#i have also been thinking i should make more weather posts probably so that people are aware of the funky things happening in their area

[russell-crowe]

i tried to make a more sentimental post but as someone with the weather (and by extension space weather) as my special interest i am so so so so happy seeing all the posts from people who got to experience this rare solar storm <3 it makes me so happy when people get to witness how beautiful (space) weather can be!!!

[rhaenyratargcryen]

you're my shotgun lover and i want it all | tyler owens (twisters)

masterlist ❈

summary: Every once in a while, the two of you will get a little too drunk, stay until last call, sneak back to your motel room, and fuck. Nobody knows – at least you don’t think they do – and you never talk about it when you’re sober. Tyler will generally stay until you fall asleep, but he’s always gone when you get up the next day. Only once has he woken up in bed with you the next morning, and you’ve never made that mistake again. There isn’t a name for what you feel for him, you don’t think, and you can’t tell what he thinks of the arrangement. Clearly he likes it, or he wouldn’t be making eyes at you from across three people’s laps as you pull these peanuts from their shells. author's note: i...wrote this...in one.......single......afternoon. my fingers hurt anyway he's so hot i have had a crush on glen powell since 2018 (set it up supremacy) but this movie reawakened something in me. i should probably watch top gun now

pairing: tyler owens x f!reader word count: 9,123 (...oopsie) warnings/tags: pWp (with, y'all!), alternate universe: canon divergence, friends to lovers, friends with benefits

also cross-posted to ao3 okay love you bye xoxo your comments and reblogs are appreciated but not required i will love you all the same i hope u like !!!! <3

all characters are 18+ these are 18+ activities minors pls do not interact my eye is twitching as i write this 

It has been one hell of a week.

The tornadic activity has been off the charts – more storms built up under ideal conditions for weather hell-bent on destruction in a multiple-day stretch than you can remember ever tracking before. Your team had obviously been up for the chase, but now that the storms have passed, and the sun shines on the cleanup efforts, you can’t help but wish you’d chosen a different life path. You love what you do, but God, were you tired. Blisters have formed on the palms of your hands despite the gloves you’d donned. You could practically feel the knots forming in your neck. You shovel one more load of leaf litter before heaving the blade into the ground and leaning against it. Across from you, a backhoe is demolishing and excavating the remains of a house.

You close your eyes and try to just let the sun warm your face, thinking about how fast it can all just be gone. Mother Nature’s a beautiful force, but she can be cruel.

“Hey, don’t be slowin’ down on me,” Tyler jokes, clapping a hand between your shoulder blades. You hadn’t heard him approach, and his voice has startled you, pulling you from your thoughts. “We’re ‘bout halfway done with our part, I think.”

“No,” you reply, swiping the back of your arm across your forehead, trying in vain to clear your bangs from your eyes, but they won’t budge. Tyler reaches up and, almost as if he isn’t even thinking about it, takes the unruly pieces of hair between his thumb and forefinger and tucks it behind your ear, underneath the temple of your sunglasses, to make sure it stays this time. The action is so intimate it sends a flush crawling up your neck. You chance a look around to make sure no one else has seen. “Not slowin’ down, I promise. Just thinking about how lucky we are to be alive. How sad it is that all these people just lost everything.”

You’ve known Tyler since the two of you were in college together, fast friends who’d stuck together through a lot that could've put a strain on any other relationship, although you hadn’t studied meteorology – you’d been in school to be a librarian. 

One night, he’d asked you to stay up and help him with a lab he’d missed for one of his classes, and he loves to say he knew it then – that you were hooked – but you were too far along in your degree to do anything about it now. Switching from an arts degree to one in STEM? You’d have had to start over from scratch. 

Tyler had formed his team while you were in grad school and he was working as a cowboy for the rodeo back home, and you’d dropped out without a second thought when he asked you to be a founding member, to travel the country with him every tornado season. Said he wouldn’t – couldn’t – think about doing it without you. You’ve been riding with him ever since.

The two of you share everything, always have, and sometimes you wonder if it might be too much for the professional relationship you’re supposed to have.

“That’s what we’re here for,” Tyler grins, the hand still glued to your back rubbing gently, sending goosebumps across your skin under your shirt. “To help ‘em feel like their luck is turnin’.”

Always the optimist, Tyler Owens. He clears his throat, the hand on your back pulling away, and steps slightly closer to you.

“One of the folks over there gave these to me,” he says, gesturing to a group of people gathering in front of a house that looks like something had tried to suck it into the ground from dead center. “I saved their cat from their screened-in porch, poor thing had been yowling all night apparently. Know these’re your favorite, so, here you go. I think you earned it.”

You take the tin from him and open it, your mouth instantly watering at the sight of the small, round butter cookies inside. “God,” you groan, picking one up and taking a bite, savoring it over your tongue. You can feel Tyler watching you carefully. “Thank you. You get me.”

“Do we get cookies, Tyler?”

Lily’s voice sounds from your left, and you glance over at her. The shit-eating look on her face tells you she did see Tyler fix your hair for you. Your stomach somersaults.

“If you’re good,” Tyler says, smirking, “after the sun sets, we can head back to the motel, find some shitty bar, and drinks’ll be on me, okay? How’s that sound?”

Lily whoops, turning to Dani, who’d since appeared beside her, and the two snicker and fist bump. 

“You need any help over here?”

You look back at Tyler, cupping one hand above your eyes to shield them from the sunlight. Despite your glasses, it shines bright from directly behind him, and you can hardly stand to look at him. 

“Yeah, I’m good,” you murmur in reply, bending down to toss some siding that had been blown off one of the houses on this street into the wheelbarrow you’ve been using. “You should go see what Boone’s up to – I don’t think anyone has seen him in a minute.”

No doubt Boone was hiding somewhere with one of the breakfast burritos Lily and Dani have been rolling since early that morning, seeing how long he can get away with not doing his part. He’s a good guy, but the manual labor side of the job isn’t really his thing.

“Eh, he’s better off wherever he is,” Tyler laughs, and a small smile takes over your face, too. “Hey, you sure you’re okay? You don’t need a break? You can take a minute to yourself, no one’ll judge. I know how this can all get to you a little more than it gets to everyone else.”

You know him well enough to know he’s not calling you weak-stomached, that he’s genuinely concerned for how you feel, but he’s right. It does all get to you. Settling in to help survivors of these natural disasters is just something that comes with the chasing – there isn’t one without the other for you and the rest of the crew. You nod, glancing back up at him. 

“I’m okay, Tyler. Go off and be the face of the operation – you don’t have to worry about me.”

Tyler’s eyes narrow, his gaze shifting between your eyes, trying to find evidence you’re withholding the truth from him, but he seems to find nothing. With a minute tip of his head, he turns to resume working through a long-term plan for rebuilding the town with the mayor and some other members of the local government. 

This is something else you know he loves to do – shmooze with higher-ups, show off his people skills. Not only are they higher-ups, they’re small-town folk. His kind of people. He knows how to get through to them, how to get them to trust him. You love that about Tyler. He’s never condescending – he always has a genuine desire to help. He’s been through this hundreds of times, and these people may only have been through it this one time. You look around at them, at the people of all ages picking up the pieces that remain of their community, then cross your fingers and send a thought out to anyone listening:

Please let it be the only time.

After a few more hours of genuinely back-breaking work, you hear Tyler’s sharp whistle and know it’s time, meandering over to his truck where it’s been parked for almost eighteen hours. Using your teeth, you pull your gloves from your hands and hiss. They’ve been rubbed raw, the skin blistering where each finger meets the palm. You try to ignore the throbbing sensation, leaning against the passenger side door and closing your eyes. The rest of the crew sidle up to you, taking long drags from water bottles and cigarettes and trying to make peace with how you’re leaving this place tonight.

“Does anyone else want to break off to shower first?”

It seems Dani’s the only one, and they shrug, putting their hand out, palm up, to Dexter, who hands them the keys to the RV.

“Meet y’all there,” they say, stifling a yawn, and you know it’ll be a bit before you see them. The rest of you will have to pile into Tyler’s truck, and before you can object, the other three crawl into the back seat and leave you on the front bench with Tyler. You let yourself in and close the door behind you, buckling and watching as Tyler shakes someone’s hand and hustles to meet the rest of you. His Texans cap hits the bench before he does, between the two of you, and he turns his keys in the ignition, buckling his own seatbelt.

“Where we headin’?”

“There’s a place with a mechanical bull nearby. I vote there.”

“How nearby is ‘nearby,’ Boone?”

“Uh,” he pulls his phone from his pocket, does a quick Google to double-check. “Forty-five minutes?”

Dexter leans over and grips Boone’s phone, reading the screen. “In the opposite direction of the motel, Boone.”

Everyone groans, objecting, and you press your hand against your temple to alleviate the pressure there. The noise, God, the noise.

“Could we go somewhere closer to the motel, maybe?”

“It’s got a mechanical bull,” Boone stresses, and everyone rolls their eyes.

“Boone, you know damn well we’re not making it back to the motel if we go that far away.”

He groans, and you pull your own phone out, checking Maps to see what’s around the motel.

“This one’s three minutes from where we’re stayin’,” you say, showing Tyler your screen, and he nods, shifting into reverse, backing out, and starting down the one lane of the street that’s been cleared of debris. 

“Hey Boone,” you toss over your shoulder as Tyler shifts into second gear. “By the way. Long time no see.”

Lily snorts, smacking you on the shoulder to let you know she thought that was a good one. Boone shakes his head. 

“Hey, just because you didn’t see me all day doesn’t mean I wasn’t out there, too. How do I know you were workin’, weren’t sitting on your ass in the shade somewhere, hm?”

You hold your raw, red palms out for him to inspect and that shuts Boone up quick. Tyler whistles as he gets an eyeful of your skin.

“God damn, girl,” Lily murmurs. “That looks like it hurts. I think I might have Aquaphor in my bag back at the motel if you want some.”

“I’ll be alright,” you reply, knocking your elbow against her knee behind you in thanks. “Appreciate you.”

The rest of the drive is taken mostly in silence, everyone in the backseat trying to rest their eyes, but you stay up, your eyes on the road, so Tyler isn’t the only one making the thirty-ish minute drive back to where you’re staying, where you checked in only after it’d been decided which towns had been hit the worst, so you could reach all of them easily by truck.

“What’s goin’ on in your head? Hm?”

You turn to look at Tyler and he glances at you from out of the corner of his eye, then at your lap, at the fingernails you’ve picked down to the quick. “Real quiet over there.”

“Nothing,” you reply, your voice barely above a whisper.

“Don’t let Boone get to you,” Tyler says, tapping his right fist on your thigh once, twice, then letting it rest there. You brush your knuckles against his and he opens the fist immediately, taking your hand in his but not squeezing, careful not to put pressure on the blisters on your palms.

“It’s not that,” you start, then realize your mistake, your admission. “I really – I think I’m just tired. It’s been a long week.”

You’re acutely aware of your hand in Tyler’s. It’s not like you’ve ever been shy around him – your cheeks flush at the thought – but this is…different. Sweet. More.

“Yeah, that it has,” he sighs, adjusting his left hand on the steering wheel so he can drive a little more comfortably, but his right hand stays in yours. 

You settle back into silence, Tyler seemingly having dropped the subject, and your eyes return to the road, but you feel him looking over at you, checking on you, every once in a while. You try your hardest not to meet his gaze. 

Soon enough, Tyler is putting the truck in park, then shutting the thing off. The noise – or lack thereof, you guess – wakes Dexter in the back, then Lily, who snorts when she sees your hand in Tyler’s. You pull away and unbuckle your seatbelt, watching as Tyler, with a hurt look on his face, wipes his hand on his jeans and swings himself down and out of the truck.

“C’mon, Boone,” he shouts, slapping a hand on the door that Boone has his head resting against, and the man sits up straight, wiping sleep from his eyes. “The sun hasn’t even gone down yet. Drinks on me, pal!”

The motel really is that close to the bar, so you all decide you’ll leave the truck parked there and walk home at the end of the night. The unspoken verdict is that you will all be getting shitfaced tonight.

The lingering smell of cigarettes in the air seems to rejuvenate everyone and Lily pumps a fist when she spots the old-fashioned jukebox across the room, then claps a hand over her mouth when she realizes there’s a TouchTunes sitting right next to it.

“Oh, I am so forcing you fuckers to listen to Chappell Roan all night,” she says gleefully, and you laugh along with her, looping your arm in hers and letting her pull you across the room while the boys settle in at the bar.

“So what was that all about?”

“What was what all about?” You play dumb, shrugging when Lily gives you a hard look and unhooks her arm from yours.

“Girl, seriously,” Lily scoffs, bumping your hip with hers and slipping a twenty dollar bill into the TouchTunes. Evidently she wasn’t joking when she meant you’d be listening to Chappell Roan all night. “I saw that thing earlier, the hair thing, don’t think I didn’t. And y’all holding hands in the truck. What’s going on there?”

You shake your head but she grabs your wrist. “I’m serious, Lil. Nothing’s going on. We’re friends – good friends. He noticed I was having a hard time today, and wanted to make sure I was alright. That’s all.”

You can tell she doesn’t fully believe you, and when she opens her mouth to object, you cut her off.

“I’m gonna run to the bathroom, okay?”

Lily watches you, trying to read the small line between your eyebrows, but eventually she nods and lets go of you, letting you turn away from her. You push through the door to the women’s restroom, your nose wrinkling at the smell, but you ignore it. Standing in front of the sink, you watch yourself, hands shaking. This isn’t you. You’re better than this at shoving these feelings for Tyler down, way down – or, rather, you had been, up until this week broke you, apparently. Turning the knob for the cold water to the left, you let it run over your sore hands, hissing at the feeling. Carefully, you cup your palms and watch them fill, then splash the water onto your face, soothing the flush. There. That should help.

There’s a cold bottle of Coors in front of the seat next to Dexter when you arrive back to the group, “Red Wine Supernova” playing from the speakers. You almost snort at all the old men – regulars, no doubt – groaning out their distaste for whoever chose the music all across the room.

“Thanks,” you toss over your shoulder at Tyler, sitting on the other side of Dexter and Boone. He nods and nurses his own. You frown and settle onto the stool, leaning an elbow on the bartop so you can turn and face your friends. The cold beer against the palms of your hands feels so nice.

What’s wrong with him? He won’t make eye contact with you, and you notice his jaw clicking as he grits his teeth. What’s got his panties in a twist?

As the night unfolds, you find yourself laughing more and more, loosening up, letting the stress of the last week fade into memory. Someone has produced a deck of cards from God knows where and Dani – who did join the group eventually – is showing off card tricks you didn’t even know they knew. You feel a warmth spreading through your body, and you can’t stop thinking about how much you love all of these people. Your friends. Your family. Empty bottles are swiftly replaced with full, cold ones without notice, and everyone is languid, relaxed, unburdened by the work that you’re all doing.

You take a pull from your drink, using the cover of the bottle to risk a glance to Tyler three seats down from you to find that he’s already watching you, and the look in his eye tells you exactly what he’s thinking. That somersault-y feeling is lower than your stomach now. You’re only three beers deep, but the air in your head reminds you that you’ve barely eaten all day, so you’re a little more affected by the alcohol than you’d usually be. Impolitely, you reach across Dexter next to you to grab a handful of peanuts from the basket to his left.

Glancing back up at Tyler, you meet his heady gaze again, and he smirks around the lip of the bottle against his mouth. He knows he’s got you right where he wants you. You swallow nervously around another sip of beer.

Every once in a while, the two of you will get a little too drunk, stay until last call, sneak back to your motel room, and fuck. Nobody knows – at least you don’t think they do – and you never talk about it when you’re sober. Tyler will generally stay until you fall asleep, but he’s always gone when you get up the next day. Only once has he woken up in bed with you the next morning, and you’ve never made that mistake again. There isn’t a name for what you feel for him, you don’t think, and you can’t tell what he thinks of the arrangement. Clearly he likes it, or he wouldn’t be making eyes at you from across three people’s laps as you pull these peanuts from their shells.

“Alright, y’all,” Lily says, slapping a hand on the bar, startling you out of your thoughts. You watch her, popping a nut into your mouth. “Think I’m gonna head out. I suggest you all do, too, fuckers, it’s late.”

Everyone starts to protest, but one glance at the clock tells you you’ve all stayed much longer than you thought – it’s a quarter past midnight, and you’ve got to be up with the daylight. You balk, but if you want to talk to Tyler tonight, you know you’ve got to shoulder your exhaustion and stick it out a little longer.

“I think I might stay for a bit,” you murmur, watching everyone stand and gather their things. You glance over at Tyler, who you can see clearly now that everyone’s out of their seats, and he’s watching you, too. The look on his face reads plain, now – he wants you.

“I’ll stay with her,” he says, eyes on yours. The green in them has disappeared almost completely, you notice, his pupils blown wide. “Walk her back. Y’all head back if you want.”

“I might stay, too –” Boone’s voice cuts off, coughing as Lily elbows him in the stomach, maybe a little too hard. “What the fuck was that for?”

“You’re going to bed, too, Boone,” Dani interrupts, a hand on his shoulder, guiding him towards the door. They poke him once when he starts to protest. “C’mon, now.”

Everyone shuffles out the front, Dexter calling good night, and all of the sudden, it’s just you and Tyler. You don’t know why, but your palms begin to sweat at the thought of being alone with him again. He stands, palming his drink, and slides onto the seat next to you, his body angled towards yours.

He’s never made you nervous like this. You don’t know what the fuck is wrong with you.

“So,” Tyler starts, grinning at you. “You come here often?”

You snort, emboldened by the booze, and he chuckles in response. “Idiot.”

“God, but I do love making you laugh.”

You blush under his scrutinous gaze, and take a quick swig of the dregs of your drink, unsure what to say to that. He mirrors you, taking a sip of his own while his eyes bore into yours. Accusatory.

“You don’t do it much anymore, you know that?”

“Do what?”

“Laugh.”

You press your fingertips to your mouth and Tyler’s eyes follow your hand. “I guess I just haven’t had much to laugh about lately,” you start, sighing deeply. “Tornado season’s been hard this year, and you know how much that – it gets to me. As much as I love what we do. You know. Remember that family a couple weeks back whose daughter was stuck under her bunk bed when it pressed on her too long, lost her leg below the knee? That got to me, Tyler. It did.”

“It gets to me, too,” he murmurs, knocking his knee against yours. “I guess I’m just better at hiding how bad it affects me. You can talk to me about it, though. You can talk to any of us.”

“I know I can,” you breathe, trying to keep your hands from shaking. “I know. Sometimes I don’t know what to say, though, you know, what is there to say? It’s not fair to complain about how sad it makes me to watch these people lose everything.”

“You’re allowed to feel sad. And to feel frustrated. It’s not fair, you’re right, but we’re doing good work, yeah? Fighting the good fight. Figuring out what makes these things tick, how to warn people when they’re in the path, get them outta the way and safe. Maybe they lose their house, their car, but they won’t lose themselves, or each other. That’s what matters most. Just remember that.”

You look up at him, set your elbow on the bartop, and prop your chin on your open palm. Your hands don’t hurt so bad anymore, you notice. “Thanks, Tyler.”

“Anytime,” he smiles, but you shake your head. 

“Seriously. You always know what to say.”

A look crosses his face then, too quick for you to read, and he sets his drink down, flagging the bartender over to close out the team’s tab. You frown, wondering if you’d, ironically, said the wrong thing.

“What’s up?”

Tyler looks back to you, and this time, the look in his eyes is unmistakable. It burns. “Taking you home, sweetheart.”

The walk back to your motel is done in silence. Tyler’s hand swings next to yours, and you feel it searching for yours more than once, but you don’t take it. You climb the stairs together, slowly, and he walks you to your door. His room is one more floor up.

You can tell he thinks you won’t invite him in, that you’ve changed your mind – or maybe that you never made it up. He hadn’t, after all, told you plainly that that was why he’d stayed with you at the bar. You unlock the room with your key card and step inside, opening the door only far enough for you to fit through it. You turn back to look at him, his face awash in the street lights shining into the hallway. You flip the lightswitch on next to you, illuminating the room behind you, too.

“Well,” he murmurs, making to head back down the stairs. “Good night.”

“Tyler?”

His head turns back to look at you, watching as you hold out one hand and he takes it, letting you pull him closer to you. You press yourself into him, push your whole face against his chest, your hip keeping the door from closing on the two of you. You inhale deeply, the smell of him overtaking your senses. His cologne, yes, but underneath that, the smell of dirt, earth. Home.

You feel his arms wrap around your back and you turn your head to the side, press your ear to his heartbeat. Your hands come up to scratch down his back and you feel it when he shudders.

“Stay?”

You hear his breath hitch in his chest, then the deep rumble of his voice as he says, “Alright, baby.”

With a short inhale, your eyes flutter, nearly closing at the term of endearment. You step back, pulling him with you, and as you close the door behind you, he pushes one hand up into your hair and pulls your head toward his.

“I, uh,” you whisper against his lips when they get close enough to yours, “I think I might shower first, if that’s okay with you?”

“Alright,” he murmurs, unlacing his hand from the strands of your hair before toeing his boots off and carefully setting them under the chair next to the front door. “You want company?”

You swallow. You’ve never done anything like that before. It’s always been quick. When you do this with him, you hardly ever have time for a chat before he’s got your shirt over your head and his mouth on your skin.

“Sure,” you reply. You feel him watch as you turn around and pull your shirt off, reaching back to unclasp your bra. The modesty feels redundant, but you can’t help it.

“Not gettin’ shy on me now, are you? S’not like I haven’t seen you naked before,” he chuckles, and you throw a look at him over your shoulder just as he’s pulling his own shirt over his head. He left his hat at the bar, you think. You’ll have to go back in for it when you pick up the truck.

“Tyler,” you scold, and he laughs at you, steps across the room to wrap an arm around your torso and press a kiss to where your neck meets your shoulder. The place he knows makes you melt. You sigh and push back against him, the feeling of his hard chest against your bare back a welcome one. This feels more like what you know, what you’re used to.

“Shower,” you remind him, and he nods, his forehead pressed into that spot now, and he pushes his fingers underneath the waistband of your jeans, running them along the bit of skin there around to the front, where the fabric splits at the button. He pops it undone, then uses his thumb and forefinger to grip the zipper and slowly – so slowly – pulls that down. He can’t help himself, you know that, and so you hold your breath and wait for him to push his hand into your panties. Ever a predictable man, he does just that, and you gasp at the feeling of his warm hand against you.

“Are you sure?” Tyler’s breath against your neck makes you shiver, and you press your ear to the side of his chin. He runs his fingers along the seam of you, finding first your clit, your legs twitching at the sudden rush of pleasure when he brushes his hand against it, then pushing down to find you wet and wanting. You cry out softly. “You don’t sound sure. You don’t feel sure.”

You hum, your neck stretching back until your head is pressed to his chest, and he pulls his hand back up to start working small circles on your clit, your wetness on his fingers allowing for smooth movement, with just enough friction to have you panting for more. 

“Sounds more to me like you kinda want me to fuck you with my fingers.”

“Tyler,” you whimper, telling him with just his name that you are getting close. He smiles against the side of your neck, pulling his hand away and shoving your jeans and underwear down just enough that his hand has room to smack your clit lightly. You squeal, right leg kicking out at the feeling, and he continues moving his hand in circles to soothe the hurt.

Your breath is coming out of you in short huffs, and before you can come, Tyler takes his hand off of you and wraps it around your stomach to join the other. You pant and whine, rubbing your thighs together to chase the feeling he’d had you practically pressed up against, now ebbing with the loss of his fingers.

“You said you wanted to shower,” he whispers in your ear, pulling your panties back up, and you scowl, pushing away from him. He laughs and holds his hands up in defense as you pick your t-shirt up off your bed and crack it at him like a whip. “Let’s shower, baby.”

“I might kick you out right now, Owens,” you snark, but the small smile on your face gives you away, and Tyler unbuttons his own jeans, leaving them in a pile on the floor at the end of the bed. Your jeans join his, and you’re both left in your underwear.

“You wouldn’t,” he replies, pulling his briefs off slowly, biting his bottom lip as you watch him. “You like this cock too much.”

You can’t help laughing at him, but the sight of him bare in front of you does have you biting your lip. You step forward to cup his growing length in your hand. Before you can move it, Tyler puts a hand on your wrist.

“How’s your hand?” He makes to pull it away, presumably to turn it over and appraise your blisters, but you shake your head.

“S’fine,” you whisper, tightening your grip. You tug once, twice, and press a kiss to his bare chest, then tip your head back to search out his lips. He leans down to oblige you, his lips parting against your mouth as you twist your fist. You love these moments you share with him, when you’re both bare, physically, emotionally, away from the real world, and you can pretend this is an everyday thing. When you’re not trying to tell yourself you feel nothing for him. Like this is just how it is between you.

Tyler groans when you pull your hand away from him and you click your tongue, press that same hand against his bicep.

“Doesn’t feel so good, now does it?”

Before you even know what’s happening, Tyler is picking you up, one arm underneath your back and the other around the backs of your knees. You look up at his face and laugh. “Put me down, Owens!”

He grins and carries you the few paces into the bathroom, placing you on your feet in front of the tub. Tyler leans down and pushes his thumbs underneath the waistband of your panties, waiting for you to put your hands on his shoulders and step out of them.

He lets you pull away from him to turn the hot water on, adjusting the cold side until the temperature is perfect, before pulling you against his chest once again. This time, you can feel his hard cock pressed against your backside, and you hum appraisingly. You reach behind you to fist him again, but he shakes his head – you feel his chin brush against the top of your head – and he groans out, “Mm-mm.”

“What?”

“We’re gonna shower, baby, c’mon.”

You glance back towards him and watch as he flicks the overhead light on. “So we don’t slip and die,” he says, and you laugh, pushing the shower curtain to the side. Holding Tyler’s hand, you step over the lip of the tub and under the steady stream of warm water, inhaling deeply when it hits the sore muscles in your shoulders and back. Tyler groans at the feeling, too, when he steps in behind you.

“Here, switch with me,” he murmurs, guiding you by your waist until you’re the one underneath the water. You let it fall onto the top of your head, over your face and down the back of your hair, for a moment, eyes closed, relishing the feeling. Tyler reaches both hands up and brushes the water out of your eyes, runs his hand over the top of your head. 

“Shampoo?”

You open one eye, the other shut against the water, and nod. You gaze up at him, heart squeezing at the way he’s watching you. His smile widens and he takes the tiny bottle in his hand – it looks even more comically small now – and dumps the product into his other palm, setting the bottle down onto the edge of the tub and rubbing his hands together.

“Turn around.”

You do as he asks, inhaling sharply through your nose when you feel his hands run through the hair at the crown of your head. Your stomach aches with longing as you register how unnaturally intimate this is. His fingers feel so good against your scalp, which is slightly sunburnt, you’re now realizing. He massages the shampoo further into your hair, running his fingers down the back of your neck and across the tops of your shoulders. When he’s satisfied with his shampoo job, he steers you by your arms to face him again, then carefully helps you tilt your head back and rinses it all from your hair.

You watch him pick up the other small bottle from the shelf, warm water still running down the back of your head. 

“I’ll do my conditioner,” you murmur, taking the bottle gently from his hands. “It’s a – it’s a science.”

“I am very good at science, if you can recall.”

You laugh, shaking your head. “It’s something I’ve gotten perfectly right. It’ll take just a sec.”

So you work the conditioner through the ends of your hair, avoiding his gaze as he watches your hands first coat your hair in the product, then rinse it out. He reaches forward to run his own fingers across it, as gently as he can.

“Hm,” he makes the noise in the back of his throat, pulling his hand away. “Soft.”

You can hardly look at him, the twisting feeling in your stomach shifting to something warmer, something further from apprehension, something that feels a lot like want. “You?”

Tyler shakes his head. “I’m good. Here,” he says, rubbing his hands across the plane of your upper back. “You’re tense. You worked hard today. Let me help.”

You weren’t going to protest, but before you can, Tyler guides you forward and out of the direct spray of the shower, then presses his thumbs into your muscle. You groan, your head falling forward onto his chest at the feeling, and he chuckles at you, continuing with his hands. “Feel good?”

“So good,” you whimper, and you feel his cock twitch against your stomach.

“You fucking dog,” you joke, and Tyler laughs against you, pushing your hair off the back of your neck and pressing his thumbs in there, too.

“Hey, what can I say? I like making my girl feel good.”

You freeze. His girl? His girl. He hasn’t noticed your reaction, and he keeps pressing his fingers into your sore muscles, pulling one hand away briefly to push the showerhead down and away from the two of you. You glance up, already missing its warmth, but you find that the steam rising around you is doing a good enough job at that.

“Here, baby,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to your forehead and guiding you to press your hands against the tiled wall to your left, running his hands down your back.

“What are you –”

Before you can finish the thought, you feel Tyler’s fingers parting the seam of your cunt from – from behind, and you groan at the feeling of his middle finger slipping inside of you.

“That’s it, sweetheart,” he groans, his knees hitting the floor behind you. You toss a glance at him over your shoulder and your own knees nearly buckle at the way he’s looking up at you – with hunger, and with reverence, and with something else entirely unrecognizable. He looks wild. He looks in love.

One of Tyler’s hands clamps down around your hips and he leans forward, pressing a kiss to the back of your thigh as his finger starts to shift in and out of you. You shiver and push your face into the cool tile, groaning softly when he finds that rough bit of flesh inside of you, the one that makes you come undone if he works it long enough.

“Yeah?” Tyler sounds fucked out already, his voice breathy against your skin, and you can picture the look on his face, the concentrated expression he gets when he’s trying to make you come. You try to focus on the feeling of the shower’s spray where it hits the edge of your foot rather than how good his finger feels inside you because if you think too closely about how good it feels, you’ll get lightheaded. And nobody wants that.

“Yeah,” you reply weakly, and for a few minutes it’s just like that, the only sound in the bathroom the shower, your panting moans, and the noise your pussy makes as he pulls his finger in and out.

“Sound so good for me, baby,” he says, pressing a kiss to the back of your thigh again, and you whine, trying to protest when he slips his finger from you. He laughs deep in his chest and lightly smacks the swell of your ass.

“Don’t complain when I’m doin’ somethin’ nice for you,” he jok, and you can feel then that he’s shifting himself around. You want to look over your shoulder, want to see for yourself what he’s doing, but freeze when you feel his palms cupping your ass, his nose pressing against the inside of your thighs.

Your mouth forms the word oh, but no sound comes out until you feel his mouth press against your cunt, tongue pushing inside of you, and then you cry out, chest heaving, when he presses a sloppy, wet kiss to your clit. You pull your face from where it’s still resting against the tile and look down at Tyler to find he’s already looking right up at you. His grip on your ass tightens when you make eye contact with him, and he spreads you open wider for him, eyes narrowing as his tongue flicks again, and again, and again.

“That’s it, sweetheart,” he moans against you, the vibrations causing your legs to twitch. You already thought you were going to burst, the steam from the shower, the way he’d washed your hair, the fact that he was in your room at all – it all made you feel slightly insane. To add insult to injury, he’s just pushed two fingers inside of you and immediately found the spot that takes you out, and you start to shake a little.

“Tyler,” you whine, pushing one hand down to grip his hair. He groans when you tighten your hold on it, fucking into you a little faster. “Tyler, fuck, gonna come.”

“So come, baby,” comes his reply, and you do, you come so hard that the toes on your right foot curl until you’re on tiptoe and Tyler has to reach up and grip your waist to steady you. You feel it crest, and peak, then subside, but he keeps working you through it, his mouth moving against you still, and a second, smaller – though still good – orgasm wracks your body right after the first.

You breathe through it, push your foot down so you’re standing flat on the surface of the tub again, and wait for Tyler to pull his fingers out of you. 

“Baby,” Tyler groans, squeezing your hips, his fingernails biting slightly into your skin. “You gotta let go’a me, if you want me to get up.”

His voice, fuck, his voice, you think, releasing your grip on his hair and turning to watch him rise from his knees, the tile cold against your back. You surge forward to kiss him square on the mouth and he catches you, smiles against you when you part your lips to taste yourself on his tongue.

“Was that good?”

“Yeah,” you breathe, pressing one, two, three more quick kisses to his mouth, before he reaches behind you to turn off the water. “So fucking good.”

Neither of you bother with a towel, instead opting to stumble toward the queen bed in the middle of the room and climb right underneath the covers.

“Hi,” you whisper when you’re settled in, the duvet pulled up under your chin. Your eyes rove over his face, then glance over to the alarm clock behind him. 1:56 in the morning. “You still wanna fuck?”

Tyler snorts, reaching over to poke you in the side, gripping the skin there until you start to laugh. “You still wanna fuck?”

“Yeah,” you reply, grinning, when you catch your breath. “Wanna?”

He’s quiet for a second, watching the duvet rise and fall with each breath you take, before he peels it off of you, using his elbow to push himself up until he’s leaning over you. There’s a rosy flush on your chest, your breasts heaving and it’s all he can do not to lean down and take one of your nipples in his mouth, the one closest to him. Instead, he runs the back of his other hand across your chest, catching against the hard peak, and watches your breath stick to the inside of your throat. You feel yourself subconsciously leaning toward him as his face comes toward you. You want him to kiss you, but instead, he angles his mouth to kiss the skin below your chin.

“You’re so beautiful,” he breathes against your neck, pressing his open mouth to you there, and you gasp at the feeling – of his mouth against you, and of his praise. It all feels so nice. He just made you come in the shower, and now he’s going to make you come in this bed, hopefully more than once. 

You wrap your hands around his back and pull him toward you, watch as he settles in between your thighs. You can feel his thick cock, heavy, insistent, where it presses against you, and you want to take him into your hands, but he has other plans. 

With one hand pressed into the pillow on either side of your head, Tyler uses his knees to knock your legs out further, sitting back against his heels when he’s satisfied. He wraps his big hands around your thighs and pulls you closer, smiling down at you. “You’re so beautiful.”

You blush when he repeats himself, suddenly feeling very bare. He’s just as naked as you are, but you can’t help but feel like he’s seen your whole hand, meanwhile you hardly have any idea what cards he might hold. In the dim light from the lamp beside your head, you notice that you can see the green of his irises again. It seems like the shower sobered the two of you up very quickly.

His gaze locked on yours, Tyler takes himself into his hand, groaning at the pressure of his grip after neglecting his own want for so long, but he suddenly curses, pausing just as he’s about to press inside of you.

“What?”

“I don’t have a condom,” he breathes, sitting back again. He runs one hand through his hair, visibly weighing the options.

“It’s okay, Tyler,” you murmur, leaning up onto your elbows. “It’s okay. I have an IUD, and I got screened after the last time I was with someone. I’m good. I’m good if you’re good.”

Tyler heaves a heavy sigh, running his hands up your thighs. “You’re sure? I’m clean, too, cross my heart. But only if you’re sure.”

You nod. “My head is clear. I think I shook off my drunk an orgasm or two ago.”

A grin crosses his face, and you roll your eyes at him before he even opens his mouth. Two? he mouths, then whistles lowly. You smack his stomach, and he grabs your wrist in his hand, lightning quick, pressing a kiss to the pulse point there. Your jaw falls slack, and you go all soft and pliant, letting him pin your hands above your head. His body comes down over yours, and his mouth presses to your cheek, then your forehead, and when your eyes flutter shut, the ghost of a kiss crosses them, too.

“I’m gonna fuck you so good,” he murmurs, and normally if a man were to say that to you, you would immediately regret letting him into your bed. But for some reason, when Tyler says it, it sends that familiar warmth spiraling down into your gut. You know he means it.

Slowly – too slowly – he guides himself back to your entrance, shifting his hips so they’re resting comfortably against yours, and he presses himself inside of you. You hiss; the girth of him, although a welcome stretch, is also a bit of an uncomfortable one. He leans down to kiss you, working you through it with a thumb pressing circles into your clit, sliding himself in bit by bit until he’s fully seated. 

A groan pushes out of him when you clench around him, testing the waters.

“Careful,” he murmurs, easing his hips back. “I’d like it if this lasted longer than ten seconds, please.”

You laugh against the side of his head, pull your hands down from where he’d left them above you and wrap yourself around his shoulders, pulling him flush against you. Tyler grips your thighs and starts to work himself in and out of you, carefully, gently, but you squeeze his waist with your knees. Encouraging him. Asking him to pick it up. You can handle it.

His hips start to pull back and snap against yours quicker and quicker, Tyler panting in your ear, lifting up onto his palms and pushing himself off of you. He sits up onto his knees and tilts your hips up for a different angle, one that sets sparks dancing in front of your eyes. You groan, head tossed back, and dig your nails into his thighs as his pace picks up.

“Fuck, yeah, that it, baby? I can feel you – fuck, feel you squeezin’ me.”

You hardly have a voice with the rate he’s slipping in and out of you, barely enough to squeak out, “Fuck,” before your cunt has him in a vice grip, working through another orgasm.

“Ohhh, that’s it, huh, that’s it.” His mouth is going a mile a minute, neither of you really paying much attention to anything he’s actually saying. You’re both focused on his own mounting orgasm – you don’t feel like your body is capable of much more than that – and you weakly clamp down around him once more. His eyes squeeze shut, his hips stutter, and he grits out, “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck fuck,” before he slots against you and you feel him filling you. You run a hand down his back, soothing him as he comes, biting your lip at the feeling, foreign but enjoyable.

Tyler groans and glances down to where his cock is softening inside of you. He eases his hips back, cupping your face and pressing a kiss to your forehead as he does. “Shit, I’m sorry, are you okay?”

You nod meagerly, pressing the back of your hand against your warm cheek. He watches you and, assured that you’re not going to pass out on him or anything, stands and hobbles into the bathroom. The sink turns on out of sight, and you close your eyes, listening to the water run. Tyler returns with a warm, wet towel and wipes the inside of your thighs, swiping gently across your cunt, before folding the towel and letting it fall to the floor at your bedside.

You feel loose, calm. Safe. You hardly notice him turn the light off, but you do feel the bed dip beside you as he rejoins you under the covers and pulls you into his arms. You melt against his sturdy chest, his heartbeat under your face a comfort, the rhythmic tick tick tick of it lulling you to sleep. But there’s still one thing you have to know before you can relax completely.

His breathing has started to even out, but he hasn’t snored yet, so you know he’ll still hear you when you ask, “Are you gonna leave?”

He grunts an acknowledgement of your question, nuzzling down into the top of your head.

“Do you want me to stay?”

You know your answer, but you still bite your lip, considering the question. You hadn’t thought before that maybe he left after every night you spent together because he thought you didn’t want to wake up with him. “Yes.”

“Okay,” he murmurs against your hair, pressing a kiss to your temple. “Then I’ll stay.”

If he’s at all worried about what will happen when you wake up tomorrow, he doesn’t show it, but anxiety courses through you at the thought of anyone finding out. Does he want the others to know? Because that’s what it feels like.

“Stop thinking about it,” he whispers, like he can hear your thoughts racing. “It’ll be fine. Just go to sleep.”

Easy for him to say. He’s out like a light. And you’re left alone with your thoughts until you fall into fitful, dissatisfying sleep sometime around when the world outside starts to turn blue.

A pounding on your door wakes you from deep sleep – the deepest you’d gotten all night, at least – and you try to sit up but find there’s a heavy weight on your chest blocking you. You rub the sleep from your eyes, glancing down at the sleeping body next to you. It takes a second for it to register: Tyler’s here. 

Tyler’s here. Sidled up against you, arm thrown over your stomach like this is where he belongs. He didn’t leave. He stayed, like he said he would. His face looks so peaceful – so beautiful – you almost hate to wake him.

“Come on, sleepyhead! Time to get a move on!”

Almost. You scramble to push Tyler off of you, ignoring his noises of protest, jumping out from under the covers and grabbing various articles of clothing off the floor to pull over your naked form. You plop back down on the bed, this time on his side, right next to where he’s starting to wake.

“Dude, get up, they’re gonna know you’re not in your room. They’re gonna know you’re in here.”

“So what,” he grumbles, rolling over as you push him and settling deeper into the bed. “Let ‘em.”

You sit up straight, one hand on his arm. “You mean that?”

He hums and turns his neck to glance at you over his shoulder. “Yeah, ‘course I do. You’re my girl.”

Your face flushes a deep pink and Tyler grins, reaching over to wrap an arm around you and drag you back down into the bed, pinning you under him and peppering an assault of open-mouthed kisses all over your face. You grin, thinking that you could get used to this – just not right now.

“Seriously, Tyler,” you laugh, pushing a hand against the side of his face. He squeezes your hip. “We have to get up. We gotta get back out there.”

Tyler sighs, loosening his grip on your body and kneeling over you. “Yeah, you’re right. Alright, alright.”

He stands and takes the top sheet with him, wrapped around his waist, and heads to the bathroom. To brush his teeth, you hope. God.

“You know,” he says, head popping back out into the room, mouth full of toothpaste. “Yesterday. I wanted them to see us holding hands.”

You watch as he smiles at you and disappears back into the bathroom, then fall back onto the bed, hands pressed over your eyes. 

Fifteen minutes later, the two of you are dressed, teeth brushed, hair taken care of, day packs slung over your shoulder, and you’re pulling the door closed behind you when you hear a whistle that pulls your attention to the parking lot.

“Damn, Owens!”

The voice makes you jump, and you groan. You thought you were going to get away with the sneaking around, but the rest of your team is watching from next to the RV as the two of you descend the stairs together.

Lily and Dani turn to Boone with smug looks on both their faces, and he rolls his eyes and pulls his wallet from his back pocket. They hold their hands out for him to slap two twenty dollar bills down into.

“What’s that?” You ask when you get close enough to them.

“We had a bet that you and Owens would come out of that room together. Well, that one or his. Didn’t matter which.”

“A bet I just lost,” Boone groans, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. “I thought for sure…”

The rest of the crew snickers, including Tyler, who won’t look at you. You poke a finger into his chest.

“Did you know about this?”

“No, I swear,” he says, hands up, and you don’t know why, but you believe him. “That doesn’t mean I didn’t drunkenly confess to Lily weeks ago that sometimes we, you know…”

You scoff, almost mad, but then Boone shouts and the scoff turns into a snicker because, hey, you love him, but you can’t help but relish in his defeat.

“So they knew?! That’s cheating!”

He storms off while the rest of you laugh, Dani clutching their side and following him around the side of the building to try to make amends, trailing off, “If it makes you feel any better…”

Lily looks over at you, then at Tyler, a grin swallowing her face. “So, are you guys, like, together now? Or something?”

You look up at Tyler, who’s smiling softly at you, clearly deferring to you to answer that question. You feel a surge of affection for him swell in your chest. Clearing your throat, you turn to Lily.

“Or something.”

[mishellii]

♢ᴘᴇᴛ ɴᴀᴍᴇꜱ ʜᴇᴀᴅᴄᴀɴᴏɴꜱ♢

naruto, sasuke, shikamaru, kiba, shino, neji, iruka & kakashi

a/n: sooo,, i SHOUld be working on my uni essays and on the bf!neji texts BUT this had been sitting in my notes app for a while so i decided to post it ;D (the neji texts will come soon i promise). some are longer, some are shorter for which i apologise,,,,,, please ignore typos, i can't spell & enjoy MWUAH

likes & reblogs appreciated <3

warnings: some NSFW parts! MINORS DO NOT INTERACT! :) also not proofread as usual

masterlist

♢ɴᴀʀᴜᴛᴏ ᴜᴢᴜᴍᴀᴋɪ♢

✿oh my baby boy

❀first off: angel. 100%.

✿because u are his angel u feel me

❀he can't go a day without telling u

✿then also just the basic baby

❀but mostly when he wants something from u or he's apologising for dumb stuff he's done

✿puppy eyes and all

❀and also during sexy time

✿it's his most used name for u there

✿fight me on this

❀big on his own self made nicknames for u

✿for instance: u fell down the stairs once?

❀"hey, stairs, how you doin'"

✿and just silly ones like: boo, pookie, apple of my eye

❀he's weird like that c'mon we been knew

♢ꜱᴀꜱᴜᴋᴇ ᴜᴄʜɪʜᴀ♢

✿now this guy is a wild card

❀he'd prefer ur name through & through

✿but he'd slip in a casual babe sometimes which makes ur knees weak obviously

❀because he barely ever calls u that

✿if ur married he'd only call you his wife

❀doesn't even let you answer questions on your own sometimes just so he can hit them with

❀"well, MY WIFE, thinks you suck ass, so.."

✿during sex he can be quiet mean 

❀I DONT THINK in the derogatory way but more in a teasing way

✿"c'mon, sweetheart, look at me."

❀when ur just about to black out??

✿but like i said 

❀not big on pet names but he'll use them more often if he knows u enjoy it <3

♢ꜱʜɪᴋᴀᴍᴀʀᴜ ɴᴀʀᴀ♢

✿pretty

❀just pretty bro.

✿not ALL THE TIME, especially not in public as i don't think he's big on PDA

❀but in the comfort of ur own 4 walls? definitely

✿now don't HATE ME for this but,,,

❀woman. and brat.

✿but only in petty situations, like when ur scolding his lazy ass and he hits u with a "go easy on me, woman, i just woke up."

❀or u've been going on his nerves while he's working

✿,,i'm busy, brat.''

❀in bed tho???

✿love or doll

❀i'm almost CERTAIN.

✿like,, can u imagine?? in his dumb fucking charming voice ???

❀PFFF i'm on my knees 

♢ᴋɪʙᴀ ɪɴᴜᴢᴜᴋᴀ♢

✿now this fucker

❀teasing names through & through

✿ur shorter than him? 

❀"hey, shortie, need help?"

✿ur taller than him?

❀"hey, giant, how's the weather up there?"

✿he's a DICK ok (affectionately ofc)

❀but he can be sweet too i promise

✿he's having fun with calling u bunny during sex or simply baby 

❀also ???? "okay, boss." when he's been annoying u all day and u finally snap at him?

✿he's a menace with nicknames i'm telling u

♢ꜱʜɪɴᴏ ᴀʙᴜʀᴀᴍᴇ♢

✿you probably guessed it and bully me if you'd like but,,,

❀bug or lovebug

✿come oooon he loves his bugs AND he loves you?? it fits PERFECTLY

❀not one to do it infront of other people either but in your private space he just wouldn't stop calling you one of these

✿i also see him using the regular honey but the abbreviation so hun because it's short and sweet and he doesn't like those long ass names

❀apologies if ur name is long LMAO mine is too tho

✿takes the hun into the bedroom but prefers a gentle love while having sex

❀shino's not a sweet talker in my mind, but the pet names make up for it FOSHOU

✿ALSO big brain idea i just had:

❀i think shino can't fully express his emotions verbally so before going on missions he definitely writes u letters and that's where he's blooming

✿''u keep me going everyday, sunshine.''

❀and it doesn't even matter if you have a bubbly personality or not

✿UGH lovesick fr

♢ɴᴇᴊɪ ʜʏᴜɢᴀ♢

❀this pretty princess doesn't even know ur name when ur alone with him 

✿ESPECIALLY when ur texting

❀sweetheart, love & darling

✿he'd make u fall in love over again whenever he calls u one of those i'm just saying

❀because he's always so sincere when he's talking to u it drives me crazy just thinking about it 

✿during sexy time too, he would NEVER

❀& i will die on this hill 

✿NEVER use any degrading names for u

❀ur his baby don't make him do that

✿even when ur fighting, he'd always address u in such a kind way i'm actually going insane

❀"have you had dinner yet, dear?"

✿ sedate me pls

♢ɪʀᴜᴋᴀ ᴜᴍɪɴᴏ♢

✿AAA this guy

❀soo,, like father like son,,, angel

✿u can't change my mind

❀being the kind hearted person he is, it just fits u can't tell me off

✿but i will also say he'd use some funny ones in private because we all know he's just a silly lil guy deep inside

❀i'm thinking toots & peach

✿especially when greeting u !! like ''ey, toots, how's it going?''

❀during sex he will be quiet awkward at the start of ur relationship, settling in angel as he's most familiar with it at first

✿but after some time he'd pull a babydoll or gorgeous on u

❀i mean,,, i'd cry but idk about y'all

✿oVERALL he loves using pet names and wouldn't be opossed to u calling him some sweet ones as well <3

❀call him handsome and he'll go through the roof

♢ᴋᴀᴋᴀꜱʜɪ ʜᴀᴛᴀᴋᴇ♢

✿AHEM

❀so this man,,

✿at the start of ur relationship he's such a shy lil bean so he'll only use your first name

❀but once he's been with you long enough he gets so so comfortable

✿starts of with the regular baby because u are his baby aight.

❀his most frequently used one too i'd say

✿but then he'd go like 

❀"hey, beautiful." "y'alright, sweetheart?"

✿and idk about u but i'd faint

❀HE KNOWS ABOUT HIS AFFECT ON U TOO

✿uses it against u during sex SO OFTEN

❀grunting a "there y'go, darling." into your ear with a sly smirk on his lips 

✿i'm (s)creaming

❀but he's a very private person so don't expect too much of that in public !!

✿a side from a "yes, ma'am" when u tell him not to die on a mission <3

a/n: i hope this doesn't SUCK ahemm,,, and i'll see you beans next time bye bye x

devider by @enchanthings

[crippleprophet]

let me open by saying I Know How This Sounds (fem whose undergraduate chemistry professor recommended ze take turmeric to cure zyr arthritis, etc) so no hard feelings if you keep scrolling, but hopefully folks who know me know i'm speaking honestly about my experiences, even if those don't end up being the same for other people. so!

2 Tbsp of a common kitchen spice is doing as much or more to manage my ME/CFS as any of my meds or self-medicating drugs

@lakeeffectbitch outlines a way of trying this with a control in their reddit post (link); i just went directly to the one they thought might work so i'll put my experiences & the science/theory behind this under a cut for folks who want to avoid potential placebo effect :)

i'll get more specific about this in the "spoilers" but please be aware, especially folks with diabetes or other blood sugar conditions, that this substance may cause a blood sugar drop. it's less likely at this dose but probably keep a sugary snack on hand just in case

if you experience post-exertional malaise & want to try this but don't have spare money to spend on spices feel free to dm me & i'll see if i can help!

my experience:

i took 2 Tbsp ground sumac mixed with warm water on February 11. i tried taking it with a straw first because that's what my colonoscopy prep had said would make that go down easier but because the sumac particles were so big they didn't want to remain suspended & trying to get them in the straw was difficult, which then made it harder to swallow without, yknow, noticing that you're slurping down sediment

what worked better was getting the powder wet, putting a big clump of it on my tongue, then swallowing it with water like a pill

within about half an hour of taking the sumac it was like my fatigue just faded around me where i stood. it dissolved to the background & when i thought "oh i want to do this" or "i should do that" suddenly i found myself just doing it. i had spent the past week at least bedridden except for the bathroom, & though i took the sumac on a better day, i'd been planning to return to bed with a snack after taking it.

instead, i made myself lunch, and i sat on the couch to eat it. all of this was without taking an edible that day; usually i've gotta take at least 25mg delta 8 + 25mg cbd to even consider sitting on the couch. also, it was storming.

from my write-up the day of: "everything felt very sharp & clear & lucid." i washed the dishes from my lunch. all of these activities were about 2 hours, & at that point i emphatically needed a nap. waking up felt like after taking a muscle relaxer & sleeping: my muscles were more relaxed, & my whole body felt like it'd gotten a bit of a break

i've taken sumac at least 8 times since then on at least 5 different days (this time by modifying this sumac tart recipe to include a lot of sumac powder in the crust, which has been much more enjoyable than the Glass O' Sediment lmao) & adjusting for factors like weather, the effect has been comparable every time:

i watched Inception on the couch with my husband, & understood when she explained things to me

i watched leverage on the couch all day when it was below freezing

i worked a bit on fanfics i've barely been able to touch in a year

i "meal prepped" measuring spices, gathering ingredients, & soaking beans to make beans & rice in the instant pot later that day. i literally can't remember the last time i was able to use my instant pot, after thinking about it i think it was when i made palak paneer last summer, but that was a one-off special occasion thing, i've used it maybe 3 other times since developing ME

i wrote this post

the science:

okay a lot of this shit was over my head before i developed ME so i'm gonna be summarizing at my level lol, look to @lakeeffectbitch for a higher-level analysis

but what i do know! (all images from "The malic acid inhibiting inflammation in ankylosing spondylitis by interfering M1 macrophage polarization" by Ji et al., January 2025)

sumac contains high levels of malic acid, which is found in certain fruits (apples, peaches, etc)

the drugs.com page classifies malic acid as an inactive ingredient, so there are no known drug interactions

mice with ankylosing spondylitis had lower levels of peripheral malic acid than control mice

ID: bar graph showing mice with AS had about 0.03 micromoles per milliliter of peripheral malic acid, compared to the control mice level of over 0.2 micromoles per milliliter. the difference is labeled significant via asterisks. end ID

mice with higher malic acid concentrations had lower ESR and CRP (inflammation markers)

ID: two graphs showing lines with a downward slope. the top graph, ESR versus malic acid concentration, is labeled: r=-0.6802, 95% confidence interval =-0.8843 – -0.2578, p=-0.0053. the graph shows ESR, an inflammation marker, decreasing as malic acid concentration increases. the bottom graph, CRP versus malic acid concentration, is labeled: r=-0.6068, 95% confidence interval =-0.8537 – -0.1371, p=-0.0165. the graph shows CRP, an inflammation marker, decreasing as malic acid concentration increases. end ID

mice treated with malic acid had lower levels of TNF-alpha than the mice with untreated ankylosing spondylitis. humira & similar biologics that treat autoimmune diseases are TNF-alpha blockers

ID: a bar graph of relative mRNA expression of TNF-alpha. M0, the control mice, has a relative expression of 1. M1, the mice with ankylosing spondylitis that did not receive treatment, has a relative expression of slightly less than 4.5. M1+MA, the mice with ankylosing spondylitis who received the malic acid treatment, has a relative expression slightly less than 3. this indicates that the mice treated with malic acid had lower expression of TNF-alpha than the untreated mice. asterisks between M0 and M1 and between M1 and M1+MA indicate significance. end ID

the mitochondrial function of M2 macrophages in mice treated with malic acid "was significantly enhanced"

analysis of the mice's spinal tissue blew my fucking socks off. trying not to jump to conclusions & i know journal articles are full of errors but that looks potentially disease-modifying.

ID: a 5x3 presentation of samples of mouse spinal tissue. the control mice, which are healthy, have thick, undamaged, glowing tissue. the mice with ankylosing spondylitis have thin, curved, cracked-looking tissue. the mice treated with celecoxib, a common prescription NSAID for arthritis, appear very similar to the untreated mice. the mice treated with 250mg/kg of malic acid per day have tissue in between the untreated and healthy appearances; the tissue is "glowing" like the healthy tissue but still narrower and curved, although less so than the untreated tissue. the mice treated with 500mg/kg of malic acid per day have tissue which looks even closer to the healthy appearance, with less curvature than the other treatment groups. end ID

since i started drafting this post i've started taking these malic acid supplements from Nature's Life – the full dose made me feel weird including some heartburn so i cut the capsules & take roughly 2/3 – 3/4 of it at a time (i drop the rest into a spare pill jar to make more doses from). it's been similarly effective for me

please be aware that the supplement instructions say to only take it once a day, i haven't had any issues but everybody is different & this avenue is definitely under-researched! (the mice were given 250mg/kg per day which for me would be like 27 grams but i am not a mouse lol)

[frankenkyle19]

Corn-Maze Shenanigans

Happy Halloween! I literally have been working on this for two weeks and it’s still trash but I don’t care anymore, I’m absolutely exhausted. Hopefully it’s decent, sorry it’s rushed I wanted to get it done before Halloween was actually over and I work all day tomorrow and won’t have time to post it. Not at all proofread. Probably a lot of errors.

Word count: 5.5k

Description: Peter Maximoff and reader go to a fall/Halloween festival together on their day off. The corn maze was closed for the day but Peter comes up with a plan. They get up to no good in the corn maze. Smut. Smut. Smut. Enjoy! :)

The nostalgic feeling that fall brought on never ceased to amaze Peter.. Everything about it was magical. The weather, the activities and my god the smells. The smell of fall was something that Peter wished could be ingrained into his scent receptors. The spices, the chill in the air.. There was no debate, it was the best time of year hands down and he’d die on that hill.

He’d been dying to go to a pumpkin patch or a festival since the end of September but the X-men had been so busy with.. Well, helping keep people safe. Peter wished he could have called for some sort of time off or something because he felt as if he was watching everyone else around him enjoy activities that he obviously loved more.

Finally, fucking finally after what felt truly like years, you agreed to go with him to a nearby farm festival on a day the two of you weren’t busy. Peter swore he’d never been happier, practically bouncing up and down just thinking about it. He couldn’t wait to eat whatever fall snacks there were and play (and obviously win) all of the games.

And he wouldn’t lie, he was excited that he got to hang out with just you. Like.. Alone. Yeah he was super excited about that. Suddenly all the waiting seemed like it would pay off. Finally the universe was working in his favor!!

————

The day of arrived and Peter quite literally couldn’t think about anything else. Couldn’t concentrate, could barely function. It was actually pretty bad but he ignored that fact in favor of imagining how much fun the two of you would have later.

He waited outside of your room, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He was wearing a brown striped knit sweater with big bubble sleeves that had him feeling like he was wrapped in a nice cozy blanket, the only time he’d be seen without his iconic silver jacket. It was supposed to be chilly tonight and he wanted to make sure he didn’t freeze to death. As much as he liked the cold weather he’d rather avoid hypothermia.

“Are ya almost done?” He asked, leaning his ear against the door to try and hear what you were doing inside. Nosy fucker. “We should probably get going soon so we’ve got plenty of time to look at everything before it gets dark!” He said, fidgeting with his fingers, brain moving a mile a minute.

“Almost done!” You called out, doing your finishing touches before you took a glance at yourself in the mirror, also wearing a sweater similar to Peter’s. Great minds think alike apparently.

Snatching up your bag and your car keys you did one last scan of your room to make sure you didn’t forget anything before you opened the door, eyes lighting up when you saw Peter in his oversized sweater.

“What took you so long? We’re in practically the same outfit, only difference is I took a minute to get ready and you took thirty,” He shook his head but followed after you as you began to walk down the hall.

“Well the difference, besides you having superspeed would be I just needed to do more. Makeup, hair.. Things that lots of people do before going out.”

“Pshhhh all that stuff’s unnecessary. You would have looked fine rolling out of bed, ‘kay?”

Peter said, but he wasn’t really listening, mind set on the future. Specifically about fifteen minutes in the future where he’d be stuffing his face with pumpkin flavored everything and picking out a pumpkin from the patch to bring home and carve.

The two of you reached the garage and made your way to your car, sliding in. Peter messed with the radio as you adjusted your seat and pulled out of your spot, leaving the garage. The crunch of gravel underneath your tires was music to Peter’s ears, just another reminder that the two of you were headed to what Peter would probably recall later on as being the best part of his year.

“You excited?” You asked, though you knew the answer. Everyone at the damn school knew the answer because he wouldn’t stop talking about it. Scott had seriously started to consider duct taping his mouth shut just to get a moment of silence.

“More excited than I’ve ever been in my whole life, I'm pretty sure, even made sure not to eat any twinkies today so I’d have enough room in my stomach to try everything. You know how difficult that was?”

A scoff left your lips as you shook your head. “You and your Twinkie obsession..”

“They’re arguably the best snake cake ever created, dude! Did you know originally it wasn’t vanilla filling? It was banana. I guess during the Second World War bananas weren’t being imported to the US anymore so they had to switch to vanilla cream.”

You’d never heard Peter so passionate about anything in his life, except maybe about his little tricks to get the highest scores in arcade games.

“You ever considered teaching history? History of American snack cakes,” you laughed which then caused Peter to laugh as well.

“Maybe I should ask Charles if that can be a course next semester. Who knows, maybe if I really show my knowledge he’ll say yes.” He drummed his hands against his legs, waiting in anticipation to arrive.

You and Peter kept short conversation as you drove until you turned down a long gravel road, approaching the farm. You felt Peter moving side to side next to you, trying to regulate his body before the two of you got out of the car.

—————

The farm finally came into view along with the sweet smell of caramel and pumpkin. You managed to find a parking spot fairly easily and before you’d even fully stopped the car Peter was scrambling out, looking towards the entrance of the farm, a huge child-like grin on his face.

You didn’t want to keep the poor man waiting any longer so you quickly turned the car off and stepped out, grabbing your bag and walking around to his side of the car.

“Ready?” You asked, breaking him out of his excited daze, to which he nodded eagerly and grabbed your hand while he walked towards the entrance as fast as he could without using his actual superspeed. The last thing the two of you needed was anyone recognizing him. Hopefully without his silver jacket or X-men suit it would be harder to identify him as the one and only Quicksilver.

“Born ready, baby.” He laughed softly as the two of you walked up to the ticket booth and Peter reached to pull his wallet out of his pocket. You stopped him, quickly grabbing your own and pulling out two five dollar bills, handing them over to the man in the ticket booth.

“Hey! I was gonna pay for that- I’m the one who dragged you here anyways- C’mon-“ Peter huffed out as the man stamped both of your hands with a little pumpkin stamp before waving you on your way so that he could attend to the next person in line.

“Too bad. I know how excited you’ve been for this and I wanted to do something nice. Sue me.” You grinned, taking Peter’s hand again as the two of you looked around. It was absolutely beautiful. Orange and yellow and red colors were splashed everywhere the eye could see. There were pumpkins, gourds and the smell of delicious foods that Peter couldn’t wait to devour.

“Where do you want to go first, Quickie? Lead the way.”

Peter didn’t need anymore convincing, looking towards the nearest vendor and making his way over. There were several signs above the tent which explained what was being sold there.

Fresh pumpkin pie, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin cookies.. Just about everything pumpkin flavored under the sun.

“What’re you gonna get?” You leaned closer to Peter while you spoke so that he could hear you better over the crowds of people chatting.

“Everything. Every. Single. Thing.” You would have called his bluff but you knew he wasn’t joking. Hell, you were talking to the man who averaged like.. Two boxes of twinkies a day. This would be easy for him.

Luckily the line went quickly and when it was Peter’s turn, the look of shock and horror on the person’s face who was taking his order was hilarious.

Peter managed to somehow carry everything stacked up in his arms over to a picnic table where he organized everything by what he wanted to try first or what he wanted to save for last.

He took a seat and you did as well, sitting next to him as he grabbed the first thing in front of him, a slice of pie and devoured it in three bites. His cheeks were stuffed and he looked at you with a dorky grin before he chewed and swallowed, letting out a pleased hum at the taste. Peter was an absolute foodie through and through.

He downed it all like he hadn’t eaten in days, stopping every now and then to offer you a bite of certain things you were eyeing. It was actually quite adorable. At one point he’d gotten some sort of frosting on his nose and you wiped it off with your thumb, laughing as Peter’s cheeks turned a dusty pink.

Peter took the last bite of the last dessert on the table before using his speed to clean up the trash and throw it away before rejoining you at the table. Usually you’d lecture him about using his powers in public but no one seemed to notice and if they did they were too busy to care.

“You full now?” You asked, laughing as Peter rubbed his stomach over his sweater.

“Nope. Not even a little.”

You rolled your eyes before standing up, glancing over to another stand where they were selling warm apple cider. Just the thought alone had you feeling all warm inside.

“Peter! Apple cider, come on!” You said before running off in the direction of the apple cider to which he quickly followed.

———

With your hands wrapped around the warm cups of cider the two of you decided to do a little more exploring. People were beginning to leave little by little the later it got but the sun was still bright in the sky so the two of you had a while before it closed. You were thankful for it being less crowded though. You could finally hear yourself think!

Bringing the cup up to his lips, Peter sipped the spiced drink and you admired him for a moment. He looked so cozy and you knew he felt it as well. It was nice being able to get away from all the hustle and bustle of the school even if it was just for a little while. It was definitely needed. For the both of you.

Peter caught you staring and he raised a brow quizzically, wondering for a moment if he had leftover crumbs on his face or something. “What’re you staring at?” He asked, moving the cup away from his face.

“Nothing- no it’s nothing I was just.. I’m glad you dragged me along to this thing, Peter. I’m having a lot of fun.”

“And the days not even over yet! There’s still so much to do! I wanna go pick out a pumpkin to bring back with us! C’mon!”

—————

“What about this one?” Peter said, picking up a tiny, half broken pumpkin that looked like it was already beginning to rot.

“Ew, No! Just pick a normal one!”

The two of you had been going at this for close to fifteen minutes now. Peter was finding the ugliest pumpkins he possibly could before asking your opinion on them. The whole time you were just trying to find a cute one that called to you.

“Well I’m not normal so why would I pick a normal pumpkin? What defines normal anyways?” Peter said as he searched for another fucked up freak of nature pumpkin.

“You’re spending too much time talking to Charles. You’re starting to sound like him.”

“Oh am I now? Ello I’m Charles Xavier and this is my school for gifted children-“ Peter said in a very over the top posh English accent before he cut himself off with a laugh.

“Well he certainly doesn’t sound like that.. just find a pumpkin already!” You were between two choices. Two serious choices but Peter was just acting a fool. It was actually rather adorable. You were starting to find a lot of the things he did adorable.

“Okay okay bossy pants! Geesh.” Peter scoffed, glancing around the field once more. It was a big field with lots of pumpkins and the two of you wouldn’t be able to look through all of them so he just decided to look in the general vicinity for one.

Finally he found the perfect one. Well, his version of perfect because when you saw it you scoffed, facepalming as he held it up triumphantly as if it was his most prized possession.

The pumpkin itself was a dark orange, almost red and it was covered in bumps, making it look akin to a toad’s skin. That wasn’t even the worst of it though. Half of it was lopsided and looked like it’s growth had been stunted so it barely sat upright on its own without tipping over.

“You’re serious?” You asked, brow raised curiously as Peter rocked the pumpkin back and forth, cooing at it like it was a child.

“I am absolutely positive. Never been more sure in my life. Look at the little guy, it’s so cute. In.. it’s own way. Look- If I don’t take it no one will and then it’ll sit here in this field until it rots wondering why it wasn’t good enough to be chosen.”

“That was… weirdly deep. Okay okay whatever.”

You moved to step closer to Peter when you nearly tripped over a tiny pumpkin at your feet. It was perfectly round and orange except for one little part of it towards the top which was white. It looked like the only pumpkin in the whole patch that was multicolored and something drew you to it. You scooped it up off the ground and it was so small it fit in the palm of your hand. Stupid Peter, making you feel bad for damn pumpkins! They were pumpkins! It’s not like they had feelings. But you couldn’t resist this one because it was just so cute and unique.

“See? I told you. The normal ones are boring. Unique is where it’s attttt,” Peter winked. “Now, corn-maze?”

————

“I’m sorry, the corn maze is closed for the night. Too many people end up stuck in there and we don’t want to have to search for them while it’s dark. sorry.” The man standing in front of the corn maze said, arms crossed over his broad chest.

You and Peter let out twin sighs of disappointment and you moved to walk away from the maze when Peter grabbed your hand and without another moment's notice he sped the two of you into the maze. So fast that the man hadn’t even realized what had happened.

“Peter!” You gasped, glancing around at the stalks of corn now surrounding the two of you. “What if we get lost like he says? We don’t have a map!”

“It’s no biggie, babe! I'm hella fast, if we can’t find our way out I’ll just zoom around until I find the exit. It’s no big deal-i-o.” Peter seemed very nonchalant about it all while you were a bit more worried.

Turns out you had reason to be worried because the two of you were lost within the first five minutes of entering the damn maze and neither of you had a map…

—————-

“Come on babe, we could totally have some fun before they come and find us. The suns barely started setting yet we’ve still got a while. Promise I’ll make it worth itttt” Peter cooed into your ear as he trailed wet kisses down your neck before making his way back to your lips. Who knew being trapped in a corn maze could make someone so horny.

You tried to ignore him, really you did but it was practically impossible because as much as you hated to admit it you wanted him too. You’d always been curious about him and as annoying as it was, you were extremely sexually frustrated. Being cooped up in the school all hours of the day didn’t make it easy to get laid. It wasn’t like you could really bring dates back there either. Sneaking them in was rather easy but looking Charles in the eyes after was not. Because of course he always found out. He knew everything.

So, you kissed Peter back, letting his hands move up either side of your body, deft fingers feeling and squeezing until he got to your breasts. Ah yes, your breasts. Glorious glorious boobies. Peter loved them. He tried his best not to stare but hey! They were good tits!

His warm palms cupped your breasts over your sweater, giving a gentle squeeze as he kissed you deeper, practically devouring your mouth with his own. He was desperate, that much was obvious as he subtly began to grind his already raging hard-on against your thigh.

He wasn’t nearly as subtle as he hoped he was though because you felt him rutting against you but instead of pushing him away you pressed yourself further against him, applying more pressure to his throbbing cock. A little sigh of relief left his lips.

The two of you pulled away to breathe, your chest rising and falling heavily as you looked up at Peter, his silver hair already out of place and sticking to his forehead. He looked wrecked and you’d barely even begun. You were going to have so much fun with him.

Thankfully inside the corn maze there were several stumps that were placed around for people to sit on and take breaks, etc. they looked like the perfect place to sit Peter down right now and tease him till he was squirming and begging. He had absolutely no idea what he was in for but really it was his fault for initiating all of it in the first place.

Grabbing him by the front of his shirt you pulled him to one of the stumps, forcing him down onto it before you dropped to your knees in front of him. The dew on the grass seeped into the fabric of your pants and made you shiver but there were more important matters at hand, literally, as your hands reached for Peter’s belt before he quickly stopped you once his brain seemed to catch up, eyes wide.

“Woah woah woah what’re you doing?” He asked, holding your hands in his own much larger ones as he looked down at you, dark brown eyes blown wide, chest rising and falling heavily.

“I was just gonna- do you not want me to?” You asked, looking up at him with a puzzled expression on your face as you moved to pull away. Had this been too much? Was he just… All talk? Was he just joking and you’d actually made a fool of yourself? Oh god there were so many things it could be and now you were completely embarrassed-

“Wait!” He grabbed your arm, keeping you where you were as he continued to stare at you before he let his tongue sweep out to wet his pretty pink lips. “I- I’d love that I just didn’t want you to feel like you had to, y’know? Like I’d totally love it, bet it would feel fucking amazing I just didn’t know if like-“

You shushed him, pressing a finger up to his lips and he quickly paused, almost like he was under a spell. You were one hell of a witch then. Your other hand came to palm him over his jeans, feeling the heat of his erection through the fabric. He let out a shocked little gasp before squeezing his eyes shut, mouth slightly agape as a soft noise of pleasure left him.

“You want me to touch you, Peter?” You asked. You wanted a verbal response since he’d seemed initially so apprehensive of it even if he’d already given a reason as to why.

“I-Yeah. Yes please touch me please-“ if he was embarrassed about already begging he didn’t show it as he arched his hips up further into your touch, just trying to get more friction on his now nearly painful erection.

You didn’t need much more convincing after that, undoing Peter’s belt and pulling his zipper down before you reached into his boxers and pulled his length out. It stood at attention, long and throbbing and hard, a pretty bead of pre-cum on the tip. Mouth watering, you stroked over him a few times before you pressed a kiss to the head.

Peter was trying to maintain his composure, teeth sinking into his bottom lip in attempts to keep quiet as your warm, wet mouth toyed with the head of his cock. He was so outrageously sensitive that he was practically already squirming. Was he squirming away from the touch or into it? Even he didn’t know. All he knew was he never wanted this feeling to end.

Your tongue traced across the head of his dick, collecting the pre-cum there and letting it coat your taste buds, humming at the salty flavor that you’d been dying to taste for longer than you’d like to admit. Then you kissed down the side of his length, letting your lips memorize the feeling of the prominent veins that you found, committing it all to your memory. Hopefully this would become a common occurrence and you wouldn’t have to worry about remembering it.

Your hand continued to stroke the base of him and he seemed to just get impossibly harder the longer time went on.

Finally you took him fully into your mouth, lips tight around him as you slowly took him inch by inch. You were determined to take all of him but it would take a moment to work up to. You were a bit rusty.

Peter let out a quiet little cry as he tried his absolute hardest not to buck up into your mouth and choke you on his cock but it was getting harder by the minute to control himself. He gripped the sides of the stump he was sitting on, looking up at the sky which was starting to turn a beautiful orange as the sun began to set. He’d never realized how beautiful outdoor sex could be. Especially in a cornfield. Most people wouldn’t ever really think of that.

You bobbed your head slowly, letting your nostrils flare as you took him deeper, moving your hand away as you took him to the base, silver curls tickling your face before you pulled back, taking a sharp breath in. Your throat was already scratchy but you weren’t anywhere near done. You’d been waiting forever and a day to do this and you wanted to take your time and really savor him.

“Jesus Christ!” Peter shouted before he covered his mouth when you took him back into the warmth of your mouth without warning. This was how he was going to die, he was calling it right now. Peter Maximoff cause of death: Blowjob. That sounded about right.

Humming around him, you pressed your tongue on the underside of his cock, feeling him pulse inside of your mouth. It was something you could easily become addicted to, sucking him off like this. Your pants were soaked by now, not only from the wetness on the grass but also from your own wetness that seeped from your core into your panties.

Peter let his head drop back against his shoulders and he let out a groan, one of his hands shyly coming to rest on the crown of your head where he tangled his fingers into your hair, massaging your scalp. It felt nice and had your eyes slightly rolling back. Placing your palms on his thighs you began to bob your head faster over him, a lewd squelching sound coming from your throat as you tried to hold back a gag.

Peter began to tremble, his body just so subtly vibrating as he began to get close. He was honestly surprised he’d lasted as long as he did and stayed as quiet as he had. Peter was usually someone who never shut up a day in his life.

“I’m- oh Jesus baby girl I’m getting close! I’m close- wait- I-“ His words died in his throat as you focused your attention on the tip of his length, circling it with your tongue, all the while grinning wickedly up at Peter who was falling apart.

“I’m serious! So serious I’m going to come in like- five seconds tops and I really don’t want to come in your mouth baby-“ He was obviously trying to be a gentleman but you thought fuck that and held his hips down as you continued your ministrations.

Peter seemed to give up then, realizing that you didn’t care if he came in your mouth. That you in fact wanted it, and when he actually thought about how hot that was it was what caused him to tip over the edge, gasping out a moan as he spilled hotly into your mouth in thick spurts.

You sputtered a moment before recovering, pulling off of him so that you could swallow before wiping the remaining cum from the corners of your mouth off on your sweater which would obviously now need a good cleaning.

Peter finally managed to open his eyes and look down at you, still on the ground, lips red and swollen and eyes a bit teary from the intrusion in your throat.

Speaking of throat, it was scratchy and would likely be sore later but you counted it as a win considering what you’d just done. Blown Peter Maximoff.. Hell yeah you did.

You were ready to call it a day now and find a way out of this stupid maze but Peter seemed to have a different idea. His gaze seemed to narrow and he was staring at you almost like a lion stares at its prey right before it pounces. It was almost a comical analogy because really Peter was nothing like a lion but in the moment you couldn’t really think of anything else to compare him to.

Finally standing up you dusted your pants off, still wet and now cold as the sun began to lower even further. It was beginning to get dark out now and you were eager to leave. Your back was turned to Peter and you couldn’t see what he was doing or that he’d stood up from his spot on the stump. Didn’t realize anything until his firm arms were wrapped around your waist and his hot breath was against your ear once more.

“Peter!” You squealed, having not expected it. He’d initially startled you but you slowly began to melt into his inviting touch. There was something about him that just felt familiar and perfect and comforting.

“We really need to get outta here. Or start calling for help.. It'll be dark soon.” You said as Peter nuzzled his nose into the crook of your neck, inhaling deeply. Whatever perfume you wore he was absolutely obsessed with. Or maybe it was just you. Probably both.

“But I didn’t get to make you feel good yet. It’s only fair-“ Peter pouted, teeth grazing your earlobe. A shiver went down your spine as he ground himself against you and to your surprise he was already hard again. Speedster things you presumed.

“You’re absolutely insufferable.”

“And you love it. C’mon babe just a quick fuck! They don’t call me quickie for nothing, I’ll make it worth it I promiseeeee.”

Really you knew that you should have been the voice of reason between the two of you but he was making an amazing point, plus the way that his erection was pressed up against your lower back… yeah, fuck it. You were fucking him in this stupid corn maze.

You spun around in his arms, leaning up to press your lips against his. He let out a surprised little gasp before he grinned, kissing right back, intensely eager. His hands wrapped around you and his fingers trailed up the small of your back before he cupped the back of your head in his large palm, pulling you closer.

Peter’s other hand palmed at one of your breasts, kneading it gently as he pulled away from your lips to press teasing kisses along your jawline.

“Don’t leave any marks! Peter!” You chastised him, gently shoving at his shoulder before he pulled away. His brown eyes were so dark they were almost black and it made your stomach clench, arousal seeping into your underwear.

You walked him backwards back to the stump, forcing him to sit down once more as you pulled your pants and panties down to your ankles before you positioned yourself over his lap, eyes locked onto his.

“This okay?”

“So much more than fucking okay baby, c’mere, sit. It’s comfortable I promise.” Peter was able to hold a straight face for about five seconds after the words had left his lips before he was covering his mouth and laughing into his palm before shaking his head.

“That was extremely cheesy wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. Good thing I still like you.” You leaned down to whisper in his ear before you were lowering yourself onto his length oh so slowly, teasing him just a bit. Unfortunately you didn’t have time to tease him the way you wanted because the two of you really did need to get a move on, but there would be more time for that later.

You sat firmly on his lap, his dick jammed up very far inside you. So far it almost hurt. It had been a long while so it would take a minute to adjust. By the looks of it Peter would be a moment to adjust as well so he didn’t come in the first three movements of your hips.

“How’s that feeling?” You asked him, grinding down against him, hips moving in little circles as he twitched inside to you.

His hands were at your hips, kneading and grabbing at the flesh as he let out a heavy breath. “Good- so good- so much better than good.. Perfect-“ He whined, lifting his hips up just a bit to fuck up into you.

At a different time and place the two of you might have taken this all slower. Really took your time to explore each other but in a corn maze with the sun setting was not the place for that. Plus it was getting pretty chilly.

Slowly, once you’d adjusted to his size, you began to pull up and off of him before plunging yourself down again with a shaky moan, gripping onto his shoulders like they were your lifeline.

If you hadn’t grabbed onto them you’d have possibly fallen off of Peter’s lap entirely with the way he bucked up into you with newfound excitement.

“That’s so fucking good, baby- It’s actually insane… Why haven’t we done this sooner?”

“I dunno Peter, maybe because you’re an idiot who never made a move on me.”

Peter let out a breathless laugh before he tossed his head back as you clenched around him, squeezing him in the most wonderful feeling of warm, hot velvet. It was heaven.

—————————————

“I cannot believe we actually did that!” A hushed laugh came from your lips as you leaned into Peter’s side, the two of you snuggled up into bed, comfy under the covers. You were trying to be quiet and mindful of the others in the mansion that were probably long asleep by now.

Peter leaned forward and tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear, grinning stupidly. “Right? It was the second best thing that happened to me today.”

“Second?!” You shrieked, shoving his shoulder playfully. “Well what was first?”

“Baby I feel like you don’t know me all that well if you don’t already know I’d say the food. Of course food is always number one for me! Sorry not sorry.”

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. “Alright whatever, you’re ridiculous. We should probably head to bed. I’ve got to be up early tomorrow.”

“So I can stay?” Peter asked, looking like a child who’d been told they could stay for the sleepover they’d begged to go to.

“Yes Peter. You can stay. Of course you can.” You said, scooting closer to him and snuggling into his chest, letting out a quiet sigh.

There was silence for several moments and for a second you began to assume that Peter had fallen asleep.. That was fast.. But then he started talking again.

“Happy Halloween. Thank you for going with me. I had a lot of fun.”

“Happy Halloween, Peter.”

[sweetkpopmusings]

miserable (you & me) | h. hyunjin <3

a/n: i have had these blurbs in my drafts FOREVER. "miserable (you & me)" is a song i've had on repeat since it dropped. i'm also a sucker for angst, so please enjoy these self-indulgent posts (they all have happy endings, i promise!) there will be one for each member, so stay tuned <3 pics not mine~

content: angst, happy ending | wc: 1k | warnings: none really! | pairing: hyunjin x gn!reader | requests:open

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

난 가망이 없는 미래에 손을 뻗어 날 부었네 / “i stretched out my hand towards a hopeless future and poured myself out”

of course it would be raining right now. the day’s weather had been normal, a smattering of clouds above and an overcast glow hinting that the weather might take a turn for the worse, but nothing was set in stone. that turned out to be true in a more literal sense, hyunjin realized, while watching people mill about on the street below with freshly opened umbrellas. he scoffed. what did you think would happen? what did you think would change?

the answer was nothing. but i had no choice.

you and hyunjin met up for your usual weekend get-together, returning to a favorite drink spot of yours after a few weekends of schedules keeping you apart. he had missed you so dearly, something that became achingly clear when his whole body lit up from seeing your face peek through the entrance. you noticed the buzz in his body when he greeted you, a sweet laugh escaping your lips. hyunjin’s heart melted at the sound, collapsing even more into endearment when you said, “i missed you a ton, too.”

a moderate number of people took up the tables and seats in the building, so there was a comfortable hum of casual conversation surrounding you. hyunjin, as always, was so closely tuned into the sound of your voice, he would’ve believed you if you said the place was completely empty. it was clichéd for sure, but he was enraptured by every single thing you said. he loved listening to all your thoughts, stories, jokes, anecdotes; whatever you were willing to share with hyunjin, he’d accept with open and grateful hands. you both laughed as you finished telling him an embarrassing story your friend shared with you the other day, and, so you could take a sip of your drink, you asked hyunjin, “how are you?”

without skipping a beat, hyunjin answered, “i’ve liked you for the longest time.”

seeing as that was quite the unexpected answer to your question, you froze. your brain buffered, face showing barely any expression, except maybe shock or confusion. hyunjin, perhaps realizing what just occurred, reacted with wide eyes and frantic apologies. if his confession hadn’t stopped you so sharply in your tracks, the endless refrain of i’m so sorry! i don’t know why i did that. i’m so stupid! would have drowned out the words he spoke so naturally. you didn’t have time to process, but you tried to protest against hyunjin’s incessant apologies. this, it seemed, was fruitless.

hyunjin, with shaking legs and fumbling hands, gathered his things. 

“hyunjin, what’re you–”

“i should go, y/n,” he responded quickly, too quickly for him to mean it.

your heart broke at the way his voice cracked when he said your name, “no, just stay for a minute. please, i–”

his chest tightened when please fell from your lips, but he couldn’t bear the idea of you begging him to stay, only to tell him you didn’t feel the same. yes, it was immature, and, sure, it was probably selfish. yet all hyunjin could think to do was leave. so he did, his goodbye all staggered breaths and darting eyes.

you turned in your chair, barely catching his gaze as he raced to who knows where, “hyunjin?”

his eyes caught yours, and he ripped them away before he lost his foolish resolve. he hoped he offered you a soft smile, something to say i’m sorry for this. i just want you to be happy, and i guess this is me trying to make sure you stay that way. the adrenaline rush meant he couldn’t feel his face, though. he had no way of knowing what he looked like when he looked back at you. 

hyunjin’s whole trip home consisted of pleas for his legs to move faster. if his steps hit the ground hard enough, he could ignore all the scolding voices inside his head until he was safe in his room. if he were honest with himself, he was outrunning the look of shock on your face, and the way your voice fell when you asked him to stay. hyunjin, as he caught his breath in his room, realized that running away from you meant he ended up in front of his window, facing a future of heartbreak. a sardonic laugh broke free from his lips. maybe if you did it the right way, at the right moment, you’d be looking at them instead. maybe you’d be thinking of something other than angsty plotlines for the strangers passing by on the street below. 

“or maybe i could be hurt much worse,” he whispered to himself. 

that was the last sound that shared space with hyunjin in the room. he sat, mind racing and leg bouncing, completely silent. until someone knocked on the door.

hyunjin shuffled to the entryway, instinctively opening it at a familiar knock, only coming to when he saw you standing before him. of course, no matter how hard he tried, his body would always end up right in front of you.

ignoring the way his deflated figure twisted your chest up in all the worst ways, you chided, “you know it’s rude to confess to someone and leave immediately after, right? you didn’t give me a chance to respond.”

you huffed as you spoke. hyunjin couldn’t help the endeared smile that graced his face when he watched your frustrated, furrowed brow turn into a cute, unintentional pout. 

he thought, they are more precious to me than they’ll ever know, and he admitted, “you’re right. it was very rude of me. while i may not deserve to hear it after the way i acted, would you mind telling me what you were going to say?”

your shoulders relaxed as the familiar shine in hyunjin’s eyes returned. his beautiful smile came back too, as he watched your face light up with a reply he’d only ever dreamed of before.

“i like you too, hyunjin. i have for the longest time.”as though his hands weren’t shaking from anxiety a mere five minutes before this moment, hyunjin reached out to you, pulling you into his home and into his arms. when you accepted his invitation and melted into his embrace, hyunjin thought, i’ll pour my heart out to them again and again, if it means we’ll always end up right here, together.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

[toffeeinhun]

EVERY NUMBER FOR INHUN BECAUSE I LOVE READING PEOPLE'S TAKES ON THIS SHIP and I also love your takes

Aww thank you!! I love your takes too 💕

1. What's something you like about it?

Ahhhh so many things! I love how ideologically/morally opposed they are which makes their dynamic really interesting to watch and explore. Even as Young-il, he was challenging Gi-hun throughout the season. And the fact that they went through such similar things but turned out so differently. It's fun to see how their dynamic plays out differently in AUs. There are just so many cool things to do with their characters.

2. What's something you dislike about it?

Hmm this is hard. I don't think there's really anything about the ship itself I dislike. I think I dislike the discourse in the fandom surrounding the ship more than anything, but that isn't really unique to Inhun.

3. What's your headcanon about them?

Just one thing? hrm... I think In-ho likes to buy Gi-hun new clothes all the time, but he buys increasingly more revealing clothing with each shopping trip. Starts out with some nice fitting pants and shirts, then he starts getting thin shirts that can be easily seen through before moving onto mesh/netted shirts. Gi-hun is very embarrassed by this.

4. Which one fell in love first?

In-ho, definitely. He probably fell in love while keeping tabs on Gi-hun in the 4 years between games.

5. Which one confessed first?

I can see this going either way depending on the circumstances, but I'm gonna say Gi-hun. I think In-ho would be too in his own head and insecure to think Gi-hun would feel the same way as him especially after everything. So Gi-hun would realize In-ho isn't picking up on his feelings and have to be more blunt and just confess.

6. What song do you associate with them?

I have a few from the 2 bands I've been listening to recently

Shallow - Magnolia Park

Shadow Talk - Magnolia Park

Cult - Magnolia Park

Warmer Weather - Old Neon

What Do You Love - Old Neon

Better Things - Old Neon (makes me think specifically of their relationship in Love Thy Enemy)

I swear I listen to other music just not recently

7. How should they end up?

HAPPY!!! ALIVE!!!! pls i'll cry if anything bad happens to them 😭

8. What would their typical date be like?

I already answered this in a serious way so I'm giving you a silly answer that @niterose and I talked about one day

In-ho can't behave when they're out in public on their dinner dates. He'll bring up how good Gi-hun looked tied up in the back of his limo, bleeding and beaten, and the waiter overhears and gets freaked. They are slowly getting banned from every restaurant in the city because he can't stop talking about how hot Gi-hun was risking his life in the games, and everyone who hears the convos think they're a very kinky couple and get very uncomfortable waiting on them because In-ho will just not shut up for 5 minutes when other people are in ear shot.

9. What characters would support or hate their relationship?

I can't think of anyone who would hate their relationship really. A while ago I made a post with some thoughts on Jun-ho's relationship with In-ho's wife, and I mention Jun-ho would feel conflicted about In-ho and Gi-hun dating because he feels like In-ho is replacing his wife. He eventually accepts it and is happy for them.

I also think Ga-yeong would approve, and she and In-ho would get along really well.

10. If they could be drawn as any classical/iconic romance scene, what would it be?

Okay so. I know this doesn't technically count as ""romantic"", but my first thought was this scene from Saw

It's romantic in my heart 🥲

11. Why should or shouldn't they be together?

Answered here!

But to summarize: they're hot and perfect and there's absolutely no reason why they shouldn't be together 😤

12. What is your favorite scene with them?

So I actually got an ask weeks ago asking this question and I answered it here!

But I'll also add on any time Gi-hun smiles at In-ho. Like after their reunion during mingle when In-ho separates from the group, and when In-ho tells his dumb joke about Gi-hun's last name.

🫠🫠🫠

[dresshistorynerd]

@bubbletea4ever I'm responding to your comment in a separate post since my answer got too long and I then just decided to properly make my case.

(For anyone else stumbling here, here's the post in which comments we were discussing. There's couple of comments before this, so if you want more context, you are free to check them out.)

So here's @bubbletea4ever 's comment:

so you can understand that regimes can control and influence how people dress, but you can’t see that a culture does the same? If you ask women who veil their faces why they do it, how many of them do you seriously think are going to say ‘to protect me from the sun’ ? covering your face is dehumanising to yourself. you can pretend it’s neutral but it’s not. there’s not a world where this means nothing, it’s inherently oppressive that women just so happen to be the sex whose awra seemingly includes everything but the face and yet even some believe they should cover that. It is inherently oppressive that there are women who choose to swim in clothes that puts them at further risk of drowning in the name of piousness. And I said it’s cultural imperialism because that’s precisely what it is. Not every niqabi is from the specific region of Saudi where this began. This sort of regression only had a resurgence because of petro-Islam.

Of course people don't usually actively think about their clothing's origin or practical purpose. Culture forms around the practice and assigns symbolism and meaning to it. If you ask most people of the world "why are you not going out in your underwear?" they will probably not answer by "because of western hegemony we are all wearing clothing that originates from Europe and in European climate layering is the best strategy to keep you warm but not overheated or sweaty". They will most likely answer "it's not appropriate". Yes, the reason today many Muslim women wear any kind of veil, including niqab, are usually religious reasons (weather by choice or not), but my point in my original response was to show that these clothing are not just tools of oppression or just religious symbols, they are also practical useful garments which have long history, just like any other traditional clothing item from different cultures. My point was that while they can take different meanings, none of those meanings are inherent to them.

When I mentioned enforcing and controlling how people dress I of course mean also other means of control than just legal means. But there is a difference in controlling societal structures and cultural norms, though the line between those two is often hazy. All cultures ever have had some social standards and norms for dress. My previous example works here as well. In modern globalized culture it's deemed inappropriate to be naked or even in just the underwear in public. However, there is nothing inherently inappropriate in it. In many cultures thorough history, mostly those originating from hot and at least semi-humid climates, it has been entirely appropriate to appear almost or fully naked in public, and the concept of underwear itself is not even universal. Even in Early Modern Europe it was very appropriate for certain women in certain situations to appear in public their breasts fully exposed (I have a post where I explain the phenomena). However, in modern globalized culture it's not. I wouldn't call that inherently oppressive though. Historically using veils (even face coverings in desert climates) was often more of a neutral cultural norm like the one I just described rather than a tool of societal control, including in Europe, where veils and other head coverings were for a long time part of the standard dress (also originally for practical reasons). (I'm not saying this was always the case thorough history, I can already think of some examples which cross the hazy line to more of an oppressive standard, but broadly speaking.) Of course, I do know that in many modern Muslim societies, even when there's no outright laws enforcing it, there is very much societally enforced pressure especially for women to wear certain clothing, which is oppressive. Still the garments themselves are not oppressive.

I think it's interesting you say covering your face is inherently dehumanizing. Why is that? What makes covering your face specifically dehumanizing? Is covering your eyes dehumanizing? For example would you consider using sunglasses as dehumanizing?

I'll give you an example to better explain how I see this. In Victorian Era western societies it was societally enforced standard for women to only wear skirts and never pants. That was oppressive. Are skirts then oppressive? I certainly wouldn't agree with that. Some feminist women did push against this oppression and wore pants. There were also women who agreed that it's oppressive to control what women wear but still choose to wear skirts. Was the only reason they choose to wear skirts because of this oppressive standard? For some it certainly was because they were afraid of the backlash, which was severe at first. But for others it clearly wasn't, because some of them did dress in very unconventional manner directly contrasting the contemporary beauty norms, but still wearing skirts. Would it have been a good way to dismantle this norm by demanding that no woman ever wears a skirt? Absolutely not. There would be just another type of control. (I write a bit more on that history in this post.) Another example. At the same time men were not allowed to wear skirts in public (outside very specific situations like when they were small children or when they were a Scott wearing a kilt). During Victorian Era many countries had laws against cross dressing, but even to this day it's not socially acceptable for men to wear skirts in western and most westernized countries. Even if there's no longer laws against it, our oppressive social structures still enforce that. So are pants then oppressive? Of course not. Should all men stop wearing pants? No, they should be allowed to wear skirts or pants. Should I assume that every man ever wearing pants is only doing it because they are oppressed by the societal standards of dress? I do not think so. My thinking is exactly the same about niqab and other Muslim and Arab garments.

In your previous comment you said the prevalence of face covering as a whole is due to imperialism, which is what I disagreed with, at least with the "as a whole" part, because as I said, face coverings have long been used in many arid, especially desert, environments, not just Arabia. Niqab term and the specific form comes from Arabia, but very similar types of face coverings are not exclusive to Arabia nor even to Islam, nor do they originate with either of them. There's even historical examples from Europe of the practice of face coverings in certain areas (for example in parts of Germany during the Renaissance, but this is veering quite off the point). Face coverings have been recorded in Levant in pre-Islamic historical accounts as well, as this academic article on the misconceptions about nicab explains (this paper informs my opinion in this subject a lot). Coptic Orthodox women, who are Christians who originate around Eqypt, traditionally wore black veils and face coverings as seen in the photo from 1918 below. Tuaregs (one of the Amazigh peoples of North Africa), both men and women, but particularly men, have also worn face coverings called Litham for centuries, as seen in the second image from 1897. Litham is a veil that also covers the face, and is often worn by men as a turban. In Central Asia face coverings have also been used for a long time, chaderi has been used in Afghanistan for several hundred years, as seen in the third image, an illustration from c. 1840.

These are just a few examples and my point with them is to illustrate niqab style face coverings are not exclusive to Saudi Arabia, and certainly not to Najd alone, so calling all face coverings outside Najd Saudi imperialism is simply not true. Saudi Arabia is certainly an imperial entity and historically Arab imperialism has been in a cultural hegemony position in the MENA area. However, Arab imperialism is certainly not the only kind of imperialism effecting MENA societies. Similarly as Arabic cultural products are pushed on many Muslims outside Arabia and even Arabic countries, so are western products. Would you think the only reason an Arab or a Muslim more broadly, man or a woman, would wear jeans or other western clothing is that they are oppressed by western imperialism? Would you condemn that usage of jeans?

It was also the western colonialism which enforced western cultural norms in many Arab and other Muslim countries, which led to the wave of westernization across MENA in the 20th century and the decline of the usage of traditional clothing, including veils and face coverings. Western world of course framed it as progress, because in the colonial framework the burden of the white man was to "civilize" non-white non-western societies. Everything non-western was then backwards and uncivilized. The Islamic backlash against this led to another kind of oppression, which is fueled by the continued western imperial presence in the area. Even Saudi Arabia is in the end just an arm of American imperialism. My point is traditional Islamic or Arab garments are not inherently more oppressive than western garments, what is oppressive when either is forced upon a culture and upon it's people.

[scoobydoodean]

Looking at your recent posts/reblogs has reminded me of how much I hate the conversation between Dean and Bobby at the beginning of 4.22 when Dean is trying to deal with the fact that Sam has chosen to trust Ruby instead of him, when Dean can see that he’s obviously being manipulated, and, in response, Bobby just says

You stupid, stupid son of a bitch! Well, boo hoo, I am so sorry your feelings are hurt, princess! Are you under the impression that family's supposed to make you feel good?! Bake you an apple pie, maybe? They're supposed to make you miserable! That's why they're family!

and I feel like that line just summarizes how so many people view Dean both in the show & in discourse about it: that whenever he’s upset by something someone does, he’s being overdramatic, and the tension it creates is his fault for not just accepting that his loved ones will make him miserable.

(& the context of the quote is kind of the perfect example of this because Dean has spent the whole season trying to deal with his own trauma from hell & the fact that the angels won’t leave him alone while also continually giving Sam chances to be upfront about what’s going on with him and trying to warn him that Ruby is manipulating him into doing what she wants, and when that tension finally breaks because Sam refuses to believe—or even consider—any of Dean’s suspicions about Ruby, Dean is basically told by Bobby that he should just let it go)

I agree with you—and that speech is absolute trash.

To frame Bobby's reaction here a little, he and Dean have some conversations in 4.21 and 4.22 that I think leave Bobby pretty unsettled. I think his emotional reaction is driven by that.

In 4.21, Dean and Bobby don't see things the same way when it comes to Sam's demon blood detox and they also disagree on Dean intending to sacrifice himself by signing himself over to the angels to protect Sam. So I'd say leading into 4.22, Bobby is already apprehensive about Sam and Dean both being killed. We know he didn't weather Dean's death at the end of season 3 well.

In 4.22, right before Bobby blows up at him, Dean is also jumping to some conclusions about his relationship with Sam that are pretty extreme.

DEAN No, damnit! No. I gotta face the facts. Sam never wanted part of this family. He hated this life growing up. Ran away to Stanford first chance he got. Now it's like déjà vu all over again. Well, I am sick and tired of chasing him. Screw him, he can do what he wants. BOBBY You don't mean that. DEAN Yes I do, Bobby. Sam's gone. He's gone. I'm not even sure if he's still my brother anymore. If he ever was.

I think Dean having to work through thoughts like this is understandable given probably less than 24 hours ago, Sam was strangling him unconscious in absolutely seething rage, had spent the entirety of the season lying to Dean and then getting indignant when Dean caught on, and reiterated the incredibly damaging things he said about Dean's hell trauma from 4.14. At the same time, I don't think Dean's thinking straight. Sam's motivations in the demon blood arc are incredibly multi-faceted... but hating hunting or their family simply is not part of this situation. This is made most clear to us just a couple episodes before in 4.19 (where Sam tries to push Adam into hunting and praises their father for teaching them to protect themselves—and this certainly didn't go unnoticed by Dean who confronted him about it). The bit about not wanting to hunt hasn't been true in years and won't resurface again for several more. It seems like Dean is just swirling through a lot of unaddressed hurt and misunderstandings from the past as he processes through the last year.

I think Dean saying he is done trying and he has tried and tried and tried and he is not doing it anymore is completely reasonable (he also has no idea yet that Lilith is the last seal), but I think when presented with the harm Bobby knows Sam is doing to his body by proceeding, thinking about "his boys", Bobby sees Sam as being in more imminent danger and wants Dean to reach out one last time to try and get through to him. Dean's rare show of verbal processing sets Bobby on edge and because he's human too, he says some stupid things. And if we're being real, Bobby is like this sometimes. I love Bobby to death, and in a general sense, I think he's very caring and supportive toward the people he loves. But when he himself is scared or angry or otherwise agitated, his patience evaporates and other people's vulnerability makes him upset. "The Curious Case of Dean Winchester" is a more sympathetic example of this. Bobby is angry and raw and deeply depressed, and Dean's well-meaning love and support—no matter how casually offered—is received like poison because it reminds him that he is not okay. The same sort of language about Dean being a pansy and how they're both going to "grow lady parts" shows up from Bobby in this episode.

I go back and forth on what Kripke was thinking when he wrote that dialogue, because the man is absolutely obsessed with the exploration of "toxic masculinity", which I think he's done well at times and extremely poorly at others, and I think Bobby's speech clearly embodies that interest. At the same time, I actually do think that, leading into season 5, there are some aspects to the fallout of Sam and Dean's season 4 conflict that are ultimately just very lazily brushed over and so I do think he bought the shit he had Bobby shoveling to an extent. Setting the content and tone aside, in a vacuum, the idea that Dean has to be the one to reach out—while exhausting—plays into the idea of Dean as the hero character. And when I say this, I don't mean that Sam isn't a hero. Sam is VERY much trying to be the unconventional hero this season. But Dean is often made to embody the concept of the righteous hero as an ideal, and part of being the righteous hero in season 4 means ultimately being... right (in more ways than you even knew) but another part of it is having to be the bigger person. Your wrath has to be tempered by love. We could go further down this rabbithole as far as themes and meta narrative, but none of this, from a human perspective, makes me like this speech any more. It just sucks balls.

[velvet-apricots]

A series of Codexs i wrote about my Rook. Taken from this post.

Note found in Rook’s pocket

A note of poetry with deep creases indicating its been folded and unfolded many times. The lettering is written in a neat, loopy cursive in emerald green ink

Eyes of spring beheld by my eyes of winter

Hair of autumn betwixt my weathered fingers

Lips like berries and all for me to devour

My clever bird, my darling Rook

May your hands forever more hold my heart

For as long as it remains beating

E.V

An entry from Rook’s journal

I dreamed about Weisshaupt the other night. All those Wardens we couldn’t help. Davrin said there were a thousand of them. Now there are only a quarter of that. Solas said it was a victory. I don’t know what to think.

Varric said it helps to say or write out what did go right so-

I got to punch the First Warden in the face

An Archdemon is dead. 

Davrin is alive. 

Ghilan’nain is mortal. 

That's four good things. I am particularly glad that Davrin is alright. 

Solas also said that I may have to sacrifice someone to win. I said that I was ready… But I am not. I refuse to let that happen. No one in my team will die. Call it childish, but I won’t be like him. I am already on the right track, given Davrin somehow got out not dead. No idea why, but Bellara says it probably has to do with Ghilan’nain being out of the fade and back in the real world. Something about the soul and stuff.

I don’t remember. I’m not smart like her.

Rook's Shopping List

A list written in a messy scrawl that drifts downward across the page.

Lucanis, please buy these for me. I have to go somewhere with Bellara. No time to get it myself. I left some money to pay for it.

Lipstick. Cherry red. (For me. Last pot was dropped into blighted water. Davrin said I should throw it away.)

Pistachios. Roasted and salted (for me to snack on)

Chocolate (also for me. I need it)

Honey (to make honey roasted almonds as we have way to many of them now)

Beans (for Emmrich. He can't just eat yams and fruit)

Several sacks of Flour (also for Emmrich. Needed for Seitan)

Jam, preferably cherry or apple (for Harding, wants me to try her ham and jam slams again with “proper jam”. Pray for me.)

Spicy Peppers (For Taash to add to their food)

A message between two companions about Rook

A series of messages written in Davrin and Neve’s handwriting.

Should we be worried about Rook? She keeps talking about Varric like he’s still around. - Davrin

What do you mean by “like he’s still around”? - Neve

I mean she’s saying stuff like “I am going to go talk to Varric” then she goes and talks at his stuff like he's actually there. But he's not. He’s dead. Doesn’t that bother you? - Davrin

I have seen people react to loss in similar ways in my work. They talk to the person they lost like there are there. To help them sort their thoughts. It’s a form of coping with grief. I am sure Emmrich would be able to explain it better than I can. - Neve

And watch him fuss over her like a mother hen at dinner? Not a chance. - Davrin

Letter from Rook to their love interest

Emmrich,

Amatus. That's all I want to call you. It's all I chant in my head (along with your name). I feel like a little girl gushing over a boy who shoved mud in her face (not that you ever would).

I can’t write poetry but I can tell you that I want to call you Amatus. Do you know what that means? It means beloved. That is what you are to me.

When we next meet in private. I want you to leave with my name chanting in your head too. Not Rook. But my real name. I think you will like my name. It’s a flower, and you like flowers. 

- The letter is signed with a lipstick mark.

A letter to Rook from a family member or close friend

A letter lost in the chaos of Elgar’nan’s attack on Minrathous. Stained with blood and blight, sealed with the wax seal of Legatus Charon Mercar

My Sweet Rabbit,

Never apologize. You did what you had to.

I will be waiting for you in Ventus. Do not die. You are not allowed to. Not until I see you again.

Love, 

Papa

A note/letter that Rook never sent

An unsent, unfinished letter. Crumpled up and left near the fireplace.

Dear Hawke,

I hope this letter finds you well. You do not know me, but I knew Varric, and you through him. I am Rook, and I traveled with him to stop Solas. I knew him for only six months, but I considered him a wonderful friend and a great mentor.

I send you this letter to tell you that 

I regret to inform you 

I am grieved to say 

Harding probably already told you that

He meant a lot to me

 I have his belongings still and 

The remainder of the letter carries on the same way until there is no more room to write.

[gorogues]

I’m getting bored of saying hi and hello so salutations my fellow Tumblr user!

Now you know how I keep writing ‘The Rogues’ with a capital ‘T’ right? I’ve since then been getting more and more confused about if the title should have it or not, since I’ve seen a bunch of people, including you, not include the capital at all. But like, to me it would make more sense for the ‘t’ to be a capital, because when you talk or think about the group as a whole, it’s THE Rogues and not just ‘Rogues’ like how you would probably refer to one individual from the group. (Would calling any of the guys a ‘Rogue’ makes sense? Like for example: “Hey, there’s a Rogue over there!” Have any characters actually referred to any of them like that? Because I haven’t read any comics that include a sentence like that. Unless I’m remembering wrong that is, or it feels weird to me because I know of a Marvel character that’s costume name is Rogue)

Maybe I’m just thinking too hard about this, but to me, it really does feel like when someone is referring to one member it’s ‘a Rogue’, but when someone is referring to few of the members or the whole group it should be ‘The Rogues’.

And there’s also this whole thing I’ve seen where people tag the guys with or without the word ‘the’ at the beginning. Like I’ve seen people tag James and Axel with either ‘Trickster’ or ‘The Trickster’ (and in my opinion, I’m more inclined to agree to tag both of them as the latter instead of the former). I’ve seen once or a few times where Hartley was tagged as ‘The Pied Piper’, and I’ve even seen Mark and Sam (or it could be Evan, I’m not entirely sure) tagged with a ‘the’ in the front as well. Of course Roscoe is tagged like that, but with nearly everyone else it’s either with or without the extra word.

I’m sorry for sending you paragraphs nearly every time I ask you something, and I can’t promise at all that I’ll stop 😅

Hello!

I think it's a judgment call to capitalize or use lower case for 'the Rogues', though I'm no English major and don't know how grammatically sound one option is over another. Comics often aren't much help, because the lettering is often in all caps..!

I've just now looked at my collection of Flash volume 2 solicits, and they're erratic about when 'the' is capitalized; sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't. But more often than not, it isn't capitalized.

There are indeed multiple instances in which 'Rogue' is used in a singular form, and I've included a few below, all from different writers. The story which introduced Replicant is even titled "Twenty-First Century Rogue", so there's a lot of precedent to use it in the singular.

I tag James and Axel with 'the Trickster' (there's that lower case 'the' again :> ), and I don't for Mirror Master, Weather Wizard, etc, even though you'll sometimes see them referred to as "the Mirror Master", "the Weather Wizard", "the Golden Glider", and "the Pied Piper" as you mentioned. It was a judgment call, mostly because "the Trickster" and "the Top" are used a lot more frequently than "the Rainbow Raider" et al. Occasionally Tumblr changes my tags and capitalizes 'the' when I know I left it in lower case, so maybe the site agrees with you :> (and sometimes it changes all capitals to lower case, especially in older posts)

(Another factor is that I created these tags nearly 15 years ago 😩 when I was pretty much just shitposting on this site, so I probably would have done things differently had I planned to keep a semi-serious long-term blog)

I write somewhat more formally when creating posts for Speed Force, and there I'm in the habit of writing "the Flash" when I'm talking about Wally or Barry and "The Flash" when talking about the title of the book. I don't know if that's grammatically correct, but it's what feels right to me to distinguish between the character(s) and the book itself.

[mgu-h]

Yeah, sixteen points is nothing— that’s two race wins which he’d need anyway over the course of a winning season, it’s more how discouraging this weekend proved to be cause he really could have had one this weekend, and I do think he got really unlucky on Sunday and by extension Oscar got lucky in the race :(

Just hard to see with the way the past few weekends and the narrative and McLaren are going.

I totally get it and I share your disappointment!! You probably didn't notice, but I didn't make gifs of anything post-race for almost 12 hours, as I didn't feel at all happy during the podium either. It was a very frustrating race in many ways, and made me dread the next few weeks, but once I'd processed all those negative emotions, there were many positive takeaways too, and that's what I'm choosing to focus on.

You just can't let The Narrative take up too much space in your brain. It's really just noise from the media, a kind of froth on top of the sport, people saying things to say things, punching on the week's punching bags, putting people up on pedestals with outrageous flattery and then tearing them down later. It's an entire industry of outrage storytelling that tries to add layers of meaning, but stories aren't real things that exist in reality.

It's also got the collective long-term memory of a goldfish, but we can do better than that as fans. We remember last year, and we can have a wider perspective on this year. I know how much it sucks to feel excluded from the fun, when it's your driver that so many people are already dancing on the grave of, when he's not even dead, but that's something essential to come to peace with, or the sport will become a drag on your happiness.

For me, the thing is that, I love Lando, but I do also love motorsport as a whole. I love racing, and racing isn't fair. Luck is a huge part of it, and sometimes the wheel of fortune turns down and you get fucked. Races are immensely complicated things, there's multiple WDC drivers on track who also want to win, there's variable track conditions, there's the strategy complications of threatening weather. You can do your best, make few or even no mistakes, and still not win, and that's just part of the maddening appeal of it all to me.

I think Lando's had a fairly rocky start to the year, and done so in a very public way, but he's done it without blaming the team, and they're both aware of and appreciate his loyalty. He had a slump in the triple header, but he stopped that descent and pivoted, and is now on an upward trajectory, and will continue to improve on track even as the media speculates loudly about him, as that's not something that weighs him down. He's focused on racing, so we should focus on racing too.

Of course I don't like that McLaren isn't openly cherishing Lando, isn't fighting back in the way I'd like to see against people who say the cruelest and most inaccurate things about him, but I don't think there's intent to sabotage or a conspiracy to ruin his career either. I think that their media strategy of not responding to things unless absolutely necessary to not add to the narrative doesn't work, but I don't believe that it's malicious either.

I just think we need to accept this has been rough, and that Lando's team is doing everything they can to turn things around, and Lando himself is doing the work to improve. We can do him the favor of listening to him when he talks, and thinking what he wants us to think, and feel what he wants us to feel. I'm not behind closed doors, and I don't like connecting dots when I just don't know enough. Things are okay, Lando's okay, and the season is going to get better.

[morbidsmenagerie]

Scorpion Care, Troubleshooting, and Misconceptions Part 1

This is probably going to be a long post and has been several months in the making. I will be going over some basic points of care, not talking about any species in specific but just what kinds of things scorpions need to thrive. I will also be talking about how to recognize and treat some common ailments, and talk about misconceptions and myths in scorpion care. I will cite my work as thoroughly as possible, but as a disclaimer a lot of this is going to be drawing from personal anecdote or information I've discussed with other people. There are vanishingly few scientific works on scorpion welfare and disease and a lot of the treatments are built through trial and error. With that being said, I think this will be a good resource that collects many of the more advanced aspects of scorpion care, as well as provides a framework for what good care looks like.

EDIT: This is now broken up into multiple parts, with part 1 covering general welfare and care, and subsequent parts covering ailments and misconceptions.

General Care

Or, what are we trying to do here anyway?

What is good welfare?

"Animal welfare" is a term that gets used a lot in both animal rights activist circles and animal care circles in general. It generally refers to the well-being of animals in our care, as opposed to the well-being of wild animals. What good animal welfare actually looks like depends on the framework you're using, as well as the animal you're talking about. Invertebrate welfare is not well understood or well studied. A few different texts have tackled the issue in different ways, I personally recommend:

Invertebrate Justice by Russil Durrant (2024)

The Welfare of Invertebrate Animals edited by Claudio Carere and Jennifer Mather (2019)

The Edge of Sentience by Jonathan Birch (2024) Open Access Here

While these books highlight various ethical and welfare considerations that invertebrates face, and discuss some of the different frameworks relating to welfare as applied to invertebrates, there isn't an agreed upon metric for what specifically makes good welfare. It's hard to know what thriving even looks like with regards to invertebrates, and how to best meet the conditions so that the animal thrives and not just survives. I will go over some different frameworks that have been used as a metric to measure animal welfare, and how these may or may not apply to arthropods (and more specifically scorpions).

"As close to natural as possible."

This one is very frequently used in exotic pet keeping circles. The basis of this is that because animals thrive in their native, natural environment, the best way to get them to thrive in captivity is to try to recreate their natural environment as close as possible. Looking at where the animal lives, and how it interacts with it's environment, gives you a great place to start to understand its needs. I do find a lot of limitations in this from a practical standpoint though, although it's a good guiding principle to keep in mind it's not good for determining what you should or shouldn't do to provide quality care for your animals.

For one, it's incredibly vague, and there's a lot of discussion and debate on how close to nature is "good enough". Captivity is already inherently unnatural, and in captivity an animal would not be exposed to the stresses and dangers it would experience in it's native environment. It's generally protected from predators, disease, starvation, and extreme weather conditions, all of which it would experience or have to actively avoid in the wild. There are also things that are natural and within our ability to give that we revoke intentionally because of the risks involved. It is more natural for a snake to eat living prey, for example, but we strongly advocate for feeding frozen/thawed prey instead to protect the snake from injury and disease and because it reduces the suffering of the prey item.

Secondly, the amount of effort and extra attention you put into getting as close to natural as possible is highly variable, and there is a wide range of acceptable ways to do it. The most close to natural way you can keep an animal is in a bioactive enclosure planted with plants from it's native environment, with soil composition that closely matches it's native soil, with a full spectrum and UV/IR lamps to simulate sunlight as closely as possible on a variable time schedule to simulate the natural progression of seasons and the varying in daylight, temperature, and water in regards to those seasons. Although there are people that get fairly close to this, few would argue all of that is necessary and anything less than that is negligence or substandard care. There have been some anecdotal evidence that things like seasonal cooling periods improve breeding in some tarantula genera, for example, but there is no evidence that bioactive enclosures, UVb light exposure, varying day cycles, or drought and monsoon seasons make a measurable difference in tarantula health or behavior.

Five freedoms

The five freedoms is more commonly talked about in animal rights groups. From the Humane Society:

Source

This gives us some more specifics on what makes good welfare. This also breaks up welfare into different domains, with each domain needing to be attended to in order to provide good care. From the example earlier, the reason why we wouldn't feed snakes live prey under this model is to ensure they are free from injury and disease, even though it would be more natural for them. This also specifies stress as a negative aspect in an animal's life. Though stress is something they would encounter in nature, chronic stress leads to decreased fitness and illness; therefore it is good for us to minimize stress.

Where this model gets less specific is when talking about normal behaviors. There isn't a distinction between good behaviors and behaviors that would be undesirable in captivity. Again, using the snake example, eating live prey is the snakes normal behavior, so the risk of the normal behavior and the benefit of performing that behavior would have to be weighed. Breeding is another aspect of concern that isn't mentioned, breeding is a natural behavior but is largely not considered biologically necessary to do, and in many cases it may be more desirable to deny breeding.

Lifespan-focused

This is the simplest model, and the one used most often. With invertebrates, it is often hard for us to objectively measure what good welfare looks like, so all too often people fall back on lifespan. This leads to justifications such as "I kept them like this and they lived ___ number of years" or "I've never had an issue with this, all my animals eat and grow just fine". What these arguments are saying is that the care that the animal is given doesn't negatively impact lifespan, which the keeper is using as the ultimate measure for what good welfare looks like.

This quickly falls apart when viewed from a more holistic stance, hopefully it is well understood that animals can live a long time in subpar conditions. Certain invertebrates and reptiles in particular are very hardy, and can live long lives while still experiencing chronic stress or illness due to inadequate care. Lifespan in invertebrates is also rather easy to influence, in tarantula keeping there is a tactic known as "power feeding" where someone keeps a tarantula on the warmer end of what's comfortable for them and feeds them as often as possible to make them grow more quickly at the cost of their lifespan, inversely you can keep a tarantula cooler and feed less frequently which makes them grow much slower but they will live much longer.

My Metric

"Good welfare is a state created through research based application of native environmental and interpersonal factors that encourages natural behaviors, optimal lifespan, and reduces stress as much as can be practically achieved in captivity."

This isn't meant to be an end all statement on what makes good welfare, but rather what I think is a good guiding principle when deciding what care is appropriate. The phrase "research based application" is meant to highlight which things from nature are important to incorporate, for example the benefits of UVb light in reptiles has been well documented and reported on, so this would be a necessary aspect of their natural environment to provide in your care. Conversely, the benefits of bioactive enclosures in tarantulas is debatable and anecdotal at best, so providing it is not well based in research. Environmental factors include everything from light, heat, humidity, water availability, to prey and food items. Interpersonal factors include conspecifics, the needs of an animal to be around others of it's own kind in a communal set up or it's need to be solitary, as well as interactions with other species such as in symbiotic or mutualistic relationships. The phrase "optimal lifespan" is intended to talk about an animal's lifespan that is not hindered by disease, stress, or poor care, as well as not artificially expanded by techniques such as cooling and minimal feeding. Finally, "as much as can be practically achieved in captivity" is an acknowledgement that captivity is a balance of risk, welfare, and practicality, and that creating a 1 to 1 analog of an animal's natural habitat in your personal care is neither practical nor desirable.

I'm going to focus in more on scorpions, and use the frameworks we talked about above to apply specifically to scorpion care.

Enclosure

There are a few important factors when considering suitable enclosures for scorpions. One of the most important is safety; scorpions are venomous animals, and even the ones that are not medically significant need to be secured properly to avoid escape. Scorpions that are generally considered harmless can still cause allergic reactions, and can potentially harm particularly vulnerable people such as young children and people who are immunocompromised. Small animals and other pets are also likely to react to venom differently than we would, so avoiding escapes is of the utmost importance. Enclosures should be stored somewhere secure where cats and young children can't access, are unlikely to be knocked down, and in an area protected from direct sunlight and drafts. The enclosure itself should have a secure lid; scorpions can be very strong and can push open some types of lids. They can also escape through surprisingly narrow cracks, so all ventilation holes and seams must be small enough to ensure this doesn't happen. Medically significant scorpions should be locked or latched in a way that there is no way for the lid to come loose or be pushed open, and be prominently labeled. It might also be advisable to double contain medically significant scorpions, so their enclosures are kept within larger containers as an extra layer of protection. I talk more about the considerations of keeping medically significant scorpions here.

Both glass and plastic enclosures can be used, though plastic is usually cheaper and provide better ventilation. Glass looks nicer, but usually is only ventilated from the lid and can have a silicone join along the seams that smaller scorpions can easily climb up. Scorpions cannot climb plastic or smooth surfaces, but they can reach up much higher than you would expect because they can use their tail to boost themselves up the side of walls. Pay attention to how tall the enclosure is and how far up the sides ventilation holes are situated.

The size of the enclosure depends on the scorpion. Most scorpions are rather sedentary. Obligate burrowers can stay in their burrows for months at a time. This doesn't mean they don't need any space, rather that for most scorpions usable 3D space is going to be more important than the exact dimensions of the enclosure. Fossorial scorpions should have enough vertical substrate space that they can make a burrow that completely encases them. Substrate depth about the same length as the scorpion is stretched out is typical. Arboreal scorpions need about the same amount of space vertically, plus a bit extra so they have enough room to molt properly. Using hides, hills, and enclosure decor can create more usable space in a smaller enclosure, sloping the substrate in a hill, for example, allows for a deep burrow while also providing more open air space than if you leveled off the substrate evenly throughout the enclosure.

As a basic thumb rule, the scorpion should be allowed to move around comfortably, be able to fully lift it's tail in the air and threat pose without touching the roof of the enclosure, have enough walkable space to be able to extend it's tail out and defecate, and have enough space to molt in. If your scorpion can touch opposite sides of the enclosure with its claws and tail stretched out, it's probably too small. Communal set ups should have enough room for each scorpion to be able to do each of these things comfortably without crossing into their fellow scorpions space, plus extra as a safety margin. Enclosures should not be so large that finding prey is difficult or the scorpion would get lost.

Slings are often kept in smaller, more basic enclosures for convenience and ease of maintenance. This is about as small as is acceptable an enclosure, this scorpion would need to be upgraded again before their next molt.

Hides

Hides and vertical surfaces are easy to provide. There are a lot of different materials you can use to provide a suitable hide. Generally, the hide should be large enough that it fully covers the scorpion, or if it's a vertical surface that it's big enough that the scorpion can hang underneath it and be entirely covered. Hadrurus scorpions in particular really like to dig, if they don't have borrowable substrate providing a hide that is large enough that they can dig a chamber underneath without it collapsing, shifting, or without substrate falling down and letting light in is necessary. Otherwise they will keep digging and moving around the hide. Vertical surfaces need to have some clear space underneath to allow arboreal scorpions to molt, typically a bit more space than the scorpion is long.

Cork bark is a good go-to material for hides, it's lightweight, easy to break into pieces to get the right size, resistant to mold, and provides a good gripping surface. It can be laid flat on the ground or angled for a vertical hide. Finding more curved pieces and shoving them into the substrate at a steep angle, or by sloping the substrate on one end of the enclosure and inserting the cork bark into the "hill" will give a great starter burrow that really encourages burrowing. I've also been using pieces of terra cotta pot as a hide in desert enclosures, because when moistened the fact that it's porous allows an increase in humidity under the piece without wetting the substrate. It also is more heavily curved than cork bark, so provides more space underneath it.

Care needs to be taken when using hard, rough materials like terra cotta or rocks, I had been finding weird discoloration on my Leiurus quinquestriatus and I had no idea what was causing it. I asked a scorpionologist about it, and she suggested the top of the scorpion might have been rubbing against something, causing wear and discoloration on the cuticle.

Discoloration and wear on the "high points" on top of the scorpion through multiple molts.

From this, I came to the realization that when given a rough hide and shallower substrate, the scorpion had to squeeze under the hide, which caused her cuticle to rub against the lip and edges of the terra cotta. Deeper substrate remedied this issue, as she was able to dig more underneath the hide, and in her most recent molt these marks got considerably better. This is something you should be aware of if you're using terra cotta or rocks as hide materials.

Most recent LQ molt.

For arboreal scorpions, people have also had great success using strips of cork board because it's light, mold resistant, and can easily be cut to fit the enclosure. Amblypygi keepers typically use this or Styrofoam, which although Styrofoam would work for scorpions as well this doesn't seem to be very common.

Regardless of what specific material you choose, some sort of hide or retreat is absolutely necessary. Scorpions tend to like smaller, tighter spaces, and will avoid light when possible. Not providing a safe retreat will cause chronic stress, which is bad for your scorpion's health. I am personally of the opinion that borrowing species do not need to strictly have a burrow into the substrate if a suitable hide is provided, but there are other keepers who disagree with this statement. Some keepers only provide a burrow and do not provide any extra structure of a hide whatsoever, which definitely also meets the needs of the scorpion. However you chose to go about it, the scorpions behavior and habits should be monitored for signs of stress. Even with a hide, a scorpion may not like using it for whatever reason and still exhibit stress behaviors. These behaviors are important to recognize so that you can troubleshoot your enclosure and ensure the scorpion is feeling comfortable. I have a post about recognizing scorpion behavior here.

Substrate

Substrate selection is very important, as substrate is crucial to maintaining proper humidity and allowing for the formation of burrows. I have my own personal opinions on which substrates I prefer, but there are a lot of substrates that work well for scorpions. First I will briefly talk about substrates that should not be used.

Wood chips, Reptibark, Aspen shavings, ect

Any sort of wood that comes in pieces or has sharp edges is not good for scorpions. For one, they're not very great at holding moisture, they tend to get moldy really quickly when kept consistently wet. Sharp edges and pieces can also injure a scorpion, especially during molting. These should be avoided all together.

Calcium sand

Calcium sand is just calcium carbonate in powdered form, and is dangerous to use with any animal. It's dusty, and can potentially cause irritation to the respiratory system. It also dissolves in water, so if it ever gets wet the sand will become a paste then harden into a rock-like shell. This can get stuck on your scorpions tarsi, or more dangerously on your scorpion's tail while defecating, causing impaction, or on their spiracles.

Vermiculite

Vermiculite is a kind of potting soil additive that increases drainage in pots. This was an extremely popular substrate early in the hobby because it was cheap, readily available, and didn't mold. A lot of older care guides recommend vermiculite. It's alright as an additive to aerate the substrate, but used by itself it's dusty, hard to burrow in, and is an uncomfortable consistency because it's so chunky.

Gravel

Similar to vermiculite, gravel is an uncomfortable consistency and can't be burrowed into. Gravel is also heavy and doesn't retain moisture. It can be used as an additive but I would limit it to smaller amounts.

Paper towels

Paper towels can be used in quarantine enclosures or in temporary enclosures to monitor a sick scorpion, but should not be used as substrate. They can't be burrowed into and are inconsistent with maintaining moisture, and mold.

Now I will talk about substrates that can be used. The exact mixtures and ratios of these will depend on the kind of scorpion you have, and I will talk about my personal opinions about these substrates and what I prefer to use in my enclosures, but all of the following substrates are safe and suitable for scorpions.

Topsoil

One of the best substrates overall, can be used by itself to cater to more temperate and tropical animals or mixed with other substrates for savannah and desert scorpions. Usually made of a mixture of a few different things, the exact mix is not very important but you must ensure the soil does not have any added fertilizers or pesticides. Organic topsoil is usually safe for invertebrates, but you should also check the ingredient list. Topsoil is the preferred choice if you are going to make a bioactive enclosure.

Peat Moss

Similar properties to topsoil but can be cheaper or easier to get in smaller quantities. Readily retains moisture and burrows, can be used by itself or as an additive.

Coco coir

A substrate made by mulching coconut husk, this one is very commonly used in the hobby because it is extremely cheap and easy to buy in bulk. It typically comes in a compressed brick that can be hydrated and broken up into soil. Personally, I would only use it as an additive to help aerate the substrate, I'm not fond of it used by itself. From personal experience, I find it dries out very quickly and gets dusty, and in it's dry state it does not support a burrow very well. If you do keep it wet though, it molds very easily. The mold can be managed with springtails, and this is one of the more common substrates used, so it definitely works fine and people have had great success with it. I just find peat moss or top soil to be a lot better for moisture retention and burrowing.

Clay

Clay can be a valuable additive to arid substrates to help support burrowing. I would also use caution with it and not use it as the bulk majority of a substrate. Clay, like calcium sand, has the tendency to become mud when wet then cake onto tarsi or tails. With desert scorpions, this is almost a guarantee to cause mycosis. In smaller percentages this problem is not very common, I would keep the amount of clay under 30% of the total bulk.

Play Sand

The go-to for arid and desert set ups, play sand can be used by itself for scorpions that are adapted to dunes or with an additive to support burrowing. My preferred mixture is play sand with peat moss mixed in to the amount I want based on the scorpions natural habitat, with more or less peat moss to control moisture retention. People also have great success mixing play sand and clay, or you could mix all three together to get different consistencies and effects.

Water

This section will be about drinking water. Water is extremely important for scorpions, I believe it is one of the most neglected aspects of scorpion care and causes most of the "random" deaths in the hobby. There is a common adage that scorpions get all their water from their food, and so water is often not provided at all. Though in the wild scorpions can get all their water requirements from their food, they still will drink water when available, and especially in desert environments it is often overlooked the amount of water they do have access too. Deserts still experience dew and frost in the early mornings when scorpions are active, and several species (in particular Centruroides sculpturatus) are known to seek out humid microclimates and sources of water [Source].

The main reason people tend to be cautious about providing water is that water is difficult to balance, as scorpions are prone to drowning and many desert scorpions do poorly in constant moisture. There is a general sentiment that providing water will cause mycosis in desert scorpions, or that the risk of drowning is too high for it to be worth it. Drinking water alone does not cause mycosis, constantly wet substrate and stagnant conditions cause mycosis, and there are different ways you can provide water to limit the risk of drowning.

Water can be provided in one of two ways. Either a water dish can be filled for the scorpion or you can mist the sides of the enclosure and allow the scorpion to drink the droplets off the side. There has been conflicting statements on whether or not scorpions can absorb water from the substrate directly, the paper that directly tested if Hadrurus arizonensis can absorb water from a wet sponge determined that "Although many individuals demonstrated a limited ability to absorb water from moist substrates, the amounts were well below levels necessary to be important as a method for replenishing supplies of body water. It was concluded that water uptake from a subsaturated atmosphere or a moist substrate plays little or no role in the water economy of H. arizonensis, regardless of its hydration state." [Source] Baby scorpions can drink small water droplets out of moist substrate and moss, but for the most part scorpions need water in some sort of free form to be able to drink it.

For most tropical scorpions, a water dish can be provided at all times. The water dish should be small enough that the scorpion can easily lift itself out of the water. Exceptions are for large scorpions in the Heterometrus genus, these scorpions are very accustomed to water and are large enough that a deep water dish is generally safe, provided there is some way for them to climb out. In the wild, they'll readily enter pools and puddles. A large water dish can be an important source of enrichment for them.

This scorpion is soaking, the rocks ensure she can easily climb out and won't get trapped by the smooth sides of the water bowl. She was in the water bowl often, even catching prey on land and choosing to eat it in the water.

Scorpions aren't naturally hydrophobic like most spiders are, and at certain sizes water tension will be enough to trap them and cause them to drown. I've even seen baby scorpions drown on condensation on the side of an enclosure. For small scorpions, keeping the substrate slightly moist with a dropper and providing an extremely light misting is adequate for their water needs. I use a hair salon mister because it provides a very light even spray, this allows for tiny droplets that closely mimic dew. The droplets also evaporate quickly, so for arid scorpions that won't tolerate wet substrate it's the best way to ensure they are drinking. Scorpions also seem to have limited ability to drink from water dishes that are too small, the ideal size seems to be one they can comfortably fit the width of their prosoma into.

Drinking from a small dish, a larger dish, and pooled condensation on the substrate.

Desert scorpions are prone to mycosis and will not tolerate constantly wet conditions. Water dishes do not need to be provided constantly to be beneficial. For desert scorpions, a water dish provided monthly is all that is required. Younger scorpions are more prone to desiccation than adults are and need more access to water than they would as an adult, but are also usually small enough that misting the sides as above works well for them.

Water should not be provided through paper towels, a sponge, or water crystals. There is limited evidence scorpions can take up water through moistened sponges or paper towels, and these two can harbor bacteria. Scorpions are unable to drink water from water crystals or gels at all, and are useless in providing drinking water.

Food

The nutritional requirements of arachnids is very poorly understood. I will be giving my thoughts on scorpion feeding and nutrition, but please understand that there are very few tested practices with feeding so this is based on my own experience and anecdotes I've read from other keepers.

Scorpions eat other invertebrates, the most common feeders being crickets, roaches, and mealworms. Flies can also be used, fruit flies especially are readily taken by small arboreal scorpions, but for the most part anything that is going to be able to climb to the lid of the enclosure will be able to avoid capture for a very long time. Large scorpions can also take large feeders such as hornworms. Vertebrates are generally discouraged from being used as feeders. Though large scorpions can eat frozen/thawed mice, it's generally messy, and not biologically necessary for them.

My favorite feeders to use are crickets; they are easily bred in captivity, very active and draw an excellent prey response, do not burrow, do not climb plastic, and are relatively soft. Their generalist diets makes them extremely easy to gutload, and they grow very quickly and reproduce very fast. They also come in a variety of sizes, with pinheads being perfect for tiny slings and the adults being large enough to suit the larger scorpions. I also find them to be a bit fattier, moister, and more filling than similarly sized roaches. They also tend to be lower in chitin and ash than other feeders like mealworms or dubia, which could make them more digestible.

Red runner roaches are also an excellent choice for scorpions. They also are very active and give a great prey response, and don't burrow or climb. They are also quieter than crickets which most people see as a boon. I find their care requirements to be a bit harder to meet for me personally as they need it a bit hotter and need moist substrate, which needs to be changed out to prevent the buildup of frass. Their frass is also known to cause allergic reactions through repeated exposure, so need more care taken when handling them or doing tank maintenance. Overall though, these are an extremely good pick for feeders.

Mealworms and superworms are great for specific scenarios, but not my preferred option for general feeders. They work best when cut up to allow for smaller scorpions to scavenge off the pieces because their harder shell prevents the piece from drying out before the scorpion can get to it. Large superworms are also great for larger scorpions, though I would always give them to the scorpion directly instead of letting the scorpion hunt for it by itself. I wouldn't let a mealworm or superworm free in an enclosure unsupervised because they will almost always immediately burrow under the substrate. This is an issue both because you then can't tell if the scorpion actually ate or not, and because they can be extremely dangerous to the scorpion if allowed to live in the enclosure. A molting scorpion is an easy target. I've even heard of mealworms having their heads partially crushed and still being found as beetles in the enclosure months later. I also think they tend to be harder and not have as much substance to them for their size. Still a feeder I end up using fairly often, but not my go to.

Waxworms are fairly small, so larger scorpions are often not interested in them. They also tend to be fatty, and so are discouraged from being used too often in reptile communities. I also find they don't get a great feeding response usually, but when given directly to a scorpion they are very soft and easy to eat and can be very useful for bulking up a skinny scorpion.

Dubia roaches are also commonly used, but I personally don't think they're a great choice for scorpions. They're very flat, which can be hard to grab, and they tend to freeze when bothered. Scorpions often have trouble finding them and grabbing them accurately, and even once grabbed can have trouble finding a place to sting. If your scorpion will take prey directly from forceps though they're a fine choice. They don't burrow very well, don't climb smooth surfaces, and are easy to rear in captivity. They're very frequently used in tarantula keeping, spiders seem to have an easier time with them.

No matter which feeders you use, it's generally better to breed them yourself than getting them from a pet store. Breeding yourself can ensure that the feeders are kept in the best possible conditions, and are fed an appropriate varied diet that allows them to be the most nutritious possible for your scorpions. You can also more closely monitor for disease and infection, and cull any animals that might be a potential health hazard to your other animals.

While I don't think buying feeders from pet stores is bad, I've become a lot more skeptical about the food that is given to them during the farming process and the quality of their care both before and in the pet store. Whether you're using synesthetic or whole food diet, I think you should be aware of what your feeders have been eating, and at least keep them under observation for a while to gutload them properly and monitor them for disease. Healthy feeders make for better quality food for your scorpions.

I've also seen people suggest to rotate feeders for variety. I don't think there's strong support that variety is necessary; people have raised scorpions on a single species of feeder for years, and I would also point out that when people say to "rotate feeders" they're typically talking about rotating between two or three commonly available species. I don't think that would make much of a difference, especially if you're giving all your feeders the same diet and thus giving them all access to the same nutrients or deficits in nutrients that the diet has. I would agree with this more on principle if people were using a variety of diets and rotating between multiple different orders of bug to more closely match with what the scorpions would be eating in the wild, for example including animals that are not typically used as feeders such as spiders, other scorpions, centipedes, and worms.

Temperature

Along with water, temperature is the most important thing to consider when keeping scorpions in captivity. Scorpions largely live in warm environments, with only a few notable species being adapted to areas that stay relatively cool for long periods of time. They are poikilotherms, which means their internal body temperature fluctuates with environmental temperature.

Adequately warm temperatures are vital to a scorpions growth and development, scorpions that are kept too cold will grow extremely slowly, eat much less, and become sluggish and inactive. In the wild, scorpions are more surface active on warmer nights than colder nights [Source 1, 2, 3]. Scorpions that are kept excessively cold will die. Warm temperatures also play an important role in digestion, and has been shown to improve immune response in other arthropods [Source 1, 2], so this may be the case in scorpions also. Scorpions in captivity will frequently seek out warm areas to bask under. One study on Centruroides sculpturatus also suggests that gravid scorpions will seek warmer than normal temperatures during development, which may help with reproductive success [Source].

The scorpions ideal temperature can be guessed at using the temperature range in it's native habitat, but there some caveats with this approach.

For example, this is the yearly air temperature in Guadalupe, Arizona.

Source

Source

This study done on Hadrurus arizonensis measured the burrow temperatures of three scorpions in Guadelupe, Arizona over the course of 3 days in June. Though the air temperatures indicate a fairly large fluctuation (between 78-103F), soil surface readings were much higher than that due to direct absorption of radiation from the sun, and burrow readings were a lot more stable. Extremely high temperatures from the soil surface gradually warm up the burrow because it takes time for the heat of the soil surface to be transferred deeper into the soil via conduction, so the peak temperature in the burrow occurs after the peak temperature at the surface. When night falls, the surface rapidly cools through heat loss to the atmosphere, but the "slug" of heat energy deeper in the soil can only be dissipated by either being transferred deeper into the soil or being transferred back up to the surface. By the time temperatures have started to cool, the sun has risen and the soil heats up again. This makes for a very stable temperature in the burrow, though conditions vary depending on season, moisture, and type of substrate. Generally, burrow temperatures will be consistently slightly warmer than the lowest air temperature in the area and slightly cooler than the hottest air temperature.

Source

Another graph that demonstrates heat flux through the soil.

This is just to point out that temperatures cannot be copied directly from the air temperature readings of the scorpion's native habitat. Aside from burrows, the scorpions actively thermoregulating by seeking shade or cooler microclimates, or inversely seeking warm microclimates and protection from frost and cold by burrowing deep into logs or leaf litter means it's hard to know for sure exactly what temperatures the animal is experiencing throughout the course of a year. Desert climates are also more difficult to judge accurately than tropical climates, I wish the study I posted earlier had data for what temperature the scorpions experienced during the winter, where air temperatures drop dramatically. Desert scorpions also experience more fluctuation from day to night.

Generally, providing a temperature gradient is helpful because it allows the scorpion to regulate it's own temperature. Some keepers may provide a higher daytime temperature and cool down the enclosure at night, others don't provide a gradient at all but keep the enclosure relatively warm constantly. Personally, I tend to keep all my scorpions at around 80F (with some exceptions) and cool down a bit during winter to around 75F. I firmly believe no scorpion thrives being kept constantly under 70F, and above a 75F hot spot or daytime temp is required. If you are cooling down the enclosure or providing a gradient, a higher hot temperature can be used.

The exceptions come with desert scorpions from the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, in particular those that do not burrow. Leiurus and Androctonus are scrapers, meaning they do not dig deep into the substrate to escape the heat. Daytime temps in the summers of this region are also extreme, frequently reaching over 110F. These scorpions, and scorpions that are behaviorally similar, do not thrive in colder temperatures. I recommend a hot spot or a daytime temperature over 90F, I provide mine with a hot spot of 95F and a cooler spot of 80F, some breeders that specialize in these scorpions recommend hotspots of 100F.

For desert burrowers like Hadrurus, temperature can be tricky. While they are certainly tolerant to cold periods, it's unclear if cooling improves their health or welfare or is just a hardship they are adapted to endure. There is also debate on whether night time cool periods or seasonal cool periods are more beneficial, or if neither or both are needed. Whether or not you as a keeper decided to do nightly cool periods, seasonal cool periods, a temperature gradient, or multiple/none of these is dependent on what is practical for you and what anecdotal evidence you find persuasive and important to incorporate. Seasonal cool periods have been suggested to improve mating success in certain genera of tarantula, namely Grammostola. From personal experience, I have not seen any benefit to cool periods in scorpions but I do provide gradients for the scorpions that have a hotter heat spot and I do a slight seasonal cooling period.

What is not acceptable is seeing that desert scorpions can be tolerant to colder conditions and keeping them at room temperatures year round. Room temperatures are often significantly cooler than they would experience in the wild, and the mantra of "if you're comfortable, they're comfortable" encourages keepers to not measure the temperature of their enclosure and not regulate it whatsoever. Room temperature also changes from person to person, I do know people who keep their houses below 65F year round. Heat is necessary for them to thrive, they need to have access to an appreciable amount of heat at least seasonally. An important disclaimer to this, especially when comparing care advice given by other people, is the strict bounds of acceptable temperature are not well understood. People have kept scorpions relatively cold and not had issues, and we don't know what temperatures are too low for them to thrive and what temperatures are accepted but not preferred. This can make it difficult to draw conclusions about which native temperature ranges are biologically important to incorporate into captive care.

Tropical scorpions such as Heterometrus have native conditions that suggest they do not tolerate constant room temperatures. In their native habitats, air temperatures rarely get below 70F and even in the winter day temps are frequently above 80F. Tropical climates experience a much steadier constant heat than desert climates and extreme cooling is not common. Because Heterometrus silenus are so commonly kept, most of the issues I see with temperature involve this species. Though they do fast habitually, a vast majority of the time when a new keeper complains about their scorpion refusing food it is because they are kept too cold. For these species I recommend around 80F consistently, with only a minor nightly or seasonal temperature drop if any.

Table comparing the temperatures of the air vs within a burrow for the tropical scorpion Heterometrus fulvipes in January. Even during nightly temperature drops in winter, the burrow temperature stays relatively warm and consistent. Source

Heat can generally be provided through heat pads or heat lamps, or through simply temperature controlling the whole space where your enclosures are stored. Heat pads should always be placed on the sides of the enclosures, scorpions will burrow to try to escape the heat which can lead to them overheating if the heat source is coming from the bottom of the tank. CHE are my preferred method of heating that provides a heat gradient, they do not emit any light and are very reliable. Other kinds of red light heat lamps can be used, halogens and other such heat lamps are usually too strong for what is required in a scorpion enclosure and strong lights should be discouraged. Scorpions are photophobic and avoid light when possible. Additionally, any sort of UV or black light should not be used, especially at night when used for the purpose of showing off a scorpion's florescence. Not only does this disturb their circadian rhythm and nighttime activity, but excessive exposure can strip away the florescence compounds in the scorpions cuticle.

For heating the whole space, various office and home ceramic heaters or radiators work perfectly, I have found there are several you can connect to an external thermostat as well if it doesn't have built in temperature control. The one I use is set on a thermostat that goes to a probe in front of my scorpion shelf, so it kicks on when the shelf gets to 78F and kicks off at 82F. I have seen people use indoor grow tents or similar structures for more insulation and more precise temperature control.

No matter which heating element you use, a thermostat is absolutely required. This allows heating elements to be controlled so they do not overheat your enclosures, and allows you to know how warm your enclosures are. Even if you determine that your house is warm enough for you to not need extra heating elements, still make sure you either have an accurate thermometer or a temperature gun so you can measure the temperature of the enclosure. There are many microclimates in your house even with central heating and cooling and even though your house thermostat may say 76F, the enclosure may experience fluctuations way beyond that. I prefer to have a thermometer that gives the max and min temperature range observed, temperature guns are good to measure at precise spots but wont tell you the range experienced in an enclosure.

Humidity and Ventilation

Humidity is a complicated factor that is a product of both ventilation, temperature, and water. Higher ventilation will reduce the humidity in an enclosure because evaporated water will be wicked out of the enclosure more quickly (your house is generally fairly dry). Higher temperatures hold more moisture, meaning more water can be suspended in the air. This does not always mean there is a higher relative humidity (RH). RH is usually expressed as a percentage, and is representative of the amount of saturation of the air at a given temperature. Let's say air at 80F can hold 100ml of water vapor in it before it reaches saturation and starts to precipitate or condense. The air currently has 40ml of water vapor in it, meaning it is at 40% RH. When cooled down to 40F, the air can now only hold 50ml of water vapor in it. With the same amount of water vapor as before, 40ml, RH is now 80%. This is an extremely basic demonstration to explain a point, vapor curves are fairly complicated and there are different curves depending on temperature and other factors, but this is why condensation forms in your enclosures when the temperature drops. Not because more water vapor was added into the air, but because the temperature dropped to where the water vapor that was already in the air is at saturation and precipitated out as condensation.

The usefulness of measuring this percentage exactly is debatable. While higher saturations reduce water loss through respiration, temperature is generally a greater factor in both the metabolic (therefore respiratory) rate of scorpions and in the amount of water lost through both respiration and through the cuticle [Source]. Similarly, while the ability for scorpions to drink or absorb moisture out of saturated substrates is debatable, there is no evidence they can absorb moisture from the air or that sufficiently saturated air will prevent them from dehydrating.

Humidity and ventilation are more important in terms of disease prevention. Even for tropical scorpions, enclosures should have enough airflow that conditions don't become too stagnant. High humidity and stagnant air is linked to various fungal diseases, especially in desert scorpions. It is important to note however than in a few studies that have measured the humidity of desert burrowing scorpions, RH seems to be much higher than assumed. Hadrurus burrows were measured at a RH of 55-70% and Pauroctonus utahensis were suggested to be over 95% [Source 1,2]. More information is needed to draw conclusions about this, but from anecdotal evidence high humidity and stagnant conditions should still be avoided. Molting issues can also be caused by low humidity, in low humidity the outer cuticle dries and becomes stiff before the scorpion is able to free itself.

Community

In this section I will be talking about both scorpions being kept with other scorpions and scorpions being kept with other animals.

First keeping scorpions communally. Scorpions are not social animals, they do not have any requirement to be housed together and largely gain no benefit from it. Cannibalism is also always a risk in these set ups, scorpions are frequently cannibalistic and in some areas the main predator of scorpions is other scorpions. There is no way to house scorpions together where cannibalism is not a risk.

That being said, the risk of cannibalism is dependent on a lot of different factors, and in the wild there are instances where scorpions do live together. The clearest cases for communal living are in scorpions that are parthenogenetic and so tend to live in large "colonies" in the wild. Tityus stigmurus and Tityus serrulatus have a well documented track record of living together, and cannibalism is not common if the scorpions are well fed and have a lot of space. Other bark scorpions such as non-parthenogenetic Tityus and Centruroides also tend to live in groups, in the wild they will colonize a tree or a suitable log and so will be in close proximity to each other. The scorpions need to be kept well fed and provided with enough hides that they can avoid each other, but generally cannibalism is rare. The exception is with gravid females, gravid females frequently get more aggressive the closer they are to giving birth and most cannibalism instances in these kinds of set ups happen because the keeper was not paying attention and did not realize one of their females was close to giving birth. Gravid females should also be separated to protect her brood, as other scorpions will opportunistically eat them while they are on their mother's back.

The other instance of communal living that is supported by wild behavior is the maternal care that some scorpions provide to early instars. Especially in Heterometrus species, babies will often stay with their mother and live together in their mother's burrow until 3 or 4i. The mother allows her brood to scavenge off her kills and the young have even been observed working together to take down larger prey [Source]. Some keepers assert that raising the babies with their mom results in larger, healthier scorpions. Smaller, weaker individuals from the brood are also generally eaten, which helps ensure only the scorpions that would've survived anyway get fed and cared for.

Some people will keep unrelated adults together communally. This is especially common with Pandinus and Heterometrus species, which are generally considered to be more docile. The reasoning essentially says that if you give them plenty of space, hides, and food, there is no reason for them to attack each other. I find this flawed for several reasons. For one, scorpions don't only attack each other out of a drive for food, as mentioned earlier gravid females will also frequently become aggressive with each other, and they can become territorial to other scorpions even without being hungry or out of maternal instinct. Two, if there is a large size discrepancy, such as if you are keeping immatures with the mother and an unrelated adult is also in the enclosure with them, or if there is just one scorpion that's a lot larger than the other, cannibalism can still occur even if both scorpions are fed well because the smaller scorpion may just be seen as too good of a meal to pass up. Scorpions can eat a lot and how full they are can change depending on other factors. A scorpion that is fasting for example might refuse all food regardless of body condition, while a scorpion that has decided to gorge will eat whatever is available almost without end, and it can be hard to anticipate those changes in a communal set up. Three the assumption is usually that if provided enough space and hides the scorpions won't ever leave their burrows and so will never encounter each other, which is not the case. Though scorpions tend to be relatively sedentary, they do still explore and it's unrealistic to assume they will never interact with each other. The larger point against this is there is absolutely no reason for it. Scorpions do not do better living with conspecifics, and if they are frequently fighting over territory or trying to avoid each other to avoid predation they are going to experience constant stress. It gives them no benefit and in many ways can make their lives worse, and puts them at risk for cannibalism. There's no reason for it.

Now I'm going to talk about scorpions living with other organisms, both as CUC and as bioactive set ups. Clean up crew is a catch all that refers to other smaller animals that are included into the tank for the purpose of controlling mold and cleaning up waste and left over food. Typically these will be either springtails or isopods, and it's more common to have them in a moist enclosure than an arid one. Springtails can be very helpful, leftover food and waste scraps mold, and can attract mites or phorid flies, neither of which are desirable. Springtails help by both directly eating the leftovers and outcompeting these other animals because they breed extremely quickly. I also like including springtails in extremely tiny scorpion's enclosure as supplemental food if I am unable to feed them as frequently as they need.

Isopods accomplish this same task, but are generally not recommended. For one, isopods tend to not just eat mold, and would prefer almost anything else, which makes them less effective at mold control. They can also breed very quickly, especially the species that are typically used as a CUC. Dwarf white isopods can quickly overwhelm your tank and stress out your scorpion with pure numbers, and they're parthenogenetic and extremely hard to control once they've established. They can also be rather aggressive, Porcellio especially are rather bold and will attack other animals in the tank, this combined with large numbers can result in a dead scorpion. Even with gentler species, molting is a risky time and most isopods will opportunistically nibble at a vulnerable scorpion. They are also larger than springtails, and can cause extra stress by constantly running over and interacting with your scorpion.

In Hadrurus enclosures, Asbolus verrucosus are sometimes used as CUC and tankmates. This is based on observations of the beetles sharing burrows with the scorpions in the wild. The scorpions are unable to kill the beetles because they are so heavily armored, and the beetles generally leave the scorpion alone. Although there is minimal harm in this arrangement, it is largely unnecessary. Scorpions produce very little waste, and in an arid set up mold is not typically an issue. Scorpions will push uneaten food out of their burrows, so there is no need to employ a clean up crew to eat waste. Being rather large, the beetle can also cause the scorpion stress by continually interacting with or walking over it. I also think the justification for this is pretty slim, though the beetles may occasionally be found in scorpion burrows there is no evidence they form any sort of ongoing symbiotic relationship (such as those formed between frogs and certain types of tarantula species) or long term relationship at all.

CUC are sometimes used in conjunction with bioactive enclosures, which are enclosures that include plants, a microbiome, and other biotic factors to mimic the nutrient cycling of a full ecosystem. Aside from aesthetic appeal, bioactive enclosures have not been shown to be beneficial for the scorpions wellbeing in anyway. Scorpions produce very little waste, so they do not need a large team of CUC and active soil bacteria to maintain cleanliness of the tank, and other factors that are used to maintain the bioactive enclosure may be detrimental. Scorpions are photophobic and will not appreciate having bright grow lights on for a significant period of time to grow plants, and excessive watering of the substrate for plant life can make the substrate too moist. Burrowing scorpions are also very likely to just dig the plants up anyway.

Conclusion

This ended up being much longer and more in-depth than I had initially planned, so I'm going to break it up into parts. The goal of this is also not to provide a specific care guide or parameters you should absolutely hit when keeping scorpions, but rather to give you a framework to decide what is important, what is scientifically supported, and what the *goal* should be. The next sections will cover scorpion diseases and first aid treatments, as well as some general misconceptions and other things I want to draw attention to. Thank you for reading, and I hope this was helpful!

Further Reading and References:

All Scorpion Archives

r/Scorpions

Aquarium Breeder Care Guides

Invertebrate Medicine 3rd ed.

The Spiral Burrow: Website and Book

Scorpions

Scorpions of the World

Scorpions (Complete Pet Owner's Manual)

[changingplumbob]

Nicolas Caldwell

Trying @cawthorntales bachelor challenge to woo Mr Bloom

Download from SFS (only cc are his lashes. He was made with the Waterdrop eyes so I'm not sure if his eye colour is custom but it should be whatever swatch looks grey and blue). For him to have all his outfits you'll need: Werewolves, Cats & Dogs, Romantic Garden and Cottage Living.

Forget that I often make self assured and confident sims because Nicolas is anything but...

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Oh shoot I should have figured that would be a question. Umm, I'm Nicolas, which I mean you probably know from the application. Ah, I'm what's called a military brat. My parents are both in the military and did a whole bunch of postings as I was growing up so we were never in one place for very long. It's made me kind of shy I guess, I'm not great at relating to others. I have one sister, Teresa, she's a decade younger than me but we get along.

And why have you applied?

Funny story. Well not really. Ah my younger sister Teresa actually applied for me. I consider myself pansexual but I've only ever been romantically attracted to guys. That was not a fun conversation with my father. But he's fine abut it now. What was I saying? Oh yeah, Teresa. She keeps telling me I need a boyfriend so I don't turn in to a hermit, I've had to shut down several fake dating profiles she's made on my behalf. I told her I'm shy, and the idea of being on camera all day scares me, and having to compete... But I don't want to let her down, she was so excited my application got accepted.

Tell us about some of your likes and dislikes

I'm a bit animal mad, it's what made me become vegetarian. As much as I like being outside hiking, gardening, bird watching... I cannot stand fishing. I just feel so bad for the poor fish, like what a terrible way to die. And even if you throw them back they're probably freaking out thinking they were abducted, and they are definitely still injured from the hook! Sorry... I don't mean to lecture I just... I like animals okay. You can fish all you like just don't expect me to join.

I'm a little bit musical. I mean I don't perform for anyone but myself and occasionally Teresa. Mum tried to get me in to violin but it was so boring. Guitar is my instrument. Well, musical instrument not... you know. Ah... I did a programming course after high school that was not for me, and I'm rather useless at fixing or making things. Except baking! I do like baking. I've definitely got a sweet tooth.

What are you dreading?

People. You'd probably think with having to introduce myself new places so many times it wouldn't worry me but it does. I'm pretty quiet so people can think I'm being a snob when really I just have no idea what to say. Is there a gender neutral or masculine term for resting bitch face? And I don't know if I can take my guitar. Playing it is what calms me down. Well that and cloudgazing. So hopefully the weather is good and I can get outside between challenges. I've really no idea how this show works. Also worried about losing my contacts but that's an everyday worry.

What are you looking forward to?

I mean.. Teresa showed me the picture of Daisy and yeah he's good looking. Those eyes, I just completely missed what she told me right after because I was dreaming. She also said he wasn't actually organizing it so I really really hope he can understand this all being a surprise for me because it's one for him to. And she said he has farm animals! I want to meet them. Hopefully they'll like me and that can convince him I'm a keeper.

Do you have a message for Mr Bloom?

Oh, ah, sure! Umm... hey there good looking. Give me a chance to show you I'm certified boyfriend material. Well not certified because I've never had a boyfriend. *BLEEP* I didn't mean to say that, I don't want the other contestants knowing. Can I start the message again?

EDIT: Turns out he should have green hair... the save file is his brunette look but on the show he will look more like...

[bereft-of-frogs]

happy friday! I am so tired. I am so ready for weekend. phew.

📚 reading/watching/listening to:

☢️ [ audiobook] Midnight in Chernobyl - Adam Higginbotham: I still barely understand how nuclear reactors work. One of these times the explanation will stick. It's interesting though, and the narrator is doing a good job. Fun times doing my little data entry tasks while listening about people wandering around highly irradiated disaster zones with a horrified look on my face.

🤖 [ audiobook ] Fugitive Telemetry - Martha Wells: Technically I have not started this, it's next up, but I finished both Rogue Protocol and Exit Strategy. I'm so mad at Rogue Protocol for both that ending 😭 and also for making me so aware of how much I am exactly like ART and Murderbot when it comes to media. When I got to the ending, I was cleaning my apartment and had to stop and stare into space for a minute, and then instead of picking up the next, I just went back and listened to the beginning of Caliban's War instead. And I was like. Ah. I’m doing the thing. The thing ART and Murderbot do. It me.

☄️ [ book ] Catalyst - James Luceno: I'm still stuck on this. So close to the end though. It's dragging a bit. I didn't have a lot of time to read this week because of meetings and work lunches, but also James Luceno has never really been my favorite. They're nothing technically wrong with it, I'm just not sucked in so I've been less dedicated to actually sitting down and finishing it.

🌌 [ tv ] The Expanse: I was feeling a little meh about the latter half of season 2, their adventure on Ganymede wasn't what I was picturing, but season 3 is an improvement so far. I didn't look up if anything changed in terms of the directors (I know the writers stayed pretty consistent) or budget, but I feel like everyone is giving better performances and some of the effects have been phenomenal. (I realize that probably is why they got cancelled off SyFy but the increased budget for some of this stuff makes it worth it lol.)

🛸 [ tv ] The X-Files: No I haven't stopped thinking about 'Triangle' oh my god. That was so fun. Season 6 is off to a great start, they're doing some fun stuff with the directing style. It is extremely obvious that they moved production from Vancouver to LA. I'll miss the thick pine forests and constant drizzly weather of places like "Virginia" or "Ohio", but plot-wise it does make sense to have access to the desert so they can do stuff with the southwest and Area 51. And I’m sure it was convenient for the production staff and actors.

🤖 [ tv ] Murderbot: I liked episode 3 more than the first two, possibly because there were no Sanctuary Moon scenes. I feel like the only one who doesn't like the Sanctuary Moon scenes, they just tip a bit too into unwatchable cringe for me. I wish the episodes were longer, 25 minutes is just a bit short, I keep feeling like we've just gotten into a rhythm and then it's over.

☔️ to do:

Post first chapter of longfic I've been working on for quite some time. I am a little nervous but also just due to how niche it is and one of the warnings attached,I think it should be a fairly quiet response, which is for the best. I'm proud of it but there's a lot going on in my brain about it that's causing some insecurity lol.

I think I have to restart a scarf I'm working on. I realized I mixed up the right and wrong sides and it's messing up my colorwork. It's not *bad* but I really wanted it the other way, and it has a couple other issues that I think it's worth starting over on. I might get it together and bind off the sweater body I've had languishing for a while. I have time tonight because I have quite a few things to watch and I'm skipping my run because it's like 40 degrees and windy out. No, thank you.

I'm running away to the woods to speak only to my parent's dog, who I'm dogsitting. I had such a social week, I am so ready for quiet. Going to stop in town for lunch and to use a giftcard to the local bookstore I've been sitting on. And obviously, bringing all of my laundry.

Plan for the weekend (aside from dogwalks) is to work on on a few oneshot drafts. I've had one like half done for a long time and I'm hoping to finish it for an upcoming event, one that I spit out last week in one of those fugue 'I just wrote 3k words' states, but it needs a little collective tissue, and a few half-outlined concepts that I can poke at. Will be nice to work on some shorter things for a bit, before hopping back into another long one.

[pensat-i-fet]

I chose you (Julián Álvarez x Reader)

**Got another Julián request recently and it’s always funny how easy it is to write for him. So hopefully it’s easy and enjoyable to read for all of you ❤️**

Word count: 1879

Masterlist

Wattpad

“Are you ok?”, asks my mum, and I can see the worry in her expression even through the screen.

“Yeah. Just not feeling 100% at the moment, you know?”

“Why? Are you sick or something?”

“No. I guess I’m just going through one of those moments where I don’t feel super confident or whatever. No specific reason. For all I know, it could just be the bad weather making me feel this way”.

“Is everything ok with Julián?”

I smile without even noticing. “Yes, mum. It’s nothing to do with him”.

“Well, I’ll still tell him to take better care of you so you don’t feel this way”.

“Mum, I’m a grown woman. I don’t need my boyfriend to take care of me”.

“We all need people to take care of us. Don’t forget that”.

I don’t want to admit it but I know she’s right. I’m always in my own head, not sharing how I feel and it can be a bit much sometimes.

“I’ll talk to Julián when he comes back”, I promise to myself before picking up my phone to waste my time on social media.

I see City have posted some photos, including one of Julián, so I like the post. Then I click on his profile and go to the tagged photos. I always love seeing all the photos of him that professional photographers take. I have an album full of them.

But I also see photos fans have posted. It seems like there are more girls taking photos with him after training. With him and all the others, but I only care about my boyfriend.

I’m not a jealous person. I’ve never been, honestly. It’s easy to say you aren’t but then your actions show the opposite. However, that’s not me. I don’t think I’d be able to deal with the stress if I was a jealous person and dating a football player.

So it’s not jealousy I feel while reading the captions they write for my boyfriend. Or seeing the videos where they try to hug him or kiss his cheek. But if it isn’t jealousy, then what is it?

I usually would just laugh it off. Julián himself tells me stories of these meetings whenever something funny happens, knowing how little I’ll care about their flirting with him.

Opening TikTok is probably the stupidest idea at the moment. Yet here I am wasting more time making myself feel ugly seeing all the gorgeous girls I follow for beauty and fashion inspo and getting annoyed at the edits Julián’s fans make for him.

“I’m so stupid”, I say, throwing the phone on the sofa before hiding underneath one of the blankets.

A couple of minutes later, Julián is back and starts to call my name. For a second, I think about pretending to sleep but he would notice the lie.

“I’m here”, I say in a small voice, getting my head out from underneath the blanket so he can see me.

“What are you doing there? Are you feeling alright?”

I nod, not wanting to worry him with my silly thoughts. “Just tired”.

“Well, I’m tired too. How about you move so I can fit next to you and we cuddle?”

“I’d like that”.

My promise to tell him about how I was feeling is gone the second I place my head on his chest. Because I have no reason to feel like this. I should be fine. This will pass soon.

                                    **

"So how was your day?, asks Julián while he sets the table for our dinner. We fell asleep on the sofa the moment we cuddled and didn't get to talk at all.

"Ok, I guess", I shrug.

"What did you do? You always tell me about the whole day. Come on, I want to know".

I'm usually excited to talk about my day. But not right now. "You know. Studied in the morning, face timed with my mum and then went to the sofa to nap".

"Everything ok with your parents?"

"Sure. Why do you ask?"

I can see him trying to find the right words. "I don't know. You seem a bit off. I thought maybe they gave you bad news or something".

"No. I'm just tired. I told you".

"Well, then you sit here", he says, putting his hands on my shoulders and guiding me to the chair. "And I'll finish getting everything ready".

"Thank you", I say, offering him a small smile. His is a lot bigger and after kissing my temple he goes back to the kitchen.

During dinner, he updates me on everything going on at the club and focusing my attention on someone else for a second helps me a lot.

"Feeling better?", he says, hopeful.

"Yes. I think I'll just take a shower before bed to help me relax".

"Go do that. I'll put this in the dishwasher".

I get up to go to the room and stop when I reach Julián to give him a hug.

"I love it when you're clingy like that".

This time the smile is bigger. It's easy to smile when he's around. It's when I'm alone with my thoughts that I struggle.

When I get out of the shower, I try to make a bit of an effort. It's not as if I have to impress Julián right now, but I need to impress myself, sort of.

Whenever I'm having these confidence issues or whatever they are, the first thing I drop is looking after myself. I struggle with simple things such as putting on moisturizer after the shower or picking cute outfits. And it only makes me feel worse in the end because I look worse. It's such a stupid cycle.

Julián is already in bed looking at his phone when I get back to the room. He puts the phone away the moment I get to the bed and puts one of his arms around my shoulders to bring me closer to him.

"You smell so good I could eat you".

I laugh. "You don't like coconut".

"Not the fruit. But I like it when you smell like this", he says, nuzzling his nose on my neck.

"Feel free to use the body butter if you want to smell like me", I joke.

"Wouldn't that make me too irresistible to other women?"

I roll my eyes at his bad joke. "I'll take the risk".

"Actually, I didn't tell you this funny story from today. These three girls asked for a photo when I was in my car and kept complimenting me, my clothes, my car …no subtlety", he laughs but I don't join him. "And then a kid showed up and they had to let him get closer and were so annoyed. They'll probably be there again tomorrow".

I don't say anything because what can I say? I already saw the photos and I thought the girls looked familiar. I guess they spend their days there.

"Hey, you ok?"

"Yes", I say, turning my back to him and pretending to get ready to sleep.

"What was that?"

"I'm sleepy. Good night".

"What did I do for you to react like…wait, are you jealous?"

"What?", I say, turning again to look at him.

"I told you about those girls and you got all weird. You have no reason to be jealous, you know that".

"I'm not jealous of any fangirls, Julián".

And I'm not, but my tone and my face make it sound like a lie. I hate this feeling.

I go back to my previous position and a couple of seconds later I notice Julián wrapping his arms around my waist and bringing me closer to his chest.

"It's you I want. Please know that".

"I know", I whisper. Maybe it's better if he thinks I'm jealous instead of having to dig deeper to explain everything else. "I love you".

"I love you too. Sleep well now. You'll feel better tomorrow after a good night's rest".

If only it were that easy.

                                      **

The next couple of days, Julián seems to be tiptoeing around my feelings and he doesn't bring up any meetings with fangirls. Actually, by checking Instagram, I've noticed one of them mentioned he didn't stop to attend them at all. I don't even know how I feel about that.

By the time he comes back from training, I'm back under the blanket and when he gets to the sofa, he moves it to see my face.

"You were worrying me so I spoke to your mum".

"What?", I say, sitting up.

"Well, you don't talk to me so I had to do something. I can't see my girlfriend hurting and do nothing".

"I just don't know what happens to me", I say, feeling the tears on the back of my eyes.

"It's not going to solve everything but sit here", he says, patting the spot between his legs. "So I can hold you while we try to make sense of it, ok?"

I nod, sitting there and letting him share his strength with me through this hug.

"It's just something that happens sometimes. I don't know if it's anxiety or something else. But I just feel like I'm not enough. Like all my confidence is gone. Like anything I have to do, no matter how small, demands too big of an effort from me".

"Ok. Does it usually take long for that feeling to go away?"

"It depends. It used to be worse when I was younger. Now it's usually a couple of days. Maybe a week and a half or something like that".

"And do you know anything that can make you feel better? Whatever it is, I'll make sure you have it".

"You".

He looks at me confused. "What do you mean?"

"I need you. You don't even notice how much you help me just by being you. It's when you're not around that it gets worse".

"That means a lot to me. But we need to find other ways to help. I wish I could always stay with you but I can't".

"I know", I say, hugging him tighter and placing my head on his chest.

"And you're sure there is no jealousy involved in this? It's ok if there is. I mean, I'm jealous of every man that talks to you".

I chuckle. "No, I'm not jealous. I guess what made me feel worse about those fans was their confidence. How they had no fear of going to talk with you guys and being so direct to you. I wouldn't be able to do something like that. Not in the state I'm in at the moment".

"You don't need to. Because I chose you a while ago. And I keep choosing you every day".

"But you didn't know all these issues were included in the package when you chose me. What if it gets too much for you? I don't want you to feel like you have to baby me".

"I'm not. I'm just looking after you like you look after me. Can you just let me do it? Let me look after you, please".

"Does looking after me include cuddles and watching my favourite movies while we eat ice cream?"

"Of course it does".

"Then count me in".