mean any harm. Sorry. I admit that was kind of a bad start.” The Empire. This place. It's doing something to her, alright. You're right. “But just to be sure… You’re one of them that hunted us down in Bracca, right?”

You look at her long enough to be hopefully considered apologetic. “I am.”

Omega's uncertainty was shown as clear as day. She still needs to work on it if she wants to survive under the watchful eyes of the Empire. Trying to befriend you? The kid is onto something. It's in this moment where you wish you could lean onto the guidance of the Force. You sigh and settle your shoulder against the wall. “What do you want, Omega?”

“I just want to make sure you can be trusted first,” she says..

You deadpan. “You're talking to a bounty hunter turned you hunter, both qualities of which are tending to stab people in the back for the most profitable gain.”

“So you're stabbing the Empire in the back that it got you in this cell?”

It gets you to smirk. Omega eagerly leans in seeing your expression.

“I want to make sure you can be trusted,” you challenge.

The blonde teen sighs heavily. Comically. Her chin drops to her chest in the dramatization. Then, she looks back up at you sharply.“I want to break out of here so bad.”

“Good for you. The walls are listening.”

“I dread every second being in here.”

“You and me both,” you bitterly respond, not convinced yet.

“I've been domesticating one of this facility's lurca hounds because I have no friend and I really wanna get out of this place.”

You blink.

“You're impossible,” you muse.

Omega looks at the ground sadly. “I just want to be reunited with the rest of my brothers.”

Brothers. Clone Force 99. Their existence reminds you of Delta—or whatever it had been in the past. “Crosshair is here too, isn't he?”

Omega nods. “Yeah. Just on the other side of the block. Yours is quite solitary,” she says, before hesitantly adding, “He's your Sergeant, right?”

Your body flinches in remembering every muscle reflex when you hunted her down. “Was, kid. Remember that. The Elite Squad is toast now. It's the clone commandos over stormtroopers now.” Then, you let a small wry smirk slip through. “Rampart did his best.”

Omega lets out a small noise of amusement. “I guess so.” You can read her hesitation to properly comment on your statement. Kriff, you'd have to remember you're talking to a kid, and not a drink partner at a bar. Nevertheless, she looks more mature than her age. How old is she—15? The current cruel state of the galaxy has taught her so much, then. She's a survivor. Just like you are.

The conversation lulls—you can see Omega mentally formulating another prompt to ask or to talk about with you behind the apparent stress in her youthful features, behind the slightest frown that scrunch her dark brows.

Then, you feel it.

That tug in your gut. That pull when something unfavorable is about to happen. In the silence, as if an alarm has been set, your chest too twinges with the familiarity. Even though you've been carried away in this conversation, you never forget the occurrences around you. The stretch of corridor that spans before your door is your arena, after all. You are aware of the comings and goings like clockwork, and something's coming. And it's familiar.

For a fleeting moment, you wonder if that was the Force giving you a warning.

The footfalls grow closer.

You alarmingly meet Omega's gaze, who surprisingly shares the same look at you. “Go,” you shoo her, “It's the commando. Don't get caught.”

Her head bobs in a series of urgent nods, already on her feet and scanning around for an escape route. Her eyes meet yours in certainty. “I’ll come back in a minute.”

You sigh. “Omega—”

“If I don't make it then it's nice meeting you, Eight.”

You watch her petite figure retreating as far as your peripheral allows you to. During the shift of the atmosphere, you're driven to your knees. You try to listen closely, your eyes closing. In the darkness, you try to seek light—as what you always do in the first minutes of your meditations—to seek the warm tendril of the Force to reconnect the bond once more.

Please. I'm sorry. I need you.

“Were you engaging in any suspicious activity, ES-08?”

Your eyes snap open upon hearing the boyishness of a certain voice—a sound that should never belong in these cold dark corridors. Tricolor painted boots beyond your cell door reign over your entire periphery, and you have to crane your neck back to find the commando’s blue HUD staring down at you in cold helmeted observation.

“Is meditating dubbed as suspicious activity now?” you retaliate.

Scorch fixes his blank gaze at you.

Then he tilts his head in the direction of your worn inmate mattress. “This is now a surprise inspection. Go stand in the corner, slide down the wall, and sit on your hands with your back straight against the wall and tuck your legs close to your body.”

He gives a jerked nod to a stormtrooper in the middle of the corridor behind him whom you didn't notice before. You hope Omega made it past security. You watch him in disbelief, even when the door slides open in a blocky noise of metal against metal and him chambering his ICWS to his backpack. But even then, you know you can do nothing.

“What could I even be possibly hiding? My fork?” You sit as instructed, trying to look intimidating even when he's the one dominating the room. “You're wearing katarn, for gods’ sake,” you mutter, undoubtedly picked up by his audio receptors.

The door slides close. Preventing any escape. Safest for both parties. You could throw a punch born out of your mounting frustration right here and then, he could easily deck you into unconsciousness. The sight would be similar to one of those cage fight gigs that you often ran into in the underworld of Coruscant.

Your hands begin to unsettlingly yet comfortably warm underneath the weight of your body. Setting your gaze down to the floor, you decide it's wisest to say nothing—for now. Your privacy breached, Scorch plucking off the sheets off your pillow and mattress to hopefully obtain misplaced objects.

His height towers far above you. You swallow heavily. You had never seen him in armor in the before—only images from your dreams that he projected where he posed in the mirror to draw gleeful laughter out of you—and now you're graced with intimidating, broad-framed katarn up close. You used to adore his armor, especially the striking choice of yellow, and his quirky and comedic personality that matched. The view of cold and dark corridors beyond your cell forms a pit in your stomach again—you don't think you would ever see him in his armor the same way again. Then again, it looks wrong. Too hospital-clean, void of scratches and battlefield grimes. Assigned to guard duties similar to clone troopers isn't what commandos are supposed to do—not even in the before.

You have to remind yourself again—the Republic fell. Scorch, the man you're supposed to love and perhaps still is, who was decanted during its glorious era or so it seemed, fell along with it. Your heart mourns for the man he is now. What wouldn't you give to have him back and see his broad smiles and savor his jokes? First things first, you want to be reconnected to the Force.

“Love drives you to do crazy things,” you mutter out loud, tone distant.

You notice a slight pause in Scorch's movement as he lifts the mattress of your berth, standing in silence, seemingly scanning the structure with his HUD. If you don't know any better, you think he's probably stalling to listen to you.

“In these dark times, out of all scenarios, we’re cursed to love. We're cursed to live,” you continue, “Funny that one needs the other. Love needs life to thrive like a plant in soil. Life needs love to feel complete.” Scorch's helmet tilts ever so slightly in your direction. You feel a surge in your body. “Like a pair of lovers.”

“Are you feeling unwell?”

Of course he thinks you're delirious. But you ignore his question, your eyes can only speak the truth there is, glimmering and unladen with meds or exhaustion. Inside, there is hope for your other half truly is listening. “If according to your textbooks feeling unwell equals speaking the truth, then yes.”

I hope you know I'm willing to be held prisoner. I hope you know I'm here solely for you. I hope you know I want to be near you. I hope you know that I still exist. We still exist. We could exist.

A mountainous amount of fool's hopes. Dangerous things to say in Tantiss because the walls have ears.

Once satisfied with his observation, Scorch turns to you. “Stand up.”

You comply.

“Turn around and face the wall for a mandatory body search procedure.”

Your heart suspends, horror washes all over you at the thought of the cold hands of your supposed lover running across your body. “You're kidding me.” The last thing you need is Scorch's hands on your body when he isn't even half the man you'd known him. “I demand a female trooper.”

His hand now is placed on his sidearm strapped to his belt. “Do as I told you.”

“And I'm just gonna let you touch me where your hands shouldn't even belong?!”

Scorch's helmet tilts to the side. His tone mocking and arrogant as if picking the trait up from Royce Hemlock himself, with the boyish softness that sounds both familiar and wrong, when he says, “Shouldn’t they?”

You feel your heart twists inside your chest. His stomach-lurching words, wringing the pain throughout your body. “You—” Tears sting the corners of your eyes and begin to cloud your vision. Before you can stop it, the urge to throw a hopeless hook to his helmet surfaces, seemingly worth the split knuckles and a stun bolt you'd definitely get—you take one step forward into his space, your fists clenching. “Say that again. Word for word. I dare you.”

“Last warning, ES-08.”

“Say it, Scorch! I double dare you!” you cry angrily.

Before you can anticipate, he roughly yanks you around and pins you to the wall in front of you, the abrupt motion drawing air and a sob out of your lungs. You feel your body tense uncomfortably, your cheeks pressed against the cold durasteel wall. For a moment, you think you'd rather die than be touched by a person who loves you not.

You try not to imagine the time of your first and last date where he'd been stealing glances to your lips and not even trying to make it not obvious. Accompanying the admiring gleam in his warm eyes, the excess cream and bagel seasoning stuck to his upper lip made him even more adorable. You try, too, not to remember the moment where his hands carefully yet confidently cradle your face, as if handling one of his explosives, before kissing you under the neon lights of Coruscant. It was lovely, the type of kiss that makes one addicted—even you got to deepen that kiss. In the end, it left both of you breathless and smiling so wide that your cheeks hurt.

It was beautiful.

“I advise you not to question order and continuously be difficult to deal with.”

Unlike now.

“Speak for yourself,” you rasp, your lips brushing the durasteel wall as you talk but you don't care. “I hope you know you're torturing me inside and out, Scorch. I'm going to make you eat a fucking live thermal det that you have in your pocket so you'll carry your fucking name to the fucking grave. If there's any left to be buried.”

“Cease talking,” his monotonic voice orders behind you. With a hand on your shoulder, he tugs you back slightly so you're standing in form. “Spread your arms. I won't touch you in certain areas.”

Gray walls. Gray walls. Durasteel insults you again and looks down at your pathetic fate—truly pathetic this time. Swallowing another oncoming sob, you spread your arms and close your eyes, anticipation already swallowing you and turning your stomach inside out. You're helpless. Utterly, hopelessly, helpless.

You twitch terribly as Scorch's gloved fingers swipe across your ears first. Then down your neck, where you flinch again at your own vulnerability—the possibility of getting choked and having you gasping for air right there and then if Hemlock decides he no longer needs your damn blood samples. Scorch inspects your back, his palms flat across your shoulders and down to your shoulder blades back and forth exactly twice. 

Moving to your arms, his pats had been firm, allowing you to breathe in relief for a moment. Down your torso, you gasp when he lingers a split second too long on your waist that you nearly don't notice. His hands leave the vicinity of your body a second later, and you can feel the hesitation radiating off his form even without looking.

Then, in a blinding speed, Scorch slightly lifts your shirt and runs his gloved fingers along and underneath the waistband of your trousers.

It was over before you could even comprehend.

He doesn't want to make you uncomfortable.

It drives another sob out of your body, your forehead meeting the wall in front of you with a quiet thunk.

Without even being given the chance to breathe, Scorch progresses downward to your legs. You start to register his search is no longer with pressure as he did to your arms. He'd definitely hadn't done this before—patting down a woman. You can feel the slightest hesitation in his movements that indicates his unfamiliarity with female anatomy in this instance as his gloved hands proceed to pat down each of your thighs, inside and out, down to your ankles.

“Turn around.”

He doesn't reprimand you for your loose form— your arms already tilting downwards, more toward the underworld for the doomed ones rather than straight to either walls of your cell. Whether Scorch has enough of your reactive outbursts or something else, you foolishly allow yourself to hope that there may be still a single bone in his body that actually cares about you.

You comply, your eyes still closed. You’re scared of yourself—you don't know what will happen if you pretend to look into his eyes through the glaring blue light of his HUD.

Scorch repeats his search from your ears and neck, you try not to shiver in addition to hearing his calm, rhythmic breath through his helmet's filters near you. The trousers have no pockets whatsoever, so he doesn't linger on your thighs. Once his hands leave you, you dare open your eyes. With the same distant movement as if he's merely another clone, he turns his back on you and signals to have the door open while reaching for his blaster.

The ghosts of his touch remain on your body. Suddenly you just can't wait for the next shower session.

“There is order in this facility we all must abide by,” Scorch says to you from beyond the confines of your cell, “Remember that, ES-08.”

You watch his form receding from your periphery.

It wasn't always like this.

Taglist: @yoursrosie @msmeredithrose @hellfiresky @filamentlights @heidnspeak @lucyysthings

ISOL Taglist (lmk to join!): @mutilatemyheart

A/N: You can request for x reader in my askbox! If you're interested in my clone x reader oneshots you can sign up as well to be tagged of future works. (Link provided ⬆️)

[joeys-babe]

Joey B Imagines: I Can’t Help Myself*

————————————————————————-

Summary: While Joe’s away doing foundation stuff, there's an overwhelming amount of photos of him popping up on Twitter and Instagram. All of them had you patiently waiting for your fiance's arrival home.

Warnings: Smut

Pairing: Joe Burrow x reader

Imagines Universe: Just the Two of Us

A/N: Apron and shirtless Joe have me feral, had to speed-write this.

————————————————————————-

March 3rd, 2024

It all started with an innocent text from my bestie.

Attachment: 1 Image… Tumblr is going crazy over this right now!

At that moment, I shook my head with a laugh at my best friend's text. She was on Tumblr to keep up with her celebrity crushes, but one day, she jokingly looked my fiance's name up. She would never give me details about what was on the ‘tag’, but she'd now and then tell me what was up with Joe Burrow Tumblr.

Joe had left the house earlier today for a foundation event at a soup kitchen here in Cincy. Robin and Jimmy, Joe’s parents, had come from Athens and were going with him.

By the looks of the picture my best friend sent, Joe wasn't having as bad of a time as he anticipated he would. This morning was full of endless grumbles before I eventually shoved Joe out of the door, but he was smiling in the picture as he poured some soup into a bowl.

He seriously looked adorable. The Guinness hat gives him an oddly innocent look, while the apron he's wearing adds to the cuteness factor.

I'm so buying that man an apron to wear when we're cooking. I thought to myself, giggling out loud.

After sending my bestie a quick response back, I pulled up Joe’s contact.

Nice apron, cutie. 😉

Naturally, It was a while later when Joe answered, but his response set butterflies off in my stomach.

Depending on the intentions behind the wink emoji, I could ask to bring one home if it works ya up.

Taking a few moments to calm down, I shot a nonchalant response back to Joe.

The hat too?

The hat too. I draw the line at the plastic gloves, though. I gotta feel you with no barriers, baby.

How this man can control every pulse point in my body with just his words will never fail to amaze me.

Shit, my mom was reading that beside me. 😬

JOSEPH LEE BURROW.

My stomach dropped at the thought of Robin reading her son practically dirty-talking to me. That's next-level embarrassment.

I'm joking, babe. See you later, with an apron and hat.

Omg, Joe! If I was with you right now, you'd get smacked in the back of the head. I love you, though. See ya later!

Love you too. 😘

This morning, Joe woke up ready to go. I'm not talking about being ready to go to the foundation event, I'm talking about sex.

Joe woke up most mornings wanting a quick romp to start the day, so it had slowly become a part of our daily routine.

It was a different story today, though.

—

Still naked from the previous night’s lovemaking session, Joe had pulled me into him as our lips met. I'd just gotten close enough to grind on his erection when Joe’s phone rang on the nightstand.

“You should probably get that.” - you said between kisses

Joe groaned out of annoyance when he pulled away and grabbed his phone, rolling his eyes when he saw the caller ID.

“Who is it?” - you stroked his chest

“My mom.” - Joe

“Why'd you roll your eyes then?” - you

He sighed and pulled me into his chest, moving his hips away, knowing any friction would make him lose control.

“She treats me like a little kid every time we have one of these foundation events.” - Joe

“You're her baby, Joe. She’s just looking out for you.” - you

Joe nodded with a sigh and accepted the call.

“Hey Mom, yeah I'm awake.” - Joe

His deep, raspy morning voice made my cheeks heat up, and I hid my blush in his chest.

“My shirt’s been ironed, yes. y/n ironed it and laid it out last night.” - Joe

The silence gave me the ability to hear what Robin was saying, and the words she said only made my heart flutter.

“You better have thanked her. Joe, I don't think you realize how lucky you are to have that woman by your side.” - Robin

“I'm very lucky, Mom. Wouldn't be who I am without her.” - Joe

“Make sure she knows that. I'll see you later, sweetie!” - Robin

“Bye, Mom.” - Joe

I cuddled closer to Joe, listening to him mumble a quick “Yes, I love you too” before hanging up.

“Wouldn't be where you are without me, huh sheisty?” - you laughed

“Shut it.” - Joe rolled his eyes

A few seconds of content silence passed before Joe cleared his throat and sat up.

“Okay, I'm like super horny right now, but I'm gonna push that away because I've been thinking about something.” - Joe

“What's that?” - you

“We still haven't told anybody that I proposed. I told you we could wait till we got back to Cincy, and we've been back for weeks. I'm trying to say that we need to tell our families soon.” - Joe

“Oh ok, that's fine. Whenever you want to, I'm down.” - you

“Actually? Just like that?” - Joe

I giggled and gently reached out to comb back the curls that had fallen over on Joe’s forehead.

“Yeah, just like that. It's been fun keeping it just between us, but I want nothing more than telling our family we’re gonna get married.” - you

“Can I also ask you about something else?” - Joe

“Mhm.” - you

Joe sighed and took a second to clear his thoughts.

“You okay?” - you

“Yeah… I'm just trying to pay attention, it's kinda hard to, you know…” - Joe

He flicked his head down toward the tented sheet covering his lap.

“Focus, babe.” - you laughed

“Okay, uhm… what if we got married earlier than this coming offseason?” - Joe

“What do you mean?” - you tilted your head to the side

“What if we got married at the courthouse, no one else there? Just you, me, and the judge. It could be as soon as next month or as late as a week before our actual ceremony.” - Joe

I let his idea sink in, thinking about how sweet his idea of getting married soon is.

“I’m listening.” - you smiled

“We won't do our big vows or even exchange rings yet, just the license saying we're married, and hopefully your name change.” - Joe grinned

“y/n Burrow.” - you

Joe grinned from ear to ear, a blush on his cheeks as he heard my first name paired with his last name.

“Always thought that sounded perfect. I remember thinking about it on the first day of college during roll call. I couldn't take my eyes off of you after our professor said your name, and I thought about your last name as Burrow.” - Joe

“You're adorable.” - you

“Thanks.” - Joe

A few seconds went by without either of us saying something, but Joe broke it with a sigh.

“Are we going to continue what we were doing before your mom called?” - you

“Sadly, I have to start getting ready. Waiting will make tonight even better, though.” - Joe winked

“How do you know I'll even want it later?” - you

“You will, baby. You always do.” - Joe

—

Now, here I was, staring at a picture of my fiance pouring soup into a bowl.

Something about the moment just screamed husband.

Maybe it was the adorable apron. Or hat. Or plastic gloves.

Whatever it was, I wanted more of it. More of him. All of him.

My thoughts lingered to the most intimate moments with Joe. Catching myself before I got too worked up, I pulled up my phone to scroll through Instagram.

As soon as I did, though, my plan of a distraction was shot to hell.

Justin Hillard made a post of the Arizona trip the boys went on and one of the last slides showcased a sweaty, shirtless Joe.

“Where's Joe when you need him.” - you groaned

—

What felt like hours later, I heard the garage door open signaling Joe was home.

A minute later, his tall frame was striding into the kitchen. I watched him look around for a second before his eyes landed on me.

A grin formed on his lips as he walked up to the couch. Joe dropped to his knees in front of me and leaned in for a kiss.

When I went to pull away, Joe grabbed the back of my neck to keep me in place. After a few minutes of making out, Joe finally pulled away.

“Sorry, I really needed that.” - Joe sheepishly smiled

“It's alright, I did too.” - you smiled

“How was your day? I didn't leave you too bored, right?” - Joe

“My day was good, and no. I spent most of it obsessing over the new pics of you.” - you

“Felt like I never left then, huh?” - Joe

“Dead wrong. Staring at the pictures only made me miss you more.” - you

I watched as Joe teasingly licked his lips, never once breaking eye contact.

“Why's that?” - Joe

“Cut the shit, Joe. You know exactly why.” - you

“Because we didn't have sex this morning? That's why you missed me?” - Joe

“Well, that's not the only reason why. I naturally hate being away from you, but yes sex has something to do with it.” - you

Joe reached out and placed his hand on my inner thigh, nestling his hand against my crotch.

“Wanna go upstairs then?.” - Joe

I nodded, and Joe was quick to stand up and pick me up bridal style.

Giggles flew from both of our lips as Joe hurried up the stairs to our bedroom.

Soon, Joe was laying me on the bed and crawling on top of me.

“I love you.” - you said between kisses

Joe smiled and returned the sentiment, my arms wrapping around his neck as we kissed.

“Listen let's just get straight to it. I've been looking forward to this all day.” - you

“You don't want the tongue & finger combo first?” - Joe

I laughed at his bluntness before nodding my head.

“I need you inside me.” - you

“Fuck, I love hearing you say that.” - Joe

Joe placed his lips back on mine and shifted his weight onto one arm, lifting the other hand to unzip his fly.

I helped him shed his pants off, but Joe took my hand away when I reached for his boxers. He sat back on his knees for a second to pull his shirt over his head, quickly returning to his position above me when he was done.

My arms were around his shoulder as Joe slowly dropped his hips to grind on me. Just seconds later he'd pull away to take my clothes off.

When we were both naked, Joe’s lust-filled eyes scanned over my body before reversing course and locking with mine.

“God, you're beautiful, baby.” - Joe

After Joe lined himself up to my entrance, he slowly pushed inside. Making sure I felt every inch of him.

“You feel so good.” - Joe groaned

“You too…” - you

“So hot and wet for me, baby.” - Joe

Joe didn't move for a minute, just savoring the feeling of my walls wrapped around his hard cock.

“Joey, move, please?” - you

I watched him nod before he leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to my cheek. Joe formed a path of kisses from my cheek to my lips.

Once he met my lips, Joe slipped out of me before slamming his cock back inside.

Both of us moaned loudly when his tip hit my cervix, my walls squeezing Joe’s thrusting cock as he set a rough pace.

“You feel insane.” - Joe moaned

“I've been dreaming about this… all day.” - you

A few minutes later, Joe and I were still locked together at mouth and crotch.

“I'm not gonna last much longer.” - Joe moaned

“Me… neither.” - you

Joe’s face contorted as the overwhelming pleasure coursed through his body. His cute nose scrunching as his eyes are clenched shut.

“Oh, fuck!” - Joe grunts

Seconds later, with a shaky hand, Joe reaches down to where we were connected and rubbed my clit with his thumb. His thrusts became uneven but never once unsatisfactory.

“Joey! I'm gonna cum!” - you moaned

It wasn't much longer after that when I fell over the edge, moaning Joe’s name through my climax.

Joe continued his thrusts before rushing to get as deep as he could.

His head fell back, and his mouth fell open. A moan and grunt of my name leaves his pretty pink lips as he cums.

After his orgasm, Joe fell forward and on top of me. Burying his face in my neck as he stayed inside me, fading out the experience.

I reached a hand up and cupped the back of Joe’s head, slowly running my fingers through his unruly curls. The comforting sounds of our mutual heavy breath and the ceiling fan created a soft moment.

“You really liked that apron, huh?” - Joe

“Yeah.” - you giggled

Joe stayed there for a bit, enjoying being cuddled before he eventually pulled out and hopped out of bed.

My eyes lingered on his perfectly plump butt as Joe walked into our bathroom, later returning with a washcloth to clean us both up.

He strode up to me as I stayed lying in the bed. Joe softly caressed my thighs while gently spreading my legs apart.

I hummed in contentment at the feel of the warm washcloth, and Joe only smiled at the sound.

After cleaning himself up too, Joe slipped on a pair of clean boxers.

“Do you want one of my shirts to sleep in? Panties too, maybe?” - Joe

“Just one of your shirts will be fine.” - you smiled

Joe nodded and disappeared into the closet. A few seconds later, he walked back in with one of his pregame shirts that was from a previous season.

“Lean up for me, baby.” - Joe

I did his bidding and Joe slipped the top over my head, making sure my arms went through the sleeves.

“Comfy?” - Joe

He walked around the bed and climbed into his side.

“Very, and it smells like you.” - you grinned

“I hope that's a good thing.” - Joe laughed

“It's a very good thing, you smell delicious.” - you

Joe chuckled as he pulled me into his chest, one of his big hands running over my back as my head was hidden in Joe’s neck.

“I love you.” - you

“I love you more.” - Joe

He lovingly stroked my hair, providing tender words of affirmation and holding me tightly in his arms during their comforting aftercare ritual.

“Oh shit, do you know what I just realized?” - Joe

“What?” - you

“My apron is down in my car. I forgot to show you.” - Joe sighed

“It's okay. You can show me tomorrow.” - you giggled

“Guess what.” - Joe

I narrowed my eyes, trying to see his expression in the dark but failing.

“What?” - you

“I grabbed one for you too.” - Joe smiled

“Oh my god.” - you laughed

“I couldn't help myself!” - Joe

He laughed along with me before we both paused, coincidently yawning in sync, which ended in another laughing fit.

“Goodnight, baby.” - you

“Goodnight, my love.” - Joe

————————————————————————-

Authors note: because Joe was illegally fine that day.

Came from my own head! 💞

[lazloemporium]

It's been a while since I last posted my drawings. The reason was a big project that I can finally show now. The idea started with the desire to illustrate a meeting of my OC - Lucan with the wonderful Aria - the OC of an even more wonderful @ariawins.

Later the idea evolved into something even bigger. Inspired by characters created by some of the fans of the game Obscura, I created a few alternate endings to the above comic. I wanted them to be a part of it.

The first one is just one of the Obscura characters - Keir (my favorite among the game characters) and my OC simply interacting with each other in their daily routine.

The second ending is a different story. Modern AU, a bit more positive, with the participation of wonderful characters from wonderful people and artists:

dab Aria / Happy the singer and her beautiful wife Scarlett - @ariawins

Solo goth mama/ a wonderful piano player, the queen of the Gothic style - @millethe

Wonderfull Ira, the best twin I could find in this world/ Naira - @Shannara / @shannaranirina

Chaotic tired Lucan in @rottenraccoons non-existent (yet) merch - @lazloemporium

And the last of them, a masterpiece, drama and action combined in a few panels with great characters:

Still chaotic tired Lucan - @lazloemporium

Wonderfull Keir, considered in the community as husband material, character of Obscura game (still my favorite)

Cirrus/ Evil priest - also character of Obscura game, hate him ( but I love how well written a character he is)

Aria in her casual clothes and mask which everybody loves - @ariawins

The knight in shining armor who stole my heart Celeste whom I had the pleasure of drawing(and will definitely draw more than once) - @kimikoarts

Once again wonderfull Naira - @Shannara / @shannaranirina

As deadly as she is beautiful Void - @aieevee16

Last but not least mysterious Garnet - @lyra3884

Despite the amount of time spent on drawing, I'm happy and proud to have drawn it. I had a lot of fun doing it and the great community around the game gave me a lot of support and inspiration.

[chillerss]

₊ ⊹ 🐝 ⊹ ₊ I’ll Keep You Safe — TFA Bumblebee X fem!Reader ₊ ⊹ 🐝 ⊹ ₊

FOUR — The Quarry

Word Count: 8,410

Warnings: None, other than some “cliff” diving and two kids committing the great illegal offense that is trespassing, lmao.

Credits: All drawings within the text were made for this fic by my good friend, Renny! You can find her on instagram as @/alopex.art

A/N: I OFFER YOU…. 8.4k+ words of constant banter, affectionate bullying, and some light fluff… before the horrors >:)

₊ ⊹ 🐝 ⊹ ₊

“See you later tonight, bye!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, come back here for a second.”

You stopped dead in your tracks before the front door with your hand ready to turn the knob. It took a long couple of seconds for your head to swivel back to face the woman standing in the kitchen behind you. You hoped you’d be quick enough to scramble out the door without any questioning, but clearly that wasn’t the case.

She had a suspicious look written all over her face, but it wasn’t angry. More like… concerned, “You know I’m going to want to meet these kids at some point. Why don’t you bring them over here sometime instead of wandering off everyday? You could all pile in here for a movie and I’ll make you dinner.”

A twinge of regret nipped at the corner of your brain. “Thanks for the offer, Aunt Liz. But it’s summer! Don’t you want me to be outside all the time?” You turned around and let your backpack slide off of your shoulder to hit the ground. “We’ve been hiking and walking and running around exploring. And honestly, I really like being able to walk everywhere. Y’know I couldn’t do anything like this when I was living at Gramma’s.”

The woman rolled her eyes and flipped her hair over her shoulder, but a small trace of a smile was there. “I guess so. I am glad you’re getting so much fresh air.” Her gaze narrowed as she closed the distance and wiggled a finger at you, “Just let me meet your friends, okay? At some point. I want to know who you’re hanging out with.”

You couldn’t help the laugh that came out, though Liz had no idea it was because you were nervous about it. “At some point, yes. Their parents are really strict about them staying… outside. All summer.”

“Alright, alright. Not today. But at some point!” She shoo’d you away, “Go on, don’t make them wait.”

You snorted and turned to reach for the backpack leaning against the wall again, “I’ll see you tonight.”

It was a hot day. No way you were going to spend it outside, unless you went to the beach. Which you didn’t really want to do with a giant robot. Especially Bumblebee. If that ‘Bot got any sand in a single crevice, it would be virtually impossible for him to not complain about it for weeks on end.

It had been about two weeks since your official introduction at the plant. Bumblebee had picked you up to hang out almost every day of the week and your bond was on a fasttrack, hurtling toward being inseparable almost as soon as it kicked off. Your humor meshed well, the attitudes flew all over the place, and you’d already collected a stockpile of inside jokes. You were simply both just two misfit kids and you truly had never had such a close friend. It was like you were meant to find one another.

The other Autobots were already warming up to the idea of having a human around, even if just a little bit. Optimus was scared to step on you, Bulkhead wanted to know everything there was to know about the life of a typical human kid, and Ratchet had learned to tolerate your existence when it came to being in his bubble.

All except for Prowl. Which did surprise you. He was the first Autobot you’d met even before Bumblebee, very kind and respectful the couple of times he saw you. But now he barely looked your way.

Maybe Bumblebee was right about him. He certainly showed you that he was in fact a stickler with this two week long sulking streak of his. Or whatever.

The short walk that led a few blocks away from the house had become a part of your daily routine now. Bumblebee always knew exactly where and when to meet you, particularly thanks to the obscene amount of texting that transpired when you were apart. There was a parking lot a little ways down that he liked to pull into to hide from most eyes on the street, or in case Liz decided to use binoculars to see that far on some random off chance.

You saw the sparkling yellow paint job in that corner lot one block away and smiled big and bright, picking up the pace. There were no words to describe how happy you’d been these last two weeks. You weren’t alone anymore.

As you approached the driver’s side, you reached for the handle with no hesitation, “Hey! I didn’t–”

“Watch out!” The Autobot shouted at such a volume, it made you jump back.

“Jeez! What?” That level of alarm in his voice could have convinced you that something was about to blow up.

“[Name], it is so hot out, I’m totally convinced my plating would melt your protoform if you touched it right now. Just let me do it.” The driver’s side door popped open and one of your eyebrows arched in surprise at the notion.

You moved to climb into the driver’s seat and tossed your backpack over the center console into the passenger’s side. When you were all settled and strapped in, you let out a snort, “Wow. That was a real mom move. Especially for you.”

“Ew, don’t say that. I’m not a carrier.” The Autobot started out of the parking lot and peeled down the street, lightly weaving around a car or two as he did so. “Besides, Optimus would fry me if anything happened to you.”

One of your brows quirked up, “Why?”

“Because of the whole ‘she’s your responsibility’ thing.” The light from the dashboard in the center console flickered as he spoke. You were just barely starting to get used to that. “If you get hurt, I get hurt. Because OP will hurt me if Prowl doesn’t get to me first.”

“You think I’ve never burnt my hand on a hot car before?” The scenery passing by outside the window caught your attention as you spoke. That river was something else. “What’s up with Prowl anyway? He was so cool at first, but now… I don’t know. He doesn’t even look at me anymore.”

Bumblebee let out a psh, “Don’t worry about him. Prowl doesn’t like anybody. He’s a lot like one of those grumpy old farts who complains about kids running all over his lawn like in the movies.”

You didn't immediately respond to the remark, but it did almost make you snort with a laugh. The tall mech had basically been entirely avoiding you since the first time you went to the plant. He seemed so friendly and welcoming in the beginning, even before you met Bumblebee. What happened? You had no clue. It was now only a constant reminder to walk on eggshells whenever he was in the room.

Bumblebee had reached the plant quicker than you thought he would. Granted, the drive from Liz’s home wasn't that far away. The scout unbuckled the seatbelt for you and waited patiently for you to hop out like usual before he stood up beside you.

“Let’s see if Bulkhead wants to play that new drag racing game or something,” There was a slight strain on his voice and when you turned to look at him, you found him stretching out his limbs behind his back, “It is way too hot to be doing anything outside, unless you want your cables to fuse.”

Immediately, the sun beating down on your shoulders made you wince when you stepped away from the shade the Autobot’s height provided, “At least you don’t have dark plating. That would suck.”

He began to scamper toward the garage door, “What does having dark plating have to do with anything?”

“The sun’s attracted to it? I don’t know. Science, or something.”

The scout shot you a confused look, “You humans are so weird. I’ve never heard that before in my life, and I’ve been alive way longer than you.”

He’d reached the large door by the time you came to shelter in his shadow once more, “Or you just never paid attention in school.”

Bumblebee looked down at you again, “What’s school?”

“Ugh,” As the door began to open, you relished the cooler air from inside and moved to squeeze under it, “It’s too hot for this.”

The Autobot stared at you dumbfounded for a moment longer before he shrugged and ducked in after you.

Inside, the air was lighter and it brought out a sigh of relief. Typically when interior spaces had large windows similar to the ones up above the TV and the large hatch high up on the ceiling, it made said spaces hotter. But somehow, these mechs’ found a way to make it work. Considering the way Bumblebee talked about it with you, you didn’t even think that it was something they worried about. However, everyone knew that Ratchet had supplies and equipment that needed to be somewhat temperature-controlled, so it did make sense the more you thought about it.

Bulkhead’s enormous form was sprawled out across the floor as you rounded the large makeshift couch in the corner of the wide open space. You tossed your bag up onto the arm of it and approached his helm. “Hey, Bulk.”

“Hey, [Name].” He spoke in a very dramatic tone.

There was a laugh in your voice as you tilted your head at him, “What’re you doing down here?”

“Trying to de-frag my processor.”

“From what?”

The wrecker’s sudden movement to lean up sent you reeling back to avoid it, “It’s so hot! My cables are gonna melt! How do humans not melt in this heat?”

Bumblebee came up to stand beside you as you tried to stifle a giggle, “Our skin does a lot for us.”

“How?!”

“Well, it acts kind of like a… like a barrier for a lot of things. Including heat and cold, and it also keeps everything inside.” The thought of trying to explain human function to a giant alien robot was something you never thought you’d end up doing, but here you were, “It also sweats when we get too hot, which helps us cool down. Even though it doesn’t feel like that does anything.”

Bulkhead’s big blue optics still had confusion all over them. “Are you talking about your protoform?”

A big laugh finally broke out of your lungs, “Jeez, you guys have so much learning to do.”

“It’s the skin, Bulkhead. It’s this stuff,” Bumblebee’s index digit came down to poke your exposed shoulder, “So yeah, basically a protoform. But none of them look exactly alike. Like [Name’s], her’s has spots all over it.”

You swatted him away, “They’re not spots! They’re freckles. And we get those when we get more exposure to the sun.”

“What?” Bulkhead leaned forward toward you to inspect the markings in your skin, “How does that even happen?”

“Honestly, I… uh… have no idea.” You shrugged it off. The sun was a strange giant ball of gas and it gave some humans tiny spots. The more you thought about it, the weirder it really did sound.

“Oh, whatever. Listen to me.” You turned to face both of the Autobots after an idea struck you like a brick. “It is way too hot to be doing anything even in here. I want to go swimming.”

“Swimming?” Bumblebee arched a brow ridge down at you, “Where? Bulkhead alone would make one tidal wave out of anything except the lake.”

The smile you shot him was almost sinister. He was going to complain about this for weeks. “Then we’ll go to the lake.”

The yellow scout’s face scrunched with disgust, “But– the organic stuff! All those underwater slimy plants! They feel so gross when they–”

“Oh, come on.” You rolled your eyes and waved your hand at him, “I don’t want Bulkhead to have to watch my skin melt off in this heat.”

The wrecker jumped in horror, “So it will melt off?!”

Wow, the snort of laughter you had to suppress. This poor ‘Bot thought everything could kill humans. “Only if Bumblebee keeps us from jumping in the water sooner!”

“No,” Bumblebee crossed his arms over his chest and shook his helm, “Not the lake. I’ll be cleaning sand out of my cables for weeks just like I did when we first landed here.”

“I knew you’d say that! So where else can we swim?” You turned to him with your arms folded too.

“I found an old quarry in the woods cycles ago. Nobody ever goes there. At least, I’ve never seen anyone there.” The young mech had a pleased smile on his face, like he was expecting praise for finding something he probably shouldn’t be messing with. What with it being private property, probably. “Plus, it’s big enough for this lug to jump in and the walls are so high, none of the water will get out.”

“Good. Hopefully no one yells at us while we’re there.” Your arms fell to your sides for a second before you immediately started to fan your face with your hands, “I’m dying to get out of this humidity. It’s literally sticking to my skin.”

“Bumblebee, she’s gonna die!” Bulkhead yelped. He shot forward, scooped you up into massive servos quickly enough to make you screech, and took off toward the garage door you’d just come from, “We gotta move! She needs water!”

“Hey! That one’s mine!” Bumblebee’s optics blew up before he tore after him, “Find your own!”

₊ ⊹ 🐝 ⊹ ₊

With a quick gear shift, Bumblebee’s form came to a slow stop under the canopy of a thickly wooded backroad. You were dimly aware of the sound of Bulkhead’s engine rumbling from behind you as you exited the driver’s side door with a towel in hand. The bright yellow mech practically jumped from his spot on the dirt path and stood with a loud sigh of relief. He glanced down at you with an arched brow as Bulkhead approached from behind him, “Y’know, you guys radiate heat too.”

“Speak for yourself. You’re a talking car and I’m a human, dude.” You shot him a smirk before you leaned down to fix an untied shoelace, “We’re both warm-blooded creatures.”

“What does that mean?” Bulkhead questioned again once he was within earshot.

“It means kind of exactly what it sounds like, Bulk. That we have warm blood, so of course we’d be warm.” With a quick swipe over a scuff-mark on the tip of your sneaker, you leaned up and faced the two Autobots who were watching you curiously.

As Bumblebee started to crack jokes again, you couldn’t help but think to yourself all over again how grateful you were to be in this moment. They were genuinely happy to be out and about with you, and it had been so long since you’d had a real friend—let alone someone to talk to. The unbridled happiness bubbling in your chest made you think you’d burst on the spot, and it was a genuine struggle to contain it. You didn’t want to embarrass yourself in front of them. Bumblebee specifically would never let you live it down.

“And your skin, which has a cooling… venting system or something… keeps all of that liquid in there?” Bulkhead leaned toward you with real curiosity, continuing on the topic, “What else can it do?”

“Not much. It’s actually pretty delicate the more I think about it. It keeps so much inside but it can still get cut and burned and stuff too. And getting cut or burned hurts.” You shivered, “Not to mention that our bones can break. I don’t even want to imagine what that feels like.”

Bumblebee’s half-lidded optics looked bored. Bulkhead titled his helm, “You’ve never broken yourself before?”

“Nope! Thanks to my overprotective Gramma, I’ve never broken a bone in my life. And I’d like to keep it that way because it sounds like it royally sucks.” You threw the towel in your hand over your shoulder and turned your attention to the sleepy scout. You offered him a teasing tone through a bright smile, “Lead the way, sunshine.”

Bumblebee shook his helm like he was rebooting himself before a wide grin cracked along his face, “Follow me, sweetspark.”

Oh, yeah. That was a new nickname he seemed to enjoy using for you over the last week. So you affectionately called him ‘sunshine’ thanks to the plating that had a tendency to blind you with reflected sunlight more often than not. You had a new nickname, so naturally he had to have one too.

Bumblebee turned toward the trees and stepped onto a path hidden within the foliage of the forest floor. You noticed quad tracks that had long beaten down the grass into nothing but dirt and sand leading between the trees. After only a few steps into the woods, you saw an old and rusted gate with a sign hanging from it that read ‘no trespassing.’ Bumblebee strode past it confidently without a care in the world.

“Hey, uh– should we be out here, Bee?” That sign stared you back in the face like you were breaking a hefty law. You’d never been exposed to any mischievous activities like this. “It kinda feels like we shouldn’t be here.”

“Come on, [Name]. Remember when you said you weren’t a worrywart like Prowl?” Bumblebee’s helm turned back to you and he shot you a mocking look through squinted optics, “I’m starting to think you were lying.”

“No, I wasn’t!” The accusation made you jump to defend yourself a bit quicker than you would have liked. Knowing this ‘Bot, he’d probably tease you for that too. So to deflect that pending doom, you let out a sharp sigh and shook your head with a laugh, “You’re just a bad influence.”

“Oh, just wait. You’ll see.” The Autobot continued with a proud tone and turned his sights back on the path before him, “I’m so good at being a bad influence.”

Not another second went by before the shadows from the overhead canopy moved like they’d been struck. Bulkhead let out an ‘oof’ over the sound of a loud crash, and in tune with Bumblebee, your heads whipped around to look at him.

The wrecker had tripped and fallen against the trunk of a large tree, his neck and helm squashed against it like it was about to snap. Blue optics were blown wide in alarm, looking from the pair of you and back to the trunk against his chin again and again. “Sorry.” He muttered through gritted denta, “Tripped over a tree leg.”

“A tree leg?” You stepped toward the large mech until he moved to be able to put his weight onto his servos and push himself up.

“Uh, I think you mean roots, buddy. Or whatever Prowl calls them.” Bumblebee stared from his spot under the shade, seemingly unbothered.

Bulkhead stood without another word. You offered him a soft smile and he tried to return it, but something was clearly bothering him, even if just a little.

Bumblebee strode forward along the path, occasionally swatting branches and what were seemingly bugs buzzing around his helm. Bulkhead followed the two of you, and from what you saw he was hyper-focused on his surroundings since he’d tripped. The enormous wrecker also walked with a somewhat hunched posture as he tried to fit beneath the leafy canopy without disturbing the branches. His wings occasionally caught one or two and it made him flinch away every time.

“You’re gonna love it, [Name]. It’s pretty high up but doable, even for someone as little as you.” The yellow ‘Bot squinted his optics down at you as he walked. One of the things you’d really noticed over the last two weeks was that he always had a specific look on his face when he was trying to get under your skin. “I bet you won’t be able to jump as far as I can.”

“Pffsh, you wish. You might be bigger than me, but that doesn’t have to mean that I’m not as agile as you.” You swatted his servo upward in a playful attempt at a reciprocated tease, but all it did was make your knuckles sting.

“We’ll see about that!” He snickered before he took off running through the undergrowth and turned around on his heel while doing so, “If you’re so agile, then you’ll beat me there!”

You practically broke your neck when you tilted your head at him in exasperation. Then you peeled after him as he jumped over a downed tree, “Wha– Bee! I don’t even know where I’m going!”

“Sounds like a huge you problem!” He called over his shoulder.

The thundering footsteps of the much larger wrecker trailing behind you both shook the ground enough for you to momentarily stumble. You ducked and swatted branches away from your face as you tore through the foliage behind the bright yellow Autobot. He was laughing the whole way– laughing! Like somehow that was fair?

“Come on, Bulkhead!” Bumblebee shouted again, even further ahead now. Your legs were practically a fraction of the size of his. So unfair!

“I’m a lot smaller than you! I deserve a thirty second head start!” A hiss erupted when a twig slapped you on the cheek before you got the chance to swipe it out of your way.

“Sorry, [Name]!” He shouted back with a tone that screamed glee, “Now you’re the smallest one, so you gotta learn!”

“Hey, wait up!” Bulkhead’s deeper voice boomed through the branches. His hefty peds struggling to keep up the pace made the ground shake behind you, but luckily you kept yourself on your feet.

This guy was not going to win this. He was astronomically pompous and proud and he needed to be humbled. Something within you screamed for you to be the one to do that.

So you honed in on the playful task at hand. While ducking under and between branches, leaping over rocks and logs, you tried really hard to focus on not tripping. The young mech’s bright plating a little ways ahead of you was the prime target that needed to go down. His distant giggling was infectious however, and when you couldn’t stop the laughter coming from you too, it almost made you trip over a root.

Focus, [Name]! The thought punched itself through your joy, He’ll never let you live it down!

Your legs pressed forward even harder and in turn, it might have made you a little less careful. You nearly tripped over a rock not a second later, but you managed to stay on your feet. The blinding sunlight flashing through the canopy wasn’t helping you much either. So you turned your focus to your immediate surroundings as they flew by, which was arguably what you should have done from the start. All you had to do was catch up to the hysterical scout up ahead.

You couldn’t see Bumblebee anymore. The sunlight had grown a bit brighter, which you didn’t realize was even possible. His voice still sounded off in the near distance, and he was yelling now? Maybe he tripped instead! This was your chance to catch up! So you pushed yourself forward even harder with another gleeful laugh in your tone, “You’re gonna regret making fun of me!”

There was absolutely no time for you to stop. Bumblebee’s voice burst with a warning immediately to your right just as he came back into your peripheral vision, “Watch out!”

After exploding from the undergrowth at full speed, suddenly there was a drop off before you. One sneaker tripped over the other in a rushed effort to stop in your tracks but you were falling forward before you could register anything else. The grassy edge of the quarry soared past you and you let out a yelp of surprise as it flew by.

With a sharp grunt, the wind was knocked from your chest. You’d stopped abruptly in the air, suspended high above the glistening quarry water below. And before you could even shout at the frightening drop, you were yanked back into the arms of Bumblebee, who was also leaning over the edge to gaze downward.

It took a long moment of silence before either one of you looked away from the height of the fall. Bumblebee’s optics flicked to you before they zipped away and back toward the foliage you’d just sprinted from. Very loud and very heavy footsteps stomped closer at an alarming rate, crunching branches and bushes and everything in between the whole way. Within only a second or two, Bulkhead’s massive silhouette exploded from the trees and he let out a shrill shriek when he soared straight over the edge and down into the quarry below.

The drop was far, and Bulkhead’s sheer mass sent a wave of water in every direction from stories down below. Bumblebee leaned forward once again so you could peer over the edge from the safety of his arms.

Bulkhead had been completely submerged in the fall but it only took a few seconds for his helm to pop up. He gasped comically loud as soon as he broke the surface.

“You just love falling into things, huh Bulkhead?” Bumblebee shouted from the ledge.

You swatted him and giggled when he winced without looking away from the wrecker in the water, “Are you okay?!”

“I thought the world ended!” He cried back up to you, “Literally! It felt like I fell off the edge of the planet!”

“No, buddy, you’re just clumsy!” Bumblebee turned away from the edge to put you down and turned his full attention back to you, “And I guess you’re not that fast, huh?”

Your jaw fell open, exasperated. “I’m so much smaller than you!”

“Excuses, excuses.” He folded his arms and turned his chin up at you, “You gotta do better than that, [Name]. But I guess it would kinda be pointless anyway. ‘Cause no ones’ faster than me. Also—you’re welcome for saving your aft. Again.”

And again—jaw on the floor. You stared at him for a long moment, rolled your eyes, and turned your attention back to the quarry. “You’re insufferable.” And Bumblebee laughed.

That drop was far. At least four stories down. If the Autobot hadn’t caught you, you might have toasted yourself. You’d never been exposed to anything like this before, but you did know that jumping into water from a high point the wrong way could end up crunching a lot of your bones.

The quarry itself was beautiful though—in a strange way. It was massive and wide open, perfect for even Bulkhead. And just like Bumblebee said, there was no one around. The stone walls that had long been carved away showed off their natural array of hues and colors in the bright sunlight. Glistening blue water filled the base of it from what could only have been years of rain accumulation. It truly was a massive expanse of water—for a quarry.

“So?” Bumblebee’s voice brought you back into the moment. He leaned directly over you so you’d be able to see him from where he stood behind you, “Show me what you’re made of!”

You swallowed the lump in your throat you didn't even realize was there until you were reminded of the task at hand. As you peered over the grassy ledge again, you studied Bulkhead’s wading form to try to use his size as a reference for how far of a fall it was. Again, much farther than you thought it was going to be.

“Y’know what?” You cleared your throat when (embarrassingly) your voice almost broke, and you looked away from the drop, “This was your idea. You should go first.”

The scout burst out laughing, which caused your head to snap to him. You shot him a disgruntled glare when he spoke brokenly through his laughter, “I knew you’d be scared!”

“Wha? You–!” Hot embarrassment burned so strongly, you could physically feel your face turning red, “I’m not scared!”

“Ha! You’re too obvious, [Name]. Just admit it.” The snarky ‘Bot put his servos on his hips and leaned over you teasingly, “You–”

“Is he bullying you, [Name]?!” Bulkhead’s deep voice wading in the quarry water down below shrieked, “Don’t let him bully you! He just thinks he can ‘cause he’s not the smallest anymore!”

Bumblebee froze. Your head whipped from looking at the edge and back to him once again. His optics were blown wide open and he went from staring at the ledge down to you. You quirked a brow at him and a sly smile broke out along your face.

The young mech practically bristled at the sight of it, “No, I don’t!”

You said nothing. Instead, you found that the longer you stared at him with a stupid smile, the more uncomfortable it made him. Which was very entertaining to witness.

“I don’t!” His voice went shrill and the embarrassment was all over his faceplate. You took note of the sound of his fans kicking on in an attempt to cool himself down. Very entertaining indeed.

“Then why can’t you go first?!” You folded your arms over your chest, “Are you scared?”

“No!”

“Then go first!”

“Y’know what? I will!”

“Fine!”

“Fine!”

It took the effort of every fiber of your being for you not explode into a fit of laughter on the spot. That ridiculous flushed faceplate told you everything you needed to know, especially when he whipped his helm away from you and delivered the harshest side-eye you’d ever seen in your life. He definitely knew how to tease you, but when you did it back? Man, what a glorious feeling it was.

Bumblebee leaned forward once more to get a good sense of the layout down below. At minimum it was a four-story drop. Then at that realization and while you watched him hesitate like he was talking to himself in his helm, a small laugh finally broke free from you. He whipped around again to glare at you with his mouth pursed like he was about to explode, “What?!”

“Nothing! Nothing, I just,” Bright giggling turned into an all out fit and you bent over with your hands on your knees in an attempt to somewhat contain it, “It’s just funny because the first time I met you, you literally fell from the sky. I thought something like this would be so easy for you.”

The scout’s about-to-explode look got even better when his huge, accusatory optics widened even more and his cheeks blew up. Literally, again, like he was about to burst. “Yeah, well I was thrown from the sky, in case you forgot. Wasn’t exactly fun!

One brow jumped up to shoot him that same amused look from before and you shouted back at him jokingly in a similar tone, “This whole thing was your idea!”

He stared at you, silent, for a long moment. Then he visibly deflated the slightest bit for a fraction of a second before he tried to mask it, “Yeah, well, I figured it would be good. As a test. For you.”

“Oh, my sincerest apologies.” You brought your hands together in a mock beg for forgiveness.

Bumblebee’s optics squinted at you once more. “You are dangerous.”

You couldn’t help your snort of laughter in response.

The yellow ‘Bot turned back to face the task looming over him like a death sentence. It sounded like an awesome thing to do in his helm when he first found this place completely by accident. And he would never say it, especially not to you, but it was… far more intimidating now that he was actually looking down into the water with the intent to jump for it.

He peered down, satisfied that Bulkhead was now well clear and out of the way—the wrecker also staring up at him expectantly.

Primus, he’d never live it down if he didn’t do it.

Your eyes studied his rigid stance a few feet before you, smug amusement plastered all over your face. You contemplated teasing him some more—and what was even worse, you even considered giving him a slight push. But that was way too far, and way too sinister of a thing to do. He’d just have to figure it out on his own.

You’d barely finished the thought before the most amazing thing happened.

As he continued staring into the pit of the quarry, the grass beneath his peds gave way and his arms flew up into the air. Bumblebee fell from your view and a hysterical shriek exploded from him, fading a bit as gravity dragged him the fifty-feet further down through the air and into the water below.

You jumped over to the new patch of fresh dirt to peer down with massive eyes. A huge splash sent the quarry water spraying everywhere and it didn’t seem to let up, particularly due to the thrashing and squawking Autobot struggling to find his non-existent footing.

Bulkhead’s servo surged forward and ripped half of Bumblebee up from the surface of the water. He continued flailing frantically, splashing and sputtering for a few seconds before he realized that he was no longer completely submerged. Your howling fit of laughter almost debilitated you on the spot.

The dark green mech quirked one brow-ridge down at him, “You good, buddy?”

Bumblebee’s massive optics flicked from his friend and up to you, his wretched look of terror immediately dropping like a stone when he shook his helm to rid himself of the water in his optics, “I’m great! I knew it would be awesome.”

Your eyes rolled so hard and you burst into a fit of laughter once again. “You fell in and screamed like a little girl the whole time!”

The scout visibly bristled in embarrassment and wiggled in Bulkhead’s hold until the bigger mech let him go, “Oh, yeah? I don’t see you jumping yet! Scaredy-bot!”

“Me– the scaredy-bot? Right, right, okay. Just watch!”

Immediately after the words left your mouth, the reality of the daunting task at hand hit you in the face harder than a brick. Again, the drop was fifty feet or so, something crazy. And into a giant pool of bright blue water. You had to hit it right in order to avoid a trip to the emergency room, or worse—Liz killing you if she found out.

With a sharp huff of air to prep yourself a bit, you turned on your heel to throw your towel against the nearest tree. This was your first real test to prove yourself to your new friends. It wasn’t that bad. Not really. Just a fifty-foot drop. What could go wrong?

As you gazed at the bark of the tree, gnarled knots of wood staring you back in the face like a whole lot of judging eyes, your split second confidence waned the slightest bit. And it wasn’t long before another shriek echoed from far below, “Come on, [Name]! Don’t be a sissy!”

And just like that, raging spite overwhelmed every single scrap of sense left in your head.

You whirled around to face it and launched into a full sprint without another thought. Only when your sneaker met the edge of the grass did panic wash over you like a sudden flood.

The expanse of water opened up before your eyes like a giant set of jaws as you plummeted straight for it. The two Autobots below shrieked, one in what sounded like terror and the other with an immense amount of excitement. You didn’t realize it at the time, but your own horrified screeches also split the air the whole way down. For those short few seconds (which felt as if they dragged on for eternity) your instincts fought to figure out which position would be best to hit the water, and a pencil dive ended up winning that fight.

As you rapidly approached, you aimed every limb downward until your legs pierced the surface like a needle. The icey shock of water swallowed your form and you shot straight down, immediately maneuvering your arms and legs in wide swipes to swim back up to the air. Some kind of feeling washed over you like a wave, no pun intended. You couldn’t figure out if you were satisfied with yourself or if what you were feeling was just relief that it was over.

Almost immediately after your head broke through, you heard Bumblebee’s gleeful praise from a little ways away while you gasped for air. You turned to look for the two Autobots and found them already gazing at you. Bumblebee had an enormous smile, “I told you you could do it!”

Loud, childish laughter burst from your tight chest in response, “No, you didn’t!”

“Well, I basically did!” The scout waded over to meet you halfway, “And now I’m telling you that you can do it again.”

“What?” Your jaw dropped.

“What?” Bumblebee mocked your tone of voice, “Did you think we only came here to do that one time? It’s way too fragging hot, and I am not ready to walk through the woods again yet.”

You turned to look back up at the massive drop. It looked far scarier from below, for sure. That gray rockwall was now taunting you, looming over you like a mountain that seemed impossible to climb. Ugh. This ‘Bot is gonna kill me.

Actually… How were you even supposed to climb back up there?

“Uh, Bee? How are we even gonna get back up there?”

Bumblebee’s optics blew up for a fraction of a second, like he was trying to hide his surprise as Bulkhead waded over to the two of you also. He glanced around the quarry for only a moment before his arm poked out of the water and he pointed a digit over to your left. “There! That’s how.”

Your eyes followed his line of sight to find that he was pointing to a gap in the height of the quarry walls. A rocky pathway led from the edge of the water, winding up, around the edge of the wall and out of sight. The sight of those giant chunks of rock immediately let you know that the ‘Bots wouldn’t have a problem at all, but that you definitely wouldn’t be able to climb them yourself.

Bumblebee looked at you with a satisfied smile, like he really truly had everything under control and was definitely not totally unprepared for what would have happened if there was no escape route. He moved a bit closer to you, mindful of his arms treading water so they wouldn’t hit you.

“Um…” Nervousness crept up your throat again. You knew before that you may have been way in over your head, but that feeling just kept growing, and you didn’t want to get hurt. “I won’t be able to climb that. Those rocks are too big.”

Bulkhead’s comically small helm bobbed over to join the two of you, “We’ll help you!”

“Uh, I’ll help her.” Bumblebee quirked his brow ridges up at the wrecker, then moved to swim straight up to you. He angled his helm forward to expose the back of his neck to you, which was thoroughly confusing. He then shot a teasing look at Bulkhead, “Get your own human.”

Bulkhead let out a snort and rolled his optics before he turned away with an aim for the rocky stairway, “She’s my buddy too, y’know.”

“Yeah, yeah.” The scout watched him go for a second, as did you. It wasn’t until his helm turned to the side so he could see you in his peripheral vision, “So?”

Your arms were steadily growing tired of all the treading you were doing in order to keep your head above the cool water, “So… what?”

He turned fully to be able to look at you dead-on, another teasing glint in those bright blue optics. You could physically feel just how red your face must have looked, burning up with embarrassment. He definitely noticed it, but thankfully he chose not to say anything about it. “Grab onto me and I’ll swim you over there.”

The red on your face burned even brighter, you knew it. “I can swim.”

“Well, duh. You would have drowned by now if you couldn’t.” He shot you a smirk, then turned his back to you again, “But you’re puny, which means you’re slower than me. Just grab on.”

“I’m not puny.” You squinted at him.

“Puny compared to me.” He snickered.

“Did you not just learn that the universe will slap you with a solid dose of karma if you bully me for being smaller than you?” You swam close to him before one hand reached after the other to coil around his neck for support, “Because I for one will remember that little girl level of shrieking until the day I die.”

The yellow ‘Bot waited until you were secure before he began wading after Bulkhead, releasing yet another teasing remark as he did so, “I did that on purpose. To encourage you.”

“Right, right.”

“Definitely. Yes.”

₊ ⊹ 🐝 ⊹ ₊

The Autobot did exactly what he said he would. He followed Bulkhead through the water to the rocky outcrop—insisted on going first so that if the wrecker stumbled, he wouldn’t crush the two of you—and you sat perched on his shoulder the whole way up. Bumblebee stumbled and slipped himself more than once, but the heavy duty treads on the bottoms of his peds prevented anything tragic from occurring. Your white knuckles clung onto his plating like your life depended on it.

The rest of the day was spent on and within the quarry walls. Bulkhead learned very quickly that he adored the feeling of being able to throw his whole weight into something without destroying anything around him. Bumblebee loosened up quite a bit, launching himself and doing flips and spins and tricks each time he sent himself soaring over the edge. And for you? It was the most liberty you’d ever experienced in your life thus far.

Plus, bonding with the two friendliest Autobots was enough to send you to the moon and back. You had friends. It was a thought that kept repeating itself over and over again in your head, and some twisted part of you kept trying to convince you that it was all just a dream. But it had been weeks, and you still didn’t wake up.

Only when the sun began to dip past the trees did you realize the time. You hadn’t checked your phone all day, and a twinge of anxiety jostled you. You hoped Liz didn’t reach out at any point to check in. And she didn’t, thankfully.

You tried to wring out the fabric of your shorts as best as you could while they still clung to you. Bumblebee plucked the towel that you’d long since forgotten about from it’s place among the roots of a tree and handed it to you without a word.

“Thanks,” You shot him a smile as you took it from his servo and threw it around your shoulders. Now that the sun was disappearing, it’s immense heat finally began to ebb away. “We should do this again.”

“I’d love to. But… the life of an Autobot doesn’t usually leave room for a whole lot of relaxation.” Bumblebee stretched his arms out before you, up over his helm, and behind his back as he muttered, “We still deserve to have a little fun sometimes, so we make it work when we can.”

“Yeah, well. War and all.” Bulkhead chimed in. He was gazing at the spot where the sun still shone from behind the trees on the far side of the quarry.

“What do the Decepticons want from you guys anyway?” You clutched the towel around your shoulders a bit tighter, “You haven't really told me that part.”

“They want to take over everything they set their sights on. Cybertron, the Allspark.” Bumblebee moved to stand before the path through the trees that would lead you back to the road, “Earth, probably.”

Your eyes bugged wide and your head snapped to meet his optics, “They do?”

His servos flashed out before him in a defensive stance, “But you don’t have to worry! We’re on them like scraplets, [Name]. Nothing’s gonna happen to Earth while we’re here.”

Somehow, that statement didn't soothe you much. Instead of dwelling on it, you stepped closer to him to let him know that you were ready to leave too. “What’s a scraplet?”

“Ugh.” Bumblebee’s form quaked in a violent shiver, “You do not want to know.”

He looked over to Bulkhead, who still seemed to be enjoying the scenery before him. “C’mon, Bulk. I want to go back to the plant before I have to bring [Name] home.”

Going home, already. You couldn’t believe the day flew by so fast. You didn’t want to go home yet. You were still having fun.

“I wonder if Liz’ll let me stay out.” You piped, and when Bumblebee’s helm shot back to you with a look of surprise, you continued, “I mean… it’s summer! Kids should be out having fun or… something. Right? She should understand.”

“You and your carrier problems.” He let out a psh and rolled his optics, then smiled big and bright as he leaned toward you, “But it would be sick if you could stay out tonight. I was gonna go drag racing around town. You should come! Then I can really show you what I’m made of.”

A whirr from behind you caught your attention and you turned to look at Bulkhead, who had somewhat of an exasperated glare aimed straight at Bumblebee, “That doesn’t sound very safe. Optimus probably wouldn’t–”

“Oh, come on, buddy. I never race with humans. I only go out by myself.” He waved a servo in the air dismissively and turned on his peds, sauntering straight into the woods with you hurrying to catch up, “It’ll be fine.”

₊ ⊹ 🐝 ⊹ ₊

The ride back to the plant was rather uneventful, other than you sending out your desperate plea for more time out of the house. Liz—who hadn’t reached out to you all day after all—was quick to answer with what was probably a reluctant agreement. Regardless, it made you ecstatic. More time outside! And with Bumblebee no less.

The only other noticeable part of the drive was the fact that his seats were water-logged, which you should have seen coming before stepping foot back into his interior. He complained about it enough himself, so you opted not to say anything. Even though there were a plethora of jokes to choose from.

As you pulled up to the main garage door, Bulkhead stopped to nag Bumblebee a little bit more. About how it wasn’t a good idea, how Optimus wouldn’t be too happy if he found out and more. But it flew straight over your head. None of them had come across a Decepticon since the day you first met Bumblebee, and that was a few weeks ago. You were just going out for a drive around the city! What could possibly go wrong?

As usual, Bumblebee brushed him off and insisted that it would all be fine—that he’d be back soon. Luckily it was enough to get the massive wrecker to relax a bit, and with that, he entered the plant after saying a reluctant goodnight.

The excitement bubbling within you was threatening to boil over now, and it almost did when Bumblebee turned his innocent smile into a mischievous one and his optics met your eyes. He looked like a giddy kid, practically jittering in his peds with a hilariously sinister smirk, “Let’s go.”

He shifted straight into his vehicle mode with the driver’s side door already open and waiting for you to climb in. You discarded your damp towel up against the main wall of the plant beside the garage door and ran back to step in, but a noise from above caught your attention just before you did.

High up in the air, the night sky camouflaged a silhouette moving against it, blotting out the stars with an inky black shape as it traversed the length of the plant’s roof. You squinted to be able to make out the shape until you were interrupted by an impatient Bumblebee, “What are you waiting for? Come on!”

“No, wait.” You angled your head to follow the shape as it moved to the edge of the building behind you, “There’s something up there.”

Instantly, Bumblebee transformed again. He moved to stand directly above you and faced the same direction you were, finding and following your line of sight way quicker than you figured he would. His limbs were rigid, and for the first time, you were able to witness how quickly he was able to snap into a defensive state of mind.

Reality slapped you a little too hard in that moment. Was he secretly always on alert like this? Masking it behind rude jokes and his sense of humor?

Bulkhead’s words from earlier at the quarry rang in your mind. War.

They were probably all like this.

It seemed like millenia passed in that moment, but Bumblebee’s stance relaxed almost immediately. “Oh. It’s just Prowl.”

Your eyes were still struggling to focus in on the silhouette, but now that he mentioned it—it definitely was Prowl. A slender form, silent movements, and a visor that was just barely visible if the light sources from the street lamps below hit it at just the right angle.

He was staring out across the roof somewhere in the distance. You wondered if he was aware of your presence for a brief moment before forcing the question down. Of course he knew. It was Prowl.

The ninja-bot stood for another moment before he leaped into the air with an aim for the next roof across the street. He landed in silence and with such grace, you didn’t think it was possible. And within the next few passing seconds, he was out of sight.

“What do you think he’s doing?” You whispered to the mech still standing above you.

He waited for you to look up at him. And when you did, that same stupidly mischievous grin was plastered all over his faceplate again. “Wanna find out?”

₊ ⊹ 🐝 ⊹ ₊

PREVIOUS | NEXT

[falsemilkbun]

I did all 20 of @taylortut 's

20 BLORBO/OC WHUMP/ H/C ASKS

for both Mithrun and Kabru from Dungeon Meshi, because I have low-key lurked the community for a while and long to reveal my madness, and also I want to spread the 'ganda about my perfect boys before season 2 of the anime drops. Evidence of my illness is below the cut.

Also parts of this are NWS and there's violence including passing mention of sexual violence so like please. There's also visual depictions of stuff like self harm. I've warned you.

BILL, STAY OUT.

What appeals to you about this character?

Mithrun: Without spoiling too much, I'd say the draw for me is that he's a character who's at once very capable and very vulnerable. He's a powerful magic user with a lot of (terrible) life experiences, but he's also afflicted with a condition that makes it necessary for him to have what amounts to a caretaker whenever he's not doing rote daily routine stuff. Also, he's a tiny little elf, which is always a plus.

Also, he looks like D&D Gilbert, which is Funny To Me.

Kabru: The son-boy! The one through whom I recognize the self through the other! I love that he's a chronic manager of others' emotions, and a doting caretaker to Mithrun, and also sometimes a ruthless killer.

I've observed this isn't a super beloved character trait of his, but I maintain that it whips ass. He's a character of contrasts like Mithrun is, being very much invested in humans and also willing to rip someone apart.

Also, he looks like D&D Serge, which is Funny To Me.

What's your least favorite aspect of this character?

Both: None! I like that Kabru will stab a fucker, I like that Mithrun is very capable of being a bitch, I like that they both have worldviews informed by their upbringings and think/say things about others that aren't charitable or fair, I love my boys.

What's your favorite canon moment with this character?

God. They have many good moments individually and together, but like. The #1 one, as well as the one most relevant to this questionairre, is this. I goof about it a lot, but it's so tender and the implications are so striking. Kabru is actually treating him like a person. I consider this scene a companion to an earlier one, when they first meet and Mithrun actually treats Kabru like an adult and a peer, which elves generally don't.

Do you have a favorite fic for this character?

GOD. So many of them are so good, we really do monopolize the biggest crinkliest brains, but the one I'm FERAL about right now is The Chameleon by threesmallcrows. Fuck. Me. Up. It's an AU, too, a gothis horror/romance one, so one could if one wanted just eat it right up even if you've only seen these two on screen for two minutes.

What's your favorite whump trope to use for this character and why?

Individually: Mithrun: Exhaustion or illness or anything that requires him to be toted around like a stupid little baby and handled delicately. I just like him being spoiled, which is a hideous contrast to what I'm gonna type in a minute wwww

Kabru: Persevering through injury, I think. He's a very purpose-driven person, and I think him toughing it out because he absolutely has to is very appealing. He can collapse and be coddled later, it's fine.

Jointly: *throws up my fucking hands* (Threats of) noncon against Mithrun while Kabru is incapacitated. Sorry. It just has juice. Nothing even has to Happen, it can be as inoffensive as someone manhandling him wrong or threatening him. My brain is simple and I like more reasons for Kabru to stab people and for Mithrun to be miserable. SOZ.

Whose relationship with this character is your favorite, shipping or otherwise?

*gestures at entire post* WHAT DO YOU THINK.

Whose relationship with this character is your least favorite?

Mithrun: Milsiril, she very much was ready to murder him when he was at his most vulnerable because she decided his life wouldn't be worth living.

Kabru: ...Nay, I shan't say it.

Describe your ideal whump scenario for this character.

The main antagonist possessing Another Chara's body and threatening Mithrun while Kabru is temporarily restrained. I. Listen.

No, there's no adequate defense. It's just exciting! It's got juice, to me! I like peril, I like Literalizing, I like protective fury. Rage is a kind of distress!

Do you have headcanons for this character, if they're not an OC?

Mithrun: I write him as something that readers would describe as intersex if they saw it IRL, but it's not treated that way and doesn't work in a way that would be realistic if that's what I was trying to do. I'm not doing realism, I'm doing an artistic expression of sex and gender variety in a fantasy race that's explicitly very androgynous already. Also it's fun.

Kabru: That he's legally adopted. Way less interesting.

What would devastate them the most, emotionally speaking?

BESIDES THE ABOVE?

Mithrun: Rejection or perceived rejection, canonically. If he were to perceive someone as being tired of him or sick of him and discarding him, he'd be Very Upset.

Kabru: He's majorly motivated by loss and a sense of responsibility, so losing someone he loves to violence when he feels he could have prevented it would break him pretty bad.

If it's not a spoiler, what's the worst thing that's ever happened to them?

It is a spoiler, so: Plenty.

How do they act when sick/injured? Is it obvious or do they hide it well?

Honestly they both kind of keep on keeping on until they Drop or someone stops them.

What are their coping mechanisms, good and bad?

Mithrun: Relies on memories of how he was before he was so severely traumatized in order to make what are usually constructive decisions about what to do. I get the impression he becomes less able to do this in fraught situations, though.

Kabru: Mentally recites rote facts to himself to persevere through unpleasant situations.

How is their mental health, generally speaking?

Could be better. They're doing their best though.

Who do you like to see hurting them, if anyone?

DESPITE WHAT I'VE WRITTEN ABOVE I'm not super crazy about them being hurt. I guess 'baddies, generally' because while I like them in peril I'm not super specific about it.

Who do you like to see caring for them, if anyone?

Both: Each other, and also the stupid poultry AKA the gaggle of freaks who follow Mithrun around. I just love their various dynamics. Pattadol is very appealing platonically, for reasons.

What do they do to self-soothe when they're not feeling well?

They don't, it's an established problem. Kabru is literally so terrible at taking care of himself (but not others, he's very attentive to other people) that his landlord cleans his room for him out of either pity or necessity.

Are they good at taking care of themselves or do they need help?

Buddy they do it worse than anyone's ever done it.

Do they have old scars, physical or otherwise?

fffff

Mithrun is missing his right eye and half the outer structure of both ears after the incident that traumatized him. He's extensively scarred from having compulsively harmed himself during his recovery, as well as from having been restrained so that he wouldn't do that.

Kabru seems fine physically, but they're both PTSD disasters that present it differently.

Anything else you'd like to share about them I haven't asked?

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.....................

[khaire-traveler]

💥 Subtle Eris Worship ⚔️

Stand up for yourself and others

Assert your boundaries; learn what your boundaries are; not all boundaries need to be spoken

Do not needlessly sacrifice yourself for others (it takes time to unlearn this behavior, it'll be ok ❤️)

Have a candle that reminds you of her (no altar needed)

Wear jewelry that reminds you of her

Keep a picture of her in your wallet

Engage in activities you're passionate about

Share your passions with others

Support abuse survivor, homeless, or humanitarian organizations

Practice healthy conflict resolution skills; learn about what those might look like

Have imagery black wings, apples (particularly golden), black feathers, or whatever you associate with rivalry/discord around

Have a stuffed animal of any animal you associate with discord or rivalry; have a stuffed animal of an animal you consider to be bold, passionate, or powerful (maybe a predator)

Take risks; do things that you need/want to; if you're scared, do it scared

Learn to speak up when you disagree with someone; don't always hold your tongue

Get comfortable with the idea of change; try to look at positive outcomes rather than focusing on negative ones

Change something within your daily routine if it starts to feel mundane, even something small

Join a supportive community where you feel comfortable expressing yourself; LGBT groups, D&D, survivor therapeutic groups, etc.

Dance/sing to music that makes you feel empowered, badass, or expressive

Find healthy outlets for your emotions; boxing, dancing, drawing, building, crafting, etc.

Allow yourself to feel your feelings; cry, scream, shake - whatever your body needs to do

Make your space reflect parts of yourself; make it your own!

Exercise; get some movement throughout the day, even just stretching

Create a positive change in the life of someone else; cook a meal for someone in need, donate blankets to a homeless shelter, support your friend through a difficult time, etc.

Prioritize your own well-being; learn to be comfortable with being a bit selfish; it's not a bad thing to look out for yourself

Wear outfits that make you feel bold or expressive

Express yourself in little ways if you're unable to be fully open; a bracelet to represent your gender, pride flag colored shoelaces, etc.

Play with pets; get active alongside them!

Listen to stories of people who have gone through major life changes; try to learn from them

Make a list of your personal strengths; acknowledge and honor them

Work hard, but remember that rest is also productive

Practice patience and restraint around people who annoy or bother you a lot; a difficult lesson, believe me, I know

Try to be understanding of the fact that people have their own struggles as well; this doesn't mean you have to forgive transgressions against you

Don't feel obligated to forgive people; you do not owe anyone anything just because they apologized to you

Celebrate your accomplishments, even the small ones!

-

I'll likely add more later! It was a bit tough for me to come up with ideas for Eris because I don't worship her directly and couldn't find many sources discussing her worship, unfortunately. I'm open to ideas! For now, this is my list of discreet Eris worship. I hope someone finds it helpful. ❤️

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

[soberpluto]

Know Your Soul Purpose With Your Big 3

It's been so much time since I've been here, but it's amazing to be back! Now, here's a topic I was wondering about today...

All our configurations hold divine meaning, in that before we are born, our souls chose the type of experiences we needed to undergo as part of our next visit on Earth. What makes us "us" is perfect in design. And what we're "made of" can be neatly seen in our birth charts. No birth nor birth chart happen by chance.

While it’s accurate that specific karmic work (which is part of our life's mission) is indicated by studying the positions of Saturn, its aspects, planets falling in water houses and the configuration of lunar nodes, I feel we can also find great part our soul's purpose (our main lessons) by analyzing our Big 3. This is equal to drawing a picture of the blueprint of our unique navigation system, our compasses through our human experience.

To make a draft of your soul's blueprint, take these steps!

Look at your chart to know your Ascendant, Sun and Moon signs and chart ruler(s). If your rising sign has two rulers, take them both into account. In my case, I always use whole sign system.

Identify the houses of your placements.

Start drafting your Ascendant, Sun and Moon signs' significations using the tables below, including both positive and negative traits. If we're moving through life based mostly on our positive qualities, it's very likely we're on the right track. Conversely, living constantly under the influence of our negative traits marks potential blockages to get where we need to be.

Add to your blueprint areas in which you naturally express your placement's traits (houses). This is important because you will know where your mission will be accomplished more easily or naturally.

Have fun!

If you're having a bit of trouble to come up with yours, take my own example...

I am proud of myself when I present to the world as passionate, powerful, magnetic, and intuitive (positive Scorpio rising qualities). I realize that when I become vengeful, jealous, obsessive and/or mournful (negative Scorpio rising qualities), I am attracting unnecessarily challenging circumstances that hinder my lessons in my life. My personality (rising sign) projects most in my physical appearance image and identity, in my close communities and in the pursuit of my dreams (Chart Rulers in 1st and 11th house). I feel my life has meaning when I act as a nurturing, sensitive, creative and empathetic person (positive traits of Cancer sun), but when I become needy, emotionally instable, insecure and/or manipulating with others (negative traits of Cancer sun), I realize that I am blocking myself from living in my fullest potential. The area where my conscious self (Sun sign) shines most is in my path towards higher learning, distant travelling, truth seeking, legal affairs and spirituality (Sun in 9th house). I feel safe and fulfilled when I can be brave, independent, assertive and passionate (positive Moon in Aries traits). But, when I realize that I'm repeatedly reacting in a violent, selfish, impulsive and/or inconstant way (negative Moon in Aries traits), I know that am blocking my ability to be peaceful within myself and move ahead in life. My emotional needs (Moon sign) are best taken care of through my habits, health care, daily routine, service to others, jobs, and pets (Moon in the 6th house).

Now, what information can you derive from this description? What does this tell about my purpose in this life?

Naturally, I am pulled to creative, healing and spiritual work. I studied Industrial Design in college, but I've expanded my career in other directions, including developing and managing intermittently art and esoteric online businesses while also holding an office job in Change Management. I am also the eternal student, self-learning and passionate about higher knowledge. I like to share my insights with others and help them find their own truth, their own awakening. I am drawn to intense (and sometimes not so positive) experiences and relationships, and have drastically changed my own image, jobs and spiritual views along the years. I've certainly went through a lot of turmoil, but also have gained significant life lessons and valuable wisdom thanks to the way I approach life. I cannot help to be deeply emotional, empathetic, passionate, excitable, idealistic and inspired, for the good and the bad! Even though it's not been an easy road, I realize that little by little my purpose is being fulfilled... and I hope you all do!

What about you? Let me know what you find out about yourself!

Thanks for reading! 😘🖤

Written by @soberpluto

[amenomiko]

Addiction Beyond Duty

Masamune x MC

❤ Super Smut ❤

-------

It was a marriage out of duty. There was no love involved, nor mutual feelings, just.. obligation.

They have to at least get one heir to continue the bloodline. Thus, yes or no, it's a daily routine for them whenever MC is in the month where she is fertile the most, for Masamune to spill his seeds into her.

He is licking her wet entrance now, and she obliged; spreading her legs as much as she could. A sigh coming out from her, moaning and moving her hips-- the thing that her body do, reacting to the way he lick her sex.

"Aaah.. my lord.. my lord-- Haaah.. my lord.."

She keep on grinding her entrance, meeting his tongue, body dances on the futon, eager to release her cum. Indeed, it was duty, and yet.. she can't deny how good her husband is, making her cum--

"Ahhh! My lord--..!!"

She gasped, toes curling, pussy squirting her cum, which her husband drink it all with no hesitation. When he pulled away, he instantly shove his cock into her, reaching into her deepest parts, hitting the door to her womb many times. They have to do this.. to get pregnant. Her hands gripped on her pillow, as she hissed, moaning and arching her back, eagerly riding his cock as well.

It was so good, so, so good, she didn't mind having his cock inside her many times. Ah.. yes, it's her duty. Her duty as a wife.. but..

Fuck.. the sex is so GOOD!

"Ooooh.. my lord..!" She moans looking at him, "Go ahead, hit my womb as much as you want. Spill it all inside--" She gasped, arching her back again, "I'm ovulating.. please.. I'm ready to carry your child inside..!"

Masamune groans, hissing her name, pressing her hips downwards, and with a harsh slam, his cock throbs and pulsates, pumping his breeding seeds. "Mmmnghh--" Masamune pushed his leg forward, only to grit his teeth; her pussy tightened around him and he look up at his wife. His wife, by arrangement. For the sake of alliance purposes, carrying her duty faithfully. As for him, he wouldn't mind fucking her everyday, having baby or not.. he wants her. Their body are too compatible, he can just grab her into one corner of the castle just to ram his cock into her many times.

Catching his breath, he pulled out his cock, still hard and throbbing. He rubbed it on her pussy, and she moans from it. "Aaah.. my lord.." Her hands rubbed her big breasts in circles, moaning. "Go ahead, my lord. Do anything you want.." She sighs, moving her own sex against his cock.

He narrowed his only eye, watching how she fondle her own breasts, pinching and pulling it, only enticing him further. His cock twitched, and she moaned. Definitely she could feel that. His hips thrusts forward, still rubbing on her cum filled pussy. "Ooooh.. oh-- my lord..Your cock is still big.."

"I know." He lick his lips unconsciously, pushing her hands away to engulf his mouth on her nipple. She moans, letting him play the other nipple, pinching it in between his fingers. His cock were still on her entrance, rubbing against each other. It was then it glides back into her pussy once more, that she gladly to take it again, bodies naturally moving to ride one another.

Masamune pulled away, licking her nipple in circles, and draws back to fondle her breasts, slapping it after. "This will be full with milk, no?" He slapped it again, groping it hard. "Aaah- y-yes, my lord. Once I'm pregnant, it will be full with milk for our child.. Mmnn.."

She moaned, having her pussy fucked and slammed, breasts slapped and grope hard, "So please.. cum inside as much as you want. Fill my pussy, my lord. Let's get pregnant with your heir.. aaaah..!"

He gripped her waist, lifting her up. Cock slamming in and out harshly as he cummed later, cumming while thrusting, creating mess beneath them. The sex continued until morning, even when they are up for war council, they are still riding each other. "Aaaah!!" She gasped, pussy filled once more.

Catching her breath, her legs trembled as he pulled his cock out. "My lord.. it's time. We should go."

"Ah, yes. Or else Hideyoshi will be noisy."

But then again, before her hand reached for the door, he pulled her backwards, and shove into her pussy forcefully, and continue the sex again. "Your pussy is still tight, despite all the ramming I made, hm?"

"Haaah..! Aaah- aaah..! My lord.. we can't-- we have to.. oooh..!" She grind back in circles in a very lewd manner. "Haah.. my lord.. your cock is so big.. you are really amazing.." She moaned, riding him again and again, squeezing and clamping, making him groan in return, and jerked his hips forward, mercilessly sexing her pussy until he bursts his cum inside, again and again. "Mmnnghh..!" He arched his head, hips twitching throughout the release. "Fuck.. MC.."

His cock limps out, sated. "Keep it all inside. We are not done."

"Yes.. my lord." She pulled her kimono down, and sighs, his hands are on her clothed breasts. "My lord.. Mmmn..." He pinched to where her nipples are, and released her. "Let's go."

------

The council goes on like usual, until Nobunaga turned to both of them. "So? How was the preparation for the heir, Masamune?"

Masamune smirked, putting on his usual smug, "Give us more time, my lord. I'm sure it will come in no time." The conversation seems casual, and she also smiles, as if nothing unusual, but they couldn't see how her toes curled slightly. She can't wait for the council to end. The cum were still inside, and she want to add more. Her sex was throbbing; it seems it became impatient lately.

Though the marriage were only an arrangement, she didn't expect their body to be so compatible, that she always look forward for each chance his cock shoved into her pussy. Again, and again.. hitting her deepest part.. aah.. she wants it. Her hand move by itself, tugging on Masamune's sleeve, catching his attention. "Yes, MC? What's wrong?"

"My lord.. I feel unwell. May I be dismissed early?" She turned to Nobunaga, and rose when she gets his permission. "Accompany her, Masamune." Once Nobunaga said that, he didn't hesitate and rose as well. "Alright, my lord."

Exiting the hall, he is seen holding on her back, but when they are near a darker hallway, she is pulled inside, to their usual corner of darkest desire. His hands roaming to her upper kimono, roughly pulling her kimono open, releasing her breasts to cup and fondle it. His fingers teased the nipples, rolling it in circles. Her breathing was heavy, sensually grinding her hips back to where his cock is. "Haaah.. my lord.. please.. please. Please do it. Please fuck my pussy, I can't stand it. We have to quickly make the heir, no? Nnnghh.."

She kissed him from her shoulder, tongue entwining with one another as he hastily pull his hakama pants down, searching for her wet sex, and rammed it inside. Both of them moan, and can't stop grinding to one another. "I'm a bad wife, my lord. This is a duty I have to carry out and yet.. Maybe I really want to have your child inside me quickly."

He smirks, "Indeed, such a bad wife I have. To think she's addicted in having sex, using heir as an excuse." He slammed forward, directly hitting her womb many times. "You are a slut aren't you? You love my cock screwing your tight cunt so much? Hmm?" He slapped her ass, groping and shaking it, pinching and slapping it again and again, "Look at you, grinding against my cock like this."

He look down, she is riding his cock, hips circles in a very lewd manner. "Haaah.. ahhh, aahh yes.. I'm a slut..! I loved to be fucked by your big cock so much-- ohhh..!" His cum spurts deeply inside, and she moaned from it. "Mmmn.. Masamune.. more.." She shakes her hips side to side. "Give me your baby.. Haaah.. fuck me everyday..!"

"You don't have to tell me. I will fuck you everyday, and anywhere, and anytime you want." He grinned, releasing his desire more and more with her, filling her to the brim, until the floor pooled with so many mixed cum.

This addiction continued, even when she is pregnant, even when the birth date is coming, and it continued more,

...Even after the first heir is already there.

[staybabblingbaby]

Soulmate Garden AU Ch.4 (Lewisia) a2d2

[Caution: These are not full fics, or even full parts of fics for some, these are part of my writing progress archive!]

Concept: Growing up, you knew Soulmates weren't all that they cracked up to be. So when, on your 18th birthday, your skin is painted with a garden of flower buds, you resolve to hide it from everyone. Who had ever heard of someone with 8 soulmates, anyway?

Or; Reader has 8 soulmates and no issue avoiding all of them. It's up to SKZ to show her that while every soulbond might not be made of fairy tales, theirs certainly could be.

Word Count: 1,558

TO THE UNAWARE: THIS IS A PROGRESS UPDATE OF A CHAPTER NOT REMOTELY CLOSE TO DONE! PLEASE DON'T EXPECT A FULL OR POLISHED PRODUCT HERE

Notes: I told y'all that I was being lazy. We gotta play catch up now :c This is... roughly 1/3 of Ch.4? maybe more? I'm hoping to have them have a decent conversation but that's beyond me sometimes ^^;;

Dividers by @saradika

Warnings: She/Her Reader, Flashback (yelling), pls lmk if this needs smthn more specific

Leave me comments or questions or anything! Love hearing from folks <3

Masterlist <3 | Main Part

The next morning marks a return to routine.

You roll out of bed half awake, sleep-mused and ready for murder. Your mood isn’t improved by the way you’d gone to bed - still in your work clothes with day-after mascara gluing your eyelids together.

A quick stop by the restroom to strip and scrub your face is a necessity, or you’re liable to just crawl back into bed and exist there. You brush your teeth while you’re there, doing your best to ignore grey streaks down your cheeks where your eyeliner hadn’t been as water-proof as advertised.

You don’t even know why you’d cried. After all, it’s not like you were the one rejected by your soulmate for no reason.

You do your best to shake off the maudlin feeling of the morning and lumber your way into the kitchen. You spy your twenty on the counter where you’d left it. You press your lips together to stop the bottom one from trembling and open the fridge. There’s a plate of eggs, fruit, and toast inside.

Taylor, freak of nature that he is, has been up for hours already, you know. He’d probably been up and out the door before the run had even thought about rising. Weirdo.

your roommate is well aware of how non-functional you can be in the morning, so it’s not unusual of him to leave you leftovers when he makes breakfast. The little note on top isn’t new either, usually a reminder, grocery list, or a little encouragement for your day. The whole thing makes you smile, usually.

Today that little note makes your eyes prick with a new wave of tears.

‘Give yourself a chance. Bet’s still on <3’

You very deliberately do NOT cry, though it’s a near thing. You’d done enough crying last night. But if you sniffle a bit into your eggs, well. That’s for you to know, isn’t it?

It’s a Tuesday, so after breakfast you drag yourself back to your room to throw on your largest, rattiest, t-shirt and a pair of leggings to head to the gym.

You can’t help your eyes from catching on the newly-bloomed marks on your skin when you strip away your sleepwear, and you realize that you hadn’t had the opportunity to study your mark in days. Things have been... hectic, to say the least.

In the name of returning to your baseline, you figure you can’t ignore this part of your routine either.

You amble over to your closet, swinging open the door to reveal the full-length mirror hanging on the other side. You don’t bother with your usual rounds of self-depreciation or daily affirmations. Instead, you find your eyes glued to droopy purple petals and blankets of white stars across your abdomen.

The names of the flowers come to mind with ease as you trace gentle fingers over echoes of delicate petals. ‘Bellflowers’ You recite to yourself, drawing your finger up thin stalks and back down dipped heads. ‘Edelweiss’ you muse, lightly tapping each fuzzy white star.

The knowledge comes easily to you, not from any cosmic force, but because of course it does. Your sister hadn’t been wrong when she’d said that asking a person’s favorite flower had been basically an obsession of yours.

The habit had started well before you’d gotten your mark. Before you’d even properly known what soulmates were, really.

Gardening with your mother had started as a way for her to drag you out of the house to get some sun while keeping an easy eye on you. Before your sister was born you’d spent many a joyous afternoon learning to work the soil beside your mother.

After the advent of your favorite gremlin, you’d spent those afternoons tending to the family garden alone. You remember being grateful to the newborn back then. Those solitary afternoons were some of the most peaceful in your memory.

At some point the ‘family garden’ had become more ‘your garden’. Your mother wouldn’t even bother to plan it out with you by your sister’s toddler years. She’d drive you to the store, hand you a bit of cash, and leave it all in your tiny hands.

You’d spend hours researching the best ways to nurture your plants. How to have them thriving more brightly, more beautifully, for longer. If you weren’t in the garden you were in the library by your house, nose buried in a gardening book.

You vividly remember the day it all went wrong.

It hadn’t even been that dramatic, as you recall. At least, not in terms of your parent’s usual fights. It was heartbreak- despair- that marked the day, instead of fear.

You’d been digging up weeds, clawing up deep roots with your gloved hands and a trowel, when your father had come storming outside. You don’t even remember what he’d said. Something about you always taking your mother’s side because of your shared hobby, you think.

Never mind that the woman hadn’t put so much as a toenail to the dirt since your sister had been born.

He hadn’t let up for quite a while, if memory serves. Stood there yelling at you in your safe space for close to an hour. Maybe two, but your child-brain couldn’t be trusted with the time. It might have just been minutes, now that you think about it.

Nonetheless he’d yelled and yelled and yelled. He hadn’t trampled on or broken anything, hadn’t even made sense. And yet, when he’d finally left, everything was different.

The blooms you’d worked so hard to nurture were no longer beautiful, and the soil you’d once called home was no longer safe.

You hadn’t tended another garden after that season. You’d seen your plants to winter, and you’d let go. You’d turn away from the sun and soil and leaned into your books and silly questions to fill the hole left behind.

You’re sure you left claw marks in the dirt.

Something like a gentle humming fills your soul, and you notice how tightly you're clutching the garden around your waist. You gingerly pry your hands away and study the crescent moons you’ve left behind, soft skin indented where petals should have ripped.

You wonder if you’ll leave claw-marks in this garden too.

You tear your eyes away from the mirror, ignoring the gentle tingling up your side where your fingers had dug in. You quickly toss on a camisole, forgoing your usual privacy wraps, and your t-shirt over that.

There was nothing for emptying your mind quite like running yourself into the ground at the gym. With full awareness that you’re going to regret your gym session later, you flee your apartment.

Maybe jogging all the way to gym wasn’t such a great idea. It’d sounded fantastic at the time, a head start on your cardio and a way to remove yourself from your negative headspace before you tried to toss around weights you barely knew how to use.

It had sort of worked, but now you hadn’t even entered the building and you were already a sweaty, panting, mess.

After guzzling down half of your water bottle you enter the building, resignation in your heart. Cardio wasn’t even your focus today.

The automatic doors slide open with their usual swish, and you’re greeting by the familiar stale smell all gyms seem to share, no matter how clean. It’s comforting, even if you do wish you could go home already.

There’s a guy already at the receptionist’s desk when you approach, talking in slow and measured English. His back is broad and built, huge biceps on display in a tight fitting black t-shirt. You kinda wanna squish them.

You try to shake yourself from your admiration, reminding yourself that there were very many well-muscled men in this place and that you’d always endeavored to keep a polite line-of-sight, even when they don’t. It hadn’t even been a hard ask, until now.

You really can’t help the way your eyes trace up and down his form. It should be impossible, you think, to somehow bulk up in only the right places, but by Jove his man has done it. This time you physically shake your head to snap yourself out of it.

You’d be polite if it killed you. Even if neither the stranger or the scrawny receptionist had noticed your wandering gaze.

Especially then.

While you were.... distracted... the man’s conversation with the receptionist seemed to be going a whole lot of nowhere. From what you can gather he’s looking for a short-term membership, and the receptionist is trying to tell him they don’t do that.

You know this to be true, even the trial period was an entire month. You’d specifically chosen this gym for that reason. If you hadn’t been able to stick it out for a month, you know you’d have never used the place enough to justify a membership.

Your sympathies to this stranger, it seems he really just needs a little less than a week. You know there are some no-commitment type places not too far though, so you wonder why he’s stuck on this place.

Their back and forth goes a while longer, but it’s evident that the beautifully-built stranger can’t really argue his case properly.

Eventually he steps to the side to make a call, and you’re able to approach the counter.