#guess I'm doing well in staying away from them

[umamaki]

THE SWEETHEART GRIP

one way soldiers kept their loved ones close during battle was by inserting a photo of them under a clear grip of either plexiglass or acrylic on their pistols. this is known as the sweetheart grip.

l&ds sylus x reader

me finding out about anything: how can i make this about love and deepspace... and yes i am american. yes i still don't respect anyone involved in or supporting the military leave me alone.

divider

So... Sylus definitely has a sweetheart grip of you. On all of his guns, actually. And you're not even aware of it.

They're all his favorite photos of you. Pictures of you on dates, selfies you've posted on social media, polaroids he's taken of you after sex.

He's insanely adept at weapons assembly so of coursee all his stuff is custom. Takes them apart, adds tributes of you, puts them back together.

You know he STAYS strapped. Always has a gun on him, always has a piece of you with him. As if your souls are not literally bound together. Whatever. He needs a physical reminder I guess. Can't go anywhere without some sort of keepsake. Keeps him sane.

Likes keeping his weapons clean; never lets your image get bloody, wet, scratched, foggy. Carries around a cloth to wipe away at any imperfections. Would never ruin your picture like that. Spends a modest chunk of his day making sure they're clean to his liking. It's so canon, have you seen this man during the in-game study and work feature even??!

Looks at your pretty picture all the time. Whips out his gun as if it’s his phone. Professional meetings, philanthropy galas, you name it. Intimidates everyone around him in doing so, thinking he's gonna shoot them—not that they would say that to his face—but no. He simply misses your cute face. Just wants a reminder of who's waiting at home for him.

Looks at your picture while he aims his gun at someone's head. Asks himself if this is what you would want. Shoots them anyways lol. Uses his palm to cover your photo as he pulls the trigger, careful to not taint your darling image with his enemy's blood.

You're bound to find out. He doesn't hide the fact from you, doesn't flaunt it either, so it's a while before you do end up finding your face staring back at you whilst looking through his armory.

"Sylus, what is this?" You ask, holding up the pistol so he can see.

"It's you, do you like it?"

"Well yes, I can see that it's me. Why is my face on your gun? And why am I naked in this one?"

"Technically your face is on all of my guns, sweetheart. That one's just my favorite." As if it's the most obvious fact in the world.

"... You did this yourself?"

"Absolutely. Do you not like it?"

"It's not that, but..." he waits, then the last thing he would expect you to say comes from your mouth, "...can you do this to my guns?"

He laughs, booming and robust, "why? You want my nudes on your guns? You must like me a lot, huh?"

It's enough for you to give him a slap on his bicep. "Fine. Nevermind. Don't know why I even asked."

He's still laughing as he pulls you into his body. He tickles your stomach, turning your pout into your own set of giggles, "I'm teasing, sweetheart. You can use as many nudes of me as you want. Shall we begin now?"

He jolts his hips up to your body, catching you off guard. He's noticeably hard now, tent in his pants evident. You get the hint.

“Why wait when we’re already here?”

“That’s the spirit, sweetheart.”

[mayapapaya33]

Well, I haven't read the origins comic yet, so I'll take your word for that. Some of the comic stuff is a bit wibbly on canon so I'm not sure if I do take it as campaign canon really, but I'll just go with it for the purposes of this conversation. (The fact that she never once mentions being run out of town by Yeza in the campaign makes that a little weird but sure ok. It also feels a little retconny to brush over her major fear that her family would reject her even if they DID know it was her under the curse, which was what was implied to be a big reason she stayed away in the campaign, in favor of it being because they DID chase her away based purely on what she looked like before she could say anything. It feels...strange. I'm not sure how I feel about it, I'll have to think about it. It just feels like after the fact justification of her staying away from them to me, but oh well. LET WOMEN BE FLAWED 2025! lol I am eventually going to get my hands on all of the origins comics, I just haven't done so yet.)

My point wasn't really a moral argument about Veth and Lilliana having done equally bad things in the world, obviously that's not true. I could have said It better, but I guess I just thought that was obvious and I was tired? lol, silly me. So to make it clearer: Veth is a hero who helped save the world, and Liliana fell in with a cult and did terrible things under the woefully misguided belief she was doing the right thing. I'm more saying I could see Veth turning out like Liliana if things went differently and their initial act of abandonment is fundamentally similar. Also, it's not just the hag thing btw, that was just the most obvious and memorable example I could reference and know everyone would know what I was talking about without writing a 5 page essay and hunting down obscure time stamps lol.

Another example was her stance in that discussion about justice and vengeance from ep 98 (26:26) with Caduceus. Cad basically said: Hey, going after criminals in the Empire sounds great if you can be smart about it, but if you're just doing it to make yourself feel better, I don't really see the point of that, so maybe don't because you'll probably restart the war if you aren't extremely careful. And Veth's response was very understandable from her characters pov, but makes me think that, yeah, in the right circumstances, she'll do what she wants, when she wants, and damn the consequences and it won't be about justice, it'll be about making herself feel good and she'll find the internal justification she needs to. "You can stand by -You can just watch bad people get away with it?" If the price of stopping one bad person is reigniting a WAR, um yeah, I can Veth. He's basically saying, don't cause more problems than you are going to fix by your actions, and interrogate your motivations and she wasn't having it. I think he might have gotten through to her in the end but I'm not sure because they "dissolved" using mouth sounds and hand waving into the next scene of Jester finding Marion.

There are many things that make me think this about her. Anger and desperation can cause people to make poor decisions. (I think you might have misconstrued the one bit where I was debating whether letting your family think you were dead and staying gone or just saying goodbye and abandoning them was actually worse or not, I personally vote dead being worse but I'm genuinely not sure, like I said. So, in that one aspect I think Veth's worse, but not for everything lol. The misguided hope left behind from what Liliana did might be worse.)

My point was that they both abandoned their families in order to solve a problem. Yes, Liliana left "voluntarily" right from the start in the sense that she wasn't kidnapped by goblins and transformed against her will, her "against her will change" was foisted upon her by a God Eater trapped in moon jail instead. She was essentially kidnapped by her own powers, she couldn't control them and needed to figure out what they were and how to deal with them. So yes, it was a choice for her to leave as you so aptly pointed out, just not quite as voluntary a choice as people keep presenting it as. I suppose it's more accurate for me to say it was Liliana's choice to leave, and Veth's choice to STAY gone (yes, even with the addition of the comic lore).

Don't you remember early campaign Imogen constantly having to be careful and worried about her telepathy? How it hurt her to be in large crowds? How her town DID treat her like garbage, like a pariah, "like an outright monster" even. It's not like Liliana left for fun. She was scared she was going to hurt someone if she didn't learn how to control herself, and worried that Imogen would develop those powers too. (That was her initial reasoning, and then things devolved of course). You said it yourself; The Grim Verity was taking too long, and she wanted to go home so she fell in with Ludinus and co because he promised answers and a solution.

Veth's initial separation from her family OBVIOUSLY wasn't her fault, and apparently in the comics she tried to go home and was run off for looking like a goblin. Well, that truly sucks for Comic Book Veth and she has my sympathy. There are still a variety of things she could have done, including once she befriended Caleb enough where she trusted him, have him go to Yeza in person and explain the curse and everything while she hid at the outskirts of town. She could have told Caleb a bunch of things only Veth would know to help convince Yeza, Etc.

At a certain point, Veth's Choice to stay away from her family was just as voluntary as Liliana's. She could have tried (or tried again if comics are canon) at any time, and she didn't. The problem wasn't solved so they "couldn't" go home and then events spiraled. Again, they aren't the same, I just think their situations parallel each other interestingly. Becoming "not a goblin" was not the only way for Veth to reunite with her family. It's perfectly understandable that she thought that it was considering all of her trauma and her shame and her fear, but that doesn't make it true. It was still an active choice that she made to not try to reunite with her family until she looked "normal" again, even once her circumstances had changed and she could have had help. She didn't try because she didn't want her family seeing her like that and because she was scared of what they would think. (Again, very understandable, but still a choice). What if Caleb couldn't find a way to change her back into a halfling? Would she never have gone home, continuing to look for a solution?

Liliana "couldn't" go home until she understood and could control her powers, a reasonable yet tragic decision, which then spiraled into it being that she "couldn't" go home until she helped "save" the world from the tyranny of the Gods, etc. Somewhat less reasonable I think you'll agree. How long does Veth's decision to not try (or not try again) to reunite with her family until she's no longer a goblin remain reasonable? One year? Five years? Ten years? It was a combination of luck and hard work that got her a new body as relatively fast as she did. Caleb and Essek meeting and becoming magic bffs might never have happened without Caleb's "I'm never going back to jail" moment in the Bright Queen's throne room for example lol.

More than all of that though, I'm not a huge fan of Veth's parenting while she IS present in Luc's life but seeing as Liliana hasn't really been present in Imogen's life for more than like a month, that's about where any parallels or comparisons stop lmfao. A lot of Veth's bad parenting once she's back in Luc's life is also due to the fact that Sam Riegel is a comedian first and an actor second so if he sees an opportunity to be funny, he'll pounce. Which unfortunately for poor Veth, does mean that if you look at her with a sober eye she comes across as a dreadful parent. Hilarious of course, but I did end up feeling bad for Yeza whenever I saw him futilely trying to be responsible whenever the M9 came trampling through their lives being bad influences. Honestly, she wonders why teenage Luc is like that! I learned it from watching you mom!

If the Good Moms of Critical Role ever learn about the shit Liliana's pulled it's on sight 😤

[sky-is-the-limit]

Staying silent and comfortable is being an accomplice. Yes, it's fucking scary to confront people, especially nazi lunatics but what is the alternative? Letting them win? You already did that when you didn't go to vote or voted for the 3rd party.

They always go for the PRESS and YOUTH first. Peaceful protesting isn't doing shit. Do yall understand how fucking terrifying it is to watch someone with such power nazi salute an entire nation?

Hitler literally convinced the people by promising them to get them out of depression while convincing them that anything other than straight white and traditional was EVIL.

You have to suck it up and speak up. Being fucking soft isn't an excuse right now, they're literally trying to pull all of us back into the 1930s with more dangerous means.

READ BOOKS. Get informed, read about how the fascist regime in Italy and Germany took power. SPEAK THE FUCK UP. Don't give up, don't hide, don't stay silent. This is how fascism wins.

It's gonna be everywhere. Your friends, neighbours, teachers, family, public conversations, the news, social media, EVERYWHERE.

Listen to Europeans warning you and don't take it as a threat cause someone already commented under one of my posts that they'd rather stay silent cause they already did their part by voting blue and that I shouldn't speak on this cause I'm not from there. MY COUNTRY WENT THROUGH THIS SHIT TWICE.

Well, guess what? BLUE LOST. So now what? You're gonna let fascism win because of one loss?

Wake the fuck up America. They're nazi saluting you in your face.

THIS IS YOUR COUNTRY. You live in it, FIGHT FOR IT. The United States did not let you down, a percentage of the people did. Don't let them take the most important value, freedom, away from you.

Be PATRIOTIC. Love your country cause it's yours and TRY to save it from fascism.

[eclipseberrycake]

Funhouse (Looey x Reader)

AN: Hey guys guess who's a new Sprout main? Me. A Rodger kept taking tapes right in front of me, literally calling me over only to take them the second i was close enough. His friend was playing as Bobette. You took something I loved Rodger main, I'm taking something you love. Since I can't draw her pregnant, she's the new villain until someone else pisses me off. Not yet though. I will bide my time.

Anyway.

☁ Looey. Looey. He's such a guy. A goofy lil' goober.

☁ If you don't think he's with another circus based toon, you're crazy. He's a little too...crazy for lack of a better term. Looey I think really needs someone to match his energy, so another circus toon would be perfect!

☁ Stay with me- A Healer! Toon, who's special ability is kind of like a tightrope. It attaches them to the nearest wall and let's them cross an area without being spotted for like 5 seconds.

☁ I think it's neat especially with Looey.

☁ He's a distractor, evidently, and if you haven't picked it up I love the Distractor X Healer Trope.

☁ Imagine he's running and for some reason nearly gets snapped by Twisted Scraps only for a thing of cotton candy to fall in front of him? I've only ever seen Goobs and Scraps really catch Looey mains tbh.

☁ ANYWAY

☁ They probably use circus foods instead of cupcakes or cookies. And you KNOW Looey loves his circus foods. My personal hc is that he wasn't always part of Gardenview and was part of a circus at some point, so he gets a little homesick :(

☁ Maybe you two both came from the circus in fact and found refuge in Gardenview and joined their cause! That would be cute! Just two sweethearts looking for a safe haven for themselves.

☁ Speaking of which! Looey is so sweet! And cheeky too!

☁ He's constantly giving you little flowers with a cheeky little grin, pecking your cheek and running off before you could even reciprocate, or tapping one shoulder is to make you look only to round around the other side.

☁ He also loves rubbing against you to make your fur/hair all puffy from the static electricity.

☁ He also has so many cool little skills. Like, he can juggle on a unicycle kind of things. He can make balloon animals and is scary good at those scammy carnival games. If you ever get the chance to go to a carnival with Looey, you should know he's pinpointing the largest teddy bear there and you're walking out with it.

☁ On runs, since he's distracting, he doesn't stress too much about you. He trusts you can handle yourself! He only struggles when he knows he's teetering the edge of becoming a twisted and you come to heal him. Your ability makes it easier on him though!

☁ He's always eternally grateful when he hears to deployment of your line, and sees the treat, but never sees you! Not that he doesn't love you and seeing you! But not seeing you while he's distracting is truly best.

☁ He takes the healing well honestly. He's sits with a cheeky, "Alright alright." Gazing at you lovingly the entire time, even if you're scolding him.

☁ The kind of dude to play pranks on his lover for sure. But not mean, tiktok incel pranks, but the confuse don't abuse pranks. :) Like that one husband with his blind husband! He's adding shampoo while you're in the shower and trying to wash it out. He's adding more fries to your plate every time you look away so you think it's an endless plate. He's such a menace.

☁ And he's quick too! So you can't even get him back! Like that one video where the girlfriends dumps cold water on her bf in the shower and he grabs her before she can escape and pulls her in? That's y'all.

☁ You guys probably have a whole lotta activities you do together. Small little hobbies he sees somewhere and wants to try at least once.

☁ Baking turned into some sort of adventure! You've seen Sprout and Cosmo do it with their sweethearts and they always end the time laughing, covered in flour and icing and feeding each other desserts.

☁ Funnel cakes was the treat he was craving when he walked up to you one lazy afternoon. There were no runs going on, supplies were stocked and everyone was taking the well needed break to catch up on some housekeeping, little chores they had been putting off or even just simply napping. It was a day of rest and relaxation!

☁ But Looey wouldn't let that slide. He's had a craving for the sweet treat for so long and now, he has the time to drag you to help him make it! The normal bakers were scattered, out of the kitchen, one of them napping with one of their partners while the other was folding laundry with the other next to them. So that meant it was open!

☁ You yourself were on a device, scrolling through some app that started with a T, reading silently while curled in a blanket. You looked so content there, he almost hesitated to ruin it.

☁ That did not stop him from running full speed only to jump onto you, nuzzling into your neck as you squealed at the intrusion. "Gumdrop!" He cheered while your squeals turned into laughter, pecking soft pecks to your cheeks and lips. "Let's do something!"

☁ "I was doing something." You giggled, brushing back his ears before they popped right back up. He shook his head to make them wave back and forth and tap against your hands, making you laugh again as you moved to hold his head. "But I guess I can share my attention."

☁ "Great!" His tail gave a wag. "I was hoping you and I could go on another baking adventure. I'm thinking funnel cakes!" He cheered, making you roll your eyes fondly.

☁ "Is that what you want now?" You tease, closing your device and setting it to the side.

☁ "At this very second? No. I want a kiss." He beams, making you laugh once more. You give him a sweet little peck, hearing his tail wave side to side rapidly.

☁ Once he was satisfied, he stood with a sweet bow, extending a hand to you. Once you took it, he helped you up before hooking your elbows together, rehashing the time he spent earlier while you had some alone time back to you.

☁ You listened with an attentive ear, smiling the entire time. By the time you made it to the kitchen, he was going on about the game of Crib he and Finn had been playing earlier, and how he had won- even if you knew he had been using the tricks he used in the circus to flub the cards.

☁ You pointed out as much, moving around the kitchen a little clumsily. You found what you needed well enough however, setting it out along with the utensils needed. Looey knew himself well enough to know where his limits lie, so he put a pot of oil on the stove, turning the burner on before stepping back, watching you whip up a quick batter.

☁ "You look glorious, you know that?" He teased, watching your cheeks flush as you tried hiding your smile. He loved seeing that look on your face, especially knowing it was because of him.

☁ There was something about you that just had him acting like a whole new toon! It was kind of uncanny really. He wouldn't admit, except to maybe you, but at the beginning of his time with the circus, he feared he was too different. Too much. And he hated being alone.

☁ Then you showed up and life hasn't been the same. He will forever be eternally grateful to have you in his life and fully plans to cherish you for as long as you will allow him too.

☁ It was why he insisted on having moments like these so often. He never wanted to say he wished he could've done it with you and would've rather had the memories to look back on. Especially with the twisteds. He had only been a twisted once, and could only remember running and running and running hoping to find you or any trace of you.

☁ Waking up, back to himself, and seeing you was one of the best-worst moments of his life.

☁ He knew seeing him like that must've been scary for you and tried desperately to erase that memory with only good ones.

☁ And if sifting powdered sugar onto freshly fried dough and drizzling it with your favorite sweet sauce helped erase some of those bad memories too?

☁ Well, he found he didn't mind a single bit, laughing at the powder dusting you nose as you fed him the first bite of the first treat, laughing when he got sauce all over his face.

[scrubbinn]

Mimic HRT: month ??? “Fulfillment”

“Alright, see you later, Grace.”

 Floating in the void, Mayday waved as another headmate floated away into the ether. She had made a habit of communicating with her others during her time here. It was surprising how many there were here, how long she had been suppressing them. But here, with no one else to talk to… it was nice. Pleasant even.

“You like her, don’t you?” 

Laborer rested next to Mayday, the first one of them to reach out, Often getting into fights with her, but always trying to steer her onto a better path. Laborer didn’t really fit them anymore. More like a navigator.

“N-no! I mean… She’s cool, I guess… Shut up you nerd!”

Definitely like a sibling.

“So. What now?” They asked. “You've met all of us. At least, everyone that I know is here. You still want to stay here?”

Mayday thought for a moment. The image of a doorway back home came to mind. There probably was one somewhere, but it'd been so long since she stuffed herself in here. What was the outside world even like? Did anyone look for her? Did anyone ca-

“You're spiraling.”

Her mind halted as she processed the words. It still wanted to continue her thoughts, but there was something about the words coming from them that made her reconsider. They carried the tone of “of course I know what you're going through.” She decided that maybe she could just rest a bit first. 

“Does it ever get easier?” She asked, already knowing the answer.

“No.” They spoke with a cheerful tone despite the topic. “Maybe for some, but not us, that's why we're here. To help ease the burden. But I know staying here, just because it's what you're used to, isn't helping. You know that too, don't you?”

“It's where I should be. I'll be a burden to everyone else if I leave. And you won't be there with me.”

“We will though.”

Mayday could feel the presence of her headmates grow closer. Her attention turned to the warmth of those around her. The friends and family that had always been there. Now finally visible to her. Despite such physical impossibilities of the void, it felt like a big hug from so many people. She found it hard to imagine this many people actually wanted her. She wanted to cry, but she had no tear ducts to show her joys and sorrows. Maybe she wasn't meant to stay in the void alone. Maybe she would come back here, but it wasn't nearing anytime soon.

“Maybe sounds like Mayday, that's probably why I'm so wishy-washy.”

A voice next to Mayday starts laughing. “Where the hell did that come from? That's the lamest attempt at sounding clever.”

Mayday laughs too. “I felt like being a bit silly.”

This was a new feeling for her. Completion? No. It was just happiness. Not the kind you have by playing games or going shopping, but the kind you're aware of, the kind you can hold onto and bring it close to your chest. The blanket of joy that lets someone sleep well at night. It was like sitting In a sunbeam.

“What if I end up doing something bad and hurting someone?”

The navigator spoke “You won't.”

“But what if I do something stupid, or I mess up, or I get worse and I end back here?

“You won't.” They chuckle at the reassurance.

“But how can you be sure!? I'm a monster, I might decide to abandon all of you.”

“You won't, and we won't leave you, we've been here. We've always been here. I don't know why we're here, or how long we'll stay, but we won't abandon you.”

“But, but… You could handle things so much better than me.”

“Mayday. This stopped being my story so long ago. It's yours. You're doing amazing.”

When Mayday opened her eyes, she was sitting in her room at THEMS, right in the middle of a sunbeam. She was back in Hyper city. At first she was terrified. Where were the others. Would she never be able to talk to them? But faintly, she heard the words in her mind. She calmed herself, breathing slowly. She checked her phone. Three months had passed since her trip. This was going to take some explaining to everyone.

Mimic HRT: Month 27 “The End”

“That's quite the story.” Dr.Gates spoke softly as the mimic in front of him had finished recounting her tales.

She had been appointed a therapist by Erian and Alexis after her runaway vacation. She didn't mind. It was probably about time, and all her previous doctors sucked.

He spoke again in a soft tone. “So, do you feel better recounting everything?”

“Yeah,” she spoke, matching his tone automatically. “It's helped us come to terms with what we are. Sort of.”

“Do you still have those nightmares?”

“...Yeah… I, don't think they're ever going to go away, but they don't panic us like they used to. Still the same dream: halfway through eating my friend's bodies, and any wounds start shapeshifting back into healthy flesh, then suddenly Miller, or Erian, or Abi crawls out of one of the bodies. I wake up eating my bed frame. At least they're over quick.”

Dr.Gates writes something down before speaking. “Abi appearing alongside Miller and Erian is new. Did something happen between the two of you?”

Mayday bites off a part of the couch she sat on. Dr.Gates didn't seem to mind.

“We broke up a while ago. Mutual. And we're still friends. Besties, even. But, between our transition, and explaining our plurality. She said she stopped recognizing us after a while. I guess I get it… Let's talk about something else, please.”

“Of course. Is there something else you wish to speak on?”

She sat and thought for a while, she didn't actually think of something else. Her confusion and frustration became apparent.

Dr.Gates interjected into her thought process. “How is your work with Erian going?”

Mayday perks up. “It's going great! I mean, we're still looking for new clients, but besides that, we're looking into new ways to support therians with detailed timelines of what their treatment will look like, and actual documents with guides, procedures, and resources for those starting their journeys. There's a lot. I, er, we want to create the tools we never had for everyone that comes after us.”

“That's quite a noble task, I look forward to hearing your progress on it.” 

He quickly checked his watch after a small beep came from it.

“Our time is almost up, one last thing before you go though. I want to ask for your progress on what we've talked about last time, with how you see yourself.”

Mayday couldn't help but let out a sigh. That's what most of her journey was, slowly accepting what she was, all of the struggles that came with it.

“I think…” She spoke softly. “I think it's really easy to blame yourself when things go wrong for being who you are. Although some of my problems were my fault. But… maybe that's what therapy is. Learning to not blame everything on yourself. It sounds like basic kid's morals, when I put it like that. I think we just lose sight of it easily… I'm a mimic. What that says about me, how I act, how I see myself, how I see the other parts of me, it doesn't matter anymore. I like being a mimic. Faults and all.”

The polar bear smiles. “A very nice thought, Mayday. I think that will end today's session. I'll see you next week.”

Mayday smiles back. “See you around.”

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Start - Prev

Thank you to @ashen-vulture for letting us use the character of Dr.Gates

So yeah, This is the final chapter of Mimic HRT. It was originally going to be posted on Friday, but after hearing about Dragon HRT, we decided to wait until now. What does this mean for this blog? Well, you might have noticed it took about a month between the previous chapter and now. We've been busy. With friends, work, studying, and learning to draw and code in RenPy, we've been busy.

So here's the new project! We're going to start working on an Animal HRT visual novel. Obviously this projects will take a while, but we will still be writing smaller stories for this blog in the meantime.

Hope all of you enjoyed Mimic HRT. Thank you for all sticking with this series. Love yall lots, and see you for the next project.

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Mention list: @a-shramp, @calliecwrites, @be702, @respectfulevil, @hyacinthdoll1315

@aster-is-confused, @bloodandbrandywyne, @glitchgloop, @nyxthewary, @lunadook

@celestemysterios, @i-am-trans-gwender, @reliablegal, @bookmothic-dyke, @fluffytransfemkittykatwitch

[miss-nandini]

hey, can you make me a Mirage x fluff reader please mostly cuddling minor cussing please

A/N: I love Mirage. Hope you like it! It got a bit sad in the middle.

Little Things (Mirage x Reader)

It was one of those rides with him where he would be having the time of his life and your head would be spinning.

"Mirage, please stop! I think I'm going to throw up!"

"Hey! Don't you dare throw up inside me!"

Whether out of fear or sheer annoyance, he finds a spot soon enough and lets you stumble out of his alt mode. 

"Sometimes you are no fun, you know that?"

You look around, rolling your eyes as he accuses you of being boring. "It's not my fault that you decide to be a little shit."

You look around again. It seemed like he had brought you far away from the town area. You couldn't see anything other than grassy fields that seemed to stretch on forever.

"Mirage, where are we?"

"How would I know, (Y/N)?"

"Excuse me? Do you even know the way back?" You huffed. He really was something, wasn't he?

"Hey! Don't you trust me? I'm so hurt."

You heard him changing back to his original form behind you. 

"No need to be so dramatic."

"You are soooo mean, (Y/N)"

You could almost feel his pout even though you weren't looking at him. "Well, guess it wouldn't hurt to just sit around for a while."

You found a spot and sat down. Soon, you could hear him walking towards you to join you. You looked up at the sky. The night was still young and there were stars so bright that you couldn't help but admire them. 

"They are so beautiful."

"Yeah..."

You looked at Mirage. He was looking at the sky. But, for some reason, he looked... sad. It worried you. He usually looked  so happy-go-lucky. The sudden change in his demeanor was... startling.

"Mirage?"

"You know... the stars looked just as beautiful from Cybertron... The sky in Cybertron was... stunning."

The tender look in his eyes took your breath away. Sometimes you forget that he has lost his home. It is only natural that little things remind him of the home he was forced to leave.

"Hey, Mirage...? I know this is not Cybertron and I can not give you what you lost. But... you can think of Earth as another home, yeah? Things will never be the same again, but I promise that you will always have a home to return to. You have the others and of course... you have me..."

"Y/N..."

He picked you up in his servos and cradled you to his chassis. "Thank you..."

You placed your palms on top of his servos, your warmth bringing a smile to his face. "You are not so bad for a human, you know?"

"And you are absolutely annoying for a bot." 

"I will get back at you for that."

You yelped as he lay himself down on the grass with you on his chassis. "Hey! Don't do that!"

"Nopeee, I will keep doing this." He tried to ruffle your hair.

"Mirage!"

"Right, sorry sorry. But seriously, thank you for everything, (Y/N)"

"You are welcome buddy, you are welcome."

As you stayed curled up on his chassis, the night out with him didn't feel too bad anymore. It made you realize how much you still didn't know about Mirage. You have grown attached to him. Maybe, the next ride with him wouldn't be so bad after all.

[sirxlla]

Such an Integral Piece

----------------‐-------------------------------

Warnings: Fluff

Prompt: introducing your cat to Dick's dog Haley (request: @runnergirl234 also I love this idea it's the cutest thing ever and I hope you also have a great day)

Notes: female reader, italics are actions and thoughts.

-With that said it's all under the cut-

The idea of you both moving in together was obvious, most nights one of your guys's apartments was empty because you would sleep over with the other person. It wasn't entirely ideal because of the animals but both of you didn't want to move too quickly in your relationships. That was nearly a year ago before you knew he was Nightwing.

Now Richard was staying at whatever apartment was closest after patrol and unfortunately that meant it was usually his. Sleeping in an empty bed just felt wrong at this point.

"Why don't you just move in? You shouldn't have to drive so far after a long day of work, I know the traffic in the city is not great around this time. I mean it's never great." Dick rubbed your back as you both laid in bed together.

"You're sure?" You asked as you played with his silky soft fluffy hair.

"I mean it would help me keep an eye on you but if you don't want to I entirely understand, I don't want to pressure you into anything." He leaned into your soft touches, closing his eyes with a groan.

"I mean I've been meaning to get away from the other job for a while anyways, If we can figure something out I wouldn't mind moving." Absentmindedly staring at the ceiling in the almost pitch black room.

"You mean that weirdo, David? Is he still coming around?" He asks about the weirdo that used to work at your job that kept stalking you.

"No, I think you scared I'm off but I'm really tired of looking over my shoulder and hoping that he's not there."

"I can find you a job pretty easily I mean hell you could probably work with me if you wanted."

"Isn't that like conflict of interest?"

"Not if we are actually working."

"I'd be down." Haley jumping on the bed to curl into your side.

"Then you're moving in." Cuddling into your chest, his face squished against your boobs.

"I am moving in" You smiled as sleep started taking you.

It was a bit of a process going through everything that you had acquired over time. You had that apartment since you were 18 so there was a lot to go through. It took about a week but you were getting everything settled and moved into Dick's place.

Once everything was in it's rightful place at his apartment the last but most important piece was your cat Frodo. Frodo is very affectionate and loving.

"Oh, God. I'm nervous."

"It's okay, Honey. Haley's got her mask on and I've got a hold of her." He's almost 100% sure she won't do anything to her but he wants to be sure.

"Well, here goes nothing." You brought Frodo's carry case over to Haley to let her sniff him. Frodo started hissing as Haley got super excited and playful which prompted Dick to make her sit.

"Be gentle Haley." He said to the sweet pitbull that listenss to every word that came out of his mouth.

"I guess we'll just have to give them time." You stated to Dick. After about 20 minutes of him in the crate you decided to let him out. Dick told Haley to come sit on the couch with him and she very quickly listened being such a well-trained dog. Once everyone calm down they seemed to as well.

The three of you saw on the couch and watched a movie while Frodo decided to go explore the house. After about an hour Frodo came back and surprisingly curled up next to Haley. You were half asleep against chest so you didn't notice but he sure did, he took a photo and posted it on Snapchat with the caption "my little family" which was a photo of you laying on his chest and the animals cuddling together. This was all that he hoped for when he was so happy that everybody was getting along.

[geddyqueer]

Ok. So. Spoiler alert: we’re all fine.

Now that that’s out of the way, the three rules of ice climbing are: 1. don’t fall 2. know what’s above you 3. if the environment starts changing you might want to gtfo. Today we got really close to breaking all three of them.

(big mountain looking her regular intimidating self from the road)

It was -12 F in the valley, closer to -4 where we parked. What we call the “ice cave” is actually a waterfall at the back of a slot canyon at around 9200’ in elevation, tucked in between a handful of 14,000’ mountains. I got out of the car and peed behind a juniper: a brisk and honestly somewhat unpleasant way to start the morning! From the trailhead it’s not quite a mile to where the creek spits out from the mouth of the cave. We were the only ones there, which was a little ominous, since this is often a major tourist destination (cool waterfall! short hike!) and it’s a holiday weekend. We've climbed this waterfall dozens of times, and we've never been alone up there. But whatever, we thought, -12 degrees, let’s get a move on.

(cave mouth; water ice)

The cave is fully frozen. It is below zero. The ice is like glass: brittle and hard to hit. We set up at the base of the falls and my partner (the only one of us crazy and stupid enough to lead on ice) starts climbing.

Ok, so, the thing about lead climbing on ice is: remember the first rule of climbing? The main difference between ice and rock, other than the fact that you're on ice and not rock, is that there's no way to safely take a fall. You've got knives in your hands, you've got knives strapped to your feet, and between the ice and the nylon rope and the steel of your picks and your crampons and your body, you know which one of those will break first? If you guessed "your body", you're right! So if you're leading on ice, the generally accepted method of protecting against falls is, like, Just Don't.

So my partner starts climbing. He gets about 10' up and goes to put in his first ice screw. The screw teeth do not catch. There's no friction. The ice is too brittle. My partner is mildly insane, so he just shrugs and keeps climbing. He gets about 15' up, which is the point where a fall would start to do some serious damage, and I helpfully suggest that he "place a screw?" He pulls his first screw back off his harness and starts to put it in. This time the teeth catch. "Phew," our friend and I say. Our friend is belaying. I'm standing off to the side taking pictures. The screw is about halfway into the ice - 2 inches, maybe - when we hear what sounds like a fucking gunshot.

We are in a slot canyon. None of us are carrying a gun.

I'm the first to spot the issue. Radiating horizontally from the screw for about 5' is a giant crack in the ice. The entire bulge of ice that my partner has just screwed into is now cracking away from the wall. My partner very gingerly lifts his foot up. The ice stays where it is. "Okay," he says, and he slowly and quietly climbs away from it.

(can you spot the difference?)

At this point, if he tried to lower off that screw, the whole thing would fall off the wall (and kill him, and probably me too). If he tried to downclimb, he would most likely knock it loose from the wall (and kill him, and probably me too). It's at this time that I walk around to our friend's other side, because it seems slightly safer. So my partner keeps climbing. He places three more screws. Two of them lead to more cracking. We're starting to get jumpy. He gets to the top, where there are anchor chains, and clips in. "This is kinda fucked," he says. "Still want to climb?"

Well, we're all stupid, so we say yes.

Quick hydrology lesson: you know how I said this was a slot canyon? The creek comes down from an alpine lake another 2000' higher on the massif, and just before it drops into this canyon it pours over a short 20' drop and forms a very small pond. "It's weird," my partner says as he makes it back down to solid ground. "I would've expected the pond to be frozen over."

"Huh," we all say, and for some reason none of us stop to question this.

Friend climbs second and I switch to belay. His climb is a lot more successful, because he's on top rope and doesn't have to worry about putting screws in. He gets to the top and shouts something at us, but for some reason we can't hear him at all. That's fine, though. I lower him. "What did you say?" we ask as he gets back down to the ground.

"Oh, just that it's weirdly loud up there."

"Weird," we say, and for some reason none of us stop to think about this.

(me, moments before disaster)

I climb third. I start on the center route that everyone else had climbed. I get halfway up before my hands go numb. I call down, ask my partner to lower me, get back on the ground and switch my gloves out for the big gauntlet mittens. Then, as I'm standing there, I think - maybe it would be fun to climb the rockier left side? So I shuffle to the left and start working the left route, get maybe a third of the way up, and as I'm placing one of my tools I knock off a small pillar and it -

it drips on me.

It's still zero degrees F, by the way. There shouldn't be dripping liquid water when it's that far below freezing. "Huh," I say, and I look up, and I get a face full of water. I look back down. "Can anyone see what's peeing on me?" I ask, right before a whole flood of water starts pouring down the route.

I don't think I've ever been lowered faster than that.

(sound on for unsettling wet noises)

The thing is: our gear is still up on the anchor chains. Someone needs to go get it. My partner volunteers, because he's the fastest climber; our friend and I are hustling around the base trying to move our rope and the rest of our gear out of the rapidly-developing pond at our feet; the ice is getting really, really wet. My partner gets to the top and rescues the gear and lowers down and we start hightailing it out of there but when we go to leave the slot canyon, the ice bridge we'd walked in on has fully washed out and we have to slog through ankle-deep freezing water to leave the canyon. Jinkies!

Our best guess is that an ice dam further upstream broke; maybe the sun caught it and melted it out, maybe something fell on it, I dunno. Maybe it was fucking haunted! We weren't going to hike up and find out. Was this related to the fracturing ice inside the cave? Unsure! Unclear! Should any of us climbed after my partner finished the first climb? Probably not! Should I have taken the fact that it took seven tries to get my contacts in this morning as a sign and stayed home? Maybe! Who knows!

All I know is I think 10-25 F is a much more pleasant temperature to climb in and maybe we should climb somewhere else for a while.

[newsies-lvr]

*deep breath*

So that's what they call a family

Mother, daughter, father, son

Guess that everythin' you heard about is true

So you ain't got any family

Well who said you needed one?

Ain't you glad nobody's waiting up for you?

When I dream, on my own

I'm alone but I ain't lonely

For a dreamer, night's the only time of day

When the city's finally sleepin'

And my thoughts begin to stray

And I'm on the train that's bound for Santa Fe

And I'm free, like the wind

Like I'm gonna live forever

It's a feelin' time can never take away!

All I need's a few more dollars

And I'm outta here to stay

Dreams comes true, yes they do

In Santa Fe

Where does it say that you gotta live and die here?

Where does it say a guy can't catch a break?

Why should you only take what you're given?

Why should you spend your whole life livin'

Trapped where they ain't no future, even at seventeen

Breakin' your back for someone else's sake?

If the life don't seem to suit ya, how 'bout a change of scene?

Far from the lousy headlines and the deadlines in between

Santa Fe, are you there?

Do you swear you won't forget me?

If I found you, would you let me come and stay?

I ain't getting any younger

And before my dyin' day

I want space, not just air

Let them laugh in my face, I don't care

Save a place

I'll be there

So that's what they call a family

Ain't you glad you ain't that way?

Ain't you glad you got a dream called

Santa Fe?

[howlingday]

Blake Belladonna is a weird cat, but it's her birthday, so we'll just leave her be and let her do her own cat thing.

My source is this reddit thread.

Taiyang: Here ya go~! Salad for the birthday girl~!

Blake: Uh... Thanks, but-

Yang: Come on, Dad! Don't you have anything OTHER than health food? It's a birthday party; bring out some cake~!

Taiyang: The cake is still thawing and the burgers are still cooking. This should be enough for now.

Blake: Actually, I have a sensitivity, so-

Ruby: MORE FOR ME! (Dumps ranch bucket)

Blake: ...I'm relieved, but I'm also concerned.

Fun Fact! Cats have a primarily carnivorous diet. So much so that a good number of plants are actually toxic to them, such as onions, raw potatoes, garlic, and plants that grow from bulbs. Some cat food will include plant matter, but these are usually cooked before being added, making them less toxic than if served raw.

---------------------------------------------------

Yang: So, Blake, you enjoying the party~?

Blake: I am, thank you. I wasn't expecting this many people, though.

Yang: Yeah, you've got a lot more friends than you think. Why, were you expecting someone specific to be alone with~?

Blake: (Gently shoves Yang away, Smiling) It's not like that.

Yang: Aw, c'mon, Blake! Not even one little hint~? I can probably guess it's not me since your hands are in my face.

Blake: You'd be surprised who I like more than you'd think.

Yang: Heh heh... Well, I'm gonna check on the other party guests. Later, Kit-Kat~! (Exits)

Blake: (Blushes)

Fun Fact! Cats may show affection by placing their paws in their owner's faces. However, cats may also do this while forgetting to clean up after themselves, so be aware of where you cat has been before they shove their feet into your mouth.

---------------------------------------------------

Nora: Happy birthday~!

Blake: Oh, thank you, Nora, it's-

Nora: It's baby powder~!

Blake: Oh... I was going to say it's very nice, and I was going to say "I wonder what it is".

Nora: Well, it's baby powder~!

Blake: Er, thank you, but why do I need baby powder?

Nora: What do you mean? Don't you use baby powder?

Blake: Why would I use baby powder?

Nora: Well, you smell like it all the time, so I thought-

Ren: If you don't like it, I can take it for you.

Blake: No, no, I just... wasn't expecting this. Thank you, Nora.

Nora: No problem~! It's your birthday. Ooh~! There's Jaune~! Gotta go; later~! (Leaves with Ren)

Blake: (Clutches hair, Sniffs)

Fun Fact! Some cats smell like baby powder, though other cats may smell more like fish and their own feces. The latter may be due to an improperly cleaned litter box.

---------------------------------------------------

Weiss: Hello, Blake, and happy birthday.

Blake: Weiss? I... almost didn't recognize you.

Weiss: I thought I'd get a tan while we were staying here.

Blake: In the middle of Jaunary?

Weiss: Why not? It's not like I'll have any time for it after this.

Blake: ...You fell asleep outside and woke up with a tan, didn't you?

Weiss: Is it that obvious?

Blake: A little bit, though it's a good thing you spoke up. With that tan line, I almost didn't recognize you. I thought some orange-skinned stranger with white hair wandered in from outside.

Weiss: Please don't say that around Xiao Long; the last thing I need is her guffawing at my mistake.

Blake: I won't mention it, but-

Ruby: HAHAHA~! WEISS, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU~?!

Weiss: RUBY ROSE, SO HELP ME, I WILL-

Blake: (Giggles)

Fun Fact! Cats rely on their sense of smell over sight. In fact, when one cat leaves for the vet and returns, the other cat may become aggressive, or even hostile, because they don't recognize the new scent soaking their housemate.

---------------------------------------------------

Blake: (Smiling)

Blake: (Tenses)

Adam: (Glaring from the treeline)

Blake: ...

Yang: You good, Blake?

Blake: Huh? (Looks to Yang) Oh, I... (Looks out, Adam is gone) I thought I saw something...

Yang: Mm... Sounds like you might be drinking too much. C'mon, let's sit down on the couch. Sun and the guys said there was a game they wanted to catch since they were here.

Blake: (Smiles) That sounds nice, actually...

Fun Fact! Possibly due to the amount of serotonin cat brains produce, it is suggested that cats may hallucinate and see things that aren't really there.

---------------------------------------------------

Sun: I'm telling you, man, it's the truth! Both hands to the Brothers!

Yang: Oh, you are so full of it! We all had a phase where we said that, but we both know it's not...

Blake: (Looking at them both, Slowly blinks)

Neptune: Uh, you okay, Blake?

Blake: (Shakes her head) Hm? Yeah. Just... (Chuckles) Taking in the scenery.

Fun Fact! Cats will show affection by slowly blinking. This affection is best reciprocated by slowly blinking in return. Some cats have even learned to do this when a person smiles at them.

[scottish-canary]

I haven't watched Limited Life in a minute so forgive me for any mistakes! Mean gills one shot —--------------------------------------------------- Scott sat on the roof of their house, looking towards the border through the bamboo. He closed his eyes for a moment. 11 hours. Martyn was on red. And ever since he changed his skin, it made Scott…Nervous. 

After someone won the ‘game’, they would remember the other games. Scott had experienced that, he knew. Plus, every season when G would meet, he wasn’t entirely like… Factory reset, or something. He could tell he could remember. Same thing with Pearl.

So how did Martyn make the Dogwarts flag? That should be impossible to remember, right? Ren wasn’t even in Limited Life, for one, and it should just… Be impossible regardless. Does Martyn even… remember Ren?

He sighed. It just made him.. Uneasy, considering the events of 3rd life. Jimmy burning the flag, Scott and Martyn were practically at eachothers throats because of Scott and Jimmy’s alliance with the Desert folk.

So why can’t Scott get away from him?

Even in Double Life they had issues, not as bad as Pearl, but since Scott was Cleo’s “soulmate”, they both had trouble with him. But…Scott just can’t hate him this time. He can see Martyn in the light clearly now, how brave he is, despite his recklessness, but..

Sometimes he would compare Martyn to Jimmy. Maybe…Just maybe, they could be like that. Martyn shouldn’t be able to know what happened, so.. They could start over. He didn’t know why this season they just got on so well, but Scott was happy.

…Despite every glance at the blood red banner being memories of pain.

Scott lifted his head, hearing footsteps on the creaking floorboards. He looked over his shoulder to see Martyn had come back from whatever he was doing. Scott smiled, trying to forget his previous thoughts. He and Grian had agreed to not let out what happens with the winners, and the previous games. Pearl had agreed as well. He couldn’t tell him, so he just had to forget.

“Hey, sand dweller.” Scott snickered

Martyn swiped the sand off his vest, snorting. “Hey, I'm being useful! What are you doing?”

“Very useful thinking!”

“Oh, bullshit.” He laughed and climbed up next to Scott. He looked on to the border, zoning out a bit. Martyn noticed, tilting his head. “What useful thinking are you doing exactly?”

Scott paused, and answered with another question; “What’s that banner?” He pointed to the Dogwarts banner around his waist.

“Oh, this? Mm.. It just felt right. The red matches with my color after all, maybe like.. The blood of my enemies.” He snickered, but Scott kept himself from wincing at the “joke”.

“What about the teeth?”

“The teeth?”

Scott sweated. He thought it was obvious the white part was teeth! “The uhm, white part. It just looks like teeth to me.”

Martyn lifted it up and looked at it. “Huh. Guess you’re right! I don’t know, like I said, it just felt right, y’know?”

“...Yeah.”

Scott leaned against his shoulder, his head fitting into the space between the coral placed like armour. He couldn’t imagine them becoming something like Ren and him did with Dogwarts. He’s certainly not going to cut off my head. He kept in a shudder.

Martyn looked over at him, blinking. “You alright?”

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t think the banner was that bad.” He chuckled lightly as to brighten the mood, but Scott stayed still, with a light exhale.

Martyn leaned his head against Scott’s, giving up on words and just sitting there together, looking at the vast ocean beyond the border.

[redbo-and-simbo]

(So..he probably would've left her around the workshop, right?)

(Probably.)

(I haven't been by there in a while. I've mostly been with Seawatt or following the android. Maybe he's got some new gadget I could mess around with.)

(Or steal.)

. . .

(sculk sensor goes off)

(machinery starts whirring)

Wait- What?

ACK-!

(A wind charge?? From where??)

(vent grate is opened with a triggered lever)

WOOAH-!

(weight falls onto a pair of arms)

Got you.

(sounds of struggle)

Let go of me!

Would you quit squirming? I'm getting so sick of you running away.

(weight slams against a tabletop)

(pained hiss)

(a metal clasp clicks)

Wh- Hey! What are you doing? Get away!

(a sneaker slams into a visor and it clatters to the floor)

Shit-! Ow- I knew I should've done the legs first.

(another clasp clicks)

Whatever. Would you stop struggling? It's only going to make things harder for both of us.

Hey, don't you-

Stay still. Please.

(another)

I'm not going to hurt you.

You're literally strapping me to some weird table!

Touché.

(the final click of metal)

You just have to believe me. I don't want any harm to come to you.

(sounds of struggle continue)

..But you're only going to hurt yourself if you keep trying to escape again. You're dumber than you're supposed to be if you think you can break those clasps.

And stop looking at me like that. You're not in danger. I just know that you're stubborn, and you know how to worm your way out of problems. I knew I wouldn't be able to speak to you without you running off.

It's not favorable, but I'd advise you calm down, or else I'll just have to administer a drug to make you.

How can I be calm right now, man? I don't trust you.

Just take it easy..

(head suddenly slams into the table)

Get your hands away from me.

You're not in any danger, it's alright.

(breathing picks up)

(Does he really have to put his hands in my hair? Seriously?)

(Crap, right. He's an Evbo, too. He knows all my weaknesses.)

(I hate all this, but..)

(breathing slows and becomes more steady)

(His nails feel so nice..)

Theeere we go. Good.

Let's get that mask off of you.

(click)

(click)

(deep breath)

(gas mask is set aside)

Feels better?

...

Right. I should've guessed you wouldn't be so eager to speak.

Well, I still have questions. So as I observe you, I'd like for you to answer them. Sound good?

..I don't really have a choice, do I?

No, I assure you you do. There's no consequence to not answering.

(Get your hands of my face, dude. Ugh- My eyes are closed but I can still feel him staring at me.)

I suppose my first question is simple: you were sent to me by the Creator, yes?

(He'd kill me if I was just some rogue Evbo..)

Y..Yeah. I was.

What are you? Are you him? Or are you another one of his creations?

(I've gotta play into his insane ideas.)

No. I'm just- Something of a prophet. Is the um..best way I can put it.

So I was right..

What does he want from me? What do I need to do for him to accept me as his only marionette?

I can't say.

You can't say?

I'm..just supposed to tell him when the time is right.

(sigh)

I suppose it's beyond my understanding. I'm not sure why he picked you of all Evbos. You're no different than the rest.

(rustle of cloth being pushed up)

(sharp breath)

As far as visible physical differences—chapped lips, longer hair, decreased muscle mass—they're all just results of external factors. Wearing that mask, time, and, I'd assume, hiding in the vents so often you don't eat properly, respectively.

That hand feels so weird.

Hm?

(I didn't mean to say that out loud..)

The textureless one.

I figured.

..This undershirt's not yours. I suppose my theory about you finding Seawatt is correct?

...

Right. Then I suppose my project was worth pursuing after all.

Do me a favor and stay still and calm for me. I need to run some diagnostic tests.

What kind of tests?

I need to examine your physiology, and your brainwaves.

(two latches click open)

You're not even going to put up a fight?

My legs are still trapped. I can't really do much.

But you could still struggle, attack me, make a commotion until someone stops by to help you out. Yet you're doing none of that.

I'd almost say you enjoy having my hands on you.

...

(chuckle)

Your silence is telling, "Simbo."

(Ugh. Hate this guy.)

(rustling of cloth)

(a hoodie and shirt are dropped on the floor)

(clasps click again)

(visor is picked up from the floor)

I just have to hook up some stuff, alright? And don't worry, I wouldn't hurt someone sent by the Creator. That's too precious a resource to lose.

(..I know this is just a facade, but..I kind of like feeling important..)

. . .

. . .

(machine whirring)

(incoherent, analytical mumbling)

(writing)

...How's Widget, by the way?

Oh. That's right. You named her, didn't you?

The Viewers were saying you wanted to see her?

Yeah. And then I got stuck here.

(chuckle)

Right. I apologize for all this. It won't have to be like this next time. If you don't run off, anyway.

..I'll take your word for it.

Still skeptical, I see. I can't blame you. Regardless, I suppose you could pay her a visit before you head back to the vents.

She's in my room. Feel free to rest there, if you'd like.

Wh- Oh- Really?

Of course. You're welcome to at any time.

Right. Gotcha.

. . .

. . .

Alright, that's all the data I need to collect.

(clasps click one by one)

(shifting)

(clothes are grabbed off the floor)

..Thanks.

(clothes rustling as they're pulled back on)

No problem.

I'm gonna dismantle the machine I set up in the vents to get you down here. My room's the door over there.

Right. Uh.. Cool.

. . .

(door creaks open)

(sneakers step across a wooden floor)

(bed creaks as weight sinks onto the edge)

Hey there, kitty.

Mrrp!

[gaykarstaagforever]

Mt. Athos, on the easternmost "leg" of the three-legged Chalkidiki Peninsula in Greece, went from being a sacred place in Greek mythology that was settled variously by Greeks and Macedonians and whoever was living in Eastern Anatolia at various times, to being conquered by the Persians, to becoming a Christian "Holy Mountain" in like the 400s AD under the Byzantines. By the 800s there was a well-established monastic community there, that demanded everyone leave them alone, no girls allowed. And everyone went "okay, cool."

...And that has NEVER STOPPED.

The Ottomans conquered the area but were apparently so impressed with it they vowed to defend it. I guess Russia invaded once, but it was part of some spat between the Greek and Russian church and I think it ended with the monks agreeing to let Russian monks do stuff there. All the wars of dying empires and national independence movements in that part of the world, and everyone else just agreed to leave them alone. When Hitler invaded, the monks asked him to stay away. He said sure.

Modern Greece lets it be a "virtually autonomous region managed by the monks."

There are stories about at least one monk from there who never saw a woman. I don't even get how that's possible. Are they cloning guys up there?

Apparently no one is allowed to find out.

Everyone has eagerly donated lots of money to them over like 1000 years, so God only knows how wealthy they are.

I guess the sea around there is really rough and dangerous so it's not worth anyone wanting to develop it.

I'm sure no gay stuff happens there. Ever.

[zhansww]

There’s no point to cp fans, adding like a dozen different disclaimers of words synonymous to “fake” before they share supposed rumors — when they’re treating all of that information as if it were reality anyway... They’re also still reading something into literally anything, and generally treating ggdd’s relationship like it solely exists for their entertainment. And it’s annoying, to say the least, cuz they’re consequentially still giving all of us a bad rep. Not all of us, ggdd fans, are that delusional and uncaring and desperate for fake content, I swear :/

[vaguely-concerned]

I think rye thinks it's incredibly adorable of davrin to be worried about him after the accidental hallucination tea experiment. that stoic option 'you know, I lived a whole life before you' contains a world of 'davrin, I'm a mourn watcher with a severely misspent youth behind me. I've been stratospherically high on things you couldn't and probably wouldn't want to imagine, this is barely a tickle'. to me.

[icewindandboringhorror]

I still very loathe the Media Trope of ‘’cold genius man doesn’t feel emotions and never has relationships... UNTIL.. one random relatively bland Preddy Woman comes along and warps his entire personality and ability to think, his heart has grown and his seeming asexuality has evaporated, he is now Normal :)” or whatever like... AS a walking generic hermit archetype myself.. we would NOT act like that .... just let people be detached weirdos in peace, you cowards .. OR, don’t bother to write one in the first place if you find us too boring to exist realistically in our natural state lol.. pathetic