#i just assumed he was the same species and stopped paying attention

[weregonnabecoolbeans]

I was so busy trying to figure out if that guy was Plo Koon (he wasn’t) that I completely missed the fact that that was straight up Ki Adi Mundi

[captainschaos]

Everyone knows the phoenix and the demon. Easy! Tango, firebird, the ever-furious and ever-alight, and Impulse, the horned and summoned, from a realm not of here. Now there's two fiery folk, easy beacons to spot in the night, with roaring laughs and flickering fingers which work the wires. Horrible enemies to make, but generally friendly enough, if you haven't particularly wronged them. But there are two others with them, who you might not even realize you don't understand as well as the first pair.

Skizz bursts to the front with a hearty greeting and ready kindness, and everyone thinks they know exactly what he is! The angel, right? With wings tall and broad, flickering as they decide whether they are here or there. A distortion many assume is a halo, a ring of light (if you catch it at the right angle) that frames his head. And they're not... wrong? But not quite right either.

Would you call a grim reaper an angel?

Maybe you would, depending on your personal thoughts on the idea, really. Particularly if you consider the similarities to the guardian angel, another figure standing tall and imposing, but with the kindness Skizz is known for. But what most don't know is that these are two sides of the same coin. His post is simply on the opposite side of death. A guardian angel patrols a person's life, but he is the one waiting with a steady smile and a gentle hand to guide and protect them when it comes time for them to move on.

If you're confused, you might ask Impulse about him.

"Oh, Skizz? We don't really ask about it too much. I don't like to focus all too much on the hellish side of my life, and I think he prefers to think about the earthly part of his."

But few people will get around to asking. No one really thinks to, quite frankly, and Skizz is alright with that. Not that he wants to hide it, but... it's just nicer to blend in with the gang, y'know? He's always liked the life games for how they let him get in touch with the sides of life he typically can only watch and wish about. He gets to fight like the guardian angels, to cultivate that fierce loyalty, and to just be physical. In every way. Overflowing at the seams, physical and alive. He'd rather forget about the whole reaper business while he can.

There's the other one, though. Now Etho- no one thinks they understand him, and everyone gave up on trying to a long time ago. Etho, the ever-looming shadow at the back of the group, the gaze you can't seem to stop feeling on the back of your neck. He's an enigma. A mystery. And everyone seems to have reached a point of contentedness with this. Few attempt to dive deeper, simply accepting that Etho is not an entity to be understood, but certainly to be feared.

And yet. Well... that's not really correct either.

In some ways, Etho is far more understandable than anyone realizes. After all, there's certain rules to fae. Names have power. Deals are contracts. At least, to a certain extent- they're a bit fuzzy around the edges, of course. What can you expect from creatures woven from such magic and mystique? But still, fae can be expected to be the unexpected. Practically half the Hermitcraft server is some sort of fae or another after all, so they have some idea of what makes those sorts tick. And yet Etho seems to bewilder even them. No one tries to discern how he works- he just does.

If you were really curious about it, you might ask Tango. He'd probably laugh at you though.

"What's Etho? You might as well ask what species the ocean is! Who knows, man. He's definitely the most fae of any of us, but no one knows a single thing past that. Sometimes I wonder if he even knows, honestly."

And yet he makes a strange sort of sense, should you pay attention to it. Behind every action of his, there's a surprisingly clear reason. Why does he trust you? Because of the gift you gave him three weeks ago. Why does he refuse to help you? Because you slighted him, and he hasn't gotten you back yet. These motivations come from the smallest of interactions, but he will remember. In the life games... that's dangerous. There is a looming fear that shrouds him not necessarily because of what you don't know about him, but because of what you don't know about yourself. You didn't forget to pay him back when you promised, did you? You made sure to steer clear of trampling his crops, right? You can never be sure of what you might be forgetting. And there's always the chance that is the detail he chose to remember, stitched up neatly and tightly in his mind, with a deadly needle.

The kind smile at the front, the diligent eye at the back. It's rare to see them side by side, and yet it is even rarer to see them apart. They fought for the same army in the first of the life games, one the berserker, one the deadly tactician. They found themselves fighting the same battles again in the next round, pulling away from each other as they separated their always warring teammates, but united in a two-man army in the war against that war. Skizz was gone for the game of soulmates, but now- of course they are together. No one would think to draw the line connecting them. But there would be something quite wrong to see a line separating them.

And let's just say no one wants to find themself across any line from them.

[I plan on having one of these per week of the series ! 1/?]

Next

[summertimesadnessirl]

I want for people to learn how to be a better partner to me over time, and if they don't or start suddenly trying to create obstacles in my path or start fights or "forgetting things" I assume it's because they actually hate me and want to destroy my life. People have a long history of gaslighting me and if someone suddenly starts going "oopsie" on things that they did before I lose trust in them. I can only trust people who it becomes easier and more comfortable to interact with over time. My friends all intuitively understand this. When I tell people this about romantic relationships, even when I used to be friends with those people and they got easier to understand over time, suddenly they accuse me of being unreasonable. When people tell me it is unreasonable to get better at being in a relationship over time and I say that I should just get all new people every few months, they get upset and go "no not like that." When I leave or pull back, suddenly once again people understand what I want and are intuitively capable of figuring things out. So I can only conclude that for most people, what they want is to get to a point in a relationship where they just switch off and do as they are told rather than to grow naturally into a pair of people who authentically enjoy one another enough to come up with new ways to surprise and delight one another and learn how to grow to be better partners. Monogamous or poly. Doesn't seem to matter at all. What I want is to grow into someone so much that we could never speak to one another directly and still carry on an entire relationship based on secondhand vibes for long periods of time because we KNOW. You can do that with some friends. You can do that with animals. I taught my last cat like 300 odd human words and he taught me how to understand what he wanted. He knew when my bedtime was and would scold me about it. I knew when he wanted to be held or picked up or helped with something or when his food bowl was empty and what music he liked. I had another cat who had a favorite color and I knew what that was. They weren't even the same species. I can love other people like that, but when I say I want to be loved like that I'm doing something wrong. That just sounds like more anti sex work propaganda for people who don't know how to give anything in return for receiving love but also won't pay people for time and attention. That's bullshit. Stop pretending you're capable of love and either learn or start making up for it with money.

Polyamorous folks figure out REAL QUICK shit's so much easier if you just say it. "Hey, can you compliment me?" "Hey I want to do something special with you soon. Would you please schedule something for next week?" "I'm feeling really unloved, help me convince my brain its being dumb?"

If you can just duct tape over the voice in your head that says "its not real if you have to ask", long enough to get the words out, you could have it all, babe.

This is advice to everyone but especially cishet monogs

[lamentingbrokenness]

Lamentations of a broken individual #1

I wish I could call myself a Christian.

I even wanted to, at a point.

As a man of logic and computers, it’s been both hard to believe in a God, but also hard not to.

There’s quite a lot of coincidences with how the universe works, quite a lot of special numbers that keep turning up like a bad penny, and things I oft can’t explain.

So, I assume there is a creator, and just one, because I know from personal experience a project like the universe could only be undertaken by one individual with a grand plan, if it were a group project- things wouldn’t have turned out the way they did.

I used to attend church every Sunday, and I used to read my bible… semi frequently, I still don’t read it often enough for my liking.

I’ve been baptized with water twice, but I also… I haven’t been living up to the godly standards I have for myself.

I’ve been in royal rangers, I’ve done bible merits, learned to tie knots… the like.

I’ve been in FCF, and I’ve earned the nickname Cornbread for when I might ever come back to FCF.

I’m a neurodivergent individual, an Autistic.

I have Autism, and I deal with it on the daily… and there’s my first issue with the Christians of my country.

It’s like none of them ever truly understand or try to understand, oftentimes they do the worst action for what a neurodivergent individual needs at a point where they’re stressed or just out of it.

My main coping mechanism has always been “I have to do something.”, I usually draw or multitask when I have to listen to lectures and church sermons because I can’t sit still, I can’t leave my mind to fester while I’m doing some sort of mundane task. I need to fidget, or create artworks, or just… *do* something.

Oftentimes, older style Christian individuals don’t understand that. They take and they limit, thinking “You just need to pay attention”, when that’s usually what I’ve been trying to do.

They aren’t equipped for those neurodivergents that are still on the same cognizant level as them, but have those quirky little differences bestowed upon them by circumstance or God.

And then there’s the other demographic I’m heavily involved with. The Queer. (I don’t mean this pejoratively, it’s just a quick way to describe the LGBTQ+, and I will use it for the rest of the doc.)

So many “Christians” have harmed so many people I know in so many ways, just because they are queer.

And there’s the ones I don’t know. The ones who had to endure the horrors of the pseudo-scientific conversion therapies.

They actively weaponize former members of the queer against themselves, they’ve tried to divide this wonderfully kind group of people against themselves.

I’ve oft seen queer people with more love for their fellow human then Christians.

So much of Christianity is so devoted to “STOPPING THE QUEER AGENDA”, rather then taking care of people and loving them for who they are-

Or letting God himself decide who they are.

Some Christians cherry pick the word (aka the bible for those not in the know), and use it against others like a weapon.

Christianity tears apart households and disowns children because they’re queer.

Did you know that even animals can be queer? Without human intervention?

And yet we’re the only species on this planet that are homophobic to such a degree it harms people.

And a good part of that is… Christianity.

It’s hard to be proud about being a believer of Jesus, when he is so misrepresented and so many people use his name to actively hate others.

I’m… sad.

Scared even.

I’m almost convinced I will die alone because I won’t be able to find a woman who shares my viewpoints and my ideals, one I can trust in this day and age, anyways.

It’s been getting better, sure, but women hold so much power over men, it takes just 4 false words to ruin someone’s life.

I’m scared to open up because I don’t want to be hurt.

I don’t want to wake up one day to find myself at odds with my spouse over the sexuality or gender of my child.

I don’t want to fight or yell at my spouse on a regular basis.

I’m not even sure if I should marry a woman, or marry at all.

Did I get sidetracked a bit?

I think I got sidetracked, I was talking about why I wish I could call myself a Christian.

I’m probably gonna be told some variant of “Suck it up buttercup”, by some people out there but I’m not comfortable around my hometown Church anymore.

The current pastor has never really understood me properly, and has oft pushed me into the spotlight during times I don’t want to be.

There was even one day where I was simply sitting in one of the chairs just minding my own business waiting for church to start, and he called me out to tell me not to be listening to anything on my headphones during the service, which I hadn’t intended to do at all, they were simply sitting around my neck, and I wasn’t going to put them on or anything. Even… my mother was a little upset because of that, him calling me out for no reason.

I’m glad my mom’s been on my side most of the time. She understands that I have certain needs, and when to let me figure out the best way to handle them.

Sometimes it’s hard for me to communicate because I have emotional regulation difficulties.

Oftentimes when I’m upset it hits hard, and I usually can’t communicate until I calm down.

Most Christians don’t understand that.

All my life, up until I hit college, I was constantly being judged or held up to some sort of standard by both my peers and my church.

In the college I attend, we have resources and things that allow me to function almost like a regular person, and nobody expects me to be incapable of managing myself.

I’m… actually treated like a real person.

… So many Christians treat their children like property, or something to live a dream through… when they just are a young, developing person.

You should allow your child some amount of freedom, but in most christian households it’s like there’s an iron flyswatter sitting on the wall to paddle you with for the slightest mistake.

So many christian households have those “perfect on the outside, rotten on the inside” looks to them.

So many Christians don’t even read the bible for themselves, letting megachurch pastors with agendas choose what they should think.

…

I’m tired, I’m not gonna have a proper ending note for this, but… Go ahead and tell me your stories, if any of you are listening.

I love nothing more then hearing about people’s life experiences, and because of my emotional irregularities… I’ll probably feel enough emotions about them for the both of us.

[animeboye]

Mid Dragon's World Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Another Half-Dragon?

And so once again, I was starting at another new school. My new school was going to be closer to home, its name: Elwood Elementary. This school wasn’t as big as my old one, only one story. It was a long tan building with the playground and a large open field right in front. Just like at my old school, the playground was to the school’s left with the field to its right.

As I took my first steps into my new school, I thought about Jericho and Cassie and wondered how they were doing. Were they thinking about me? And what was my old class doing? I wished I was still there.

But maybe things wouldn’t be so bad here I told myself. After all, just because I was friends with Jericho and Cassie that didn’t mean that I couldn’t make friends with the kids at this school. And I remembered that that Drake kid was going to this school as well. If I saw him around school, maybe the two of us could be friends.

I followed dad into school. There, we met with the principal who introduced himself as Principal Smith. He welcomed me to the school and just like with Principal Beckman, dad told Principal Smith about what happened at my old schools and asked if he could keep it between them. Thankfully Principal Smith agreed. After that, he gave me my locker number and combination and led me to my locker. I put my stuff away, taking out only what I’d need for class. Once I was ready, the principal showed me to my new classroom. As we walked there, I thought about that half-dragon boy from the other day. What were the chances that I’d be going to school with someone who’s the same species as me? If he was also a half-dragon, then that meant one of his parents was a dragon. I wondered to myself…just who was Drake really?

“Alright, here we are. Your new classroom. Room 303. Your teacher is Ms. Thermacker.” The principal explained.

“You’re gonna like her.” Principal Smith smiled. “She’s really nice but she can be pretty strict.”

“That’s good.” I smiled back. I was hoping I’d get a nice teacher again. Not like my old teacher, Mr. Falkson.

From inside the classroom, I could hear my new teacher tell the class that a new student would be joining them. They sounded pretty excited. This was my chance to make some new friends. I put on my biggest smile and walked into the classroom. I studied the kids I was going to be in class with. I was surprised when I saw that Drake and his friend were also going to be in the same class as me but I tried not to think too much about that for the moment.

“Please introduce yourself to the class.” Ms. Thermacker told me.

I moved my hair out of my eyes and looked at everyone. Still smiling, I introduced myself to my new classmates.

“My name is Jake. It’s nice to meet everyone.” I said, trying to sound as friendly as I could be.

After introducing myself, my new class talked about me amongst each other. I looked over at Drake and saw him talking with his friend. I couldn’t hear them over the other kids but I assumed that they were talking about me, like the rest of our classmates were.

“Jake, you may take your seat now.” Ms. Thermacker said.

I sat down in the only available seat which was right behind Drake’s. As I sat my stuff on my desk, Drake turned around and introduced himself to me. He looked really happy to have a new student in his class. I thought this might work out after all.

“Hi! My name’s Drake!” Drake said excitedly.

“H-hi, Drake.” I said a little bit nervously.

“Drake! Are you paying attention?!” Ms. Thermacker scolded him.

“Yes, Ms. Thermacker.” Drake answered.

“Well turn around and stop bothering Jake.”

After the next three classes, it was time for lunch. I sat at a table by myself, eating my lunch. I watched Drake who was sitting at the table across from mine. He was eating lunch with his friend and a girl. Must have been another one of his friends. I thought about going over there and joining them but for some reason, I felt nervous about doing it. Was it because Drake was a fellow half-dragon? If that was it, then shouldn’t I have been more excited to talk to him?

While I continued to eat my food, I kept trying to get up the courage to approach him. Eventually, Drake and his friends finished their lunch and headed outside. I finished my lunch as quickly as I could and followed them. When I got outside, I saw the three of them running towards the jungle gym so I ran towards the playground too.

They climbed up to the slide and the girl sat down, getting ready to slide to the bottom. I figured this was my chance to talk to them and try to become their friend. I took a deep breath and approached them just as the girl was about to go down the slide.

“Hey guys.” I said, trying not to sound nervous.

“Hey Jake!” Drake smiled. “So what do you think of the school?”

“It’s…it’s okay…” I said, my nervousness becoming more obvious.

“That’s cool.” Said Drake. “Hey, I want to introduce you to my friends. This is Crystal and that’s Sean.”

“Hey.” Crystal and Sean greeted.

“Hi.” I greeted back with a little smile.

“Sean’s dad and my dad have been friends ever since they were even younger than us.” Drake explained.

“Really?” I said surprised. “That’s a long time.”

Crystal gave herself a little push and went down the slide followed by Sean, then Drake, and then myself. As soon as we reached the bottom, we raced each other to the swings. As we swung together, I smiled widely. This was awesome! I was becoming friends with another half-dragon! I felt really embarrassed for being so nervous about talking to Drake. He was actually really nice and so were his friends. Who knew? Maybe things would be alright at this school.

“So Jake, are you really from Michigan?” Crystal asked.

“Yep! My dad and I moved to California when I was in Kindergarten. After we moved here, I went to a few other schools before this one but I had to leave because the kids would pick on me.” I explained.

“You too, huh?” Drake asked. “Kids used to pick on me and Crystal too but Sean would always kick their butts for messing with us.”

“You do?” I asked Sean, feeling reminded of how Alex would try and protect me from bullies when he was in elementary school too.

“You bet! Crystal and Drake are my best friends. I’m not gonna let some losers pick on them.” Sean smiled proudly.

After he said that, Sean placed a hand on my shoulder.

“If any kid tries picking on you too, just let me know and I’ll make sure they never do it again.”

“Th-thanks Sean!” I said with a surprised look on my face.

Sean laughed. “Don’t look so surprised man. You’re our friend now, aren’t ya? I’d do anything for my friends.”

I smiled back at Sean and thanked him. After that, the four of us played together all throughout recess, playing games like tag and kickball. After the bell rang and we returned to class, the day went by like normal. At 3:30, the bell rang and everyone rushed out the door. As I was grabbing my things from my locker, I saw Drake who was just shutting his own locker. I figured this might be the best time for me to ask Drake about him being a half-dragon.

“Drake?” I asked, walking up to him.

“Yeah? What’s up?” He asked as he slid his arms into his backpack’s straps.

“I…wanted to ask you something.” I said with that same nervous feeling I had earlier today.

“Okay.” He said, looking curious. “Go ahead.”

“Drake? Yesterday…when you transformed…well…you’re a half-dragon, aren’t you?” I asked.

As soon as I asked that, Drake looked at me with a shocked expression. He gasped. I knew that gasp couldn’t mean anything good. Could I have just screwed up our new friendship? Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. At least not until later. My stomach twisted and sweat began to trickle down my forehead.

“Jake…how…do you…know that?” Drake asked me, with a growing look of surprise on his face.

I didn’t answer him. I was too scared to say anything else. I gulped and took several breaths.

“Jake, what’s going on? Who are you?” Drake asked me suspiciously.

Oh no! I thought to myself! I did mess everything up! Without thinking, I took three steps back and ran as fast as I could out of the school. Once I was outside, I collided into a group of older kids, knocking one of them, as well as myself over.

“Ow! Watch where you’re going!” The older boy said.

“Sorry!” I said.

I looked back and saw Drake was chasing me. I got back on my feet and continued to run, looking back one more time to see Drake being stopped by the same kid I ran into. I made my way to the back of the school and hid. I tried to take some quick breaths before I continued fleeing. I realized that just running from him wouldn’t be enough. I had to hide somewhere. The only question was…where? I couldn’t hide inside the shed and I couldn’t hide behind it either.

And then I realized: I was so caught up in trying to get away from Drake that I didn’t even stop to think that I could fly! I could hide on the roof of the school! Quickly, I changed into my half-dragon form and flew up to the roof to hide. Once I was up there, I crouched down and watched the ground below as Drake ran to the same spot I was hiding. He looked around in an attempt to find me, then he went over to the shed.

He looked around the sides of the shed, only to find that I wasn’t there. While Drake was busy looking for me, I decided this would be the best time for me to go. I flapped my wings and flew away from the school. Once I was a few blocks away, I landed on the sidewalk of a nearby neighborhood and changed back to human form.

I sat down on the sidewalk and took my backpack off, sitting it beside me. I took several deep breaths, trying to get some air back into my lungs. I wiped the sweat away from my forehead and gazed into the sky. I just couldn’t stop thinking about how badly I screwed things up. Maybe it would have been better if I hadn’t said anything. Perhaps I should have just let Drake eventually show me his half-dragon side instead of pretty much giving away that I was spying on him the other day. Well, it was too late now.

I saw someone walking down the street, coming towards me. It was Drake. As soon as he saw me, he walked right up to me. I was certain he was going to ask me if I was spying on him or something. Or maybe he was going to ask me again how I knew he was a half-dragon. Either way, I didn’t want to talk to him right now so I stood up, grabbed my bag, and was about to run again when Drake stopped me.

“Jake, stop.” Drake said in a surprisingly calm voice. “Can I just talk to you?”

His calm voice helped make me feel a little calm myself. I was still worried but not as badly as I was before. I decided I’d stay and hear what Drake had to say. I sat down again, once more taking my backpack and setting it down next to me. Drake sat down beside me. He took a deep breath, stretched his legs out, and placed his hands in between his legs.

“Jake…I just wanna know how you know my secret. I haven’t told anyone except for Sean. So how do you know?” Drake asked.

I looked at him. I could see in his eyes that he wasn’t angry or blaming me for anything. Maybe there was still a chance for me to make things better. However, I still couldn’t bring myself to tell Drake how I knew his secret. I mean, what I supposed to say? “I saw you transform when I was going home”? I was certain he wouldn’t believe that. Perhaps there was another way for me to fix this. That’s it! Since I knew Drake was a half-dragon, I’d show him that I was also a half-dragon.

I turned away from Drake without answering his question. Instead I grabbed my backpack and stood up, taking a few steps away from him.

“Jake!” Drake exclaimed. He sounded a little angry that time.

“…I want to show you something.” I said in a soft but understandable voice.

Drake stood up and followed me. We walked down the block as I tried to look for a place where I could show Drake my half-dragon form without anyone else being there to see it. As we walked for a few more blocks, I noticed an alleyway. All that was there was a single car. No one was around and the two closest fences were made of wood which made things perfect. I set my backpack on the ground and closed my eyes.

“Jake?” Drake asked, no doubt wondering what I was doing or why I brought him here.

Neither of us said anything for a little bit. But suddenly, I felt my tail begin to grow, ripping through my pants, my wings soon followed as they ripped the back of my shirt. Three holes were now present, two in my shirt, and one in my pants, making it possible for my tail and wings to fit through.

I turned around and looked at Drake. He stood there, not saying anything. I could tell he was surprised to be seeing another half-dragon.

“Jake…” Drake began to say. “How…is…that…”

“I’m a half-dragon also Drake. My real name is Jakol but my friends call me Jake.” I introduced myself as I really was.

“But…that can’t be.”  Drake said as the two of us stared at each other, our eyes locking, focusing on each other.

How couldn’t it be, I asked myself. Drake had never met another half-dragon before? That was hard for me to believe. That made me wonder how many half-dragons there really were in the world. Were me, Drake, and Alex the only ones? I always thought there might have been more out there.

“So Jake…or Jakol, or whoever you are, who are your parents? If you really are a half-dragon like me, then one of your parents must be a dragon, right?” Asked Drake.

Drake was right but I didn’t want to talk about my parents. I wasn’t as upset about mom as I used to be but thinking about what happened between me and dad yesterday…it just hurt too much to think about it. I looked down at the ground and sighed, choosing to answer Drake’s question anyway.

“I never knew my mom. She died after I was born and so my dad’s been the one taking care of me.” I explained with a heavy feeling in my gut.

Things became quiet for a minute. Perhaps Drake was thinking about what I just said.

“Then…who was your dad?” Drake finally asked, breaking the silence.

“My dad?” I asked back.

“His name…is Saulstrance.”

As soon as I told him my dad’s name, a terrified look suddenly appeared on Drake’s face. I wasn’t sure why he looked so scared. Had he heard of my dad before? And if so, where?

Drake was breathing heavily, the look on his face growing ever more fearful. I approached him, placing my hand on his shoulder which helped calm him down a little.

“Drake, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” I asked, worried for him.

“AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!” Drake screamed at the top of his lungs, pushing me off of him which sent me dropping to the ground, landing right on my tail which caused me some pain.

“St-STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!” Drake screamed in a terrified voice, his face now looking even more fearful than before.

I watched as Drake ran as fast as he could from the alley. I was speechless, not knowing what to think about all this. What just happened? Why the heck did Drake freak out like that?

I sat up a bit so that my tail spikes weren’t digging into my leg. I grabbed my bag, and went to sit against the door of a garage. I just sat there for a bit, watching the sky and trying to calm myself while I tried to make sense of everything. I couldn’t believe just how quickly things went bad. And yet…just a few hours ago, it seemed like we were going to be great friends. Now not only did I screw up a potential friendship but a friendship with someone like me.

I stood up, changed into my human form, grabbed my bag and walked home. As I walked, I kept thinking about what happened in the alley. Drake’s scared face, him pushing me, and his last words to me, “GET AWAY FROM ME” rang loudly in my head.

As I neared home, I passed school. I could hear some kids talking about Drake chasing me earlier. They said they had never seen Drake go after someone like that before. The kids noticed me and ran over to me.

“Are you okay?” The kids asked. “What happened?”

“Nothing.” I answered in a sad, gloomy voice.

“Why was Drake chasing you?” They asked again.

“I don’t know.” I lied as I started becoming a little angry.

I walked past the kids without saying anything else and continued for home. Once I got home, I sat my stuff by the door and sat down on the step. I sighed to myself. I wished I knew why Drake freaked out like that and how I could make things better between us.

As I sat there, thinking to myself, I saw Alex walking down the street.

“Hey Jake.” Alex said as he approached the step I was sitting on. “How was your first day at your new school?”

[seokjinniebangtan]

How about cat-hybrid c!Dream gets jealous when AMAB! reader pays more attention to Dog-hybrid Sapnap and decides to be a brat until the reader has had enough and shows him the kind of attention he wants. 🤷

✔️AMAB ✔️top!reader ✔️cat/brat!Dream ✔️Jealousy at its finest ✔️desperate4attention...

GENERATING...

███▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 10 % ███████▒▒▒ 50% ██████████ 100%

You agree to take in Sapnap for the day as requested by George who had to venture out into the nether for a bit, assuming Dream would be okay with it...

Its not like Dream despises dogs...or just the canine species in general. But he really probably wishes Sapnap would stop hogging all your attention and somehow disappear from existence forever. The dumb mutt even had the audacity to give Dream a stupid smug look.

Out of jealousy and spite Dream couldn't help but scratch Sapnap on the shoulder with his newly trimmed nails. Though he immediately regretted it when you started scolding him and letting him off with a warning.

The day went by as Dream got more and more frustrated trying to finally have you for himself. But no matter how much he tried you were always with Sapnap.

At this point Dream started becoming a brat more than usual. Going as far as disobeying you and rolling his eyes at you if you told him to do something. His fluffy ears were flared out the whole time, signaling his negative attitude towards you and Sapnap-- mostly at the canine-hybrid though. Now you became frustrated as well.

Finally George stopped by that evening to pick Sapnap up. The blond didn't even bother bidding them goodbye, shoving you out of the way to probably head upstairs into your bedroom. That was the last disrespectful act to make you snap.

"Is something wrong with Dream?" George asked with concern. "It's aight dude, he's just tired is all." You assured your friend with a calm voice despite your irritated mood. You waved him and Sapnap goodbye before slamming the door shut.

Fuming up the stairs and barging through the bedroom door with brute force. Dream flinched back knowing he was in deep trouble.

"Alright kitten," you started through gritted teeth.

" What was with you today," you stared down at him with intimidating eyes as you folded your arms across your chest. Your stance emitted so much dominance it had Dream folding his ears downwards in submission.

"If you apologize for your insolent behavior today I might just give you an easy punishment," you demanded. Dream knew better than to test your patience at this point, unfortunately he let jealousy get the best of him.

"Maybe if you hadn't been doting on SaPnAp so much I wouldn't have to act like this," Dream snapped back.

You squinted your eyes at him getting even more irritated, " all fours. NOW," out of fear and slight excitement Dream did as you told him to.

Wasting no time in yanking Dream's trousers down, you stood up admiring the hybrid's already trembling body. Nothing to worry about since you knew it wasn't caused by fear, but by arousal.

With no warning you raised your palm and gave a hard smack to the right cheek, earning a whine from the feline.

You did the same thing to the left cheek, then back to the right, then the left again, repeating the same pattern a few more times till Dream's nice plump ass became beautifully red.

His cute little cock already hard and dripping with precum. "Naughty kitten getting turned on during your punishment," you said gently tracing a line on his inner thigh. Placing your palm in the middle of his back pushing it down for his body to arch perfectly so his ass was high in the air for you. "Stay," you commanded him.

You walked to your bedside table, opening the drawer and taking out your favorite circular toy. Going behind the blonde who hadn't move from his position. Gently grabbing the hybrid's member, inserting it into the pretty pink cockring.

Dream purred quietly at your tender touch but grew anxious when he realized what you put on him. 

He then hears the sound of you undoing your pants, “M-Master ah--,” without warning you slammed your girthy cock into his tight entrance...with no lube.

The feline hybrid hissed at the pain and pleasure, mostly pleasure though, becoming more aroused knowing you were giving it to him raw.

Your veiny arms held him down by the back of his neck, ramming into him with a brutal speed. “Is my poor kitten that desperate for my attention,” you grunted before landing another slap on Dream’s plump cheeks, causing Dream to whine.

“But sadly instead of asking nicely for it you went ahead and be a brat,” a harsh snap of your hips earned a nice and clear moan from Dream. You kept pounding into Dream with no mercy until the feline was nothing but a dumb moaning mess.

The only clear word being heard from Dream’s sinful lips was your name, fueling your drive every time. 

Not a second later Dream felt a pressure building up in his lower abdomen, ‘hah- master please,” he choked out. You flipped him around so both of you were face to face as you grind gently into him. 

“Please what baby boy~,” you teased and snapped your hips yet again causing Dream to judder. 

“Pl...please let me cum,” he pleaded while trying to catch his breath.

“Tsk,” you sniggered before leaning down close to his fluffy ears, “brats don’t get to cum,” you then grabbed the back of his legs hoisting them over your shoulders, “well...not yet at least.” 

You slammed into his already abused hole once more building up the brutal speed you had before. You leaned down to muffle Dream’s moans with a kiss, biting his bottom lip a little before trailing harsh hickeys to his glistening chest.

The building pressure Dream felt became unbearable overtime and you could tell by the tears beginning to streak down his cheeks. Now you felt conflicted since on one hand it turned you on even more to see him like this, while the other starts to feel bad for him.

Luckily for him you too felt your climax approaching. Chasing down that high by increasing your thrusts to the max while listening to Dream beautifully moan out your name over and over again.

Right before it hits, you quickly freed the blonde’s member from the cockring and not even a second later you both came at the same time.

You gave the feline hybrid time to catch his breath while you do the same as well. But when you were both finally relaxed, you awed at the cute expression on Dream’s face when you tell him his punishment wasn’t over just yet.

You made sure to give your kitten the attention he deserves by fucking him...till dawn.

[mayxthexforce]

Nuru wasn't proud to admit he'd frozen when the troopers approached and started questioning him. How could he not? No matter how much time passed, nor how hard he'd been trying to stay out of trouble, he was still an enemy of the Empire just by virtue of existing. A Jedi. A traitor of the no-longer-existent Republic. Thankfully for him, and nevermind that they were stopped because Gizman insisted on taking that route, claiming it was a 'shortcut', Big Gizz always had his back. He was quick to clasp a hand on Nuru's shoulder and say that they had to forgive his blue friend, for he didn't speak a word of basic.

But that didn't help him for long, because he must have done something awful in another life and so the force made him pay for it in this one in the form of them having a Chiss on board. What were the chances?

He was an adult now, he should have a more dignified reaction than he did the first time he met another Chiss, right? WRONG. Nuru stared, eyes widening because the only Chiss he'd ever been face to face with had been Vereen when he was just a teenager, and his own reflection through the years. This was the first time he stood in front of another male Chiss, and one who looked so different from him at that. While they were clearly the same species, their stances, the way they wore their hair, even the way they carried themselves was different.

Mitth'raw'nuruodo —Nuru wasn't even going to risk butchering that name the way he'd once done with Vereen's— had quite a presence, he seized people's attention as soon as he stepped into view– or, at least, he seized Nuru's. He spoke the language of their people, that much Nuru could tell. The problem was, he didn't speak it. He could pick up on some things, like that the man was introducing himself, that he was asking a question that Nuru ASSUMED was 'what's your name?', and that he was a high ranking officer– but that was because of the uniform, not because he understood anything.

"Kung'urama'nuruodo." even when saying his birth name —the name that had never quite felt like it belonged to him—, even when he didn't even risk it with a sentence, his pronunciation of Cheunh. "Nuru." his name was followed by a slight reverence before he remembered Chiss don't bow. So much for pretending to be a proper Chiss. Knowing better than to try to enforce a weak lie, he shifted to Huttesse. "I don't speak- uh..." was there a word for 'Chiss' in Huttesse? Now that he thought about it, the few times he'd found himself in front of Jabba, he'd only called him something related to his appearance: red eyes, blue. Never by the name of his kind. So, he ended up spelling it. "I don't speak C-H-I-S-S, sir. I'm sorry."

[francis-writes]

Living with Gorr on Earth HCs

(AU where he lives because no one can stop me) i found this today in my note app. i actually wrote it some time ago and then completely forgot about it

I actually don't see him as a big city kind of person. He would prefer to live with his s/o and his daughter in the countryside, in a house with a garden. (Am I into cottagecore? Yes. But I am not projecting it into him, Gorr loves this lifestyle too, I can sense it with my cottagewhore-radar). You grow many vegetable, grain and fruit species from different planets (at the beginning you were unsure if this experiment would work but surprisingly most of the crops grew well on the Earth) so your farm is mostly self-sufficient, at least when it comes to food.

Another headcanon, not connected with relationship, but I am convinced that Gorr is a vegan or at least a vegetarian. He may slashed gods, but he would never hurt an innocent animal.

You came to terms with Thor and the rest of the group and you live in - almost - friendly relationship. But you rather don't have contact with gods and don't deal with them anymore. Gorr gave up on his plans of revenge; you had possibility of helping Avengers and fighting for good but without longer hesitation, you decided to leave this "warrior lifestyle" (but nobody knows whether forever or is it just a holiday) and enjoy living in peace for some time.

Gorr isn't from Earth so it may take him some time to get used to on this planet (it wasn't specified in the movie how looked planet he came from so I will just assume it was technologically advanced at the level of Asgard, just much-much-much poorer).

He appreciates some of the inventions that make life easier (washing machine, cars, tap water), he especially loves the fact that medicine is so well-advanced but most things are either overwhelming or annoying for him.

Despite the fact that he isn't interested in popculture himself, Gorr likes to watch your favourite movies or read your beloved books (it's even better if you read it to him).

Gorr is a very good and careful listener, he authentically pays attention to what you're talking to him and he tries to remember details about you. In general, he likes to talk with you, you spend a lot of time on conversation since the day you met. If you hate small talk (just like me😅), you finally found great company. Gorr doesn't understand aimless blabber neither and he likes to tell you about his life (you appreciate the fact that he trust you enough to share with you stories about his family and home; these are very cherished but at the same time painful memories for him), his home planet, but also about faith, ethics and the point of life.

One of the things he really enjoys on Earth, is a great diversity of music. He loves listening to different genres and discovering new artists. If you have nothing against it, he often takes your hand and dance with you in the kitchen or in the garden.

Despite trying to live in peace, Gorr would quickly engage in some form of activism. He's very sensitive to any signs of injustice and he's not gonna just sit back and do nothing when so many bad thing happens. He will do whatever he can… and honestly, you love him for that.

[youarejesting]

Sly like a... ? Part 2

[Master list] [Sly Master List] Beta: n/a (at the moment) Rating: All Pairing: Hybrid!BTS x FailedHybrid!Reader Genre: Hybrid au, fluff, action, adventure, angst, drama, slice of life. Some marked chapters will contain mature/smut scenes, BUT they will not have plot in those scenes and are 100% skippable without losing your place in the story. Words: 2.1k

Summary: Human’s strive to be better, faster and stronger looking to animal DNA. Thus Hybrids are born. As the rise for designer and Pedigree Hybrids increase, so do the failed attempts. There is one species scientists are unsuccessful in creating, but, folklore says they have been here all along, hiding and blending in with the humans for many millennia. How clever they are.

[First] [Next]

It was your dream to convert a large warehouse on the outskirts of town into a home and education center for Hybrids. Somewhere they could learn to be self-sufficient. You would have professors and volunteers, teaching and fundraising, all for the day you could buy another warehouse on the other side of town. You wanted it to become the norm that these Hybrid facilities would build and grow in every city. Allowing the Hybrids to become an independent race no longer looked down upon by society.

You were on the last day of your heat and craving something savory. As it was late your best option was the convenience store that was always open late.

Things were falling into place as you received an email earlier that day confirming that all the items you had requested were acquired. That meant school books, equipment, and more. You were also granted the first loan for the Hybrids, a loan you would receive every term. The board wanted no less than five and no more than ten participants for an adequate examination of results.

You assumed for the program to be officially approved, you would have to show successful results from Hybrids with different backgrounds during this trial. That meant different ages and different upbringings. Wondering if it was worth visiting the adoption agency or perhaps a Hybrid store, it wouldn’t hurt for more variables.

Shaken from your thoughts by a shadowed figure rustling through the garbage, in a dark alley between the antiques and postal office. Your ears picked up the sound easily, feet scuffing to a halt on the pavement catching the Hybrid’s attention. Their eyes searched the dark for any sign of threat before falling upon you, a deep growl resonating on the wind. It was best to not get involved with stray Hybrids, they tended to be more violent. This is what you were doing the program for, to stop Hybrids from ending up homeless and on the streets. To prove that they aren’t dangerous and are capable of learning.

Struck by an idea, if you could get a Hybrid from the street to join the trial program, you could prove they weren’t violent and show that given the opportunity they could all learn and grow into members of society.

“Can I buy you dinner?” You called out, voice cracking from the cold. Your breath puffed out like smoke visible between you both. The night brought you more energy, it made you feel alive.

Cars passed, their headlights illuminating the entire alleyway and reflecting in his eyes a blood-red. He stalked forward, his body moving gracefully but you could see he was hurt, his shirt ripped and there was a strong scent of blood in the breeze. That was a downside to having heightened senses. You tried to control the disgusted look on your face, “I will pay and there is nothing else to it, just sit and have dinner with me, so I don’t look like a woman in her mid to late twenties eating alone at a convenience store”

He looked you up and down, it was then you noticed his features, he was a feline, not a common house cat. No, he was a big predator.

“Do I look like some charity case? Some pathetic creature who needs help from a human?” His words rumbled from his chest in a growl. You wanted to correct him that you weren’t exactly human yourself but decided against it. Stuck somewhere between Hybrid and human you didn’t fit in either category.

“What’s it to you? My reason is my reason, just take the free meal. Hell! Exploit me for a free meal, anything you want, go crazy.” You shrugged, trying desperately to charm him. He seemed to contemplate his choices for a moment before turning to walk away. You scrambled for your wallet and grabbed out twenty dollars, holding it out to him.

“Wait! At least take this; if you don’t want to eat with me, get something warm, and here is my card if ever you need help.”

He eyed the money but didn’t move to take it. Hoping he wouldn’t rip your arm off, you grabbed his hand. You knew it was risky. His fingers were cold, but you didn’t want to linger and make him mad, quickly placing the money on his palm with your business card.

“Have a good night, mister,” He nodded confused about the whole encounter, before shoving his hands in his pockets and leaving. It seemed even if you tried your best, it wouldn’t be enough to persuade him. He was too defensive, the best you could hope for was that he would stay safe in the cold.

What trials and tribulations must you go through to have these Hybrids trust and confide in you? Hopefully, it wouldn’t be this hard to get through to the group of Hybrids you were soon to obtain.

This was going to be a rather difficult experiment and you weren’t sure if it was going to go well but you hoped with every fiber of your being that you would see this through for the sake of the Hybrids.

That night you dreamed about the group of participants being hostile and unresponsive to the program, it did little to soothe your nerves the next morning. When you received an email about the new house. Jimin would have the key and would meet you outside later that day with the other Hybrids. No matter who they were, you were going to make sure they were achieving the best result they could.

The government had registered two Hybrids in your name, their files attached to the confirmation email. The two participants were so contrasting, Hoseok was a deer Hybrid, from a small farming family. The other was a Lion Hybrid by the name of Namjoon. He was from New Zealand and had participated in another government program regarding genius Hybrids.

Altogether, there were four: Namjoon the genius, Hoseok the country bumpkin, Taehyung, and Jimin. You decided to look for possible participants within the Hybrid store, and rehoming center. That would give you a wide variety of variables for the experiment; each would have a different background and would require different tools to help them.

You started at the nearest Hybrid shop. There were several rooms each with an observation window, a photo card, and a brief description of the Hybrid sitting, reading or playing video games inside. It was such a small space, how could they live in these tiny rooms every day until someone adopted them. Reading their descriptions by the windows you analyzed each of them, your attention caught by one playing video games. He had dark ears that stuck out from his dark hair. He seemed fun and you thought it would be easy to connect with him.

Hello, My name is Jungkook, I am twenty-three and I am a fully vaccinated Melanistic Jaguar.

You didn’t bother reading the rest, thinking you would like to learn about him properly, “Sir, I would like to adopt this Hybrid,” You declared, whilst walking towards the counter to begin the paperwork. Once everything was signed the young Jaguar boy was led from his small room. He looked nervous holding a small store backpack filled with all his essential items.

On the drive to the next location, you were the one doing most of the talking, receiving quiet one-word answers and small fidgets. He seemed excited when you finally parked the car, you guessed he was eager to see his new home.

However, as you walked towards the menacing rehoming center, he grew quieter and quieter, slowing to a stop before the entrance. Looking at his feet crying profusely, you realized how this must look. He must have thought he had done something wrong, how could he think you would buy him and rehome him on the same day.

“Jungkook, I am not abandoning you, I am picking up a brother for you to play with.” It took a few moments to console the young man. Wiping his tears and giving him a few pats on the head careful of his ears.

Deciding anyone younger than Jungkook would be too much to handle. “You have to help me find a big brother, someone you think will be really nice and that you like to play with, what do you think? Can you do that for me?”

Jungkook nodded, sniffing and wiping his eyes on his sleeve. “Okay, I can do that,”

The inside of the rehoming center smelt like disinfectant, you explained you were looking for another Hybrid and were led to a large room. There were Hybrids of all ages all playing and entertaining themselves with different activities.

It was overwhelming even for you, so you grasped Jungkook’s hand and encouraged him to look around, “Hey, what about ping pong?” You grinned at Jungkook who smiled playing a few rounds with you, the two of you giggling.

“Have I told you I am the ping pong master,” an older Hybrid grinned, he had a striped tail. You handed over the paddle and stood near Jungkook. “Do you want to play a game?”

Jungkook nodded, was this boy unable to say no. Either way, the two were getting along quickly, the older Hybrid was very playful and funny, even as he lost you were holding your sides from the laughter and Jungkook seemed to grow really comfortable with him.

Talking to one of the volunteers she explained that Seokjin was a raccoon hybrid and the oldest in the center. She explained that he often took the younger hybrids under his wing. It was an easy decision to adopt him. While you were filling out the paperwork, Jungkook was telling you all about his match with Seokjin.

“And I got the winning shot,” He grinned, swinging his arm like he was hitting an invisible ping pong ball.

“He seems really fun, would he make a good big brother?” It was cute how he nodded wholeheartedly. “Jungkook why don’t you go tell him that he is coming home with us?”

He grew embarrassed again, his dark ears twitching but followed the volunteer nonetheless. You were quick to finish up the last of the paperwork before the two came back laughing volunteer in tow.

“Unbelie-Bubble” Seokjin said before squeaking in laughter. He had all of his things and like Jungkook was nervous, but he showed it through talking.

You felt good with your selection, there was a Hybrid for every walk of life and socio-economic background. This would be perfect for the trial. They all seemed like lovely young Hybrids and you could already see them forming friendships.

It was on your way out that you saw a familiar face struggling against Hybrid control. “This is your last time, you know what happens to strays.”

“Wait!” You shouted, everyone in the lobby froze turning to look at you, the cold room felt quite warm with all of the attention “He is mine”

They froze looking between you and the hybrid before letting him go curiously. The injured Hybrid staggered over to you, knowing this was his best chance at survival, “why didn’t you tell them my name?” you asked him curiously but he kept his head down.

“This white tiger Hybrid is yours?” The handler spoke in disbelief, practically accusing you of lying. “why is he not microchipped, or registered in our system?”

“I was supposed to register him last week when I got him but I had been busy with work, I would like to properly register him under my name today,” You didn’t break under this man's pressure, you could notice the more he held eye contact the more he seemed to falter himself. “so that you will stop taking him in when he is harmlessly walking the streets”

The man opened his mouth to argue but you blinked up at him, watching him lower his hand.

“I am so sorry miss, we didn't mean to cause you trouble?” It wasn’t exactly odd behavior, you often found your arguments nullifying this way. You liked to think that your self-confident stare was what made people give in.

“Miss we have just noticed some suspicious activity in your account it says you have adopted four Hybrids today,” The woman behind the desk said, “We are legally required to ask your intentions or we can detain the Hybrids from you”

Almost questioning her, you remembered the government was placing two Hybrids in your name; they would be arriving today as well. With a smile you removed a folder from your bag, “I have a grant from the government.” You said brandishing the signed document, “I will be placing these Hybrids in my care”

[First] [Next]

Tags:  @simplymemyself @lolsiiike (please make sure you have tagging setting on so you get notified when the story updates)

How can I save this to receive and read updates?

‘Follow’ and turn on ‘Notifications’ so you never miss an update

Add your name to a ‘Tag’ list [HERE]

‘Reblog’ this post with the hashtag #BTSsly

Or you can ‘Like’ this post (but good luck trying to find it a week later, we both know how many things you like a day, perhaps we will meet again in the future.)

[shywitchyfangirl]

Tips for Beginning Spirit Workers!

Me? Posting something useful instead of just memes? GASP!

1. Plan communication and housing methods in advance. This is your responsibility, not the spirits’. Housing can include binding them to an object, binding them to yourself, letting them wander your house, or (my personal method) building an astral temple for them. Communication can take all kinds of forms, including dreams, hallucinations, Ouija boards, body sensations, intrusive thoughts, and telepathy. When starting out, you’ll probably be working with sensations and intrusive thoughts, and work your way up to other forms. An important thing to remember is if you’re ever unsure if something was them, assume it was. False negatives do far more harm than false positives when you’re trying to learn how to communicate. Assuming your spirit said something they didn’t might annoy them, but denying real messages will prevent you from developing your senses and harm your relationship with them.

2. Set boundaries and keep them! It doesn’t matter who they are, how powerful they are, or if they’re a literal god. You have rights, and they do not own you. Take no excuses, make no compromises. You don’t need to explain anything. If you give some spirits an inch, they’ll take a mile. I have a rule that no one can possess me while I’m on my period. Why? Because I don’t want them to, end of discussion. If anyone throws a fit about your boundaries, you don’t want to work with them anyway. If you’re planning to let them stick around, setting house rules is also very important! (”Don’t mess with the other human residents” is always a good starting point.)

3. Doubt happens. Even the most experienced spirit worker has moments of “Oh gods, I’m just crazy and talking to myself.” Don’t beat yourself up over it! Healthy skepticism is what keeps us sane. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad spirit worker. Try taking a moment to reflect on the times when your spirits did something that proved themselves to you, because I promise, those moments will happen too! One of my earliest moments was when a spirit possessed my and drew a bunch of dicks in my notebook before I even realized what she was drawing. If you haven’t had one of those moments yet, just remember the golden rule: You can’t be imagining it, because your imagination should never surprise you.

3.5 Know your craft, not others’. Related to the above, a big source of doubt is when you read about other spirit workers’ doing things differently. Remember, the term UPG (Unverified Personal Gnosis) exists for a reason. Your Mileage May Vary! Every spirit worker experiences spirits differently. Different doesn’t mean wrong. Figure out what’s best for you and your spirits, and have confidence in your craft.

4. Don’t trust just anyone. Not every spirit you contact will be on your side. Some have their own agenda, others just want a plaything. Some spirits will pretend to be someone else to get past your defenses. The best way to stay safe is to always trust your instincts. If a spirit gives you a “bad vibe,” DITCH THEM. Never give them the benefit of the doubt. There is not a single spirit you NEED to have in your life, and thus there’s no reason to give a sketchy spirit a chance. Aside from that, don’t just assume any spirit you contact will be friendly and benevolent. Most spirit workers go through a “vetting” period of at least 3 months before deciding if a spirit is truly good to join their team. Yes, THREE MONTHS. You don’t want to allow just any powerful astral being into your life, do you? Remember, spirits have power, and they CAN hurt you. If you wouldn’t allow any random stranger into your house, don’t allow any random spirit into your life.

5. Do your research! Spirits aren’t human, and they don’t have the same wants and needs as humans. Research in advance what the particular species you’re summoning wants and needs. If they’re from a pop culture series, research the series. Research their friends, family, and enemies. Know who they will or won’t work well with. If they’re a nonhuman character, pay special attention to their species’ attributes, such as behavior, communication, and any unusual needs or weaknesses. You are responsible for your spirits’ safety while they’re with you! Remember, there’s no such thing as knowing too much. The more you know, the better prepared you’ll be!

6. Respect their boundaries. Not every spirit wants to be worshipped, especially pop culture ones. Some find it flattering, others find it creepy. Similarly, not every spirit wants to be your best friend forever, and not every spirit is eagerly waiting for your call every second of every day. Spirits may be cool, but don’t be a stalker. Give them some dang space. Also accept that many spirits don’t plan to stay with you forever. There may be a few that will be with you until you die (or even follow you to your next life!) but the vast majority have lives outside of you just like humans do, and there will be a time when you don’t need them or vice versa. Don’t feel bad about them leaving, and don’t try to force them to stay. Spirits come and go, and it does not mean you’re a bad spirit worker if you lose a few allies. Your closest friends will be the ones who choose you, and those are the ones you really want in your inner circle.

7. Don’t call up what you can’t put down. Always always ALWAYS have a banishing spell ready, and be sure to start small. Practice with a simple Pikachu before you go summoning Arceus. And keep that banishing spell handy during the vetting period! Many spirit workers suggest doing a banishing spell after every summoning unless you plan on letting the spirit stay permanently. It’s also always a good idea to have some kind of restraint the first few times you call on a spirit, even if it’s just a circle of salt. Personally I like to keep one of my stronger spirit family members around to babysit the new guys.

8. Always stay protected. Shield spells are your best friends. Use them. Keep them updated. There is never a reason to not be shielded. There is also never a reason to not have your house protected. At least once a month, update your wards, cleanse and banish everything, and recharge your home’s energy. Don’t worry, you can set your wards to whitelist your approved spirit family and any specific spirits you want to lure in, but it’s best to not allow just anyone in off the street. Consider placing sigils around to mark your territory as your own, or you may find someone or something trying to move in and claim your house for themselves! 

9. Know the facts about spirit attacks. The first rule is that you’re probably NOT being attacked. If you have to think “Was that a spirit? Am I being attacked?” you’re definitely not being attacked. Spirits are empowered by your fear, they WANT you to know they’re attacking you. One time when I was attacked, the spirit broke my rainbow fountain right in front of me in a way that made both separate lights simultaneously only glow blood red. That doesn’t just happen. And then they immediately and obviously tried to pull me out of my body so they could take it over. The other two times, the spirits tried so hard to suck me out of my body that it made me disoriented and felt like someone was vacuuming my head while my body felt cold. Spirit attacks are always obvious because they’re trying to scare you. Which leads to the second rule: NEVER PANIC. The more afraid you are, the more power they have over you. Stay calm, put up a shield, call a trusted alley to aid you, and banish their ass to next week. Remember, most spirits who attack are just bullies looking for a new toy to torment. Even a simple “fuck off” can give them the message you’re not worth the trouble.

10. Be prepared before opening up to possession. Possession is real, and it can be dangerous. With a trusted ally, it’s tons of fun, and you can even ask them to handle things like chores for you. With literally anyone else, you’re putting your life at risk. There is nothing stopping a strong enough spirit from throwing you off the nearest bridge. The good news is that forced, full possession is rare. The bad news is it can still happen, and it’s very hard to stop when it does. This is why it’s so important to vet your spirit allies before allowing them close to you, ESPECIALLY before letting them possess you. If a spirit shows any sign of not respecting your boundaries, get them the hell out of your life. Luckily, partial possession is much more common (when you’re still in control but either being influenced, or only your limbs are moving without your input). This version can be fought off via internal struggle or countered with a cleansing spell or an ally’s help.

11. Get creative with offerings. Offerings are Spiritwork 101. You won’t be getting a lot of help from spirits if you don’t pay them back. But the important part is knowing exactly what to give them. There are certainly things that are standard, and things that are easy enough to guess (Moon water for the moon goddess, flowers for the nature spirit, etc.) But the best offerings are ones that are personal, creative, and meaningful. Your fairy friend probably has a thousand flowers, but have they tried your pancakes? Would your familiar like a friendship bracelet in their favorite color? Hell, does your ancient ancestor want to try Starbucks? Also note that offerings can be experiences, not just gifts. Some spirits love to hear new music. Jevil loves to possess me and play games, or even just watch me play them. And Seam likes to be cuddled while he possesses a body pillow, or to be read to. The better you get to know your spirit friends, the more ways you’ll find to make them happy.

12. Recognize a spirit calling, but don’t answer them all. As you progress in spirit work, you’ll start receiving “spirit callings”. Callings are different for everyone, but they’re generally feelings of obsession over a certain spirit. You may find yourself thinking “everything would be okay if X was here” when you’re having a bad day. You may find yourself wanting to know everything about them. You might notice signs of them, such as feathers if they have wings.  If it’s a pop culture spirit, you may start obsessively tracking down fanworks of them. If you can’t get a spirit out of your mind, you’re probably being called! This means that good things could happen if you work with this spirit (though it does NOT mean the relationship will last forever!). However, this doesn’t mean you should answer ever single calling. It’s always important to know your limits. If you already have lots of spirits hanging around, adding one more won’t benefit you or them, no matter how strongly you’re called to them. Remember, there will always be another calling. 

13. Know your limits. Speaking of which, remember that you’re responsible for your spirits, and you should never take on more than you can handle. Spirit hoarding is a real thing, and it’s harmful to everyone involved. Know how many spirits you can handle at once, and know how close you can get to each of them. My astral temple is designed to let dozens of spirits come and go as they please, but of those, I’m only comfortable getting truly close to exactly two at a time. There is no shame in letting a spirit you no longer need go before bringing in a new one. There is also no shame in not being perfect. If you need some space for a few days, take it. If all you can muster today is a halfhearted “hello” to your familiar, do it. Your spirit allies will always be there waiting once you’re feeling better. If they’re true allies, they’ll understand if you’re not feeling well and need some time to yourself.

[raeynbowboi]

How Kipo Makes Great Villains

I stayed up all night binging the second season of Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, and I’ll admit. Going into it, my expectations were a bit low. Season One had such a self-contained objective, I didn’t know what the show was going to do with itself with a second season. But the second season of Kipo blew me out of the water. So, now I’m going to rant about why Scarlemagne and Jamack are fantastic villains for Kipo to confront, and what Kipo teaches us about writing antagonists. Obviously, spoilers ahead, but if you’re caught up, prepare to gush over great villains. If you’re not, do yourself a favor and go away, experience the second season for yourself, and then come back and fangasm over how great it was.

JAMACK

Kipo’s first antagonist is a perfect character foil. That is to say, Jamack is the exact opposite of Kipo. When Jamack meets Kipo, they are in exact opposite situations. He’s in a group while she’s alone. Later, when Kipo finds friends and is no longer alone, Jamack is kicked out of his group, forcing him to survive on his own. Jamack is very focused on self-interest and self-preservation, belittling his underlings for minor mistakes. His outlook is cold, cynical, and jaded. On top of that, Jamack grew up in this crazy world where only the strong survive. He’s also a part of the Mob Frogs, which seem to be the only mute culture with internal hierarchy. Other groups have a leader, but only the Mob Frogs seem to have levels of rank within the organization, causing the Mob Frogs to be competitive, even among themselves. So it makes perfect sense why Jamack will stoop to pretty much anything to get what he wants. Because that’s the mentality that allows for upward mobility in Las Vista. Thus, when Kipo arrives and upends the status quo and proves Jamack’s way of living wrong, he lashes out. Initially seeing it as her stealing his life from him, Jamack begins to gradually change. Jamack is on a similar and reflected hero’s journey to Kipo, and as she grows, so too will he. It’s no surprise that Jamack will eventually become a genuine ally of Kipo, even if he’s still hiding behind a Tsundere mask.

SCARLEMAGNE

My god is this a fantastic villain. In the first season, he was genuinely creepy and intimidating, but in season 2, Hugo became incredibly sympathetic. As season 2 went on, I kept debating to myself who is more of the Zuko of this show: Jamack or Hugo. Scarlemagne serves the same narrative purpose as the Diamonds in Steven Universe, about how words and kindness can work through problems. But I think it’s done a little better here, since Hugo isn’t a world-destroying dictator. He’s done some damage, but nothing that was really lasting. His pheremones can wear off. The humans he’s enslaved can regain their freedom. So, Hugo’s actual damage as a villain is much smaller and thus much more forgivable than immortal galactic conquerors. Hugo shows this deeply in that he genuinely seems like he wants to make Kipo happy, but he’s been hurt for so long that he doesn’t understand how to. And this genuine care seems to come a lot more from his core personality, and not just Kipo making friendship speeches. Even Steven didn’t really change the minds of the Diamonds. He just kind of proved he was their sister/nephew, and they suddenly cared about what he had to say. With Hugo, it’s much easier to see that he’s not a monster, just a scared and confused man lashing out to maintain control in a barbaric world. It makes him a character who you don’t want to see succeed in his evil plans, but you don’t want to watch him fail and lose everything he's worked for. You simultaneously want to hug him, and also punch him. It’s that perfect balance that makes Scarlemagne so well-written. He’s officially on my list of top 10 tv cartoon villains. Also, it’s hysterical that Hugo is voiced by the live action Beast, and the second half of this season was honestly a better Beauty and the Beast story than the live action movie. Am I the only one who hears Dr. Animo from Ben 10 when Scarlemagne speaks though?

DR. EMILIA

Talk about bait and switch. I don’t know if it was their intention, but I assumed the woman in the bird mask was Song, Kipo’s mother. It was clear that she and her goons were wearing burrow jumpsuits, and as it seemed more and more like her mother wasn’t dead, so I assumed this had to be her. This was such a great misdirection. Assuming she’s the hero because of our opinions of Scarlemagne, it’s what gives this show such amazing rewatch potential as now you can go back and pay attention to her words and actions and realize what she’s genuinely like. But even on a character level, she’s a fantastic villain. Kipo is a master of Talk no Jutsu, a fan term from the Naruto fandom, as he had a knack for talking literally anyone into becoming his friend, even the ones actively trying to kill him. Steven Universe and Kipo seem to be the other two masters of this technique. But Dr. Emilia will likely be immune to this. She doesn’t strike me as the sit and talk things out type. Because there are times when words won’t stop people, but action will. Dr. Emilia is a villain Kipo can’t reason with, someone she can’t befriend with a good speech. But even on a philosophical level, Dr. Emilia is fantastic because while she’s clearly a villain, her goal isn’t inherently evil. She sees mutation as a bad thing and wants to restore mute DNA to their normal animal forms. Which is a large part of why humans need to live in burrows. She wants humans to not live in fear, and to restore animals to their genetic origins. At least in theory, it’s a benign enough goal. The problem comes when you consider that animal mutes have sentience. they can speak and express desires. Robbing them of that is akin to purposefully mentally disabling a group in order to be dominant over them, which adds to the great themes here because there’s a loose veil of animals as an enslaved species. Kept in cages or as pets, ruled over or hunted by man who views itself as the superior race, the same sort of thinking that white slave-owners used to rationalize their prejudice. Thus it’s also a loose allegory for Dr. Emilia wanting to return emancipated slaves back to their chains. This is why she’s such a good villain. At face value, her goal sounds sort of reasonable, but when you examine what she’s really doing, it’s incredibly dark and cruel. That level of detail and writing is amazing. Talk about a well-written villain. I’m sorry, I can’t stop gushing.

Kipo demonstrates three equally compelling types of villains, and handles all of them amazingly. Jamack is the hero’s villainous foil, on his own mirrored hero’s journey as hers. His situation is always an exact opposite of hers, as was his life experiences, which led to such a stark difference of ideas. Thus, why it takes her utterly alien character traits to kick start his character arc. Hugo is a beautifully flawed and tragic villain whose goal of bringing the mutes together under a single ruler is genuinely compelling, but you still don’t want him to succeed the wrong way. Yet, if he could achieve his goal in a less hostile and evil way, I doubt fans would be upset with him achieving this goal otherwise. It’s just his approach that’s problematic. Dr. Emilia seems reasonable enough on paper, but once you unpack what she’s really doing, you can read a really deep allegory for slavery and racial superiority into her character that really complicates the otherwise black-and-white opinion of her character. Each of these villains shows ways you can make a compelling antagonist, and if you read this without watching Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeats despite my spoiler warnings, do yourself a favor and watch it. You will not be disappointed.

[remnantoforario]

Remnant’s Top Ten Anime of 2020

2020 Was certainly a ride wasn’t it? To those that managed to make to make it through in one piece, or any piece, good job. Hopefully 2021 is better to us all. 

Despite the world mostly being on fire, I’d hazard to say that a lot of good shows came out in 2020 (despite a number of them being delayed to either later in the year or this year altogether). I meant to release this list much earlier, but I kept changing it around. 

Anyway, here are the ones I thought were the best. 

Honorable Mentions:

Dorohedoro

Synopsis: The plot centers on a man named Caiman and his search for his real identity after a transformation by a sorcerer left him with a reptile's head and no memory of his former life. 

Along with his friend Nikaido, he violently assaults sorcerers in the Hole, with the aim of taking their heads into his mouth, where a strange face will appear and confirm whether the sorcerer he has bitten onto was the one responsible for his transformation or not.

As the residents of the Hole, the En family and the Cross-Eyes gang, along with many others, collide with one another, the mystery of Caiman's identity begins to unravel, reigniting ancient grudges and threatening to forever change both the Hole and the sorcerers' world.

Thoughts: This is the only Netflix anime I watched this year (I missed out on Great Pretender before the year ended), and I can honestly say I had fun with this one. It’s animation was good, the story was engaging enough, and the characters were all unique (Noi best girl). The one problem I would say with the show is that it can come off as unfocused at times, meandering from one plaot point to another with no real connective tissue. 

Still a fun series though. 

ID: Invaded

Synopsis: The anime follows the investigations of Narihisago, a renowned detective now in prison, who is tasked with diving into the id wells of various serial killers. 

Two years prior to the current events, Narihisago's daughter Muku was brutally murdered by a serial killer, leading Narihisago's wife to commit suicide. These deaths prompted him to hunt down and murder the killer, earning him his prison sentence. He is still depressed and haunted by his wife and daughter's deaths, but also uses this as motivation to take his work seriously and help stop serial killers. 

Thoughts: One of a handful of original series that came out this year. This show gave me heavy Inception/Minority Report vibes from both its premise and presentation. It wobbles under the weight of its own concepts towards the end, but it still a fun ride nonetheless. 

Gleipnir 

Synopsis: The story centers on Shuichi Kagaya, a high school student with an unusual secret. He has the ability to transform into a monster resembling a giant dog mascot costume with a zipper down his back and a large cartoonish smile. After rescuing a strange girl, Claire Aoki, from a warehouse fire, they join each other to search for Claire's older sister, who is assumed to be responsible for the death of their parents.

Thoughts: When the initial rollout for this show began I admit I wasn’t really a fan. I thought it was just going to be a hyper violent, fanservice show. Now in some ways it is that, but if you really look Gleipnir tells a very interesting tale of identity and what it truly means to have a wish granted. The music was pretty good as well, and that’s really something from me as a person who doesn’t pay attention to soundtracks. 

Hope this show gets a season 2, but if not I’ll more than likely start the manga. 

Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina

Synopsis:  Fascinated by the stories of Niké, a witch who traveled around the world, Elaina aspires to take the same course. Her determination of studying books and magic leads to her becoming the youngest apprentice witch to pass the sorcery exam. 

However, when Elaina attempts to receive training in order to become a full-fledged witch, she is rejected due to her extraordinary talents until she finds Fran, the "Stardust Witch," whom accepts her. After earning her title, the "Ashen Witch," Elaina begins her exploration around the world, visiting and facing all kinds of people and places.

Thoughts: As a fan of the Light Novels, I was pretty excited when it was announced it was getting an anime. For the most part it didn’t disappoint. Though it skipped most of the stories in the novels, the show still told a few good stories that made for some amazingly animated tv. 

Talentless Nana

Synposis: In the near future, mysterious monsters known as the "Enemies of Humanity" begin to appear, and with it so do children with supernatural powers called the "Talented". To prepare them for the upcoming battle against these Enemies, all the Talented are sent to a school located on a deserted island, where they have all their daily needs provided for until they graduate and communication with the outside world is forbidden. 

One day, a new student named Nana Hiiragi arrives at the school. Her friendly and cheerful personality lets her quickly make friends with the class. However, with Nana comes a whole litany of mysterious occurrences on the island. 

Thoughts: I can’t say too much about Nana without spoiling it’s first episode twist, but I will say that its a pretty interesting show with a fairly compelling game of cat and mouse being played. 

Now on the the actual list:

10. The Misfit of Demon King Academy 

Synopsis: After 2,000 years of countless wars and strife, the demon king Anos Voldigoad made a deal with the human hero, Kanon, to sacrifice his own life to ensure peace could flourish. Reincarnating 2,000 years later, Anos finds that royal demons now harshly rule over lower class hybrid demons in a society that values Anos's pureblood descendants over the demons who interbred with other species, such as humans and spirits. 

Finding that magic as a whole has begun to decline and his descendants weaker as a result of the peace he created, Anos, now technically a hybrid himself, decides to reclaim his former title of Demon King, but first, he must graduate from the Demon King Academy where he is labeled a total misfit.

Thoughts: Originally I was going to put Nana in this spot, but its lack of a real ending pushed it out of the list. If only slightly. Misft at Demon Academy is just a fun ride from start to finish. There’s always something about shows with ridiculous OP protagonists (Overlord, One Punch Man, etc.) that gets the blood pumping. 

It’s like junk food. Great for the right moment, but not needed all the time. 

9. Ikebukuro West Gate Park

Synopsis:  A charismatic troubleshooter tries to keep the peace between warring factions while protecting his loved ones in Ikebukuro West Gate Park.

Thoughts: I honestly had no idea what to make of this show when I first saw the synopsis, but I gave it a try on a whim. I’m glad I did because this was easily the dark horse of the Fall season. I really liked the mostly self contained story format the series had, and there were a few very good episodes here. Check it out. 

8.  My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

Synopsis: Catarina Claes, the young daughter of a noble family, one day bumps her head and regains memories of her past life as an otaku. It is then that she realizes she has been reborn into the world of the otome game Fortune Lover, reincarnated as the game's villainess who, regardless of what route the player took in the original game, is doomed to be either killed or exiled. 

In order to avoid these routes that lead to doom, Catarina begins taking countermeasures to try and avoid things going the same way as the game. This, however, ends up having unexpected consequences on her relations with the other characters of the game's world.

Thoughts: Normally I’m not a fan of Reverse/Otome harem series, but somehow Bakarina managed to pull me in, to a good result. This show was easily one of the best comedies I watched this year with a good cast and a likable protagonist. 

7.  Deca-Dence 

Synopsis: In the fortress city of Deca-dence, the lowly Tanker girl, Natsume, dreams of becoming a Gear warrior following her father's death during a Gadoll attack. She is assigned to a maintenance team led by Kaburagi whom she discovers is more than he appears. Kaburagi has a secret role in eliminating "bugs", humans who threaten Solid Quake's operations. 

When Kaburagi discovers that Natsume is listed as dead in the company database, he decides to keep her under observation and offers to train her to fight.

Thoughts: Giant monsters and giant robots. What more do you need? Watch it. 

6. A Certain Scientific Railgun T

Synposis: The Daihasei Festival has begun, and that of course means that Tokiwadai Middle School—a prestigious all-girls' middle school—is competing too. Despite the participation of the "Ace of Tokiwadai," Mikoto Misaka, the other students who are participating are still putting their utmost effort into winning, no matter how impossible the feat may seem against her might. However, not all is fun and games. Due to the the festival, Academy City opens to the outside world, and various factions have begun plotting ways to infiltrate the city. Misaka appears to be on their radar, and as the festival proceeds, people lurking from the shadows begin to emerge...

Thoughts: Not really much to say here. It’s the third season of Railgun, but good thing here is that each season of Railgun is better than the last. Truly the best of the To Aru universe. 

5. BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense.

Synposis: Urged on by her friend, Kaede Honjō begins playing the VRMMORPG NewWorld Online under the name Maple. Not wanting to get hurt, Maple opts to be a shield user with maxed out defense stats, and continues putting every status point she earns in the game into increasing only her defense level. 

As a result, she is left with slow foot speed and no magic, but her high defense allows her to endure most hits without taking any damage. This, along with her basic-level creative thinking, allows for her to make unexpected accomplishments in the game, its quests and events. By doing this, she ends up earning all kinds of equally unexpected skills and becomes one of the strongest players in the game. Thoughts: Bofuri is another OP power fantasy like Demon King Academy, but with the twist of being fused with CGDCT. The cast is extremely likable (especially Maple) and when Silver Link wants to they can make the battles REALLY dynamic. A nice comfortable watch, which was sorely needed in 2020. 

4. Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle

Synposis: The story follows Princess Syalis, a young princess who was kidnapped by the demon king, and her quest to sleep well while imprisoned.

Thoughts: A simple premise for a not so simple story. Sleepy Princess for me was easily the best comedy of the year, with plenty of heart and action thrown in as well. I was wary of the series at first, thinking that the premise wouldnt be entertaining for more than a few episodes, but boy was I wrong. Each episode was funnier than the last and Doga Kobo pulled out all the stops to make it look as gorgeous as possible.  

3. Jujutsu Kaisen

Synopsis: Idly indulging in baseless paranormal activities with the Occult Club, high schooler Yuuji Itadori spends his days at either the clubroom or the hospital, where he visits his bedridden grandfather. However, this leisurely lifestyle soon takes a turn for the strange when he unknowingly encounters a cursed item. Triggering a chain of supernatural occurrences, Yuuji finds himself suddenly thrust into the world of Curses—dreadful beings formed from human malice and negativity—after swallowing the said item, revealed to be a finger belonging to the demon Sukuna Ryoumen, the "King of Curses." Yuuji experiences first-hand the threat these Curses pose to society as he discovers his own newfound powers. Introduced to the Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Technical High School, he begins to walk down a path from which he cannot return—the path of a Jujutsu sorcerer.

Thoughts: Originally I wasn’t going to put this on the list, because the season doesnt conclude this year, but I decided to make an exception since the show started so strong. Many people were hyping this up as the next big shonen, and they were right. Mappa really went balls to the wall with this show and I’m pretty hype for what happens this cour. 

2. Akudama Drive

Synopsis: The bustling metropolis of Kansai, where cybernetic screens litter the neon landscape, may seem like a technological utopia at first glance. But in the dark alleys around the brightly-lit buildings, an unforgiving criminal underbelly still exists in the form of fugitives known as "Akudama." No stranger to these individuals, Kansai police begin the countdown to the public execution of an infamous Akudama "Cutthroat," guilty of killing 999 people. However, a mysterious message is sent to several elite Akudama, enlisting them to free Cutthroat for a substantial amount of money. An invisible hand seeks to gather these dangerous personas in one place, ensuring that the execution is well underway to becoming a full-blown bloodbath.  

Thoughts: Want to know what it would be like if Quentin Tarantino made an anime? Well here you go. An adrenaline filled rollercoaster ride from start to finish with a crazy cast of characters and even crazier visuals. There’s even a bit of social commentary in there if you squint. 

1. Oregairu Climax

Synopsis: Resolved to become a more independent person, Yukino Yukinoshita decides to smoothen things out with her parents, and the first step toward achieving that goal is to prove herself. As graduation draws closer for the third-year students, Iroha Isshiki—the president of the student council—requests a graduation prom in collaboration with the Volunteer Service Club. Yukino accepts this request of her own volition, hoping to use it as a chance to demonstrate her self-reliance, but what lies ahead of her may prove to be a hard hurdle to cross.

At the same time, a chance for the Volunteer Service Club members to better understand each other presents itself. And thus, Hachiman Hikigaya's hectic and bittersweet high school life begins to draw to a close.

Thoughts: The gif says it all really. I could just leave that there and end this list on a somewhat high note, but I’ll explain it. 

Now objectively, there were better shows than this one (off the top of my head JJK comes to mind) but when you combine all three seasons there is no contest in my mind that Oregairu had one of the most perfect endings to a series I have ever seen. 

It was an ending 7 years in the making. The first season in 2013 was good, the second season two years later was even better, but Climax was Oregairu at is absolute best and that goes beyond the story and characters. A lot of praise also has to go to Studio feel., who took over animation duties from Brain’s Base in season 2. While BB’s animation was much more accurate to the LN, feel’s more realistic designs fit the more mature direction the story was starting to go, giving the anime some of its best moments. 

Watching Hachiman, Yukino, and Yui grow and change from naive teenagers to somewhat understood young adults was amazing and sometimes heartbreaking to watch. Hachiman’s search to find something “genuine”, Yukino’s desire to be independent, and Yui struggling with her feelings of love and friendship all clash and compliment in very interesting ways that makes these three characters even more relatable than they were before. 

Lots of long running series don’t stick to landing, but in my eyes Oregairu stuck it perfectly. That’s why its my favorite anime of 2020.

Here’s to 2021. 

[wizisbored]

so beej is a wild dragon who will be captured and boarded... who is paying for him to be kept and looked after? after being wild do you see him being able to settle down as a pet, and would anyone even want him?

ok first off this doesnt answer the question at all and is not directed at you specifically anon but i just want to make sure i have definately clarified that while i have probably called beetlejuice wild at some point and will continue to call him wild he technically isnt, technically he is a stray. he was born a stray, but hes a dormestic (and probably also invasive) species. i just want to make sure its clear that this isnt an exotic pet scenario, this is more akin to a feral dog or cat.

anyway, that establised, he's the maitlands'! he's actually technically kinda theirs even before he's caught, they were feeding him and lydia and named him lawrence, and as soon as the effort to catch him starts they assume responsibility for him as they're somewhat attatched. he's kept at the same community stables that charles keeps lydia, but it's the maitlands looking after him, with some help from more experienced stable users. charles offers to help them out financially with his upkeep (im not going to pretend i know enough about economics and such to say how much money any of these people have but im pretty sure hes more well off? regardless its my au i can bullshit this stuff) as a thank you, since theyre pretty much the reason lydia was returned to him, and that kinda evolves into them being involved with lydia's upkeep, but thats a different topic.

and as for him settling down, im really not sure? like i know he warms up to the maitlands eventually but im not certain he could really settle. honestly, i have no fucking clue where this au goes past a certain point, and that point in terms of beetlejuice is him starting to trust humans and seek out attention from the maitlands (once he admits that being petted is good theres no stopping him)

[courtofcravings]

Another you (1)

Context: In which you get stuck on a planet and have to save kirk, whichhe admits feelings for you and ya both land in the Med Bay.

Warning: Some blood, needles, minor injuries. mild choking

Feb 2nd/21

I always find it funny that my go-to thing is to have the reader afraid of needles, but I myself am actually trained to give vaccines and take blood.

This was also my first Kirk x reader in a long time// It’s hard to write flirty confident characters because it is the exact opposite of who I am, yet it’s the personality i love in my men and women so xoxo

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

Dr. McCoy was again trying to coerce you down to the Med Bay; he really thought offering to get the Captain involved would change anything. “I’m telling you right now, Y/N, you can’t go on your away mission without your immunizations for this planet. Have you have heard of the Quazulu VIII Virus, no? That’s because there is a vaccine for it!”  

“Dr. McCoy, It will be a quick up and down to the planet to grab some specimens; I won’t stay for diplomatic reasons like the rest of the party is.” You justified to him. You had almost finished packing everything you needed from the research ward before your ship’s chief medical examiner ambushed you.

“As a scientist, I’d figure you would be one of the most appreciative of vaccines.” He replied, helping you collect tubes from the drawer beside him. “Ah contrary, as a scientist, I am well aware of how dirty hospitals and MedBays are.” The doctors face contorted,

“You do realize you are going on an away mission, on a un sterile planet. There is a risk of injury; are you just not going to receive first aid if something goes wrong on the planet?” He’s not wrong, and you knew it. You just hated needles. They grossed you out.

“I won’t get hurt then,” You confidently stated, which earned a scoff from the young doctor.

“What if I bring the vaccines to your research lab? And gave them to you here?” You admitted that wasn’t a bad compromise. The Med Bay gave you more of a bad feeling than needles do. You always found that most people you had to bring to the Medbay or hospital didn’t always come out. You just couldn’t shake the feeling of dread when you go in.

“Fine.”

“You remind me so much of Jim.” He said while pulling out the vaccines. He had the vaccines here!? He already knew I wouldn’t agree to go to the Med Bay and thought ahead. You really have left an impression on the doctor.

“Who? And you really knew I’d say yes?” Referring to the cooler filled with the vaccinations. “Ah, you see, they are not just for you,” He said. Taking one of the two doses you needed into one of his hands and pinch “Done.”

Oh, that wasn’t horrible.

The doors swooshed opened behind you, but you couldn’t open your eyes, knowing there was another needle coming. “Bones, you called me here?” Immediately recognizing that voice as Captain Kirk

“You Actually Told The Captain On Me!?” You stood up to look accusingly at Dr. McCoy. He only shrugged his shoulders, looking between the two of you. “You need to get your inoculations, Jim; why don’t you explain to Y/N here how important it is to get them before an away trip,” He said while getting another dose ready. “You do have a lot of experience of finding out the hard way.”

You met the captain’s eyes, so blue. “Captain,” You correctly addressed him, “Y/N, will you be coming tonight?” He asked, his voice so alluring. 

“I will, sir,” He smiled at you, taking a seat. “So, Bones here is giving you trouble?” He grabbed your backpack, taking a glance inside at what you were going to bring. It reminded you of a kid who couldn’t sit still.

“Bones?”

“Do not call me that,” Dr. McCoy said fast. pinch “Ouch, I wasn’t ready for that one!” You growled, rubbing your arm, earning a small laugh from the captain sitting across from you. You watched Dr. McCoy draw up his last dose for you and started to feel sick to your stomach.

“Captain, I believe you were explaining to Y/N how important the vaccines are,” He asked the Captain. Funny, it’s not often that Dr. McCoy will address the Captain formally like that. You think Captain Kirk noticed as well as he looked caught off guard.

“Well, as your Captain, I have to inform you that it is mandatory, and Starfleet regulations to get your vaccines before the away mission. Otherwise, you can compromise the health of my crew,” He said professionally. Looking at bones with a thumbs up.

You couldn’t help but get distracted by his deep blue eyes while he talked more about it. You were not really paying much attention to his words. “All done,” Dr. McCoy said, cleaning up his tray of discarded utensils. You were so distracted by the captain you didn’t feel that last pinch.

You pulled your blue shirt back down to entirely go over your arm, “Well, if that is everything, I should be preparing for the away mission,” The captain said, dismissing himself.

“No, No, No, Jim.” Dr. McCoy stood up fast, grabbing the Captain by his arm before he could get out of his chair. “You just lectured Y/N on the importance of inoculations; I do believe it is your turn,” You figured that was why the doctor brought those extra doses. This was his plan all along.

“For the well being of the crew and all,” You spoke up, paraphrasing his own words. Dr. McCoy let out an agreeable laugh, while the captain just sat there, defeated.

“Alright, alright, just make it fast,” The captain lifted his shirt enough to sneak his left arm out. Your first instinct, of course, was to look around the room at literally anything else.

“I was just telling Y/N how alike you both are; I mean, she’s basically another you,” Dr. McCoy said. You couldn’t help but scoff at this, you and the captain having something in common? Sure, but you being basically like him? Definitely not.

“What gave it away? Was it the height? We are pretty close in height,” The captain responded, a playful smile on his handsome face.

“Maybe, It is our common interest in specialties on the ship? You know, being captain and being a biomedical engineer are very similar jobs.” You asked, teasing the doctor. He only responded with a sigh and poked the Captain with the needle, making him jolt.

“You know Y/N; I think he might be right. I am certain he was referring to our matching taste in clothing.” The Starfleet uniform being all match except for the colours. Where scientists wore grey or blue, the captains wore gold. Gold was definitely his colour.

“Nope, he is definitely talking about our boobs; they are just so alike,” You said, a giggle ripped from the captain, making him move back slightly.

“Dammit, Jim, stay still.” He said, giving the last dose to the Captain, then turning back to look at you, “You know you’re both just proving my point,”

“Well, then that’s just double the fun for you, Bones,” The captain said. He was taking his leave before the Doctor comes up with more to poke him with. After two years on this ship, bugging Dr. McCoy never got old.

“I couldn’t imagine being stuck on an away trip with the two of you,” Dr. McCoy said while grabbing his bag. “Hey, Bones, that’s kinda hurtful,” You responded, using the nickname the Captain used with him.

“Dammit, Jim,” Bones muttered under his breath, leaving to go track down more officers before the away trip.

-----

The trip mission for you was supposed to be simple: collect some plant samples with specific regenerative properties. This would help in your designs of tissue regeneration equipment you worked on in the lab aboard the enterprise with Dr. McCoy.

Unfortunately for you, It seemed something went wrong, you’re assuming with the diplomatic party that came down with you. You only took fifth-teen minutes to gather enough samples to fill your small bag, but when you used your comm to contact the ship, no one responded.

As a matter-of-fact, no one on the mission on the planet was answering either. You hoped they hadn’t forgotten you on this planet and left, unlikely, but still a thought. You didn’t remember where exactly the other group got transported to, and it was still a debate whether you should leave the last known location they had of you, but it was getting dark.

You needed shelter and possibly a fire. It was far too cold on this planet for you to stay extended out in the elements. So you started walking, with no means to defend yourself and no map of the jungle-like terrain. You couldn’t help but think bones may have been right about laughing at you confidently declaring nothing will go wrong.

“Y/N to enterprise,” You repeated every few seconds, waiting for any response as you trudged through the thicker bushes. Soon it was dark and cold. You could barely see anything, and it was getting too dangerous to walk around.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw the faintest light. Maybe it was your crew? You thought about following it, but you also thought of that fish that used a light on its head to lure its prey back on earth. Maybe you are about to be angler fish food; You don’t think they make vaccines to prevent that.

Maybe it is called “not being stupid and walking toward the scary lingering light.”

But where else was there to go. So, against your better instinct, you started walking towards it. Although, the closer you got, you figured out it was a fire and not some carnivorous fish. Picking up the speed and getting closer, you could clearly hear voices. Thank goodness

You have always been told you had two left feet for a reason, so of course, before you could enter the camp, you tripped and ate dirt. Getting up on your knees, you backed up slowly. You seemed to have cut your arm open on something, possibly a branch, when you fell. Great, now you’d have to admit to bones he was right.

Captain Kirk and the rest of the diplomatic crew were tied up, surrounded by another species. It seemed someone- a woman was attempting to speak to them in their language.

They didn’t seem to be responding to her in the same kind tone. Every so often, she’d stop and talk to the captain, translating for him, you figured. Maybe some sort of negotiations or clearing up a misunderstanding, but it did not seem to be going in our favor.

You lowered yourself deeper in the bushes and looked around the camp. There didn’t seem to be any device blocking the signal you could spot, so why wouldn’t the comms work, you wondered. You did, however, find Starfleet-issued phasers, more phasers than you had men. You suppose this meant you guys were not the only Starfleet officers caught by this group.

You watched as the conversation turned sour, and one of the species took what looked like a long fork and put it through the captain’s leg. Yup, This is definitely not good. The same one who stabbed the captain untied the translator and the two other men, walking them out into the forest in the other direction, to where you had no idea. This left Captain Kirk alone, guarded by two others.

You ever so slowly made your way around the camp to the phasers, laying on a flat table with other confiscated items. Your arm was not letting up pain-wise or blood wise, but you knew it wouldn’t matter much if you couldn’t make it off the planet. Grabbing one phaser at a time, you managed four.

Although taking a look at them, you realized you were way in way over your head. Too far in over your head. Getting stranded on a planet with a lacerated arm was fine; watching your crewmates get tied up and minorly stabbed was fine because you could have helped. There was a solution in sight, but now?

Looking down at the phaser, you had no recognition on how to use it; you were now too far in over your head. Starfleet trained you on a basic low power phaser; the highest setting was three. This phaser had so many buttons, far too many than necessary, you thought.

Taking a deep breath, you put two phasers in your bag and slowly made your way behind to where Captain Kirk was tied up and bleeding. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to untie the Captain, you watched the two guards pace around the camp, talking. You needed a distraction, but what could you possibly do?

You snuck up to the Captain silently, but you knew there wasn’t enough time to do too much before they’d glance in your direction. Grabbing the Captain on the shoulder reassuringly, “Don’t make a sound,” The last thing you wanted was for him to be surprised by you sneaking upon him and startle the guards. “I have no idea how to use this, so I really hope you can move and are not completely out of it from blood loss!” You whispered urgently, putting a phaser in his still tied up hands.

“Y/N?” The captain whispered, “Don’t do anything stupid,” You loved his esteemed confidence in you.

“I don’t have enough time to finish untying this knot,” It was so close to coming undone, but you heard one of the guards pacing this way, so you left. You watched the captain look around, but you were hiding in the bushes already. He started to loosen his hands subtly.

Now time for your distraction. You walked around the campsite again, furthering yourself from the captain. “Hey!” You screamed at the guards, hopefully taking the guard’s attention of the captain. “Hey!” You shouted again at them, waving your arms in the air with one phaser in your hand. The guards started slowly approaching you; however, you hadn’t really thought this far.

“Okay, I know you can’t understand me,” You pointed the phaser directly at them, “But I know you understand this, and I...I don’t want to hurt you! So don’t come any farther!” You yelled pointlessly as they kept on approaching you, towering over you. Up close, in front of the light from their fire, you could clearly see their leathery skin, their large muscular frames, and very large weapons in hand.

“Hey, I mean it!” You said, waving the phaser at the one to your left. They were approaching faster with no sign of stopping until they were in front of you. One put their hands on your throat, your feet dangling in the air as he started to choke you. You knew they could crush your throat in a second if they chose to but instead decided to apply pressure slowly.

A loud sound echoed in your ears; It definitely belonged to a phaser. The guard let you go, both of you falling to the ground. And you couldn’t stop the intense coughing fit that erupted from you, your body trying to get as much air in as it could. Distantly you heard the second guard fall to the ground. A hand was on your back as you coughed, “Are you okay?” It was the captain.

After catching your breath, you stood up, looking at the captain. He was standing beside you, phaser in hand, with blood rushing down his leg. “You’re the one with the stab wound,” You responded hoarsely, slightly concerned. “This is nothing,” You reached under his arm so he could support his weight more onto you, “Let me help, sit down over here and let’s tie something around your leg,” He let his weight fall on you slightly. To be honest, you probably would not be able to carry all his weight, especially since your arm was starting to throb.

Sitting him down, you reached into your bag, looking for anything you could use as a makeshift tourniquet. Thankfully, you packed a mini first aid kit. Yes, it was extremely small, holding only a few items; you knew it had a small roll of gauze in it. He let out a laugh when he saw you pull out the little red box. “Laugh all you want, but this could potentially help save your life,” You said seriously.

“That’s not why I am laughing,” You looked up at him curiously, waiting for him to continue his explanation. “I’m sorry, but.” You wrapped a long strand of gauze around his leg, pulling and twisting, as you were taught. “I have this deep, stab wound, and you pull out the smallest first aid kit that I have ever seen in my life,” You took an alcohol swab and wiped his wound gently, cleaning it as well as you could.

“I find it extremely funny that when I looked into your bag this morning and saw it, I thought it was cute, you would bring it,” You looked around to see what dressing you had, not a lot. “I thought it was cute you’d bring a small little first aid kit when we have an on-hand medic come with us.” You ripped his pants just slightly so you start dressing it, “And now you are providing first aid to me with it, in the field, I don’t know I just find that funny” He finished looking down at what you were doing before deciding maybe watching isn’t the best idea.

“I don’t know if I should pack dressing around… this fork thing, or if I should take out the object and dress you properly.” You leaned back on your legs and looked up at him.

“Leaving it in would be safest because I can’t be sure if it hit an artery or not, and you’d bleed out.” You paused, letting him take in the information, “On the other side if I don’t take it out and we have to move fast, it could potentially do more damage.”

“Take it out; we need to get moving to find Uhura, Sulu, and Montgomery.” You were slightly nervous about doing this; killing your captain does not look good on a resume. You opened the dressing packages, ready to work fast. The tourniquet should have stopped any bleeding; you should be safe to pull it, you hoped.

And with one fluid motion and no warning for the Captain, you pulled it out, throwing it to the ground. You placed one hand on the wound to keep pressure and reached for the dressings. The groans of pain were agonizing to hear come from him; however, you knew you had to keep going and get the wound bandaged up. You had wished the small kit had medication or pain relievers of any kind to help him, something you’d need to remind yourself to add for next time.

“I am so sorry; I know that must have been pretty painful for you.” You said sincerely. It was over, but he was still breathing hard, reeling over the pain. He reached toward you, leaning forward, and rested his head on your shoulder. You put a hand on his head and brushed his hair with your fingers, staying like that for a few minutes, peacefully.

“Your arm, there is blood on the sleeve,” He said, grabbing your arm to inspect it; however, you pulled it away, “I scratched it on a branch, it hurts but it’s not bleeding anymore. Besides, I used all the dressing on you- being the more urgent injury.”

“We need to move; they might have heard me.” You helped him stand, and he continued to use you for support. “It’s so dark. I have no idea how or where we’d find everyone.” He reached into his pocket and grabbed a phaser, “They went to their nest. It should be north; there is a map of the terrain on the phaser we can follow,” And with that, he pressed a button of the phaser, which also turned on a flashlight. “Captain, do you think you are in any shape to fight? I was surprised you were able to stand up long enough to take down those two guards.”

“I am fine. I can fight, don’t worry about me.”

“Which, by the way, thank you for saving me back there,” You had never been that close to dying before. “Y/N, it is me who should be thanking you. Without you, I am fairly sure I would have bled to death tied up at that camp.”

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

Part 2

I enjoyed writing it so I hope yall liked it

[a3hihi]

sun’s up 🐚

one shot

mer!omi fushimi/reader

word count: 1863

also on AO3!

Summary: You came to the beach to study the ocean, but you didn’t expect to get to know the locals this closely. Much less a local who shows up only as you dip under the water to look at coral. Much less a local who has a shark’s tail and fins, scars running up his body, and a bright smile, and oh no he’s attractive why is this happening to me.

———

“I think it’d be nice to hold you,” Omi chuckles. He pretends to not notice the blush blooming on your cheeks.

“Uh, sure,” you mumble wittily, swaying your ankles in the water, “What makes you think that?” 

At dawn, the breeze is cool at the pier, but the wood under you is surprisingly warm. Luckily, you had your swimsuit on today, camera and notebook beside you to check on the sea life. As you stand up and reach for the ropes at your side, its bristles tickling your skin, you feel a strong hand close around your forearm.

“It’s alright, I’ve got you.”

Warm honey-toned eyes smile up at you, and you find yourself wanting to pass out right then and there.

“Easy does it.”

Omi helps you step down into the sea with him until you finally plop into his arms.  You don’t know how to fall into the water with grace, exactly, but the merman seems to pay it no mind. To your relief, he laughs a little, eyes crinkled up in what you hope is delight.

As Omi keeps you in a firm hold, arms around your waist, you’re dangling in the water, motionless as the currents brush past your legs.

“You’re so cute,” he says, laughing quietly as your hands settle on his broad shoulders. Your mouth presses into a thin, wobbly line. There’s no way he’d say that unless you’d been seeing each other for a while, and you feel yourself blush harder.

“You haven’t answered my question,” you murmur, trying to avoid his gaze. To your horror, Omi softly cups your face and turns it to look at him.

It looks like he’s smiling to himself. You assume he is, because sharp teeth glint under his lips as he holds you close.

“I mean,” he starts, curiously bashful as he hoists you up so you’re face to face (earning an “oop!” from you). “Holding you just feels fun. I like it.”

“I don’t know how to process that, Omi.” 

You came to the beach to study the ocean, but you didn’t expect to get to know the locals this closely. Much less a local who shows up only as you dip under the water to look at coral. Much less a local who has a shark’s tail and fins, scars running up his body, and a bright smile, and oh no he’s attractive why is this happening to me.

Needless to say, you’re not too sure how merfolk show affection.

“Aww, come on. Trust me a little bit?” Omi teases. 

He takes a moment, working up the confidence to nuzzle your collar. 

“I like having you close like this. I know you’re safe that way, you know?”

“Point taken,” you nod, “it’s calming.”

“Besides, it’ll help you study.”

“More like the opposite.” You’re about to laugh, but Omi takes your hand and presses his lips to it and now you want to burst. Looking up at him means seeing his torso, too, and that doesn’t help at all.

“Ah… we need to get you a shirt.” You mumble, hiding your face in his neck. 

You feel his chest rumble to match his laugh. 

“Yeah? What’s a shirt?”

Omi knows exactly what a shirt is.

You lightly smack his chest. His laugh bubbles out even more, even louder, making you laugh brightly in return.

“Omi, seriously.” You try to rasp something out while you catch your breath. Concern flits in his eyes as he peers at you, lifting you slightly above the water.  

“I’m not drowning. It’s okay.” You pat his shoulder, your other hand resting on his cheek. The last thing you want right now is to startle him.

Waves lap at your legs as he melts into your touch. You’re glad he’s reassured, swiping your thumb at the scar on his chin. 

The both of you settle there for a while, warming water curling around you.

“Sun’s up.”

As you get out of your daze, Omi beams at you, how you look in the light. 

He’s not sure how humans react to seawater, but you mentioned something about skin wrinkling. He guesses you needed this special type of clothing to stay with him for longer, and he blushes at the thought. You also needed this weird ointment— sunscreen, he thinks you called it— that wasn’t too different from the lotions some of his fellow merfolk would use to stay smooth and avoid burning. He winces at the thought.  

Omi never really paid attention to skincare and all, so he should probably take a page out of your book for this one. He tries not to smile, remembering how you’d remind him to take care of himself, marvelling at the scars he’d try to hide sometimes. It’s not like he could— at that point, after all he’d done, the lighter colored lines curved all around his body. And even if he thought his hands were too rough, you’d take them in yours, run your thumb across his knuckles.

Ultimately, he remembers the shock in your eyes, seeing him underwater. It’s not his first time seeing people from other than his species, but it was most probably yours— judging by how you spluttered and how he had to rescue you from sinking.

By the time you recovered on the shore, you had to let the truth about mermaids’ existence sink in, pun intended. The one in front of you was wide-eyed, not used to seeing a human up close— at least a human he wasn’t picking a fight with, which you would later learn was an old hobby of his. (Oops.) 

You even remembered explaining what “research” was to him, watching his eyes widen as you asked to touch his tail, pointing out how much he could help with that. Obviously, you wouldn’t let any harm come to this new friend of yours, and you assured him that your crew wouldn’t either. You vibrated with excitement at how a fairytale creature was living and breathing right in front of you (and was really cute, but you wouldn’t tell him that just yet). 

It was during that time of silent study that he tried hiding a cough, clutching his side, and you realized it was your turn to take care of your rescuer. 

As the sand warmed beneath you both, you found yourselves meeting almost every day at the same spot. What started as introductions to each other’s worlds led to you learning about each other as people. Question and answer sessions turned into showing him human books and hearing his stories. If your third time washing your picnic mat was any indication, spending time there was suddenly a relief. At the same time, Omi’s friends teased his visiting the surface more often, packing shells he hoped were “someone’s favorite.”

That wasn’t his favorite part, though.

An especially bright ray of sunlight glares at you and you swat at the air, squirming.

Omi chuckles, and you hum in interest. 

“What’s so funny, mister?” 

He smiles down at you, raising a hand from carrying you to cup your cheek again. “Like I said, you’re really cute.”

The look on your face must also be funny to him, because his smile is wide, fully proud of what’s glinting under his lips. He murmurs your name, “I’m serious!”

“Ah, uh, thank you,” you sputter, feeling warmth in your cheeks and seeing him trying to stifle a laugh.

Being like this in his arms is convenient for him, apparently— he uses the opportunity to gather you in a tight embrace.

“This isn’t too tight, right?” You wrap your arms further around his neck, waving your head in a quiet no. At the warmth of his hug, you definitely needed the support.

“You too.”

“Huh?”

“I mean! You’re cute too!” You squeak, looking up at him. Big mistake— Omi softly presses his forehead on yours, nose almost bumping yours before he pulls away.

“Thank you.”

A beat passes, and you hear the ocean all over again.

“My favorite part was confessing, you know.”

It takes some time for you to close your mouth. “What?”

“Telling you I liked you. A lot. That was my favorite part of meeting you.” He shakes his head. “You’re my favorite human.”

You really wish you don’t look like a blown-up puffer fish right now. 

“Itwasmyfavoriteparttoo!”

You snap your lips closed, and you frown at Omi’s easy, amused grin. 

“Come again?”

“I liked it too! I couldn’t stop thinking about it!” You sound like you’re arguing, proving some point in a debate, and your voice shakes with laughter at that.

“Also thank you for holding me!” you yelp, and Omi gives his most recent smile for that morning. You hope you get to see it more from now on.

“Wouldn’t want you slipping.”

The fins in place of his ears flutter a bit. You’re about to ask what’s wrong but notice the warmth rising to the tan of his cheeks. Add flustering a merman to your list of achievements.

You feel yourself moving with him, realizing he’s gliding to the side. The tail under him shifts in the water as he plants you on a nearby rock. 

“There’s a merman like me who sells potions nearby.”

You tilt your head, wondering where this was going.

“I think he can give me legs for a bit. Harmless, I swear,” he holds his hands up as you begin to protest.

“Gaining legs was never really a problem for us, I promise.” “I guess the stories I’ve heard weren’t the most accurate,” you say.

“That’s why you’re the scientist.”

The water is pleasant against your leg, cooling as it hits the rocks crusted with shells beneath you. Omi hoists himself up next to you, elbow bumping yours. The sea has his hair hang damp against his forehead, dark brown under the sun.

“Why are you doing this?” you whisper, voice fond like the crabs around you are listening in. “Is there no potion I can take? How do you know it’s safe?”

“Not that I’ve heard of.” He shrugs.

“Again, trust me a little.” There’s a glint of mischief in his eyes, and you squint. “Some of us already work on the shore, if I’m being honest.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No, I’m not.”

Omi snickers as you gawk at him. Merfolk walking on legs, on land, crossing paths with unsuspecting people. At this rate, they could even be at the aquarium or in your crew.

“I’m not surprised,” you tease, crossing your arms. “One of my coworkers is suspiciously good at swimming.”

“Uh huh.”

Omi waves his tail in the water, pointed fin stirring up invisible lines around smaller fish. “I want to see you more.” 

You scratch your nape. “I’ve always wanted to show you around the boardwalk. I think actually talking to people is a nice change of pace. You’d like the crafts they make up here,” you say, remembering the objects he’s tinkered around with underwater. He deserved better equipment.

“It’s a date.” He smiles. 

You find yourself smiling back this time. “I’d like a date.” 

You peck Omi’s cheek, and both of you feel the sun reach its peak.

[my-writings-and-musings]

Here's my latest commission from another wonderful and amazing person! A human reader is secretly a pyrokinetic, but an attack on Rodimus forces them to reveal their powers, and the more they unleash the more their appearance changes...

Warning for some violence and angst!

In the back of your mind, your relationship with Rodimus had been oddly perfect and ironic in ways you'd never dare tell him. The Autobot's love of heat had extended well beyond a simple temperature preference; he had a power over fire you'd never seen the likes of before. Even his own species didn't seem to understand how naturally he wielded flames for combat, nor how he possessed such an incredible resilience to temperatures that would have been painful for most. For his part, the cocky captain took the peculiarity in stride, emblazoning himself with fiery motifs and embracing his nature using an adorable mixture of puns and catchphrases.

It was something you loved about him, and while it perhaps explained some of his adoration of the seemingly unremarkable human that had plopped into his life, it also made you a little wary for his sake. If he only knew how attuned with fire you really were...

The thought of him discovering your greatest secret was a daily intrusion, but for today, you decided that it could go on the back burner. The Lost Light would be docking on a planet safe for humans, and you wanted to enjoy the time off to the fullest of your ability. No worries, no paranoia, no thoughts of past rejection... just you and Rodimus exploring a vibrant alien city together. It was going to be perfect.

"Got your debit chip, Y/N? I'm planning on doing a lot of shopping, and I don't want you to feel left out!" Rodimus said, exuberant even by his own standards as he stepped out onto the landing pad. Giggling as you kept your balance on his shoulder, you let the warm light of a foreign star cascade over your body with a sigh, the sight of a bustling alien port making your heart accelerate in your chest. All around you were races from a hundred different worlds, selling their wares and taking rest stops to relax during long intergalactic trips, and the flurry of sounds and sights and smells was intoxicating. You almost forgot to confirm the device Rodimus mentioned was indeed secure around your neck in a makeshift necklace.

"Got it right here! Show me where we should start, Captain!" You held the tiny black square in between your fingers, unable to imagine something so small holding so much value. Evidently it was the spacer equivalent of a debit card, as the name implied, and after a purchase it would simply be scanned and the necessary amount deducted from your account. Its simplicity was almost as hard to grasp as the fact you'd been gifted a ludicrous amount of money for this trip by Drift. In his own words, the ninjabot had told you to spend it on having a fun day with his best friend. The kindness of the entire crew was still so foreign to you...

"Let's check out the surf shop! My last board melted on an especially high power asteroid, so I need a new one." Rodimus said cheerfully, hefting you a little higher so you were right beside his helm. As a somewhat taller than average individual from a naturally towering species, he had an ideal view over everything in sight, resulting in you having the same. Between the packed landing strip and the notion of a store that sold surfboards for space, you were a little too overwhelmed to speak. Rodimus had no such difficulty. "Oh, or if you're hungry, we could check out an interspecies cafe! They've always got lots of earth food, even out here. Especially the extra spicy stuff you like so much."

For an instant, you were taken aback by his mention of your preference. Had he truly been paying so much attention he noticed such little details? On the one, more dominant hand, you were flattered. Rodimus had to care deeply to have noticed you preferred your food as hot and zesty as physically possible.

"I'm not hungry just yet, but thanks." you said in genuine gratitude, hiding some wariness that you desperately wished would go away. In the past your unnatural preferences had been the first clue most had to your "peculiarities", and it had never taken long from that point for things to come together in the worst possible way. Holding on tight to Rodimus for more than just balance, you quickly returned to the wonderful present, refusing to fall into the belief that the past would repeat itself. "I just want to start wherever you think is best. You're the experienced one, show me what's fun around here!"

"Well, if it's fun you want..." he said in a fake contemplative voice, having obviously had an idea he was preparing to spring on you. Taking long strides through the narrow path left by the many other denizens of the spaceport, he gave you an eager and barely restrained grin. Something almost like childish glee seemed to twinkle in his brilliant blue optics.

"There's a holo-suite lounge in some hole in the wall locale by the bay. I've heard nothing but good things about it, and it's all above board. Want to go on a vacation in a vacation?"

Thinking over your limited knowledge of the virtual reality establishments, you knew more than anything how your beloved bot adored the experience of risk free adventure they offered, finding it to be relaxing due to his day to day life. You were more than happy to let him show you one at long last, and chuckled happily as you leaned against his helm. "I'd love to, Captain."

"Yes! I have got to show you the coaster simulation, it's totally wild!" he said in victory, pumping his arms so suddenly you were nearly cast off his shoulders. Recovering quickly and catching you, he let out an abashed cough as he made sure to resettle your tiny form before proceeding far more carefully. In the moment it took you to realize the lack of leg room would make it rather hard for him to trek it anywhere in good time, Rodimus gestured to a narrow gap between skyscrapers. "We can cut through some alleys to get there faster. I plotted it out on the satellite map before we landed."

Though it didn't seem especially smart, there wasn't anything to suggest the move would be dangerous, as the planet had been cleared entirely as a secure zone. The few whisperings of anti-Cybertronian bias were too small for anyone to be worried, so you nodded your assent to use the shortcut. Careful to stick to the narrow walkways for beings of his size, Rodimus kept you secure with one hand as he hopped an underwhelming barrier to access the alleyway, chatting the whole time about all the possible simulations the two of you could try. He's talking so fast it's actually impossible to keep up as he walks between two superstructures and down the alleyway that feels more like a canyon. As the hubbub of the crowd fades to the gentler din of the machinery keeping the city going, it's easy to forget your surroundings entirely, all to allow the other's excitement to wash over you. You don't even notice how the alleyway has tiny side sections for maintenance and smaller species to traverse safely.

Until you see one pop out right in front of you.

Rodimus stops politely, assuming initially he's just met another traveler that he plans on letting pass so as not to be rude. But the alien doesn't move. Though you can't read their expression, the none too tiny organic immediately sets of your alarm bells, and a hot knot of anxiety twists in your stomach as you tense atop your partner's stiffening shoulders. As awkwardness morphs into tension, the Autobot speaks with an even and cool tone.

"There a problem here?"

An answer came not from the insect like being in front of you, but from another stepping out in the space behind, their clawed hands curled about a weapon of unknowable function.

"Typical tin man, cutting corners and plodding around like it owns the place." they said, rasping voice echoing through the translator in your ear. Before you could even guess what they meant by a phrase that was probably intended to be an insult, more began to slowly emerge from splintering alcoves and alleyways, and in moments the two of you were surrounded. Skillful as Rodimus was in a fight, there had to be enough firepower between them all to make this far from an easy win. As heat crackled instinctively to your palms, the Autobot remained calm.

"Look, if this is your filthy back alley, I'll happily leave you to it. I've got better places to be and far more attractive company to enjoy." he said glibly, making you want to kick him for not being diplomatic. For his sake he needed to be, and as for you, situations like this one had never gone well in the past... Your heart began hammering as the lead alien replied with what was likely a glare.

"Bit too late for that."

Like sharks, they began to close in on the much bigger bot. You wondered how things could have taken a turn so quickly. This was a reputable port on a stable planet, how could it be unsafe? Had the two of you not just been planning a day of fun? These aliens had to have been waiting to be this prepared, and as the next one spoke you started to understand.

"Should have stayed in your own corner of space, tin man. We're not gonna let your kind set up shop here."

"Last I checked, this was a bot friendly planet." Rodimus replied, still unnerved but tense as a rock beneath you. He was getting ready, you knew, but for what was anyone's guess. As you held onto him you prayed the plan was solid, because the heat in your body was starting to grow to levels he might notice, and that couldn't be allowed to continue. Hopefully his need to stall wouldn't last long...

The circling group, that you counted at twenty or more, took the bait. "For now, until the beauracracy gets its priorities straight. In the meantime, we're here to make sure you don't bring your trouble to our home, like your kind always does."

"Plus, can't hardly expect the authorities to prosecute what they don't know about, can you?" another said, now so close Rodimus could have kicked them. The hatred in their eyes was beyond you, and their words made the heat in your gut twist into nausea. "Your kind is easy to clean up afterwards; melt down what you can and sell it all offworld."

Rodimus, one hand still steadying you, tightened his grip possessively. Time felt like it was slowing down as you looked about madly for an exit, swearing that the enemy seemed to double every time you blinked. There had to be over twenty of them now, and the high but narrow space gave your partner little room to work with you in the mix, something he seemed well aware of as he next spoke. "What about the human? They're innocent in all this, and organic. Let them walk away."

"They chose the wrong side." the apparent leader clipped.

Bright blue optics looked to you, and a hushed voice whispered at impossible speed.

"Y/N, when I say now, be ready to tuck and roll and run. No looking back, understand?"

There was no time to say you agreed, let alone to argue.

"Now!" he shouted as a high energy weapon began to hum in preparation, followed by so many others. Before you knew it you were being moved in a wild blur. Rodimus made good on his plan, moving as precisely as he could with your comparatively fragile body to toss you over the heads of the enemy. Using the reflexes you'd honed in his company, you did as you were bid more or less subconsciously, curling up and moving with the momentum so that your landing was less than disastrous.

"Rodimus!" you choked out upon catching your breath, turning to see the group advancing with their weapons glowing hot and ready.

I said run!" he shouted, not looking at you before taking care of the first row of attackers with a wide arcing kick. More seemed to be emerging every second, but the Autobot only looked concerned for you as he swiped away another batch. "Get the others! I can hold them off until-!"

With a screech, the first weapon fired, but there was no energy beam or bullet. Instead, Rodimus was ensnared in a tangled mess of high voltage cords, their arcing metallic webs circling his upper body like a snake. Crackling electricity seared across him in a blinding burst, and he was on his knees in moments, crying out at the agony that left him helpless. In rapid succession several more shots were fired. The Autobot was left to scream on his hands and knees, the electronic pulse weaponry having been specifically designed to cripple Cybertronians in seconds and kill them in minutes.

You knew he wouldn't last long enough for you to get help.

In last ditch desperation, you grabbed the cord on your neck and pulled, snapping it so the microchip in your palm could be held aloft. "Please! I have a debit chip worth thousands! Just take it and leave him alone!"

"Just something else to make this more worth our while." the alien you'd begged to sneered, giving you a kick straight to the gut with a deceptively powerful leg. The wind was knocked from your lungs, and you were left trembling on the ground. Vision spinning, you caught sight of Rodimus barely clinging to consciousness, his flaring optics pleading for you to run. Clawed hands had a hold of your arms before you could attempt to fight back, and the leader gave a casual order as they continued to fire pulse after pulse through the metallic web. "Grab the sympathizer; we'll take care of them after this one's fried."

It was clear that survival hinged on the unthinkable. Heat in your gut became molten as you summoned what you knew was your only hope, the air about you filling with the scent of smoke as you looked up Rodimus one final time as his partner. You'd always hoped it would never come to this, but fate, it seemed, was determined to be unkind.

"I'm sorry..."

The aliens on either side of you yelped and released their hold on your arms as the skin went from hot to searing, their confusion turning to fear as the heat only continued to intensify. Your clothes singed and the air thickened, and while it only took moments, the remaining attackers became aware of the change far too late. Shouts of alarm didn't register amongst the crackling sparks that started dancing up and down your body. It had been very long since you'd used these gifts, but you knew the steps far too well to ever forget.

A jet of flame erupted from your palms with the force of a rocket leaving the earth, blasting back numerous aliens from the sheer power. You heard screams but they hardly dissuaded you, as they'd all more than earned what was coming. The heat began to reach levels high enough to clear the air of any moisture, making those still alive after the first blast cough and struggle to breathe, all the while rendering them incapable of fleeing.

You should have just ended it there; cut the flames and told the survivors to get lost, but you weren't done. It felt far too good for you to stop.

A literal ring of fire encircled the gathered aliens, trapping them all in with you as they tossed aside their white hot weapons and tried to find a way out. Rodimus was immune even to the extreme heat, but dazed enough from his shock not to truly be conscious. You stepped over to him as the fire danced at the command of your fingertips. After the fear of the ambush, the choking heat and crackling flames felt like a breath of fresh air. You were at home in the inferno.

Hearing a scream, you realized rather quickly that payback was still due. Smiling softly, you beckoned the fire to move, controlling it with mere gestures and the simplest of thoughts. It danced like a snake would for a master charmer, coiling about the enemy and suffocating them. You were far too busy indulging yourself to notice how the waves of heat washed over your skin, particularly how the flesh hardened and patterns began to emerge like the scales of an otherworldly being. Similiarly, the sharpening of your teeth and the rise of claws from your fingertips drew no trace of concern. All that mattered was how good it felt to make your attackers pay.

There were more than enough of them for you to take your time, and so you did, keeping them corralled in the fire as you picked them off one by one. Had they expected anything like this when they'd made you a target? Had they prepared for the possibility that not everyone would just lie down and die? Had they even bothered to consider the Autobot wasn't the most dangerous being here?

As one body crumbled to ash, you got your answer in a way that made you smirk; clearly they hadn't.

As you began to run low on targets, it occurred to you that keeping up your wall of fire might draw unnecessary attention. Frowning around canines you realized had developed a lovely point, you decided to finish the fun. Clawed fingertips snapped together to command the flames to converge, and they did so in a heartbeat, jumping upon the survivors like rabid dogs on a meal. You barely registered a scream before ash and cinders began drifting past on a hot breeze. With another smile, you recalled their comment on crimes going unpunished when they were properly cleaned up. Dismissing the fire with a wave of your hand, you thought smugly on how these piles of soot would hardly suggest what had happened here.

Rodimus stirred from his daze, groaning in discomfort and shifting beneath the web of deactivated electric pulsers. Frowning at the sight, you summoned a thin jet of fire from your fingertips and got to work. The metal coils turned to red slag with very little effort, which melted down the heat resistant bot's body like wax before dripping to the ground around him. In no time you had him free, and while the flames actually seemed to perk him up a bit, the Autobot was clearly not in a good way. When he failed to awaken after you said his name your confidence started to dissipate. Heart hammering once more, you dropped to your knees beside his helm, hoping to wake him with some gentle encouragement to get him moving.

It was when you laid your hands on his helm that your thoughts shifted to horror, but not for his sake. The normal human hands you had once possessed were now tipped with wicked claws, and as your eyes trailed upwards you saw that your skin was patterned with scales of an equally inhuman nature. Sharp fangs registered with proper horror in your mouth now that the adrenaline of the moment was gone, and you realized that unlike every single time before, you weren't turning back to normal. You must have gone too far this time... How could you not have, killing dozens of people, as desperate as the situation may have been? You had liked it too, and even now you couldn't bring yourself to regret what you'd done...

"Y/N?" a raspy voice spoke up, startling you with good enough news that you momentarily forgot your panic. Rodimus stirred more effectively, groaning in pain but appearing otherwise stable as he lifted his helm off the ground and looked to you. His expression turned to fearful concern before you could speak. "Are you okay? What did they do to you?"

"I..." You didn't have the words. No doubt you were a horrifying sight, twisted as you were and smoking in your burnt clothes... It was a miracle he recognized you at all.

Rodimus narrowed his optics, perhaps thinking everything he'd seen was the result of processor trauma from his shock. "You burned them... I saw... but you don't have a weapon."

"I am the weapon." you blurted out, baring your fangs without meaning to. At his confusion, you tried to explain, a sinking feeling pulling you down as you did so. There was no way you could be with him like this... Appearance aside, you'd awoken a part of yourself you couldn't trust. Still, he deserved to know. "I never told you... I've always been able to do this, but could never go too far, unless..."

"You saved me." he whispered in awe, weak but insistent as he reached for you. On reflex, you pushed his hand away.

"I killed them. All of them. I finally lost control and now..."

Rodimus perked up a bit, looking desperate when your intent became clear to him. Even after a beating, he could read you well, and your decision to leave for his sake was clear in your face. "They were going to kill us both! You didn't do anything wrong-"

"Look at me!" you shouted back, curling clawed hands into fists as each grabbed at your head. You swore you felt newly erupted horns crowning your brows, and that discovery drew sizzling tears down your cheeks. "I burned them, and I liked it, and now I look like this! I'm a monster, and I'd do it again!"

"Y/N-"

Wiping away the wetness from your eyes, you stood up sharply, knowing he wouldn't accept what was best for him. "You can't be with me like this, Rodimus. I'm not even human..."

"I'm not either!" A gentle but insistent hand looped about your middle, turning you back around to look at him before he nearly collapsed from the effort of the movement. Wide blue optics pled to you as he did the same, baring his spark with every single word. "Please, Y/N, I know this is a lot for you but please... don't leave me... I can't lose you."

"Haven't you already?" you said bitterly, optimism nowhere to be found as you surveyed a clawed hand. Rodimus didn't flinch at the sight.

"You think a new look will scare me away? Plus, I'm fireproof, remember? You can't hurt me." he said with his best attempt at a winning smile in his current state. Losing it in an instant, he hugged you closer, optics betraying the depths of his pain and desperation as he did so. The Captain was holding on to you like a lifeline. "I need you, okay? Please, just give me a chance to work this out with you. I love you, no matter what."

It was the first time he'd told you that, but you knew he meant it. A softer heat, like a pleasant campfire, filled the space around your heart. Holding a digit of his in your hand, you gave a gentle squeeze. "I love you too..."

"So stay with me?" he said softly, pulling you in for something like a hug. Getting down on your knees, you cuddled close to his helm, a few stray tears dripping down onto his armor. Rodimus didn't even flinch as he whispered into your ear. "We'll figure this out. I don't care if this is the new normal, as long as you're with me."

"Okay..." you replied, nodding as you recalled the thoughts of irony you'd had just that morning. How perfect he was for you, a fireproof being so enamored he didn't see what a risk you were to everything... But if he was willing to try? Well, you couldn't deny how much you wanted this to work either... Holding him tight, you replied with the best promise you could give at the moment, but like him you meant it.

"We can try..."

Like this? You can commission me for a story of your own here!