#i never thought to wonder why it took my dad years to become a naturalized citizen

[fluffypotatey]

My fellow zillennial. It's come to my attention that Gen Alpha is apparently making aesthetic tiktoks romanticizing 2020, like they want to be a teenager during that time??? Like no? You don't? I can't even begin to start breaking down how bad that year was in every category. McDonalds apparently now has "standards" yet another rubbish thing to add to the "college degrees make you overqualified with zero experience sorry you can't get this entry job" bucket. And Lunchables news reporters are like 30 years too late to be writing an expose on the toxic levels of metal in that.

people were dying????? we were in a state of panic and isolation???? schools were struggling with the switch to online only classes????

do we all remember the BLM protests and the tips on how to keep your face hidden and how to stay safe from getting maced???? do we remember the pushback against it??? calling on botched stats???

do we even remember the fucking US election???? how heated it got???? how much distrust republicans tried to seed into mail-in ballots?????

and then literally January of 2021, the US legislative house gets stormed in, Texas has a freeze so bad our gridlock shuts down and PEOPLE DIED FROM THE COLD WHILE EVERYONE ELSE MOCKED US FOR FREEZING!!!

2020 was not a good year. it is the furthest from a a good year, but it sure as hell emphasized a motley of issues the world had going on (tho i’m more versed in the US issues bc i live there)

[cowboyjen68]

Hi Jen, sorry for dumping a big rant in your askbox but your blog has helped me figure out my identity and I don’t have anyone to talk to about this in real life lol. Feel free to delete if this is too weird.

So I’m a 17 y/o butch, and I have been masculine since I was a little kid. I always felt lucky to have a family that was generally okay with my gender nonconformity. They treated it like a cute quirk of mine, and I never felt like I was being judged or that I should change the way I am around them. My dad got a kick out of it. One summer he let me help him build the deck in our backyard. He always took me to baseball games, he dressed me up in his old clothes, basically treated me like I was his son and I loved it.

I feel like as I get older, my masculinity becomes less acceptable. I went to visit my paternal grandmother for the holidays, hadn’t seen her in a few years, and the first thing she said to me was “I thought you would’ve grown out of all that by now” (in reference to my haircut and outfit, I think.) I just don’t know how to react to the way my extended family treats me now. They used to be totally fine with it, but I spent my entire Christmas feeling like I was being judged for every little thing.

Like, what’s changed? Why is it cute and funny when a little girl wears boy’s clothes and wrestles with her cousins, but disgusting when I grow up and settle into my masculinity?

It’s like I’ve crossed the invisible line between being a tomboy and being a dyke, and now no one wants to entertain it anymore.

Again, sorry for the rant haha, I just feel like I’m going crazy because I tried to talk to my sister about it and she said she didn’t notice them acting any different, but I swear my aunt spent half of our Christmas dinner telling me how pretty I would be if I just wore a bit of makeup lmaoo. I’m just wondering if anyone else has experienced this, because I’m feeling pretty lost right now. Thanks, and happy holidays!

It is not weird at all. I hear that young lesbians, particularly butches, do not have older role models to bounce ideas off of or vent or get any perspective on certain experiences. Moms and Dads and straight sisters and cousins, no matter how well meaning, will just not always "get" what is happening. They say things like "we love you no matter what" and "we don't care if you are a lesbian" and they mean it, mostly. But they often don't see the subtle clues (or blatant ones)they toss around that indicates how uncomfortable they are with you being so visible, but just existing as you naturally are.

AND OH MY GOSH yes I have experienced exactly what you are talking about with the deepening judgement as you move from a cute little Tomboy to an adult butch women. It is almost like they hope to "catch it early" when we are in our teens and redirect us away from the "danger" of being a visible lesbian. And a woman who does not, in very overt ways, conform to their idea of how a woman should be and act.

My dad was relatively consistent in treating me pretty much like he would a son and, to his credit, he did so with my straight sister. We were allowed to do just about anything my older brothers did. In part because my sister was pretty strong willed but also a lot like him. I was less strong willed but she had mowed the path.

Mom was the one who was forever concerned about my looks and behavior, both out of worry I would not fit in, and because she had a certain expectation of how her daughter should grow up. Both normal Mom reactions. She understood bullies and knew that sticking out could be difficult. Her solution was not to strengthen my resilience but to attempt to "tone me down". Her efforts increased as I made the jump from kid to teen and into my late teens. She would discourage me from cutting my hair, becoming almost angry when I brought it up. She would tell me how lovely I was in dresses and skirts and say thing like " a little make up would be nice". It got really old. It lead to us not always getting along even though I loved and respected my mom. She was a great mom. But this one thing made us both crazy. She could not cool it and I could not change who I was.

Friends at school saw hints of my liking girls. I stopped wearing cowboy boots and my favorite horse buckle and it their place went with K Mart Tennis shoes and a generic belt that came with my pants, again, from Kmart. I put away the cowboy fringed shirts and flannel and went with simple jeans and sweatshirts, the acceptable attire for boys and girls in my rural high school. I kept my hair long to disguise my "looking like a boy" traits.

I (barf) agreed to date a boy and spent the better part of that time making excuses to not kiss him or spent time with him. I was starting to listen to mom and do my best to hide ME from the world. Anything (with in reason) to throw the world off the scent, the scent of me being a lesbian. Being butch made that one more step difficult.

It is hard to hide the space we take up naturally.

It might seem hard to see it now by your family is slightly well intentioned, knowing that being "seen" easily as a lesbian can be dangerous. But also, they are uncomfortable with your energy and physical presence because it does not coincide with their ideas of what a woman acts, feels and moves like. This is a THEM problem and I can give you words of comfort based on experience.

The more you begin to be you, and dress in what gives you comfort the more your confidence will grow and be evident. People who are emboldened to try and change you for their own comfort tend to back way off when there is no opening for their opinions. They just sort of realize they are wasting time. AND for those that don't, there are always a few, you don't have to give them any air or acknowledgement. You get to let them waste time and energy while you look great in whatever you wish to wear and however you wish to cut your hair. And in a wonderful turn around, you don't have to spend any effort just being you or trying to defend or correct them.

You are fast approaching adulthood and with that will come even more freedom and independence. Don't rush it but also, work towards that.

[miss-musings]

Evaluating the Bad Batch members by BoyDad vs. GirlDad-ness

Wanted to take a quick look at how well I think each Bad Batch brother would do as a BoyDad versus as a GirlDad. These are just my opinions. Feel free to share your own thoughts!

Hunter: 50-50

Obviously, he's Omega's dad, so he gets major GirlDad points there, but I could see him being just as good of a BoyDad. Like, if Omega had been a boy, he would've done just as good of a job, if not better.

He seemed to bond with the cadets well enough in 3.02 "Paths Unknown." Plus, he's probably the closest thing his brothers had to a dad for ... well, pretty much their whole lives. He probably felt like a dad trying to keep up with Wrecker's energy and pyromania, Crosshair's brooding and snarky attitude, and Tech's ... Tech-ness.

(EDIT: Also @lemariz reminded me that Hunter’s Dad Instincts kicked in pretty naturally when he was talking to Caleb in 1.01 “Aftermath.” I really think he would’ve done just as good of a job at being a BoyDad. And, again, he basically was for his brothers.)

I imagine that, post-finale, Hunter keeps a close eye on the cadets. Maybe he even becomes their de facto guardian too until they reach biological adulthood in a few years.

But, obviously, raising Omega would remain his priority.

Wrecker: 75% BoyDad, 25% GirlDad

I really think Wrecker would be a better BoyDad. Or at least, that he would take to being a BoyDad more naturally.

Not that he couldn't be a GirlDad, but like he does with Omega, I think he would be more comfortable doing more boy-coded or at least unisex-coded activities. He would definitely enjoy playing tag or any other games, doing other physical activities like swimming and building sandcastles, and generally just running around having fun.

I don't know how he would do with like, playing with dolls, dressing up, doing hair and/or nails, etc. I don't think he would be lacking in enthusiasm, but he would definitely be more comfortable playing rough-and-tumble games and whatnot.

I also wonder how he would handle Omega hitting puberty. Suddenly the kid he played with is gone, and now he's got this moody teenage girl to deal with. (I honestly don't think Omega would be that moody of a teenager, but I'm sure there would be some ups and downs the whole family would have to navigate.)

I honestly think post-finale Wrecker would spend a lot of time with the cadets while they're still "kids," and be a big brother/mentor to them as he is to Omega.

He seemed to bond with them very quickly in 3.02, and since Hunter and Crosshair will be focused on Omega, Wrecker might feel like he should take on the job of looking after the cadets. Maybe he would even become their de facto guardian, that way Hunter can spend more time with Omega.

Crosshair: 100% GirlDad

Let's be real, fam. Crosshair would not do well as a BoyDad.

He is 100% GirlDad material.

I'm sure that if Crosshair ever had a biological son or if he officially adopted a boy, that he would love him. But, I really can't see Crosshair throwing himself into the Star Wars equivalent of Hot Wheels or wrestling, the way he would absolutely throw himself into things like braiding Omega's hair or listening to the Star Wars equivalent of Taylor Swift with her.

Heck, even if Omega wasn't in the picture for some reason, I bet he'd do better at raising a biological daughter than a biological son. I don’t think he would take to being a BoyDad at all — like it definitely would not come naturally to him.

I really can't explain why, aside from telling you that Crosshair's personality and character arc remind me a lot of my own dad, who's 100% a GirlDad. I'm his only biological child, but judging by his relationships with my stepsiblings when we were all kids, my dad never really took up the BoyDad mantle for my stepbrother. He was 100% a GirlDad for me and, to a much smaller degree, my stepsister.

So, I imagine Crosshair would be the exact same way.

I'm sure post-finale Crosshair can tolerate spending time with the cadets. Heck, he might even like them in small doses. But, if Hunter ever asked him, "Would you rather spend the day with the cadets or Omega?", you know Crosshair would respond, "What kind of stupid question is that?"

Echo: 90% BoyMom, 10% GirlMom

Because the fandom has officially declared Echo a mom (lol), I'm saying Echo is a BoyMom by default.

The guy has spent 99% of his life dealing with his brothers' bullshit, saving their asses from danger and asking them if they packed a lunch before going off on dangerous missions.

I don't think he was a bad "mom" to Omega before he joined Rex's clone underground, but even post-finale, I can't really see him readily doing "girly" things with/for her the way I imagine Hunter and Crosshair would.

By the way, I think post-finale Echo would basically be Omega's "godmother." Someone who's like a parent, and can step into that role if needed, but who isn't around all the time. He's an extended family member by this point, but he would definitely be the first person the Batch would call if something happened.

Tech: ???

I honestly have no idea about Tech. He doesn't really strike me as either BoyDad or GirlDad material.

I always saw his relationship with Omega as an uncle-turned-big brother. He definitely cared about her, but he never really connected with her until 2.10 "The Crossing." After that, I think they were much closer, but they didn't get to develop that bond much more because he died shortly after. 🫠😭

I really see Tech as more of a teacher/professor than a parent. And if he was a professor, I have no doubt he could successfully teach students of any gender, or general demographic.

But, feel free to disagree with me. I like Tech, but there are plenty of fans who love him more than I do, and might have their own thoughts.

As I said: I welcome friendly debate and discussion on any or all of these points! 😇

[whatsaneggimcis]

Signs everything I thought I knew was wrong

I needed to dump my thoughts and feelings somewhere because I feel like im annoying my support group. I think my egg finally cracked Wednesday and immediately I had to start researching and buying gender affirming things. Anyways, here's my list of signs that I wish I had seen like a decade ago, please be kind I'm very new to opening up like this

Another Girl in elementary threatened me with makeup and cross dressing and I wanted it bad.

I think this one is such a major factor in why I feel like this has to be real. Its well before puberty and well before I knew transitioning was a thing. Just a natural thought for someone who’s the wrong gender

Multiple times pleading with god to just make me a girl

Still cis tho obv

Thinking if I held still for long enough in bed, some sort of magic would make me a girl and fix this wrong body of mine

I still remember the dreams where im a girl, i legit became proficient at lucid dreaming just for it.

Ah fuck the egg_irl memes are hitting too hard

My favorite game character is Bridget, listening back to the song is hitting really hard actually

Legit had an anxiety attack and took a day off work because my transfem friend said “careful, i said the same thing before i came out”

Wishing i had magic to turn myself into a girl

Playing female characters just to feel cute

Putting on leggings in highschool, then sleeping in them

Some female mannerisms

Kinda hating my poor skin but couldnt do anything about it since thats only for women am i right fellas

Mild euphoria when someone says good girl

Envisioning myself as the girl during fantasies

Jealousy over a womans body

Ive never seen any man sit cross legged at a table the way i do, idk why that one pops up but i’ve seen plenty of other girls do it

Desire to steal womans clothing to cross dress

At current moment I have no desire to bite my nails because I want them to grow out, even though I was a nail biter for 27 years

In pre school, tried to convince another girl to swap clothes with me

In pre school, loved pretending i was at a hair salon and the other girls in the school would give me a haircut. It gave me ASMR

Speaking of ASMR, I like exclusively listen to makeup, nail and hair roleplays

Feeling like i dont want to transition because I could be ugly

After realization, I dont have nearly as much of an appetite, maybe subconscious bodily sabotage in the form of overeating

Not seeing any future when I tried to plan my life better, before I ever considered the option of becoming trans

Feeling hurt when my dad made somewhat transphobic comments about my trans cousin

Wondering what my parents would do if i woke up one day as a woman and had to explain that to them

Genuine euphoria at the idea of trying on womens clothing, but thinking that i was weird and kinky

Playing with stuffed animals with my best childhood friend, a fellow girl

Hating my balls

I bet it feels good to cry, its probably cathartic

Hating body hair god i hate this so much, I’m just bad at shaving it and dont want to be covered in razor burns and have to explain to coworkers why I shaved my legs and arms

Hating my nose

Adopting a super masculine persona

Forcing myself to have a much deeper voice to not feel any of my true feelings

Actually seeing a future after considering becoming trans

Being hurt by transphobic comments at work before I realized my egg status

Was I sending what they said to my friend because i was hurt by it and wanted reassurance?

When i started drawing again, i had no desire to draw “cool badass epic shit” i just wanted to draw super cosy watercolor paintings.

God damn it i’ll say it, I fucking love pastels. Both the art medium and the color spectrum

Repression of my desire to dance and sing, or I guess express myself in any format due to internalized transphobia

“Mens fashion is so lame, girls have it so good. Im cis tho”

Pure depression my entire adult life

Wanting genuine friend connections with women in a more feminine way

Never caring about going out and buying clothes because none of them worked for me

Trying to force myself to not look at girls clothes because “thats only what weirdos do”

On this topic, how the fuck did i think this shit was normal… i wasnt watching women or anything, its not like i was being creepy in reality. I just wanted to see the womens clothes. Why is that such a bad thing for someone to want

Being jealous of my friend since he was openly wearing his girlfriend’s sweatshirt

Dude i stared longingly at a pink gamer girl chair, still cis tho

Speaking of gamers, being super jealous of C9 Sneaky that he could pass so well and was totally fine with showing that whole side of himself online. Same with Finnster.

I think i hate my voice, ever since realizing this about myself i cant help but hear my voice and think its not me

Being afraid to see a therapist because im not sure honestly

Fearing crying, but that might not be internalized transphobia and actually just be a side product of the vice grip on masculinity in society

Daydreaming about becoming a girl

General body dysmorphia

I want to cry but i cant, why cant I cry why

[airbendling]

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

My thoughts during and after the first two episodes.

Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers!

Disclaimer: This is unedited. The story is still unfolding and this is just my opinion as a long time fan, recently graduated film major, and a storyteller.

I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher

"Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood." AAAA A A AA AAAAAA. I am so hype for this.

"Hey fellas, wanna come hear about the imaginary things I see? Not a thing you want to be saying. To anyone."

The doodles in his notebook! So sweet. And he plays Mythomagic... I'm reeling. Can't wait to meet Nico though I know it's years away.

Percy's very quiet without his narration and such. Wish we had more of it throughout the episode.

His signature and it not fitting in the name box on his worksheet is a nice touch.

Percy owns this emoji 🤨

His friendship with Grover is everything. Swapping sandwich fixings without a second thought, the genuine smiles. I'm loving it.

That Ms. Dodds transformation was clean though I wish she was more threatening.

The insistence of the line "I didn't touch Nancy" caught me off guard. Simply, "I didn't push her." Would've sounded more natural.

Love the Jackson sass in Sally, but I'd prefer more from Gabe. He wasn't angry and irrational enough, not gross enough, he conceded to Sally too quickly. If This guy got turned to stone by the severed head of Medusa I'd just feel kinda bad for him.

I was really hoping for the "Not a scratch on this car, brain boy." and Percy's "Like I'd be the one driving 🙄"

The word vomit from Sally was a little much but Percy's Jesus line was gold.

"You are singular." Just kinda took me out of the moment. Odd wording in such an emotional beat.

I hear all my film professors screaming in my head. Why did Percy stop running when his Mom was fighting the Minotaur? He started, then just stood there and watched. Run, Percy, run!

This moment would have a lot more impact if he was running to her when she disappeared.

His battle with the Minotaur, the lack of music until he rips off the horn, well done. Very well done.

Stunning end credits art!

I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom

I'm so happy they're keeping the chapter titles for the episodes.

Okay why was the "You drool when you sleep" so ominous and random. Like it was filmed and edited as an afterthought just to check the "Iconic Line" box without understanding why it's iconic. It's funny cause he's thinking she's gonna say how cool he is or whatever. Then she says "You drool when you sleep." and runs off. Real 12-year-old energy there.

Grover's nervous energy I know and love. Aryan is killing it!

"I think my dad must be around here somewhere. I don't know how to ask for him. I don't even know his name. But I think I should see him, I think I really need that right now. Can you help me?" ...What is this?

Dionysus trying to trick him into thinking he's his father was funny but Percy actually believing it...? Would've loved that inner commentary in this moment.

The Camp Half-Blood grounds looks so barren and underdeveloped to me. The cabin area is wonderful though.

I was so scared that tree nymph with Grover was Thalia. I think this only character design I'm not a fan of so far. Her eyes felt uncanny and too human. Maybe a bit more color variation in her face bark(?) or some kind of framing, textural detail.

Yes! They're including weird demigod dreams!

I'm loving the portrayal of Luke by Charles Bushnell. He's caring, understanding, laidback. The masterful cold delivery of "Hermes is my father," but brushing it off like the Cool Guy he is, "But that doesn't matter, we're all on the same team here."

His arc is going to be devastating.

Oh and Percy's message to his mom, so happy to report he's actually making friends but he's talking about Luke and Chris Rodriguez.

Devastating.

Percy: Hey guys! Can't sleep huh?

This line and the cutaway was utter perfection.

ANNABETH!! !! !!!!!!! My beloved.

Never thought "Sunshine" would be a nickname for Percy Jackson.

Aww Annabeth fixing his crooked armor.

Great Capture the Flag battle scene! Dynamic and interesting. Nice fight choreography.

Percy: No maiming. That's like, the one rule?

Clarisse: Yeah I guess I'll lose dessert privileges for a while. 😌😁I'll live.

Loving it.

Luke's utter shock after Percy getting claimed. Ooohhohoooo.

The Poseidon cabin was a jumpscare. The outside is a little... on the nose. Like, make it look Greek, paint it blue, slap a Trident symbol on there, done. And all the hanging bones and stuff? I mean, sure, I guess. The cabins were so fun and unique in the books.

More "singular" usage by important characters. Is there a reason for this?

Amazing Dionysus casting. Truly.

Final thoughts...

Let's start with some positives.

The set design, production design, and costume design are remarkable. With a handful of exceptions, overall, it looks gorgeous, especially with the A+ cinematography and lighting. Gorgeous!!

The porch of the Big House with the stained glass was an phenomenal choice. I love it so much.

The action is well-paced and dynamic, keeping the fight scenes interesting and believable.

And the acting is wonderful despite the writing.

Oh, the writing... Yeah, I don't like it.

It doesn't do justice to the actors or the characters.

Walker is naturally funny. Watch him in anything, any interview ever. The kid played alongside Ryan Reynolds as a younger version of him. Dare I say he outshined Ryan himself in The Adam Project.

Percy narrated everything, for five whole books. And them some. We know this kid. He's funny. He's observant, sarcastic, imaginative, impulsive, a bit clueless, but sweet.

I think regular or even occassional voiceover commentary from Percy would be gamechanging. I mean that with my whole heart and soul. If I could change one thing about the whole series it would be this.

Walker could really shine but I feel like his dialogue is lacking. And sometimes just a bit odd. Like, who talks like that? (There's my professors again). Sounds kinda AI-generated to me. (not speculating, I think it's just bad writing.)

There was a lot of great lines, don't get me wrong. But I think overall, everyone's dialogue is coming up short. The PJO we know is clever and fun and I don't think it reflects that well at all.

Percy Jackson is one of the most popular series ever with a very distinct style that makes it stand out from other YA fiction stories. I feel like more could've been done to preserve those vibes and translate them to the screen.

Movie/show adaptations of books are often hit-or-misses. I think the PJ fandom has always been so passionate about getting it right is because of that distinct style.

Rick is there. They have a phenomenal cast. It's good, but it could have been extraordinary. It could have been groundbreaking. But they settled.

There were many, many moments I saw could have been instantly improved but the smallest change. But they settled.

All this to say... I'm disappointed, but I'm not surprised, and I'm not mad.

When the rest of the episodes come out, I think it'll come together to be a decent adaptation and a fun show. I'm staying positive.

[philleegirl]

For basically a full 24 hours I have been thinking about a post that talked about erasing Ace characters by saying they are focusing on other things in their life/story. I was slapped in the face. You see the thing is this was me and my thought process about myself for most of my life.

When I was in High School, I had a boyfriend I adored but whenever he wanted to go further I just felt I was too young. He never pushed, because he was a wonderful man and there were some other issues that made it safer not to. I loved cuddling with him, but just thought I wasn't ready.

In college, my family imploded due to the unexpected death of my dad, so I put all my focus on studying and keeping my family together. I broke up with the above boyfriend because he was talking about marriage and it freaked me out as I needed to "focus."

First job out of college, I had to focus on learning it and being good at it and getting promotions. I learned that good, deep, meaningful friendships were enough. Then one of those friends started giving me little kisses, which I enjoyed. Then he tried to put his hand up my skirt, which I didn't enjoyed. This happened two more times in my 20s and I was more prepared and went further. Both times I was confused as to why this really natural progression felt like assault. Both times I decided that it just wasn't "the right time or the right person or I wasn't right (too chubby to be/feel sexy)."

In my early 30s I was laid off and had the amazing opportunity to get my Master's for free! I had limited savings, but wanted to just focus on school. I took the max numbers of courses I could and TA'd for 2 department chairs and the Chancellor. No time for relationships, but again fell into deep, meaningful, almost romantic friendships. One of these friendships morphed and I thought, "Oh, it didn't work with men cause I am gay." Until I was laying on her bed being showered with attention and thinking about how much better the hike we took holding hands was than what was happening. Decided I was just too worried about money and finding a job to have a relationship.

Mid 30s, I was working on moving half a country away. Not a time to start a relationship.

Late 30s, had to learn the ins and outs of my new job and my new state. Not a time to start a relationship.

Early 40s, I am laying on a friend's bed talking. Our elderly parents are in the living room talking. We realise that for the last two years we have been in a pseudo relationship and it is the most stable relationship of either of our lives. We laughed. She said it was a shame we weren't lesbians. I laughed and explained asexuality and biromantic (I had finally figured myself out). She made a humming noise.

For nearly three years now, we have prioritised our Queer Platonic/Demiromantic Relationship. We are long distance but even during COVID made sure we spent time together at least every other month. We talk everyday and are completely honest with each other.

Nothing has changed in our outside lives. In fact our ageing parents make it harder. But suddenly when you know who you are and what you want and need, it becomes possible.

So, yeah, don't erase Ace characters. But don't erase yourself either if you keep thinking it is about one goal or focus.

[longpointstation]

The Basics

Max Navarro is interviewed by S'tuvir as part of the process of moving to Long Point Station.

In an office building on Earth, a Vulcan and a Human sit across from each other. It’s a very utilitarian arrangement, with very little decorating the Vulcan’s office.

“Could you please state your name and any preferred nicknames you may have.” Says the Vulcan flatly.

“Oh, no introductions or pleasantries? Okay.” The Human says with a lightly playful tone, a bit startled at the sudden request. “My name is Maximo Navarro, but I usually just go by Max.”

“I apologize, Max. I tend to be too efficient with these. My name is S’tuvir, and I will be conducting this basic interview about your request to move to Long Point.” S’tuvir replies, with a little more personality this time.

“No worries S’tuvir, I guess you have to do this so often it becomes second nature!” Says Max with a smile.

“Yes, something like that.” S’tuvir says. “And when and where were you born?”

“I was born on February 19, 2397, just outside of Corpus Christi, Texas. A little tourist spot called Mustang Island. You ever been to Texas?” Max says.

“I have been, but I did not spend much time on the coast as I am not very fond of the water. I did go to a live music festival and enjoyed my time there.” S’tuvir says as he makes notes of Max’s answers. “And your parents, could you tell me a bit about them?”

“Sure. My mom is Maria Navarro, and my dad is Stan Sherman. They divorced when I was in school, and my dad was never quite in the picture after the divorce, which is why I took my mom’s last name as soon as I could. My mom worked for Starfleet, teaching English at the San Fransisco Academy. My dad… who knows, haven’t spoken to him in awhile.” Max says.

“When was the last time you spoke to your father?” S’tuvir asks.

“Oh maybe 4 or 5 years ago? Maybe longer, but it’s definitely been awhile.” Max says. He looks out the window ask he answers, wondering if he can even recall the date.

“Do you have any siblings?” S’tuvir asks.

“Yes! An older sister, Andrea. She’s a few years older than me, and she’s a pilot with Starfleet. I believe she just started a new assignment on the USS New Horizons B. Honestly, I couldn’t be more proud of her.” Max smiles.

“I feel there is a lot of love for your sister. And if you move to Long Point, what would you like to do there?” S’tuvir asks.

“Easy, I’d love to open up a coffee shop out there. I understand that Long Point used to be Deep Space 4, and it’s become both a bit of a tourist destination and a pit stop for trade routes and Starfleet missions. Sounds like the perfect place to set up a coffee shop, a nice place for Haulers to grab a Raktijino or two.” Max says excitedly. He seems to light up a bit, and he looks like he can imagine the coffee shop now.

“It sounds like you have thought this through. It may seem like a strange question, but why do you think the Federation should not allow you to start this coffee shop on Long Point?” S’tuvir asks, looking up from his notes and locks eyes with Max.

“Oh… well.” Max starts, some of the enthusiasm draining from his voice. “I’ve never lived off-world before. I’ve been off-world before, in fact my sister took me on a week-long trip to Bajor and Deep Space 9, but I’ve only ever lived on Earth. I’ve also never run a coffee shop before, I’m usually one to help others with a project rather than start one myself.”

“I see.” S’tuvir nods and writes more notes down. “And finally, why should be let you move to Long Point?”

Max hesitates for a moment. He looks outside the window once more and lets the image of the shop fill his mind. In this moment, he wants nothing more.

“Because I need this.” Max explains. “I know lots of people dream of exploring the stars, of joining Starfleet and making huge discoveries and going on adventures. I mean, I’ve heard the way my sister talked about her need to explore, and her dream of being part of something larger. For the longest time I wondered if I would ever feel quite as strongly about anything as she did about exploration and piloting, and I realized that supporting others was that calling for me. I want to leave my mark on the universe, and I want to provide an experience that leaves a mark on others!’

S'tuvir finishes writing his notes and looks up at Max. Max feels his heart beating hard, his ribs almost feel like they’re rattling.

“I hope you get to leave that mark on the universe, Max.” S’tuvir says and stands up. “I do believe we will be reaching out to you soon, hopefully by the end of the week.”

“Oh, thank you very much S’tuvir!” Max stands up hurriedly and smiles, adjusting his button up shirt so it fits just right after sitting for so long.

“We appreciate you taking this time with us. If I do not talk to you again, peace and long life.” S’tuvir raises his hand and offers the customary Vulcan salute.

“Live long and prosper!” Max replies, returning the salute.

Max smiles and leaves the office and walks down the halls and stairs and out of the building. His head is swimming with thoughts and dreams and ideas, but most importantly he’s filled with hope. S’tuvir stays in his office, finalizing his notes and submits his recommendation to the Long Point Housing and Community Board.

By that Friday, Max was offered the opportunity to open up a coffee shop on Long Point.

[salty-dracon]

My sister used to complain that I was terrible at walking with other people. There was a level of impatience in my walk- a determination- a disregard for social norms in the name of getting where I needed to be as fast as possible, and it would leave other people behind when I walked with them. I laughed when I told her why- it was a thing my dad said to me when I was still growing. Because I was so short compared to him, he'd always naturally be faster than me, and then complain loudly that I was walking too slowly. So I began to walk faster than other people to keep up with him. It became natural for me, a habit, and a release. Walking too slowly felt like a waste of time now. I remember her looking at me with pity. She didn't think it was very funny.

The cadence of the city is so slow. I feel like I'm playing a game, weaving through the slowly-moving crowds, a river of legs and feet and downturned heads, as I go to where I'm going. It's natural for me. So natural that I can't walk with anyone else. That I will never flow like water between the streams of people, but jump, bob, and weave like a fish.

I feel like a colorful koi on the streets, dressed in beautiful but strange fabrics, as the people around me lose their colors, and become nothing but black, white, and blue. The girls in pink were always young and free, always with their pink character handbags that took courage to wear in public. But some time ago, they stopped laughing with each other. Then, their colors faded. Then, the light in their eyes did too.

Would it be bad to say that I wish I had their courage? But even that is gone now.

I like the smell of the air better, without all of the litter. No one litters anymore. Is that strange? Coffee cups, tissues, and dog poop are deposited solemnly in trash bins instead of left to rot on the street. That's a good thing, I think.

And I miss the sound of children. When I first moved here, we heard the shriek of children from the apartment across the street, which had its own playground. My father immediately began complaining that it was a terrible location, but I couldn't stop smiling. It was so lonely where I came from, so lonely that I hadn't seen a happy child in years. Seeing children laugh and shout, living a carefree life, gave me hope that my own could do so someday.

My own children. I wonder if they'll be born without the light in their eyes, or lose it sometime along the way. How does this new world work now? And who would be the other party I conceive them with?

My trip to the grocery store is brief. There was no breakfast in the fridge, and the milk had gone bad- it took only a short amount of time to fix that issue.

I couldn't remember the face of the cashier from last week, but I could remember the sound of her voice. Young, chipper, and full of nothing.

"Thank you, come again!"

I hear again now, the same.

"Thank you, come again!"

As I jump into the river again like the fish I am, I think about calling my father. He was complaining again yesterday that I wasn't feeding myself well, that I was too lazy to chop veggies. If I told him how much his negative words affected me and my life, would he even hear those words? Or would those words pass through his ears, be processed by what was left of him into an "I'm sorry", before things went back to the way they were?

You love to argue, Dad, I thought to myself. Just one, just once, let me cry out my heart to you and hear you tell me I'm being immature.

It’s hard to call it an “apocalypse”, exactly. No-one died and nothing was destroyed. But everyone talks like an NPC now. Their eyes are empty. They walk in silence, never so much as stepping differently. There are still billions of humans, but you’re worried that you’re the last person left.

[copingwithself]

Coping With Myself

Why I Started CopingWithSelf

Everybody has a story; honestly, I'm not entirely sure they are relevant.

What's relevant, is the perspective and insights afforded to us.

This blog is meant to be a reflection of myself, a definition of my perspective.

This blog is meant to become a place of thought and compassion.

I wanted to reflect life the best I could.

In that reflection, is a person who represents kindness, morals, values, and drive. A reflection of peace and thoughtful intelligence. A spiritual person, empathetic and wise.

In that same reflection is the capability of chaos and anxiety. A nature of depression, a constant state of fear and panic. Wondering if anybody else notices.

Why is it so ominous?

Why does it feel this way?

With every interaction, I seem to become more and more exhausted.

I mean to share myself in the hopes of someone finding these posts and realizing they aren't alone. There is a certain comfort in knowing your point of view is recognized. Knowing that our experience is a shared one.

Still, there are so many things that don't make sense and I'm hardly qualified to explain them.

But, I can share who I am. My experiences, my dreams, my fears, my life.

Nobody is alone right?

Who Am I?

I'm a person, or at least I used to think I was.

When I was younger (say 1st or 2nd grade) I used to spend a lot of time trying to understand mythology, especially Greek mythology. I thought that I could make sense of the flaws in my reality, by exposing flaws in Divinity.

I was such an angry kid, with uncommon views and understanding, living a common story.

My parents never got along and were quite dysfunctional. This led to divorce.

My dad left and we moved in with my grandmother.

It's a fairly typical story, unfortunately.

My mom wasn't quite absent, just not there. When she was there, it was a barrage of emotional outbursts and conflict. When she wasn't there, she was missed.

My grandma took on a huge amount of responsibility and became quite an alcoholic.

I spent innumerable nights hiding from the narcissistic tendencies of that woman. But she raised us, and I love her.

Is any of this relevant? Not fucking really.

For all the time my dysfunctional family spent trying to keep us together. We never really helped one another improve.

It took me years to understand, what we had all been fighting for. All of those years, I had truly believed we were meant to protect one another.

But, in the end, the only thing being protected was the dysfunction.

The comfort in knowing nothing had changed or even had to.

I could talk about my dad leaving and being absent or go into detail about my eldest brother tormenting me or my drunk grandmother.

But what's the point?

I've come to realize that no matter how far they push me or how wrong I believe they are.

No matter what gets thrown my way, no matter what challenges, I will adjust.

I will conquer every fucking obstacle without fail.

Challenges will always present themselves. But I will overcome them all for the sake of my soul.

Because my life is my own.

I'm not composed of the years of abuse or the rage that had become of me.

I'm simply me.

A very flawed human being, who has been blessed enough to live in the most prosperous time in known history. I'm not years of being told to kill myself, I'm not here to be looked past and hit. To have my son held against me.

I'm not the suicide attempts or the despair.

I'm just a person too right?

A person with immeasurable dreams.

I guess the question is where do we look now?

If we're not defined by our past, how can interpret our future?

Can we create and design our own perspectives?

Can we really just be ourselves and let go of suffering?

How To Design Our "Self"

If years of suffering don't define us. If our past doesn't completely define us. What the fuck actually does? I think the answer is very complex so I'm going to try and word it in the best way possible.

We are defined by who we are. Who we are is defined by what we do. What we do is significantly defined by what we see. Lastly, what we see and how we see it is defined by what we think.

Is that just my way of saying "We think, therefore we are" yes and no.

I've come to firmly believe that everything exists on a gradient or a continuum.

Good and Evil, sexuality, and even who we are.

That means to be yourself you must constantly adjust to society, and your expectations of such.

Jung said it all the time our nature and society are often at odds.

To be oneself is more than to think, it's to expose your reality to opposition and trial, and if you conquer the opposition and face the trials and our way of living and standing triumphant.

We get this really cool gift. We gain perspective.

We vastly improve our knowledge of self.

We must be able to entertain and even enter the realities of those around us and be able to maintain the composition of our ideals, with respect to the ideals and realities we encounter.

Then we meet our "self."

Who I Became

I let my life get the better of me.

I had every intention of becoming more than worthless. Every intention of allowing myself to feel like a person.

I let myself get in the way of who I wanted to be.

This entire blog is a collection of my thoughts in an attempt to change myself and help others.

At the time of writing this. My life is no trophy, I'm broke and constantly feeling depressed. I'm angry at the way the world works and the lack of insight we choose to indulge in.

I'm terrified for my son's future in a place like this. I am constantly in fear of failing and constantly questioning my every decision.

I refuse to choose bitterness and resentment. I refuse to stop struggling and refuse to give up.

It took me far too long to realize. The more my life is filled with challenges and pain. The more prepared I am to withstand ANYTHING. I refuse to back down.

I've made the conscious choice to say being depressed can actually fuck off.

Nothing short of God will get in my way.

I've finally decided that no matter what I will live a life full of insight and abundance and love.

No more excuses for myself

I intend to challenge myself.

I intend to Cope with Myself.

[zaceouiswriting]

The unknown son (First Version)

Character: Derek Hale x male reader

Universe: Teen Wolf

Warnings: Sad, Cheating

Authors note: This was a request by @arekmaximoff. I actually have a second version of this request, which I will post next week. I can't oversaturate the market, now can I? :D If any of you have a request on your own, just send me a massage. Have fun with this one! :)

Hands wet from washing dishes, after another long day with the pack. You never would've thought, to be a motherly figure to an entire pack of teenagers, but here you were. All thanks to the man you married, the love of your life.

It wasn’t always everything good between you two. Especially, when you had a long-term relationship, as you moved away to study at a prestigious university, to become a doctor. But even though, you two haven’t seen each other at points, for a long time, your relationship was always strong. The moment, you finished your studies and came back he asked you to marry him, that was now eight years ago, in a month to be exact.

A couple of the pack members, that did not live with you and Derek in the newly build Hale house, were still sitting around, playing board games, But because the sun, was already setting, it would be much longer.

Just as you thought, that the evening was at an end, the doorbell rang. Panicking, that one of the guys, most likely Stiles, had forgotten something again, you searched for a towel. At the moment, which you had found one, you already could hear someone standing up, to get to the door.

„Nope sit down again, Isaac!“ Even without supernatural powers, you exactly knew what every single one of your pack children did at all times. You could hear him mutter, asking the others, how you could know that he tried to get the door.

With the towel in your hand, drying them off, you looked for a second into the living room. „Because you know you guys. Maybe even better, than you know yourself,“ you told him teasingly. Which flashed a panicked and then embarrassed look over his face, as he understood that you just joked with him.

It felt just natural to you. Always knowing what they do, it gave you a little peace. 

As you finally get to the door and opened it, you looked surprised. Because you couldn’t see anyone. For a moment you thought that it was just a prank, until your eyes completely out of coincidence, down. There in front of you, on the porch of the house you lived in with your husband, stood a small child - Around eight, maybe nine years old.

„Can I do something for you? Have you lost your parents?“, you asked him as friendly as you could even crouching down, so he could look you directly into his eyes. At first, the small boy seemed reluctant. But something changed drastically, as you heard your husband's heavy footsteps behind you.

„Derek Hale?“, he asked in a small voice. For a while nothing came back from the man behind you, wondering what had happened, you turned around to look at him. His entire face was pale as if he had seen a ghost.

„Babe, is everything okay?“, you tried to ask him softly, but after you two had locked eyes, and he instantly averted his eyes again, you knew something was up.

„Yes, that is Derek Hale, why are you asking?“

„Mum told me he would care for me from now on. Because he is my dad!“, he excitedly exclaimed at the end, running past you, still crouching, directly to Derek, hugging him. His small arms and small statue only let him hug his middle section, but that seemed to be enough.

Derek even put his hand on the little boy's head. Even though he looked shocked, he was not that surprised about it.

„Are you hungry?“ The question almost was left unanswered, wouldn’t it be for the boy's stomach.

Derek took him with you together into the kitchen. Where the boy told you what he liked and what not, luckily he had a similar taste to your husband, so it wasn’t hard to make something for him.

He told you about his life with his mother, in a small apartment in the same city, you had studied. You needed to restrict every fiber of your being, to not lunge at your husband and rip his dick off his body.

As he told you his age, which you perfectly guessed as eight years old, you had to breathe sharply in and out. Holding your emotions in. You could preserve a perfect smile, only for a second could the sadness be seen in your eyes, before you masterfully blink the upcoming tears away.

You, on the other hand, told the small boy everything about Derek, all the great attributes he had. His strong will, his protectiveness, his big heart, and his strong sense of loyalty. Absolutely sure, that he would be a great dad. What you both wanted to be soon.

This led to you explaining the relationship you have with Derek, to his son, whom you did not know even existed. At first, the boy did not really understand, but after the second try, as he did, he didn't really care about it. In his word: „Everything is better than my mother“. This was heartbreaking to hear because you loved your mother and father, they are great people. To hear a child say something like this about their mother, was almost too much for you.

Almost an hour after the boy had finished his meal, Derek and you together brought him into bed.

As soon as the door closed, your smile faltered. But Derek hadn’t seen it, because you had your back to him. „You were great to him, I wanted to tell you, but there was never-“ Before he could finish his rant, you turned around, a scowl on your face and tears running down your cheeks. Silent crying was always a talent you had, which made it often hard to read you. Now it was on Derek to let his smile fall. He had thought that you were happy, to have a child now, after you wanting one for years.

Without him realizing, what that meant. Because you had no idea, before this day.

You only looked at him in disappointment once, before leaving him in the hallway, and getting into your shared bedroom. In absolute record time, you packed a couple of bags, which you hurriedly carried out, directly past Derek who still stood frozen in the hallway. 

But as he saw you carrying bags, he freed himself, running after you the stairs down.

Right before you could leave the house, which you had helped build up and make a home, Derek got to you, holding your arm back.

Before either of you could comprehend what had happened, your hand had colored his cheek red. You did not want to get confronted by him, because you feared that you would cave.

„You have an eight-year-old child Derek? Are you fucking serious? We are together for fifteen years! He was born one month before our wedding! Exactly one month, on the fucking day!“, you screamed at him as loud as you could.

The strong man, as you had known him your entire life, could only stand there and take it all in. „Please, don’t tell me, the woman with the baby at our wedding was-“

Before you could finish, he finally met your eyes again, horror and the realization that you would find everything now, hit him like a truck.

„You- You had sex with my roommate? Did you impregnate my roommate that had a boyfriend at that time?“ Everything began to make so much sense. The way her boyfriend had broken up with her, the pity glances he threw at you, the last couple of times you had seen him, and the cryptic message he tried to give you.

„I’m going to my brothers. Don’t call me, don’t text me, don’t show up at any of their houses.“ Just then you left the house. Not even giving Derek any chance to speak up again.

You married the love of your life. The man you are in a relationship with since both of you were fourteen. Through thick and thin. You helped him through the loss of his entire family, while you only wanted him to be patient with your studies.

Not even that was he able to do, after everything you had done for him, even risking your own future, for covering things up, when he did something dangerous and or illegal, after his family's death.

And now you had to explain to your entire family, why you left this well-liked man, with a child. Most likely not understanding why you were upset. Maybe you would paint it or something like this for them to understand. Your older brother Joey, was the best bet for someone to understand it quickly because he was in a similar situation years ago, where it came out, that his daughter wasn’t his.

Maybe you would even be able to let all these feelings out. At least you hoped so.

[Masterlist]

[huntingforsatisfaction]

Pink Promise

Pairing: Dean Winchester X younger sibling reader(not in an incest way)

Summary: Dean is there to help his younger sibling after they have a nightmare 

Words: 2211

Warnings: fairly angsty, but still very very fluffy, a detailed nightmare, mentions of John Winchester’s parenting style, bad writing?, like one cuss word, a tiny tiny bit of gore

Note about characters: in the present scenes the reader is 16 and in the flashbacks they’re 6 and the reader and Dean have like a 13/14 year age gap so he’s like 19/20 in the flashbacks, there isn’t any gendered terms for the reader so it’s neutral(unless you count hair being braided as a gendered term, but boys can have braided hair cause gender isn’t real), and finally this takes place in season 5

Dean woke up, not for any purpose, just one of those weird moments where you randomly wake up in the middle of the night. He shook his head and began fluffing his pillow, stopping when he heard soft crying.

“(Y/N)?” He softly called out.

You were laying with your back facing out and your face squished into the musty cushions of the small motel room couch, a failed attempt at muffling your cries.

“Y-Yeah Dean? Something wrong?” You tried to play it off.

“I was gonna ask you the same thing. Were you crying?”

When you guys first got your room Dean cursed the streetlight right outside the window, but now he watched how it illuminated you as you dropped your head down.

“Nightmare?”

You looked up and made eye contact before slowly nodding a yes.

“Think you’re gonna be able to go back to sleep?”

You dropped your gaze again as your face screwed up and you could feel new tears form on your lash line.

“No.” You softly croaked out, barely audible over Sam’s snores.

                                                   ~Flashback~

You couldn’t breathe, too focused on staying quiet to risk opening your mouth. Once the sting in your eyes and the back of your throat calmed down you went back to sleep.

“Sammy?”

You screamed out running through an old grey house.

“No no no please no!” You heard him scream somewhere you couldn’t find.

“Sammy!” You huffed before taking off running down the hall you came from.

As you ran around the house you felt small and helpless, like when you got separated from your brothers in the corn maze at the pumpkin patch in Iowa, the one Dean took you to without your dad knowing.

“Dean?” You desperately called for your brother as your feet pounded against the floor. 

Completely unaware of your surroundings you ran, the only thing on your mind was finding your brother. Not paying attention to your surroundings you tripped, your heart raced knowing how your dad always got on you for that. You got up and looked down to see what sent you flying to the cracked floorboards.

“Dean!” You screamed

You woke up again, heart pounding in your head and toes. You stopped gasping for air when you felt your dad roll over next to you, holding it in again to stay quiet. Collecting your moose and your blanket, the one you got in Oregon when you were 3 and have refused to sleep without ever since, you slipped off of the bed as silently as possible. Your dad and Dean were fumigating a house in a fancy neighborhood so the only hotel available was a little nicer than your usual moldy motels. The vinyl floorboards stayed quiet as you snuck over to the door that joined your brothers’ room to you and your dad’s. You glanced at your brothers sleeping in their beds before moving their jackets off of the chair that sat in the corner. Dropping your blanket on the floor you traded it for the two flannels that were under their jackets and curled up into the chair. Once you were comfortable you finally let the tears flow, crying softly at first and burying your face into Mort the moose as your chest heaved more and more with the weight of your cries. 

 “(Y/N)?” You heard Dean call out in confusion as he shut the drawer of his nightstand. 

 “S-sorry for waking you up.” You tossed off the flannels and picked up your blanket, heading back to your proper room.

 “No, no, hey, hey, come here.” Dean moved over in his bed and opened his arms, lightly flicking his wrist to call you over to him. 

You gingerly padded over to his bed and with a little effort jumped up.

 “I’m gonna guess it wasn’t growing pains that woke you up.” Dean chuckled. 

 “Ok, I’m sorry, bad timing. Now come on peanut, stop giving me that face and come in closer.” He said shifting so he could comfortably open up his arms for you. 

You still continued to pout, but scooted into his embrace until your body felt lighter. 

“Sorry.” You quietly mumbled, it came out kind of funny because of how your cheek was squished against your brother’s chest. 

Dean pulled back and nudged your chin up, signaling you to make eye contact  with him before resting his hand on your shoulder. His comforting softness melted away as he turned dead serious. 

“Listen to me, do not ever and I mean ever apologize to someone because you’re upset. Ok?” He searched your eyes waiting for an answer, which you gave him with a nod. 

“Now tell me why someone broke into my room and stole my favorite flannel.” And just like that Dean pulled you back into him and your softy of a brother was back.

“Dad yells at me when I don’t sleep and when I cry and when I ask him questions, so I came in here to cry” Even your big brother’s arms couldn’t shield you from the sadness that entered your body.

“Well I’m not dad, neither is Mort the moose, and neither is Sammy.” Dean started.

“Sammy snores now, he’s old.” You shot Sam a dirty look even though he was dead asleep.

“Yeah Sammy is old now, he drools too.” Dean joined you in giving his younger brother the stink eye. “Now tell me, what has my peanut so upset?”

“Nightmare.” 

“Nightmare? Do you wanna talk about it?” Dean began playing with your hair as he awaited your response.

Staring up at your older brother’s face you thought about it. 

“No.” You wanted to say what happened, to get it out of your mind, but you didn’t want to tell him about how you saw his still body covered in blood with his stomach in shreds. 

“No? That’s okay.” 

You guys sat quietly listening to the traffic outside and Sam’s snores. After a while Dean assumed you had fallen asleep, but just as he shut his own eyes your little voice stirred him.

“D?”

“Mm, yeah (Y/N)?’

“Are monsters real?”

                                                       ~Present~

Dean watched you hang your head again before scooting to the side and opening up his covers.

“Wanna talk about it kid?”

Even in your sad and scared state a genuine smile broke out across your face, it was small, but still genuine. Without responding to your brother you kicked off the soft blanket that you had fought Sam for and walked over to Dean’s bed. Since motel beds are always oddly tall you had to do a little jump to get onto it, shooting a quick glare at Dean for being clearly amused at your struggle. Tentatively Dean opened up his arms to you and you awkwardly shuffled in until your head hit his shoulder and you instantly melted. The both of you sat there without a word, wondering what the other was thinking, unaware that you were both thinking the same thing. You thought about how long it had been since you two laid like this, both of you becoming aware of how long it had really been since you showed each other affection and comfort, and how after all of these years you two felt so natural. Neither of you took into account how the other’s muscles softened, how the past few years of Azazel, the door to Hell, your dad’s death, Sam’s death, Dean’s death, demons, vampires, and vengeful spirits all released from your guys’ bodies. For the first time in months neither of you cared about Lucifer or Michael or any other dick with wings. 

“Hey Dean.” You finally broke the near silence.

“Yeah?” Your ear being pressed to Dean’s chest made his voice sound deeper and you could feel his jaw move against the top of your head. 

“Do you remember when I was super young and we were staying at that nice hotel in Seattle and I had that really bad nightmare?” You slipped the comforter under your brother’s arm so you could fidget with it.

“Yeah I do actually, but how the hell do you remember it? You were like what, six? So that means it was ten whole years ago.” 

“I don’t think I would remember it if it wasn’t the start of the recurring nightmare I always have.” The first part was a lie. That night had been the first time you ever truly felt like you had a family, the first time you had felt comfort in your life. You could never forget that. 

“Oh.” Dean began to play with your hair, taking three small pieces and trying to see if he could still remember how to braid, something he learned because you hated how John would always cut your hair. 

“This dream,” you started, “it’s bad. It’s always the same house, this weird grey one with cracked floors and for some reason the walls are cement. It’s weird. But in the dream I can never find my way, it’s like a labyrinth and every time I get more and more lost the hallways get darker and darker. It always starts with me screaming for Sammy and he doesn’t respond, but I can hear him. I can hear him.”, Your voice begins to break, “I can hear him screaming no over and over again, like he’s getting attacked and then when I call out for him again he’s silent. So I’ll start running to find him, I guess I’ve always had a hunter's instinct. Then when I’m running around I trip and every time I trip I always get this feeling of fear about dad yelling at me for always being clumsy. But then when I. '' You stop, dropping your head and gaze so far down that all you can see is your own chest. Dean drops the chunk of hair he was twisting in his fingers and looks down at you.

“It’s okay.” He whispers, lightly squeezing your arm to ground you, something he always does when you’re upset. 

His encouragement only made things worse as tears began to fall again. Closing your eyes you take a quick deep breath.

“When I look down to see what I tripped over it’s you. You’re dead. Bloody with your stomach all ripped up, I never see the monster, but it must be something with claws. Then it just ends there. Tonight was kind of different though. Our ages are always different in the dream. Sammy’s voice always sounds like it did when he was 16 so I don’t think he changes, but sometimes I’m a kid and you’re a teenager like when I first had it or we’re both teenagers or we’re the ages we are now or sometimes I’m a kid and you’re an adult. But tonight, tonight I was 16 like I am now and you were a little kid.”

                                                      ~Flashback~

Dean didn’t know what to do, he felt like the deer that stopped in the headlights and actually got hit. He’d been through this before with Sam, but he had been older and wasn’t already upset when they had the conversation. He had felt guilty every time he lied to Sam about monsters and didn’t want to give you that same false hope, but he resented his dad for teaching him about monsters when he was this young. 

“I’m not sure of anything, (Y/N).” It technically wasn’t a lie, while Dean was sure that monsters existed he wasn’t sure of what to tell you.

“Well actually no, I am sure of one thing. Nothing and I mean nothing, no man, no woman, no animal, and sure as hell no monsters will ever hurt you because you are strong and I will kick their butt if they even try.” Dean meant that fully, he’s meant that since the day his dad sat him and Sam down to tell them they have a little sibling.

“Pink promise?” You said looking up at Dean.

“Pink promise?” He pulled back and questioned you.

“A pink promise.” You huffed, freeing your arm out from under Dean’s and extending your pinky finger.

“Oohh, a pinky promise.” Dean held up his arm and extended his own pinky.

“No, it’s pink promise.” You pulled your hand back.

“Ok, I pink promise that nothing will ever hurt you.” And to that you guys joined pinkies.

                                                     ~Present~

You begin to quietly sob into your brother’s chest. Dean put his hand at the nape of your neck and put his cheek on the top of your head and let you cry it out, as you calmed down he pulled back and kissed your forehead.

“Hey look, peanut. Sammy and I are not going anywhere, we will always be with you, ok. A lot is going on right now and it will all be okay, we’ve gotten out of so many situations that we shouldn’t have and this one will be no different. I pink promise.” Dean raised up his arm and extended his pinky.

“Oh fuck off.” You lightly hit his hand. 

Unfazed Dean kept his hand up and smugly smiled down at you. You sigh and extend your own pinky. As your fingers wrapped around each other your annoyed façade broke, your smile was joined by a few tears.

“Pink promise.”

A/N: So hey, your local forest wench here. This is definitely different from other stuff I post. I’ve never written a fanfiction before(so basically sorry if it’s not too good and please be patient with me), but I do read a lot of of it and maladaptive daydream a lot so I always have plenty of ideas. I came up with this idea this morning and really liked it, thought that maybe other people would like it and that it would be kind of greedy to keep it to myself. I’m actually really insanely proud of this ngl. If people like this and I feel comfortable, I might even write some more in the future.

[radexchangeprogram]

This is a random one but can I request head cannons of the Brothers and Dateables reacting to an MC that’s actually a half demon but was really great at hiding her demon side since she grew up in the human world? They see a demon man just bounding towards MC before the boys could do anything MC’s like “DAD! 😃” before jumping in his arms like a child. Around her Dad she gains fangs and horns like him but she reverts back to normal when she wants to. The boys are like “Why didn’t you say anything?” And she’s like “I’m just used to my human side” or “You never asked 🤷🏾‍♀️”

Of course! I love this idea. I didn’t get a chance to proof read this so I apologize for any grammatical mistakes.

Author’s notes at the end (marked by *s)

Spoiler warning for up to chapter 17 to be safe. Especially with Belphie.

Half Demon GN!MC Headcanons

General

Everyone noticed that you never seemed too bothered by the fact that you were surrounded by demons, but figured you were just rather good at adapting.

This theory was proven wrong at a party Lord Diavolo hosted.

As you chatted with the brothers, a large demon with griffon wings, a lion’s mane, and horns similar to a gazelle began to head in the direction of your group.

The demon, who the others instantly recognized as Duke Vapula, walked up to them with a cheeky grin.

The brothers were instantly on guard, Mammon even growling slightly, as it was extremely uncommon for anyone to approach them so casually.

Diavolo, Barbatos, Simeon, Luke, and Solomon all took notice and were prepared to intervine should something happen.

You turned around to see what the issue was and let out a loud gasp.

“DAD!”

Lucifer

Absolutely dumbfounded. How did he not know about this? He read your files to the point of practically memorizing them before you came here and he swears there was nothing about you being a half demon.

He was honestly a bit embarrassed that he didn’t know about something this major.

When confronting you, all you did was say that it wasn’t that big of a deal and that you figured they already knew.

You really give him a migraine sometimes.

He feels a bit relieved that he doesn’t have to worry as much about you dying, though.

If you wish, he may start teaching you demonic etiquette, such as having you shift form at formal events.

If you prefer your human heritage, he won’t pressure you to conform to your demonic ancestory.

Mammon

WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN HIS HUMAN ISN’T ENTIRELY HUMAN?!?

The loudest about his displeasure about not knowing.

“I’m your first man! I’m supposed to know everything about you!”

When you explain to him that you’re more comfortable with your human half, he calms down a little.

Tries to call you ‘stupid half-demon’ but it doesn’t feel the same as ‘stupid human’ :(

You tell him he can just keep calling you ‘stupid human’ :D

Wonders if he can get your dad to pay him for ‘providing his child with such incredible protection’.

You immediately tell him no.

Leviathan

Holy shit this sounds like something straight out of an anime!!!

Very upset that you didn’t tell him, you’re his Henry! You’re supposed to tell him these kind of things!

When you shrug and simply say that no one asked, he gets even more pouty.

You make up with him quickly by offering to play games with him all night.

Extremely curious about your demonic form for the primary purpose of cosplay. Do you know how many more characters you can be if you have a tail or wings?!?

You might inspire some fanfiction. (half demon Henry x Lord of Shadows au slow burn 100k words, def not Leviathan projecting no not at all-)

Satan

He is extremely shocked. Not only did he have no idea, but half demons are extremely rare.

From what he’s read, most half-human half-demon offspring don’t survive past birth and all documented cases that have survived reside in the Devildom so that their powers can be better managed.

He asks you about this and you reply that you’re actually quite good at controlling your powers, but that you prefer living as a normal human.

He’s not upset that you didn’t tell him, but he has a billion questions.

How long is your lifespan? Do you take more after your demonic father or your human mother in terms of power?What are your weaknesses?

He really wants to learn more about human-demon hybrids and will ask you to help in his studies.

Also a bit excited as your father is well known for some for his knowledge and writing about the sciences. He wants to discuss some of it with you, assuming you’ve read what your father has written.*

Asmodeus

Oh he is so excited.

A bit relieved that his charm isn’t wearing off, it just doesn’t work because you’re the child of a demonic duke!

You know those boiling hot springs he talks about visiting? Well he’s happy to learn that you actually can join him without fear of your skin melting off!

He’s not upset that you didn’t tell him, getting mad over stuff like that can cause wrinkles.

He will absolutely want to help you groom your horns/wings/scales/tail.

He already has shown you a lot about demonic fashion trends, such as extra clothing that can be fitted around demonic extremities, but now he actually can actually have you try on some! Do you prefer gold tail bangles or jeweled horn cuffs?

Beelzebub

Relieved that Duke Vapula wasn’t looking for a fight.

He can’t help but smile a little when you hug your dad. It makes him happy that you love your family.

When you blush and tell him that it just slipped your mind to tell everyone about your heritage, he isn’t upset.

Happy that he doesn’t have to be so scared of accidentally hurting you with how strong he is.

If you’re able to safely eat some more demonic food, he will absolutely get you to try some of his favorite foods that normal humans would die upon eating.

Overall, you’re still the MC he has grown to love and doesn’t treat you too differently.

Belphegor

Is now more awake than he has been the entire evening.

Half demon? Nah this is just some dream.

Is understanding when you explain to him that you prefer being human and living as a human.

He’s happy he found out after making amends with you. He used to despise half-demons just as much as normal humans, seeing them as repulsive.

He still very much treats you the same, but is a bit annoyed with his brothers.

With knowledge of your demonic blood coming to light, they drag you out even more often and naps with you are becoming rarer.

If you get too overwhelmed with his brothers constantly wanting to try things they thought would previously kill you, he will be more than happy to lend you some of his hiding spots. He does charge the small fee of getting to take a nap with you though.

Diavolo

Similar to Lucifer, is shocked that he didn’t know before you came to the Devildom.

You aren’t the first half-demon he’s met, but he is surprised that a demon of Duke Vapula’s rank had a child with a human.

He’s actually very excited to learn that you’re a half-demon who is in more in touch with your human side. He feels a lot more relieved that you aren’t as defenseless as previously thought.

He does, however, make absolute sure that you have full control over your demonic powers. Every other half-demon lives in the Devildom for a reason and he can’t have someone who is technically one of his subjects accidentally cause mass destruction.

He invites you for tea more frequently, asking so many questions about how being raised in the human world as a half-demon was.

He likes to exchange stories with you about your younger years and the power fluxes you both struggled with as you grew.

Tells you that should you ever wish to live in the Devildom that he would be more than happy to make the needed arrangements.

Barbatos

He knew the whole time. When Diavolo asked him to look into the success of the program, he made note of your heritage right away.

However, he decided that keeping this information hidden when he saw that you were raised human and preferred to be seen as human.

When he explains this to everyone, you can’t help but feel thankful.

While some of the others make no effort to hide how annoyed this makes them, he doesn’t mind. He knows he made the right choice keeping this from everyone and doesn’t regret it at all.

Barbatos is actually a pretty good friend of your father’s and grew up with him. He actually met you when you were a baby because of this.*

Solomon

He has seen a lot in his years in the world of magic, but nothing like this.

Usually, half-demons were very easy to spot as they struggled to control their powers, but you practically had it down to an art!

You explain to him that you’re actually pretty good at keeping your powers under control. He’s rather impressed by this and will ask to see your spell work.

Thinks it’s a little funny that he has a pact with your dad.*

Like Satan, he wants to know all about you. Unlike Satan, he is going to actually conduct experiments instead of stick to interviews.

He has a new potion that he wants you to try almost every day now.

Can half-demons make pacts? If so, you have now been added to the list of demonic beings he wants to make a pact with.

Simeon

Very surprised considering he’s blessed you before.

Blessings aren’t supposed to work on anything of demonic nature so he’s baffled.

When you explain to him that you were raised human and prefer to live as human, he smiles.

He comes to the conclusion that you being a good person must be greater than the demonic blood in your veins.

He treats you the same overall, knowing that you’re still you no matter your heritage.

Luke

Absolute denial.

There is no way someone as nice as you is part demon! He refuses to believe it!

Gets upset and accuses you of trying to manipulate him, which you quickly deny.

When you explain to him that you prefer being human, he huffs.

Simeon gives him a bit of a talking to, about how you’re still the same MC who he sees as a big sibling.

He bakes you some apology cupcakes for being rude to you.

You sometimes shift form to mess around with him, it never fails to make him let out a shocked yelp before he snaps at you for picking on him.

Everyone (except Luke) thinks it’s funny tbh.

Author’s Notes:

*Duke Vapula is described as being able to bestow knowledge about all science contained in books.

*Barbatos is also a duke in The Goetia. I thought a fun nod to this would be to have them as friends.

*The Goetia talks about the 72 demons that King Solomon evoked. Vapula is one of the demons that he evoked. The game actually references this by talking about his 72 pacts. Asmodeus and Barbatos are both included in the 72 demons which is why he has pacts with both of them in the game :)

[sixeyesgojo]

I am super duper curious, and I apologise if you're not taking requests at the moment, but how would Dad!Gojo deal with an Arch nemesis daughter? Or perhaps (if more in your ballpark) a Sorcerer daughter that very much looks to be going down the road to becoming a curse user? How would he pull her out of that spiral before things passed the point of no return?

Summary: Gojo trying to handle his "problem child".

Characters: Gojo Satoru & villain!daughter

A/N: HELLO, I FORGOT THIS WAS SITTING IN MY DRAFTS AND I THOUGHT I POSTED IT I'm fine with headcanons whenever, which is why hc requests are never closed (I might take my time to respond though bc busy person). Nie's "stop mentioning the higher ups in your Gojo stuff" challenge, sigh

Let's say her villain origin story has something to do with feeling like being neglected by Gojo. Whether he does it on purpose or not - it's probably the latter because he's just so busy. It doesn't matter much whether she's well taken care of; every child wants to spend time with their parents at some point, right? But it's not easy since he's always busy or away on missions. She sees him being more affectionate towards his students (in her view anyway) and grows frustrated. It doesn't stop here, though. More and more factors come into play and one day...

Arch nemesis daughter:

say sike rn

I'm gonna be super honest and say it: it'll probably end tragically

I somehow don't doubt that the daughter would be weak, so if she's already on the enemies' side... yikes

Gojo would probably try to look the other way, as long as the trouble she causes isn't on a large scale - at this point, there is no chance of convincing her to come back anymore

He's conflicted.

On the one hand, the higher ups have told him to put her down. It's not like he gives a shit about whatever the old farts want him to do, most of the time.

This is his daughter, his irredeemable daughter who grew to hate him so much, she defected.

But this is also his daughter, his beloved daughter he watched grow whenever he was able to all these years

He'll often wonder, what he could have done better. He knows why she abandoned his side.... but given the circumstances, would anything have been different... if he had treated her even better whenever he was around?

His conscience says... logaically, it has to be him. He has to stop her. Not only is it his duty as the current top sorcerer but also his responsibility since 1) it's his fault, 2) it's his daughter.

But his heart? It's screaming out to him to not harm her in any way. The guilt in his chest is already enough to suffocate him in the darkest depths anyway. If he took her youth away too-

It's safe to say the two of them will have to meet at some point and it's going to be ugly

They fight

(but of course, Gojo holds back as he cannot bear going all out against his own daughter)

Pick your poison because I see no happy ending for this one, sorry

possible curse user daughter:

he notices changes in behavior right away

If he can help it - and he can - then he'll clear his entire schedule for her to talk it out with her, presenting his view and understanding her, then maybe spend some urgently needed quality time together

but this is not enough to convince her... until...

Let's assume she's already made contact with some curse users who are interested in recruiting her for their... team or plans.

Naturally, they are sus of her because she's the daughter of the strongest, so ofc they'd tail her to see if she's a mole or not

When they see her out with Gojo... suspicions confirmed.

They wait for an opportunity to attack... Despite being somewhat prepared to go up against Gojo Satoru, they won't risk it if they can avoid it.

And then, they launch their ambush when he's absent for a moment

Everything happens in a flash, so she doesn't even realize that she was not hit... until she processes being in the arms of her father, who's shielding her with his body

Of course he's uninjured, right? He must be, he has Infinity, right?

Wrong, something messed with his ability and to her horror, the daughter realizes that he really shielded her from a freaking nasty hit

The blood's streaming down his back and somehow his Reversed Cursed Technique won't work, yet the first thing he does is ask her, "Are you okay?" Because her safety matters the most to him.

It is that moment when it dawns on her: he really does care about her, even if he doesn't show it much.

All the soft moments he bestowed upon her resurface - all the times they spent time together, the gifts she took for granted, the times he made her laugh - everything, and the sensation of barely missing a bad hit, comes crashing down on her and she's perplexed, frozen on the spot.

Of course Dad!Gojo takes care of the enemies but when he's done, he just... sorta collapses next to her, trying to act cool when she clearly sees the blood

Somehow they make it home and she patches him up, which is also the time where they have a heart-to-heart talk and they talk things out (which was his original plan after spending time with her but then those curse users came)

Things are still rocky but they're on better terms now; both sides are trying their best to make amends

Who knows? Maybe one day they will be able to pick up the broken pieces and fix them together.

[knullanon]

how the symbiotes stole you from one another #3

this took 5 hours in total yay

words: 4627

warnings: manipulation, kidnapping, dads being assholes, lmk if I missed any!

Routines in the area where Knull had dropped you off were almost nonexistent. The only reason why you woke up at all was because of the fact that it was already something you did before you got here.

Here, as in this place where Knull seemingly… owned? It was weird. He didn’t just own the land, either, he owned the symbiotes, and by that, Knull, whenever he wanted to talk to you, would just go inside one of their minds, take over, and talk to you. He had done this one multiple occasions, with him always being an asshole about everything. From trying to stop you from going outside, to bitching about your old life, and how you must be enjoying this one. It was really annoying to have to deal with him every damn day, and it was starting to become borderline creepy.

He wouldn’t care about your privacy, only how you were holding up. Literally nothing could stop him from entering your room. He removed the lock when you first got there, and then just left you. Nothing to do besides clean, fuck around, and be bored to death. The only thing you could really do otherwise bsides talk to that asshole, is just try and find something to look at.

So far, you’ve been able to tell that the previous owners of the land were evicted: probably by force by the numerous blood stains all over the place, hiding under whatever Knull didn’t want to clean. Another thing you noticed was that the area you were in used to be covered with trees, but they seemed to be all cut down recently. They smelt fresh and didn’t have any dirt or grime on the stumps. You had to assume it was a safety precaution. For him, at least.

It didn’t take long for you to start snooping around and finding different things, like a hidden diary, all written in russian, an old art kit, and a calendar dated to that year. These items, and their good conditions they were found in, only solidifies your theory that Knull just found a random property and killed the people living there. It also solidified the fact that Knull really didn’t know you existed until that night. Or, morning. Whatever time you were at the gas station. You were able to tell how long you had been taken. 2 weeks just tonight.

It was annoying the hell out of you how long staying with these assholes would seem. Two months with Eddie and venom, and then 3 months with carnage and cletus.

And now 2 weeks with this asshole, probably more. You really wanted out of this damn place. Actually, you wanted out of this weird game they had. Whoever got you first got to keep you until someone else came along. And tried to do the same thing.

As you grabbed some random clothes, and walked into the bathroom, you tried to remember before everything had happened. Before you decided to walk back home alone, like an idiot. That's what you were, wasn’t it? A fucking idiot for thinking it was a good idea. You really thought that nothing would happen, would it? And now this.

Shoving open the bathroom door, you almost didn’t see the 7 foot tall symbiote sitting in the chair across from the bed. This one was known for having a more emo look to them. With being dark blue and with little streaks of even darker red, they were always quiet and silent when you saw them. They were usually the ones to bring you food, guard the house you were in. They were also the one that Knull preferred to get into when he decided to speak to you.

The symbiote themselves were rumble, and he was… actually quite pleasant. It seemed Knull had let this batch keep their personalities, maybe at the price of kneeling before him. You didn’t know.

What you did know was that Knull was now controlling Rumble through whatever bullshit he did to be this powerful. Rumble, or, Knull technically, was reading an old newspaper dated a few months ago. It was from somewhere in Idaho, where you would assume you were located. Yes, Eddie lived in San Francisco, but when carnage took you wherever the hell he took you, and then Knull, well, it was confusing to say the least.

Anyways, the one good thing about Knull was that he really didn’t care what you thought of the place, as he said it, “a temporary arrangement on both our parties''. Pretentious bitch.

Knull put down the newspaper, and gave a smile, before gesturing with his arm to the bed you had just made. “Ah, _____, sit. Let's talk shall we?”

You didn’t want to talk to him, or even look at him, but you followed his command anyway. You tossed your clothes into an old bucket that you had placed in the corner of the room and walked towards the bed, before sitting on it. Knull smiled again with that weird mouth. Rumble never smiled, so of course it would look weird when he did. Of course, not of his own will, but still.

“So, how have you been liking your new enclosure?” Did- Did he just-

You brushed it off, not wanting to anger him. “It’s… fine. Every home comes with its ups and downs.” you hoped he would get the message about calling a home an enclosure. It makes you feel like a pet rather than a person. If Knull noticed your wording, then he ignored it. Instead, he picked up the newspaper again, saying, “Good, good. I’m glad you could understand the circumstances of your predicament.”

You tried hard not to roll your eyes, remembering what Carnage or Venom would say- even now, if you had no idea where they were, their words and opinions still sat with you months later. Instead, you nodded your head to his words, and sat in silence waiting for him to say anything else. Knull did not say anything for a few minutes. Long, agonizing minutes. It reminded you of being with Eddie and Venom, those two assholes. When they were working, they required the utmost silence otherwise they couldn’t focus. They never got mad at you, but they would always try to put you up to something, like reading. Which is why you would read all their books on crime rates, detectives, natural disasters, anything to pass the time while they were working.

It got you entertained for the most part. Sitting in a room with nothing to do, for 2 months was more difficult than you ever thought it would be.

“Are you thinking of your previous hosts and their accommodations?”

Knull pulled you from your thoughts, and even though he was reading the newspaper, you were able to tell he wanted an answer. You shifted from your spot at the edge of the bed, before answering with, “U-Uh, yeah, I am.”

“Hmm.”

He continued to read for a moment, before he pulled the newspaper down a little to view you. “Are you not tired of them?”

“What do you mean?”

This time, he put the newspaper in his lap. “Venom and Eddie. Carnage and Cletus. How have they treated you in the few months you’ve known them?”

You had to sit there and think for a moment, wondering where this conversation was going. What was he trying to do this time?

“Well, venom and Eddie were… constricting. I never had anything to do. Besides reading the books on the shelf, but even then I had to do that discreetly. They didn’t like me doing those things. Or, rather, reading those things. They said it was too… graphic.”

“Ah, I see.” he acknowledged, picking up the newspaper again. “And Carnage and Cletus? How was their company?”

You really wanted to hide in a hole now. “They were… fine.”

“Were they, though?”

You wondered if it would just be worth it to tell everything: how you felt about Eddie, how you felt about Cletus, and how you felt about this asshole doing the same thing the rest of them had done.

“...No, they weren’t.”

He gave a small smile, before he asked, “Oh? Please do tell me more.”

You knew what he was doing, what he was playing at, and yet, you fell right for it. “They would tell me… they would say that no one was going to come for me. No one cared. Not my family, not Eddie, no one. Only them.”

He nodded along, and when he realized you were done venting, he said, “well, aren’t you glad that you’re with me now?”

Turning to face him, you gave him a glare. “Excuse me?”

“Think about it. With one of them, they gave you limited resources to entertain yourself, and the other made you feel like nothing. With me, I give you free reign to do whatever you please. You may ask for whatever you wish, visit whoever you choose, as long as you plead your loyalty to me.”

You stared at him, before you turned your back towards him, mumbling, “Liar.”

He chuckled, and you heard the newspaper crinkle. “I’m not making any jokes. Pledge our loyalty, and you will receive anything you would ever want.”

“Would that include being let go to see my family again?”

“Yes, actually. You would just have to come back when you were done with your visits.”

That caught your attention. He would let you go back? Really? He did say you would go back to him when you were done with your “visits”... but still, better than what the other two were offering.

You thought for a moment before the doubts started to kick in. How do we know he won’t betray you when you do pledge your loyalty to him? How do we know he won’t just keep you here forever? What ounce of trust should we put in him when everyone has kicked us when we were already down?

Almost as if he heard your thoughts, Knull said, “I will give you time for your answer. After all, I have years and years to spare.”

With that he folded the newspaper, setting it down gently, before you saw something spark in his eyes and Rumble returned to his own mind. He sat there unmoving for a few moments, before he sat up and looked at you. “I assume he just wanted to talk?”

You sighed, feeling tired only at 7 in the morning already. “Yes, Rumble, that’s all he came here for.”

He gave a hum of acknowledgment before he got up and walked to the exit to the room. Before he left, however, he said, “Do not be surprised if the water runs out: this was called a temporary enclosure for a reason.”

Before you could say anything, he left you to watch the door again, just before you could ask him to stop calling the home an enclosure, he shut the door softly. You were about to say something, but decided it was not worth it, so instead, you opted to just continue on with what you had to do throughout the day.

~~~~~~~~~

As Rumble looked on as you would clean and dry out clothes on line and leave them for the hot summer day to dry, hopefully by the end of the day, you had mumbled out when first getting out the big hamper. Next to it, you had a couple pieces of clothing sitting in another basket covered by water and soap. Currently, you were wringing out all of the water from a white top, trying to not stretch it out.

Rumble grumble out something, before he heard him in his head:

“Rumble, I would assume you would have the decency to not talk badly about my daughter behind her back.”

Rumble froze up before he quickly set his posture more straightened as he watched you put the shirt on the line, before going to grab another piece of clothing. “No, Lord Knull, I was just noting the… strange enclosure you had chosen for her.”

He heard Knull chuckle, before responding with, “Oh, Rumble, you should know my plan by now.”

Rumble sent a wave of confusion to Knull, indicating that no, he had no idea what his plan was.

Knull simply sighed, before he continued. “I have had plans to bring her to Klyntar, our homeworld, and yet, I have a feeling she will not be able to live there. For a while, I thought I would only be able to visit her through the symbiotes already on earth, or just get there myself, with obvious consequences. However, I’ve found a third option. There is a way to bring her here without having to worry for her safety.”

Suddenly, Rumble received a vision, or more specifically, a live feed of what Knull was looking at. It looked like a symbiote, and yet, it was… odd. It did not have a mind of its own, it's like it was waiting to be filled by something. And this one did not need a host, either. From Knull’s own memories, it seemed he created this one to rely solely on its own, however, for the need to do normal things, it needed someone to fill its mind. Rumble suddenly realized where this was going.

“Lord Knull, you aren’t saying-”

“Yes, I’m saying exactly what you are thinking of.”

Rumble saw Knull walk up to the symbiote, and stroke it with his claw. It did not respond. “This symbiote that I have created will need a mind, someone who has already been born, only their mind. I am planning on giving it to ______ and then letting her rest there, before taking away her body and giving her mind to.... Well, I have not named this one. Maybe I will name it… _______. After her.”

~~~~~~~

You laid the last shirt in the bucket, and when you tried to grab another and felt that there were no more, you sighed and grabbed the dirty water, and poured it out on the grass, not caring if the soap would kill the already dead plants. Then you put the hamper and the bucket on top of each other and carried it back into the house. When you reached the sink, you put the buckets in the sink and turned the tap: only for nothing to come out.

“Do not be surprised if the water runs out: this was called a temporary enclosure for a reason.”

Fucking hell. You got the hamper out and when you saw that it was relatively clean, you let it go, but the dirty water one…

Yeah, you had to clean this before the next laundry day.

It did not help that there were dishes that needed to be washed. You sighed and left the bucket on the counter, and you were about to walk back up to your room, when you had an idea. You walked outside and saw Rumble standing near a cut down tree, waiting for something. Walking up to him, you said, “Hey, Rumble, is there another water source around here?”

He gave you a look, before he said, “Yes, there is one, why must you use it? We will be moving next week to a new location.”

“Well, if it's gonna take a week, I hope you have some form of water to bring up here for the dishes, or showers, or clothes, or-”

“Alright, alright I get it.” he stalked over to you and looked towards another symbiote, probably trying to talk to them before the other symbiote simply nodded and walked to another part of the property.

“I will take you to a river, but after that, the others will gather the water for you, am I clear?”

You nodded. “Good, lets go.”

~~~~~~

Anti-venom stood at the clearing, looking at the decomposing bodies, just two women and two men. He could tell they had been there for more than a week, but not enough for them to completely decompose.

Anti-venom looked around before he tried to smell where they were from. Unfortunately, whoever dumped their bodies was smart in how they covered up the scent. There was almost nothing out here, and with the fact that someone covered up their scent made it more unnerving.

He didn’t try to think of how they died, only giving them his wishes before he started to walk away. Just a couple meters away was a little river that he knew expanded as you went up the stream. He walked over and saw nothing of old blood on the rocks, so they must’ve died somewhere else-

What was that?

He whirled his head towards the start of the river, upwards maybe by a few miles. Even out here, the stench of Knull and his underdogs were there. He growled, remembering how Knull used them for his own gain. He quickly theorized that for some reason, Knull was here and he had killed these people- but why? What would make him do this?

Anti-venom decided to find out on his own, as he started to sprint his way up the river.

~~~~~~

“Why did Lord Knull choose you, anyway?”

“Choose me as what?”

You were currently at the river, cleaning out the dishes in the bucket, and then rinsing them off. Rumble was nearby, sitting in his own little area, and he was also bored. He wanted to know things that Knull would not tell him: would not tell anyone, to be more precise.

You looked back at him, before you turned back to the dishes. “I don’t question it anymore. I never had a choice, I was just… chosen. It’s something I’ve had to get used to for the past months, and even now I don’t have anything to do, anything to say.”

Rumble quirked an eye. “But Lord Knull gave you a choice, did he not?”

“Oh, yeah, please tell me, what did he give me a choice on?”

“On being free to do as you please.”

You stopped washing the little plate you had, and you turned back to face him. “What?”

“He gave you a choice. You could swear loyalty to him, or-”

“Ok, enough with the loyalty bullshit, I’m tired of hearing it.” You had gone back to the dishes, scrubbing furiously at the plate. “I get it, it's a better option than Carnage or Venom, but could I at least have the option of never seeing you fucks ever again?”

Rumble did not say anything more, letting you get out your anger by scrubbing the dishes that were left, and tossing them into the bucket.

When you were finally done, you tried to pick up the bucket, but all of that scrubbing and cleaning made your arms sore. Rumble decided to restore his reputation with you by getting the bucket for you. You didn’t complain, as your arms were extremely sore from your anger washing.

The walk back to the property was peaceful. You weren’t angry at Rumble: to be honest, he was a sweetheart. He would help you out with so many things it was almost unbelievable. He was much more pleasant to be around than Knull, that was for sure.

Even if he had to call Knull “Lord Knull” each time you met, it was fine. The little trail that you two took was getting more smoother as you got closer and closer to the property. When you reached the clearing, you saw the normal sight:

5 symbiotes around the area stalking, waiting. They were most likely on guard, and even then, they had their eyes on you, making sure there was no funny business between you and Rumble.

Walking up to the one story house, you felt… wrong. Of course, this had always felt wrong, but this time it was like someone was watching you from afar. Before you got onto the porch, you turned to look at all the symbiotes watching you. Nothing unusual, the normal amount that would stand guard in this area. Maybe one of them is looking too long, you thought, as Rumble opened the door for you and you both went inside.

Unfortunately, no one noticed the speck of white in the bushes, hiding. Waiting.

~~~~~~~

It was almost time for you to start getting ready for bed. You already had dinner, and now all you needed was just a nice warm bed. You sighed as you made sure everything was in its place, before you walked back in the hallway and into your room. You got out your favorite pair of pajamas, and started to change. You already had a shower last night, it wouldn’t matter if you had one today.

As you changed, your mind went back to the conversation with Knull earlier that day. Would he really let you do whatever you wanted if you just… spared your loyalty, as he called it? Could you see your family and friends again? Could you tell them you were ok and not harmed?

But, he did say that you couldn’t stay there… you would have to go back with him… where did he live, anyway? He was an alien god, so… space? But… where?

Maybe he lived on some random planet and acquired a bunch of power, you had no idea-

“YOU WOULD ALL DARE TO HELP KNULL AND HIS PLANS?!”

That didn’t sound good. You rushed out of your room, pajamas halfway on, and peeked outside of the kitchen window, where you saw everything.

In the middle of the clearing, stood tall and bloody, was another symbiote. He was white with some black accents here and there, and most importantly, he was holding fire.

You already knew that symbiotes didn’t like heat, or fire. Especially not fire.

You remember one time when you tried to escape Eddie with fire. It did not work out well. You were locked in a closet, and fortunately for you, that was where you stored your books.

Anyways, you had no time to think of those times, when you were running from whatever the fuck is going on outside the house. You ran back to your room to put on a shirt, and when you were finished putting on your socks, running was heard from the hallway.

Rumble came through the door and dragged you by your forearm down towards a specific spot in the floor. He then lifted a larger floorboard that revealed a crawl space. He shoved you in, gently as possible, before he said, “Stay. Here. I’ll come for you when I beat him.”

“Who?” You were about to ask, but he slammed the door shut, leaving you to fear for the next few minutes.

You sat there for a few more minutes, before you heard crackling. Crackling of fire. You were desperately trying to open the door, but it seemed to be glued shut: there was nothing that could open it.

At this point, you were starting to cry. The symbiotes couldn’t stand fire, how would they stand this? You were desperate to leave, to escape: you never wanted to be here, with these people who thought they could help you. You wanted to go home, to see your family, friends, the people who loved and cherished you, and actually respected your boundaries.

The door was broken inwards and you felt every muscle in your body stop. You crouched a little from the trap door, hoping they didn’t hear you. From they're desperate steps and quick feet, it was obviously not Rumble or any other symbiote you knew.

You were pulled from your thoughts as the steps went into the hallway. As they walked by, slower, you held your breath. If they found you… well, you knew what happened when new symbiotes would find you.

You let out a silent sigh when they passed the door… only for them to come rushing back. Without even knowing it, they ripped open the trap door, revealing you, tired, scared, and cold.

The symbiote you saw was the exact one that was outside, who was attacking all the other symbiotes.

He looked shocked, as if he didn’t know you were there. “Child…” he asked, as he reached down to try and grab you, “what are you doing in a place like this?”

He picked you up with the utmost gentleness and care, like you would shatter if he just yanked you out. He cradled you within his arms, like you were a baby. He was a giant compared to you, being almost 7 or 8 feet tall.

“Where are your parents?” he asked, taking you with him, walking out of the house. You tried to crawl out of his palm, but he stopped you each time. “I-I don't know.”

He tried to give you a sympathetic look. “Oh, my sweet dear, don’t be afraid. I will k-”

He suddenly jumped into the fire, and you screamed expecting to be burnt along with all the weeds.

However, you didn’t feel anything. Turns out this was because the symbiote had taken you up into the air, so while he was holding you by your waist, he was also holding you out of the reach of the fire. He held his hand up high, not only to make sure that you wouldn’t be hurt, but as you saw Rumble on the ground, close to the fire, you realized it was to get you out of his grip.

“Rumble. You used to be such an open minded symbiote. Now look at you. You are just leeching off of Lord Knull, the one who enslaves you and the rest of our kind!”

The white symbiotes seemingly noticed you again, and said, “and you have the audacity to bring an innocent child into this mess! How dare you!”

With that, he started to walk into the fire, which surprisingly was not burning him. He still held you up high so you wouldn’t be burnt by the flames, which was nice. You looked back at Rumble, who was trying to get up, but the injuries on his legs seemed severe. The fire was closing in on him as well.

You felt bad for him. You reached out, but before you could do anything, Anti venom started to sprint away from the house. The last thing you saw of Rumble was him collapsing onto the ground, broken and beaten.

When you were out of the fire, the symbiote lowered you to his eye level. “My name is Anti-Venom, tiny child. What is yours?”

BONUS:

Rumble sat on the remains of the house: nothing was left of it when Lord Knull appeared. It was a miracle he had even gotten the distress alert, a bigger one he had arrived in time to save rumble himself. Every other symbiote was gone, either from the fire or the white symbiote. Anti-Venom was his name.

“So, you failed at getting back _____ for me?”

“... Lord Knull, I am deeply sorry, but-”

“I don’t want to hear excuses, Rumble, I want to see my daughter! I want to seeher before the other two get her, or worse she falls for that idiotic Anti-Venom, do you hear me?!”

Rumble sat there waiting for Lord Knull to be done with his rant, before he said, “Yes, Lord Knull. I understand.”

Lord Knull stood up and started to walk away. “Good. I will try to locate her myself. In the meantime, find out everything you can about this Anti-Venom. I want his secrets, every dirty little thing about him, do you understand?”

“Yes, Lord Knull, it will be done.”

And with that, Lord Knull was gone, leaving Rumble to dwell in his own failures.

--------

almost forgot, @anxiousnerdwritings this was for u

[twistedtranslations]

Cater Diamond - Full of Lies

You can unlock this story by getting Cater’s SSR Scary dress

Big thanks to Rym and Apollo for proofreading!

Translation under the cut

Chapter 1

Main street

/Notification

Cater: Oh? A message on MagiCam? Who would've thought it was that girl! How nostalgic~ The picture those ghosts took at Ramshackle dorm made our college's Halloween event trend -> Jumping onto the bandwagon and posting a lot -> Huge success for Cay's follower-catching strat! So far it's been going well but… Mixed within the comments and DMs of my new followers are a lot of old aquaintances. Even some classmates from middle and elementary school are here.

Cater: "Hey! It's been a while! Oh, would you like to come to our college? Cay welcomes every single one of you! You can always come over to hang at NRC's Halloween event!"

Cater: And now some emoji full of feelings!  (^○^)♪ (ゝω・)☆　d(’ｖ｀*)b

Cater: Everyone is really so casual and easygoing~ Well, it's easier on me, so I'm not complaining.

???: HEY!

Cater: Where did that loud and rowdy voice come from? I've got a bad feeling about this…

Front Gate

Sebek: Humans, don't crowd around the young master! Get out! Leave!

Boy A: Hey, what are you doing, sweptback bro! Don't interfere with our Draconia Challenge.

Boy B: We're putting our lives on the line to show our bravery by uploading a picture of us touching The Malleus!

Boy A: Huh, since when did Malleus disappear?! It's that sweptback bro's fault.

Boy B: Don't be so angry. After all the effort of having a sweptback, let's show the world a huge smile on that face!

Sebek: For humans of your social standing to use the name of the Lord of the esteemed Valley of Thorns in vain…Besides, my hair is swept back like this so I have an unobstructed view to find those like you who behave rudely towards my young master! You shall receive punishment for insulting the Draconia… no, for insulting the young master. My thunder shall shock you all to bits! HAAAAA...

Cater: Okay, stop! I'm part of the Halloween Committee. It's forbidden to fight. Why don't you try talking to this lad if something's up?

Sebek: Don't interrupt me, you frolicking human! I will shock you to bits as well!

Cater: Won't you create a scandal for the Draconia family if you were to harm an ordinary human with magic?

Sebek: W-Well… You're right. Besides, didn't you just say you were part of the Halloween committee? Both the young master and master Lilia are both performing the same duties… They ordered me to listen to the orders of the other committee members. Ok, I shall talk this out.

Cater: Even though you are crossing your arms and puffing your chest out, you are being apologetic right? Anyway, these are our college's precious guests. They have no intention to harm Malleus.

Sebek: These magic-less weaklings were making a spectacle bothering Young Master with a toy. I cannot forgive that!

Cater: Malleus is like super famous, and he's an admirable being, right? So just for this festival, it should be fine to interact with our guests as a little fanservice right?

Sebek: Stop messing around. The young master is a dreadful being who makes everyone kneel and bow down to him. AND THAT'S WHY I WILL NEVER LEAVE HIS SIDE AND PROTECT HIM ALL MY LIFE!

Cater: You're just obsessed!

Boy A: Hey, interfering our Draconia Challenge aside, what are you two squabbling about?

Sebek: Hm? You humans are still here? I told you to leave.

Boy B: Huh? You've got some nerve, talking rudely to us like that!

Cater: Come on guys. Why don't we take some pictures together since it's finally Halloween! We, Heartslabyul are those who rise from the soil in the darkness, the underlings of the night~

Boy A: Wow! Now that you mention it, you do look real good for the camera!

Cater: Cheer up everyone and gather! Let's decide on a pose~~~ Happy Halloween~

¨*shutter noise*

Cater: (Ugh… This is exhausting)

Chapter 2

Classroom

Kalim/Cater/Lilia: *Sigh*… I'm tired….

Cater: This year's Halloween was exhausting. Mainly due to our guests being rowdy..

Kalim: It was fun entertaining the guests, but I was really troubled because Jamil got in a foul mood.

Lilia: Even we, three most gentle boys, have been worn down. The other students must be at the limits of their patience.

Everyone: *Sigh*…

Cater: Now that you say it, by chance all the members of the light music club are also part of the Halloween Committee. Let's have our usual relaxing tea time while also discussing some countermeasures.

Kalim/Lilia: Agreed~

Cater: I got this! Trey's home-made pumpkin pie! It's moderately sweet, so it's my favorite!

Kalim: I have kunafa. It's a cheesecake from the Scalding Sands. It's delicious when it's hot!

Lilia: Oho, these are all sweets befitting of Halloween. As the last one, I have prepared this. Licorice!

Cater: You're always bringing the same thing! You know me and Kalim don't like that.

Kalim: The smell makes my nose shrivel up~

Cater: But you know, since it's black, it does feel like Halloween. Oh, right, let's take a picture together. It's super charming to be in costume and have themed food.

*shutter noise*

Cater: #TheBestHalloween #SelfmadeCostume #HomemadeTreat #LightMusicClub #NRCHalloween

Kalim: The best? Didn't you say you were exhausted earlier, Cater?

Cater: I never said it wasn't exciting and for things like SNS, isn't it better to exaggerate a bit?

Lilia: As expected of you. We live in a period where everyone is connected all around the world. It is most wonderful to spread happiness instead of complaints.

Cater: Oh. The picture I just uploaded got an amazing response! 

*notification*

Cater: Another message from that girl. Was she the kind to keep track of people's activities?

*ringing noise*

Cater: This time it's a call. (How persistent…)

Kalim: Cater, is it from one of your friends? You can pick up if you want.

Cater: Hm~… More like an acquaintance from the past? But it's alright? We're at a very important meeting, after all.

Lilia: We are only eating sweets, taking pictures and uploading them to MagiCam though…

Cater: It's the age of social media where everyone can keep in contact at their own pace, you don't have to go through the pains of having to response in real time to a phone call.

Kalim: Do you have that many people who want to get in touch with you? You're so well connected Cater~

Cater: Well, if you look the amount of aquaintances I have, that might be true? My dad's a banker. The bank he works at has branches all over the world. Therefore, whenever he transferred to a different branch, our entire family would move with him. We moved once every two years, so I kind of feel like a pro at quickly packing things?

Lilia: Commonly said, you are a family who moved a lot for the sake of the breadwinner.

Kalim: So the reason why you have so many friends is because you have travelled around the world since young.

Cater: Yeah, the girl just now said we are friends as well. Having to change schools frequently, I got to meet more people compared to someone staying at one place. From the best to the worst… a lot of people. However, they all had something in common.

Kalim/Lilia: …?

Cater: If I left there, they remained there. That's why I'd rather have a casual and happy time with everyone than to deepen a friendship. It’s like a circus troupe, you know, having fun hanging with people all over the world and then leaving. That's why MagiCam is the best! People from my school from three years ago contacted me out of the blue. My social circle is expanding as well. Cay is getting popular!

Kalim: Even if they're far away, you don't have to hold back you know? I got it! I'll lend you my magic carpet, so you can visit your friends whenever you want.

Cater:… I expected no less of you, Kalim. I'll take you up on that offer next time.

Lilia: I feel like I understand you.

Cater: Hm?

Lilia: The relations between humans are eternal. They are things that cannot be severed. In a new place with no trace of your existence, new relations will continue to be forged. That in itself is nature. However, I think the more precious a relation is, the more lonely it becomes. Why does it feel that way? I have lived a long life but the reason is still unknown to me. But just as Cater said, there may be a perfectly logical explanation for not getting too attached to one person in particular.

Cater: Lilia, what got into you suddenly? What I wanted to say was-

*ringing noise*

Lilia: Hello, this is Lilia speaking? What business do you have?

Cater: He just casually picked up the phone during our conversation.

Lilia: Oh, Sebek. What is it? You are so loud. Right now, I am in a meeting with Cater and Kalim. WHAT?! MALLEUS?!

Kalim/Cater: ?!

Chapter 3

Hall of Mirrors

Silver: Stop pushing. It's forbidden to enter the Hall of Mirrors.

Man A: Huh, really! I came all the way to the Isle of Sages to see Malleus Draconia.

Man B: We are doing the Draconia challenge now! Why can't we enter~

Girl C: He’s inside right! An actual Draconia, the Actual Malleus!

Everyone: MALLEUS! MALLEUS! MALLEUS!

*Lightning and thunder*

Silver: It's a rare event that Master Malleus is participating in. He also agreed to interact with the guests... For it to come to this... Everyone, it’s better if you leave. You have angered master Malleus.

Man A: I paid a lot of travel expenses, did you know that? This is the price of fame.

Everyone: MALLEUS! MALLEUS! MALLEUS!

Exterior Hallway

Cater: Did the visitors who wanted that  MagiCam glory end up angering even Malleus himself?

Sebek: Yes. At first he was gentle and calmed me down when I got angry… but a fool grabbed Malleus by the horns and made fun of him by saying "Look! It's a bicycle from the olden days!"

Lilia/Cater: Gh!

Cater: I don't know if they're brave or just reckless. Were the dark clouds and thunder rampaging in the sky above the Hall of Mirrors due to Malleus' anger? You don't think he overblotted, right…?!

Lilia: Do not worry. Using that amount of magic power shall not make him overblot. He is simply irritated. Back when he was young, mountains would be destroyed by his lightning whenever he threw a tantrum.

Cater: Hahaha… that's on a totally different level. I guess it was a good idea to have Kalim fetch the professors.

Sebek: Upperclassman Vil noticed something was up and isolated the young master. He also casted a defensive spell so the tourists wouldn't be harmed. And it seemed that Upperclassman Jade is persuading the angry young master with some unique methods... Even so, those humans who can't seem to understand the gravity of the situation keep stirring up the young master, they're uncontrollable.

Lilia: This means we must use our last resort. We must put in effort to suppress the onlookers and avoid the worst situation.

Cater: Wait a second, Lilia. I thought of something. It's not like people there dislike Malleus or anything. Despite that, it doesn't mean that they like Malleus as well... They're just interested in trends. Just like my old acquaintances.

Lilia: ?

Cater: First, I'll take a picture of Lilia, who's wearing the same clothes as Malleus!

*shutter noise*

Cater: Next we use something catered to influencers. We'll elongate Lilia's picture with a photo editing app!

*swiping on phone*

Cater: Now we just add some text to finish it up. And then upload a cropped version to MagiCam!!

*Phone SFX*

Cater: #AWildMalleusAppeared #DraconiaChallenge #UnexpectedlyAtSportsGround #NRCHalloween

*Phone SFX*

Hall of Mirrors

Man A: H-Hey. Look at the Draconia challenge tag.

Man B: It seems he's at the Sports Ground now. As expected of Malleus. He's much faster than we are!

Girl C: Okay. Everyone, let's move!

Everyone: YEAH!

Silver: What happened? Master Malleus should still be in the Hall of Mirrors.

Cater: Fu. With this, I hope the storm has passed…?

Vil: Good grief. Accidents are an unavoidable part of stage plays. Letting yourself get influenced by the guests is so amateurish. My work here is done. I will return to the dorm to straighten up my appearance.

Jade: My, that was a close call. Malleus is extremely powerful. I persuaded him to the best of my abilites, trying to get him to understand. But there was no one to turn to if it had failed. Well then, I will also return to my station. I wish everyone a wonderful Halloween.

Malleus: I caused many disturbances between different racial groups during a mere school event. I should restrain myself more…

Sebek: The young master has done nothing wrong! It was the fault of those inferior humans!

Silver: The young master told us to avoid hostility between fae and humans. Why are you getting more hostile?

Sebek: WHAT DID YOU SAY SILVER!

Lilia: Malleus. Did you forget our promise from long ago? Call for us when the tranquility in your mind is disturbed.  Even if we are not related by blood, we are still a family. Got it?

Malleus: Lilia… My apologies. To everyone.

Everyone: …

Cater: ….Family…huh.

Flashback

Lilia: But just as Cater said, there may be a perfectly logical explanation for not getting too attached to one person in particular.

Flashback ends

Cater: (That was full of lies. For a guy who grew up and lived in the same place, he never had to deal with rebuilding relations over and over…He would never understand my worthless and meaningless feelings.)

*ringing*

Cater: Hello, Trey. What's up? Huh? Are we doing our rehearsal for our night show at the stamp rally now? And Deuce, who is also part of the Halloween Committee, was at his wit's end due to the lack of manpower. So Ace is helping him out? Darn, Ace is definitely going to extort me for a favor later!

Cater: Argh! And is Riddle on the verge of a rampage? I'll be back soon, Trey. Please calm him down! I am currently at the site of the biggest crisis yet of this Halloween Week! No, for real! I'm not lying. That's why you don't have to be so cold to me, 'kay? URGH, TREY, YOU'RE SO CRUEL!

Cater: Now that Diasomnia's turmoil has settled, let's change the mood and continue on with work. In any case, we’ll still separate after the fourth year… It would be different if I repeated a year though. Anyway, I should just enjoy the moment to my heart's content! I'll surprise everyone with this charming skeleton costume! I'll show them what I'm capable of!

Cater: Happy Halloween!

[ha-hatdog]

little one / daisuke kambe

i definitely did not swoon while writing this. again, i did not know if you wanted hcs or one shot but i'll go with one shot. this is a good time to post this since the latest episode showed pics of smol daisuke omg. also, the name of your son is kakeru - yes, as in kakeru from run with the wind lmao

and to those who are saying i should add read more to my long fics, i really want to but i don't have a laptop or computer. i write everything on my phone, on the tumblr app. so if you know how to add read more in posts using the app, then please do dm me. thank chu💛

requested by anon: one where daisuke and reader have a two year old son together? lots of fluff

UNEDITED

__

Your palm concealed your amused lips, a snort emanating from your wrinkled nose as you took in the sight before you.

Kambe Daisuke was a man of little words and little expressions, and even now, after being married to you for four years and having a son who was now at the age of two, that has not changed. He was still the stoic and cool detective millionaire you have met many years ago - which is exactly what makes the unfolding scene before you much more hilarious.

Monotonous Daisuke, the same man you had seen take down criminals twice his size, was haphazardly sprawled on your carpeted ground, arms and legs outstretched, cheek pressed flat against the material of the carpet as a smaller and cuter carbon copy of him perched comfortably on his back, oblivious to the position he had set his father on, doing nothing but lie down on his father's back and sleep soundly, eyes closed, snoring and wearing such an adorable sleeping face that it was difficult not to coo.

The sight alone was already adorably hilarious, but seeing the genuine distress on Daisuke's face had you doubling over, your palm muffling your laughter.

"Look at you," You whispered at him by the doorframe, your knees bent and your other hand sliding along the frame of the door. "You look so dumb, Daisuke."

"I'm happy at least you find this amusing, but I do not." Your husband responded back in an ired puff, azure eyes glaring at you from the floor. It took all of you not to swoon.

"Don't look at me like that, my love. I can't take you seriously when our son is using you as a mattress." Daisuke's glare intensified, but as your previous statement suggested, all purpose of threat was dulled by the position he was in. "How did you even get yourself in this situation?"

"I find it unnecessary to tell you." Answered Daisuke, and from how his cheeks tinged red, you could only assume it was something embarassing. "Will you help me, love? Take Kakeru off of my back."

You shifted your gaze back to your slumbering son, and a fond smile sprouted on your brims.

Sometimes you wonder how you were even able to make this precious, big eyed, nuzzling baby. He was an exact copy of Daisuke, not a single hint of your genes. Blank face, quiet, raven hair, blue eyes, the little shine in his eyes whenever he saw you - it was like seeing Daisuke when he was a child, and it was because of this fact that you were at least feeling a little bit alright with your son having no semblance with you.

"Kakeru," You whispered to your son as you stepped closer to your best boys with quiet footfalls, and he scrunched his face ay the brief interruption of your cooing voice. You stopped yourself from squishing his cute little face, and knelt down beside them. "Kake -"

Your sentence was cut off when you felt a hand under your knee. Immediately, Daisuke retracted his hand away, hurling your way a soft glare. "Watch where your knee is going."

You chuckled at his dilemma and reached down to stroke his head. "Mattresses don't talk, Daisuke."

"Normal people don't talk to mattresses." Countered Daisuke, huffing and averting his gaze away from you. You stifled your laughter as his pout grew more prominent. It might be very obvious already with how Daisuke has everything handed over to him with a single breath, but your husband absolutely hated losing in any forms ; even in your daily banter, he must always have the last word. People often mistakenly thought that you, being his darling wife that he had persistently courted for a whole year, would be exempted to this childish pettiness you consistently deny her allegations, firmly believing you were receiving the worse end of it. This man cannot forget the times you have successfully reigned victory over his own game, months or weeks, it never failed to be permanently ingrained in his mind ; and this resulted to puzzling moments which goes by a chronological sequence - a relatively normal day, an opportunity to divulge the opening you have unknowingly presented before his feet, and then comes his last word, to which he will remind you as your confused face stared back at him when his out of the blue statement has originally birthed from.

However, there was only one person who could defeat him at that, would never let him get the last word and that is your son Kakeru. As you stared at his sleeping face, you cannot help but smile as you reminiscent that particular day.

***

Haru Kato has been invited to your house to meet Kambe Kakeru. Daisuke has been mildly cross with Haru meeting his son because he was petty and said that Kakeru needed no other man than him but seeing that Daisuke has become good friends with Haru in the two years they were partners, you insisted that he meets him. It was already unfair that Haru had to wait until Kakeru was two to meet him, the first and last time he saw him being after you had given birth (Daisuke only let him have a glimpse then pushed him out of the hospital room because he doesn't want Kakeru thinking he was his father).

"Kakeru," You chided as you crouched beside your son who was hiding behind Daisuke's legs and peering at the gray haired male, eyes curious yet cautious. "Don't you want to meet Uncle Haru?"

Haru stepped closer to the three of you, bent down near Kakeru's height, and outstretched his hand for him to shake. "Hey there, Kakeru." Haru greeted with a smile.

Kakeru recoiled and hid himself further behind Daisuke, hands around his pants tightening. "Daddy," He whimpered. "Bad man."

Haru's face fell at the enunciation, and you covered your mouth to keep yourself from laughing. Daisuke stared blankly at Haru as his hand travelled behind his back to stroke Kakeru's head. "You heard my son. Get out of here, bad man." Daisuke uttered his command.

A tick mark appeared on Haru's forehead at Daisuke's vocalization and before things could escalate out of the power of your responsibility, you interjected, regaiming your proper posture and clasping your hands together. "Kakeru is just wary of Haru because this is the first time he's seeing him, no need to fight." You told them off.

"No, Haru is just naturally scary." Daisuke stated with bantering finality.

"This is coming from a man who barely smiles." Argued Haru, scowling.

"And this is coming from someone who seems to be making a living screaming at me." Countered Daisuke.

Kakeru's eyes widened at what his father had said and shot Haru a small glare, yet his stance never wavered from its hiding place. "He screams at daddy . . . " Murmured Kakeru in a thoughtful trance, and pointed at Haru, shocking all three of you. "D-Don't scream at daddy again!"

Alarm made its way to Haru's facr at the accusation. "No, I have not once yelled at your dad - "

Daisuke turned around and knelt in front of Kakeru. Daisuke stared into his son's eyes and Kakeru stared back. "Don't listen to him, Kakeru. You should never listen to him, never ever. He makes daddy get all angry when we're doing police missions together."

"O-Oi," Haru inserted, fuming. "You're the one who always makes me mad! Don't turn the child on me!"

But Kakeru was not listening to Haru, as his beloved father has told him. Kakeru nodded firmly, lips curling. "Yes, daddy." He vouched in determination.

"Daisuke, stop it." You chastised, sighing and turned to the other detective that was not using your son to his advantage. "Sorry about this, Haru. Kakeru really looks up to Daisuke so he does anything he tells him to."

Kakeru, all of a sudden, began trotting away from the three of you, leaving all of you confused. After a few minutes, Kakeru returned, a determined look on his face.

"Kakeru, sweetheart, where did you go?" You asked as you approached him. "It's rude to leave our guest hanging, you know."

"Fight bad man," You and Haru gasped in horror when your son suddenly brandished a gun to Haru, not just a toy, but a real one. His tiny hands trembled as he was not used to the weight of the metal weapon burdening his grasp, and he was still glaring at Haru. "I pew pew bad guy, mommy, like daddy do with bad guys!"

"Kakeru, where did you get that gun?" You questioned, alarmed and and genuinely frightened. You looked to your husband to assess his reaction, but much to your mortification, Daisuke looked calm as he always is, as if your son wasn't capable of hurting a person as of the moment. "Daisuke, what the hell?"

You let out a yelp when Kakeru turned to you, and in the process, turned the gun to you. "Bad word, Mommy." He scolded. "I don't like."

Daisuke drawled. "It's not a big deal."

Haru growled. "Your son has a weapon! How are you not freaking out?" He then turned to Kakeru and extended his hand. "Give me the gun, Kakeru. Give it."

But Kakeru shook his head defiantly. "No!"

Daisuke frowned at his wife and his partner. "Why are you making a big fuss about this?" He questioned. "It's unloaded and the safety is on."

At the mention of those, you and Haru felt a brief sense of relief until Haru spoke out, "Just because it's unloaded doesn't mean it's okay!"

"It's basically a toy." Retorted Daisuke.

You walked towards your husband and pulled at his ear. His face did not at all change, seemingly expecting this reaction from you. "Daisuke, where did he even get the gun? Has one of yours been just lying around his reach?" This concerned you. If your son was able to get a weapon easily, what more is your husband letting him get?

"I gave him one." Answered Daisuke.

"And why would you give our two year old a gun?" You snapped at him.

"Kakeru said he wanted to hold a gun. Just like you, I said no." Daisuke glanced over at Kakery who was watching the three of you curiously. "However - " He turned back to you, and looked away. " - he's too adorable, as you might say."

You and Haru, in unison, slapped your hands to your forehead, exasperated with Daisuke's response.

"Kakeru probably looked sad when Daisuke said no." Haru remarked. "I can't blame him to be honest."

"He's spoiling him in ways too many." You added, and removed your hand from your forehead. "Daisuke, I know you love our son and pampering him but he can't just have a gun."

"Why, mommy?" You all looked at Kakeru, and immediately understood why Daisuke was forced to give him an unloaded gun. "Not love me?"

"A-Ah," You shrieked, horrified. "The secret move!"

Haru gulps. "This boy knows a little too much about his abilities."

"Even if it doesn't have any bullets?" Daisuked asked you.

You hurtled him a glower. "Even if it doesn't have any bullets and yes, even if it has the safety lock on." You immediately added when you saw Daisuke open his mouth.

Said man huffed. "Fine. If I knew you were going to react like this, I wouldn't have done it."

You and Haru watched as Daisuke knelt down in front of your son. Kakeru stared at his father, eyes wide and admiring. Daisuke lets out a sigh and extended his palm, "Give."

Kakeru shook his head vigorously, and his face scrunched as if he was going to cry but was trying to suppress it. "Daddy no love me too?"

You waited for what Daisuke would do, but he did not move. More seconds has passed, and he was yet to move. You and Haru exchanged glances before you moved over to him, checking him out. "Daisuke, love, what - Daisuke?"

A torn man was what Daisuke coukd be called at that moment. His face was deadpanned, but being with him longer than anyone else, you were able to pick up the small difference his expression held right now.

"U-Uh, Daisuke, are you okay?" You questioned in a form of a titter, eyebrows connected. "Daisuke?"

Haru walked over to Daisuke and leaned to look at him. "A-Ah, he looks like he's suffering."

"No, no," Denied Daisuke, frown deepening as he tried not to fall for his son's adorable trap. "Daddy loves you. But mommy and I agreed that you can't have that kind of toy, Kakeru."

"But," You all drew in a breath Kakeru hugged the gun to his chest, tears prodding the corners of his eyes. "My favorite toy is this."

"But why that, baby?" You asked softly. "You have so many other toys. Why that one?" You recalled the heaping amount of toys Daisuke bought for Kakeru.

Kakeru pouted, cheeks puffing. You couldn't help but imagine little Daisuke like that. "Because Daddy gave me this." Said Kakeru. "I want to be police, like daddy."

Daisuke turned to you, the internal struggle in his eyes prominent but you shook your head at him. Your husband sighed and looked at Kakeru again. He put his hand on top his head and ruffled his hair. Kakeru closed his eyes at the affection, welcoming it and his rigid frame loosening. Kakeru opened his eyes and let out a small noise of surprise as Daisuke wiped a stray tear from his cheek.

From what you can deduce, you knew Daisuke was about to say something brilliant to your son, to teach him something valuable. But before Daisuke could even open his mouth, Haru cut him off -

"A gun doesn't make a cop, Kakeru. It's the sense of justice to do the right thing and keeping people safe does." Haru then proceeded to take out his badge and handing it to Kakeru with a large smile on his face. "You can borrow this for a while, while I'm still here. As much as I want to give it to you, I need it to do my job as a cop. But maybe in the future, you can get one of your own. You'll be just like your dad."

You were impressed by what Haru had said, but Kakeru - his eyes were wide and glittering with admiration as he stared at Haru, all fear of the bad man gone. You swear that there was light all around Haru if you're ever seeing through Kakeru's eyes. But one member of the group disliked this mild change, and it was your irritated and pouting husband.

You covered your mouth to keep yourself from laughing. Daisuke was obviously feeling jealous of Haru now that his son was ignoring him - the emotion only worsening when Kakeru took the badge from Haru and dropped the gun on the ground and stared at the shiny object, whispering, "Uwahh,"

A cloud of dread hung over Daisuke and you patted his back in comfort. "There, there, Daisuke, he's just making a friend."

"But why with Haru?" Grumbled Daisuke, sulking. "And why is he looking at him like that? I should be the only one he's looking at like that. You too, I guess."

You let out a sigh. "You're really jealous when it comes to me and Kakeru."

Haru looked proud of the achievement and improvement he had made with Kakeru, his hands over his hips. "Looks pretty cool, right?"

Kakeru nodded enthusiastically, examining the badge thoroughly. "Very cool." He murmured, and then stared at Haru intently, lips pursing. "I wanna be like Mister Haru when I grow up!"

That was the first time you have seen Daisuke speechless and the last time Haru had seen Kakeru for six months. You were certain Daisuke did not speak to Haru for about two weeks, only communicating through nods and grunts, and Haru did not know whether to feel relieved or irritated at that. Maybe a little bit of both.

But, that was the only time Daisuke did not have the last word.

Kakeru certainly has Daisuke around his little finger.

***

You reached forward and shook Kakeru awake softly. "Kakeru," You chimed, and he scrunched his face again, not wanting to be disturbed sleeping on Daisuke's back. "Wake up, baby,"

Kakeru let out a small groan, and slowly opened his eyes. A familiar pair of blue hues greeted you, the same eyes that you wake up to every morning. Kakeru let out a big yawn and rubbed his left eye with his hand, groaning out, "Mommy," He then looked down at Daisuke who was craning his head to watch his son. "And Daddy."

You smiled at him and opened your arms, hands making grabby movements towards your two year old. "Come here, baby," You cooed sweetly.

Kakeru perked up and a glimmer crossed his eyes, the same glimmer when Daisuke had seen you for the first time. You could never forget that time, and you can never find it more beautiful than seeing that in your son's eyes whenever you offer him affection. Immediately, the two year old scrambled out of Daisuke's back - Daisuke grunted as his little feet padded on his back a few times as he struggled to get to your lap and arms - and sunk in your embrace. Your eyes grew gentler as Kakeru snuggled closer to your chest, cheek rubbing on your clothing and his hands clinging to the fabric.

"Are you tired, baby?" You questioned as you stroked the back of his head, finger running over his hair.

Kakeru nodded tiredly. "Daddy played cops and robbers with me."

"Let me guess, you were the cop and he was the robber?" You commented.

"Yes, and I captured Daddy many, many times." Answered Kakeru, proud with himself.

"Oh, is that so? That's amazing, baby. You're going to be a great cop like Daddy." You then turned over to Daisuke who was now recovering from being used as a bed. He dusted himself as he sat properly on the ground in front of you. "Is that why you were under him? Because you were arrested?"

Daisuke looked away. "I think I need to teach him how to properly apprehend a criminal."

You giggled. "When he's older, Daisuke."

He faced you with a sharp twist of his face, expression determined. "He won't grow older."

You frowned. "What?"

You and Daisuke looked down to see Kakeru fighting the need to sleep, his eyes opening and closing.

"I don't . . . " Daisuke trailed off, and a trace of embarassment scrawled on his face. You rarely see your husband embarassed and so you waited for him to continue. " . . . I don't want Kakeru to grow up."

You shook your head lightly, smile broadening. "Daisuke," You whispered, and when he did not look at you, you called him again. "Love, look at me."

He did so, and with one hand, you cradled his face. "I know how you feel. I understand where you're coming from. But - " You mused. " - don't you want to see our son grow up to be a fine man? To be the person he aspires to be? To be like you?"

Daisuke stares back at you, and took a gander at Kakeru who was beginning to fall asleep. He lets out a sigh and nodded in agreement, "I guess that would be pleasant to see."

"And he'll marry a great girl." You added.

"Marry mommy," Kakeru drawled. He was forcing himself to stay awake but his eyes was not cooperating with his spirits.

Daisuke scooted closer to both of you and brushed his knuckles on Kakeru's forehead. "Marry mommy? You're going to take mommy away from me?"

Kakeru shook his head. "Marry someone like mommy," One of his hand extended and took hold of Daisuke's shirt, the other still clinging to you. Kakeru looked up at both of you, still comfortable in your lap and chest. His eyes, again, were bright. "I want family like me, and mommy, and daddy."

Warmth swathed your chest, your heart melting. You took a gander to Daisuke and saw that the expression he wore - love, care, and the promise of sacrifice when it comes to it and when he looked at you, the emotions never faltered, and they only grew stronger. Sometimes you wonder just how much Daisuke loved you and Kakeru.

"A family like the three of us." Kakeru let go of your clothing and showed three fingers of his and quickly pressed the three digits together. "A happy family."

Kakeru fell asleep after his statement. His arm dropped and his head moved to one side, his eyes closed and lips parted.

"We should tuck him in." Daisuke declared.

"Yeah," You agreed and Daisuke helped you stand up, making sure you two aren't waking your sleeping son. You moved him to his bed, setting him down the mattress gently. Daisuke took the liberty of putting the blanket over Kakeru. Your child shifted in his spot, and cuddled to his pillow.

You sat on the bed beside Kakeru, observing your son. "Already tired when the morning has just barely started." You chuckled.

"He said he needed practice to be a cop, and I couldn't say no." Daisuke inserted.

"You can never say no to Kakeru anyways." You jested.

"Same with you." Daisuke knelt down beside the bed, arms resting on the mattress and his head level with his son's. He admired Kakeru, his deadpan expression gone and a small smile on his face. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Kakeru's cheek, lingering for a while before pulling away.

Daisuke faced you and you raised an eyebrow as he took your hand.

"You have given me a beautiful son. Thank you so much, my love."