#if i try to talk to them I'll just annoy them' disease

[nintendont2502]

How tf do people just. Make friends with their mutuals. How

[mytheoristavenue]

Incel!Gyutaro who has to hear about all your sexual conquests and short lived relationships. He always rolls his eyes at how nonchalantly you talk about break ups. Until one day, you come to his dorm absolutely distraught. A guy you'd really liked was cheating on you and then he dumped you.

"Jeez, I don't think I've ever seen you cry." He sneers at first, annoyed by being interrupted from his super important game. Then he notices that your hair is messed and you make up looks old. You're always put together so this was a major red flag. "Hey, wait, you're not actually that upset are you?"

All it takes is a nod for him to pull you into his chest, hold you against him. The gesture is so sweet, you can ignore the stale scent of his overworn shirt. "Listen, don't let that fucking chud get you down okay? You dodged a bullet, he probably has a fucking disease."

You tell him you genuinely liked this one and he softens up, petting your hair as he pulls you into his lap. "I know you did..." He sighs. "Don't know why you did but I know you did."

You cry to him for hours, letting him just hold you. You feel bad, knowing he likes you and that your forcing him into an awkward situation. You consider apologizing when you notice he's on his phone. Is he even listening?

It's then that you realize, he's on your ex's Instagram, stalking it, sending him ominous texts from a burner account that read like "Careful getting into your car after you get out of the gym." And "How's it going (full government name), (social security number) who lives at (full adress) with (list of roommates by full government names)?"

You can't help but smile. At his core, Gyutaro is sweet. Very creepy and likely to commit an act of mass violence if he doesn't get laid soon, but sweet none the less, at least to you.

"Don't sweat it, babe," He says, brows furrowed as he tosses his phone to hold you tighter. "No matter how these smooth brained douchebags treat you, I'll always be here for you."

"You really care about me, don't you?" You finally ask, tearing up, trying to bat them away.

"I guess so." He shrugs nonchalantly. "No other girl I'd do this shit for 'cept for Ume."

When had he becomes so cool? Since when could he make you feel anything other than pride when you teased him?

You softened further, hugging back even tighter, beginning to to cry again, abusing the leverage you had over him to make yourself feel better. He didn't mind that much, that was your dynamic.

"Shhh, it's okay, babe. I got you now."

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

hi, i'm fourteen and i have this friend who asked me if i wanted to try eating her out. not a girlfriend, a friend. i don't have any feelings for her but i do think she's gorgeous and she's probably the best friend i have and the most mature 14 year old i know. i trust her a lot. im definitely not opposed to trying to give her head, either. i'm just worried it might be a bad idea, and i'm anxious that i won't do it right and she won't even feel good. i definitely don't want to have sex this early but does giving someone else head even count as real sex? she wouldn't really be touching me at all, except for she did say she'd want us to make out before i did it, though i'm not entirely sure why, but i am okay with it. i'm also worried about, like, STDs, because i've never been with another person like... sexually, i've kissed other people but i haven't in a while. but i think she might have done stuff with people? i don't know how recently. like... i don't know, do you think this is a really bad idea and we're too young or is this fine? how do you even eat someone out, like, what do you do? sorry if this is annoying i just really need an adult to ask about this and it's not like i can ask my parents since i'm not really supposed to do this.

hi anon,

thank you for asking! I'm really grateful to be an adult that you trust enough to talk with about stuff like this. it's not annoying, and I'll do the best I can to give a helpful answer based on everything you've told me.

I think maybe, in your case, this might not be a great idea right now. it sounds like there's a lot about this situation that makes you nervous in a way that's not fun - the kind of nerves that come from being excited to connect with a new person are one thing, but I'm hearing much more anxiety than excitement in the way you're talking about this.

oral sex (using your mouth) definitely counts as real sex - it's definitely not just putting a penis in a vagina! - and can be just as intimate and emotionally complicated as any other kind of sexual expression. you said you don't want to be having sex at your age - which is totally normal, and completely your choice to make! - and that includes oral sex as well, so maybe it's best if you sit this one out for the time being.

I want to be super clear that I'm not saying this out of any sense that no people your age should be sexual; I think wanted sexual exploration between young teens can be a great way to start exploring sexuality and finding what feels good! but that doesn't mean that every teenager has to be having sex, or that they're immature if they don't. people are ready to explore sex at lots of different ages (and some people never do at all), and none of them are weird or wrong. you could feel totally different in ten years, one year, a month, or even a week, but right now you don't feel ready, and what you feel right now is what's most important.

holding off until you've had time to learn more about sex may also help, because every situation is less scary when you feel more prepared. (it's why they make you spend so many godforsaken hours practicing driving before you can take the test to get your license.) in the spirit of learning, I want to share some resources about some of the things you had questions/concerns about.

this page on Planned Parenthood's website talks about lots of different kinds of sexually transmitted infections (STIs, also frequently called sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs), including how they're spread and how to treat them. I don't want to make STIs sound scary - I recently wrote a whole post about how they really shouldn't be! - but because it is important to know what risks there are if you plan to be sexually active so that you can do your best to minimize those risks, and what to do if someone does catch an STI. an important thing to remember is that, at your age, it might be difficult for you or your friend to get tested for STIs without help from your parents, which may be awkward and unpleasant or totally impossible if you're unable to tell them why you need a test in the first place. that's an important factor in deciding whether or not to have sex!

additionally, here's some info about dental dams, which are basically condoms for oral sex - they're a flat piece of latex, like a condom that got rolled out, that goes between the mouth and the hole.

and to help with your question about how going down even works, I recommend this video by sexologist Dr. Lindsey Doe. you won't be seeing any real genitals in this video, although there is a drawing and some nude Barbies, and you'll probably want to listen with headphones unless you're alone. there are also links to more of Dr. Doe's videos on the topic.

and lastly, for more thinking about this topic, I want to direct you to Scarleteen's answer to help figure out when you're ready to start having sex, which is very good on its own and has links to some other good reading on the topic. Scarleteen is a great resource specifically designed and run to help answer teenagers' questions about sex without judgment, and I recommend them very heavily.

I hope that this has been useful, and helps you feel empowered to make whatever decision is best for you.

[kkongdakz]

“ YOU'RE SICK? ” ft. ot9

synopsis : their reactions when you're sick but you don't want to tell them.

ot9 x gn!reader, genre : fluff, warning : reader is sick, wc : 1.378k

you didn't expect the door to your apartment to suddenly open to reveal a distraught kim jiwoong. watching him with your questioning eyes, over the very warm plaid that covered your entire body despite this beautiful summer day, the man approached you to place his hand against your forehead. « you're back early today. » you noted, as jiwoong got rid of his jacket, coming to slide against you, « your colleague told me you were sick, so i took the rest of my work day to come and take care of you. why you didn't call me? » camouflaging yourself in your blanket again, coughing until your lungs burst, your boyfriend's arms went around your waist. « because i'm fine. and you didn't have to so that. but i won't deny that i'm happy you're here. » — and the smile on his lips suddenly cured all your diseases.

lying on your bed, you sighed as you heard your phone ring, displaying zhang hao's name on your screen. it had to be said, that ignoring all his calls of the day was probably not your best idea. but your loss of voice prevents you from talking to him, and you didn't want to tell him because you didn't want to worry him. but it seems that it was all for nothing, when you saw the message you had just received : “you're sick and you didn't tell me?” — you were convinced that your friend must have told him without realizing it. so, when you told him that yes, you were sick but that it was okay, you didn't have to wait long to get an answer from him. “i'll be there in a bit.” wasn't the answer you expected but at least, being in his company even without speaking was not unpleasant.

« what are you doing here? » was the only thing you said when you saw sung hanbin at your doorstep. he didn't look very happy, but he seemed mostly worried and concerned. « you didn't answer my messages, so i called your mother.. » rolling your eyes at his statement, a long sigh left your lips before he spoke again, « why didn't you tell me you were sick? », « it's nothing serious, just a cold. » — but your answer was not enough for him, so he approached you, placing a hand against your forehead, and suddenly his eyes became like marbles. « are you kidding me? you are boiling with fever ! », « hanbin, i can- » — but you didn't have time to say anything more, because he was already in your kitchen, ready to prepare the best soup of your life.

« what are you doing on my sofa? » you say as you enter your living room, coming face to face with seok matthew. your boyfriend left his initiated place to approach you, placing a hand on your forehead, « they were not lying, you are indeed sick. why didn't you call me? » shrugging, you slid into his arms, tucking your head against his chest, « i didn't want to worry you. » a smile spread across his face as he wrapped your frail body around his, keeping you warm. the boy placed a kiss on the top of your head, mechanically and tenderly rubbing your back from bottom to top, « i'll take care of you from now on, okay? » — and you can't resist his smile, so even if you don't want him to get sick too, you end up accepting and staying close to him.

as you picked up the phone in your half asleep state, you were surprised to hear kim taerae's voice on the other line. « why didn't you tell me you weren't coming because you were sick? » trying to stay awake to answer him, you yawned into the phone while rubbing your eyes, « i'm sorry, i was just smeared and tired, it's nothing serious. i promise. » you could hear him sighing through the phone, and you could already imagine his half-aggrieved face. he may have been annoyed, but he was still responsible, with common sense, « get some rest and call me when you wake up, i'll come and take care of you, okay? » obeying his words, you complied and took long hours of sleep, while he wisely waited for you to contact him.

sometimes shen ricky can really be too dramatic, and today was one of those days. especially when you faced your boyfriend with a complete stranger on your doorstep. « who's that? » you asked, in a rather disturbed voice, « my doctor. » he replied, coming up to you to kiss your cheek. « you didn't tell me you were sick, so i brought a doctor to check it out. » sighing as you pinch the bridge of your nose, ready to kick him out, you finally let them in, knowing full well that ricky wouldn't let go until he knew exactly what you had. « thank you sir, have a nice day. » — closing the door behind the doctor, you approached your boyfriend to gently hit his arm, under his amused look. then he drew you against him, hanging his warm jacket on your shoulders, « next time at least, you will tell me directly. »

kim gyuvin was the most unpredictable boy you knew, but the fact that he was currently knocking at your window in the middle of the night, was something even more unpredictable than usual. when you opened the latter to let him in, he practically threw himself on you to observe you from all sides, « are you okay? on a scale of 1 to 10, how much pain are you in? » looking at him with soft eyes, you gently pushed his arms before whispering, « see. that's why i didn't tell you i was sick. » a pout painted his lips as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a box and some medicine — a hot chicken soup from his mother. « since you're not that sick, i guess i can go back home with this? » you grabbed the soup before sitting down at your desk, followed by a particularly clingy gyuvin. « you'll end up sick too if you don't leave. », « don't care. cuddling you is more important. » and that's what he did.

you didn't expect to open the door of your home to find park gunwook. « why are you here? » you say with a raised eyebrow, hiding your face in your sweatshirt three times too big for you, « the fact that you didn't want to see me today seemed suspicious. i understand why now. » — the boy didn't give you time to answer, as he pushed you back inside, greeting your mother before accompanying you to the living room. there, he wrapped you in a blanket and drew you against him, kissing your forehead burning with fever. « you are really sick, it was really weird that you suddenly said "leave me alone" to me. » a scoff left your mouth, before snuggling into the blanket, almost disappearing from his view. « i didn't want you to get sick by staying with me. », « don't worry. i'm strong and robust, i'll be okay. » — only that to have him get sick right after you.

with a lollipop in his mouth, han yujin was at the door of your room. raising an eyebrow at him, he handed you a small pink bag, « here. » — taking it between your fingers, you observed its contents : medication and a notebook. « you weren't in class, so i asked your friends and they told me you were sick. why didn't you tell me? » sighing to try to hide your shy smile, you shrugged and placed the bag on your desk, while yujin sat on the edge of your bed. « it's nothing serious. just a cold and a vital need to sleep for a whole day. » a scoff left his lips, as he fell backwards onto your mattress, « great. sleeping is my favorite activity. »

·˚ ༘ taglist (fill out this form to be added to the taglist) : @iram5shaikh_ @annoyingbitch83 @kpoprhia @invuwrld @watamotee33 @ilovechanhee

[jebewonmorelike]

He's Doing The Thing Again

wc: 1.2k warnings: angst, but it's so not serious; fluffy fluff pronouns: n/a; none used summary: junhyeon gets jealous when he sees your bp voting certificate ~bp masterlist~ ♡ ~kofi (no pressure at all)~ hi hi hi here's a drama king junhyeon drabble... he's only 5 so i think we can let the behavior slide

"Give me that," Junhyeon says, reaching to take the bottle of ketchup you're struggling with out of your hands.

You pull it back. "I've got it."

He snorts. "You absolutely do not. You're so cute, but your weak little fingers are so useless."

"Okay, rude," you reply with a huff, but you surrender the bottle to Junhyeon anyway. He was right: it was either your pride or ketchup. And you needed ketchup.

Junhyeon screws off the cap with ease, passing it back to you to drown your burger in. But just as you're about to squeeze, a faint alarm starts to sound.

"Is that your phone, babe?" A concerned look crosses Junhyeon's face as he lowers his voice to a whisper. "Do you need to take medicine or something? Are you okay? Did you develop a disease while I was gone and not want to burden me with it?"

You pick up your phone, reading the name of the alarm:

VOTE FOR BOYS PLANET

You hold up your phone so Junhyeon can read the name of the alarm from across the table and then hit 'stop'. He grins back at you and takes a sip of his Coke.

"Way more important than any secret disease honestly. You better get on that immediately."

You nod, giggling. "You're right. I'll do it now so I don't forget."

Opening the Mnet app on your phone, you quickly pull up the voting screen and start scrolling through the various contestants. Your boyfriend stands up from his seat and slides into your side of the booth, gently tugging your phone towards him and placing it flat on the table in between both of you.

"What are you doing?" You ask with a laugh, praying your cheeks don't noticeably redden as he snakes his arm around your waist and pulls you in closer to him.

"This is exciting! I haven't been here to watch you vote for me in person. I need to see it with my own eyes," he explains ecstaticly, his leg bouncing up and down a bit with anticipation.

You bite your lip, suppressing a grin at Junhyeon's entirely contagious energy. "Okay, okay. Watch away."

As you resume your scrolling, you can feel the blush you were dreading spread across your cheeks as Junhyeon stares at the side of your face rather than the screen-- playing sweetly with the hem of your shirt. Not so carefully, you finish selecting the three boys you're voting for today and hit confirm, proving that you're not a robot and turning down the volume of your phone when the annoying ad starts to play.

"Yay, all done!" Your announcement reminds Junhyeon to finally turn his attention away from you and towards the phone screen. You feel your body temperature start to return to normal.

"Look at my love voting for--," Junhyeon starts, absolutely beaming with pride. But he soon cuts himself off, his eyebrows furrowing as he picks up your phone and brings it closer to his face to examine it. After a moment, he continues, "...Gunwook."

You look up at him with confusion. "What?"

"Gunwook," he repeats softly.

You observe him now, the pout forming on his lips and the forlorn look in his eyes. "Baby, why are you saying Gunwook?"

"BECAUSE YOU DON'T LOVE ME ANYMORE!" The exclamation is paired with the sudden folding of his arms on the table and his head thumping down atop them. The dramatic display clamors your silverware loudly and you smile nervously at the onlookers in the booth across from you.

"Hyeonni!" You whisper-shout at him, trying to pry him back upright to no avail. "What are you talking about? Of course I still love you!"

He groans loudly, causing the people at the booth across from you to glance over again. You smile and nod apologetically, now resorting to softly but rapidly hitting your boyfriend's back to get him to stop.

"Junhyeon, please! Stop making a scene, baby."

He sits up at that, sinking back into the booth with his arms folded across his chest. "You never let me make a scene," he says, sulking to the nth degree. Mumbling, he adds, "Bet you'd let Wookie make a scene."

You close your eyes and take a deep breath, trying to maintain your composure at your boyfriend who was always willing to demonstrate his dramatic acting chops no matter the location.

When you open your eyes, you reach for your phone to text your friend the phrase you so often texted her: he's doing the thing again.

You're stopped in your tracks, however, when you see your Boys Planet voting certificate still open on your phone screen. Your eyebrows raise as you see the list of trainees you'd chosen while very clearly distracted by your boyfriend's affection. Listed in order of chosen first to last, the certificate reads:

Park Gunwook. Zhang Hao. Kum Junhyeon.

"Oh my god! Hyeonni... I'm really sorry," you relent, turning towards him and meeting his eyes.

He sighs dejectedly. "It's fine, just invite me to the wedding I guess."

You hit him playfully and laugh, latching onto his arm and cuddling up to him in the restaurant booth. "Baby, of course I was going to choose you first. And I always vote Gunwook third. But you completely sabotaged my voting process with your charm. I haven't seen you in awhile-- you should have know I would be more susceptible to it! When you really examine the whole situation, it does seem to be your fault..."

He sits up abruptly, grabbing both of your shoulders and grinning from ear to ear. "So you DO still love me!?"

"Of course I still love you!" You exclaim, reaching up to pull his cute cheeks closer to you so you can kiss each of them.

You could swear you see a light blush color Junhyeon's face as he smiles affectionately back at you. "Waaaaah! I was really my own downfall there. And to think I was considering making a scene..."

You roll your eyes at the crazy person that is your boyfriend.

Junhyeon is visibly swelling with pride as he affirms, "But your boyfriend's irresistible charm kept you from voting him first like you always do."

You laugh nervously. "Um... Exactly, Hyeonni..."

"Let me see the rest of your voting certificates! I want to see one with me listed first," he says, quickly snatching your phone from your hand to open your photos.

"Junhyeon, wait!" You warn, but your effort is futile. You watch as he scrolls through weeks of your voting certificates and, though you know the upsetting data they contain, his smile doesn't fade.

It's somehow even more concerning than watching it fade.

Finally, Junhyeon puts your phone back down on the table. He stares blankly at your dinner plate for a few moments before he quietly and carefully speaks. "So when you said that I messed up your voting order... what you meant is that I kept you from voting Zhang Hao first."

You wince. "I don't vote him first every day! I vote you first more than half of the time, baby-- you saw that! I have a... very specific rotation."

"OH, COME ON!" Junhyeon cries, his whole upper body collapsing back onto the table with a thud.

You pick up your phone and dial a familiar number, hearing it click and not even waiting for a hello to speak:

"Hi. He's doing the thing again..."

[tgirlblogger]

Dear Diary,

CW: Eating Disorder, Self Harm

Today was okay. I just generally did nothing at school, and then did nothing at home, and that's fine. If I did one thing good today, it's been getting a knife. I've been itching to make another big mess, but I'll have to get to that in a month or so around March, I don't really have time right now. So I'll just have to subsist for now. I haven't actually used it, I think I'll use it in the washroom if I have time. I've got a pretty good hiding spot I think, it'll be really hard for them to try to steal it in my sleep, and it won't make too much sound while I'm retrieving it, so I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to cut in peace for once. I'm really not sure what it even does for me anymore, but I'll find out soon I guess.

Didn't throw up yesterday, it was a mix between simply not having the time and just not wanting to do so really. I don't know why, I'll have to throw up today, especially after the food I had. Since today was a half day, I had to eat lunch. We went to Costco and got the everfamous hot dogs. And yeah I'm wowed. I thought it was just the hotdog but its a hotdog and a drink with infinite refills for only a dollar fifty. Its pretty impressive all things considered. For dinner we went to some sort of sushi place, there was a lot of food yadda yadda. The problem with good food is that it is just so good to eat, but later in the shower or when you're changing you notice just how much weight you've gained, and its just such a horrible feeling. I really really try to just not look down whenever I'm not wearing thick layers of clothing. But also when I'm not wearing thick layers of clothing I'm also self conscious about my shoulders and all, so its another win for the dysphoria hoodie I guess. I feel like I'm entering a cycle where I throw up once, pat myself on the back, and then neglect to do so for another week, and then do it again and on and on and on. Like I don't really know how to reconcile trying to not be fatphobic but actively enforcing throwing up for no other reason than just for the purposes of being skinny. I really can't. If it was like a real mental disease then I probably could hide behind it, but like it really isn't. I have to fight and struggle to even maintain it, and like I don't really know how to tell myself I'm a good person. I just have to not think about it, but that just makes me a genuinely bad person. I don't have an excuse for myself.

Talking about cutting is really shitty after going on that little spiel about how I'm a bad person. Its almost manipulative, to try to make you and myself pity me. But I don't really have any good other things to say I guess. As of right now I just made 2 cuts, both to styro. I bandaged one wrong I think, there's some blood leaking through the bandage. I put a tissue over it and it stopped in only like 5 seconds, but I'm worried that the bandages I stole just aren't good enough to hold future cuts. And I do have to say. Cutting makes me feel good. Almost happy. Maybe even does something sexually, but lets not talk about that. Its also so terrifying to do. My parents can be perceptive when they feel like it, and even a tiny little drop of blood missed and they know. But I love cutting. I don't want to ever stop. Also, I may have misjudged how little sound that the hiding spot makes. We'll see. I think it'll be hard to try to get to it while I'm sleeping without waking me up though, so really we'll just have to see.

My parents have been getting super into politics recently. Not super recently, but like its just been nonstop talking about Trump and DEI and the 25% tariffs the last few days. Is DEI a new term? I swear I'd never heard of it until literally last month. Its annoying, since occasionally he'll bring up gender and whatnot, and like its breaking our unspoken agreement to not talk about me being trans and just silently hate eachother. For some strange reason, my dad is a devout follower and supporter of Trump. My mom's more of a center right person, she "supports the liberals, but lately they've just gone too left.". I think she protested against teaching sex-ed back when that was a big thing. But like what is extremely perplexing to me is that my father is like going to vote liberal next election. Because if Poilievre wins then he'll get fired. But he loves conservatism, and hates welfare. Even though he works for the government as a welfare guy. So thats strange but like whatever. I hope that he dies soon.

Been thinking a lot about NGE lately. It just gets better the more I think about it honestly. Not to be too generic but Shinji is literally me. Except for all the stuff that isn't me. But you know we've got some relatable qualities. And yeah, its a much better work if Shinji is a trans girl. The more I think about all my problems, the more I think it could all be solved with a little third impacting. I think that EoE is quite possibly the most hopeful thing that could ever happen for humanity. Like if you subscribe to the idea that everyone reforms after being LCL'd then like yeah its like a really hopeful ending and all that. World peace achieved. Honestly NGE is so good but Im just not a very smart person. I cant do analysis but I can know that its such a good piece of work and that just drives me to tears. I know Im not truly understanding the deeper meanings of it, but I need to.

Can't really think of much more to say. Bye I guess.

[rinarin01]

Safe place—Chuuya Nakahara x Female Reader

"You're my favorite place to go to when ny mind searches for peace."

a/n: where reader is actually a part of chuuya and dazai's 'double black' and is the calmest and most reserved out of them. Enjoy a bit of a soft chuuya!

(P.S the three of you are 16 years old here and relationship is completely platonic!)

A normal day for me was hearing my two co-workers bickering back and forth. Hearing never ending arguments from the two of them was tiring and not to mention annoying— but I get a good laugh from it time to time. So when I hear nothing but complete silence from our shared office, I was a bit skeptical.

'It's way too quiet..—' you thought, but quickly shrugging afterwards. At least you could have a peaceful afternoon without their usual bickering. You sighed as you plopped down your office chair, stretching your limbs and hearing satisfying pops after. You stared at the cloudless sky, painted with the colors orange and soft red, through the large window residing on the office. You yawned quietly, tapping your fingers gently on the desk and enjoying the calming view.

But your short paradise was immediately bought to an end when the door slammed open and closed. You flinched as you see a very upset Chuuya. You raise your eyebrow, Chuuya was never that upset. He was always angry but he has never looked that genuinely distressed before.

"Chuuya? What happened?" You say softly, standing up and gently touching his shoulder. He seemed to shoot up, not expecting me to be here.

"[Name], god I've been searching all over for you." He exhales, you could see a bit of frustration from his eyes and it made you worry.

"Why? What happened?" You say, concern written all over your face as you squeeze his shoulder for comfort. Chuuya didn't seem to respond to your touch as he continued to fume with anger as he paces back and forth. You take a step back, waiting for an explanation.

"It's Dazai— ugh! He doesn't know when to stop with his teasings! It's f*cking irritating! It's like he wants me to be embarrassed infront of— ugh!" He replies, completely frustrated and annoyed. He was absolutely furious at Dazai.

You sigh as you walk closer to Chuuya, with him contuing to rant about how he angry he was feeling, I gently grabbed his hand and pulled him in a hug. He unsurprisingly fought back for several minutes before giving in— you were quite stronger than he thought.

You smiled as you rocked him back and forth like a toddler, "Are you trying to embarrass me too?! I'm not a child—!"

"I'm sorry for Dazai, he's just a bit.. comfortable with teasing you since you're one of the few people who can actually keep up with his personality. He cares for you and appreciates you but just doesn't want to admit it." You chuckle slightly.

"Tsk, I doubt he does." Chuuya grumbles, his chin resting on your shoulder unwillingly. As you continued to hug him, he seems to relax more and more.

"He does, he cares for you as much as I do for you. He just doesn't like to be obvious about it." You explain calmly. After several minutes, Chuuya's anger seemed to wash away because of your presence, he sighs and stiffly hugs back.

"Seriously.. I can never be angry around you. Your calmness always infects me." He grumbles, emitting a small laugh from you.

"You talk as if I'm a disease or something." You reply, patting his back softly before breaking the hug.

"I'll talk to Dazai about this okay?"

"I—

The door slams open and a certain brunette, dressed in all black entered. Speak of the devil. Dazai seemed to pause as he notices you two close to each other.

"oh? Am I interru—

"Dazai." I sigh disappointingly. The brunette seemed to stand straight at the mention of his name with that tone. Safe to say, he ended up apologizing, and the two of them hugged (actually, you pushed Dazai to Chuuya and forced him to give him a small hug or else he wouldn't get free dinners from you anymore.)

[rippersz]

Miranda Priestly and f Reader. Reader gets in between an altercation between Miranda and Stephen. She later tells Miranda "I'll never let anyone talk to you like that again"

𝙰 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚞𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

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════ ⋆★⋆ ════════ ⋆★⋆ ════

(Fem!Reader x Miranda Priestly) (Pining) (TW: Abusive language)

════ ⋆★⋆ ════════ ⋆★⋆ ════

“Oh give me a break! You don’t have to make up excuses to try and salvage my ego, Miranda!”

The minute you walked in, you knew something was wrong.

The townhouse air in the evening was usually still and quiet, but the stomping footsteps on the second floor provided a tension that made you pause in the foyer. Stephen was home, you realized. His weird manly cologne filled your lungs, nearly bringing tears to your eyes with how strong it was. Almost a year as Miranda’s assistant, spending time around her husband at least once or twice, and you still couldn’t get used to his smell. Probably because every little thing about Stephen was either utterly boring or terribly annoying. Emily said it was both, but she only expressed that when he called so frequently that Miranda told her to instantly send them to voicemail. ‘If he has something important to say, he’ll leave a message’ but every time he did, it was just a stream of complaints.

If you were in his shoes, something you didn’t think about often because why would you, then you knew you wouldn’t take her attention for granted. She gave it when she could and a loving partner would understand that, and such understanding would lead to a lack of tension, and a lack of tension would result in more of her recognition. Or that’s what you thought. Again- not that you thought about it frequently of course - cuz that would just be silly and unrealistic and strange because she was your boss and she was the most emotionally unavailable woman you knew and even though she loved her daughters, her love for her partners was different and-

“I can’t go one day without them shooting looks at me- like- like I’m some dog! Probably wondering where my keeper is!” His voice echoed upon every floor, making you wince as you slid the Book into its assigned place.

Evidently, they hadn’t heard you come in. They should have been expecting you; at least Miranda should have, but it was easy to lose track of time during the winter months. It seemed to move so quickly, with a prime example being that it was 11:20 on the dot once you got there. Miranda had to attend a small dinner party at 9, so she eventually returned home at 10:30. Not the worst timing for a Friday night, but if Stephen had been ranting from the very moment she stepped in, well then you had no doubt she was tired. Too tired to argue perhaps as you barely heard her murmured response.

“We can discuss this in the morning. It’s late.” She sounded worn. It made your heart ache as you looked up at the ceiling, momentarily debating if you should stay or leave.

“Oh yeah? Just so you can escape back into your job to try and distract yourself from the real issues? Stop acting like a child, Miranda. We’ll talk about this now like adults.” The way Stephen ‘put his foot down’ was nothing in comparison to Miranda’s method. He was too loud about it - too demanding. It wasn’t very effective, even though it did make up your mind for you.

Staying was risky, of course. You could get caught, of course. You could get fired, of course. But honestly? You didn’t trust your boss’s husband. You didn’t trust his demeanor or his drinking or any other little thing about him. And although you didn’t think he would really hurt her, the worry that planted itself in the back of your brain grew swiftly; festering like a disease as you inched yourself toward the stairs and placed your hand on the cold bannister. Worrying for your boss was not your place, but above that, worrying for Miranda Priestly was not your right. You weren’t hers and she wasn’t yours - so there was really no need to stick around. She was entirely capable of taking care of herself.

…And yet?

And yet, something in your gut told you to stay. It was quiet but present - and it murmured softly, convincing you that the second you stepped out of the door and got into the car with Roy and drove off into the night, something would happen. Something bad. Something that you could have avoided if only you were there.

So no, you couldn’t leave. Not yet. Even though Miranda was most likely prepared to tear Stephen a new one.

“I am acting like a child? Calling your wife at 9:45 PM to complain about her absence at a dinner you didn’t confirm is far more childish than me doing my job. What did you expect me to do when you called? Run out of an important business dinner to dash over and wipe your tears before drowning my embarrassment in an overpriced ‘welcome bread basket’? Don’t be absurd, Stephen. You knew I was busy.” And she proved you right - speaking in a low edgy hiss that you suspected was only reserved for her husband. Interestingly enough though, even alone in her house, arguing with this person or the other, Miranda never raised her voice.

No one else thought it was noteworthy enough to mention in quiet conversation, but you were often tempted to bring it up to Nigel. You figured it was because of her childhood - whatever that had been like - and that she vowed to keep her vocal cords safe. It was a small little detail, but when one conversed with Miranda, sometimes it seemed like the only thing to focus on. Her words are always important, yes, but watching her lips move… and seeing the way her teeth formed each syllable… well it was mesmerizing in a way you’d never be able to properly explain. And Stephen, who was pacing the floor above you, was far too daft to understand that.

“What, so if I want to have dinner with my wife, I have to confirm through her assistant? You barely pick up, Miranda!” The sudden growl in his voice had you placing one foot on the stair next to you.

‘This is just a precautionary measure’ you told yourself, knowing that was far from the truth.

“And you pick up too often.” Her quip was breathy and sharp - a clear end to the conversation as you heard her soft footsteps trailing off into another room.

“What does that even mean?! I’m trying to be a good husband, but you are ruining my reputatio-”

“Your reputation?” The venom in Miranda’s voice silenced her husband immediately. “Your reputation…,” you pictured her shaking her head before letting out a little mocking laugh; “…I have no effect on how much you succeed in your career. If you can’t separate work and life, that’s not my problem.”

Their voices were drifting away, lost to the floorplan of their home as you slowly skirted your way up the stairs. It seemed that Miranda had taken your common sense with her when she walked off, leaving Stephen (and you) to follow like lost puppies. Although, she still didn’t know you were there. And you still weren’t going to leave - not until he stopped raising his voice and waking the entire neighborhood.

“God you know- you always treat me like shit, Miranda.” You winced, knowing very well how much she hated cursing. “I am your HUSBAND. You should be speaking to me with respect - not like I’m another worthless magazine you can get rid of. I’ve given you EVERYTHING I have and what have you given me? A few hours of your time? Nothing? Just enlighten me, because I’m really at a loss right now!”

There was a bang then. It was strong and hard and it sounded like he hit something- maybe a side table or a wall- but it didn’t matter to you. He had hit something and if he could hit something- an inanimate object- he could hit his wife and if he hit his wife, he could hurt her and you couldn’t just stand there- you couldn’t just listen to his slander when his wife was giving him everything!; when she was providing and taking care of the children and doing her job all at the same time. You gulped, noticed that you had gravitated up to the second floor, and decided in a split second that if Miranda had anything to say, you’d simply come up with an excuse.

Then, as you listened for where they had gone, you heard hurried footsteps coming back toward the stairs.

“Don’t ignore me, Miranda! Stop hiding behind your job and just admit that you don’t give a fuck about us! I try so hard every day and every night and all you can do is- is- is whore yourself out to those fucking businessmen!”

The gasp that bubbled up in your throat escaped without hesitation. You had never heard anyone talk about Miranda like that - and especially not to her face. If anyone else had spoken so wickedly, you were almost certain that they’d be blacklisted from every bloody establishment in New York City, whether it had to do with fashion or not. But Stephen… well you knew that she had her own reputation to protect - and an escaping husband was not ideal.

But still…

Still…

She didn’t deserve that. And the injustice that had sparked earlier welled up like water boiling over the lip of a full pot. How dare he? How dare he speak to her like that? Your hands balled into fists at your sides; painted nails digging into the skin of your palms.

“Still nothing to say? Huh?!”

A split second later, followed by the sound of Stephen’s yelling, Miranda walked around the corner.

And there your eyes met.

She looked tired at that moment… and small… and utterly incensed at the idea of you being there and witnessing that. The shock played out on her face in the span of a millisecond; with a wide blue gaze and perfect lips parted and sculpted eyebrows raised onto her forehead - which was half covered by a swooping waterfall of messy white hair. It was beyond clear that she was ready for bed and that Stephen was just prolonging her suffering, but you sent a silent prayer to the gods asking to keep your job just before her husband showed up. His hands were on his hips, his face was screwed up into a tired and angry frown, and upon seeing you- he let out a loud scoff.

“Are you kidding me?!” His yell was right in Miranda’s ear but she didn’t seem to care. She didn’t even flinch.

Instead, she was staring right at you. At you. With some sort of fury- some sort of strange deep emotion- swirling around in pearlescent eyes. You felt your knees grow weak but held your ground. If she was going to yell, let her yell. If she was going to coldly dismiss you, let her coldly dismiss you. But at the end of the day, the longer you stared, the more you knew that she knew. That she understood. In the strange telekinetic way that most women shared - the concern that compelled you to stay was reflected in her gaze. And there, in the lull of irritation and tension, was a conversation that only the two of you shared.

It was spoken softly, slowly, and through your eyes alone.

‘I stayed because I was scared for you.’

‘I know.’

‘Are you mad at me?’

‘I don’t know. This wasn’t your place.’

‘I understand. I’m sorry. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.’

‘I can handle myself.’

‘I don’t care.’

‘…I know.’

“Did you plan this? Is that why she’s here?! What- did- did you call her? To witness us fight? See I knew you were fucking crazy! From day one I told myself ‘Stephen don’t get involved with her’ and now look where I am!”

Your silent conversation was snapped in half as he ranted; all while shoving past Miranda to walk further into the hall and throw his hands up in the air like a kid. You felt your body jolt at the sight of her being pushed, but like the impenetrable wall she could be, your boss stood her ground and allowed her husband to brush past her shoulder. As if there wasn’t force in the way he walked. As if you weren’t this close to throwing a punch.

And Miranda could see it in you. She could see the irritation- the sense of injustice and everything that came with it- but she also knew you wouldn’t do anything. You were too kind. Too understanding.

Well… unless someone like Stephen said what he said next.

“You know what? No. I’m done. You listen to me right now,” and then he rounded on your boss, walking right up into her space so quickly that you couldn’t help but push yourself to get closer. And from where you stood then, you saw the way he pushed his finger into her chest and seethed with an unnecessary amount of rage.

“You listen and you learn. I have had it up to here with your bullshit. The cold shoulder, the missed dinners, the terrible schedules, the fact that you don’t even care if the twins like me or not - I’m sick of it. You treat me like an accessory. Another bag for the queen of fashion to throw out but guess what. Guess what, Miranda! I don’t care anymore. We’re separating - and you’re gonna end up like all of the other sad washed up celebrities: Pathetic and- and- weak and alone. Because no one- no one- could possibly love you like this,” and you watched with disgust as he shook his head and let out a cruel laugh. “No one could possibly look at you, with your stuck-up bitchy behavior, and see something worth loving. And-”

Before he could continue, you heard yourself speaking.

“You are absolutely pathetic.”

Two sets of eyes turned on you - one of them confused and the other severe, silently telling you to just shut your mouth. Normally, you would. Normally, you’d listen to your boss and obey her commands- silent or not- because you appreciated her authority and you were halfway in love with her. But it was for that last reason, the very reason why your ribcage felt like a zoo butterfly exhibit, that you decided not to listen. Sure, Miranda would hear your angry love-sick quips, but that didn’t matter. You were going to spill your heart out onto the floor, take a page out of your boss’s book…

…and kick Stephen’s ego into the dust.

“What did you just say?” His eyes were disbelieving as he turned to you; and though a twinge of fear dug at your heart, you pushed on.

“You heard me. You’re pathetic. Pathetic and weak and honestly? Really really embarrassing. It’s no wonder she doesn’t wanna spend time with you. Aside from being the busiest person on Earth and providing you with a roof over your head, she has kids and a job to maintain. But it’s fine- it’s fine!, because you get to complain and she doesn’t. Because you think she owes you everything, but she doesn’t. And she never did. And she never will.” You weren’t sure when you had gotten so close to him, but the backwards step he took gave you enough confidence to continue. “And if you think you mean anything to her, above her children, above her passion, then you are so sorely mistaken that it’s almost funny. Because me, and so many others, have seen how much Miranda cares about those closest to her - and if she’s not making you better, then you’re clearly not worth her time. But maybe if you exercised some more respect, maybe if you showed you cared, she’d bother to call you back and she’d bother to act like your wife. But you don’t do that. So why should she show you what you don’t show her? Huh? Why should she love you when there’s other people out there- when- when there’s people like- like Nigel, like Emily, like me,” you took a deep breath, nearly choking on your words because you were talking so fast, “who would give her the world if she asked for it. Who would do anything to have her attention. So- so why should she love you when you take it for granted? When you, who gets it for free, don’t have to bend over backwards for her affection? When- when- you- you attend events with her, you have dinner with her, she calls you darling! And you take it all for GRANTED - BECAUSE YOU JUST DON’T CARE!”

Your eyes were most likely bloodshot. Your body was shaking. Your head was pounding and your heart was in your throat.

But Stephen looked shocked, having taken more steps backward toward the stairs as you approached him like a blood-thirsty lioness. And at that, watching the way his hand scrambled for the banister, you felt a strange twist of pride creep throughout your heart.

…But it wasn’t enough. You wanted him gone. So you cleared your throat, straightened your spine, and sniffed.

“That’s enough.”

Of course. Miranda cut in, her cool voice dousing your rage like a bucket of water over burning coals; dragging you back into yourself from where you had gotten lost in the clouds; reminding you that you weren’t supposed to be there in the first place. That you were just an assistant. Just a young woman who had stepped out of line to try and protect a woman who didn’t really need it. And instinctively, as though you had been slapped in the face or tugged by a leash, you backpedaled until Miranda’s soft footsteps came over and her back faced you. Stephen’s expression was hidden.

“…I’ll contact Leslie in the morning,” her voice was soft… introspective… distant in a way that made you nervous. “Until then… find somewhere else to spend the night.”

And things grew very quiet.

The only sounds you heard were the bustle of the city and the individual breathing of the three of you. Everything else was silent. The rest of the house, empty without Patricia and the twins (all of which were visiting their grandparents), felt like a movie set with a hidden audience. As though, at about any minute, the credits for the end of the episode would roll and you, Miranda, and Stephen would let out sighs of relief and walk off set and go get cups of water and coffee. But even as you stood there, trying hard not to tilt to the left to watch Stephen walk downstairs and out of the house, you knew what had happened was no fun and games. No, you’d definitely be facing consequences once he was gone.

And finally, after a few more moments of prolonged silence, his footsteps were going down the stairs and into the foyer. Your eyes traced the contours of Miranda’s silk shirt, watching the way it flowed over her shoulders as she walked closer to the staircase to watch Stephen go. One minute- two minutes- and then the front door was opening and closing behind him…

…and silence fell again.

You swallowed, feeling as though you had suddenly been thrown into the center of the sun. The heat of your embarrassment was excruciating - and if Miranda turned around, she’d spot the blush on your cheeks instantaneously. But that was a strong if, because she hadn’t just yet. Nope, instead, she stood staring at the door, letting the air settle. And you weren’t going to interrupt that, so you kept your mouth shut and tried to rationalize mentally.

If she asked, you’d just tell her the truth. That the world got crueler each day and it was in your nature to worry and that no wife should ever come face to face with a furious partner - at least not without the chance to talk civilly at first. And then you’d tell her that it was okay if she wanted to fire you and that you were sorry for being so open and that if you had fucked things up, you’d do whatever you could to fix them.

…

The silence eventually became deafening. And there was an itch in your legs that was getting to you. And your hands were slowly untensing, left with an ache from the pressing of your fingernails. And the exhaustion from the long day was getting to you - so you cleared your throat and prepared yourself.

“Miranda, I’m so sor-”

“That was unnecessary.” You couldn’t hear an ounce of emotion in her tone.

And all you could do was nod and look down at your feet.

“I- I know. I know. But I just… I just couldn’t leave, Miranda.”

“You couldn’t or you didn’t want to?”

Well that was a brilliant question. One you wished you could answer without crying. One you wished you could answer without feeling like a complete loser.

“…Both, I guess.” You settled on the best option you could think of and began shaking your head when the only response you got was a low hum of acknowledgment.

And Miranda still hadn’t moved. She was probably compartmentalizing - or disappearing into her fashionable mind palace - all while you stood there looking at her like she had just smacked your ice cream onto the floor.

Well… if there was one thing you knew, it was that the tension-filled silence couldn’t continue. She could either fire you quickly or make it slow and painful, but either way you weren’t going down without a fight.

“Look, I’m sorry. I am. I know it was out of line and it was too much and I should’ve just kept my mouth shut but I promise I did it with good intentions. And I promise I wouldn’t have stayed if I wasn’t worried and I wouldn’t have said anything if I weren’t genuinely upset. And… and I don’t know if you want to fire me because of that, but if you’re gonna do it - please just get it over with. I know I’m a good assistant, I- I know I’ve learned quickly and I’m sorry that I just completely ruined that right now but if you somehow just gave me another chance, I wouldn’t make another mistake. I promise. And I wouldn’t- I- I-,” you stumbled over your words, feeling the intense pounding of your heart press up against your chest, like it was begging to bounce onto the floor and tumble down the stairs. And the feeling felt so sickening that you had to take a deep breath and shake your head and push down the angry, anxious, terrified tears that yearned to spill into your eyes. “And I- I’ll- I’ll never let anyone talk to you like that again… I promise.”

Your voice was frail. The fire from earlier was gone - as though it had never existed at all. And Miranda still just stood there, with her phone in one hand and her face turned away from you…. Like you weren’t good enough to see her. Like you didn’t deserve to know what she was thinki-”

“You talk too much.” It was the only thing she said before she turned around and walked right past you - faster than lightning.

And you blinked just in time, turning on your heel and staring after her.

“Wh-what? That’s it?” You called. No firing? No scolding?

The room she was heading into looked like a study - but that swiftly became unimportant when she paused at the door and turned to you.

Her face, lit up by the hall light, looked tired in the same way it was earlier. But her eyes… well there was something in them that you couldn’t place. It looked like amusement… and something softer. Something- dare you say- grateful. But it was probably just a trick of the light - and you were probably just hallucinating because of your own exhaustion - and she was most likely just itching to get her duty done and go to bed.

And you suspected that was the case until she took a second to look you up and down in that way that she did- with her blue eyes searching and her gaze laser-sharp- and eventually, eventually, she made it back up to your face. Her expression was blank.

“…On Monday morning, tell Emily that the clothing department has a new opening. Then tell everybody else.” There was a pause. “…And be prepared to start interviews on Tuesday.”

And the last you saw of her then- of the sweet poison you called Miranda Priestly- was the statuesque shape of her body’s side profile as she softly closed the study door.

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Thank you for the request, anon! I understand this isn't terribly fluffy, but I wanted to make it as realistic as I could. I hope you enjoyed! - Ripley

(P.S. DWP is my favorite movie!)

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[azalea-romanoff]

HAPPY AUTISM AWARENESS DAY!

First: happy autism awareness day to all my mun/mods with autism or who have characters with autism. (in my case, it's both!)

So in honour of Autism Awareness Day and month, I'd like to tell you all about my levels of autism <3

Tics and Fidgets: I'm on the spectrum such that I have a lot of tics and fidgets. Usually it's the repititions which feel nice, and it can often annoy others. I have a tendency to: click my tongue, snap my fingers, flap my hands, rock back and forth, and i make popping sounds. the more subtle tics are pulling my hair, picking my fingernails.

Poor Eye contact: Poor eye contact with me is only with people i don't know or during stressful situations. like if i'm in a meeting with Nick Fury, i'll be fine. but if i'm greeting new agents? hell no. (//ooc: i can talk to my class teacher just fine, but with maybe the delivery man, a cashier, i can't look them in the eyes.).

Abnormal Posture: ...as an agent, this is a huge no-no. the only reason i got the job is because my abnormal posture is literally me just keeping my fists clenched at all times, and keeping my left foot a bit more in front of the other. a tense fighting stance if you will. Convenient!

Anxiety: Shockingly, it's low! I only get anxious in places which are too loud or too far from home. loud places make me really anxious because it means i have too many thoughts in my head and too many things to process at a time. and being deaf, too, with hearing aids, it makes it 100x tougher. Sorry, but Azalea Romanoff-Maximoff isn't the girl you take to a party or a club.

Social Difficulty: I have moderately high social difficulty. as in, i have trouble communicating my thoughts when in big groups, and making friends is a bit...daunting as a task. And sometimes i miss on non-verbal cues like sarcasm, subtle joking, even a few metaphors here and there. So iF YOU NEED A SPECIFIC BIRTHDAY GIFT, TELL ME TO MY FACE. DON'T HINT IT-? I WILL LITERALLY NOT GET YOUR POINT.

Noise Sensitivity: ...have you met me? i am VERY sensitive to noise. Vacuum cleaners, power drills, gunshot sounds (//ooc: movies, especially), someone typing loudly on their laptop, so many of these day-to-day sounds drive me to a meltdown sometimes because it's just so annoying.

Abnormal/Flat Speech: Nope. Most people can tell how i'm feeling by my voice, except in situations where i'm confused on how to react. like if someone says they're pregnant, i'll just say 'oh, nice.' like, are you happy or sad or like-? eH???

Fixations: I have plenty. But my biggest ones? Top Three: Animals, History, Space. iF i get bored, i will literally talk about this for hours, and dare you show even an iota of interest in the same, my friend you're gonna be there a WHILE.

Depression: only on sensory overload days, or on days where i randomly get sad. a result of the anxiety, honestly. i think wayyyyy too many 'what if' scenarios.

Aggression: And finally, I'm not a very aggressive person. Only if i'm very overstimulated, if i'm not being heard, or if i'm just having a bad day in general, i might break a pencil or two. maybe throw a few books down a shelf.

BONUS: soooo i hate the colour yellow or anything that is yellow. like, i haven't ever touched a banana. my favourite colour is red, and my favourite animal is the panda. i hate the feeling of shag carpets and i don't like the feeling of nylon on skin. i don't like the scratchiness of yarn and i don't like the sound of chalk on a chalkboard. i do like the hum of an air conditioner though, and looking outside a window helps calm me down.

SO that's all about my autism! I hope i made you all aware! Reach out to any fellow autistic people you may know, and do find out about their fixations, if they're non-verbal or verbal. accept them for who they are, don't try and fix them.

autism isn't a disease. our minds are just wired differently. if you can figure out how a complex video game works within 24 hours, how hard can a person be?

🤟 love you all!

bellow is my autism spectrum evaluation results (mod's) for people who are close to me, like @moongirlwidow @wandabug @supermilkshakebanana @nevaeh-daughterofvalcarol @capt-carter-mostly-official @esmerxyaugusta and @pietro-maximoff-official <3

[hellishvxbes]

I feel bad because I haven't really done much here. I don't really like using my health as an excuse but its genuinely what it is. I'm exhausted all the time. This steroid medication is the worst and its going on 8 whole month's I've been taking it. I've gained a ton of weight, like it doesn't feel normal. my body aches all the time. I feel like I'm pregnant. none of my clothes fit me anymore which only leads to more of my inner self loathing which I hate because after my last relationship i really worked hard to build myself up. And it felts like every time I think I'm getting better SOMETHING happens. and I try so hard to not let it get to me.

It took me years to stop being in denial about diabetes. i almost had to die before I started to accept that this was my life. and ive been proud and worked very hard to get where I am with it. not I feel like I'm failing again cuz the steroids work against them. my A1C went up, and i'm just so disappointed by it. I've been having some manner of fatigue about taking my meds. which i usually dont but i find myself taking them later and later in the day. Sunday, I opted to not take the steroid and with only ONE day it made me feel horribly sick. this blood disorder really is the worst. the fact that i cant go one day without it or it'll really make me sick just annoys the crap out of me. I hate it. i hate not having control on it. also when i talked to my therapist she talks about how trauma has a lot to do with your health and how it effects your body. and when I think back to all the trauma i've experienced within the last 6 years? it makes sense the way my body is just trying to kill me. because what are the odds I get a rare blood disease like really.

and I hate talking about it because I feel like such a burden. when people ask me how i'm doing and i say okay because if I tell them its day three and I still feel like shit like ppl get tired eventually. i always have to act like i'm good at home anyway because otherwise I'll hear my mom say 'oh its always something with you' like i asked for this shit.

I guess my point is, I really wanna be more active but I put all my energy into work because its such a complicated job, and if I slack off even a little its a pain in the ass to get caught back up and so its always frustrating when I have to take off and i come back to a mess despite me leaving it perfect for the person who is backing me up. they wont pay me FMLA, and I have to take off at least one day a week to make appointments for this illness. i technically work the full 80 hours but on the days i work 12s i cant take a lunch, i have to get up earlier. and its already draining for me. so by the time I get off work, I don't even wanna transition to my laptop. but I love being here and i have so much fun so i try my best. lately tho, I look at my drafts and I have so much muse but no energy at all. i promise i am working on it. I really just ask for patience. being in this fandom has been the most fun i've had on tumblr in a very long time.

my hope with this new medication I am getting, they will start to tamper me off the steroids, and my energy will start to come back as the dose goes down. my fingers are crossed honestly.

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

You KNOW I gotta do the "interactions every moon" thing now that I got the new Lifegen sooo

INTERACTIONS EVER MOON: SIBLING ADDITION

[...] --> indicates Storm (main character) responded.

Green --> Storm's response.

Purple --> mentions another sibling.

MOON 1 (AGE 0)

Petalkit (sister): Stormkit shivers at the breeze. Despite their small size and young age, Petalkit notices. "MEOW!" Their father, Mistlebat, looks at the kit and sees her pointing at Stormkit with her little paw. Mistlebat pulls them both closer.

Creekkit (sister): Falls into a slumber next to Stormkit.

Primkit (brother): Let's out an annoyed squeak when Stormkit flops on him.

.

MOON 2 (AGE 1)

Petalkit: "Stormkit! I was just wondering, where did you get your shiny pebble? The one that sits in your nest--Sorry, I was having a peak but there was this weird shiny thing that just....Y'know, was shiny." [....] "Near the stream, you mean out of camp? Dang it!" [....] "Wait, you'll get me one? Thank you, Stormkit!"

Petalkit has wasting disease.

Creekkit: "Stormkit, family means forever, right? We're always gonna be together? We're not gonna turn out like those siblings that fight all the time and stop liking each other, are we?"

["Of course not!"]

"Heh. Of course not. It was silly of me to even ask. Why would I ever stop liking you?"

Primkit: "Stormkit! Do you think I could climb up that big rock wall up there? What do you think is on the other side? Maybe it's that thing that turns cats into leaders, like when Riverstar bested that evil old cat! You know that one? I think it's the one Sablestar used. Maybe I'll ask him about it."

Slightly changed.

.

MOON 3 (AGE 2)

Petalkit: "Sorry, did you say something?"

["No."]

"No? Oh--But, hold up, I have a question. What do you think of Primkit? Out of curiousity?"

["Tacky."]

"Tacky? Yeah, me too. Thought I was the only one."

Creekkit: "Hey, Stormkit, can I share some of me fabulous wisdem?" [....] "Okay, get ready to have your mind--uh....explosion! Ahem, if you don't know what that bug is or didn't like it the first time, don't eat it."

Primkit: Compares the size of his paws with Petalkit. "Mine are bigger! Mine are totally bigger than yours! Heehee!"

Maybe Petalkit was mad and called him tacky for that.

.

MOON 4 (AGE 3)

Petalkit: [Stormkit watches as Petalkit chases her tail while Creek and Prim laugh hysterically].

Creekkit: "Stormkit. Buddy. Best friend. We've GOTTA try this. Fernroot told me that if you eat three mice, one rabbit, and howl at the moon, you get magic powers!" [....] "What? It's totally real, he wouldn't lie to me like that! I prommissseee."

Primkit: "Stormkit, Mistlebat says it's my turn with the mossball! You have to give it back!" [....] "Come onnnnn!" [....] "Hmph. That's it, I'm gonna tell on you!"

.

MOON 5 (AGE 4)

Petalkit: DIED FROM COMPLICATIONS CAUSED BY WASTING DISEASE.

Creekkit: Creekkit ignores Stormkit at first. Stormkit nudges her to get her attention. "Oh, Stormkit! I'm so sorry! It's just that...Look at this bug I found! I want to give him a name, but I've been thinking all day and just don't know! I was thinking of naming him Dasherbug. Oh, or Dancerbug! Or Prancerbug, or maybe Vixenbug...."

Note: I imagine that Creekkit was thinking about Petalkit, and made up the bug thing on the spot so that she didn't have to talk about it.

Primkit: "Stormkit! Stormkit!" [....] What do you think of this cool stick I found? I bet I could rule the entirety of RiverClan with it! Or even ShadowClan! Or every Clan in the WORLD! Woah, what if I could even rule all the Twolegs in the world, so they have to do everything I tell them?"

.

MOON 6 (AGE 5)

Petalkit: [Mistlebat, their father, tells a story about Petalkit to Stormkit].

Petalkit is sad about being apart from Mistlebat.

Creekkit: "Blackaster just told me the funniest joke ever! It went like--heehee--How did the--*snrk*--how did the--AHAHAHA!!!"

Primkit: "Stormkit! Stormkit! Stormkit! Stormkit! Stormkit!" [....] "...Hi!"

.

MOON 7 (AGE 6)

Stormpaw was attacked by a group of rats!

Petalpaw: Doesn't really understand what being in StarClan means.

Creekpaw: "Do you ever wonder what it's like up there? In StarClan, I mean. There must be loads of cats up there. Do you think they get any peace? Do they have camps? What about borders? I know they're said to be rather free-going and all, but I just sorta wonder....how do they manage it? I can barely handle staying in the apprentices' den since you and Primpaw are chattering on all the time! However they do it, they must be really patient and strong to handle all that chattering....."

Primpaw: "Oh, sorry, were you saving this shrew?" [Primpaw licks the entire shrew, then shoots Stormpaw a dirt-eating grin]. "Whoops. Guess it's mine now. Hehehe].

.

MOON 8 (AGE 7)

Creekpaw: "Hey, Stormpaw, what are we gonna do today?" [....] "What? You....need to get some chores done by yourself? Oh, okay....That's fine. I guess I'll find something else to do." [Creekpaw leaves so that Storm can work, tail drooping."

Note: After Petal and Prim died, Creekpaw wants to stick with her remaining family.

Primpaw: KILLED BY A FOX

.

MOON 9 (AGE 8)

Stormpaw recovered from the rat bites, but one of her legs is permentantly weakened, not helped by her already twisted foot she had from birth.

Creekpaw: "Ah--Hey, Stormpaw! Over here! Where have you been? I've been waiting for you to hit up the fresh-kill pile!....I'm so starving, I could eat a whole badger!" [....] "Ack, okay, that's kind of gross. Maybe not a badger, but like, a quail, or somthing. [The sisters chat happily as they grab food together].

.

MOON 10 (AGE 9)

Creekpaw: [Stares at her paws self-consciously after returning from a hunting patrol. Fernroot tries to reassure her, but Creek looks away]. "How am I ever gonna be a real warrior if I can't even catch my own prey?"

["Everyone struggles sometimes. You'll get it eventually, I'm sure of it!"]

"You're telling me you noticed I did bad on patrol?"

.

MOON 11 (AGE 10)

Creekpaw: [Stormpaw invites Creekpaw to sneak out at night together] "Erm...I think I'm okay. I'd prefer a quite night in, if that's alright with you. Make sure you're careful, though! I'll try and cover for you if you get caught, but, ah, no promises."

.

MOON 12 (AGE 11)

Creekpaw: [Stormpaw sneaks back to camp after a late night patrol, only to find Creekpaw waiting for her]. "Stormpaw! You're back! You were gone so long, I was starting to get worried....I thought you had been hurt, or gone missing, or--or--"

[Stormpaw presses into Creekpaw. "I'm alright."]

[Creekpaw presses againse her, still shaking with relief].

.

MOON 13 (AGE 12)

Creekpaw: "Hi, Stormpaw. I thought I heard someone talking about me earlier. Was it you? Did I do something wrong?"

.

MOON 14 (AGE 13)

Creekwater: "Ah, hey, Stormbright! Pretty nice out today, huh? [....] Wanna come soak up the rays with me? Gotta enjoy the sun while we still can. Pretty sure it's gonna rain tomorrow....See those clouds gatheirng? Ah....Gimme a second. Thinking about it too hard makes me dizzy."

.

MOON 15 (AGE 14)

Creekwater: [Anxiously scans the sky for hawks, fur bristling].

.

MOON 15 (AGE 14)

Creekwater: "Hi, Stormbright. I thought I heard someone talking about me earlier. Was it you? Did I do something wrong?"

.

MOON 16 (AGE 15)

Stormbright murdered Creekwater.

.

MOON 15 (AGE 14)

Stormbringer bargains with StarClan, begging them to give Creekwater back.

.

.

.

.

Future resident: Stormbright.

Victim: Creekwater

Keep a look out for Stormbright's profile to see why she killed her...

[khasiehondra]

It Can't Be...Can It? Chapter 2: A Snake in the Garden

Alice

Alice was frozen to her place in the doorway. Sebastian's gaze held hers and it was then she knew her and Annie's lives could change. She could tell him now. It was obvious Annie was quite taken to him and she didn't want to hurt her daughter by saying he had to leave them alone. "Annie seems to like you. So I do believe it would be nice to have you around." 

His smile was the same. Even though his jaw was now cut and his voice deepened more than she recalled, he still grinned like a schoolboy. "Why don't you both join me for lunch next Saturday? I live in a townhome near the south end of the city. We actually passed it on the way here." 

Alice gave a curt nod and Sebastian turned to walk down the road. "Sebastian," Alice called after him without thinking. 

"Alice?"

"This doesn't mean I'll fall for you again. Just because Annie seems to be taken with you doesn't mean you'll get me to open my heart to you again. I accept your apology. But we are in our mid-twenties and I will not be swayed like I was in school." She gripped the doorframe tight. He would always be working on missions. Alice didn't want Annie to learn her father was an Auror who risked his life to keep the peace. 

For a moment, Sebastian seemed disappointed. Before she could really see what was happening he perked back up and laughed. "I don't believe I made you fall for me last. But if you do, I hope you'll bring your best. Remember what I told you when we first met? 'You give as good as you get.'" And with that he continued down the road and apparated away.

All week Annie had been on her best behavior. She was beyond excited to hear that she would be seeing Sebastian again. It was non stop talking about their time together or asking why Alice had never brought him up in the first place. Relief hit her when Ominis and Poppy came by on Thursday evening. The two lived in a smaller town around the Scottish Highlands and visited almost weekly. "Ominis, you can take over for me while you're here." 

He furrowed his brow and pulled back from the embrace he had given her. "What do you mean? Has something happened?" 

"An annoying something. I should tell you inside. Juels prepared our tea in my library." Poppy looped her arm in Alice’s and they fell in to a conversation about the newest addition to their magizoology care center. Once everyone's tea was poured and the tiny cake brought out, Ominis couldn’t take the suspense anymore. 

Yet all his questions were answered when Annie burst into the room. "Oh, Uncle Ominis maybe you can help me! Mama won't tell me anything about Sebastian, but he said he is your best friend. You'll tell me won't you?" Her big brown eyes were so pleading. Ge was so capable that it was easy for Annie to forget he was blind. 

"So this is why you said I can take over." He looked to where he knew Alice always sat. "That explains his owl.” 

“Annie, how about you and I go find Winston and take him to play with the nifflers.” Poppy reached out her hand for the little girl to take and they exited the library. 

Ominous crossed everything he could, his legs, his arms, and his attitude. “He isn’t a disease, you know. Alice, he is Annie’s father. You literally named her after Anne. His owl was asking all about your daughter. Are you trying to keep him in the dark forever?” 

“No.” She put down her tea cup with a loud clack on the saucer. “I just don’t want Annie hurt. She wants a father around. You know everyone believes I was widowed. She looks nothing like Sebastian so I can bid myself some time to figure out if he actually will stay in her life.”

“You know Sebastian. He can become a tad…obsessive.” 

“That’s being generous.” She stood to walk toward the window looking over the road to the manor. 

“Fair but I have kept up with the man. Before he returned to Europe he tried finding you, but couldn’t. It was so difficult to keep it from him that I knew where you were.” Ominous’s voice became agitated. “In our seventh year you told me you wanted your child to have both their parents around. Well, now you have that chance.” 

“Don’t act like I don't know that!” She didn’t mean to shout but she was just scared. “I can’t make a promise to her that he would come home. We’ve had plenty of comrades that have died being an Auror. I don’t want her to meet him and then he die the next day.” 

Her greatest fears were now in existence. They weren’t as invincible as they felt all those years ago. Ominis’s jaw twitched as he recalled their friends who never made it home. “I understand you are scared, Alice. But this isn’t fair to either of them. If you won’t tell Sebastian, I will.” 

Winston bounded into the room, Annie close on the dog’s heels. Poppy ran in after them, panting. “You’ve got yourself a very energetic child, Alice. I think you’ll need to warn the school that she may give them a run for their galleons.” 

“I honestly think if I told Professor Weasley ahead of time she would quit on the spot.” Alice smiled as her little girl held onto the corgi and sat on the settee. 

“Annie, would you like to hear of how Sebastian and I played a prank on my sister so that she was stuck to the moving staircase for hours?” Her eyes lit in awe.

“Ominis, love. Don’t give this little troublemaker any ideas.” Poppy sat back in her chair and reached for a scone. 

“Oh Merlin, help me.” Alice ran her fingers through her hair and placed an exasperated hand on her waist. 

Nothing was going right on Saturday. The hippogriffs were going wild, her hair wouldn’t stay put, her research was misplaced, and Annie came back from the meadow vivarium soaking wet. “Annie! Are you alright darling? You’re not hurt are you?” 

Alice ran over to the shaking girl and checked her head for any bumps or cuts. “No, mummy. I saw a pretty moonstone in the creek and I leaned too far over. I’m sorry.” 

The tiny tears streaming down her face flow steadily. Alice cupped Annie’s freckled face in her hands and brushed the tears away. “It’s fine, darling. I’m just so glad you’re safe. Let’s get you into a warm bath so we can go see Seabstian.” 

Half an hour later, Annie was clean and dried. Thank Merlin for Witch Weekly. Father was wrong, some of the dumb spells were useful. I didn’t want Annie going outside with hair. She added a wool coat over Annie’s red and black plaid dress. “Ready to go?” 

Annie nodded and took her mother’s hand and walked to the carriage. The townhome was covered in ivy and was in a very nice part of the city. A few children played in the streets and Annie looked out longingly. “Mama, could Claude come over soon?” 

“Do you miss your friend?” Alice looked out with her. “Maybe we can convince Sebastian to go to the park. There may be some children you could play with there.” 

“Yes! Claude is coming home from his trip soon right? The Prewett’s still live in London but they can stay for a while, oh please.” Brushing Annie’s hair back she gave her a soft smile. 

“I’ll send Samantha an owl. When we get home, you should try meeting some of the other children at the surrounding estates.” 

The door to the townhome opened before she could knock. Damn that face. He looked absolutely smart. His windowpane black trousers clung to his legs and his grey vest hugged his now broad chest. “Welcome, come inside I’ve started some tea while lunch is finishing up.” 

It was very different from his house in Feldcroft. The tiny one room house was bland and barren. This was full of personality. Books on spells, beasts, and stories lined the wall in what looked like a sitting room. A piano played itself as they passed. The walls were green and the natural oak wood gave the home a warm feeling. He led them to a glass covered sunroom at the back of the house. It was filled with muggle and magical plants. A table had been set with a tiered dessert stand and a porcelain teapot and ornate tea cups. She smiled at the green design. He always prided himself of his Hogwarts house, but he never realized that it had an influence on his personal taste. “Lunch should be ready in fifteen minutes. Annie, you must try these cauldron cakes. There is a hidden wizarding alleyway about five minutes up the block. The sweets there are almost as good as Honeydukes.” 

“Isn’t that the store in the village you told me about, mummy?” Annie grabbed a cake and placed it on her plate. “You got a box of pumpkin pasties delivered from them for my birthday one year.” 

“Yes it is, Annie.” She poured herself a cup of oolong and added her splash of cream. 

“Your mother and I would go to the store every time we visited Hogsmeade. The village holds a special place in my heart. It was the second time I had the pleasure of dueling with your mother.” He must have said something wrong because the little girl stuck out her bottom lip in a pout.   

Taking a bite of her cake she looked toward her mother and whined. “You told me dueling was unbecoming of a proper lady.” 

“You can duel once you get to Hogwarts. While we live in muggle society you can’t talk to the others about dueling or owls or the nifflers. They…they just don’t understand magic.” 

“You said my father was a wizard. And Lottie knows that we have magic.” It was hard seeing Annie so confused. 

“Maybe one day we can let more people know, but Lottie is different. She is married to Arden, remember? He’s a wizard. He wanted to be able to tell his wife about his abilities. Some muggles know, but not many. If there is someone you deeply trust then we can work on how to tell them together.” Her mother’s words started to sooth the young girl. 

Sebastian flicked his wand and lunch started to float over from the kitchen and onto a secondary table. “Lunch is served.” 

It was a pleasant Saturday. Sebastian gave them the tour of his place and even let Annie hold some of the artifacts to be collected from his travels. “This here,” he said as he handed the tooth to Annie, “is the tooth of a Swedish Shortsnout. Once got loose while I was in France and this was lodged into the tree it tried to throw at me. The poaching ring was all arrested and the dragon was taken to Romania.” 

Annie absorbed his stories like a sponge. It almost hurt Alice to see her daughter and her father together. Neither of them knew that this is everything she had imagined when her and Sebastian were young and in love. It came to the point she had to excuse herself to take a quick stroll along the streets. Sebastian’s worried look made her eyes glassy as she closed the door behind her. 

Sebastian was at their estate the next week. On Wednesday he had apparated on their doorstep and Alice threw open the door when she heard the loud crack. “What are you doing here?” 

“Sorry for the intrusion, but I was wondering if you would fancy a walk in your garden? I would like to offer you a proposition.” She looked back contemplating if she could leave her research for a while. 

“Alright, Annie is in her lessons, so she can’t join us.” 

He nodded and held out his elbow for her to take. “That’s alright, it’ll be better this way.”  

Looping her hand into his elbow, they took the route to the garden and she anticipated his proposal. “So, you have mentioned that Alice is taken to me and in all honesty I am fond of her as well. I think that I should spend some time with her on a weekly basis. You mentioned that her father was never in the picture and I think having a stand in would be beneficial to her.” 

Did I hear him correctly? “Sebastian, I don’t think I am following. If this is about you feeling guilty about what happened all of those years ago, I’m over it.” 

The hedges were sad in the fall. No flowers bloomed but the greenery was still calming. They made their way to a bench and Sebstian took her hands in his. “This isn’t about atoning how I treated you. This is about helping you take after your daughter. You know I don’t normally like children but I always wanted a family of my own. I think that it would be nice to have a meal together a few times a week. I can take her to the park or zoo. I can’t imagine what you’ve been through. Ominous told me that your parents helped you but I doubt you ever took a break.” 

She was on the eb of tears. He wanted to be there with them. It would all be pretend though. Everytime they were together he would leave them to go home. But Annie would be happy. “I will agree to these terms if and only if you don’t plan on leaving Scotland for an extended period of time. Devastating her isn’t what I want.” 

“I shouldn’t be needed outside of the country unless something dire is happening. Which it won’t. I do want to know, why do you always seem so sad whenever I am with Annie?” He leaned down to try and sneak looking into her eyes. 

“Because when I see you with Annie, I see everything I ever wanted. And memories are sometimes the worst wounds.” 

Sebastian

The wizarding alley, Hedfords Line, was busy that Friday. Sebastian had taken time off work to take Alice and Annie there, hoping they could meet more of their kind. It was almost impossible to keep up with the little girl. She didn’t wear a cloak like many of the other children and the satin teal ribbon on her head made her more discernible. When he finally caught up to Annie he hoisted her up and carried her back to where he had left Alice. Except she wasn’t there. He spun around until he saw her through a shop window. She would be in a bookstore. He stopped after one step. Years had passed since he had seen Issac Cooper. 

Alice was talking to him and she was smiling. Not like the normal smile she often wore but a smile he had known all too well. “Sebastian, is mummy talking to the quidditch player from the Montrose Magpies? 

All of Slytherin house knew that Issac was going to be a professional athlete. He was a natural at quidditch and even Imelda couldn’t compare to his skills. He took a gulp to try and put out the fire in his throat. “Yes, he was in Slytherin house with me. Your mum was a stand in for the Ravenclaw seeker a few times. The bloke was always getting himself into detention. Issac caught the snitch but it was a close match. She was only fifteen when she learned to fly a broom and she almost beat someone you see in the papers.” She was smiling at him and Sebastian’s heart swelled with affection. I wonder if this is what your mother was like at such a young age. 

“If you were in the same house, could we please meet him?” Sebastian wanted nothing to do with Issac. In all honesty, he wanted to rip Alice away from his tousled hair and perfect smile. “Please, Sebastian! I saw a quidditch store back the way we came. If I get a pennant do you think he would autograph it?” 

How could anyone say no to this girl? Defeated, he sighed and replied chipperly, “Fine, I’ll buy you the pennant but only if you do me a favor.” He leaned toward Annie’s ear and whispered a small plan. “Think you can do that?”

“Yes, sir!” Sebastian carried her the entire way to the quidditch shop and then tried to quickly locate Alice and Issac. They had made their way out of the bookstore and into the street. 

“Okay, Annie, just like I told you.” She nodded and skipped over to her mother. Sebastian knew this was petty. But he didn’t know what else to do. He had heard what the others had said about his girlfriend. Issac was one that said he would try to court her if I ever lost her. He didn’t think that would still apply years later. Watching his plan unfold was satisfying. Annie’s overly excited voice made it all the way to where he was standing and when she mentioned his, Issac faltered and rubbed his neck with his hand. Time to step in. 

“Oh, I apologize. I didn’t know that you were with someone.” Issac looked like a lovesick schoolboy. 

“Oh, Sebastian is showing us around. But if you have somewhere you have to be, I could send you an owl.” It was her invitation to Issac that made Sebastian’s blood boil. 

“He can’t leave before I get his autograph on my pennant!” Annie was bouncing in front of him and held up the back fabric to Issac. He took it and magically attached his signature into the cloth. 

“I won’t impose. But I will happily be awaiting you owl, Alice.” He grabbed her hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles just as Sebastian came up. 

He held out his hand and put on his winning smile. “Issac, nice to see you. Can you believe Ali lives in Scotland now? I’ve had such a pleasure being their guide. Reminds me of when I took our little wise girl here to Hogsmeade.” It was petty. He was trying to establish the hierarchy of importance. 

“Nice to see you, Sebastian.” Issac pursed his lips and gave them a final nod as he turned to leave.

The daggers from Alice’s glare was worth it. Maybe the silent treatment she was giving him was a bit annoying, but he was in this for the long game. She declared she wouldn’t fall for him again. Fate is funny like that. It pushed them back together that day in the cafe. Destiny created a way for them to fall into each other’s lives. At the ice cream parlour Annie was talking to another little girl who was looking out the shop’s window. Taking this opportunity, he faced Alice. “Out with it. You’re angry at me for what I said to Cooper.”

Normally rage and anger is associated with fire. He loved fire, really. That’s why his favorite spells were normally offensive fire-based arsenal. But Alice’s eyes were like looking into a snowstorm. “I can talk to whomever I please, Sebastian. We were just talking. You don’t own me and you sure as hell do not need to pull Annie into your antics. If you are resorting to using an eight year old as your accomplice then you know it is bad. 

“I’m sorry, I just came here with the both of you and I wanted to be a bit selfish. But look over there.” He pointed to where Annie was talking to a group of children around her age. “Looks like she made some new friends. How about we say hello to their parents.” 

“You are not her father, you don’t have to say anything.” The words were like venom to his heart. Sebastian hated how badly her words affected him. In a different life they would have been married and he would have shaken the hands of the fathers and mothers that his daughter made friends with. Alice seemed to realize what she had said as both hands flew to her mouth. “Sebastian, I didn't mean to…I was just so angry…and I..I’m so sorry.” 

He held up his hands in defeat. “No, you’re right. I’m overstepping. Once again I am telling you what to do and expecting you to go along with it. I can watch the bags. Go, make friends.” He gave her a sheepish smile and watched with a heavy heart as she introduced herself to the table of ladies. 

Annie had fallen asleep in his arms on the carriage ride to the manor. The last few hours had been awkward and draining as he and Alice danced around each other’s tempers. But holding Annie as if she was the most precious thing in the world made everything better. “You have yourself a wonderful daughter, Shaw. If you had told her father that she was coming, I bet he would still be here.” 

Her eyes were downcast, voice shaky. “As I’ve said before, I was young and stupid. I loved him, but I couldn’t take away his dreams. If our relationship had stayed cordial I think I would have told him.” 

“Do you know where he is? It is never too late.” The little girl squirmed from their hushed voices, but she stayed fast asleep. The angelic devil made him smile. 

“I do, but it’s been so long that I don’t know how to tell him.” The sad and shaky voice was still there. Sebastian saw that Alice’s hands were trembling. 

“Alice, I want to say that being with you two the last few weeks made me realize I want a family of my own one day. You’re such a strong woman to raise a child by yourself. I’ll do all I can to help take that stress from you. Who knows when I will find anyone. If I even can. All I thought when I met women during my rotations was that none of them were you.” 

He looked up and saw her dab at her eyes. “Alice, what’s wrong?” 

“It’s just that it has been a lot. I’ve had much on my mind these days.” 

“You can tell me anything.” He was serious about that. He wanted her to lean on him again. 

“Maybe one day, but we just arrived. I need to put Annie to bed.” Taking her daughter she carried her all the way to the walnut doors and Sebastian watched her disappear. 

Meeting Ominis was easy enough. He apparated in front of the Three Broomsticks to get away from anyone he would know back in Edinburgh. He wanted to think clearly. No reminders of the day he just had.  Ominis was already at a back table. He got a drink from Sirona, who was beyond happy to see him, and made himself known once he had approached the table. “You said you wanted to se me?” 

“Sit down, Sebastian. Trust me you’ll want to be seated.” He pulled out the wooden chair and took a sip of his beer. “Poppy informed me that you, Alice and Annie have been spending an immense amount of time together. Alice seems to be conflicted and I wanted to tell you that there is something rather large that you are missing.” 

“What do you mean?” Sebastian wrinkled his brow, trying to understand. “I know I’ve asked you some questions but Annie’s father is not in the picture. I just want help finding him so he can meet her. Once he meets her then maybe they could help Alice. Alice claims she doesn’t love him anymore. But I can’t imagine how difficult it is being alone. Even with her staff, they have jobs!” 

Ominis stayed quiet. Sebastian knew his friend well enough that he was trying to formulate whatever he was trying to say. “Have you ever wondered about Annie? I think you keep asking everyone the wrong questions.”

“What do you mean? She’s eight years old, she didn’t grow up with a father figure, and she looks exactly like Alice.” Sebastian had no idea what Ominis was trying to insinuate. 

“Think harder. Everything that Alice has told you. What you’ve noticed about that little girl.” Ominous was trying not to bridge Alice's trust and keeping him in the light of what was going on. 

He thought long and hard about everything. Wait, Annie is eight…did she get pregnant right after we stopped our relationship? Did she think she would fall in love again and he left her? I’m going to kill the bastard. 

“Don’t hurt yourself. Just…think about what is happening. You’ll kick yourself when you realize what has been happening under your nose.” Ominous threw back the rest of his beer and quickly switched topics. 

[yamatossideboob]

One Piece 1098 spoilers!

Things I liked this week!

But first, I hope Oda is okay? I don't want to speculate as to why he couldn't finish this week's chapter's art, but I'll try not to get worried unless we get official word from SJ or him. Anyway, here goes:

One faintly bright side of this chapter's published condition is getting a little glimpse of Oda's pencils, this isn't really something manga fans get to see too often (unless you watch Manben, which qf I really ought to... a recent episode has Shinichi Sakamoto! but I'm getting off topic lol)

Even unfinished this cover page ROCKS HARD I love when Brook is doing cool things and not talking

This part is... nearly too bleak for words. I'm glad this is One Piece or this section would a lot harder to get through, plus a lot more tasteless (thanks, many seinen manga!)

I'd be more annoyed about this if it wasn't all but confirmed before now that something terrible happened to Ginny.

I wonder is this blue gem skin disease some sort of safeguard against CD captives escaping... and if so, who created it...

"Don't worry Ginny... I'll raise your daughter" is just... if any other series pulled this, I'd be furious at the tryhard bullshit. Here, it's just devastating. And yet Kuma has even more to lose...

oh hey Sabo. put that down.

Evidently something cured Bonney, or at least delays the disease enough for her to now live and enter natural light. But how, and what?

YEAH BONNEY MAKE EM CRY SO LONG FUCKOS

KUMA JUMPSCARE! I love just how OP Dad he's being rn, it suits him so well

I wonder did either of them get to Fishman Island eventually...

I love kid Bonney, she's so full of beans Q Q

aaaaaaand now yer king man is back at it again, hopefully he gets Mountbattened this time. I can't even look forward to that bc next chapter = more Kuma suffering 'c` bloody hell

No word yet on a hiatus, though next week is the regular break week anyway. Until then, then. 💪❌

[the-firebird69]

I like his idea and it is to use my last name and to make a German supercar kit out of Audi and things like that and there's plenty of them around and they're older ones too that still run very well and they're not worth much but the chassis and the drivetrain works and they have a lot of power way too much and they have suspension that works already you have to change a few things but not the whole thing. It's a great idea he thinks that someone else came up with it maybe they've been thinking about it but yeah his ideas valid and others have the same idea but he came up with it and I think it's terrific it's going to be part of my idea cuz we were talking about it and earlier and it's true but he has the idea which car and it doesn't look like a mega supercar yeah it looks intense and it's big but he says this one can't be that big it'll be big but not massive like the one is massive but he might fit in it and he has to go in these cars afterwards and I'll have to sit on the first one it's perfected she make these prototypes and when the prototype works you hold on to it and you make another one and you have the car donor car and you have the new one now I get it so I'm going to sit on this egg the others are doing fine it's a great job and looking for sponsors Trump says he will and he says he doesn't oppose it as much as people think but you have to be careful cuz you might want to take it over and sit on my egg and he's a AI man or something and he comes in and he gets someone to design it and build it test it but he's seen the car and people just sitting on it and we need stuff like that someone else will do the Vader I'm not really a Vader person. I have a character in The empire well it's kind of our empire it's not the pseudo empire it's the crappy empire he says and we try and keep our stuff clean it's even a big problem there's a lot of mustard stains and ketchup stains it's a real issue Star Trek too and he says it'll have to be like the camper and you'll have washers and dryers everywhere and I started to laugh I said they'll probably mess up the power structure of the ship it says women like doing that though yeah we like that so that's probably going to become a staple you can't require everybody to do the laundry all the time and I guess we'll have faded uniforms and that's another thing we have to color fast them properly and we know how to do that so I called on and he might do the idea it's a terrific idea and I'll get them soon on another supercar and he says it would be for Hera too and she has to do a kind of secretly I agree with that and I'll have two of them then two different houses and it will be my stuff the a****** stuck to me anyways and he's the one with mayhem and he says he's just changed it to havoc and have bja pick up the tab because he's always saying he's havoc and stuff and it'll be worth money and I changed the line and I can change the line that's what they want me to do but you have to kind of fight it a little or the Lynch me and it's true these are great ideas in the car ideas wonderful that car is awesome he really likes it it has to be the silver I'm moving out right now

Lady Gaga

I didn't move out no people are mad at me I moved the camper out everyone was yelling at me and it's actually not why I moved it out because this area is disgusting it stinks and has disease floating around the air and it's nasty and I can't stand it and I'm in the apartment so people will figure out what the truth is soon enough

I'm going on a ship to be the cook and I'm changing my job and he says watch out you know what happens to those merchant marines really it's a marine but I'm not a merchant Marine okay there's a difference I know he knows about it we're having a little fun it's annoying as well it's really going to Trump and he's kind of explaining it you're a nuisance people get at you people are watching you don't care but you're bothering me and it's happening to you and you're some sort of idiot who wants to overcome everyone because they have a use for things he does and he wants to be him in all s*** comes out but he's really lying and he's just being an addict to try and threaten people and was sick of it it's going to be over soon and I'm leaving because you can't breathe here no I took the camper out of here I'm going to come and go and people can tell if I'm here too easily with that damn thing

Terry c

You know why he moved it out and he's not telling the truth but who cares we're going to handle it when he's out of here he gets weaker and this is going to be because of the fight over the hospital and they're fighting over this one and this guy doesn't want to go there hates hospitals despises us for it says we're really stupid he knows we're stupid it's going to be over we have this frontal lobe issue and we are kind of dumb yeah the car idea is great and the solution is great

Stan

I didn't think about this havoc idea too much but it'll be havoc and mayhem and we be getting along and we have guys who want to be havoc and her friend here is actually one of the characters he's not the lead but on this one he is on Spawn believe it or not he thinks he is

Lady Gaga

He did come up with it and he formalized it and he sent it back and he's world famous for it and he's famous for venom he looks like kind of a wimpier creature he's not really he's just doing the right thing and holding back like he does here and it's intense but he does is intense but his kids do is show it a little and differently and their intense they're kind of the same thing but they seem very pushy they are and they reveal more they say it's for a reason and he knows about it but boy you should see what it is what it really is is intensity and we have characters that are coming out mine is Thor and I look completely different and he's trying to overdo me I'll do me this craziness because it looks like it worked but it's very unbelievable and I told him that he said what can I do that's what they say when he gets bigger and really it's awful we're competing and that's how it is it says why don't you know okay now we can't stand it so people think it's Trump and it might be and that's who is always fighting so Anthony Hopkins is pissed off for Christ's sake you know you know what he does and it's gross and he's using Billy z and vice versa. This car idea is awesome and I have to mention it and I have to bring it up I can't believe how awesome this idea is and her name is perfect for it it's kind of a trump moniker and we need that now it's also German and it is of German origins and it has a nice ring to it and it's kind of a Merced style car and it really is and she wants the car and doesn't want to give it up and can't see how hero would end up with it and she's not going to have her over to build it kind of chuckles and says might have someone do it but okay they're trying to catch Hera and it's a new idea and it's built on the other one and we had the other one it's really fantastic he says that saved my life in a lot of people because it brought it back to reality we are getting going on stuff it's going to be awesome right now he's got to catch the bus but this is a great idea also mentioning the fact that when they die and leave something if they think that it's us they will go ballistic about it and they will start bothering people and harassing them and that's what they're up to and it it does have a serious effect and one that we're not really proud of and we don't like we don't want this effect we want some of it because it heats things up and Trump did it a little but then it kind of stopped and he's right things are in this Quagmire and it is like the character from The family Guy his name is Quagmire and use this hornball guy who doesn't do anything kind of like BG he says things up though but not much and that's kind of what it is it is the world according to Jose Gaspar and he's just trying to get by cuz he's smaller but things will change this is a wonderful idea for a supercar kit and they have a way of doing it Trump wants to do it he said it's Mercedes and they're sitting on him and yeah it's Mac proper and the Vader they're going to start picking up production and the Mac proper say they want him to.. no he says we have to and he says that all the time and they usually don't do anything but now we see them actually doing it

More shortly

Thor Freya

There is code about the Can-Am in the Polaris and the two different vehicles and my father is and mother will be firstly in Volkswagen there's a lot of code there too much we believe that that's first and there are certain dates for these kit cars and he's looking for speed and he might have a different vehicles before it and people are wondering about it and he gets the cars might drive them a little and sells them and he needs money and doesn't really need a car and he pays off the bills that he generates and he gets his gas money back and he does it a bunch of times he tries to hang on to some things he probably wants to hold on to the Vader but he says the name is too much and the gt8 and things like that and they say we don't want you getting hurt in it and stuff and you'll see yeah but I've had my firebird now I want at least something and after a while he can hold on to some things but this is what he'll have to do. We think he gets the Volkswagen and Trump himself might do it no you can't do it yourself and and put it in your will someone else can and they become executor because nobody else will and no one's around who would stop it and other people forced to happen they take a bunch of stuff and they give him some things to get his people in trouble and it does have an effect we do admit. But there's a bunch of vehicles first we think before this kit car stuff starts. And they didn't really have time to start messing around with things or with the wherewithal until later at first it was the Can-Am that's the three wheeler motorcycle rev trike and both of them would get it but it comes later after he's testing and fidgeting with things at first he needs a fast one he needs it right away they can carry stuff including devices bombs and he gets the VW equivalent back then the horses are trimmed down and they're strong and they use both together even though she has one herself it's an analogy and supposedly they are going to drive around and use bombs on Mac proper where they go but they're saying it is analogous and they say they did it with the Kia and things like skulls and stuff you know about that and we know where and when and we knew ahead of time and it was by analogy and pretty much was kind of obvious where and we had a heads up and they want to do the same thing because it worked it's not a ton of people out there but they're fighting the pseudo empire that's who they're going to try and Target mostly but they have other targets that are civilian targets and we are going to intercept them they try and mess with him and what he's doing he so you mess with social security and they mess with himself everybody has a chance to run the money of his and they all want it and that's what they're doing

Savage Oppress

It's a very very coherent explanation and right on there's too many people whenever we move to try and do that cutting him off we get beat up and by different groups and it's going to keep going this would try and get him off that and we've done it before and it works but nobody's doing it I don't want to die to give up the car no but I might just gift it and it's in kind and it is something you have to report and BG would hold on to it and we would expect it and he says it's not really an item that's in kind and it's not money in kind it's doing labor and getting something in kind... And I always get it screwed up he says it's I'm getting paid but in kind with a box of donuts for watching a car or something but I don't do any labor for Ronald b Rudy and I don't have any plans to and he doesn't have any plans to have me do any even if I did it wouldn't be enough money to bother social security and they've done it before he got paid such and such $50 and social security was ignoring them and calling them nuts a lot of them went to the mental hospital and never came out and he says that because it's true it's not in kind if you're not doing any work or labor it is if you're on SSI only but he's not and now you can make money and be on SSI at the same time. The reason why it's with SSI is because your assets change and you didn't work for it so if you have money in the bank they reassess you doesn't happen right away and a lot of people spend it and they don't see it and they try and say you have these assets and they can't get you in trouble if you don't have it they can do an investigation that's way too much effort for teeny amounts of money. I do remember some things. So it's a dumb thing to say and it takes time but here I am doing it we're watching the day go by watching our lives slip away with radiation we're seeing friends go and getting happy about it for some reason my son Dan Dave is at the medical facility let's say hospital and he was taking there because he was being a dick mostly but he's always a dick and he was trained to be but now he's going to be fighting me what Joy and that's Parenthood I guess no but that's what's happening he's always a schmuck to me and that's horrible I probably won't give up the car but he says there's a horse that represents the car it's not the same horse that David and Carol had horses in Germany and during the revolutionary war the same horses for the same application and they did have more than one horse or two horses it's going to be a war now over these horses and Dave Dan lost possession and it is of the Volkswagen GTI non turbo

Trump

Olympus

[5tar9litter]

Things my mom said multiple times:

Partying:

“I don’t know why I don’t like it. I should like drinking and gambling. I should like talking to those thai girls even if they are hella rude. I should leave all of my kids alone at home while I go party past 12 at midnight. I guess I’m just weird like what they said. I don’t like talking to those people. They are so annoying, always boasting about how much money they make and then wasting it all away in the casino! Why don’t I like them? Why do I hate it so much??”

She’s said this exact topic at least 60 times this year of 2023. And I’d explain it’s because they are horrible ppl and it’s okay to have different hobbies from others. At least you are saving money, avoiding health risks, and just go find better ppl to be with. Plus I am the same way. I hate those ppl with the same passion but I just found better people who doesn't do those type of things.

Then she’d forget what I just said and start the same exact paragraph by next week or month.

And I start to interrupt when she is talking now because it’s annoying having them ask dumb ass questions esp if you just consulted them like 45x’s now. It’s just a waste of time and I noticed I’ve been either telling her she and I already talked about this or changing the subject completely.

Food:

“I wish we ate more sweets. As a family, nobody in this family likes it. I buy so much cookies, sodas, pizzas, apple pies, cakes, and candy but nobody eats all of it?”

I’d explain, “it’s too sweet. And there’s so much too. You buy like 26 apple pies and expect 4 of your kids to eat all of it in a week?? No thanks.”

“But why can’t we be like an american family? Why can’t we just eat all of the sweets like that?”

“But that’s why all of Americans are dying from cardiovascular diseases, Mom. Sweets kill u if you eat a lot, duh. What r u trying to do, kill us?”

“Haha, you are right but look at how good it looks.”

“Gross. It’s too sweet. Why did you buy so much sweets from the store again? You know 19 years of my life, none of us like cakes and stuff like that.”

“*attempts to eat all 26 apple pies by herself and stops eating by the 3rd apple pies* yuck! it’s so sweet! Why can’t I finish all of it?”

“Facepalms**”

SHE DOES THIS ALL THE TIME AHHH. She knows we don't like sweets. Period. Yet she buys it all the time and always complains that we never eat it even though none of us wanted it. If we were like, "Mom can we buy these cupcakes?" then we don't eat all of it. Then that makes sense that she'd be mad. But she's actually encouraging us to eat unhealthy on a daily basis. Like do you know how much pizzas we've had delivered to house on the daily basis? 6 BOXES for 4 KIDS AHHHH

This behavior did start my brother's food addictions though. Because she would encourage us to eat all of this and they would finish all 5 or 6 boxes by themselves. Now my brothers are having heart problems and stomach issues. Bruh.

Family in laws:

"When you date or get married, you are gonna have to sacrifice your whole life to your man's parents. You have to clean and cook for them 24/7. You will become a slave to them. Dating is never fun. It's only miserable"

I just nod my head and act like I'm listening every time she says this.

My job

"You shouldn't go to college and get a job. Just open a business. I'll support you."

She doesn't even have enough money to buy me food. I have to work to pay for it. It's so annoying because my dad told me the same thing but he can't even pay the bills so he's always stressing out.

"You should start a Youtube channel."

I respond with, "No thank you. I hate filming stuff. I don't even post 1 picture on my other social media so what makes you think I wanna?"

"Just saying. It'd be a good start."

"Yeah yeah."

She brings up this same topic of me starting a Youtube channel another 30x.

"Why do you keep telling me this, Mom!?"

Usually, I end up getting really pissed off. I hate when I get mad at anybody including my mom but she has a weird habit of repeating herself.

She really wants me to fucking start a youtube channel. I did start one at some point but then I got busy with school or other things and it was really boring for me so I just stopped. But it annoys me that she doesn't understand that I don't like making youtube videos especially at the moment. In the future, I can see it happening but not now. She still keeps suggesting it.

Another thing that annoys me is that she always tell me that my job sucks.

It took me 6 months to get my job and I love it to death. Even if it's minimal pay: Around 16$/hr where I live.

My coworkers are so nice. My managers are so kind and patient with me. The customers are so good to me and they treat me like family. The job is easy and fun. Sometimes I get yelled at by customers because I work at retail and I need an ID from them in order for them to purchase the cigarettes. 97% of them are pretty compliant. So it's fast and easy and if they argue, my coworkers always back me up. They are so kind compared to my old job where I had no support. So, I am always happy to come to work because for someone in my position and history, especially with a tight schedule, this job is like paradise for me. So every time I have a small issue like customers being an idiot or me being hit on at work which is all the time, my mom would say my job sucks.

I call her out on it because at least I am working and you know, compared to my old job at Petco, it's actually really good for a college student. It's close by and easy and relaxes me even if there's small mishaps.

She says she just meant all of that work for 17/hr. I tell her, "For now, this is what I just gotta work with it. But it doesn't suck. I'm just really grateful I have a job.

Babies:

"Do not have babies when you are young." Valid.

Boyfriends

"No dating until you finish school and get a career."

"

Valid.

"You can only dress like that around your boyfriend when you get one."

"You can only go watch movies or go out with your boyfriend when you get one."

"You can only get a house when you get a boyfriend."

"When you get a boyfriend, you'll have someone to hang out with all the time."

"WHY DO YOU WANT A BOYFRIEND SO MUCH I DONT UNDERSTAND WHAT'S SO GOOD ABOUT HAVING ONE?!!?"

Mom, ever since I was young. You instilled this mindset that I need a boyfriend to have freedom in life. You won't even let me go out without a guy accompanying me and every guy I am just friends with you think I am dating him. AHH WHY IS SHE LIKE THIS?

"OOoh, looks like you are ready for a boyfriend~" My mom would tease me all the time and at the same time she'd tell me, "No boyfriend! You are too young. Not until you are a doctor!"

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Casinos:

For 5 years, this is all she talks about. She hates it there with so much hatred that it's incomprehensible but she keeps coming back to work there. Her coworkers also got annoyed with how repetitive she can be and she's told me about this. They told her there's so much careers out there. Why does she keep coming back to the casino if she hates it so much then quits within 5 months??

This year in 2023. she just quit one casino and now she secretly applied to ANOTHER ONE this month in August and my dad found out and yelled at her. I remembered their argument. "YOU LIED TO ME! YOU TOLD ME YOU'LL NEVER GO BACK AND YOU WENT AND APPLIED WITHOUT TELLING ME? YOU KNOW YOU ARE GONNA QUIT AGAIN. YOU DID THIS 5 TIMES ALREADY. WHY DON'T YOU LEARN? YOU CAN'T DO GRAVEYARD SHIFTS. YOU KNOW HOW SICK YOU GET WHEN DEALING PAST 3AM. WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF?!" I understand my mom wants to work again but doesn't know any other way to make lots of money with just a high school degree. But I agree this can't be healthy. When the other casino she applied see that she just quit 5 other major(popular) casinos within 3 years. They are gonna reject her applications because they know she likes to apply then quit after 5 months.

New business plans:

"I should buy those asian plants and sell it on facebook!"

I encourage her. She's been talking about this for a year now.

"I should cook food and sell it on facebook marketplace like those thai girls!"

I encourage her alot for this because I think she'd do well. She's been talking about this for 2 years now.

"I should work in another job that isn't the casino." *never does so*

"I wanna open an asian fast food shop with a drive through. I never seen one here in America."

I encourage her.

"I want to be a real estate agent. *Continues to explain how much money she'd make and swears she'll finish the classes to get the certificate.*"

This convinced me and my dad that she would actually do it. My dad is really hard to convince so I was surprised he let her. My dad said he'd support her until she gets a degree which is supposed to take 6 months only. She paid $1000, took the class for 5 months, then quit with no refunds.

She told me it's because the professor said she won't be able to become a millionaire until a year later because the economy is rocky right now so nobody's buying houses right now especially with the interest rates being so high for them.

I understood it but I told her like at least finish the last month and just take the exam. You get to cheat too like they do not care at all. Like just get the certificate and get it over with.

She explains she don't have the confidence to finish it. So she never finish the class or the exam. She ended up wasting $1000 even though I offered to cheat for her. ITS LITERALLY AN OPENED BOOK TEST. THE PROFESSOR LITERALLY TOLD HER THE ANSWERS FOR THE EXAM SO IT LITERALLY IS JUST FILLING IN THE BLANK.

After she did that, I've lost all hopes for her bro.

I don't encourage her to start a business because she's always quit or never make action. But you know what did she do? She bought this asian plant and gave it to some random mien woman to profit off of her for free :D R u fucking kidding me? Mom, why. That was your money right there. U bought that plant to make money on facebook but instead you gave it to some random asian lady. She was pretty disappointed in herself as well.

She always talk about: her Nightmares, hair loss, unhealthy eating, nutritional deficiencies, walking at the park, how much she hates my dad and how dirty the house is.

I don't really care and actually respond to her about it.

Things my dad always say:

"Always invest your money!"

"Just take easier classes."

Yeah sure let me just not graduate college by not taking my required Biology: Anatomy and physiology and statistics classes.

"You have to graduate with a bachelor!!"

Also refuses to support my education**

"You are gonna be a millionaire!"

"Why am I such a loser?" My dad always says that to himself.

He brags about me alot especially about how I won 2cd place on a contest and ended up being interviewed on tv.

I luv my parents but omg they are so dumb.

[isayoldbean]

thank you, that was helpful! knowing that the rpg part of ffxiv gets more emphasis and that it's relatively singleplayer-friendly is definitely a relief (the only other mmo I've really gotten into is swtor, which is basically just a bioware rpg in a shared online world if you ignore all the optional multiplayer/pvp stuff)

I do have a couple of follow-up questions, if you don't mind!

1) does having the complete vs. starter edition change anything about the start of the game? I had a bad experience previously with eso where I got a bundle with the first expansion during a sale, not realizing that would permanently lock off the option to start with the base game story and force me into starting with the expansion for some godforsaken reason, which pretty much killed dead my desire to actually get into that game lmao

2) how alt-friendly is it? I may have a bit of a problem with always coming up with ideas for new characters in rpgs

3) what's the female armor situation vis a vis boobplate and the like? know in advance that this WILL make or break my chances of playing the game

i don't mind at all, ask away!

no, there's no difference. the storyline of ff14 is well-beloved and critically acclaimed and they would like for everyone to experience it, so you have to go out of your way to miss any parts of it. there's options for people who want to, such as the story skips they sell in the online store, or manually skipping every cutscene, but it's something you would have to actively choose to do.

2. it's extremely alt friendly! most people i talk to in game have alt disease. the basic plan only allows 8 different characters per data center, but the standard plan allows 40. you are formally invited to go ham in character creation. (most people who don't have alt disease have fantasia disease, which is an item that allows you to completely remake your character if you want to. so either people have tons of alts, or they have one character that they constantly fantasia into their numerous alts. but they do all have alts)

3. the female armor situation is a little mixed. none of it is boobplate amounts of bad, to my knowledge, but there is a frequent complaint about things like 'gear that appears as pants on male characters magically turns into a skirt and thighhighs on a female character'. it's not so ubiquitous that it can't be avoided, especially with the glamour system that lets your gear take on the look of other clothing, but it is there and it's extremely annoying to encounter. that being said, this is something that has improved significantly since the earlier days, and the devs have actually commented on trying to do better. also in the past there were a lot of outfits that were genderlocked, but every patch they release updates to unlock some of them. i think there's very few genderlocked outfits remaining, actually. so i'll let you decide how you feel about that. if you're on the fence, i will also remind you that critically acclaimed mmorpg final fantasy xiv has an expanded free trial and that you can play through the entirety of a realm reborn and the award-winning heavensward expansion up to level 60 for free with no restrictions on playtime

hope this answered all of your questions, and once again feel free to let me know if there's anything else i can answer for you!