#i apologize for the length

[epickiya722]

The powerscaler who judge character only on their strength are so annoying. I don't like the joke that Yuuji is just a no either. Him being absent for a year really changed thing huh?

Though people didn't forget Gojo the whole time he was in the box.

It's even worst to see a real change in Sukuna about Yuuji for nobody to even talk about it.

I guess I have another fandom to ignore in favor of the few fans in it I get along with.

Also yeah that's so weird, I like Sukuna but Yuuji's character don't start and end with him.

THEY ARE!! If you really are reading and watching something like JJK for the sake of "powerful characters" and only think those "powerful characters" are worth the hype for, why are you even here?

(I hate those "Can they beat Goku" questions. Hate hate hate them. Powerscalers are the worst asking that every chance they get. Who fucking cares?! Goku exist in another universe! Does he matter to this one?! Damn, can someone like a character without the need of proving "can they beat Goku"?)

Now that I'm thinking about it, it's probably what sets people off about Yuji. It's a stretch but maybe those haters slander Yuji because they see he is an obviously physical strong character, but hates that he doesn't showcase it like how other certain characters do (and I don't mean just in JJK).

The thing with Yuji is, he knows he's strong and fast. But he doesn't care to flaunt it around like a peacock because he's not that kind of person. He's not arrogant.

It's pretty much established in the beginning that Yuji could care less about fame and glory when his coach tries to get him on the sports team. He could have easily been like "sure"! Instead, he chose to be in a club, that he actively participates in even though he doesn't have to, just so he can also visit his grandfather in the hospital.

Another example of this is later on in the manga, he is aware of the "Tiger of the West" nickname people have for him but he says it's lame (in one translation) and not for the sake of wanting a better nickname. His attitude shows he just doesn't care for it. (Chapter 162)

Other characters would relish in having a title and being famous for their excellent power. Then there's Yuji who is just vibing.

It honestly sucks that some people think that a character has to be great if they're strong and that's it.

What about that character having flaws? A personality? Complexity? Hell, even design.

Someone said this under a video: "Some people confuse strongest character with main character".

Which is true for the JJK fandom apparently because some folks want Satoru or Yuta to be the main character. Both who happen to be the strongest.

Which makes me question if their "fans" only just like them for their strength. Take away their abilities and then what? What could you say about them that you genuinely like?

It's easy for me when it comes to Yuji because his power isn't what defines him. His strength and speed isn't something he flaunts around like that. Instead, we often get his personality and morals.

It's total fine to like a character's cool ass powers. Hell, I like Satoru's Purple Hollow move. But is power really all that makes that character great to you?

[tempestaslokni]

Status: Closed for @chancedarling Location: Outside of the Bungalows Spontaneity wasn't Lokni's forte, but this situation was a little different. As he walked, the delicate, silver bracelet in his pocket felt heavier and heavier. He really felt that he wanted to thank Selin for fishing with him. It had been nice to talk to someone so calm and kind despite everything that had happened. There was only one problem; Lokni lacked the courage to give it to her directly. That left him with one other option: to leave it on the doorknob and hope that Selin would notice. Surely the Creator could help him out with that much. Taking things into consideration, he had scrawled a small note using a scrap of paper from one of the books in the warehouse and a pencil he found to write "For Selin," in his chicken scratch handwriting. He opted to leave out his name, she didn't need to know it was from him. After all, it was the sentiment that mattered most, right? Crows gave gifts in similar ways, his mother's windowsill was littered with buttons, fishing hooks, acorns, and other discarded shiny items that the crows deemed proper gifts. It was a "thank you" for feeding them. Selin and Lokni had caught food together, so he thought that this was a suitable gesture. Treading lightly and glancing around, Lokni made his way to the door of Selin's bungalow and looped the bracelet around the doorknob. The note was rolled up within the bracelet, so she should have no difficulty finding it. Silently praying that nobody would move it, Lokni turned to head back to the wilderness. Just when he was about to take his leave, a figure rounded the corner. Lokni froze. He had never seen this person before, and a hefty amount of time had passed since his arrival. The newcomer was the same height as Lokni, and appeared to be of similar age, it was hard to tell. Striking green eyes stared back at him, framed by dark curly hair, and the thought of how much had he seen? echoed throughout Lokni's mind. "Evenin.'" Lokni began, a short, clipped greeting, followed by an attempt to steer any potential conversation from himself, "you new on the island? Don't think I've seen you round these parts before." Unsure if this newcomer had seen the bracelet or not, Lokni turned slightly in an attempt to block his view of the doorknob.

[mymelodyisme]

hello I love your writing and i just wanted to ask if you have any tips when on a writer's block?

😭 is this really meant for me?!!! Hi!!!!

Oh gosh I don’t know if I’m being honest. I just kind of go with the flow of it all. Literally writing the words as I think them and then go back to adjust when I need to edit. But !! But! If I could say anything that might help get your creativity back on the treadmill

I would suggest, depending on what you’re writing of course, put yourself as the voice of the character for a bit. How would you react to what’s going on. I embarrassingly do a lot of facial movements and hand movements and play out a scene. Sometimes it’ll unlock an “oh wait something like this could happen next” moment

If you’re stumped entirely, move ahead!!! Don’t allow yourself to be fitted like a typewriter! If a scene isn’t scening put a letter or mark and press enter. The fun part about this is that you can come up with ANYTHING now that there’s no connection to the former line and if you go ham enough with typing you can find a new point and reconnect them. Writing seems like it should be point A to point B to point C but you really could start anywhere within reason. Sometimes i think about the end result and then work my way there :)

Sometimes I also just like looking at things. Art, people, words, and I get little snippets of dialogue or action and I think “hey I want to stick that somewhere” here’s an example from my notes app (speaking of notes app use the heck out of it)

When I was writing Drink for your First Kiss this was literally all I started with :) that and the vague movements and feelings that would have come from being kissed for the first time.

As for the notes app, I recommend making it a widget! I like to write down my silly little ideas. Sometimes something really dumb happens to me and I’ll mark it as something that can be used for character development

Here’s an example! I take my siblings to school. Well at the start of the year I was driving, right? Well there’s this hole that you have to curve just right to avoid.

Dear reader I did not do that.

If anything I saw something black fly across my vision. I freaked out for a bit, dropped my sister off, and made my way back only for it to have been nothing (I should have known that realistically). And as I was shaken, driving home, I thought “ah what if it was my guardian Angel? Oh! What if he was cast down from heaven because he fell in love with me. Oh! What about a story about a girl who hits her guardian Angel, disguised as a bird, with her car and takes him in only to find out he was cast out for falling deeply in love with her and doing absolutely everything in his power to protect her. What if his love was the driving force of the story. He already fell from heaven, what wouldn’t he do for her?”

All that from me hitting a hole and all within the span of ten minutes lol!

So if you take anything away from my silly little rambling it’s that you CAN and you WILL come across a motive to continue that you haven’t hit yet!!

Mark it down, mark it down, mark it down!!

I’m sure you’ll get on eventually and if worse comes to worse, be dramatic!!!! Kill off a character for a few minutes in the drafts 🫢 nothing to get you worked up than imagining they’re not there and how does everything else move on.

Oh also add lots of spaces in between thoughts. That’s something that just works for me!

If there’s a space it can be filled during the read over :) [act out your scenes it’s so fun]

Plus, you might just hit a hole and meet a fallen Angel idk life’s full of surprises! (Like your words will be ♥️)

PS: dreams are also a good way to take ideas :) they’re already the unfiltered insanity that happens in your brain maybe take a pinch of it for your writing !

Pss: do not compare your worth and skill to others. That can be the death of creativity. We are all trying and we are all doing as we should. You’ll get there :)

[cute-girls-from-vns-anime-manga]

Hope things get turned around and those intrusive thoughts take a hike. Shit never gets any easier but I’m hoping life gives you plenty to smile about soon

To be honest I'm actually much better happy the attack lasted only a few hours, have been stuck in them for months at a time. End of November is always a hard time of the year for me as too many traumatic things happened in such a small time all layered on top of each other that looking back at it is like looking at the sun for me.

Things do get easier, not over night and not at all fast enough to notice but eventually you wont remember when things transitioned away from being a constant hell to just your memories and the ptsd scars as the only things that eventually let you enjoy a normal life more than most as you know the answer to "how much worse could things be"

But as a person I smile at the joys people have told me this Tumblr has brought them I smile when I get the chance to follow and talk with great people like yourself and slowly analyze their taste. Ended up scrolling thought many of my mutual blogs while trying to get a hold of myself you were one of the first ones I searched for as I always get a kick out of scrolling though

Now in terms of things life gave me to smile about?! I put this under a read more due to its length but I constantly was smiling and laughed as I typed it out.

The main thing I get to smile about everyday is that living through 23 years of daily abuse never having even one moment of peace constantly being abused or paranoid about when it would happen next, I never let him win. No matter how badly he tried to make me want to die I never gave in and the last time that bastard saw me he tried to get one more round of abuse in before I was gone plastered on his fucking face was a vile shit eating grin he before he could say one bit of his abusive manipulative shit I pried that arrogant smug smile off slamming one good punch into that fuck knocking every bit of air out of his lung stripping him of his capacity to abuse me. Yeah I still get a massive smile on my face as this shitty little fuck that had so expertly manipulated everyone and everything against me even so far as to get me arrested dispute I was defending myself against him which is why I couldn't have just beat the hell out of him to solve things. This cancerous lech of a person now doubled over on his hands and knees pathetically trying to gather himself gasping for air his racking heaves and barely understandable horsed pained ranting and screaming of expletives between each attempt to gain his composure. That beautiful image in my mind of his face just before he doubled over a mixture of surprise confusion and most of all just for a brief moment his eyes were alive and wild nothing but the fear of not being in control at least once a week for the last 3 years this memory just pops into my head and It makes me smile and laugh.



[muppeteyes1001]

Seeds of Doubt

The market place was always a madhouse during this time of the day. That was clear as the felinoid steadily made her way back home, carrying two large brown paper bags. One in each arm. Finally reaching her front door, she lets out a tired sigh before trying to fish for her keys in her pocket ... Which was proving to be quite the chore with both arms currently full. As the cat woman briefly struggled, she finally finds the keys, but in turn, one of her bags topples over and begins to fall to the ground ... along with a couple of food items. However ... miraculously ... none would ever touch the pavement.

"Whoops! .. Be careful, miss ... Don't want your dinner rolling down the street now do we?"

Hearing the sound of someone's voice, Kitt looks up and sees a man whom she's never seen before. He offered a gentle smile as he held the bag she had nearly dropped in one hand, while holding a pomegranate and an orange that had attempted to escape in the other.

"O..Oh! Thank you so much! .. Apologies ..that was a bit clumsy of me" the cat woman sheepishly replied. She was clearly surprised by the sudden appearance of this stranger.

"Not to worry! Glad I was able to offer a hand" he began, adjusting his hold on the bag. He then raised a quizzical brow towards her "Strange! .... You don't seem all that startled to see me, considering that I .. uh .. kind of stick out around here" he remarked, gesturing towards a few of the animal-like locals strolling about.

Hearing this, Kitt huffed a chuckle. "Well, you're definitely not local .. That's for sure" she mused with her small, side smile before continuing. "But I've traveled a lot ... And have met all sorts of folks, so nothin' really shocks me all that much anymore" she reassured the strange man. To which he seemed to relax before making a polite request.

"Say! .. If it's alright .. May I perhaps trouble you for a glass of water? .. I'd just got into town and don't really know the place all that well .. So .." the man explained. His tone was gentle, but with a hint of awkwardness to it.

"Of course! ... I actually have some tea already brewing up in the kitchen .. You're welcome to some if you like .. I mean, it's the least I can do after you've practically saved my supper, yes?" the felinoid chortled. With her key in hand, she easily opens the door. The man thoughtfully holds it open to let her in first. As she goes inside, a small insidious smirk forms on his face before following her.

Once they've arrived up to her flat, the felinoid leads the man into the kitchen. Indeed, a pot of rose hip tea was gently steaming atop the stove. Setting her grocery bag on the table, she goes to tend to the kettle after insisting her new guest to have a seat. To which he does after setting the other bag down.

"Oof! .. Sorry 'bout the mess, but I wasn't exactly expectin' any company today" Kitt apologized after moving some empty dishes and utensils into the sink to be taken care of later.

"Ah don't worry! .. Hardly notice it" the man joked before taking a lazy glance around the room as the felinoid prepped the tea. It wouldn't take very long as she finished setting up the tea tray. However, she blinked and jolted slightly at the realization that she had not even asked his name ... Or told him hers, for that matter.

"Oh gods! .. Where are my manners? ... I'm Katrina .. or simply Kitt, if ya like .. Pleasure!" she finally introduces herself with a small head nod, bringing over the tray of tea along with two cups and sides of cream and sugar.

"Jareth .. And the pleasure's all mine" he returns the gesture. As he was given a cup, the felinoid poured him some of the hot brew as he casually looked around her space again.

"So .. Do you live here alone?" Jareth inquired curiously.

"Usually I do! .. Though to be honest, I hardly ever am home .. what with work, visiting folks, an' whatnot" Kitt casually replies, sitting down as she puts a bit of cream in her tea. She took quick notice of the very personal question being brought straight out the gate, but decided not to point it out. Not just yet, anyway. Perhaps it was just simple curiosity. After taking a sip from her own cup, she gives her own inquiry.

"So .. What brings you to Dawnsburgh, aye?.. Buisness? ... Pleasure?" the cat woman asked kindly, before stirring some sugar into her cup.

"A little bit of both, actually .... As a matter of fact, I believe you can be of some help to me" Jareth responded with a low chuckle. His hands folding together over his barely touched teacup.

Kitt's ears pick up at this, giving the man a curious .. but wary .. glance. "Oh!? .. In what way, pray tell?" she mildly prods, humoring him a little as she wondered where this was going.

"I was hoping you can tell me just how such an infamous jewel thief is seemingly able to keep things .. together .. Er, stable, if you will?" Jareth asks. His tone felt a little shaky towards the end, but the very unexpected question made the cat woman quirk her brow.

"Really now? .. Hmm! .. Well sounds like you already know quite a bit about me already, no? .. But if you wish to hire me for a heist job, there's a certain way of goin' about it" she informs calmly before taking another sip. Something was up! .. And she needed to tread carefully.

"Oh No, I'm not talking about that .. What I'm saying is that I know a lot about you, Katrina .... Very much so! .. And my quite the unfortunate soul you are ... A shame really .. Losing both parents at such a young age ... left in the care of a neglectful ward for years .. Why it must've been such a shock for you to go from having a loving family .. to becoming an unwanted orphan almost overnight" he feigned sympathy before continuing on.

"Not only that, you've gone and resorted to petty larceny in a desperate attempt to fill that empty void in your heart ... And because you've been such a bad kitten in the past, it's come back to bite you ... In terms of adopting those two little waifs, that is"

"So how long have you been trying for, huh? .. A few months, a year .. maybe more ..... And it's always the same result ... Rejection, after rejection, after rejection ..." Jareth crooned mockingly.

Kitt had been listening to the man's bold, invasive talk. It wasn't as if these facts of her life had been hidden from the public. Many of the people who knew her here already knew of them. Though, some parts were obviously embellished for his own dramatic amusement. Why this man seemed so interested in researching all this and telling her her own story back to her, she hadn't the foggiest.

However, at the last bit, the felinoid tensed up, gripping her cup a little tighter .. Now, he was bringing her two young friends into this. What the hell is he trying to do? ... She held her tongue for the time being and kept her attention mildly off of him. Though, it was proving to be a very tough challenge to not reach across the table and smack that vile mouth clean off the pale, vermin's face.

Jareth notices Kitt seemingly not listening to him as she continued to stir and sip from her teacup.

"Hey!! .. Are you deaf?.. I'm talking to you!" He called out, annoyed.

"No .. But I sure wish I was to be quite honest" Kitt snapped back. Finally looking up from her tea and back at him. Glaring through narrowed wintergreen eyes.

He huffs, slowly trying to compose himself "Right! .. I've heard of that mouth of yours" he mumbles to himself. Though audible enough for her to hear.

"Oh have ya now!? ... Then you should also know how rude and just bloody creepy it is for some stranger from off the street to waltz into a person's home and all of a sudden start telling them their whole life story" the felinoid points out incredulously.

"I believe you've invited me here" the man fires back with a wagging finger.

"And I very much regret it! ... Now I don't know who or what ya are .. or why you're even doin' all this, but tea's over .. And it's time for you to leave" she has had enough, and wanted this man gone.

At that moment as Kitt stood up from her chair, the door to the kitchen that was behind the man, had suddenly slammed shut. The three windows near her then began to rattle slightly before they became barricaded by what looked to be metal plates that seemed to have magically appeared. The felinoid's eye widened in absolute shock as she looked over the materialized blockades before quickly returning her attention back to the man.

"We are not done here! .. So .. Sit .. Down!" Jareth demanded through clenched teeth.

By this time, the cat woman now understood that she was dealing with something much more than just a cruel, nonsensical prank. Kitt begrudgingly did as she was told and slowly sat back down. This man had powers, though she wasn't sure how much .. or how strong. It'd be wiser to play this safe and not aggravate the situation further.

Jareth smiles as the felinoid complied. She needed to know that he was in control, not her.

Taking a breath to calm herself, Kitt tries to placate him a bit and give a solid reason as to why she needed to leave.

"Listen .. I wasn't plannin' on staying here for too long, anyway .. I'm actually supposed to be heading off to meet up with someone in a bit ... They will be expecting me" she explained, hoping that would be enough to change his mind.

"Are you now? ... That someone wouldn't happen to be a king, would it? .... As in, the Xandoran king, himself" the trickster states with a knowing smile.

Kitt's eyes widened once more. Terror began to trickle into her heart as the fur along her back and neck began to bristle. Just how much does this man know? .. Who the hell is he?

"So tell me, just how close are you two, huh? ... I must say a big rich oaf like that, he's quite the catch, isn't he? .... Can't say much for his taste, though ... But, either way, .. it must concern you to see him .. enjoying himself with the company of others" Jareth states as he begins to toy with a bubble-like object that appeared in his hand.

Kitt watches this man's every move cautiously before speaking to him again. Trying to keep herself calm and collected despite how he was referring to Alex and talking to her.

"Why would it? ... Everyone's free to talk and spend time with whomever they want ... That includes the king, as well as me ... Just what are you tryin' to get get at?"

He then blew on the magic bubble so that it floated idly between them to where Kitt began to see visuals within it. Visuals playing out what he was about to describe.

"Only the fact that he has many people around him, doesn't he? .. Admirers and all that .... And a few of which would make very promising suitors .. Ones that can provide everything someone of his title and status could ever want ... Power, riches, kingdoms, armies, heirs ....... I mean a king's gonna king no matter what .. And he's no different" Jareth proclaims matter-of-factly. At that moment, the little show playing via bubble stops before it gently popped out of existence.

"And then there's you ... Tell me, what can someone like you .. A lone vagabond who wields no power, no magic, one who's family wealth's nearly squandered .. Why, you don't even hold a title, do you? ..... Tell me, what exactly can you ever offer a king? .. Loyalty? .. As if he doesn't already get that from his numerous guards and servants on a constant and daily basis" he added.

"I'm not a vagabond! .. And though my family's wealth was squandered, it was not by me .. If you're gonna follow fatuous rumors, then you're no different from the other dunderheads I hear yappin' behind my back on a constant and daily basis" Kitt pointed out tersely. Her own mocking tone showing off intently.

Jareth then continued on with his condescending prattle.

"Or perhaps .. You give him nostalgia .. After all, you are a small remnant of his past, aren't you? ... A sweet little reservoir of memories he likes to lap up from every now and then .. It's not uncommon for feelings of nostalgia to often be confused with that of love" he informed with a sneer. At that, Kitt's irate expression dropped to a slightly thoughtful one. Her brows then furrowed before swiftly turning her gaze elsewhere.

"... And If not that, then maybe he just sees you as a cute pet" Jareth says with a shrug. He then takes quick notice of the ruby necklace around Kitt's neck. "That's quite a fancy little collar? .. Is that from him, too?" he mocks her again. To which the cat woman responds by instantly slamming both gloved palms onto the table top before rising from her seat again.

"Alright!! .. Enough with all this tripe talk ... If all you're tryin' ta do is get me riled up, you're just wasting your breath .. I want you out! .. Right now! ... You can either go willingly through the front door or unwilling through the window .. Take your pick, mate!!" she demanded. Her teeth slightly bared.

"Oh! Don't worry .. I will be leaving .. But I have a little game that I'd like to play first .. And I need you to come with me"

"Like hell I am!" Kitt barks out angrily. She turns to grab for her crooked cane but then suddenly finds Jareth appear in front of her. She looks up at the taller man in shock.

"Now now .. We can do this the easy way ..Or the fun way .. Take your pick, sweetheart" he chides with a toothy grin.

Grasping the cane, the felinoid bares her teeth as she expertly swings the cane forward. However, the man had vanished just as quick as he did before. In a blink, he then appears at her side and knees her promptly in the stomach. She flies a few feet, back slamming into the wall causing the kitchen shelves with various items and glass ware to crash to the floor along with her.

Coughing and gasping, Kitt puts an arm around her stomach. The kick had literally taken the wind out of her as she struggled to push herself up with the other arm. But to no avail, as the pain was just soo intense. Jareth casually picks her cane up off the floor and walks over to where she fell. Her body too stunned to move, she looks up at him. A painful expression on her face.

Standing over her, the trickster raises up Kitt's cane. It's curved handle hovering just over her head.

"Looks like you won't be seeing that giant salamander for tea today! .... Night night, girlie" Jareth said with a cocky smile before bringing the cane down hard onto the felinoid's head.

Kitt was out cold.

[kandlewick]

i'll dry the villain's tears

t h e r o s e r e d t y r a n t ' s m o t h e r pt.2

you get reincarnated into a role that became the breaking point of the villain's story and you, be it an unwillingness to cause them harm or a desire to survive, must work hard to make sure they grow into a better (or at least safer) person.

You felt entirely too overdressed sitting here at the park. Your former body's wardrobe was obviously not meant for anything too strenuous and that apparently included just enjoying your time outside in the sun. You could feel the sweat gather in uncomfortable places... but your nerves weren't just because of the warm weather.

Trey's mother sat beside you, much more dressed for the occasion, and watched as Trey and Riddle reconnected. You could hear the two of them laugh and giggle as they began playing as if nothing had ever happened and the two were quick to run up the steps leading to the slide, followed by a whole gaggle of other children. You let out a soft sigh of relief at the sight.

Not just the clothes, but your body was so stiff and rigid it was hard to even relax as you tried to breath. Your back was straight as a rod while you sat on the uncomfortable park bench, your well manicured hands firm on your lap and you shuffled uncomfortably in place. Trey's mother eyed you from her spot on the bench and offered a small smile, like she was acknowledging how strenuous this whole situation was for you.

"I'm guessing you've never brought Riddle to a public park before, huh?" She crossed her arms and leaned on them over the table, linking her fingers together, "You look like you're about to faint."

You forced out a laugh, too embarrassed to meet her gaze and pulled at the high collar of your buttoned top. You could practically feel heat waves steaming off of you. "Something like that," you admitted, "I wasn't exactly a good mother when it came to recreational activities."

You inwardly cringed at your wording — what, is Miss Rosehearts vocabulary infecting you too?

Trey's mother hummed as she continued to look at you. You could feel her bright hazel eyes staring at you. You could feel a cold sweat drip down your neck.

"Please stop me if this sounds too forward," Trey's mother leaned back but quickly offered her hand to you, "but my name is Dinah."

You blinked up at her, startled. She... wanted you to shake her hand?

She offered up her hand again and made a motion for you to follow. Almost hesitantly, you reached out and clasped her hand in your own, shaking it. Her palms were so warm, comforting, almost the exact opposite of your body's cold touch. She smiled at you, the dimple on your cheek crinkling with delight.

"I figured since our children are such good friends, we could at least try and act cordial." She glanced over as your two children sat next to each other on the swing set, the elder Trey guiding Riddle on how to kick back his feet. Riddle was hesitant and stumbled a few times, but kept giggling all the same, obviously entranced.

"Trey likes to baby younger kids," Dinah smiled, "I wonder how he'd do with younger siblings..."

You noticed that too as Riddle followed him around like a little duckling chasing after its mama. Whatever Trey did, Riddle would follow even if it meant pushing his limits. Trey watched carefully from the other end of the playground as Riddle jumped from one platform to the next, his arms out and knees shaking as he tried to keep himself balanced. Whenever he would stumble and topple over the edge nearly sending him into a fit of tears, Trey was quick to act and followed him back to the beginning.

"He's a sweet kid." You mumbled, "You're a great mother."

She gave you an almost sympathetic look, noticing your tone before reaching out and grabbing your hand, "Hey, you're not doing so bad now either." She squeezed your hand in her own and offered you an encouraging smile, "Parenting isn't easy and sometimes you don't notice the damage until it's too late but look at you," She gestured to your whole self, "Better late then never, right?"

You both sat there idly chatting until much later then you had figured you would and before long, the sun had began to set, casting the park in a orange hue. You were caked in sweat but Riddle wasn't doing much better. The two children came back huffing and puffing from exhaustion, sweat dripping off their foreheads like rivers. Riddle looked especially tired, his cheeks a bright red.

"I think I'm ready to go now," Riddle sighed.

You gave him a small smile and pulled him close, rubbing your pristine sleeve against his cheeks and wiped away any of the dirt that stained his skin, laughing as he let out a soft whine. Trey wasn't faring any better and was quick to lean against his mother's lap. Dinah ruffled his hair but her face quickly grimaced at the sweat in his hair. The kids obviously were going to need a bath after this.

You pulled Riddle in to your arms and tucked him under your chin. His bright red hair tickled your face but you held him even closer as his arms wrapped around your neck. He let out a soft sigh against your shoulder. Trey, being much taller then Riddle, simply grabbed Dinah's hand. He tiredly looked up at the young boy in your arms and smiled, his hands raising to offer Riddle a small wave.

"Bye, Riddle. We'll play again sometime, ok?"

Riddle turned his head and nodded, a sleepy smile on his face, "Mmmhm..."

"We will do this again sometime, right?" Dinah lowered her voice and leaned over so that Trey wouldn't be in ear shot, "This isn't a one time thing?"

"Oh?" You blinked over at her. Oh! "Yes!" You reassured her, your voice a little too loud, "Yes, we would love that. Riddle would love to." I would love to!! You screamed in your head, eager to befriend her. You wanted friends too!!!

Dinah gave you a dazzlingly bright smile, "Then I think we should invite Chen'ya and his uncle next time too!" Riddle and Trey straightened up at this and you could tell the two of them were excited about the thought.

"His uncle?" You questioned. That doesn't sound very familiar.

"Oh yeah," Dinah laughed behind her hand, "Chen'ya's parents are always out of the country on business so he lives with his uncle and his grandfather. My husband and I are good friends with them both and his uncle is a really fun guy, I'm sure you'd find him... interesting!"

It would certainly be interesting meeting someone new that you had no idea about... plus you'd be able to apologize properly to Chen'ya and whoever his guardian was. It could possibly be very... fun. You could feel your body hum in excitement as you found yourself nodding eagerly, nearly bouncing Riddle in your arms, "I would like that very much."

And then after exchanging phone numbers, you and Dinah parted ways, the two children eager to return home and rest.

"Mmmm," Riddle hummed in your arms, his hold on you loosening as he began drifting off, "I had a lot of fun today —" He yawned loudly, his head burrowing itself further into your neck, a content smile on his face, "Thank you."

[essektheylyss]

One thing that I feel is really interesting and often forgotten about Essek is that fundamentally, his characterization has been from the start based upon his desperation for external perspectives and connection, which, along with much of his narrative and mechanical positioning, means that he actually has an extraordinary and almost (but not actually, as I'll show) counterintuitive capacity for both growth and trust.

(Buckle in. This is a long one.)

In particular, I would argue, knowing now that many places where the plot touches Ludinus have long been marked for connecting back into the current plot, that he was quite possibly built as a prime candidate for radicalization by the Ruby Vanguard. He felt isolated from his culture, he was desperate for other connection, and he was certainly of the type to believe he was too smart to be drawn into such a thing, given his initial belief that he could control the situation and the fallout. If things had gone any other way, he easily could've been on the other side by now.

As such, he has been hallmarked by being fairly open to suggestion, perhaps for this reason, but the thing about that kind of trait is that it is both how people are radicalized and deradicalized. This is certainly true of Essek, who experienced genuine kindness and quite frankly strangeness from the Nein and was able to move from the isolation the Assembly had engendered to meaningful and genuine connection, largely propelled by his own internal reflection. By the time Nein are aware of his crimes, he's already begun to express regret to an extent and, furthermore, doubt in the Assembly, including explicitly drawing a line against Ludinus, even in a position where he was on his own and probably quite vulnerable.

Similarly, when the Nein reach the Vurmas Outpost some weeks later, he has moved from regret for the position he's ended up carrying a heavy remorse. This makes sense! He's fairly introspective, seems used to spending a lot of time in his own head, and was left with plenty to mull over. It's not some kind of retcon for him to have progressed well past where the Nein left him; it just means he's an active participant in the world who has done his own work in the meantime.

This is another interesting aspect to him. I've talked about this a bit before but I cannot find the post so I'll recap here: antagonists in D&D have significantly more agency than allied NPCs. Antagonists are active forces, against which the party is meant to struggle; allies are meant to support the PCs, which means they tend to be more passive in both their actions and their character growth. Essek was both built as an antagonist, in a position that gives him significant agency, and also was then given significant opportunity to grow specifically to act as a narrative mirror for Caleb's arc. Even when he becomes a more traditional D&D ally, he still retains much of that, though he occupies a supporting role.

I believe that this is especially true because of the nature of Caleb's arc, which I've already written on; the tl;dr of this post is that Caleb is both convinced that he is permanently ruined and also desperate to prove that change is possible. Essek is that proof, because he is simply the character in a position to do so. But this also means that his propensity for introspection and openness is accentuated! He has to do the legwork on his own, for the most part, because that's where he is in the meantime.

But he still ends the campaign necessarily constricted; he is under significant scrutiny, he's at risk from the Assembly, and he goes on the run fairly soon after the story ends. He spends most of the final arc anxious and paranoid, which is valid given the crushing reality of his situation. It would be very easy to extrapolate that seven years into this reality, he would be insular, closed off, and suspicious of strangers, even in spite of the lessons he's learned from the Nein and their long term exposure.

So seeing his openness and lightness now is surprising, but at the same time, given this combination of factors in his position in the narrative over time and his defining traits, it's not by any means unreasonable.

But one thing that I found so delightful is how much trust he exhibits, which is obviously a wild thing to say about Essek in particular, given much of what he learns is both earning and offering trust, which was something he says explicitly in 2x124 that he's never really experienced: "I've never really been trusted and so I did not trust." It makes up much of the progression of his relationship with Caleb, and the trust that he is offered by the Nein in walking off the ship is the impetus he needs to grow.

But I think it's easy to talk about trust when it comes to people who have proven themselves to you or to whom you've ingratiated yourself, and that's really the most we can say about Essek by the time he leaves the Blooming Grove. There is this sense in a lot of discussion of trust (not solely in this fandom) that it is only related to either naivete or love, but there's far more to it. Trust at its best is deliberate—cultivating an openness to the world at large is a great way to combat cynicism and beget connection instead. It allows a person to maintain curiosity and be open to experience, but it can be incredibly difficult to hold onto.

It is clear that the Essek we meet now is a very pointedly and intentionally trusting individual. He trusts Caleb and by extension Caleb's trust in Keyleth, as he shows up and picks up a group of strangers from a foreign military encampment and walks in without issue. He trusts the Hells to follow his lead moving through Zadash and to exhibit enough discretion so as to avoid bringing suspicion upon all of them. He trusts that Astrid will respond well to his entrance, but he also trusts himself and the Hells enough to execute a back-up plan in the case that she doesn't. In the end, he even trusts them enough to give them his name and identity.

He doesn't scan as someone who has spent half a dozen years living like a prey animal, afraid of any shadow he runs across in an alley, withdrawn into himself and an insular family, which would've been an easy route for him to take. He scans as someone who has learned the kind of trust borne of learned confidence and a trained eye for good will and kindness, which are crucial weapons one would need for staving off cynicism in his circumstances—as if he has survived thanks more to connection and kindness than paranoia and isolation. (If we want to be saccharine about it, he scans quite poignantly as a member of the Mighty Nein.)

So it is easy to imagine this trust and openness as a natural progression of his initial search for perspectives external to his own cultural knowledge. Though he makes those first connections with the Assembly to try to vindicate his personal hypotheses, he finds in them exposure to the deepest corruption among Exandrian mortals, which could've—and did, for a time—turned him further down that same dark path.

But it's also this same openness to exposure from the wider world that allows the Nein to influence him for the better, and in spite of the challenges he's certainly faced simply surviving over the past seven years, he seems to have held onto this openness enough to move through the world with self-assurance and a willingness to extend the kinds of trust and good will that he has been shown.

(I would be remiss not to mention that I was reminded about my thoughts on this by this lovely post from sky-scribbles and their use in the tags of 'light' to describe Essek's demeanor this episode, which is really such an apt word for it.)

[thankstothe]

[futuristichedge]

Shadow footage from Sonic X Shadow Generations - Summer Game Fest Trailer

[george-does-a-thing]

Not gonna lie I'm just hyped because it's a Bethesda space game. Ive been playing their games since i was 13 so i am hella excited to see what they can do. the only Bethesda games so far I've not liked have been 76 and Eso (namely because i end up getting extremely motion sick in like 15 minutes no matter what) I love how they build worlds and how alive they usually feel. Yes mods help absolutely, but they build awesome environments and stories for modders to continue expanding.

Starfield is going to be good but it’s going to be reviewed harshly by critics, players and haters because it’ll be compared to Balder’s Gate 3.

Love it or hate it, most Bethesda games operate like platforms (not platformers!) They create a cool open world and hand a bunch of modding tools to let people create whatever they want.

It’s why they were able to realise a gazillion copies of Skyrim.

[drawnfamiliarfaces]

Would Jenny allow Danny to tinker with her? I know robotics isn’t exactly the same as aerospace engineering (and I do be headcanoning that my boy chose this as his major since he wants to be an astronaut), but with all the experience he had from handling his parents inventions I believe he can be trusted with fixing something as complex as a robot. I like to think that Danny was really impressed with how Jenny was made and secretly wanted to take a look at how she works, but was too shy to ask because he knows how it’s like to be treated like an object and not a person (with the whole “ghosts are non-sentient globs of ectoplasm with post-human consciousness” spiel he heard so many times) and didn’t want to make Jenny uncomfortable. I believe it took Jenny some time and getting to know Danny and his engineering skills before she let him fix her when she got something badly broken. It was like a show of ultimate trust from Jenny’s side and Danny was flattered, humbled and very respectful. And super careful of course, constantly asking how Jenny’s doing or feeling while he tinkered, mindful of her. I bet she was touched.

Not gonna lie, this is one of the more fascinating asks I got - if only because its incredibly interesting to read about your take/interpretation of Danny & Jenny's relationship! I hope you don't mind me saying, but it feels like you adore both characters and it's very cute!

Well, now, in HoM AU, both Danny and Jenny are close friends and indeed Danny is one of the few people who Jenny trusts with - well, herself - her mechanical self. Like you, I headcanon Danny as quite mechanicaly gifted - in HoM AU he actually graduated college/uni with engineering degree, so he got education to polish his raw skills! He is one of the first people who would help Jenny in and out of the field, if there is a minor malfunction or an injury of some sort!

But even for that to happen it took a couple of years and a few adventures together.

So to answer the original question, I would have to say that in HoM AU specifically, neither Danny would ask to 'tinker' with her, nor Jenny would probably be totally comfortable with that question if asked. 'Tinkering' would imply a degree of casual poking around, and in this case, both Danny and Jenny have certain life experiences that gave them... boundaries when it comes to their own and others' autonomy. Jenny especially.

(a bit of random background info dump here to explain the reasoning, but feel free to ignore it, since i basically answered the ask xD i just got bitten by a writing bunny, so its gotten a bit long - be warned!)

When Jenny was younger and only just acclimatizing herself with human world and amongst teenagers, she was rather blaze at times with how much access to her body she gave to her human friends and acquaintances.

After all, her mother was rather frank about it - often poking around in Jenny's mechanics and code. But it was her mother, who created her (sort of 'why are you covering yourself, i made you i already know what you have' mother attitude, which is a bit over-controlling and invasive to other's autonomy, but well, Jenny is a robot after all) and it a completely different deal from others.

So, despite her mother's warnings there are instances when Jenny was not very careful. Like when she allowed Brad, Tuck and Sheldon to literally remove and rip out her stuff in pursuit of fashion goals. Or when she dropped her guard around Todd Sweeney and got reprogrammed for her good deed.

And during the events of the last episode, she was once again controlled, by Dr Locus. While not exactly her fault, it still left a lasting impression that any mechanically gifted person could be dangerous to her.

Now, this is where we venture into my personal headcanons for MLAATR that are tied into HoM-verse:

Another aspect of Jenny's developed caution to giving access to her body - is the fact that she is not considered as a real person in the eye of the government/world. She is a thing, a weapon created by Dr. Walkman. She does not have the same rights as a human, and on paper she does not even have rights to her own body. It's all patented Nora Wakeman technology, (secretly) founded by the government.

And she has been fighting it ever since she was a teenager and refused to be called an IT - XJ-9 - and became a HER, a teenage girl Jenny, who also just happens to be a robot.

At first it started as a simple teenage rebellion and she went to school and started to hang out with other kids, but what about later after she graduates? Will she be even allowed to? Sure, maybe her school will give her a diploma, but how legal will it be to give something like that to someone who is legally not a real person? After all, its not like when other kids will turn 18 and can be their own people, not under the legal control of their parents. Jenny is her mother's property, intellectual and physical. For her to be considered a real person in the eye of government, it would require a law being passed about recognizing sentience of Artificial Intelligence.

And sure, she could probably be made an exception, being a hero robot and all, but the problem is, she is not the only human-made robot in existence! What about her sisters, who are prototypes and are not as developed as her? Her brother, who seemed to develop sentiency to the point of turning on humans?? Melody and Killgore?? And its not only in her world (cartoon), but in others (since its a crossover). So the question about AI/Robot sentience, no matter if they are good or bad or how developed they are, would not concern only her, it would be a global debate.

And we all know how the governments of the world would feel about passing laws about sentience of artificial beings that were created to serve the human race. It would be a struggle one way or another.

So, as she grows up and sees the world refusing to aknowledge her as a person, she doesnt have legal rights to finish school and go to college, to get a job, to get married, heck she cant even have a legal documentation that doesnt says 'Dr. Wakeman's creation'. The government says: your body belongs to us, because we paid for Dr. Wakeman to make you - you belong to us, we control you.

That, on top of several unpleasant experiences with other people disregarding her autonomy, will equal to Jenny trying to get some sense of that control back. So she starts to be more cautious about how much access others have to her physical self; she starts to build and reinforce boundaries with other people, starting with her family and friends.

It was one of the darkest days in Sheldon's life, when Jenny started to firmly say 'no' to whenever he asked her about her inner workings and casual access for poking around. xD Tuck was not a happy camper either, that his favorite robot friend became very stingy with all the cool stuff. But Brad got it. And after gentle (and sometimes not) reminders, others became more understanding.

It was a little harder with her mother. Dr. Wakeman truly loved her daughter, but she was a scientist first and mother second. She was so used to casual access to Jenny, in order to keep maitanance that it was hard for her to break the habits. Its still a constant struggle, but she has gotten so much better.

Now, when it came to her new friends amongst HoMies, she already has built a set of boundaries that allowed her to feel more secure as a person, despite how the world sees her, but she is much more reserved to opening herself up to others, at least compared to how she first approached people when she was younger.

It took a few missions and getting to know them better, for her to start trusting with them with her mechanical self. But now a few years later, she feels comfortable enough with most of them to give her a helping hand when needed!

Of course not everyone are capable of helping her though: Danny, Kim and Zak are three of more mechanically oriented people who can help. Though Danny is the one with actual education in that field, while Kim and Zak learned more by necessity, from Kim's various jobs and Zak to operate the Saturday's equipments.

When Rex joined them, he actually became the second best person for her to come to if she needed help. Not only because he has unprecedent skills in mechanics, but also because of his nanites. (but thats info dump for another time, lol)

Jun has some basic knowledge in mechanics, but nowhere near enough for her to feel comfortable poking in Jenny's insides. Jake is perhaps the least capable of helping, when it comes to engineering, followed by newbie Randy (tho we really aint counting him tbh xD).

Ben is a complicated situation - he has some training and knowledge in engineering and robotics because of his Plumber training, but Jenny has heard horror tales from Gwen about how he treats his stuff (the whole hacking/playing with Omnitrix settings), so she flat out refuses for Ben to touch her. However in emergency/battle situation she would allow Ben to use one of his aliens to do so (like, Grey Matter or Upgrade).

So, we talked about Jenny's experiences and why they would contribute to her feeling uncomfortable if someone asked to 'tinker' with her.

Now, let's talk about why Danny would not ask to 'tinker' with her in the first place.

Like you said, Danny is all to familiar with the struggle of being part of something tat is hardly recognized as a sentient species - he had to listen to his parents dismiss ghost sentience most of his younger life. Of course, they have gotten much better since the... 'finale' of DP, but this sort of racism? xenophobia? (im not rally sure which term to use tbh) prejudice against ghosts would have left a lasting impression on Danny.

So I dont remember if I ever implied it, but in HoM AU - events of DP finale happened very differently and the resulting consequences of it diverged a lot from Mr ButtHurtman's 'canon'.

(Also, I had ideas about it, before a Glitch In Time came out, so events from there were not taken into consideration. )

I don't want to reveal much, because it is kinda one of my planned flashback for HoM, but the events that happened reinforced Danny's ... well lets say regard of people's autonomy? It's kind of hard to put into words.

Ok, let's explain it like this: Danny would not ask Jenny if he could look at how she worked and if he could tinker with her, because it would be like if his Mom and Dad casually asked if they could perform a vivisection on him to see how different he is from a full human.

And while sure, the comparison might sound a bit extreme, since there is a difference when it comes to robots and humans about 'poking around' in their innards. But to Danny - it would be too close of a comparison - because of the whole 'recognition of sentience' thing.

After all, wasn't it just some years ago, his parents cried that ghost are nothing more than lump of malicious energy that have no feelings? They changed their mind after Danny's reveal, which allowed them to actually listen and look into evidence proving otherwise and learn. And here is Jenny, struggling to be recognized as a person, since she is considered nothing more than a lump of metal with no feelings - just a weapon to be pointed in a certain direction.

And Danny would feel like asking Jenny if he could casually poke inside her, is a bit... hypocritical? And not to mention insenstitive. After all, he knows how she feels - she is basically still living his worst imagined life in some ways.

So, I don't think he will ever ask to study how she works by casually poking inside her.

HOWEVER -

At some point, after they became friends, Danny would feel like he should know at least some basics on how Jenny works, just so he could help her in an emergency.

I imagine it happened after a particularly rough mission, and Danny had to help Jenny back home since she was unable to do so herself, so Dr. Wakeman could fix her. After some time thinking, he would sit in front of both Nora and Jenny and ask them for permission if he could learn how Jenny works - from Nora.

After all, Danny does not need to poke inside Jenny to learn how she functions, when there is her mother right there - the creator, the maintanance and doctor all in one package, with access to blueprints and all intricate knowledge, who can evaluate what Danny needs to know in accordance to his passable engineering skills. She could teach him the basics - but of course not without Jenny's permission.

So he asks her, if he could learn, because he is tired of looking how she gets hurt along with them, but unlike most of them she can not be easily fixed with bandages and some time. And Danny, since he is one of the few of them who has the skills, would like to be actually able to help her with those skills. But it is her body - it is her choice, to trust him or not.

And Jenny would be speechless. It would be the first time someone asked her like that. Not even Kim, who is one of her closest friends, asked before (but mostly because Kim was perfectly aware that she is nowhere skilled enough to even think about it).

And you would be right. It would be a show of ultimate trust from Jenny, to agree for Danny to learn. And maybe at some point, simply learning, turned into more on hands learning in some small ways. And Jenny's trust was never betrayed, and Danny always stayed humbled and aware of that.

so, i hope the answer was satisfying, or at least entertaining for you! thank you again, your ask was delightful to read and allowed me to explore some of my own backstory parts for HoM a little bit more!

[sugarbcnes]

SINTOBER

★ NOW SHOWING SAVE YOUR TEARS !

☆ starring ellie williams ( cameo by abby anderson )

☆ contains ! DACRYPHILIA ! taboo + dark (ish) content. crying kink. face fucking. ! FREE USE ! “trading”. slight bondage. all acts are consensual. lower case intended and femme afab reader. MDNI — BRAINROT

“you care about your friends right?”

you hum in agreement and nod as you looked up at your brawny girlfriend through dark lashes, tear drops collecting on the tips.

“you like to help your friends when they’re feeling down, yeah?”.

you nod again.

“ellie’s your friend, isn’t she?”.

a soft whine elicits from your throat as you play with your hands.

you nod.

yes. ellie was your friend. ellie had always been such a good friend to you. holding doors open for you, taking care of you at parties, giving you free weed.

abby smiled, a hand passing over your head as she placed a kiss in its trail.

she was also a good friend of abby’s and abby loved to help her friends out when they were feeling down. ellie being no exception.

“good girl. now,” she turned you towards ellie, who stood in your front doorway, “you know what you have to do.”

the trade off had only happened once before.

as abby and ellie blew off some steam over some smoke together, abby made ellie an offer she couldn’t turn down.

“so done deal? you get to use my girlfriend to ‘blow off steam’ or whatever the hell you said and i get discounted weed?”.

ellie hesitated, pondering for a moment before she put out her cigarette in the ashtray.

“deal.”

“come on, baby,” she gripped your head tightly in her hands as she fucks your throat with her cock.

the pearly cum of her previous couple of releases was smeared all over her thighs as well as your chin and the corners of your mouth.

you stare up at her from the floor, your knees bruised from ellie pushing you down and being knelt for so long. she had your hands bound behind your back tightly with black leather cuffs, having full control over your movement.

“you can go deeper than that baby, come on,” she grunts.

you shake your head and bounce on your feet as if to say ‘no’.

“i’m not seeing any tears, pretty girl,” annoyance laces her tone as she cocks an eyebrow, “that obviously means i haven’t gone deep enough then, yeah?”.

she let out a soft moan in satisfaction as she hears the gags that leave your throat as she bullies it with her strap.

it’s such a pretty sight.

your nose presses to her pelvis, make-up running down your face in streams, lip gloss smeared with her cum and your drool.

her tattooed hand cups your cheek softly, thumbs brushing at the delicate skin under your eyes. she feigns sympathy and you begin to cry as her eyes darken. you know that look.

“that’s better,” she rasps, “good girl. keep going like that and maybe i’ll let you cum next.”

you were in for a long night.

𝖘𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖔𝖇𝖊𝖗 @ 𝖘𝖆𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖑𝖘 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 [ do not: i. copy, repost, translate or modify my work. ii. copy or steal my themes ]

[euovennia]

Okay hi hello I’ve just binged your platonic Simon x reader headcannons and as an aspec person I am absolutely EATING THIS SHIT UP - Simon deserves someone to lean on and seeing him be vulnerable and care for someone like that and who will do the same for him makes my heart melt.

however, I am also a hopeless romantic and an absolute sucker for pain and the thought of Ghost catching feelings and being completely unaware of them because he’s barely used to having a friend let alone a crush; only realising after y/n does something he’d usually find stupid only to find himself completely smitten over it and him just going “oh. oh nO” and queue the internal turmoil because he has no idea what tf to do with himself and god forbid if y/n actually likes him back-

This has been plaguing me all morning and I cannot act right so I had to share it :,)

this can be a read as part of the bff ghost series i have going on, but i see it more as a "what if" kinda thing bc i strongly believe this man just needs a good friend. thank you for requesting, and as always, i hope you enjoy <3

warnings: nothing comes to mind, but lmk if you see something that needs to be added and i'll do it asap!

summary: ghost panics when he realizes he likes you just a little too much.

anon you're so smart for this because i genuinely feel like friends to lovers is the the easiest way for simon to fall in love

like there's already a deep, established trust there (in terms of being on the battlefield)

i mean obviously because if there wasn't you wouldn't even be on the team in the first place

but the trust he places in you on the field paired with the trust he has in you off the field?

i think it's safe to say that while this man doesn't realize it yet, he's already a goner

the meals you share, the low-budget hollywood action films you hate watch, and the unbelievable amount of patience he has for your shenanigans

basically, you two have become two peas in a pod (despite him not wanting to be in the pod in the first place but who cares he's your friend and that's all that matters)

and i genuinely believe of he were to start falling for one of his friends (aka you) it would be a very slow process, one that neither of you realize is even taking place

it would be the little things like you willingly making making the same dish two days in a row for your little meal times because he just likes it that much

maybe even leaning your head on his shoulder while you two watch those bad action films because, deep down, he loves knowing you trust him enough to feel so comfortable with him (bonus points if you end up falling asleep)

ordering him his favorite brand of loose leaf tea that he can never seem to find anywhere on store shelves

god forbid you memorize the way he prepares his tea and randomly show up with a steaming mug of it at random times of the day

as i said before, it's the little things that do it for him

but imagine doing all of those things on the. same. day.

like

you know he woke up extra early to help price take care of some paperwork and while he's doing that you stroll in a mug of tea

then later on when you see him for lunch he finds you made two plates of bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes, it's a british thing apparently) despite having it the day before and when he asks why you just say something like, "yesterday you said you wished you could have more, figured i'd make more"

then later in the evening when everyone's retired to their rooms, you walk into his with the all too familiar box of loose-leaf tea in your hands along with a blanket

you just kinda set the box on the bedside table before dragging him to sit on the floor in front of the tv the two of you snuck into his room one night after price banned them after soap broke his and he was the one who had to clean up the mess

he totally saw you two sneak it in but never bothered to say anything because he trusts you

anyway

you flick on the tv and put on the third installment of that god awful 'sharknado' movie series you two had found out was a thing not too long ago

and all is well

until you lay your head on his shoulder and grab onto his arm as you look over his tattoos

he'll probably give you a little glance before turning his attention back to the movie, it's not uncommon for you to do things like this

but then he'll feel something cold press up against his skin and he'll look down again just to see you holding a colored marker and scribbling inside the lines of his tattoo

and as much as he wants to pull away and throw that marker to the other end of the room

he just can't bring himself to do it

not when you're pressed up against his side with your hands cradling his arm as if he was worthy of such care in the first place

obviously this night wouldn't be complete without you falling asleep against his shoulder, so that's exactly what you do

he lays you to sleep on his bed while he makes himself cozy on the floor :)

anyway cue him getting up early for his morning shower and the complete and utter shock that hits him like a truck when the marker you used the night prior to color in his tattoos doesn't wash off

he makes a bee line for his room and immediately picks up the marker you used only to find out it's sharpie

and while he knows that this would be a perfectly acceptable time for him to wake you up and chastise you for doing such a thing, he doesn't

because when he looks down at his arm he can practically feel his chest bloom with a warm, fuzzy feeling because you did that

and it's after he's stared at the colorful markings that now grace his skin does he realize he's got a small smile etched onto his face

then it hits him like a truck

he likes it because of you

he likes you

it cannot be overstated how quickly he grabs his stuff and leaves the room, not caring in the slightest that you're still wrapped up in his sheets

he doesn't do much work that day

just a lot of aimless walking around base as he tries to, in his words, get his shit together

because, in his mind, this is probably just about the stupidest thing he can do

and it's not even because he's technically your superior, that's a mess all on its own

it's the fact that either one of you could quite literally die at any given point while on a mission

and that's not even bringing up his own mountain of trust issues and insecurities

it's a mess

he's a mess

and how does he deal with this mess?

by avoiding you like the damn plague

you thought it was bad when he was trying to duck out of your pre-friendship interactions when you seemed to always be trying to find a way to bug him? think again.

he becomes practically invisible to you

his callsign isn't 'ghost' for no reason

i can honestly see it getting so bad to the point where you start to really only see him on group missions

which isn't too horrible admittedly because you always manage to squeeze in some small talk, but it's not enough

but one day, price calls the two of you into his office with laswell patiently sat waiting on a video chat over his laptop

and it's revealed that you two are being sent on a mission to gather some intel about some new terrorist group that's popped up on laswell's radar

and he just kinda sits there and accepts the fact he'll have to be paired up with you because what's he gonna do? tell laswell and price no? absolutely not

anyway

i imagine the mission going off without a hitch

i'm talking real simple, just a quick in and out before ghosts is on comms requesting an evac

that's where things go wrong

because you'll get some bullshit response like, "oh no, bad weather, can't fly like this, looks like you'll have to wait! get cozy!!"

and while you are a bit disappointed when he breaks the news, you can't help but feel a little happy because now you actually get to see and interact with simon for more than five minutes

but while you're over in your head having a small celebration over the unforeseen circumstances, simon is pretty much dreading it

he knows you know he's been avoiding you and he's 100% sure you're going to make him sit through an awkward conversation about it

and what's worse, he's certain you won't stop until he tells you why

well it's a good thing he knows how to keep his mouth shut!

at least he thought he did

because after having you ask him for the reason of his sudden avoidance of you for what he swears has to be the hundredth time, he just spits it out in a small fit of anger and annoyance

and i highly doubt he'll realize what he just said until he looks over to you after not getting a response and seeing you there with your eyes wide and jaw open

he'll definitely try to backtrack with something like, "forget what i said. you didn't hear anything."

and then your brain will finally kick in after going haywire for an unnecessarily long amount of time and you'll just kinda ask him in a small voice, "did you mean it?"

and as tempted as he is to brush you off and say no, he can't bring himself to do that

but remember, simon is still a very hurt man underneath that mask and heavy duty gear, so i can imagine him just letting out a small sigh before saying something along the lines of

"i'm sorry."

and your heart just breaks because you can practically feel the shame radiating from him as he turns himself away from you and averts his gaze to the floor

simon riley, perhaps one of the most hardened and strongest men you'll ever come to know, apologizing for the way he feels

you can't help but shuffle closer to him until you're sitting by his side

and you'll sit in silence this way for a while as he tries to ignore just how close you are while you try to find a gentle way to approach this

you're stumped

but eventually, your eyes will fall onto the floor and simon's gloved hand will come into your vision

and there's not a single thought in your mind before you're reaching out and putting your hand on top of his

the man practically malfunctions

he's sitting there, thoughts going a mile a minute as he tries to decipher what this means

but then you'll lean your head on his shoulder and he's almost startled at the way all of the noise in his head seems to just disappear

but still, he can't resist asking

"what now?"

and you'll let out a small, wistful sigh as you nuzzle your head further into his shoulder

"whatever we want."

he'll look down at you with an almost shy gaze, "and if i want you?"

and you'll interlace your fingers and punctuate it with a squeeze, "then you can have me."

and that's good enough for the both of you

at least until you get back to base

:)

[peri-requiem]

The Apothecary Diaries | EP 4 'The Threat'

[strwbrryfire]

dog at door, tail in between my legs. endlessly anticipating.

i. you cooked for me by caitlin conlon / ii. chesapeake by better oblivion community center / iii. moon song by phoebe bridgers / iv. la vie pensive by louise breslau / v. the old shepherd's chief mourner by edwin landseer / vi. same as ii

[thesmokinpossum]

The Godfather, Mario Puzo | An Hymn to Childhood, Li-Young Lee | Psalm 139: 14 | The Godfather, Mario Puzo | For your own Good, Leah Horlick | Erou, Maya Phillips | The Godfather, Mario Puzo | Ask Polly | The Hours, Michael Cunningham | FROM THE MAKERS OF "TWO-MOM ENERGY DRINK", IT'S "LET YOUR FATHER DIE" ENERGY DRINK