#everyone ignore the fact i started to rush this at a certain point i have to go somewhere today bRLTKBJS

[xxplastic-cubexx]

your krakoa era cherik art has altered my brain chemistry

more krakoa era is to come from me my friend so i worry for your brain

[thatlittleviolin]

//A little ramblig about eddie dear bc i cant stop thinking about him

Im not joking when i say this whole post was inspired after seen @//purple-raspberries “the mailman” drawing because O MY STARS WHAT IS THAT DRAWINgGGGGGG /pos

Okay so anyway, whats up with Eddie Dear? As, like, an active character of Welcome Home?

Something rubs me in the wrong way when it comes to him as a whole, not that I dislike him, pretty… much the opposite (thats why I'm making this post) actually, but I feel he is more relevant to the lore than what ppl give him credit for.

Even way before the past-year (2023) Halloween and Homewarming updates, I felt that he must simply be more than what is presented to us about him:

- He is the only character who sees all the rest of the neighbours every day due to his work

- He is one of the few if not the only one who is confirmed to be from outside of Home

- He brings one of the TWO functional clocks in all of Home (which could well be due to the nature of his work, but it doesn't take away from the fact that it's curious)

And I know, ik, this is not a lot. In fact, I believe this is not crucial info, but I want to mention it because it gives, in some way, a certain statement: Eddie Dear is not like everyone else. It differentiates him from the others.

There's simply something intriguing about him; and I constantly think about how, again, he's the resident who interacts most with his neighbors, the most helpful and willing to do anything, and despite that, he's the one who gets the most hits?

Hes always in a rush because he likes helping others, he's clumsy and yet he does his job in a stellar way and yet he goes the more underappreciated by his neighbors and its the first one to get to have his own personal breakdown during the Homewarming

Keep in mind, I don't mean that the other characters are bad or smth, we all know that inside they care for each other and are a pretty nice neighborhood-

But yea, starting with the most obvious, Howdy and Sally are downright condescending, bordering on rude to him. Howdy ignores him or pays half attention when he goes to deliver merchandise to the Bugdega and tries to start a conversation, and despite this, we can see that Howdy asks him for help to deliver things to someone else.

More specifically, during a hidden audio, we can hear that he uses Eddie to deliver an order of bowling balls to Julie DESPITE Howdy having a home delivery system and probably being able to better handle the weight of the merchandise, being at least two heads taller than Eddie, right when Eddie had just told him he had a very tiring day (of course he didn't hear that)

Sally, on her side, is condescending to him to the degree that when we hear them interacting, at least until now, it's mostly her giving him orders. Heck, Sally has a "long name" for every resident EXCEPT Eddie, whom she usually just calls "Mailman" for everything.

Julie and Frank tend to be more passive about it, but it doesn't take away from the fact that they also end up... taking advantage a bit? Or leaving him a bit aside. I know, I know, we all ship FranklyDear here, but it still bothers me how during "Eddie's big lift" (+ another hidden audio) we're shown how Julie tends to involve him in her games without much consideration as to whether Eddie even understands them to begin with, and Frank, despite acknowledging that he works hard and often overworks for everyone, leaves him lying on the ground. They don't even wait for him to get up to say goodbye properly, they just leave him there and go home. It's a bit sad to hear how Eddie talks to himself while getting up and dusting himself off.

And finally, one that I understand is a joke but serves as a transition to my next point: Barnaby and his constant gag of chasing Eddie around the neighborhood as soon as he sees him making his deliveries, or insisting that Eddie lifts him up because “he's just a puppy”. I won't delve into this (not now) because I know that overall that's Barnaby's way of joking; Eddie is not his only victim, but when you mix it with everything said above, it gives off some weird vibes.

It's as if Eddie was the typical "punching bag" character of the show's creators; you know, the one created so that the fun we get from him is at his expense, and sadly, somehow that fact makes sense to me as to why he's the first to have a "breakdown" during Homewarming and said breakdown has to do with, what else? his isolation and probable sadness.

During Sally's history and Poppy's confinement in her own house, there were two predominant themes: what happens when we're in the dark, what lurks in the shadows and whatnot, and isolation: Sally talks about this but Poppy experiences it first hand; shes alone and in the dark, house bricked to the top. However, Eddie gets overwhelmed despite being surrounded by everyone and, clearly, in a lit environment.

My opinion? Said loneliness and darkness don't necessarily need to be tangible, and in Eddie's case, they come from a mental place. My dear doesn't seem to have too much appreciation for himself, constantly letting people get the help they want (need, of course) from him at the cost of his own well-being. Eddie Dear is not happy, in fact, I feel he puts himself down a bit, which equates to darkness, and when he can distract himself from this fact again, Home reminds him; and his loneliness comes in a literal-but-not way. Eddie is never alone, that's evident, but again, in the Homewarming video we're not only emphasized that he's upset and confused because no one has asked him for help, but because he DOESN'T KNOW how to handle his own activities outside of work. Anything that doesn't have to do with the post office but is more personal overwhelms him because he's not used to thinking outside of how he should help others because that's his "only" way of interacting with them. Eddie needs to be needed in order to be closer to others, and when that's not the case, it frustrates him so much that it even seems like anger.

Heck, it's even sad how Sally mentions that nobody bothered him with the usual tasks they would require him for to give him a day off, and then downright nobody interacted with him. Not even Julie called him to play. When Sally finds him under Home's tree, she asks him to escort her to Home for the Homewarming and it's narrated that they're the last to arrive, but if Eddie hadn't left his house then... what? Would he have stayed there? (Lowkey I theorize that he wouldn't have, because of the fact that Sally and Frank seem to have more awareness than the others, I feel like she was actually waiting for him)

Personally, I consider that when it comes to a case like Eddie's, it's even worse, because you don't need to be actively in a closed and dark place, isolated (in what voluntary situation would someone have to be like that?) for your head to go completely to shit. Think about it, you make Home angry and he doesn't need the rest of the neighbors to build a wall around you. It does what you already do well: it locks you up with your thoughts and leaves you there.

So,,, uh, yeah, I don't know how to end this.

I just wanted to talk about my fav man.

somebody help him PLAEASSE

[carlsdarling]

okay, now i need a fic about carl's gigantic balls😔😔😔

Jingle balls, jingle balls

Y/N wonders if Carl really has gigantic balls... Bit more of a plot, then sex. Everyone is 18 or over.

WARNINGS: smut, nsfw, unprotected sex, oral (male receiving)

As so often, you watched Carl as he helped Olivia to carry groceries into the warehouse. To do this, he repeatedly climbed into the back of the pick-up truck parked outside the warehouse and the fabric of his jeans stretched over his crotch, leaving a visible bulge. You giggled furtively, because ever since a certain day, you'd been a little obsessed with Carl and what was going on under his belt.

That was when Negan had first come to Alexandria with his men to demand supplies, and when two of his men had gone to get medicine from Rick's house, Carl had angrily stood in their way and threatened them with his gun. You had heard the gunshot from the house and seen Rick, Negan and Gabriel rush to Rick's house, so you had followed them, curious and worried at the same time.

Inside the house was Carl, his one eye glinting with rage, his cheeks flushed delightfully as he pointed the gun at Negan's men and forbade them to take the drugs. The muscles on his arm and neck were tense, and he ignored Negan, who approached with amusement and began to admonish Carl. But Carl was not intimidated by Negan, so the latter finally got a little annoyed and said: "So, dude, at what point were we? Oh yes! At your gigantic balls down there!"

The blush had rushed to your face and you had struggled to suppress a giggle despite the dangerous situation, so Gabriel had looked at you in bewilderment and confusion. You had thought Carl was cute ever since he had come to Alexandria, but since that day, you kept trying to imagine him naked and wondered if Negan was right with his comment.

However, you and Carl didn't get close at first because he spent a lot of time with Enid, and eventually he and Enid became a couple, which made you jealous. But around the time of Carl's 19th birthday, things started to fall apart and a few months later they had a big fight and broke up, leaving Carl single again. Faced with this fact, you were all excited, but at first you just couldn't find a way to get closer to Carl.

Until the day you happened to be assigned to guard duty together. It was a few days before Christmas and Alexandria was already festively decorated; it was snowing lightly as you and Carl climbed the stairs to the wall.

You kept glancing stealthily at Carl from the side. He was wearing a parka against the cold, so you couldn't catch a glimpse of his crotch, but you were firmly convinced that Carl was well equipped, and Negan's words kept coming back to your mind.

It didn't take long for Carl to notice your strange behavior. "What's wrong?" he asked with a hint of irritation. "Why do you always stare at me like that?"

You immediately blushed. "What? Like what?" you tried to deny it.

Carl looked at you with raised eyebrows, snowflakes settling on his bandage. "I don't know. But you're always gaping at me like you're trying to figure something out." Your face grew even hotter, and Carl grinned knowingly. "You have the hots for me, haven't you?"

"No," you immediately denied it.

"No? Too bad," Carl said casually. "I mean, I'm single again, and we could have some fun." He pointed to a vacant house near the wall. "There don't seem to be any walkers out today anyway. No one will notice if we disappear for a while." He winked indecently at you. "But it's not like you're interested." He shrugged his shoulders.

You cleared your throat. "Umm, I wouldn't put it like that. It's just..."

"What?" Carl eyed you with amusement.

"Well, Negan made a remark about your balls back then." You giggled, embarrassed. "I've always wondered since then if it was true. Well, that they're gigantic."

Carl laughed out loud. "Okay, so they're not small," he let you know in a teasing tone. "Neither is the rest. But don't you want to find out for yourself?" He stepped closer so that his breath brushed hotly across your cheek.

The arousal swept over you like an electric shock. You could smell Carl's scent very clearly, his long hair tickled your face and his pheromones mesmerized you. You and Carl had never been this close before. His lips almost touched yours. "Yes," you breathed, your heart pounding wildly.

"Come on then," Carl said, taking your hand after looking around and realizing that no one was watching you. He pulled you down the stairs and over to the abandoned house. New residents were due to move in these days, so the heating was turned up and it was comfortably warm.

Apparently Carl had been pretty needy since breaking up with Enid, because he pulled you into a hug as soon as he closed the front door behind you both and kissed you fiercely, his hands sliding under your clothes and immediately fumbling with the clasp of your bra. "Bedroom," he murmured as he pushed you towards the stairs. On the way up, you were already stripping off some of your clothes. You admired Carl's naked torso, the finely chiseled muscles, the fair skin, and the soft line of dark hair that led down from his navel.

You fiddled eagerly with Carl's belt. "I want to see you," you said breathlessly, licking at his neck.

Carl groaned, shoved your hand aside and undid his belt and the buttons of his jeans himself before sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling down his jeans and boxers. His cock was standing straight up, the tip touching his stomach and leaving a wet trail. You grabbed Carl by the shoulders and made him lie on his back, then you took his cock in your hand and began to gently rub up and down and apply pressure. Carl whimpered and squirmed on the bed, his eye closed. You let go of his dick and turned your attention to his balls - indeed, they weren't gigantic, but they were big, one almost filling your entire hand. "Are they always this... full?" you teased him, caressing his balls, swirling your tongue around his red, precum-oozing tip.

Carl whimpered and grinned sheepishly. "Maybe not quite so full," he whispered, his voice hoarse with excitement. "It's just, uum, I've got a bit of blue balls, if you know what I mean, oh please, don't stop." He groaned lustfully and bucked his hips up as you playfully licked his balls.

You leaned over Carl to kiss him and he yanked impatiently at your panties, slipping them over your thighs and shoving his long fingers between your legs. "You're already so wet, baby," he gasped, gripping your hips. Very slowly, he pushed his dick in.

You trembled with pleasure, and he chuckled, while his cock sliding inside you, making naughty slippery noises. You clenched your muscles around him, and he started moaning loudly, arching his back. You leaned forward and touched his big balls at the same time, gently massaging them, and this almost drove Carl over the edge, he was so close to cumming, but he successfully held himself back.

The way his dick was stretching you out was amazing, and you whined loudly, which made Carl grin. "It's not just my balls that are big," he joked.

"Oh my god, Carl," you moaned and the movements of your hips became faster and more erratic as you felt the orgasm approaching. When you cum around his cock, Carl feverishly bucked his hips, he let out a little scream and his cum filled you up to he rim. You had to grip onto his shoulders for support. "Going wild, huh?" you panted. Carl lied back, exhausted, he tried to catch his breath.

You collapsed on top of him, your head resting in the crook of his neck, before you dismounted him to snuggle up to him.

Carl looked at you, his cheeks still flushed, his heart beating hard. "That was... beyond words," he whispered and kissed you. You touched his balls again, and Carl inhaled sharply.

"They're not so full anymore," you said, giggling.

Carl smiled a little bashfully. "You took care of them, didn't you? But you have to admit, they're really big," he hinted with a pout.

There was no denying it. "They are," you giggled. "So is your dick."

Carl suddenly pressed you into the mattress and lay on top of you, gently spreading your legs. You could clearly feel that he was ready for you again. "Since you liked it, can we do it again?" he suggested. "Again and again," you mumbled as Carl penetrated you a second time.

--

Tags: @knochentrocken0808 @xxcarlswifexx @taylormarieee @tessasweet

(Originally the fic was planned for X-mas time, but then my dad passed away, so it got delayed)

[genderqueerdykes]

i think that certain parts of the community are starting to become more and more exclusionist. like im starting to see a lot more pro-lesboy spaces say "lesboy doesnt mean trans man/cis man! full men cant be lesboys!" or pro-mspec monospec spaces say "mspec monospec doesnt mean being both things for the same attraction! it means being mspec for sex/romance and monospec for the other!! no one is a romantic mspec AND monospec at the same time!" or just. Things like that.

i did not see this ask until now and am i glad you sent it

short answer: yes, agreed, it's petty queer infighting that doesn't need to be happening

so from what i've noticed is most of online queer discourse really at the end of the day is about what an individual person thinks that queer label isn't, and not what it is. people are very nihilistic right now, and really love to take everything in bad faith. we're seeing a rash of reactionary content in general where people take their knee jerk reaction as their stance on an entire complex concept that requires time to digest and process. like literally the most farfetched dogshit take you've ever seen because they just found out about a concept and bullshitted and answer.

certain people wanna think they're experts on queerness overnight because they just realized they're [xyz] or whatever other reason they want to be the expert on queerness. really what it is is people who want to tell other people what it is, but not listen. like it really just is people who want to say "this is how queerness works. shut up because i'm the only one who knows why. don't ask me for a reason". like it's about control. it's about people who have never done any research into queer history in any country on any continent, has not interacted with their local queer community who still want to have a captive audience about what queerness "really is". so instead of learning history and talking to other people they tell you how they feel and spin it as the truth.

other people just send the most bizarre angry posts, asks, DMs, whatever, about how they hate this 1 really specific kind of person that they've never actually met, but hypothetically they would hate. it's mind games. people get caught up in their own thoughts long enough to believe the hypothetical guy they made up isn't real. it's the strawman argument. i don't know what compels humans to do this but for whatever reason, people really love making up a fictional guy to get offended at. it's really bizarre. if cishet men wanted to identify as lesbians, they would literally already be doing it

if you know what logical fallacies are to some extend and have been around internet discussions in general for a long time, you start to recognize the patterns. it's a type of entitled attitude that leads a person to not be in a community for very long. it's a certain kind of person who gets a rise out of being a jackass. like i've tried to word that better. no. that's what it is. like people are aware of the fact that they're being a jackass and continue to do it anyway. people are getting a kick out of this. like. people are chasing the rush you get from fucking with someone. that's all it is. when people say "how can they be so cruel?" they're chasing a mental high that fades extremely quickly, so they have to keep doing it over, and over, and over.

it's like how do i put it. now that social media is so widespread, just about everyone has one on at least a few platforms at this point. people are being exposed to these conversations. and you're gonna have some complete noobs who come in thinking they can define lesbianism because they realized they were a lesbian yesterday and it's like. people will keep fighting the same tired old argument about how trans men can't be lesbians for the 9439030985th time and meanwhile they're ignoring the 50 trans male dykes interacting with one of their mutuals like i think it's literally dumb as hell that there are people on this website mentally abusing strangers on the internet because they refuse to crack open a book, read a zine or open a pdf and read the biographies of real world trans male lesbians, or even just read an article about one. like it's easier and more fun for them to pretend it's not happening it's wild as hell to me

anyway, yes. it's really stupid. people are getting caught up in all the wrong parts of what separates identities. it's the compulsion to draw lines in the sand that is forced upon us in our binary obsessed society. it is likely tied to black and white thinking, and catastrophizing, which both can happen when someone is stressed and looking at a situation in a maladaptive way, either due to perspective or neurotype. sometimes this legitimately can be due to someone's mental health, so it's not an excuse, but it's an explanation for why people get so riled up. those headspaces get you very heated and it's difficult to come down from. it requires a lot of time learning emotional coping skills to walk backwards from those types of episodes

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

People don’t listen to warnings.

It’s a thing.

For a while I became obsessed by a video recorded on the day of the 2004 Southeast Asian tsunami. It shows an older white guy, probably a tourist, standing on the beach in Thailand watching as the water recedes and the tsunami comes into view. As people run, as the wave grows, he just stands there. People start shouting at him, desperately pointing to the wave, trying to warn him. The wave grows, rushing closer and closer. Even now when I watch this video I still think he’s going to move. Of course he never moves. He doesn’t move an inch. The wave comes ashore and swallows him. —Nate Bear, “Staring at The Tsunami”

Every time a hurricane hits, some people choose to stay even if they have the resources to leave. In fact, research indicates that 35-50 percent of residents leave during mandatory evacuation warnings. During Hurricane Ian in 2022, about 62 percent of residents evacuated. Evacuation orders only increase someone’s willingness to evacuate by about 4-6 percent. When governments aggressively enforce evacuation orders in dangerous areas, 90 percent comply.

The rest of them stay.

According to one study, about 60-70 percent of those who don’t evacuate have said it’s because they don’t have anywhere to go and can’t afford a hotel. That group includes the unemployed, the homeless, and the vulnerable. During Hurricane Helene, thousands of inmates have been left behind.

What about the ones who can leave?

These numbers line up with the rest of our problems. Time and again, about 60 percent of us listen to warnings. Many people want to listen but don’t have the resources to protect themselves. About 10-20 percent have the resources, but they refuse to take warnings seriously.

They’re the hurricane headbanger, but not as famous.

I’ve got a feeling that the hurricane headbanger can take care of himself, but there’s a large portion of the population who thinks they can take care of themselves when they can’t. This group routinely shrugs off warnings. When things get really bad, they soak up resources that should go to the ones who really need them, the ones who can’t evacuate, the ones who can’t protect themselves.

We’re not here to make light of natural disasters. We’re here to understand why, as we face an increasing number of devastating threats, a growing number of people don’t want to take them seriously. There’s a range of theories, including what Neil Weinstein called unrealistic optimism, the notion that people routinely believe bad things are more likely to happen to someone else.

Here’s another theory:

A psychologist at Duke University named Jack Brehm figured out this problem in the 1960s. He called it reactance. He published a handful of articles about it followed by a book titled A Theory of Psychological Reactance. His book inspired 60 years of research on the topic. It even informed the popular psychological trick known as reverse psychology. Brehm discovered something you've seen a lot over the last few years. When you try to influence someone's actions, they resist. When people feel a threat to their perceived independence, they get angry.

They try to restore their freedom.

They might ignore the warning. They might make fun of you. They might pitch a fit. They might punch you in the face.

It depends.

Reactance means that the ones who don’t listen to warnings perceive the loss of their freedom as the greatest threat of all.

They protect it at all costs.

Everyone has their own reactance scale. It lives on a spectrum. At one end, you have collectively minded people. They tend to focus on the greater good. They're more likely to give up certain freedoms if it means avoiding death and destruction. On the other end, you have rugged individualists who see almost every warning or suggestion as a threat to their personal freedom.

Here's the weird part:

An individualist will get angrier if a friend or relative tries to influence their behavior in a way that threatens their sense of personal freedom.

They're also more likely to resist advice or information coming to them through anyone promoted as an expert or authority figure. You'd think the opposite would be true, that individualists would be more inclined to listen to people among their ingroup. Nope, their thinking isn't rooted in logic.

It's rooted in narcissism.

The harder you try to influence them, the worse it gets.

They only become more aggressive.

Brehm found that you can't even do a favor for someone on the extreme end of the reactance spectrum. They feel pressure to return the favor.

They hate that.

People can also feel vicarious reactance.

In other words, they'll get angry if they see someone else getting angry about perceived losses to their personal freedom. They'll defend someone else's right to do something stupid, simply because it's their right.

Censoring or restricting someone's freedoms can often enhance the attractiveness of that freedom. It's the forbidden fruit at work. Take something away, and that's suddenly all they want to do. Tell them to wear a seatbelt. Tell them smoking is bad for them. Suddenly, it's the cool thing to do.

You can trigger someone's reactance overtly by using controlling language. But you can also trigger it indirectly, even accidentally. If someone happens to associate a request or a warning with something negative in their life, like a controlling spouse, then they're less likely to listen.

A lot of people get a real kick out of ignoring warnings. They enjoy disregarding advice from experts. They love harassing and ridiculing those of us who do take threats and warnings seriously.

It elevates them.

Individualists only tend to take warnings seriously when a threat becomes absolute. They wait until the volcano erupts. They wait until the waves crash ashore. They wait until the flames lick their skin. Only then do they react, and it's usually a panic-driven response to save themselves. They don't do anything to help anyone else, and their panic causes problems for everyone else.

There's a cultural component.

You see less reactance in more collectivist societies. You see more reactance in individualist societies. I think we can all agree that western countries, especially the U.S., pride themselves on their individual freedoms. Every single day, Americans celebrate their right to act stupid and do dangerous things.

It's getting to be a real pathology over here.

So, what can you do?

The research suggests you have to be as indirect and neutral as possible when trying to influence someone's behavior.

Even then, you might fail.

Again, it depends. You can be direct with some people. And with others, there's pretty much nothing you can do. You just have to leave them alone. We've seen how well neutral, indirect attempts work at getting individualists to change their behavior. Maybe you'll avoid making them angry, but they'll likely just ignore you, even laugh at you. So as we stare down more threats, along with all the other consequences of an overheated planet, don't be shocked at all the reactance you see. Don't be surprised when you see people wanting to cuddle with birds and drink unpasteurized milk, simply because someone told them it's a bad idea right now. By trying to help someone, you triggered their reactance. I wrote the first draft of this post a year ago. Since then, as predicted, sales of raw milk jumped 21 percent after reports of bird flu in milk samples earlier this year.

If there’s no hope of convincing some of these people, then we have to do the next best thing. We have to push back. We have to limit their influence on others, to try to contain the damage. We live in a society that spends far too much time platforming, rewarding, and catering to the reactance crowd. We give them too much credibility, which they’ve used to virtually destroy our institutions.

People don’t listen to warnings.

It’s a thing.

[ladyluscinia]

Honestly I kind of like that there's no guards for Blood & Cheese.

Like, yeah, it does kind of push belief for drama, but frankly there's so much happening in this episode and I imagine they have a lot of events they want to get to this season. There's a lot of moving parts and various character arcs that need to get into place before anything. At some point plot explanation and building tension becomes a trade-off with how far you can take story arcs in a certain amount of time. We can revisit if this was "rushed" once we see how they've used the rest of their season. It's a bit silly to do it now, though.

Well. Anyway - I like that there aren't guards. I like that you can probably read a lot of not-unreasonable implications into there not being guards.

Larys just finished a purge of the castle to ensure everyone inside is unquestionably pro-Green. Now he's talking about servants, but the twin at Dragonstone points out that every single member of the Kingsguard swore to protect the whole royal family and they are all going through some degree of the "what do you do when the royals start killing each other?" conundrum. How many have deserted Aegon? How many did they kill recently for objecting to the usurping? How short-staffed are they really?

The guards we do see are Aegon's (and their eyes pass over the ratcatchers with no acknowledgement, like you would expect from the highborn sons they are). Guards who would likely fan out through the royal wing for the night once the newly installed king - the biggest target, the most important charge - goes to bed, but he's not doing that now is he? No, Aegon is downstairs with his robust guard getting drunk on the iron throne in the wee hours of the night with his new mandatory status-friends.

Aemond has wandered off - perhaps up to the battlements? The battlements where a bunch of guards must stand ready every hour in case a dragon arrives to escalate the war he's made inevitable. The war he's straining at his leash to go start properly, same as Daemon. The assassins are here for him, they show up in his room, but he won't be the one who meets them.

Criston Cole, who should maybe be on duty somewhere and certainly is a driving force behind deployment priorities, is off having an affair in an abandoned royal room. He's been just as keen on the war as every other man in this keep - egging on Alicent and her children's hostility for years, killing Beesbury - and earlier that night he was with Aemond also looking forward to more violence. Where the guards are isn't an oversight on his part, or a dereliction of duty - it's a reflection of what the Greens have been focusing on. The fact that neither he nor Alicent clock a reduced presence in the royal wing as a problem vs a convenience for illicit sex plans is just a bonus.

Of course no one is protecting Helaena or her children from being casualties. She's been begging them to do so since she was a little girl and they still just ignore her.

Of course there's no guards.

[crackrodent]

Check out the rest of my Flufftober library!

Orange Disaster

Charlie sat in the yard with a few dozen pumpkins, waiting for everyone else to show up and help carve the pumpkins. Each ticking moment was agonizing as she slowly came to terms with the fact it was just going to be her and Vaggie carving all of them.

Even then, she was still going to have to wait since Vaggie was helping Husk with something. Charlie couldn’t remember. Charlie picked up the first pumpkin and started cutting off the top to begin the prepping process.

“Charlie, why are you cutting vegetables outside?” Niffty said appearing out of nowhere.

“For the jack-o-lanterns?” She was certain she explained this in the meeting this morning but it would not be the first time she forgot to check if Niffty was there before starting.

Niffty looked at her with her big ol’ eye, “What’s that.”

“You don’t know what jack-o-lanterns are? Humans like you invented them! You never made them as a kid?”

Niffty ignored her and started cleaning off the pumpkins. “These don’t look very good. They are so messy.”

“Just wait until we pull out the guts!” Charlie joked pulling out the first clump of seeds and tossing them in a bowl.

Charlie didn’t notice, but Niffty had just fully decided Charlie was cool. Niffty was going to have to work hard to hide this fact. It won’t matter either way. Alastor could sense it miles away and groaned internally. He’s not really relevant though. Pumpkins though? RELEVANT!

Charlie did notice when more pumpkin guts got tossed in her bowl. Looking up she sees Niffty gutting a small pumpkin. She smiles and decides to take this as an opportunity to try and finally get through to Niffty about redemption.

~~2 HOURS LATER~~

All the pumpkins were gutted and cleaned. Pumpkin seeds separated from orange gunk. The prep tools are put away and the decorating tools are out. And Niffty was definitely staying in Hell.

“I love the jack-o-lanterns, Charlie,” Niffty said cradling one, “Where do we hide them?”

“We don’t hide them, we are going to place them for everyone to see them! But we need to decorate them first.” Charlie smiled, “Niffty, listen carefully because you are going to love this part.” Charlie showed Niffty the design guidebooks and how to freehand the art and explained which knives did what.

Niffty looked at all the fun little knives and looked up at Charlie, “You really are a princess.”

Charlie felt like she was going to cry, and so she did for a minute. Once she looked back she saw an orange slush puddle where the example pumpkin once sat.

“I think I stabbed it too much Charlie.” The princess of hell just smiled and said reassured Niffty it was alright and she could try again.

Charlie had barely finished her first pumpkin’s little cat whiskers when she saw that only four pumpkins remained. She sighed and grabbed her next pumpkin. She figured Niffty would burn through the last three before she would finish up her little spider but she was surprised to see all three still there.

She looked over to Niffty and saw her playing with a couple of chunks of pumpkin walls. Whittling away at them. Charlie was getting tired at this point and grabbed another pumpkin and made a regular old big scary smiling face.

Charlie heard the door open and was very happy to see Vaggie walking over to her.

“Sorry I am so late babe,” Vaggie said followed by a yawn.

“It’s okay, Niffty was helping me,” Charlie explained.

Vaggie looked much more awake now, suddenly looking around at the orange coating the yard, “I can see that sweetie,” She kissed Charlie on the cheek, “How did that go?”

“Great.” Charlie started on the second to last pumpkin and Vaggie took last place. They quietly worked on the last two, both making a happy pumpkin. Charlie was in a hurry and finished hers so quickly she forgot to carve out one of the eyes as she rushed to find a nice spot in the yard for it.

Vaggie wondered if Charlie did it on purpose. She looked at the other pumpkins for evidence but knowing Charlie it could be either way. Vaggie kept working on her intentional little goat horns she opted to carve out. She had time. Charlie needed to know someone was helping her on this project.

“Where did Charlie go?” Niffty asked Vaggie.

“She’s putting the Jack-o-lanterns where they are going to go.”

“I wanna pick where mine goes!”

Vaggie was trying to focus so brushed her off a bit, “Yeah, sure, go ahead.”

Niffty ran off with her Jack-o-lantern searching for the perfect place. She circled the building three times before ruling out all options and bolting inside almost knocking over Vaggie and Charlie as they placed Vaggie's next to Charlie’s happy pumpkin.

Niffty ran passed the living room through the kitchen and dining room before seeing it. the perfect place! Right on Husk’s bar.

Angel and Cherri had been sitting at the bar drinking with Husk when Niffty placed her creation right in front of the three of them. Husk and Angel started laughing immediately.

“Niff, you are gonna scare him right out of the fucking hotel if he sees this,” Husk warned, while moving it to a safer spot near the end of the bar.

“Aw, whiskers! Look! This is the most cute thing she has ever done. Like she’s don't some freaky shit for bad boys before-”

Cherri chimed in, “OH, remember when she took fur from that fuck head’s coat?”

“Val? Yeah, that was his wings.” Angel corrected.

“Yeah, well this bitch made a cute little head of an effigy.”

“what's an-” Niffty was cut off.

“What is that?” Baxter asked walking up to the bar. “Is that me?” He couldn’t look away.

“YES! I made a Baxter-lantern!” Niffty pulled him into a hug. He stood transfixed. This was the most stalker thing he had ever seen. No movie, book, true crime, or fictional, on earth or in hell. This was nightmare fuel for monsters. The type of thing people swear they would not wish on their worst enemy.

Why was he weirdly into it?

[mqverick]

Walking On Air || chapter 9

Take me to bed or lose me forever, was what Carole said to Goose every time they were together, having fun. Maverick never really understood what she meant by it until he started having feelings for you. It was exactly how he felt about you; he needed to just fuck everything and everyone, every obstacle in the way, and take you with him before he could lose you to someone else — which ironically enough, had already happened.

Or so he thought, until the other night.

He had been so fixated on the fact that you were taken so deeply inside of him, that he believed he could never fully have you, that part of your mind would always stay true to Iceman, even if the miracle happened and you broke up with him.

Hearing the drunken words come out of your mouth, so rushed and so painfully angsty, got him hoping you might be getting lost in the same path he’d been since the day you spoke to him for the first time. Drunken words were — in fact — sober thoughts, after all. Not to mention that it was the — what, third? — time he almost got to kiss you. Maverick was not the one to pine after someone, he was used to the exact opposite effect, never having to chase anyone.

He liked having to chase after you, though. He liked to dream up flawless scenarios of you, desperately wanting them to come to life. He liked how much of a dopamine rush he got from those breathless conversations and moments with you. It was hard to resist the urge to keep his feelings buried, opting to play them off as a charismatic, casual flirt — because that was what he’d been used to. That was all he knew.

You liked the way he yearned for you as well. He just made you feel so irresistibly wanted and loved, even if his cockiness never really helped his pure feelings come to light. You were very aware of them though, you were in the same page as him, never mind the fact that for you, it happened as an accident. Sure, a little flirting never hurt anyone — but oh, he was holding your hand (and for some reason you found yourself struggling to breathe steadily.)

In the morning, you woke up wanting to beat yourself to death. You’d been mindless; consuming all that alcohol, getting yourself hammered and ignoring the consequences.

Goose’s words were bloody when he said that Maverick technically had every right to hit on others. Goose’s words teared your heartstrings in pieces and made you conscious of how you’d been accusing everyone else to be a jerk, when in reality, you’d been the only twat in the story.

Maverick probably hated you.

Tom would probably hate you, too.

You tried. Gave it your all — good point to chuckle — to make your relationship with him work, but every time you closed your eyes, your mind betrayed you, unable of getting a certain someone out of the picture. The worst thing was the fact that you didn’t even really care whether Tom would want to cut you off once he found out about the situation you’d been dealing with.

You were frightened of the scenario where Pete stopped caring about you, mostly because it was impossible to imagine. Therefore, you did your best to turn yourself invisible by making up a rushed excuse of being too hungover to properly function at Top Gun, opting to stay home.

Tom respected your decision, wishing you to get well soon as he gave you a sweet kiss goodbye.

“Fuck,” you muttered as you fell back on the couch with a plop. You felt as if hours had passed when a thud on the door startled you. You fumbled to get up, standing unblinking as you opened the door to see Maverick holding a paper bag with both of his hands as he fiddled the heel of his shoe around the floor while chewing on the inside of his cheek.

“Heard Ice say you felt poorly and got you something,” he spoke lowly, reaching his hand out for you to take the item he held. Your lips parted in silent surprise as you hesitantly invited him in. “Look, I know you don’t want to see me, but you might as well say a word, because it’s getting sort of weird.”

“Maverick, what the hell are you doing here?”

“Thought I’d bring you a little something to eat.”

You honestly despised the man. How did he still care about you after you you’d been unable to seal your mouth shut the night before, yammering about mistreating you (mind the irony), you didn’t know. Still, that did not constitute an obstacle for you to lunge forward and fling yourself into his arms, your head hitting against his chest as you encircled his waist tightly. You moved your head a little, stopping dead in your tracks as your ear picked up the sound of his heartbeat violently increasing.

He still had to reach for you, taken aback by your sudden affection and not being sure how to react. Maverick’s brain short-circuited, until everything finally clicked and he was holding you so close to his body, he thought he was squishing the life out of you — but he never heard you complain.

“I’m so sorry, Pete,” you whispered, muffled in the fabric of his shirt. You wanted to say more, apologize for being so ridiculously indecisive and not giving him the chance to move on, instead having him wait until you could grow a pair and end things with Tom, but the words died down in your throat when you felt his fingers tangle in your hair, his palm now cupping the back of your head. He knew you could hear his heartbeat and he also knew it was giving him away.

When you pulled away, your knees buckled and you almost melted into a puddle. His hands had somehow traveled down to your smaller ones, holding them delicately.

Take me to bed or lose me forever.

“It’s a grilled cheese, in case you were wondering, by the way,” Maverick blurted, looking over to the paper bag with the food you’d left on a counter.

“I love it.” I love you.

“I need to get going.”

“No,” you argued, grabbing his hand in yours the moment he reached for the door handle. “Stay here with me. I’m sure Viper’s more than happy that you’re not there to wreck the planes. Goose might be missing you, but he can cry about it to Carole when the day is over.”

Maverick let an amused chuckle escape from his lips as he wrapped his fingers around your wrists, gently rubbing on the skin with his thumbs.

“You want me to stay with you?” he asked in disbelief. It was adorable how flustered he was.

“I’m not repeating anything, Mitchell.”

With a little smirk and a smudge look on his face, he moved toward you, leaning in closer to your lips, which was a scenario you’d accepted, hadn’t he had a sudden change of heart and went for your forehead instead, pressing a long, warm kiss against it that made you shudder under his touch.

“You want me to stay with you,” he chimed, sounding more as if he was bragging to himself.

You tried to stifle a smile as you placed your ear over his drumming heartbeat, already forgetting you had the whole ‘sick from the booze’ act to keep up, but then again, when had you ever been able to hide what you really felt around Maverick?

“We can’t be here though,” you suddenly mouthed, the image of Tom unlocking the door to you and the man he hated snuggling comfortably up on the couch causing sweat to form on the back of your neck as you pushed Maverick away from you and fixed your fingers through your hair.

“Why not?” You gave him a knowing look that made him sigh. “We can’t hide forever, you know.”

Deciding to ignore his comment, you dragged him outside by the hand, nodding where he’d parked his motorcycle. “Cliff tops,” you silently explained and saw the corners of his lips turn upward as he helped you onto the seat.

It seemed to startle him when you wrapped your arms around his middle, laying your face against the fabric of the leather jacket that covered his back, turning his head ever so slightly to look at you with that charming Maverick smirk of his.

Your heart hammered against your chest as he began driving, hair flying carelessly through the wind, leaning further into him and clutching your intertwined hands firmly against his stomach.

Your brain felt as if it was fogged by the light fragrance he was wearing, head nuzzling on his shoulder now, lips moving dangerously close to his cheek. You let them carefully graze his skin, feeling him shudder — or was it just your mind playing tricks on you?

After having arrived at the tops, Maverick got off his motorcycle, lending you his hand to take as he helped you get off as well, shaky, nervous fingers testing the waters as he gently let them linger around yours, waiting for your hand to pull away. Instead, your knuckles tightened, grasp sinking into his, not daring to look up at him for capturing his reaction.

He sat next to you on the hill, so close that the warmth radiating from his outer thigh gave you goosebumps. You shifted just a little, so that your leg could be touching his, eyes darting down on your lap as you crossed your arms.

“It’s beautiful up here. I like how I can consider it our spot now,” you heard Maverick mutter.

“Our spot?”

His head turned to look at you. “Yeah. Ideally, the first time I would’ve liked to bring you here would be a date, but I can settle for the late sneak-out after your fight with Kazansky.”

Your heart clenched as you hesitantly met his cherishing gaze. You hadn’t wanted anyone like that in really long time and it felt like something was sucking the soul out of you. “Maverick?”

“Hm?”

“When you’re flying, you might lose power. It’s a fatal risk, but it doesn’t stop you from enlisting in the Navy. Flying at up to 700 mph, the smallest mistake can be deadly, your plane could plunge out of the sky, break apart on impact. The cockpit is too small, so you’ll feel like your losing your breath even though you might not have died just yet — and it’s all terrifying and out of control.”

Maverick stared blankly at you, waiting for you to make a point. “What are you trying to say?”

“This is exactly how I feel whenever you look at me,” you finally mustered the courage to confess, seeing your lip starting to quiver. Unsure of how to properly weave the complexity of your feelings, you opted to let your pinky softly wrap around his.

Maverick stared at you, jaw slightly hung, eyes gleaming. “You feel that way about me?”

His question came out so shaky and gentle that it worsened your situation of trying not to break down right there in front of him. “Of course I do. You’re so ridiculously insufferable, I hate you.”

He cocked his head to the side with the tiniest hint of a smirk. “But you love flying.”

“I love flying,” you confirmed, letting the rest of your fingers wrap around his hand as you brought it over to your lap, holding it firmly enough to believe that what was happening in that moment was not just a figment of your imagination.

“I love flying, too.”

With hope written all over your face, your mouth stretched into a grin, holding back a giggle. God, when had you turned fourteen all over again?

Right when you were about to say something, you felt his lips ghost above your forehead before he was leaning down just a bit and kissing the bridge of your nose as tenderly as he could, making you dizzy and unable to think straight. Kiss me, kiss me before I regret it, before I start thinking again. He stalled against you, foreheads now touching as he realized that you hadn’t moved away from him yet.

“Take me to bed or lose me forever.”

“What?”

“It’s what Carole says to Goose. Said. I don’t know if she still tells him that. I never got it, to be honest, but all I know is that I don’t want to lose you, Maverick. Never,” you explained breathily.

“You’re not losing me, not even if you want to,” Maverick chuckled, letting a warm puff hit your already very reddened cheeks. You smiled at him, head now moving forward, so that you could nudge the top of his nose with your own.

“Pete,” you whispered, the words coming out as a ghost tugging at his heart. His hands came up to cup your cheeks, bringing you oh so impossibly close to him that if you squinted hard enough, your lips would be touching. And there it was again; that look he’d been giving you ever since the day you met, lovestruck eyes melting into yours. “Drop looking at me like that, Pete.”

“I can’t,” he spoke, voice weary as if he was on the verge of tears. “You walked in the room the first time Viper came in and the breath was knocked out of my lungs the very same second. So, no, I don’t think I can look at you in a way that’s not giving away how deeply head over heels I—”

“Don’t,” you cut him off, stunned by his words. “Don’t continue the sentence, Mav. Don’t continue it, because if you do, I’m going to lose every last ounce of self control I have in my body right now and I should warn you, there’s not much remaining.”

Maverick nodded slowly in acceptance before pressing a quick kiss to your forehead, then deciding to be brave, ducking down just the right direction to kiss the corner of your lips. His palms were still holding onto your cheeks, applying more pressure now as he let his mouth linger, heads connecting. You were about to lose it; all the sanity in your system, all the thoughts of do’s and dont’s. With a slight angle twist, he could be kissing you properly, on the lips, but every cell in your body was sweating to prevent that from happening. It was killing you.

“I love flying so much, Roger. So much that I don’t care if it costs me my life, I’m going to keep pursuing breaking the typical rules and fly on my own. It makes me feel alive,” Maverick confessed.

“You should,” you replied breathlessly. “It’ll get you places, Pete. You can hold your own.”

“Take me to bed,” he whispered, loud enough so that you heard him, a small smirk creeping up against the — now flushed from the kiss — corners of your lips.

“Or lose me forever.”

tags:

@holishol

@honeymvnt

[noisytenant]

I want to break up with my boyfriend but I'm worried about him because he doesn't have many friends outside of me and I'm not sure I'll be able to maintain a normal friendship with him after we break up 🤐

🫂 it's a tough situation to be in... perhaps you can take comfort in the fact that many people have tread this path before. i hope you can find resolution soon...

unsolicited advice:

i've seen too many relationships where people feel responsible for their partner's social life, or general wellbeing. many of those relationships were mine, lol.

we are all interconnected, but when we start to ignore our own feelings (like, "get me outta this relationship!") in an attempt to anticipate or control outcomes outside of ourselves, we enter unhealthy (at the very least unhelpful) territory.

let go of the idea that you can control how he behaves after a breakup...... you can do your best to set things up for success, but whatever happens is gonna happen.

you can't make friends for him, but you can express a desire for him to have friends outside of you. if you have the energy, you can make some suggestions and nudge a bit, but remember, you can bring a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

--

Also, to anyone reading this--If your partner is your only friend, or one of your only friends, please consider diversifying!! This is for everyone's sake... Even the most perfect partner, who you feel completes your soul, is still unable to provide you with the spectrum of experiences and relationships that a richer social network can.

I also need to make more + closer friendships so I'm saying this with the full personal knowledge that this is not easy, but it is important. Ask yourself what stands in the way of your relationships and see if you can start to make some movement.

--

Anyways... I have somewhat strong opinions about "maintaining a normal friendship after we break up"--I personally think people should really not try to be friends right after a breakup. You need time and space to recenter yourself in your newly single life!

I have occasionally met people who have become friends (again) after breaking up, and I think it's super cool when it happens. But don't rush it. You have to fully disentangle yourselves from each other. Otherwise, many of the potentially unhealthy or unpleasant patterns from your relationship will remain in your friendship.

I don't like putting numbers on the grieving process, but I think at least 1-2months at minimal to no contact is good for rebuilding your life. Do as you wish, but that's my perspective.

--

While you're sorting out how to end things, consider if there are boundaries you can set to make the relationship more bearable. do you need to curtail certain conversation topics? spend more or less time together? there may be ways to ease some of the stress and burden on you. if you set a boundary, expect to need to reinforce it. people often break them without meaning to.

--

like i said, it's not easy, but i hope you will find your way through it. And hopefully my advice can provide you some energy or guidance ^^

an encouraging anecdote:

i had a codependent friendship in early high school with a friend who was dealing with a lot of stuff. i encouraged him to look out for himself in certain ways, and took on a lot of responsibility for his well-being, in the clumsy ways a teenager does.

but he had big problems, bigger than ones i knew how to manage on my own, and i felt like more and more i was fretting about him without thinking about myself (in part because of how painful and shitty my own situation was!). i wished i could fix everything for him, but i didn't have that kind of power. nobody did! eventually i reached a point where i said i needed space from him, because i felt like our friendship wasn't healthy.

of course he wasn't happy, but he accepted and we stopped interacting for a while. and within a few months, i watched him really start to flourish. he made new friends, he started new hobbies. he got really into exercising (which isn't always strictly healthy, but i think it was good in this case and helped him feel better in his body). we were never close like we used to be, but we were able to talk and be friendly.

i think if i allowed our relationship to continue, he might not have tried to branch out like he did. i do wish i could have modulated our relationship better and set boundaries early so i wouldn't end up cutting him off, because that really sucks. but despite the pain of the friend-breakup, he seemed able to make meaning of it and move on.

So, if you can respectfully end the relationship while expressing your honest desire and belief in his good qualities + ability to be part of the social world, i think there is a high chance he will move on + be okay. and if he isn't, that isn't all your fault or responsibility. there are so many factors at play, and sometimes things need to get worse for a bit before they get better.

In Summary

Good Luck Out There

[cocklessboy]

Toxic Masculinity and Imposter Syndrome

I didn't figure out I was a trans man until I was 35. I knew I hated being a girl. I knew I wished I were a guy. But I didn't think I was allowed to be a guy, because I wasn't MANLY enough. I was too soft. Too sensitive. Too emotional. I would have told any OTHER guy that that's just toxic masculinity speaking, that men can be soft and sensitive and in fact it's good when they are! But somehow I couldn't apply that to myself.

When I was "mistaken" for a guy, referred to with male terms or he/him pronouns, I felt a rush of guilt and shame. I wasn't allowed to be a man, you see. I would rush to correct anyone. No no no! I'm a girl! Ignore my short hair, my men's clothes, my masculine body language and mannerisms and stereotypically male interests. No, I'm not a lesbian, I'm straight! I'm attracted to men, not women! I'm just... like this.

I couldn't be a trans man, I figured, because if I were, being "mistaken" for a man would feel good, right?

Imposter syndrome kept me from understanding who I was for three and a half decades. But even once I'd figured it out, even once I transitioned, even once I started passing as male, I still felt like I wasn't allowed.

I wasn't doing MAN well enough. I was too soft. I was too sensitive. My facial hair was too patchy. My voice was too high. Everyone would know I wasn't a REAL man. I rushed to bury any sign of softness or femininity, not even out of fear of what other people would think, but out of shame for still, somehow, not being MANLY enough. Even though I hadn't been directly taught that I was a man and meant to hide my emotions and be hard and cold and aggressive, I'd learned those lessons anyway.

I tried talking to some of my cis guy friends about this, but they weren't helpful. They'd learned the MANLINESS lessons too well. They'd laugh it off, uncomfortably. Or proudly declare that they hadn't cried since they were 12 years old. Or shrug and say yeah well, welcome to being a man hahahahaha! then change the subject. None of them said they had the same problem or felt the same way. They wouldn't even have a non-sarcastic conversation about it.

Well, fuck. Maybe I'm really NOT manly enough.

Then one day I met this guy. Just a casual acquaintance, met in a professional setting. A very good-looking, good-natured, positive, sweet, funny guy. I even developed a little crush on him. But this guy was very obviously some genre of neurodivergent. He was very open and direct. He talked about his feelings even with people he didn't know well. He didn't bury his excitement at something interesting or his empathy when someone wasn't feeling well. He volunteered all kinds of personal information. He would ask all sorts of personal questions, then quickly realize what he was saying and backpedal, apologizing, saying he hoped he wasn't prying. I had to reassure him over and over again that I didn't mind. It was clear that he had a history of being told off for being inappropriate or rude. He was what many people would consider an "oversharer". Well, so am I. I liked how he kept volunteering personal information. It made me feel comfortable doing the same thing. We quickly bonded, though the nature of our relationship required us to keep a certain formal distance.

When I told him I was trans, somewhat sheepishly, he got visibly excited. He wasn't trans himself, but he found it fascinating. He had questions about my transition (quickly apologizing for asking - is it okay if he asks this? - it's alright if I tell him to shut up!) and I assured him I don't mind talking about it and answered his questions.

Then I mentioned that I was feeling pretty bad about my facial hair. His whole face went 😲 and he interrupted me to blurt out I FEEL BAD ABOUT MY FACIAL HAIR TOO!!! (sorry sorry sorry for interrupting!) He pointed to a few spots on his face that didn't grow hair and said he always felt unmanly for not being able to grow a "proper" beard.

But his beard was beautiful. It was fairly thick and soft even though he had fair hair. The spots that didn't grow hair were just... the shape of his beard. I had to suppress a laugh. I told him his beard was amazing and I'd kill for that kind of facial hair. He was shocked to hear it. He said no one had ever complimented his beard (but of course, who would ever think to do so?) and he'd gone his whole life assuming it was pathetic.

Then I told him about my voice. It had pretty much settled at this point, and though it had gotten a lot deeper, it was still kind of... adolescent sounding. Squeaky. Nerdy.

Again the 😲 and an interruption - MY VOICE IS SQUEAKY TOO! (His voice is. Not Squeaky.) Now and then, he said, he hears his voice crack, even though he left puberty many years ago. He still hears the occasional squeak and he knows everyone can hear it and is certain everyone thinks he's weird and unmanly because of it.

His voice is beautiful. I've never once heard it squeak. While we were talking he said THERE IT IS AGAIN! THAT WAS IT, DID YOU HEAR IT??? I hadn't. There was no squeak. I told him that his voice probably just sounds different in his head than it does to other people. I promised him I'd never heard his voice squeak. He looked ready to cry. All this time he'd been ashamed of something that wasn't even a thing.

We ran out of time to chat, but as we were saying our goodbyes, he thanked me for talking to him about my insecurities. He'd never been able to have such conversations with other men before. He'd spent his life convinced he was the only one. That he wasn't manly enough. I assured him that he was, in fact, very manly indeed, in the ways that mattered. That his beard was enviable and his voice was steady and pleasant on the ears. And I thanked him for sharing his feelings with me, because I'd desperately needed to know I wasn't alone, either. And he assured me that I was perfectly manly as well.

So this is me, passing on these thoughts to the rest of the world. To other men, whether cis or trans: feeling like you're the only one who isn't MAN ENOUGH is actually extraordinarily common. It's something we've all been taught by the toxic masculinity in our culture. It's bad and wrong that we were taught that, but we are not bad and wrong for feeling insecure. And if you're the kind of person who would rush to assure other men that it's actually good for men to be soft and kind and sensitive and empathetic and open about their feelings, put in the effort to make sure you apply that to yourself, too. You might be amazed at how much good you can do the other men in your life just by being honest about your insecurities, because a lot of them are probably hiding scared in their little bubbles, convinced they're the only ones. (And many of them might not respond in kind. The fear might be too deeply ingrained to overcome. But it can still do some good, both for them and for you, to be honest about it anyway.)

We're half the human race. There's a lot of us. And the only qualifier for being a MAN is feeling like that's what you want to be.

[letitiaslabyrinth]

M A S T E R L I S T

Hey!! My names luxen!!

Feel free to leave constructive criticism/feedback! If you'd like, you can add me to your tag list or asked to be added to mine.

Rules:

1. I do not write for real people (Letitia Wright, Dominique Thorne), only fictional characters (Shuri Udaku, Riri Williams).

2. Any and all x readers will be POC.

3. I will not write incest, r/pe, or any kind of unconsensual sexual things.

4. I do not and will not write anything that has to do with Nashuri.

5. You can vent in my ask box if needed <3.

6. I only write for women(this may change).

7. If you ask for a certain fic and it doesn't get done in a certain time frame, please remember that I've got a life outside of Tumblr and that I will try my best to start or finish it!

8. I don't write smut. I’m too young for it.

9. As of now, I only write for Shuri and Riri.

10. Do not rush me to finish any pieces of work.

MY WORKS

SHURI UDAKU

Shuri Udaku headcannons

lovesick!shuri who's a softy. She loves you. You know she loves you, she knows she loves you and she'll be damned if she doesn't let everyone in all of Wakanda know, too. Shuri isn't afraid to show you off when the two of you are in public. She doesn't get too territorial when it comes to you because she knows that you're hers and she's yours.

Keep me close

"It's a promise ring," she says quickly, "I know you're not ready for marriage yet, my love."

You put the ring on your ring finger, a smile on your face.

Shuri kisses you on the forehead and places one of the onesies in your hands. "You take a shower and I'll make us something to eat, alright?"

Grief

Shuri sits up slowly. She breathes in deeply and unlocks the door. "Why're you here?" Her voice is low and raspy, surprising both of them. It had been a while since Shuri had actually said something out loud.

"I heard you weren't doing so good so I came to check on you," Riri says. She's worried. Shuri can see it all over her face and hear it in her voice but she doesn’t want to be a burden.

Addiction

There were times when you would get upset about her drinking while she was drinking and she would always talk you down. Not in a bad way, Shuri doesn't like yelling to resolve an argument or a disagreement. It doesn't solve anything to raise your voice, it only makes you and the situation more hostile. Shuri would wait for you to stop talking and then politely ask if you could lower your tone. She doesn't do it to guilt trip or make you feel guilty or anything, she just can't stand yelling. And if you do actually lower your tone and calm yourself down, the two of you talk reasonably for hours. You tell her what happened, why you're mad, and how the situation escalated to the point where you had to raise your voice.

★

RIRI WILLIAMS

Stay with me

You open the car door, smiling at the red and pink bouquet of flowers on your seat. You look over at Riri, who also has a smile on her face.

"Ri, when did you have the time to get these?" You finish your sentence while getting in the car, the flowers on your lap, "They are literally stunning."

"I got em while you were napping during your foot massage. Figured it was the only time I had to disappear for minute without you noticin'."

Something new

You stand there for another minute or two before deciding that since she wouldn't address her absence then you would. "So, we're not gonna talk about the fact that you just up and left, again, this morning?"

Shuri shrugs and sits down on the couch. "What sense does it make? You ask, I ignore you and the cycle repeats? No thanks."

"Why can't you communicate with me?" "For Bast's sake, y/n." Shuri groans and rolls her eyes. "Here you go, again."

Gf!Riri hcs

She falls asleep whenever you two are watching a movie or even when you two are just alone. She feels safe with you at all times so she knows to lower her guard.

She is 100% a homebody. She likes leaving the house but she also doesn’t. If she has to choose between staying home and going out, she’s gonna pick staying in and especially if you're staying home with her.

Nervous

"Tryna get drunk already, Ri?"

"Thats what we came here for, isn’t it?"

"You do know that shit is gonna give you a nasty ass hangover, right?"

Riri shrugs and chugs her drink. It only takes a few seconds before she starts coughing quietly. It was spicy and left her throat a little sore but she liked it. She filled her cup again while Shuri watched.

"Don't come to me tomorrow morning begging me to make you something to eat and drink, you know? I gave you your warning."

You haven't seen my girl

The way Riri always looked at you with love in her eyes made you melt. It’s like she’s a cartoon character with hearts for eyes. Whenever she talked about you to somebody she’d always say “My girl”. You liked that. Being called her girl was something you lived for.

There weren’t enough words in the English language that could explain how much love Riri has for you in her heart. Every time she looks at you, a love song plays in her head. It’s not a sexual love song. It’s a slow, romantic one. Sad Girl by Lana Del Rey. That explains her love for you. That plays in her head whenever you’re in her view, and honestly, it makes her fall even deeper in love with you each time.

Just seeing you smile, seeing you write, cook, draw, seeing you do things that she knows you love, makes her fall even more in love with you. It’s not the fact that you do things that you like, it’s the fact that you do them with a smile on your face. Cooking, writing, and drawing all bring you happiness, and for Riri to be able to experience that in real-time makes her heart flourish.

Trust in her

"Rianna?" She moves closer. "That's my name now?"

"I'm not callin' you Riri when you tryna play wit me." You put your lipgloss on and look at yourself in the mirror. You look good and you know it.

"You look good, mama," Riri says, coming behind you and kissing your head. "You sure you don't want me coming with you?"

"So you can beat the hell outta some nigga that look at me the wrong way?" You laugh, "Nah, Ion want no drama tonight, but if you promise to behave then you can come with me."

You see her smile. "Aight, I'ma behave."

★

SHURI X RIRI

At the end of the day

Shuri put her hand in chest and sank to the floor, crying. "Griot," she says softly.

"Yes, my queen?" The A.I answers.

"Call Riri. Tell her it's an emergency."

"Calling Mrs. Williams now."

Riri rushed into the lab, frantically looking around for her wife. She stopped for a second and heard crying. It was soft but she was able to figure out where it was coming from.

Riri kneeled down next to Shuri, "Baby, what happened?"

Roller skating

Riri wraps her hand around Shuri's waist to hold her upright. She's clinging on for dear life. They move slowly towards the counter. Once they've made it, Riri notices how Shuri is slightly less tense but still scared. Riri asks for the trainer and gives it to Shuri. Shuri feels embarrassed having to use a trainer to skate, like everyone's gonna be staring at her once she's in the rink.

"You're okay, my love." Riri says softly. "I know you're scared but I'm not gonna let you get hurt."

Shuri closes her eyes and breathes in deeply and opens her eyes. They're on the rink. She didn't even feel them move.

Riri stays behind her the whole time, hands on her hips, moving her forward when needed. "Keep moving, ma, you got it." She says proudly.

Vacation (coming ???)

Didn't deserve

“Are you hungry?” Shuri asked Imani from the kitchen. No response. Shuri rolled her eyes and went over to her girlfriend, standing in front of her. “Can you just tell me why you’re ignoring me?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because you should remember. It’s not my fault your memory is shit.”

“And it’s not my fault that you’re having this one-sided ass fight over something I don’t even fucking remember, Imani. We're dating, aren’t we? We’re supposed to be able to talk to one another when we have issues but instead you're pushing me away and ignoring me.”

Didn't deserve part 2

"Imani?" Shuri says, causing her to turn around. She looks… different. A good different. But Shuri won't let herself fall for that trick again. "Why're you here?"

"I came to apologize." Her voice is different, too. It sounds more mature than Shuri remembered. "I was tryna reach out to you last night so that we could actually schedule a day that you weren't busy so I could come by but you didn't answer so I figured an apology in person would be better."

Shuri keeps her guard up while Imani talks, her arms folded over chest. "I don't forgive you."

Imani stays quiet for a few seconds. "What? Shuri, I said I was sorry."

"Yeah, and I do not forgive you. You put me through hell, Imani, and I know you didn't seriously come here thinking that those two words would make you forgive you for everything. And, to be honest, I would tell you how fucked up in the head I am because of you, but knowing you, you'd probably use it against me in the future, if we even talk. So, why don't you just save both of our time and tell me why you're really here."

[topconfessions]

Ok I can understand if you don’t want to answer this question as it’s very loaded but I feel you’d be the type to have a mature opinion on it. So it’s completely unrelated to kpop but anyway what’s your opinion on the allegations against MJ? As a longtime fan I always assumed he was innocent but recently I’ve been reading about the accusations and I’m starting to think there may be some truth to it, I hope I’m wrong though.

He was innocent but had an undiagnosed chronic psychiatric illness. He was severely mentally ill and because he came up in a time where mental health resources didnt exist nor was respected, promoted or shared, if you had mental issues to the point to the point where it manifests like Michael, you were held accountable in a henious manner for it. I think people today want to blindly rewrite history or forget (unless you're young) that bring mentally ill was a death sentence up till 2010.

Someone like Michael today couldn't get far in the industry being this different and off putting cause his oddities would've been presented to him in his face excessively in both positive and negative manners. He was clearly in frueds adolescent stage of development mentally and his mental illness is just as severe as schizophrenia. I'm sorry but that's just the truth.

There Is no truth to it. Michael was physically abused by the FBI agents and he was investigated rigorously for 17 years and his entire home was raided with extensive files kept on every aspect of his life, he was monitored as well. He did have an inappropriate socializing relationship with children in terms of boundaries but again this is because he had a severe mental illness and I put his illness up there with Disassociative identity disorder or schizophrenia.

No one confronted Michael about being this mentally warped and unwell cause he was too powerful and beneficial in his ill state to people who needed money from him to do it. If beyonce had this same sort of issue or oddity, everyone would be rushing to tell her to face at some point that they think she needs to get diagnosed and she would be shipped off to get psychiatric treatment with it framed as "rehab".

Also please research again cause he was lied on and the story was a lie, the details changed several times and Chris tucker warned Michael to leave certain families alone cause of family that targeted Michael tried to target him and he got used by them himself. Michael was a people pleaser and couldn't say no so that one kid who accused him, Michael befriended him in the first place cause his mother kept calling him blowing him up during the bad tour begging Michael to take her son and let him go on the tour with him after they filmed a commercial project together. Michael tried to ignore the calls several times but let the kid come along.

Michael lacked professional boundaries and was too personable with people. That could never happen today cause you need to go through publicists, PR team, lawyers, representatives and the such. Michael had deep rooted issues that would've taken his whole life up to his 70s heal if he lived. A long term work in progress.

Also please understand that Michael was statically the most famous person on earth after Jesus christ, princess Diana, and Elvis. In that order. He had a rare freedom to live the way he wanted to to the point that it defied logic cause he was a billionaire and at the top plus he was extremely mentally ill with no treatment or awareness of it so he lacked the ability to have mature social and self awareness of how he differed from others.

As far as the literal big question of if he did it or not, no. He didn't. he wouldn't have made it past 40 if he did. That's just a fact. Also I always got the impression from him he would commit suicide in some way or pay for voluntarily suicide and have it marked off as a plastic surgery related death if he was guilty. I'm still amazed he lived till 50 with his type of life cause anyone else wouldn't be able to make it to that age.

He is innocent but his extreme poor decisions and extreme way of living and mental illness illicit feelings of him being guilty cause people can't stomach how he got away with living in such a unique circumstance and not caring enough to conform to the expectations or society.

Michael having this issue kept a lot of people safe. Jay Z and Beyonce wouldn't have half the assets and businesses they have and Sony would just be broken up into a cluster of shares if Michael had the normal intellect of a regular grown man. Deep down I can feel everyone knows they're lucky Michael was mentally stunted and difficult.

He didn't do it.

He really didn't.

Also I'd like to know how old you are and how much you know about MJ cause I notice people under 27-30 usually have this consensus about him.

[darth-kote]

Okay I know I'm breaking from the blog rn but I couldn't ignore this. I have been trying to confirm the theory that Jango is nd to myself for a hot minute! Just a really long tangent and some of the thoughts I haven't been able to articulate yet:

Jango clearly follows his own moral code, and he has a strong sense of justice... Oh, and don't get me started on him needing a clone of himself to feel whole, seen, validated... I do appreciate this idea of him being AuDHD bc impulse control is at zilch and he's always chasing novelty for that dopamine hit.. definitely gotta read more comics and books to see more of Jango but yeah, I do often think about how his neurodivergence would definitely impact the other Clones.

Nature and nurture both play a part; so despite the fact they all have the same genetic makeup, the environment in which they are raised will have an effect on how or if each clone will present traits of these neurodivergences... And yes, they were all raised and trained on Kamino, but their individuality (responses to certain stimuli, rejection, etc) will differ.

Immediately, my mind goes to Hardcase, who clearly has more difficulty controlling his impulses than many of his brothers. Because of Jango's genetic makeup, Hardcase was already predisposed to these traits. Something in his time as a cadet exacerbated his desire for dopamine, his spontaneous behavior... Maybe getting caught out while doing something he wasn't supposed to. He found that he enjoyed the rush, thus compelling him to continue chasing that feeling in other ways - speaking when not supposed to (imagine him whispering to his brothers in the middle of the night, long after they're all supposed to be asleep), going into places he shouldn't... Lots of self-gratification. Things like that.

Oh oh oh!!! And don't get me started on how the Kaminoans were definitely forcing the clones to mask and generally hide their divergences... Maybe that's why I fucking despise that mf Bric 🙂 Cutup... They tried to put his fire out and it makes me livid just thinking about it.

+ the Batch being less used to/expected to mask because of their purposeful "defects" - YES. They wear their personalities on their sleeves with no fear of repercussion because... Well, the Kaminoans find it serves a purpose. The other Clones, though? Fuck em. Which probably sends mixed signals to the regs - are they even really all that different from CF99, or are they just forced to hide the things that make them more themselves? ... (Ignoring their enhanced physical abilities..)

This also makes me understand more when there's a little tension between CF99 and the regs. They've been socialized so differently, and I'm sure the rest of the Clones feel a little on edge when they see a fellow Clone just.. being themself. Oh, and internalized ableism probably makes them see any signs of nd as "wrong" 😔 - ofc each reg will be different!! Some don't mask hardly at all, and they are a bit intrigued by CF99.

Think about Domino Squad. There would definitely have been an air of admiration there..

++ they almost got decommissioned on account of their not falling into line with what everyone else wanted - the Kaminoans, the Jedi, the bounty hunters, Sidious.... The real fucking issue there is that they weren't properly encouraged to just be themselves, embrace the differences of each squadmate, to believe they could function as a team. 99 told Hevy that he was the leader, to lean into the things that made him himself - and that this would encourage the others to do the same. If it weren't for a fellow CLONE (and a defective one at that) they'd have been neglected and turned into janitors - cleaning after their makers.

Anyway, the point is that the line between defective/reg is blurred when we see this squad.... The division is built by the Kaminoans, the Republic - the systems in which they exist.

And as I write this, I'm thinking about how the Clones - for some reason - were just.. Too Much for the rest of the galaxy to accept. I never knew why but.. their overwhelming neurodivergence probably made a lot of people uncomfortable. They didn't act the way people wanted, didn't conform.. many weren't sure whether or not to give them rights because they didn't act the way "normal" people would. Many struggled to see their humanity despite the fact they're some of the most genuine people.

I will definitely not stop talking about this. I find it sooo interesting, and I'll probably definitely headcanon some of the Clones to have OCD bc I need to feel validated through my special interest lmao + there's a very high comorbidity rate of ASD and OCD, so it's just logical that some would be plagued by rituals and obsessions. Fox'ika.... I'm looking right into your beautiful eyes.

The Clones, in my eyes, represent the spectrum itself. None are exactly the same. Some go together and have the same traits but.. they're all unique and blatantly individual. <3

Autism

[twistedmusings]

I'm not going to request it now because requests are closed, but that Savanaclaw petting scenario was really cute and like,, Octavinelle petting and examining them

(,,• W •,,)

A/N: If you can pinpoint the exact moment I started to slowly doubt my writing ability and how to write these characters, I will give you, the reader, 100 points. Cause man this was rough to write when you have writer's block q wq But anyways, this was when my requests were closed BUT I WANTED TO COME THROUGH WITH IT! I would like to dedicate it to @kirayamidemon since I read their comic and it was...excellent.

But in other news, I found out that eels like to be petted!

Warnings: Eel petting, Octopus petting and all three Octavinelle members feeling a certain way when you finally give them those pats.

[Floyd-Senpai: Shrimpy~! Meet us in the mirror room tonight! Azul says he wants to give you something!] 

Your eyes look down at your phone before pocketing it back into your jacket, taking another sip of the Coral Pink drink Floyd had made for you before you left Monstro Lounge as you reminisce back on the day you just had. 

Today has been probably the most successful day the Monstro Lounge has had in a while. You had offered up the idea to Azul while you two walked to the cafeteria, mentioning touching a manta ray once and how you didn’t expect them to be so slimy. He had looked at you curiously and asked if you had just been a curious child when you were growing up, but you told him that you used to go to a lot of aquariums and how you would go straight to the petting exhibit. 

And the moment you said petting exhibit, Azul already had cashed the idea in. 

Aquariums had been placed elegantly among the tables of Monstro Lounge tonight. The smaller aquariums on the tables were closed lid, giving the customers a chance to enjoy the little ecosystems Jade had personally made for the creatures Azul had brought in while partaking in their drinks and meals. It made for a killer Magicam picture and Azul had predicted with Vil’s and Cater’s attendance the hashtag #MonstroLoungeExperience would be trending by the time they reached the dinner rush.

It trended faster than they thought. 

Most foot traffic, however, came from the piece de resistance. 

In the middle of the Lounge, a large aquarium had been placed at foot level where various customers could reach down and pet larger animals such as sting rays, sturgeon fish, starfishes and sea cucumbers. All of them with little placards stating fun facts as well as little sections with a bunch of coral that made for another perfect Magicam photo opportunity. 

It had been an amazing experience and you felt like you had almost grown closer to the three Octavinelle students, which was always an ‘A+’ in your book. 

You were pretty sure you saw Azul smiling from ear to ear by the time they closed and Floyd and Jade looked physically exhausted from having to deal with so many customers. They had been busy from opening to closing with no breaks in between so you figured that they would want to rest. 

So getting a message from Floyd so late at night had been somewhat confusing. 

But you didn’t question it, the fact that Azul wants to give you something making you ever so curious. 

Who knows, maybe if the sea creatures were still around Azul could let you pet them some more? 

Out of everyone you had probably been the most excited for the petting exhibit and you had given him the idea so the possibility of playing more with the starfishes and manta rays pushed you to move faster. 

Finishing the last of your drink and throwing it away in the nearest trash can, you push open the doors to the mirror room with a smile--!  

Only to find nobody. 

“...huh.” 

You look around, not daring to call out either of their names since, technically, you weren’t even supposed to be here. The only thing you could do was take a few steps further, looking around as you try to make some sense of the situation. 

Why wouldn’t they meet you in Octavinelle? The Monstro Lounge was there, as well as all the creatures. Azul’s office was there as well so if he wanted to give you something he could have given it to you there, so why had Floyd asked to meet them in the Mirror room? You look around for a moment before frowning as the realization set in. 

It was a prank. 

“Dammit.” 

Of course. Why would Floyd even act this nice towards you if it wasn’t to lull you into a false sense of security? The table you had sat in today had a beautiful aquarium with a bunch of little shrimps floating around and the mereel, more than once, had opened the lid and stuck his hand inside to grab one of the shrimps and hang it over his open mouth. 

You thought he was just acting this way because he was stressed from working so much but he probably had just done it to tease you! With a huff, you pull out your phone and open up his contact number to give him a piece of your mind--! 

“Aha! Shrimpy is here!” 

Only to gag as the back of your jacket is grabbed by a slimy aquamarine hand, pulling you into the nearest mirror and leaving nothing but your phone laying on the ground. 

Floyd’s hands pull you into a hug the moment you are pulled into the water, laughing as he sees you thrashing around and pulling at the arms keeping you pressed close to him. 

“Ahhhh! Shrimpy stop moving!” 

The mereel squeezes you tight, smiling as he looks down at the moment you realize who is holding you and what you are able to do. 

He grins and wraps his tail around you, the fins brushing your fingertips as the shock slowly starts to die down and the curiosity starts to set in. Floyd’s eyes shine brighter under the sea, your hand going to your chest as you expected to drown immediately but finding it simple to breathe in and out. 

“What--?!”

“Finally!” 

“There we go~ Breathe in--”

You take a deep breath. 

“And out~” 

Your chest relaxes as Floyd giggles at how wide your eyes have gotten, letting you go with his arms but his tail wrapping around one of your legs and pulling you close to him once again. He smiles when your hands go up to inspect the fins on his ears but stop as if the situation was still highly unreal for you to believe. 

He guessed humans rarely got to see the sea during the night, but he was glad he got to show you this sight. Even if it was Azul’s idea in the first place. 

Looking around, you notice that you had been here before. 

It was the Coral Sea. 

You look back at the mereel as Floyd tilts his head at your confusion, smiling as he sees the shining in your eyes get brighter when you notice that the veins in his arms and the ones going up his neck are all shining in the moonlit water. 

“Floyd…” 

Ah. You really looked too cute. Especially when you were looking at him with so much wonder. Maybe he should just take you out further and hide near the corals, somewhere Jade nor Azul would look as he preens under your attention. 

He blinks as you break out of the spell long enough to point a finger at him. 

“You--! Why did you call me to the Mirror room so late! The last thing I need to do is get in trouble with the Headmaster!” 

Floyd frowns, “You didn’t get in trouble! I pulled you when I heard your voice! Why didn’t you call out to me!” 

“Because I couldn’t see tail nor fin of you!”

Both of you stop talking after your dumb joke, looking at each other with surprise before a giggle escapes your lips first, turning into a full blown laugh between you both as he takes your hand and presses it under the fins in his ears. 

“Shrimpy was so mean today. Petting all those creatures and ignoring everything else. It made me want to eat all of them up.” 

You smile and rub right under the juncture where fins meet skin, Floyd shivering as he pulls you closer to him. 

“Eels don’t eat any invertebrates, right? You guys are mostly carnivores.” 

He grins and gives you a small squeeze. You even knew of his diet? Why hadn’t you mentioned you knew some things about sea creatures. If you had, Floyd would have dragged you to the Coral Sea way before this! He smiles as your hands go all the way down to his neck, tracing each vein slowly but not going any further than his clavicle and choosing instead to run your fingers from his shoulder blades all the way to his Adam's apple. 

“Shrimpy is being too shy. Here!” 

You gasp as Floyd grabs your hand and helps you swim over to a pair of rocks, sitting you down on top as the bottom of his tail wrapped around your legs to keep you anchored. He laughs as he practically sits on you, choosing instead to lay the top half of his tail on your lap as you look down at the shiny, swishing fins. 

“Now you can touch as much as you’d like!” 

Floyd was ready to make a joke about how this would a much better petting experience for you but his eyes widen when he sees the wonder in yours, the smile in his face disappearing as he watches your fascination with his fins, running your fingers through his caudal fin and rubbing the edges with your hand. His hands twitch as you run yours up his tail, taking in the slimy but firm feeling before looking up at him and reaching out to cup his face with one hand. 

He presses his cheek against your palm, smiling as you scratch right over his ear fin and almost jumping up from the rock as you start to rub the appendage. 

“Shrimpy wait--” 

Shit, he almost bit his tongue. He could barely look into your curious eyes as his heart sped up, the most sensitive area of his body being played and inspected with being a far too new feeling for him to just laugh it off. 

Floyd bites his bottom lip as his tail squeezes your legs, closing his eyes as he felt several shivers go up his spine. It felt too good--

“Floyd?” 

The mereel slowly comes down from the high as he glares at the intruder, clicking his tongue as he saw who it was. 

A pair of identical eyes to Floyd’s turn in your direction, your hand pulling away from the other as you turned to greet Jade. 

“You certainly took them farther than I thought you would.” 

He chuckles as his brother turns away, clearly not wanting you to see the blush on his cheeks. Nevertheless, his attention immediately goes back to you, swimming over to your side and sitting on the opposite of where Floyd was situated. 

“Did you have any troubles finding us?” 

You shook your head, “Floyd grabbed me and pulled me in before I could leave.” 

Jade nods and looks down at how Floyd had situated himself, a brief pang of jealousy overtaking him as he scoots closer, takes your hand and presses it on his chest. You immediately try to pull back but Jade’s eyes lid as he tugs you in closer, the veins in his chest shining even brighter than Floyd’s as he immediately feels you relax in his touch. 

“Do you know what this is, [Y/N]-san?” 

His eyes take their time to take in all of you as you nod your head, whispering the word ‘bioluminescence’ as Jade licks his lips. 

How strange was it to see you so focused. Jade had taken his time during the lull of the Monstro Lounge hours to watch you near the petting tank, your fingers running over the manta rays and tapping at the carapaces of the horseshoe crabs. And like his brother he did feel a certain sort of jealousy for those creatures, but he also saw an opportunity. 

An opportunity to get your guard down. 

His eyes look over at Floyd, the other pouting as your fingers start to trace Jade’s chest all by themselves.

“Uhm--” 

Jade’s attention goes back to you, “Yes?” 

“I didn’t think that moray eels had bioluminescence.” 

He smiles and takes your hand again, guiding it from the middle of his chest all the way to his cheek making sure that your fingers feel the light travel in his veins as you start to wriggle out of Floyd’s hold and into Jade’s. 

“Our kind is a mixture of many eels types. While our exterior is that of a moray eel, our interior is also made up of certain eels that use this feature as a way to communicate with other animals, warn predators…” 

The mereel decides to keep the ‘lure prey’ part out of his explanation. 

Jade’s eyes immediately went to Floyd’s as the other was about to speak up, glaring at him to keep his mouth quiet for he had his turn. His eyes soften when they go back to you, your eyes still taking in all of the small trails of light decorating Jade’s body as your hands trace against the caudal fins on his arms. 

They were rougher than the ones near their ears…

Slowly, your hands go to the fins on the side of Jade’s face, the mereel tensing up but keeping his eyes on you as you start to tug and rub at the appendages. 

“[Y/N]-san…” 

His nails scratch against the rocks as he feels your fingers trace every line they can find, his fins giving a little twitch as you push them back only to watch them slowly move back to their original spot. You had no idea what you were making him feel, what you probably made Floyd feel. 

And if his dear brother wanted to keep it a secret, then he would keep his mouth shut as well. 

Having someone touch them so freely, especially that area, was an act reserved for mates only. Even during courtship this was prohibited and if any other merperson happened to swim by it would be as if they just tumbled into the merman equivalent of someone shoving their fingers in between someone else’s legs. 

But your curiosity was so endearing and Jade just couldn’t find it in himself to pull you away. In fact, that look of yours full of innocence and naivety was so cute that if he let his instincts run wild you would find yourself being dragged to the Leech's home--

“What--you two!” 

His reason kicks back in as Jade smiles and turns to look at the new visitor. 

The octomer’s face is bright red as he locks eyes with you, your hands letting go of Jade’s fins as he smiles and waves at Azul. 

“I’m glad you decided to join us, Azul.”

He wants to say something about what the hell he just saw but he decides to save it, knowing full well that Jade nor Floyd were going to give him a straight answer. Instead, he decides to address you directly. 

“Inferring from our conversation from early this morning as well as your actions during the Monstro Lounge opening hours, I figured you would like this sort of surprise." 

He clears his throat, sneaking a peek at your face and quickly looking away as he saw your eyes staring straight at him. 

Humans like you are still curious about the different types of merpeople, especially those like Jade and Floyd, so after much consideration I decided--” 

"Azul, you're beautiful." 

Oh no. He bit his tongue. Fuck, fuck, fuck he bit his tongue and now it hurts like a shell clamping down on his hand--why had you gone and say something like that so suddenly?! 

"Excuse me?" 

The spell Jade had you in was completely broken as you pulled out of the brother's hold and swam over to him, stopping when you noticed him backing away. 

Azul stared at you and you stared back at him. 

He couldn't help it. After all the things he had to deal with, it was hard enough for him to even appear in front of you like this. And it wasn't like he was doing it as a showing of any sort of affection towards you, he just didn't want to owe you any favours from the idea you had given him! 

All he had to do was just...reach a tentacle out-- 

"Huh?" 

Azul notices you swimming back a tiny bit, smiling at the tentacle shyly reaching out to you. 

"You can turn back, you know. I don't want you to feel forced to do this." 

You point at him, your eyes still wide with curiosity but keeping your distance. 

"The fact that I get to see you like this is enough." 

Azul can feel his heart skip a beat, tentacles unfurling even more as the need to hide melted away. 

But...he owed you a favor... 

"Honestly. Thank you so much Azul." 

For the Sea Witch's sake, he really couldn't pin you down, could he? 

The octomer swims over, floating right in front of you as one tentacle shyly brushes against your fingertips. They twitch in interest but you do not move, looking up at Azul expectantly. 

You really were too nice for your own good, waiting for someone to give you the okay when he clearly wanted you to at least inspect that part of him. 

"Go...go ahead." 

Your touch is soft, pressing your hands right against his suckers and chuckling at the small noise they made as they attached themselves to your skin. Azul moves in a bit closer as some tentacles start wrapping around your ankles and wrists, his natural instincts taking over as his tentacles wrap around the person he really liked. 

Well not like as in like like but a like he had yet to put a definition to. And it's not like it needed a definition, you certainly weren't asking him what sort of like it was and the thought of what kind of like it really was didn't keep him up at night at all. 

"Oop!" 

Azul almost wants to screech at the tentacle going in between your legs and hoisting you up, offering you a sort of makeshift seat as the other appendages start to press against your neck, leaving behind little sucker marks in their wake. 

This situation was not only testing his boundaries but also his patience. 

"I didn't think they would be so slippery...and so soft!" 

Please don't look so curious about him! It's going to give him wild expectations! 

The tip of a tentacle rubs against your cheek, Azul's face an almost red tomato as he hears you chuckle and push the appendage back but for some reason his tentacles weren't listening to him so the thing only pushed forward even more--

"Ah! No fair!" 

Floyd comes up behind you, wrapping you up in a hug as he points a finger at Azul. 

"No hogging Shrimpy to yourself!" 

Azul swims back in alarm. 

"I wasn't hogging anyone!" 

Jade laughs as he swims right up behind you, a hand on your shoulder as he pulls you back. 

"Azul you might want to look down." 

The octomer blinks only to look down, seeing that one of his tentacles had stubbornly wrapped around your waist. 

"Ahh...ahhhh….!" 

You, Jade and Floyd blink as dark ink fills the water, Azul covering his face and letting you go, swimming to the nearest hole and curling up inside as he strangles one of his tentacles. 

Of all the things to embarrass him it just had  to be himself, huh?! 

"Azul? Wait come back!" 

"Shrimpy tell me I'm beautiful as well~!" 

"Floyd let me go! There's ink everywhere!" 

"Not until you tell me I'm beautiful!" 

"Jade!" 

"Azul is more than okay, I can assure you...although I would also like the same compliment as well, [Y/N]-san." 

The next day, you woke up with a high fever due to swimming all night, a present from all of the Octavinelle students at your doorstep with an apology card neatly placed on top. 

[sunrisefairy]

Annoying

Paring: Remus Lupin x fem!reader Warning: NSFW! MDNI 18+ unprotected sex, swearing, mentions of oral sex. If I’ve forgotten anything let me know! Summary: Remus finds the reader so annoyingly distracting.  A/N: for the anon that wanted a mix of enemies to lovers and Remus losing control near the full moon. I hope I did it justice.  Requests are open!

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Remus Lupin isn’t one to hate people, sure there is only a select few people that he actually likes spending time with and considers his good friends but that doesn’t mean that he dislikes everyone else, he just doesn’t have time for a lot of people, especially annoying people. And some people are just more annoying than others and most times those people don’t even realise they’re acting as such. Except for the girl who is basically in every one of his classes, you. Remus is certain you know how infuriating you are, especially when you shoot your hand up to beat Remus to answering a question or how a smile will stretch across your pretty lips when you finds out you scored higher than Remus on a test or how you always seems to giggle a little louder when you knows Remus is nearby. Remus finds it irritating how you seems to know exactly how to get on his nerves, you know precisely how to make his cheeks heat up in anger and make his blood boil and his cock hard, okay maybe you don’t realise you’re doing the last one but still. But the thing that annoys Remus the most is you don’t seem to care.

Being friends with James Potter and Sirius Black, Remus has learnt to obtain the patience of a saint. He finds no trouble in zoning out their constant chatter and ignoring their mindless bickering. However, as it gets closer to a full moon, Remus’ tolerance wears thin and the marauders quickly learnt to simmer down and be wary of Remus around a full moon, unless either one of them wanted a smack to the back of the head. As it gets closer to his transformations Remus’ senses are heightened tenfold, it’s as if he can hear every sound, smell every scent and everything he tastes is 10 times more intense.

His joints were aching more than usual last night so that combined with Peters constant snoring ensured minimal sleep which resulted in Remus being extra irritable today which would have been manageable if he didn’t have a class first thing with you. Beautiful, cute, annoying you.

Remus thought if he could just spend the lesson concentrating hard enough on the professors dull voice that you sitting in the same room as him wouldn’t be an issue, it wasn’t like he sat next to you anyway, James or Sirius always occupied the desk next to him eager to ‘share’ his notes. Expect this day was different, because Remus got little sleep last night he slept through his alarm and somehow even slept through the booming voices of the Marauders when they were getting ready this morning. Remus started off the day jumping out of bed and rushing to get ready, having no time for breakfast (which added to his already foul mood) and practically falling through the classroom door only to find his usual seat was pre-occupied by some girl Sirius was trying to woo and James was sitting next to Pete.

“Ah, Mr. Lupin. How fantastic to see you have finally decided to join us. Please find a seat so I can continue on with my lesson,” the Professor states before continuing his lifeless lesson.

Remus quickly scans the room for a free chair to rush to, he spots one in the far corner of the room but falters in his step when he notices who is seated next to the free space, you. Remus groans when he realises this was the only free chair and very obviously drags his feet before plopping down beside you, he can only hope you decided to not be annoyingly distracting today.

“How scandalous that Mr. prefect is late to class,” you whisper, chuckling when you see Remus roll his eyes, a usual reaction of his.

Remus comes to the conclusion that the best point of action is to just pretend you don’t exist, which goes according to plan until 3 quarters of the way through the lesson. The thing is, Remus hasn’t sat in such close proximity to you this close to a full moon before and he’s struggling to keep his focus on the jumble of words in front of him and not on the way you’re obnoxiously twirling your hair between your fingers. Whatever perfume you sprayed on yourself is suffocating Remus’ nostrils and he can’t get enough. Within no time Remus thoughts are straying away from his textbook to more filthy thoughts surrounding you. The main image that is burning a hole in his brain is the thought of burying his face in your neck and inhaling your scent and sinking his teeth into your perfect skin, he has to bite his lip to stop himself from groaning.

Remus manages to write 2 more messy sentences down before glancing in your direction and noticing the way your lip is pulled between your teeth and he can’t help but fantasise about biting your annoyingly pretty lips himself.

“Stop doing that,” Remus grits through his teeth as he speaks.

You meet his gaze confused, “stop doing what?”

“That!” Remus whisper yells, pointing at your lips as you once again pull your bottom lip in between your lip. “It’s distracting.”

You mumble an apology and go back to writing your notes. You’re so engrossed in reading the selected chapter you don’t even notice you’re bouncing your leg up and down rapidly until a rough hand stills your movements. You’re expecting Remus to remove his large hand once your movements stop, however to your surprise he keeps his hand resting firmly against your bare knee. Mouth agape and staring down at where Remus is touching you, the way his thumb is stroking at your skin seems innocent enough, so why is your stomach in knots?

Remus leans dangerously close to your ear, which thankfully goes unnoticed by the rest of the class given the fact the two of you are seated at the back of the room. “You are being very distracting right now bunny, it’s making me angry.”

A visible shudder runs through your body, feeling Remus’ hot breath fanning the side of your face makes your mouth dry. Remus’ low teasing voice makes you whimper immediately a heat rushes up your cheeks because even though your whimper was quiet Remus is so very close to you right now, you know he heard.

“Come with me,” Remus squeezes your knee and moves to rise from his seat.

You halt his movements by grabbing onto his bicep, “we can’t just leave, we’re in the middle of class.” Your eyes dart to the front of the room to see if your professor has witnessed Remus’ half standing and planning his escape.

“What’s life without a bit of risk bunny, now c’mon.” his tone demanding and firm. Without even a second glance Remus walks out of class, making you wonder if he’s done this before. The odds are high, given that he’s one fourth of the infamous marauders clan.

You look away from the door Remus just so carelessly walked out of and to the front of the class at your professor, he’s sitting at his desk reading over papers and very obviously trying to stay awake. The chances of him catching you are slim but that isn’t what you’re nervous about. You’re nervous about what will happen if you do make it out of the classroom unnoticed, you’re nervous about what Remus will do to you. The endless possibilities are both thrilling and exciting. There’s no way you could stay seated not when there’s a wetness pooling in your panties just from Remus’ hand on your knee.

Carefully you slip out from your seat and rush to the door, breathing a sigh of relief when you successfully make it out into the corridor. Looking around you notice the corridor is empty and there’s no sign of Remus, you begin walking down the hallway in search of the boy.

“Remus?” you’re met with nothing but silence. Just as you’re about to turn and head back to class you feel a strong arm grip yours and tug your harshly into a tiny room.

“Ooft,” your body slamming into someone’s hard chest; if only there was a light source in this closet? yes it’s definitely a closet, if only it wasn’t so dark in here you would be able to figure out who decided it a good idea to scare the shit out of you by pulling you in here with them.

“Took your fucking time,” the other person grunts, Remus you thought, you knew that voice.

“Remus, what the hell? Care to explain why your dragged me out of class and into this dark broom closet?” Although there is no light in the tiny closet you can vaguely see Remus’ outline towering over you, you gulp realising how close the both of you are standing to each other. Remus’ hot breath fans your face and you’re very aware that if you were to angle your head further upwards and stand on your tiptoes you could connects your lips. The thought itself has you shuddering.

“Couldn’t wait.” Remus replies, stepping closer, invading your personal space even more, not that you minded.

“Couldn’t wait for what?”

“Merlin you’re dumber than I thought if you don’t know.”

You scoff defensively, “I am not dumb, do I have to remind you I bet you on the last Charms essay? and on the transfigurations one so-”

The words die in your throat, Remus cutting you off by connecting your lips in a needy and desperate kiss. Immediately you wrap your arms around his neck and tug him closer by the hair. Remus rests his hands on your waist pulling your hips flush against his, you whimper feeling his hard cock pressing against your stomach.

Remus breaks away from your mouth and starts sucking and licking down your jaw and neck while his hands move to grope at your breasts over the top of your school shirt. “We don’t have much time before class ends.” Remus mumbles into your skin, his mouth is salivating when he breathes in deep, his nostrils filling with the sweet scent of you, it’s so intoxicating and immediately images of you are accompanying his mind, some more sinful than others. Remus wastes no time in sinking his teeth into the fleshy part of your shoulder, his cock twitching at the sound you make.

“Then you better hurry up and fuck me Remus,” you smirk, loving the way Remus groans and narrows his eyes at you. His pupils have seemingly expanded and darkened, his eyes are scanning over every inch of your face leaving you feeling vulnerable.

Your pussy has been throbbing since Remus firmly rested his hand on your leg back in the classroom and you know your panties are soaked by now with the way Remus is rutting his hips against yours but it’s not enough. It won’t be enough, not until you know what it’s like to have Remus’ skin against yours and his cock inside you but even then, you think you will always be wanting more of him.

Your hands are fumbling at Remus’ pants trying to get them unbuckled as quickly as possible, Remus understands the rush and helps you, skilfully undoing his pants and pushing them along with his boxers down his legs with only one hand, the other creeps under your shirt and rests delicately on the small of your back. Just the feeling of Remus’ skin on your back makes you melt further into him, your desire to have him fuck you hard and fast is becoming unbearable. Remus’ cock is sitting hard and angrily between your bodies, desperate for any sort of attention and Remus wishes you had more time because he would love to push you down to your knees and finally force you to shut up by pushing his cock into your sweet mouth and make you gag and choke around his length until you’re crying. But time isn’t on his side right now so instead Remus wraps his strong arms around your arse, silently signally you to jump which you do with no hesitation and lock your legs around his waist.

Remus reaches his hand down to flip your skirt up, he be damned if he couldn’t see the cunt he’s spent way to much time thinking about. Remus pull your panties to the side groaning when his fingers graze your wet dripping core, another thing he wishes he could do is to taste you. He just knows you taste sugary and sweet just like the sounds you’re making as he teases your entrance. He wants to bury his face deep in your cunt inhaling your scent while he licks and sucks until you’re screaming his name, maybe another time.

“You gotta be quiet for me kay bunny? Think you can do that?” Remus’ voice is thick with lust and a condescending tone is laced throughout it.

“You think that highly of yourself?” you retort trying to rile Remus up like you normally do, it seems to be working judging by the way Remus pinches the flesh of your arse.

Without breaking eye contact Remus lines up his cock and drags your hips down until he’s deep inside you, his balls pressed flush against your skin.

Remus isn’t sure if it’s because it’s close to the full moon but he hasn’t even started moving yet and the way the soft velvet walls of your cunt is gripping and hugging at his cock feels so intense and heavenly, he thinks he might cum right there.

Along with a lack of patience around this time of the month Remus also struggles to control himself and his urges. It takes every ounce of self-discipline in him to hold you against the rough wall of the broom closet and slowly rock his hips into yours, feeling the need to control the situation. Remus is very conscious of not gripping your hips too hard and not slamming his hips up into yours too roughly, he doesn’t want to let go mentally and hurt you.

You can tell Remus is holding back, the authoritative tone used in the classroom is vastly different to his actions right now. He’s supposed to be fucking you hard and fast and making you scream, not this.

Although the pleasure from Remus’ rocking into your cunt is great you know he can do better, can fuck you better. “Remus,” you whine, pulling his face away from your neck, forcing him to look you in the eyes. There’s clearly an internal struggle behind his eyes. “Remus, I need you to fuck me properly. I can take it, you won’t break me, promise.”

Remus does pick up the speed slightly, but you can clearly tell there’s still some hesitance on his behalf and you asking nicely didn’t seem break that. You’re desperate for Remus to let go. A smirk breaks out onto your face, an idea forming. Based on your previous interactions you know exactly how to get under Remus’ skin, what to say and do that would have him clenching his jaw in annoyance, after all it was a hobby of yours, annoying Remus Lupin. “Guess we don’t have to worry about me being quiet if you fuck like this. Pity, was kinda hoping you’d have me screaming.”

Something deep and primal in him snaps, blame it on the full moon or how you’re silently challenging him, he doesn’t care, all he cares about right now is proving you wrong, and he wasn’t going to stop until he had you trembling and shaking.

His grip on your hips tighten, nails threatening to break skin as Remus pushes your further into the wall behind you so hard for a second you think you might go tumbling right through it. You’re grateful for the material of your school top slightly soften the rough texture of the wall behind you. With no warning Remus starts slamming his hips harder and faster into yours, clearly set on making you squirm against him. Each thrust is harder than the last and his cock is poking your g-spot repeatedly. The sounds you were making were positively indecent and only fuelled Remus on. Neither of you cared that anyone walking by the broom closet could possibly hear the sound of skin slapping together or yours and Remus’ moans. None of that mattered, not when the two of you felt this good.

The vigour of Remus’ pace was unmatched and all you could do was hold on tight to Remus’ shoulders and take every powerful thrust. You were hypnotised with the feeling of Remus’ cock inside of you, you couldn’t help but wonder what other parts of his body like his fingers or tongue, would feel like when fucking you.

“Fuck Remus, so good. I-I” you weren’t even sure what you were trying to say, all your thoughts were jumbled and bouncing around in your brain, all you knew is you never wanted Remus to stop.

“You feel amazing,” Remus’ body was on fire, every inch of him alight and burning, his annoyance of how his day started was far from his mind. All he could think of was you and how you were clenching around him. He chokes out a strained sob when he hears you chanting his name in time with each rough snap of his hips, you sound both angelic and sinful at the same time, Remus’ wishes he had one of those muggle voice recording devices so he could record your whines and listen to them when he’s alone in his dorm room.

Using his free hand Remus reaches down to rub tight circles on your clit edging you closer and closer to your release. Your orgasm is fast approaching much like a freight train heading straight for you, sirens blaring but you can’t move, the pleasure is too intense and too powerful to do anything except take it.

Remus’ face is pressed back against your neck and he quickly decides it’s his favourite place to be, if someone offered him 1,000 Galleons to never bury his face in your neck, he wouldn’t take it. Remus can hear the squelching sounds of your soppy cunt as it helplessly takes his fat cock. He’s leaving sloppy kisses and hickeys wherever he can get his mouth. It’s right when Remus’ digs his teeth into your neck and bites down hard do you fall apart, your pussy clenching and spasming around him, right in this moment you’re thankful for Remus holding you up against the wall, your legs are shaking and tensing and you know if you were standing the intensity of the orgasm would have brought you to your knees. Remus’ name is the only word you seem capable of saying as the coil inside your stomach snaps and rapidly unravels as you come undone.

“Remus, Remus, Remus!”

You connect your lips with Remus’ in a lame attempt to shut yourself up, the kiss is rushed and your teeth clash together but you don’t give a fuck. Remus’ name is still spilling from your lips and into Remus’ mouth as your body begins to come down from the high.

The boy holding you up hasn’t faltered in his movements at all, determined to fuck you through your orgasm. There’s beads of sweat dripping from Remus’ forehead, his mind is whirling and thoughts of you are spiralling around his brain, he thinks he might pass out and he’s certain he does for a second when you whisper and bite his earlobe.

“Want you to cum inside me Remus, fill me up,” half a thrust later and Remus’ hips stutter and he’s spilling into your cunt groaning your name as he does so. His vision blurs around the edges before he closes his eyes and he lets out a moan so deep, primal and loud. Remus continues to rock his hips milking his own orgasm until the last drop is squeezed from his soften cock. He stills his movements but doesn’t dare pull out just yet, relishing in the warmth of your pussy and the way your hand is brushing the sweaty hair off his forehead. You rest your forehead against Remus’ sweaty one, pecking his lips, once, twice then three times.

“That was…” you drift off unable to find the right words to describe what just happened.

“Intense?” Remus offers breathlessly.

You nod, “in the best way.”

It wasn’t until you hear the sounds of students outside signalling the end of class do either of you move, Remus helping you clean yourself up. And it wasn’t until the two of you were certain the coast was clear did you exit the closet with the promise of doing that again very soon.

[theultimatepielord]

Tips for the chapter 3 boss:

First off, remember the basics of tactical combat:

Use cover when possible, but it isn't mandatory for tankier characters. The best enemy to attack is usually the one you can put in the ground. The only hit point that matters is the last one. This goes for both you and the enemy. Healing is almost never worth the AP. Focus on preventing damage and dealing damage rather than healing it.

Keep in mind which damage dealers are good in spite of the attack limit and which damage dealers are good because they ignore the attack limit. Give extra attacks to the former, not the latter.

Just because a couple people got downed doesn't mean it's over. Melee characters standard action budget is 1 AP to attack, the rest to add defensive self-buffs to avoid dying. This is especially true for whoever's in charge of tanking the Archon. You can limit damage from bosses without killing them by keeping a tank in their face and by debuffing them. Pasqal's Machine Spirit Banishment is really good at this. Deflection is the best way to tank, since it works no matter how good the enemies dodge/parry reduction and armour penetration are. Chapter 3 specific tips: If you have chirurgeon medikits (you can get an absolute fuckload from certain colony upgrades), you can use them to clear traumas once you've gotten your inventory back.

If you recruit Ulfar or Marazhai, you can tag out traumatized companions rather than using trauma-healing items on them.

This is the only part of the game where it's worth reloading to avoid traumas sometimes. There are 3 serious fights where traumas are probably unavoidable: the fight with Malice's gang in the Pit, the giant jellyfish thing in the Mangled Sector after the Malice fight, and the final boss fight. Many companions (and you) have a chapter 3-specific debuff, it's important to get rid of those. Here are the ones I know off the top of my head: Abelard: talk to evil doctor man in the anatomical opera. Pay with either a bit of beast skin from the first arena fight or with Yrliet's volunteering if you forgave her. Argenta: Doesn't have one #SororitasPrivilege

Jae: Same as Abelard RT: Same as Abelard Pasqal: go back to the mangled sector after killing Malice. Fight the horrifyingly powerful jellyfish.

Yrliet: doesn't have one #TraitorLife

You only have to pay the doc once, make sure you get your money's worth. Ulfar is not a tank. Don't let his HP fool you, with his inability to use cover and the fact that Soldier and Arch-Militant have minimal defensive options, he will rapidly melt under heavy ranged fire. Get your tanking from Abelard or Heinrix (Abelard is better) Not every trauma matters. Check their effects. Most characters can do fine with Head Trauma. Officers don't need to worry about broken arms.

The fight itself: I went in with Yrliet (Operative-Bounty Hunter), myself (Soldier-Master Tactician, sniper rifle build), Jae (Officer-Master Tactician), Abelard (Warrior-Vanguard), Pasqal (Op-BH) and Ulfar. Only trauma was a broken arm on Jae. Keep Ulfar hidden at the start of the fight. Don't let him get smashed by the early rush. He can't use cover, but he can be concealed by hiding behind a large area of full cover (the Webway Gate works for this) Kill the incubi first, they are much easier to remove than Big Bitch. Good way to get Prey buffs too.

The Grotesques are very minor threats. Only kill them if it's convenient to do so. The turrets activate when Big Bitch hits half health. Make sure when you do that that you can kill them immediately. Ulfar is quite good for that. Machine God's Banishment is awesome in boss fights. Keep the boss debuff and kill everyone else.

The reinforcements are actually a godsend, as they offer up difficulty tier 3 enemies for Yrliet to kill to get buffs from Hunt Down the Prey. They are also not hard to keep down with a mix of overpenetration and burst fire from Ulfar. Ulfar is great in this fight as long as you make sure to keep him alive. The Arch-Militant ult is an awesome full-fight buff, and scaling up Ballistic Skill and weapon skill by stacking versatility is a great way to deal with those drukhari's pesky dodge stats. Abelard can tank from the Archon if and only if he's stacking all his tanking modifiers. Suffice it to say he needs to stay in her face to draw fire and needs to end every turn with Endure and Bulwark up at minimum. Her Pistol has a high rate of fire, so he can stack Unyielding Beacon a ton.

If all else fails, I've heard of some cheese strats where you camp out at the bottom of the stairs. Haven't tried it myself, didn't need it, but it's an option.

Okay what the fuck is up with this chapter 3 boss.