#it's the only reason why i like cold weather tbh

[sugusearrings]

during this time of year suguru and i would be bickering whose sweatshirt (and sweatpants - probably hoodies too) belongs to who cause that's all we both ever wear 💕

[ezlo-x]

ive been wondering this since the raceswap

what are the differences between hylians, gerudo, and sheikah in you au? are they just ethnicities or are they something different?

Rabbits and Hares! They are from the same family but from different branches. Weather and environment are very much a cause of this, as are their different cultures. Hylians are the most branched out of the three, including the Northern, Central, and Southern Hylians. In these little drawings I make, I only simplify it as one Hylian culture. Gerudo, Sheikah, and Hylians fall in the human race category, unlike the Rito, Minish, Zora, and Gorons, non-human races (Koroks, Faries, and other sentient beings fall in the Spirit category).

Unique features stand out, such as ears. Gerudo commonly have long ears to regulate their bodies' temperature in the hot desert sun and the cold sandy nights. The Sheikah have lop ears, tbh I don't really have much of a reason why, I just really like how it looks and it helps the Sheikah to stand out from the others. Hylians have short, pointed ears.

Aside from facial features, Height is very different for each race. Gerudo is the tallest of the three, from the shortest being 6-7ft tall and the tallest being 9-10ft tall. The Sheikah's shortest height is 5ft tall, and the tallest is 7ft tall. Finally for Hylians their shortest height is a little bellow 5ft tall and tallest is 6ft tall.

Gerudo has darker skin pigmentation than the other two races. (Hylians can also, especially Southern Hylians, but I can't go much into detail about it because this post will be longer than it already is.) Gerudo hair colors range from orange (lightest) to red (darkest). Gerudo hair is usually textured, from curly to kinky hair. Many Gerudo wear protective hairstyles or headwraps to protect their heads from the scorching sun. The Sheikah hair colors only range in two colors: mostly white/grey and uncommonly black hair. The hair type of the Sheikah is most commonly thick and straight. Finally Hylians, hair colors range from blonde, brunette, to black. Hylians the most vast majority of hair types.

Finally eye color! Gerudo eye colors are hazel, light brown, or green. Sheikah eye colors are dark brown or bright red. Hylians are brown, blue, or green.

[inthehouseoffinwe]

Something just hit me, what do you think is Tolkien's "summer" in "kind-as-summer"??? Bcs Elrond is kind but.....summer??? Why summer? What is summer for Tolkien bcs I think "spring" - with the way he is usually characterized as "ever-kind-ever-wonderful" should be a better metaphor?

I live in a country that only has summer (and the occasional rain), no winter/autumn(unless u count the hotter dryer times)/spring, and I CAN'T SURVIVE WITHOUT AC!!! In four seasoned countries summer is beaches and vacations. But I don't see the joy in sunbathing when the sun is ALWAYS ON ME! Summer is humid and hot, no clouds to block the hot rays, sweat everywhere (not to mention being in a crowded space).

So "kind-as-summer". Summer is time with most sun, usually good for agriculture, but too much is too little rain, kills those greeneries. Maybe it actually means, Elrond is kind yea, but he sure as hell knows when to pull out his sword - he's knows his self-worth and knows how to not let ppl take adv of his kind heart.

(Love the idea that Elrond's - and Elros's - calmer/whimsical Sindarin roots are balanced with the Noldoran *cough* Feanorian *cough* fiery spirit : remember there's forest fire, but also candle-fire, camp-fire, and hearth-fire)

Hi!! Thanks sending this in! ^^

Ok so I feel like Tolkien was going from what he knew best - English summers.

Especially back then, the only months with truly warm temperatures where people could actually go out and have fun would have been summer months (June-August.) It was probably the only pleasant time of the year with warm breezes and the surroundings finally full of greenery. Idk much about agriculture but I think crops rely on the summer sun and dryer temperatures to properly grow. There’s more danger of a too wet summer than too dry or hot and it causes all kinds of problems. Generally summer is the most gentle and giving season.

Springs meanwhile are cold, stormy, and generally damp. It’s not warm enough for children to play or families to go out without precaution (coats, umbrellas, gloves even.) The sun doesn’t come out for weeks, sometimes months, at a time. The wind is cold enough to freeze you inside out for most of it. The days are still fairly short until May. Plants start growing and you see blossoms but most of them are short lived. It’s not a very kind season tbh.

(Ofc climate change and all that means weather’s going haywire so I’m going by early-mid 1900s England climate which is something I have briefly researched and would’ve been Tolkien’s experiences.)

BUT I love your analysis and it makes total sense for Elrond to be described as Summer for his fire too, hidden away but strikes hard and fast when needed as an all encompassing fire. Only takes a spark to start a forest fire right?

No matter how kind summer is, there’s an inherent fierceness and danger to it.

Just like no matter how kind Elrond is, if you push too far… well. You won’t like what you find. This guy survived some of the most dangerous periods of the First and Second Age for a reason.

(And I love your idea of the whimsical and fiery spirits encased in Elrond! The comforting fire of the Last Homely House, inviting people in away from danger and cold, mixed with the inherently joyous surroundings of laughter and playful teasing we see in the wood elves as a whole! And ofc the pure magical feeling that we definitely would’ve seen in places like Doriath to make that whimsical setting that takes all your stress away. Elrond’s infused it into his realm, he’s really the best mix of it all.)

[eggroll-sama]

Heyyyoooo

Just a thought, how long do you think mc was asleep/unconscious in kuras' clinic?

They couldn't have been out in the fogfall for too long since they didn't die of blood loss (or maybe they just can't 👀)

I just found your acc and I can't wait to binge read your masterlist :)

-egg anon

Hi egg anon! AHHH, thanks for your ask, it’s my first ask I’ve ever gotten for Touchstarved ToT. I hope more people would slide into my DMs, I really don’t mind since I’m in a massive TS brainrot at the current moment. Now then, let's get right into it. Btw I don't have any credentials to show for the research, all from Google baby.

Warning: Mentions of blood, graphic violence

I’m going to say that MC was roughly out of commission for 10-12 hours.

When MC gets their first look at the city of Eridia, it's dusk, stars in the sky, the moon rising from the east, and the horizon a reddish glow. It can't be sunrise because scientifically colder temperatures make the sky less red and orangey during sunrises. There isn't any verbal indication what time it is, but we can predict it was 6-8PM when the caravan was attacked by the Soulless. Eridia seems to have a maritime climates: cloudy weather, frequent rainfall/precipitation, and mild temperatures, like IRL Ireland, Scandinavia, Belgium, and the 6-8 PM time frame is usually when the sunsets for those regions. Let’s choose 8 PM.

Now as for how long MC was in this position is interesting. When Kuras found us, we were barely clinging to life, face-down in "murky, shallow water." MC is really lucky that they survived because an infection in the wilderness greatly increases your mortality rates. We can at least thank the Soulless' sharp claws for slicing the arm clean off since if it was an angled, ragged cut would increase blood loss. I have heard of survival stories of people angling their arms towards the sky to decrease blood loss, but no, MC's body was half-submerged in water. If MC is really a half-Monster like some theories suggest, than there's a possibility they are more resilient, lasting one to two more hours, compared to the avg humans that can die in less than five minutes. That could be why Kuras is so fascinated with you too, not just for the cursed arms, but there was almost no way you could've survived with all the odds against you. I also don't think we stayed out there longer than one to two hours because an amputated arm is only good for four to six hours before you can reattach them. And considering Kuras' eldritch instincts, I can't see being out there for longer than two hours max.

So let's say Kuras finds MC around 9-10 PM at the wastes. He takes them to the clinic and reattaches the arm using his magic. We are then asleep overnight, approximately 10 hours, naked with only a cold linen sheet on a cot, before we wake up. Tbh I don't know which is worse: if Kuras left us there while we were asleep or just did paperwork while we were lying practically naked right next to him till we woke up the next morning. Good thing Kuras isn't a pervert (?)

(A/N: also not even a blanket??? Unless he was keeping the room toasty with his powers, thanks I guess, Mr Sunny D)

Why I think we were down for around 10 hours is for a few reasons.

Most obvious one: When we went inside the Wet Wick, MC mentions they were surprised at the amount of people when it wasn't even mid-day (12 PM). So maybe it's around 10 AM, maybe even earlier than that.

The impatient knock from the front door is an indicator that Kuras was taking longer than he usually did, but not too long for people to start yelling. Maybe his clinic has an official starting time, and so citizens wake up early to wait in line outside till it officially starts. But with MC taking up the only cot in the clinic and sleeping there for the entire night, he had to start a little later, hence people getting annoyed cuz they woke up super early to wait in line, but Kuras hasn't let people in yet.

MC got super hungry at the vendors, which makes sense since they haven't eaten for so long.

So yeah, this is all I've got for MC's timeline from when the Soulless attacked and when they woke up. I have read other theories saying it was Ais' who found us and brought us to Kuras' clinic which is an interesting take, but for the sake with what we are given for now Kuras was the one that saved you.

[aether-starlight]

Lovely - Xavier

Pairing: Xavier x Reader

Warnings: Mentions of grief and kitchen fires.

Summary:  After you begin spending more time with Xavier, you strike a deal.

Word Count: 1.6 K

Note: This is my first time writing Xavier, I'm still getting a hold on his personality and voice tbh. Hope this is not too oc.

You liked your job. Loved it, even. 

It was also the main reason why you had very little life outside of hunting. 

When Grandma and Caleb had passed, you had felt incredibly bitter about it. Extra hours, missions outside of the city, late nights studying, the list went on.

It all seemed so insignificant compared to the time you could have spent with them, rather than being a hunter.

Now they were gone, and people seemed to avoid you on principle. Whispers about the connection between your profession and the unfortunate fate of your family followed you, so they preferred to stay away. 

Even fellow hunters remained away, with Tara being a blissful exception.

But there were only so many days off you could hang around with Tara without feeling like an imposition, which led you to hang out with the next person who didn’t seem to be phased by your reputation of a bad luck charm: Xavier.

Your hunter partner.

You really couldn’t escape your job even if you tried.

“Maybe I’m not likable,” you had mumbled to yourself, sitting on Xavier’s snug, worn-out couch. 

It was beige, spotless despite its age, only noticeable in the softened texture and armrests colored in a lighter shade from years of limbs brushing against them.

Xavier laughed, and on anyone else, it might have sounded cruel, but in the gentle baritone of his voice, it felt warm, intimate even.

“Who wouldn’t like you? You’re lovely.”

He said it as if commenting on the weather, something obvious and not embarrassing at all to mention. If you were him, your cheeks would have been aflame before even opening your mouth.

Because you had thought about it. 

He was lovely too. 

His tousled hair and bleary eyes so late in the morning made your heartbeat quicken, something fluttering in your stomach, similar to the feeling when an energy fluctuation surged.

Xavier laughed again, this time coming closer to you, dish in hand as he bent down to look into your eyes.

“Oh my, you’re redder than the tomato sauce I made for you.”

“How do you expect me to react when you say such things so easily?” You complained, unable not to smile back as soon as his lips curled, a flash of perfect teeth.

He had a great smile, you thought, contagious.

“It’s the truth. Now, eat up before it gets cold.”

“Bossy,” you teased, already digging into the tousled eggs with spinach and a delicious homemade sauce on top.

“I wouldn’t say that,” he chided gently, setting his plate at a low table in front of the sofa, sitting by your side. “I’m just looking out for your health.”

“And the integrity of your apartment?” You joked.

It wasn’t the first time you ate together. 

After visiting to find out more about your Aether Core, and then running into each other at The Nest, you had started hanging out outside of work. 

It started with borrowed books, truth or dare, a night watching the stars, then occasional movie nights.

Then your relationship experienced a drastic evolution when you accidentally activated the fire alarm of your whole floor because of a bowl of fried rice gone wrong—on fire—, and he offered for you to cook together. 

At first, you were not sure why he had even proposed it in the first place, but then you realized he was another God of destruction in the kitchen. Turned out that two wrongs could make one right, as incidents decreased considerably once it was both of you cooking.

Now it was a sort of ritual for you, to have breakfast together on your days off. 

“What are you thinking about?” Xavier asked, propping his elbow on the table and resting his cheek against his hand. 

Sunlight burst from his window, half hidden by an ocre curtain, just enough to highlight his eyes and the bridge of his nose. Reflections from the relic he used as a teapot littered the walls, yellow against copper.

Everything about his home felt cozy, warm…safe. 

Meanwhile, there were piles of boxes still unopened in your apartment. 

You had recently moved in when the explosion turned your world upside down. You had been supposed to open them with Caleb that weekend.

Now it didn’t seem of much importance. Not if you couldn’t do it with him.

“How do you make your apartment look so…homely?” 

The question was blurted out of you, and you instantly felt stupid for needing to formulate it in the first place.

Xavier’s eyebrows raised, chopsticks halfway to his mouth, caught off guard. 

“Make it look homely?” He pondered, food lowering back onto his plate.

Another thing you liked about Xavier? 

He was deliberate about things, every detail mattered, and he knew there were answers not worth rushing on. 

“I just…buy things I enjoy. Something that makes me feel happy to look at. That reminds me of…” he trailed off, a crease surging between his eyebrows.

You didn’t push. You had known him long enough to realize that once he shut down it was final, and even if he did answer, it was always elusive and hard to believe.

Instead, your focus drifted back to his initial statements.

You supposed it made sense. His apartment felt like sunlight. All warm and light tones, plush surfaces, and rows of books carefully organized upon oak bookshelves. 

Vintage furniture and artifacts were littered in a way that was both organized and stylish. A forest green vinyl player at the corner of the room, a mysterious wooden chest beside it. 

It was lived in.

The curtains of your apartment were always closed, plunging it into darkness, and the only picture you had kept close to your bed, on your nightstand. It was a photograph of you, Grandma, and Caleb smiling by the beach. 

It had been your first family trip, and even now you could remember it vividly, the rough sand beneath your feet and humid air closing around you, even through your shorts and a t-shirt.

You had an expensive holo-projector that you never used and sofas that you had sat in enough times to be able to count with one hand. 

You had considered getting a cat but then had been deterred by the thought that it would probably feel pretty lonely, considering your frequent missions and late-night arrivals.

When you focused back on Xavier, he was already studying you. 

You imagined your face must have been quite the picture. It was something incredibly frustrating about you: everything showed on your face, from happiness to sadness, to anger. It couldn’t be helped.

“I could help you decorate. If you’d like,” he suggested suddenly, looking as if the proposal had been stuck in his throat for a while now. 

You smiled to yourself, hiding your hands between your thighs, feeling terribly seen.

“Really?”

He nodded, lips curled in that gentle smile of his. 

“Yes. It’ll be fun. Just promise me we’ll host more reunions in your apartment once it’s done.”

A surprised laugh rose from your chest.

“At my place? Why?”

He looked to the side, almost bashful.

“I would like to use your holo-projector.”

It took a second for you to correct your sudden staring. He had never struck you as someone who watched holodramas.  

“Okay. Under one condition.”

Xavier leaned forward, a silent inquiry.

“You let me train with you.” You paused, deep in thought. “At least once a week.”

Somehow, Xavier always managed to wriggle his way out of it, and you were not sure why.

It was almost ridiculous, that you were hunting partners and hadn’t trained together once. What was more ridiculous was how you were turning the situation in your favor, considering he was the one offering you aid.

“You offer a tough bargain.” He huffed, resting his shoulders back on his seat with a slight pout to his lips.  “But sure, I’ll agree under a condition of my own.”

This time it was your turn to be surprised. You pulled back in suspicion.

“I have a feeling I’m not going to like it.”

Xavier was relentless. It never failed to astound you how he could switch from lazy to laser-focused in a heartbeat.

“Show me more of what you write.” His eyes seemed to darken, eyebrows lowering. You didn’t know when he had turned his chair so he was facing you from a closer distance.

Your head shook in automatic.

“That would imply that you have read any of it already.”

“I heard your slam poetry. I liked it, it was good.”

“You’re just buttering me up,” you whined. “And it was an accident, I definitely didn’t intend for you to hear it.”

He tilted his head, finding your gaze like a lost puppy. It seemed that he was pulling out the big guns once decisiveness hadn’t worked.

“Please?” He had leaned forward so you were watching him from above, an aggravating strand of blond hair out of place, the tips of his bangs too close to his lashes.

Before you could think any better of it, you brushed them back, fingers grazing his ear as you set it in place. 

The strands were soft and reminded you of a nighttime story someone used to read to you, about a prince and a fox.

He leaned into your touch, lips parted. 

Your fingers dug into the silky strands, easing out a knot.

He didn’t relent, celestine irises trailing after your movement, and your fingers trembled. It may not have seemed like it, but you were the prey in this scenario.

“Fine,” you breathed out, feeling lightheaded. “It’s a deal.”

He smiled, something playful flickering in his gaze. At that moment he was too pretty for his own good.

“Now, it’s your turn to do the dishes.”

You groaned, your daze broken in favor of dread.

[skzoologist]

Your request are open so...Could you write a fic abt like it snowing in October (sadly happened to me) and the boys just complaining abt it and sticking to bae's side, using bae as a human heater, hot chocolate. With tons of fluff and crack (sorry if its not understandable English isn't my native language)

word count: 2.2k

warnings: none

genre: fluff and crack (more fluff, this is my fault tbh, i can only write two things: angst or fluff, no inbetween)

a/n: I let out all the fluff from my heart into this, I'm so sorry, but I just love winter and it shows. I hope you're doing fine with the sudden snow, take care of yourself! And as I said, you're completely fine, I understood you perfectly, I just hope I wrote what you imagined. Thank you again for requesting, and feel free to come back any time for more!

Please let me know if I left a warning or anything out, I will add it in! Reblogs, likes and feedback are greatly appreciated!

!I don't condone anyone stealing my work and posting it anywhere without my permission, or feeding it to AI!

!This is just fiction, my interpretation of Stray Kids. By no means is this how they are and how they behave in real life!

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

A soft tune floated through the room, waking Bae from his pleasant slumber. His blind hand quickly found his phone on the nightstand, having always placed the device there, an almost ritualistic act of his. A soft little sigh left his body in protest of the idea of getting up, the blanket warm and snug around his form. It all felt like laying in the middle of a cozy cloud sandwich, warmed by the gentle rays of the sun as they wrapped themselves around his waist.

Wait, the sun wouldn’t make small sounds in its sleep.

Rubbing his eyes open slowly, Bae found the reason why his bed felt like the inside of a furnace itself, the body of his leader laying just beside him. Soft snores left his form, his features peaceful as he was finally asleep, a rare moment in itself from the man who avoided sleep as if it was the plague. Bae couldn’t help the small smile that sneaked itself onto his lips, even though there was an uninvited guest in his own bed. 

He let himself lay there for a few more minutes, observing the other, before finally tearing his gaze away and gently getting up, careful not to wake the other. The man was notorious for how light he slept, and Bae would rather be caught dead than be the reason for Chan's awakening. As he slowly slid out of the warm haven, he watched, amused, as hands tried to follow his wake uselessly. It was clear Chan was missing the warmth from his side, a little frown taking the content expression's place on his face. Bae caught himself almost letting out an amused exhale, the sight entirely too controversial as to what the world knew as Stray Kids’ strong leader.

It was adorable, a carefully treasured moment in Bae’s mind. What he didn’t understand though was the reason why his hyung was there, in his room. It rarely ever happened, especially like this, when the tired producer showed up in the bed, overnight, uninvited.

Not wanting to linger too much on that thought and be late from his personal dance practice, he turned around to start getting ready. Yet, his feet stopped in their place, the air prisoned in his chest.

It was snowing.

October merely started a few days ago, the weather normally chilly and nowhere near cold enough to form the pristine flakes that were now gracefully falling from the sky, as if it was all completely natural. The sky was white, a layer of unflavoured cotton candy enveloping the streets below. Before he knew it, Bae was already at his entirely too huge window, his hand sticking out of its opened form. The air lightly bit into his skin, the limb turning cold as it waited there patiently for as long as it needed to. 

Pale skin slowly turned red, goosebumps forming here and there when finally, a snowflake landed on his outstretched hand.

Big, sparkling eyes watched the little thing, its intricate design. How the lines branched out and met each other, how they twisted gracefully, until they created something so tiny, yet so breathtaking. Another one landed next to it, a bit bigger, yet its design completely different. It was more round instead of a star shape, as if the sky crocheted a little tablecloth for fairies.

“As much as I know you love snow, please come back in, you’ll catch a cold.” - a raspy voice pleaded with him from behind, strong arms gently tugging him away and closing the window.

Bae didn’t feel that cold until now, his fingers aching, his skin lightly prickling as warmth finally blanketed it once again. A sneeze left his form, quiet and muted, much like the type of person he was. A tissue appeared in his vision, his slightly shaking hands accepting it gratefully.

“Sorry I woke you up.” - Bae quietly muttered once he was done, glancing down at a Chan who was looking entirely too fondly up at him. “Nah, it’s okay. Should’ve woken up soon anyway.”

Bae nodded at that, knowing fully well that the man was too stubborn to say anything else. He went around his room and silently got ready for the day, his form quick and efficient as it glided over the cold floorboards. Once he had the bed made, comfy clothes ready to be worn prepared on top of it, he turned to his quiet leader, head tilted. He still didn’t know why the man decided to raid his room, after all.

“Aish, don’t look at me like that!” - at Chan’s protest, Bae merely tilted his head to the other side.

“Fine, fine! It was already snowing by the time I got back and my bed was just way too cold.”

The leader’s ears were too red, his arms crossed and lips in a pout. Yet Bae merely airily laughed, not at all surprised at the whole thing’s reasoning. Catching a glance of the newly appeared dimples, he turned around, now really needing to go and get ready for his practice. On his way to the bathroom, he bumped into a sleepy Jisung and Changbin, greeting their confused forms as he hurried by.

After a quick shower and his morning routine done, Bae, who was now fully clothed -even with a beanie-, ran into a problem.

That problem being his noisy roommates.

“Nooooo, don’t go, jagi, pleaaaaaase. It’s snowing, it sucks, just stay back!” - Jisung wailed with his doe eyes staring at his victim, arms locked around one of Bae’s. “Aaaaa, don’t goooooo, stay with uuus! It’s too cold for you to leave!” - it was Changbin, the loudest, as he was holding Bae back from behind with all his strength. “Baby don’t goooooooooo. It’ll be too cold without you here.” - even Chan joined them, clinging onto Bae’s other arm.

Of course, Hyunjin was also on the loud trio’s side, his entire weight supported by Bae as he just leaned against his front quietly. The other three shouted enough, he didn’t need to join them to try and win Bae over, the drama llama knew that. It took every fibre of Bae to not just topple over, the pulling and pushing forces on his body almost too much to handle.

He really should have anticipated this all from the moment he saw that it was snowing, his bandmates always turning into even bigger cuddlebugs and whiney babies the moment winter arrived. He could merely sigh, letting the tension leave his body, silently telling the others that he would, in fact, stay back with them. It was a Sunday after all, something they got to spend however they wanted to, as the company forced them to take a break against their will -something Bae clearly didn’t want to oblige to-.

“I’ll call the others over!” - Hyunjin immediately left to grab his phone, energy suddenly radiating from him. “Tell them to bring snacks!” - it was Changbin, his form already in the kitchen to grab their own snacks. “And some fluffy blankets! You know, like the one Felix has!” - Jisung’s voice rang through the entire dorm, his form zooming around the rooms and collecting blankets and pillows. “Just tell them to be careful and to dress up warm!” “Okay old man!”

Chan could only sigh, his head resting against Bae’s shoulder as he now fully stood behind his tallest member, arms encircling petite waist. Bae gently shook his head, not understanding how they could be so clingy just because of a little snow. With his hands over Chan’s, he waddled over to the living room, depositing the protesting male there and pushing everything away to make place in front of the TV.

Not a minute later after he was finished did Jisung appear, arms full of comfy and fluffy blankets, pillows, everything you could imagine. The lil quokka deposited them there, the trio promptly grabbing them and building an enormous pillowfort. They even had some fairy lights installed inside, thanks to Felix who’d suggested it the first time they’d built something like this.

Sometime along Hyunjin joined in, latching onto Bae as if he was the weasel’s personal heater. It made the building a bit harder, but at this point, Bae was used to it, even as Jisung joined Hyunjin and dragged the poor otter to the ground. Jisung only laughed as his lips took on that lovely heart shape, making Bae remain silent as he found no strength to reprimand the boy for what he did.

Soon voices could be heard, the front door opening and the missing half of the band poured in. Felix beelined towards the kitchen along with Minho, bags in both their arms. Changbin greeted them loudly, still busy with making something. The two youngest joined the others in the fort, burrowing their way into Bae’s arms, much to the protest of everyone else.

“What’s with you guys?” - Bae asked incredulously, yet his arms circled around the two to hold them in place. “You run hot, perfect for snuggling. Especially on cold days like these. Even Innie cannot resist it, and that says something.” - Seungmin mumbled out, his face buried into Bae’s neck.

The maknae didn’t say a word, simply let out a content sigh as he snuggled into Bae’s chest on the other side, cold fingers settling onto the poor man’s sides and freezing him in silence. Hyunjin and Jisung grumbled, but let their cute little members stay there, instead settling behind Bae and playing with his hair. Chan merely watched the whole thing happen with fondness in his eyes, choosing to go out to the kitchen instead to help the others.

Good thing too, because everyone came back with their hands full, snacks and steaming mugs in their hands. Bae and the two young ones were forced to sit up as their own mugs were gently passed into their hands, the smell of hot chocolate hitting their faces full force. It was something that Bae loved, being a member of the club of coffee dislikers besides Felix, instead usually opting for sweet drinks. He leaned back against the two boys and the couch behind them, letting himself relax for once.

He watched the chaos he grew fond of fold out before him as he slowly sipped on his hot cocoa, savouring the pleasant burning sensation on his tongue. His eyes followed Changbin chasing Chan around, the latter having stolen a cookie from the dwaekki after their mugs were forgotten on the coffee table pushed to the side. He watched as Felix took the opportunity, taking more food for himself before the chasing duo could notice, a devilish little smirk playing on his lips. He also watched as Minho climbed into their fortress, threatening Hyunjin with some tissues after the boy didn’t want to let the cat take his place. Of course, Minho won, Hyunjin pouting as he sat aside and took a happy little Felix into his arms. 

Bae let his head fall back, looking at the resident cat and searching his face. Minho looked back at him, slowly blinking a few times and gently patting his side. It was their own way of communicating, telling the other that everything was fine and nothing bad happened on their way over. No words were needed, they easily understood the other. Bae just blinked back and turned forward, taking back the two youngest under his arms -as much as he could with his mug in his hands-, them having finished drinking it. Jisung snuggled into his back on one side, while Minho just leaned his head against his own.

By the time the other two joined them, their mugs weren't steaming anymore and some members started whining, wanting to already watch the movie. Of course, their first choice was a Ghibli one, with two big fans being in their midst. Howl’s moving castle started playing, everyone quieting down and settling in as snacks were passed around in the dark room, only illuminated by the fairy lights and the TV. The gentle glow and warmth enveloping them quickly put everyone into a fuzzy headspace, dancing on the precipice of sleep and awareness. With every movie they watched the more they leaned over to the side of sleep, eyes staying closed for a few seconds longer with each blink.

It was long past noon when everyone was at last fully asleep, limbs tangled with each other and snacks completely devoured. Bae was at the bottom of the pile, everyone hogging a part of him for at least a little bit of his warmth. Somehow while the movies played, Felix crawled on top of the tall male, selfishly taking the most for himself. Changbin by some strange means ended up hugging one of Bae’s legs, forced to sit near the edge of the fort. Chan was in a similar situation, limbs thrown over both Felix and Bae’s legs. Hyunjin wormed his way back behind Bae, making him, Minho and Jisung huddle there and act as the slumbering otter’s backrest. Seungmin and Jeongin successfully secured their position in Bae’s arms the whole time, peacefully snoring there.

Winter arrived sooner than it should have, and while the members liked to whine about it, it was also one of their favourite season for a certain cuddly reason.

[sideblogdotjpeg]

hello unfortunately i thought even more about sol + swag as an analogy for being asian and it is . making me unwell. i am putting it under the cut for the main reason that it is stupid beyond belief

OK. so. hear me out .

STUPID REASONS WHY SOL IS ASIAN:

(and hint: this is all me projecting 100%)

1) moist frog who immediately turns off when it gets too cold. SOUTHEASTASIAN BOY AS FUCK (to me). guy who thinks thirty degrees celsius is pleasant temperature. guy who thinks that anything below 25C is sweater weather. guy who is soo sweaty and moist all the time (the humidity) and that is not only a natural state, but a preferrable state. 20 degrees is too cold. anything below 0 is actually not functional.

anyway. sol bufo. keepin it warm and gross. if its too cold and dry he immediately hibernates. king

2) idk if anyone reading this has seen shaolin soccer. but sol bufo. could clump shaolin soccer. essentially what im saying is sol bufo is like a buff asian jock. which is kinda goofy and goodnatured and loud and also very obnoxious. i cannot articulate this very well. but. what can i say except a human version of sol bufo was delivered to me in a dream and it was every buff chinese classmate ive ever met.

3) (you will notice the reasons get progressively more stupid and more deeply specific)

sol bufo would love milo. omg. like. chocolate drink in a juice box container that is branded as a sports/energy drink and also green. also the guy on the front of the packet milo. sol bufo coded. tbh

anyway. milo isnt strictly southeast asian..? but. yes it is actually.

4) the whole monk class is extremely steeped in asian 'aesthetics' anyway. i mean. ki. so whatever i can claim this monk for me thats my right

NONSTUPID BUT STILL KIND OF SILLY REASONS:

and this is also me projecting 100%. obviously all delusion. so i guess see this as a for-fun reading of the sol/swag storyline through the lens of a very specific of asianness

okay so. swag right. his journey is about leaving his home where he was comfortable and safe but also very confined. mothership lures him to ezry w the promise of opportunity & seeing the world, making something of himself. he ends up being exploited for his body and skills. and he runs away, but his blood still oils up the mothership cogs.

so anyway. i think its pretty clear how that cld map onto like . an immigrant experience? leaving home because of the need to find urself, but simultaneously, the threat of exploitation at the hands of ppl who see you as a potential profit to be mined. this is the first part

the part that is more crazy to me is his experience in irondeep. like, when he left moonstone he left his entire community. now hes alone ... and he cant go back. (he is stranded physically, emotionally). and at this low point, of true and utter loneliness and purposelessness, comes along bronzebeard industries. they offer him a job - but more importantly, they offer him connections.

like. thinking about how were introduced to swag. its not at his job, its his downtime, its when hes hanging out with his coworkers, when hes surrounded by 'friends'. w people who think hes cool, and the people who think hes a "sucker".

idk! but i think this also relates rlly strongly to a common experience of being international? like. when you know you are permenantly lost from home. what you want more than anything is to feel the same community and sense of belonging you used to have. and it is very easy for that desire to ge manipulated. (like - im just gonna mention the one specific instance that ive seen. which is like. international students on college campuses getting targeted a lot by christian groups. because they know those people are lonely and want a feeling of shared tradition and practice. anyway. this is one specific example but also this is literally what happens to lyddie and sister rosaline :-| )

anyway so in summary: swags story of hope/idealism, exploitation, and loneliness leading him to be a very good pawn. i think that is something that could potentially be read as the experiences of ppl dislocated internationally from their home. and im saying its asian because I Want To.

... and sol! okay. i think very simply: sol is super white-washed. total banana. and thats part of his character. he is a moonstone bullywug who never knew his own home, and still, has never even seen moonstone with his own eyes. he does not know his own history. (and kinda tangent, the place where he spends the majority of his life is in launchpad, a sanitized corporate version of reality. and i mean, the whole 'boy wizard and frog pal' is very clearly alluding to harry potter. like. its white.) but ignoring that, the essence of his character is like. this is a guy who does not know where he came from

and currently? a large part of his arc is about trying to unravel his identity by figuring out where (who) he came from. swag daniels is his one link to a community hes just now found out he has. that is a part of why hes trying so hard to save swag. swag is his family - specifically the parts about family you cant choose. that is hard, complicated and how you understand where the parts of yourself track back to.

like. i think a lot about how the pivotal moments of connection between swag and sol are all about swag... showing sol what moonstone is like. in a dream, he lets sol experience what that place is like. that place is a muggy swamp. idk. swag is taking sol back home. that fucks me up a lot

... anyway digression aside. i think one of the most painful things gg on rn w sols arc rn is. how its looking right now. sol is going to lose swag. sol is going to have to come to terms w losing swag. sol for the first time, yearns to know who he is and who he came from. but by the time he went looking it was too late. his time is up. that moment of connection was brief and gone. there are so many questions about their history that sol will never know now

so obviously this kind of dips a bit into metaphor at the end. swag represents connection to cultural history and heritage and identity. and in that lens, it reads to ME as a story abt being asian and disconnected from ur roots. but anyway. even without that lens i think sols story is still v much abt cultural estrangement

(i also have a very loose and unformed thought: which is that sols journey from wanting to stand out/be special to wanting to find a place of belonging. is ALSO INCREDIBLY RESONANT to the experience of being whitewashed asian... ESPECIALLY for ppl who do come from asia. and how that also relates to the tragedy of wanting to understand ur roots when its already too late. but . i dont rlly know if that is a common experience so. itll be noodling in my head for now)

anyway. my essay. and yes this is all make believe in my head . TLDR: i think swags an immigrant sols a banana and i am fucking insane thanks everyone

also if u read this all and want to know what part of this long ramble actly answers the question of why i think theyre asian. well. you know what.

[milimeters-morales]

chapter 9 of my transfem miles fic!

Chap 1 / Chap 2 / Chap 3 / Chap 4 / Chap 5 / Chap 6 / Chap 7 / Chap 8

Wordcount: 4k+

Warnings: trans kid gets called slurs and beat up (the beating up isn't shown happening). to skip, stop reading once the whole park section ends (the linebreak), and pick it back up again at "Kenneth smiles, showing off their bloodied teeth" because I don't recc skipping the entire section tbh. but you can do that if you want, just go to the next linebreak.

“I’m just saying, I’ve been through worse--” Miles starts, shutting up at the pained look on his parents’ faces. 

“No extreme Spider-Manning,” his dad tells him, crossing his arms. “And take one of my jackets. It’s getting cold out.”

It’s not, Miles thinks as he grabs his dad’s smallest coat from the rack. It was still too big, the sleeves were going past his hands, but he kind of liked that. 

“And take my scarf,” his mom adds, crossing her arms too.

Dang it, they’re mirroring! Now he’s definitely not going to win any argument he makes now.

“It’s not that cold out,” he tries.

“The weather is unpredictable,” his mom replies instantly, like she had that excuse prepared.

Ughhh. You crack a few ribs, break one nose, and nearly (well, literally) pass out from exhaustion one time! Okay, maybe more than once, but that’s besides the point. He’s not made of glass-- he’s still here, isn’t he? Did he die?

No, but he probably would if he said anything other than, “Yes Mother and Father, I’ll run home as soon as the wind gets too strong for my fragile bones!”

“Fix your face,” his dad tells him as he makes his way to the door.

Miles schools his expression, not even realizing he was scowling like someone personally insulted him, and sighs.

“Don’t you sigh at us,” his mom says, “we’re just trying to make sure you’ll be alright.”

“I am, Ma. I’m just going hang with Ganke and Gwen.”

“The second, and I mean the second--“

Miles really considers interrupting her to speed this up. And that’s the difference between him and a dead Miles, because a dead Miles definitely would have already done that. Add another reason to the “Why Miles Would Have Gotten Into Visions Anyway” list, this for sure counts.

“--hurting, you come home, okay?”

“Yeah,” he nods and shrugs.

She narrows her eyes, and his dad tilts his head.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Once he’s finally out of that house, and breathing in the fresh air on the street, Miles takes off the scarf, puts it in the jacket pocket, and ties the jacket around his waist. It really isn’t that cold, his parents are just extra worried since he came home with kind of bad injuries yesterday. 

When he woke up to get breakfast (after texting Ganke that yes, he was fine, and no, he wouldn’t be a “rich widow”), his mom and dad were hovering more than usual, and his dad looked anxious to even clap him on his shoulder like he usually did in the mornings. 

It’s not like he’s never shown up injured before, he’s come home with worse! Sure, they don’t usually know, but it’s not like he was going to die. He was just a bit roughed up.

They must’ve seen some disturbing story on the news, or something. 

_____

“How was the fudge?�� Gwen asks him as he shows up to the candy store. They had all agreed to meet here, as some sort of “reward” for Miles.

“Oh, I didn’t eat it yet,” he answers, “how’s Brick? That guy you helped me with?”

Ganke snorts at the name as he grabs some sour gummies.

“Right,” Gwen nods, “he’s apparently back to normal? Spider-Doc called me in and let me see him, but he wants you to come in and double check.”

“But I didn’t see him when he was normal.”

“That’s what I said probably happened,” Gwen gestures towards him with more nodding, “but he said Brick would probably want to see a familiar Spidey anyway. So yeah, he looks normal, but he’s exhausted and not really cooperative. That bracelet can only last like, two weeks.”

Miles gums and grabs some plantain chips and a slushie cup. “Alright, why can’t we visit now? It’ll only take a few minutes, right?”

Gwen shrugs. “Wait, can we take you?” she asks Ganke, reaching up to grab a bag of chocolate pretzels for him after seeing him go to stand on his tip-toes.

“Short ass,” Miles laughs, dodging the punch to his shoulder. “But I don’t know, I’ve never seen anyone else bring civilians to what remains.”

“Oh my god, you sound so ominous when you call it that,” Ganke laughs, making his way over to the counter. “And I don’t wanna go anyway.”

Gwen reluctantly grabs her own snacks, complaining about none of them being sweet or salty enough to actually be worth it. They all pay for their candy (with Ganke’s money, he’s sure to remind Gwen and Miles) and leave, walking down the street and chowing down.

“Alright, so Margo and Doc had found the dimension Brick was from, but don't think it’s a good idea to let him go back yet because we don’t know about the other effects-- if there are any-- of the super steroid,” Gwen explains as she chews her strawberry wafers. “Not what its name by the way, don’t call it that. Doc gets annoyed and starts explaining exactly what the drug is.”

“Isn’t that a good thing to know?” Miles asks, looking down each alley they pass. 

“Miles, it’s like fifteen different ingredients with names longer than the pi,” Gwen rolls her eyes, “Anyway, Doc’s waiting ‘till Brick’s coherent enough. Might take most of the day, but just wanted to let you know.”

Miles nods, eyes catching on someone. It was some kid, he thinks, just playing on a phone. Why did he focus on--

“Ohhh!” He whisper-shouts, quickly looking away and back to his friends, “that’s Kenneth!” 

“Who?” Gwen and Ganke ask at the same time.

Shoot. “Nobody, just some kid I helped as the other guy,” Miles explains hurriedly. “They don’t actually know me.”

“Aw, but you two look like you’d be friends,” Ganke replies, still looking at Kenneth. “God knows you need more normal ones. No offense, Gwen.”

“I get it,” she says, also still looking at Kenneth. It’s like these two all of a sudden forgot what manners are!

“Stop staring at them! Come on,” He hisses out, feeling shame claw at his back and shoulders. He steers the two to the other side of the street, not so subtly checking if Kenneth looked up at any point.

“Jeez, that perfume lasts long,” Gwen comments, “you smell like a romance novel cover.”

“I hate that I know exactly what you mean,” he replies.

“Why are you so on edge anyway?” Ganke asks him. “Something happen? …Other than yesterday?”

“My parents… they’re just… protective,” he decides on. “C’mon, let’s just go before it gets too crowded.”

_____

Of course, because Miles can’t have anything, the cat cafe’s grand opening was too crowded and left him and Gwen overstimulated, irritated, and wanting to escape. Gwen and Ganke didn’t even get to choose ridiculous names to call the cats instead of their actual ones, which usually would’ve had Miles thanking every deity he could think of for this miracle, but it was just awful this time.

He let Gwen scurry off to Hobie’s dimension to calm down, and dropped Ganke off at home, apologizing for ruining the day. The boy told him he didn’t ruin anything, and kissed his cheek before heading inside. Miles didn’t really believe that, but it’s fine, he can act like he does. 

After a few stress bites and scratches, a loose brick crumbled into dust, and some breathing exercises, Miles is ready to be Spider-Man for the rest of the day.

At some point, he ends up in the park helping a few parents set up a pretty expensive looking birthday party (which earns him a cupcake, score!) and goes to swing off again, but a little girl calling out to him seconds before zipping closer to cling to his leg stops him.

“Spidey, you smell good!” The little girl missing-- who’s missing one of her front teeth, now isn’t that cute-- smiles up at him. “You smell like my ma!”

Normally, this sentence would be extremely weird, but considering he just saved a woman wearing the strongest perfume in the world yesterday, it’s justified. It’s reached normal strength levels today, from what his parents said, so that’s a small positive. 

Miles laughs, “Aw, thank you! Where is your mama?”

“Norah says she’s busy far away!”

Miles nods, “And who’s Norah? Is that your sister?”

The little girl giggles, “Nooo! That’s my other ma! She’s super tall!”

Miles nods again, “Ohhh, I see! My bad! Let’s go find her, she must be wondering where you are!” Offering his hand to the girl, whose hand is impossibly small in his own, he begins to walk where she came from.

“So what does she look like?” 

“Umm,” the girl says, whipping her head around as she searches around, “she’s got red hair like Ariel. And her favorite color is green!”

Luckily, someone with red hair that vibrant is easy to spot in the park.

Norah’s eyes widen as she turns from the man she’s talking to on a bench and sees her daughter being guided to her by Spider-Man. “Hi honey, are you okay? Why are you with Spider-Man?”

“I’m fine, he smells like Ma! Smell him!” the little girl excitedly informs her mom, running and hugging her legs.

“Oh, no thank you, I believe you,” Norah laughs, brushing her hair out of her face. 

And man, that kid wasn’t lying at all. The woman is tall, so tall that Miles has to actually move his head a considerable amount when he looks up at her.

“Go back to playing with Micah and his friends, honey,” Norah runs a hand through the girl’s short hair before she takes off to a sandbox, “and don’t wander off this time!”

“She probably means the perfume you’re wearing. It smells a lot like what my ex used to wear,” Norah gives him a warm smile after sighing. “I didn’t even know they still sold that scent! She always got it from like, a reseller.”

Miles smiles and shrugs, “I don’t know if they do, but a woman I saved was wearing it. Guess it’s still that strong, huh?”

“Ahh, that makes more sense,” Norah says, the man behind her humming and nodding.

…Why did that make him feel kind of weird? Put on the spot, almost?

“We won’t keep you,” Norah says, going back to sit on the bench.

“Alright! Have a nice day!”

Miles swings off, feeling strange. 

Sure, he hasn’t met any guys that wear perfume, but it’s the same thing as cologne. Something to make you smell good! He knows it’s not that common, but women wear cologne all the time. Right? So, a man wearing perfume wouldn’t be that weird.

“God, why are you so defensive…” he mutters to himself. 

____

Later that night, when he’s expertly convinced his parents he won’t get into any fights (but come on, be serious), he’s trying to calm down after being held at gunpoint by a would-be mugger that looked way too young to fully understand what they were doing.

It turned out fine, but still. Gunpoint. You’d think after nearly 2 years, he could take it like it was nothing.

Anyway, he’s swinging off the stress, when he hears it-- the telltale sounds of a fight.

He rockets down to a nearby rooftop and peeks over the edge, eyes widening when he sees Kenneth-- again! The kid was cornered by four much larger people. At least one of them must’ve been an adult or something! Kenneth was sneering-- that’s blood, that’s blood-- at the group, fists balled at their sides and shaking.

Darting down, Miles lands between Kenneth and the four others, spreading his arms out. “What, you got a problem?” he asks them loudly, stepping forward. Two flinch back at his sudden appearance, the other two looking surprised but not moving. “You deaf or something?” He narrows his lenses in the way he knows people don’t like and revels in those resulting furrowed brows.

“You defending him?” one of the men asks, sounding genuinely surprised. Is this man serious?

“Them,” Kenneth spits out from behind Miles. 

“You beating on a kid? You ain’t got anything better to do with your lives?” Miles can feel the adrenaline pumping in his veins, teeth grinding and chest getting tight. He takes another step forward, sending one of them running off with mutters about “not getting tased”. 

“Pussy!” Kenneth shouts after the runner, and Miles doesn’t feel the need to say anything about that. His focus is on the three excuses of-- 

Calm down. Kenneth’s safety is more important than his anger. 

“Spidey, you know that’s a man, right?” the second man asks him.

“A tranny,” the third man spits out.

The word hits his ears like a pot of boiling water spills onto his feet, like he’s being hit with that truck all over again. There’s mini explosions in his chest, and it feels like his head literally empties, leaving only… scribbles. Incoherent, angry, scared scribbles.

Miles lets the electricity in his veins glow bright enough to cast shadows against the walls. “You’re being assholes. Get lost!”

The third man leaves, grumbling, and dragging the second with him despite the difficulty since the second just assumed they could all win the fight against Miles if they stuck together. 

“Oh, not only are you assholes, you’re stupid too? Pick a struggle!” Miles rolls his eyes at the two retreaters. “What, you really wanna try it? You?” He looks the final man still standing in front of him up and down and tries to put as much disdain, disbelief, and annoyance in his voice until it practically drips with all three. He scoffs to make it hurt a little, in the way everyone else at school does when someone asks for a girl’s number, “Yeah, right.”

The man sneers and quickly stomps out of the alley after the others. “...kind of man wears perfume, prolly one of ‘em…” he mutters as he leaves.

A few moments pass, and once Kenneth breathes out a heavy sigh of relief, Miles finally relaxes, breathing out a sigh of his own.

“I am so sorry about that,” he apologizes, letting the electricity die down and turning to face Kenneth. Now that he’s close up, he can see blood dripping down from their nose and a bruise on their cheek. “Look, I’ll walk you home.”

“Thanks,” Kenneth smiles, showing off their bloodied teeth. Yeesh. “I don’t actually think I could’ve won that one.”

As they’re walking down the street, Miles keeps a hand on Kenneth’s shoulder, wondering if he should take them to urgent care just in case. 

“I’m still real sorry you had to hear that,” he tells them, “those jerks don’t know a thing. Grown ass men… how old are you?”

“I’m fourteen! My birthday was last month,” Kenneth happily informs him. The baby fat on their cheeks makes Miles’s heart ache, and he struggles to smile. Did he used to look like that? Only fourteen, and having to deal with adults hating them to the point of beating them up for the way they dress and identify. Jesus. Maybe they’re more alike than he thought. 

“I just turned sixteen,” Miles admits.

“Really? Is that why you do that deep voice thing?”

Embarrassment makes him falter in step, nearly face planting on the ground. “Uh, no, I…”

Every possible answer he could give is embarrassing! Why did he even bring up age in the first place?!

Kenneth smiles and seems to consider him. “Y’know… if… I totally get it, if you do the voice for… other reasons. I mean, I know some guys who do that, but you already sound fine.”

“Thank you,” Miles takes the compliment with only the tiniest bit of confusion. Kenneth thought… ohhhh. Ohhhh. 

Should he correct them? 

Yes, duh. 

…

But he doesn’t really want to. Kenneth isn’t entirely sure that he’s transgender, just guessing, right? Is this bad? Is he doing something wrong right now not clearing this up?

He feels like he was just put on the spot in the middle of class or something. He shouldn’t be so anxious, this is ridiculous-- Kenneth’s the one that just got attacked!

But this is obviously also bad... but he's just so hesitant, for some reason.

“I won’t tell anybody, if you are like me,” Kenneth says softly, blood dried on their face but a sparkle in their eye, “don’t worry.”

____

Miles unlocks the door to his family’s apartment, still talking with Gwen. 

“--can’t believe it’s still on me either! Anyway, how about next weekend? The cafe probably won’t calm down for a week, and there’s a new garden here, the kind that offers tours and stuff. I saw some pictures online-- Hi Dad,” Miles says, nodding to his dad as he makes his way to his room.

“Miles? What’s that smell?” his dad asks him from his spot on the couch. He swings an arm over the back of it and fixes Miles with a quizzical look. Without his glasses on, his squinting looks even more suspicious.

“Uh, still that perfume,” Miles answers, wishing he got the power of teleportation instead of his super-anxiety. “I gotta go, let me know what you think,” he rushes out into the watch, quickly taking it off and shoving it into his jacket pocket.

His dad gets up and walks over, sniffing the air. “Oh, you… found another bottle?” he asks hesitantly, crossing his arms and tilting his head, “Jesus, that is strong.”

“Everyone else says it’s not,” Miles reassures him, “apparently they don’t even make this anymore?”

“I see why,” his dad mumbles, “so how… how was it?”

“How was what?”

“Going around, smelling like perfume all day. Nobody gave you any trouble?”

Miles hears that protectiveness in his dad’s question, and thinks about Norah and that man she was talking to, the men that attacked Kenneth, and his mom saying how she could say she was the reason for it yesterday. It all made him feel weird, like he was expecting something that he wasn’t even sure of.

“Nah. I mean, some people didn’t expect it, but nothing mean.”

“Okay, that’s good,” his dad nods, “want some spaghetti? Your mom’ll be home in a few minutes, come help set everything out.”

After dinner, which was only partially ruined for him and his dad because of his mom’s ER horror stories that she’s brought home today, Miles gets ready for bed. Well, a few hours of relaxing and maybe another patrol then actual bed. 

As he’s walking back to his room after his shower, legs freshly shaved and piercings cleaned, his dad stops him to ask him something, but stops mid-question with wide eyes. Miles smiles, unsure of what’s wrong, and tilts his head. Stuff about hair and a mustache are all he can make out of his dad’s incomprehensible (excited?) sputtering.

“How didn’t I see this earlier! I was right across from you!” His dad’s loud and all up in his face as he turns it every which way in search of more hairs.

“Maybe you just need new glasses,” Miles shrugs, trying to pull his face free as gently as possible.

“Rio! Get in here!” 

Miles resists the urge to roll his eyes. 

“What? What, is something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong--”

“Miles is growing a beard!”

“Whaaat?” His mom’s sleepy eyes widen, a tired but proud smile growing on her face as she lightly slaps his dad’s hands away to replace them with her own. “Ahh, I see them! You’re growing up too fast!” She playfully slaps at his arm, “Stop it.”

“I’ll slow down,” Miles sighs exaggeratedly, head hanging like he’s just so inconvenienced.

“How didn’t I notice this? Can’t believe you’re growing into a man,” his dad places the heels of his palms on his forehead, eyes wide. “Next thing I know he’s off to college, getting married--” he starts rambling as he paces in the living area.

“Dad, really?” Miles puts his hands on his hips. “It’s just a little hair. It’s not even on my chin.”

“--us in a nursing home-- Just a little hair?! This is--”

“You’re really calm,” his mom whispers to him as they watch his dad continue to gesture wildly and wear down the floorboards. “You’re not even a little excited?”

“I freaked out about it earlier,” he whispers back with a small smile.

“You and your father, I swear,” she huffs with a shake of her head.

____

As he’s suiting up again after he’s sure his parents are asleep, his watch buzzes. Putting his glove in his mouth to free both hands, he grabs it to see a message from Margo.

|Margo Kess 22191-B: hey Gwen invited me to your garden thing next weekend but said she forgot to check with you 2 see if it was okay?

|Miles Morales 1610-B: It’s fine! We’ll have to get there pretty early like 9am maybe

|Miles Morales 1610-B: what time would that be for you

|Margo Kess 22191-B: uhh let me check

|Margo Kess 22191-B: that’s like 1pm for me :v dw

|Miles Morales 1610-B: alright that’s good! 

|Margo Kess 22191-B: : thanks! Gwen would have told you herself but she broke her phone

|Miles Morales 1610-B: fight gone wrong?

|Margo Kess 22191-B: she said everything was 2 loud and fast so she just crushed it in her hands this morning :/

|Miles Morales 1610-B: Oh it must’ve been from our trip to this cat cafe

|Miles Morales 1610-B: turned out to be a bad idea for us!

|Margo Kess 22191-B: i hope the garden doesn’t turn out 2 be like that </3 

|Miles Morales 1610-B: sameee

Once he’s fully dressed, he grabs a random jacket. It was a little too big, must’ve been one of the newer ones his mom bought him after his growth spurt. 

It’s a nice night , he thinks as he perches on the roof of a library. 

A cloudless starry sky, a nice breeze, and-- hold on, is that his physics teacher?

Mrs. Chesterfield and some man are walking together out of the J-Mart across the road. Oh man, should he say hi? No, right? No. That would be kind of weird, and she’s been a little annoying lately anyway. He doesn’t actually have anything to say to her anyway that wouldn’t expose who he is.

The man she’s walking with spots him and gives a small wave. Mrs. Chesterfield notices and gives a small wave as well, but with a pleasant smile.

Miles waves back, watching as they leave in their car. 

So weird. He knows, realistically, his teachers have lives outside of school, but to see them with other people, and doing what, going on a snack run? To see them do something so normal is just plain strange. He wonders how they clean their houses…

A quiet sound of paper ripping pulls him out of thoughts, and a faint whisper makes him look behind him. Hobie’s in the courtyard below, swiftly closing the portal behind him and jumping up to the roof to sit next to Miles.

“Relax,” Hobie tells him, “just checking on you.”

“Why?” Miles scoots over to put some comfortable space between them, “Did something happen?”

Hobie is quiet for a moment, mismatched eyes boring into Miles’s own and making him look to the side, before turning and facing ahead.

Alright, so he’s not going to get an answer?

“You can tell me, it’s fine,” he insists, but when Hobie doesn’t want to do something, he just won’t. Miles learned that the sorta-hard way when he kept expecting Hobie to continue conversations instead of letting an awkward silence take over. At first, it seemed like Hobie was just toying with him, but Gwen explained that Hobie was “just like that.”

The two sit in silence, Miles looking for a conversation starter. Something (most likely) happened, and things tend to be… pretty bad in Hobie’s dimension. 

As his eyes flit about, they land on the skirt Hobie’s wearing. It’s one of the old lady skirts Miles bought for him, but it’s been torn haphazardly at the end and stained with something, probably bleach? 

“I like what you did with the skirt,” he says, smiling. “Did you do the same with the other ones?”

Hobie shakes his head. “Gave ‘em away.”

“Oh, that’s nice! I was actually at a shelter a few days ago, I think I’m gonna go again to give some people my old clothes,” Miles says. Okay, so he wasn’t thinking that until now, but it still sounds like a good idea. Maybe he’ll see that manager lady again.

His mind drifts to the old man that kept arguing. Ugh. 

“S’good,” Hobie mumbles. “You and the others, you know you can come to me, yeah?”

Shit, was he not visiting Hobie’s dimension enough? Yeah, he doesn’t visit that much, but he thought Hobie preferred it that way!

“Yeah, of course! I’m sure the others know that too,” he nods, “well, you might have to remind Margo. She’s never even visited me before, and she’s only coming next weekend because Gwen asked her to.”

Hobie taps on the roof, “I meant, if your parents start that bullshit. But that too, that too.”

Miles’s anxiety turns to confusion. “Why would my parents get that mad? I mean, Spider-Man was an unpleasant surprise, sure, but--”

Hobie gives him a sad(?) look, which makes him stop and think. Does he do anything that--

Oh, DUH!

“I mean, I don’t think Mom and Dad would get mad at me dating Ganke, of all things to get mad at me about,” Miles rushes out, playing with the sleeves of his jacket. The anxiety comes back, settling in his legs and shoulders.

“I don’t wanna say don’t trust them,” Hobie says slowly, as if explaining bad news to a toddler, “but I want you to have a backup. Just in case.”

“Just in case,” Miles repeats, considering the possibility. “I just… I mean, I don’t think they’re like that. They’ve never said anything about… hating gay people or anything…” But what if…

“I don’t want you to freak out,” Hobie tells him quickly, squinting. “It’s just always a possibility, and I don’t want you to be lost if worse comes to worst. It’s smart.”

Miles brings his knees to his chin. His parents are good people, they wouldn’t hate him for something like this. They love him! But… he knows a lot of people say that, and don’t know for sure, and get a nasty surprise. He’s heard stories online and on the news that turn out even worse. 

“I’m not freaking out,” he says aloud, more for himself than Hobie. “I just never considered it before, y’know?” 

“Yeah. I know,” Hobie sighs. “I know.”

“Shit, man…” Miles says after a few moments of silence. “So… what should I do? I can’t just run away from here and leave my dimension without a Spider-Man.”

Hobie taps again. “That’s what you have us for.”

He briefly meets Miles’s eyes, and though he doesn’t smile, the warmth is there. It’s almost too much, but thankfully Hobie looks away first. “Just wanted to make sure you knew.”

“...Thanks,” Miles smiles. “Do you want to join me tonight? Or do you wanna go give the others the same talk?”

Hobie stands up, stretching his arms high above him. “I can tell ‘em after. Lemme get changed.”

Score!

A/N: past me was again not pleased with this chapter but it literally looks fine? it's short and sweet! well not sweet 100% but i feel like it's nicely packaged with a simple bow. kenneth nation sorry for hurting our cousin

[derangedanomaly]

Here we go again lol

(Couldn't find the link sryy)

21. "Mh, I don't rly like my hands I think?"

22. "Probably like- stamina and intelligence?"

23. "Well.. I do it myself? I think I would understand, but it depends on the lie honestly"

24. "I like the cold^^"

25. "... I don't like saying it honestly, but I like hearing it, and not saying it back is sooo rudeeee"

26. "... I hate doing it"

27. Just laughing

28. "... Yeah.. "

29. "Pretty high"

30. "Many things! I don't think I should name them tho, idk who's listening after all"

31. "Who the hell needs food anyways" <- isn't a messy eater tho

32. "Mh...I can tell you which one made me feel the most loved? ^^"

33. "Ohhh:D called it, every moment with Ace tbh lol"

34. "Touch. Because I like hugs, and when killing I like to feel the blood and organs"

35. "Mh, depends"

36. "Mh, if I won't get killed, I'd ask Nm abt passive,it's rly interesting to me, and I like Nm! ^^ and I like passive, well- the one I know abt at least"

37. ".... I would say the past, but I would change so much and wouldn't meet Ace.. So the future! ^^"

38. "..my parents, toriel and asgore? Prob also Chara and asri-.. Flowey."

39. ".. I'm used to being alone.. So alone I'd say"

40. "I'm afraid of many things honestly, like monsters, I also hate it when ppl are taller then me cuz it makes me feel vulnerable.. But rly fear?.. Uhm.. I always start panicking when chaos gets mad or sad in anyway... hes.. pretty unreadable in those moments.."

21. "I'm not very fond of my face...it brings back bad memories......"

22. "Probably strength and intelligence. I mean- I have a fucking PHD."

23. "..... Next question."

24. "I like the cold weather, for... obvious reasons.."

25. "Telling someone you adore that you love them is not hard.. I like saying it only to Kris. Everyone else can honestly just fuck off-"

26. "I do not try and search for help. It's too late for me to be honest. What else is there for someone that lost it all?"

"HEY! THAT'S MY FUCKING LINE-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU ZEST FEST-"

Seems like we have a small disturbance! Apologies.

27. "....... You're kidding. Right?" Of course he did lol.

28. "..I don't know. No one ever tried tickling me before. I mean... When you're in Nightmares realm, not many people go up to you and tickle you. Actually- let me rephrase that! No one ever comes up to me and tries to tickle me."

29. "I killed hundred upon hundred monsters, and humans. You really think that my pain tolerance would be low? Tch. Of course it's HIGH."

30. "Oh... I'd tell you.. but do you really think I would trust you enough to tell you?"

31. "The only messy eaters are Ted and Blade, not me."

32. "...." He's dead quiet...

33. ".....////" He's refusing to answer and avoids eye contact...

34. "Probably vision or hearing... I tend to rely on those senses the most.. heh.. why? Well wouldn't you like to know..."

35. "I don't try and make small talk. Why talk at all if you have nothing intelligent to say?"

36. "The only only that would be brutally honest is probably Nightmare... I mean- don't get me wrong! Chaos and Ted are honestly pretty blunt too. But they both sugar coat it... Uh... I don't know what I'd ask him though... Probably why he's so cruel. But he'd most likely avoid to answer this question."

37. "Realistically? The past.... Honestly? Future, so I could be finally dead-"

38. "Oh...well.... Probably the twins- I mean... Nightmare and Chaos.. but both had different effects. I like Chaos more.. I- have to admit that I'm a bit of a fan of his- Don't Tell him that though."

39. "I'd rather be alone... But I'm tied for life to the king.. Nightmare. So... I don't really have a choice. Do I?"

40. ".... Nightmare... But- I honestly fear Chaos more than Nightmare- for some unknown reason... Like- yeah, Chaos isn't the one pulling the strings! But I feel as though Chaos has a... Problem with his emotions at times..? May be because he's a clone, and doesn't really know about emotions.. I spend a week trying to decipher what exactly is going on with him, but I just- can't figure it out.."

[tweeterwilbury]

3, 17, 25 :D

3. 3 films you could watch for the rest of your life and not get bored of?

I dont watch many movies but hmmm the lotr trilogy, the last waltz [these are movies that i watched too many times in a short time period and did not get bored of. So that's my base here], and I'm not there, i think? Movies are a strange topic to me because i love watching movies but i need to have a special moment to watch them or it wont work. So it needs to be like. Special day for the movie. Or special night for the movie. Or someone who i like wants to watch a movie and i go watch. Each one of these have their little rituals to make it work . No idea of why i need so much mental prepare for it

17. name 3 things that make you happy

Hmmmm. Hard question tbh

Music, writing, talking to my boyfriends. These are the main ones i could think of rn. Eating salmon too i miss it

25. fave season and why?

It WOULD BE autumn if i didnt get strangely depressed during the season (it's kinda happening rn). And when i say "strangely" it's bc it always happen bc of weird reasons i cant really understand. So it's winter. For the reason why... i love sunny days and i love going to the beach and all that stuff, but i cant stand it like it is here in brazil. It's too hot. So most of the year feels like sensory hell, except for those few months in autumn//winter when it's cold and i can idk work better, in a way. Like it's easier to me to get away with cold than it is to get way with hot weather. And i love putting big coats and being under blankets. The only problem of winter is that i cant go to the beach (or to a river or to a pool) which makes me sad sometimes but i havent swam in months so it doesnt matter rn.

[withahappyrefrain]

Sleepover Saturday Anon:

So I'll confess I live vicariously through y'all but this was my day and please please will you tell me about yours?

Discovered that the home repair/appliance/auto maxim that trouble comes in threes is fact because the third issue was this morning with a clogged sewer line (first was aged freezer dying, second was the brakes on the auto).

During football season, no game day gear is complete without a beer in the hand as accessory so a stock up trip was completed.

Spice rubbed pork shoulder was placed in oven. Dressing was placed in oven. Glass of wine was poured while cooking because why the hell not? Brownies are going in oven during dinner and because the real game is later. Ha! The team S.O. supports (uni) isn't playing but reasons. Apparently. Working on salad instead of W.I.P. because the wine to writing ratio may have reached critical levels. The weather was beautiful outdoors by the way.

How was your day?

Hello my dear!!! Your cooking sounds fucking amazing, can I come over???

My day has been okay.

I went to the farmers market today, despite the grey and slightly rainy weather. I'm glad I did because I ran into two friends there! One was visiting from out of town, so it was a treat to see her! We walked through the market and got veggies! Then we went to get coffee, which was delightful.

It was going well, and then I got a text from my inlaws that my mother in law's brother is dying and most likely will pass tonight. His health had been failing for quite a while now, but I feel for my mother in law as this will be the fourth brother she has had to bury. She will now only have one living sibling (she was one of five), so my heart aches for her.

I tried to district myself by writing. I'm still recovering from a cold and have been quite horny tbh (as y'all have seen in said writing). So my day has been kinda a mixed bag.

[woozi]

MA YZAAAA <3 (hehehe)

first of all,, hello <33 how have you been? and what have you been up to? <3 i hope classes and uni in general are not getting to you that much.

also the drama i told you about "doom at your service", after finishing it my opinion has changed a little, it was a nice drama overall but after the first 8, the story seemed like it was being stretched for no reason </3 i have nothing to watch these days hdksekks this time last year i had 2521 and business proposal to keep myself entertained but this year there is nothing 😭 even gose isn't here </3, did you find something interesting to watch? or read? i haven't had time and will to read hsjsksjs </3

but today i did go out of my comfort zone and watched a movie called medianeras (sidewalls), it's pretty melancholic but i liked it, ( idk why google or some reviews are saying it's funny or rom com 😭, it was actually sad and reflective but had a good ending imo) it's about how urban and internet lifestyle have had the opposite effect on people and have made them feel lonely despite having everything in one click. it was,, different. probably something what i was expecting from chunking express jshdjsjsnns

but in midst of all this i love love how booseoksoon came through 🥺 they brought back the spark hdjddj i love all the songs ( tho just like you, i love fighting and 7pm a little bit more than lunch ), it was so wholesome to see them have fun performing 😭 also youngji's feature fits so well <3 i can't stop talking about it hskdks it felt so natural <3 i haven't been this satisfied with a feature song in a long while ( same with 7pm ). if there was anything else fighting! needed it was definitely her. it made me so happy to see bss performing with her and peder <33

they made my feb for real.

( also something about leader seok gets me fr, he's been extra glowing these days <33 love that )

also the carat day live 😭 they all looked so good 😭😭😭 i missed seeing our sebongs together <3 the teddy bear scenes are still running in my mind lmao

i actually got mild cold and cough last week so at the moment that's what i have been up to : recovering from it and trying to read a book dhdjsj, seasons changing got me this time. it'll be summer now here and i'm already tired of it tbh 😭 how is the weather treating you? i hope it's good

omg also, i've become obsessed with checkers on plato btw! ( i've understood the basics of it but the difference between the original and the international rules is still slightly confusing for me udkgsd )

hope you're doing great yza 🥺🤍 sending you lots of good energy and clear sky days

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO THAT GAVE ME GRIEF U ARE SO CUTE </3 MA CHERIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

i've been so so busy the past two months so it's like life's on 3x speed for me dfjkfdjkfdjkfd but it's my last semester anyway so <33 JKFDJKFDJK HOW ABOUT U <333333 HOW HAVE U BEEN WHAT HAVE U BEEN UP TO!! 😋😋😋

ALSO NOOOOOOO THAT SUCKS </3 maybe the writers didnt think they'd get that far lmfao 😭 AND I KNOW </3 that was such a good era for dramas, i hope they come out w really good ones </3 i heard the glory's v good? but i personally haven't checked it out yet and i'm not really into revenge type dramas so dfjkffd but i've been watching movies more these days!! i've been trying to watch cult faves/classics that people always talk about and that i've never had time to watch heheh ALSO SO TRUE ABT NOT HAVING THE WILL TO READ 😭 idk why it's also so hard for me to get back to it, i used to read like, 2 books a week at a leisurely pace

JUST CHECKED OUT THE POSTER FOR IT AND IT LOOKS SO GOOD OMG????/ thank u for adding to my reco list <3 ok but your review… felt tbh 😭 AND NOT CHUNGKING AGAIN FDKJDFJKFDJK I'M HAVING WAR FLASHBACKS FROM IT

EXACTLY <3333333 bss really came at the perfect time!! and u're so valid for that <33 i'm really glad they had the chance to collab more w/ other artists, esp peder!! not only was the song so fucking good, their interactions were also so sweet to witness 🥺 he seems like such a nice guy to hang out w LMFAOOO AND WAIT URE SO RIGHT??????????????????????????????????????? leader seok >>>>>>>>>>>>

i'm ngl i haven't even watched it yet i just skipped to the teddy bear part 😭😭😭 i only got to see clips of them, and REALLLL it feels like it's been forever since we last saw them tgt 😭

ALSO NAURRRRRRRRRRRRRR </3 that's such a pain in the ass :/ i hope you're feeling much better now and that you won't get sick any time soon!! there's only 2 types of weather where i'm from since i'm in the tropics, so u dont need to worry abt me <33

AND PLATO FJKFDJKFDJKF I COULD NEVER THANK U ENOUGH FOR IT i've avoided so many awkward moments in uni bc of it JKFDJKFDJKF also didn't know they had different rules 👁👄👁 what i do know though is that other ludos have different rules as well w the 1s and 6s which i only figured out when i played w someone else at another platform DJFDJFDJKFDJK let's play some time again if u're free!! <3 or we can also watch a movie 😋

hoping u're even better and that the days are endlessly kind to u as u have always been to me <33 love u thank u for always checking up on my disappearing ass 🥺🥺🥺 MWAH

[lord-shitbox]

entire ask game. send me asks too or ill bite you really ahrd

assuming you said this for the 'weirder asks' game. godbless

who is/are your comfort character(s)?

Gozu and mezu

lighter or matches?

I like lighters more but i only have a matchbox (the striking paper on it is shit anyways)

do you leave the window open at night?

ye

which cryptyd being do you believe in?

none

what color are your eyes?

brown

why did you do that?

do wot

hair-ties or scrunchies?

Hair ties

how many water bottles are in your room right now?

None. 2 glasses and a mason jar though 

which do you prefer, hot coffee or cold coffee?

Cold. on ice

would you slaughter the rich?

Idc about killing them i just want their wealth redistributed

favorite extracurricular activity?

Fucking around at the grocery store en masse

what kind of day is it?

Did not do a single piece of schoolwork but i did every other possible task

when was the last time you ate?

Within the hour. Had a bowl of rice on my desk

do you love the smell of earth after it rains?

ya

are you a parent? (all answers qualify)

no

can you drive?

no

are you farsighted or nearsighted?

nearsighted

what hair products do you use?

none

imagine we’re at a sleepover, would you paint my nails?

If you want me to ya

do you say soda or pop?

soda

something you’ve kept since childhood?

A lot of things. Stuffed animals, jewelry

what type of person are you?

chilling

how do you feel about chilly weather?

👍 but i prefer mild temperatures. The kind of just-barely cold that isnt really cold. I don’t like wearing lots of clothes

if we were together on a rooftop, what would we be doing?

Depends on who you are. for u specifically, probly not much

perfume/body spray or lotion?

Mmmm…i dont own any body spray but i have mixed feelings about the texture of lotion. It’s not actually that bad but i don’t like putting wet stuff on me (same genre of sensory dislike as wearing lots of clothing)

a scenario that you’ve replayed multiple times?

Uh.. like daydream? There’s one i used to have but its really really edgy and embarrassing 

about how many hours of sleep did you get?

Last night, 12. On weekdays its like 6

do you wear a mask?

No sorry

how do you like your shower water?

warm

is there dishes in your room?

Yes leave me alone

what type of music keeps you grounded?

Heavy stuff. Like fast and hard noises. Nothing slow

do you have a favorite towel?

yeah

the last adventure you’ve been on?

Went 2 bowser movie wth an extended group of people last night and afterwards we walked to winco and did funny things in shopping carts

is there a song you know every word to by heart?

Tbh…no. Im really good at remembering song lyrics in general but i dont think there are any in particular i memorize

what’s your timezone?

Doxx me why don’t you

how many times have you changed your url?

Never <3

someone in your life, other than a relative, you’ve known for 10+ years?

Uhh.. not really? Am not in much contact with childhood close friends (theres one ive seen a few times recently but we haven’t actually talked). I believe i’ve known tuna for upcoming 8yrs though

a soap bar that smells good?

I dont like bar soap i like the liquid kinds. Old spice

do you use lip balm?

During dry lip season (i forget when this is) my lips get dry as fuck 

did you have any snacks today?

ye

how do you take your coffee?

With ice and chocolate in it

an app you frequently use besides this godforsaken site?

Discord & instagram 

what’s your take on spicy foods?

yum (reasonable spice tolerance)

you get a free pass to kill anyone, who is it?

Nobody…i hate some people 2 death (i dont think about them so i forget who they are) but theyre not bothering me rn so idc

can you remember what happened yesterday?

Bowser moive

favorite holiday film?

Year without a santa claus (IM MR FREEZE MISER)

what was the last message you sent?

“so far i think the only red text thats restricted to origin is mhin's”

when did you first try an alcohol beverage?

Idk ive had sips in young youth. Parents would give me some so i could go “wow this tastes nasty” and not crave any ever (they were right for this)

can you skip rocks?

I may have done it successfully like twice in my life

can i tag you in random stuff?

Ya sure

[shibee-inu]

hi helo 👋 can i have uhhhhhh 8, 9, 10, 16, 17, 27, 35, 53 and 65 for selen and 8, 10, 12, 13, 35 and 69 for endymion?

D&D Ask Game

Selene

8. What is something they cannot resist?

Hmm I guess maybe her own impulsiveness? Although that's actually kinda changing over time so it's not so much that she can't resist, moreso that it's difficult. I dunno, this feels like a strange question to answer, like how would you answer this for yourself ??? So the real answer: she can't resist adopting NPCs at the drop of a hat. Colton watch out you're next.

9. What is their favorite scent?

I don't think Selene has just one favorite? I'll give a few different ones. From her home: the ocean, cypress, and burning wood. In modern times: flower perfumes and fresh pastries.

10. If they were in a rock band, what role would they play?

Lead guitarist! Selene has played the lyre before, and while they obviously aren't the same, I think string instruments would generally interest her more. Plus she likes being the center of attention so her playing the melody would be fitting !

16. What keeps them going?

Hope and confidence! Fake it till you make it type beat. Selene figures that even if no one else believes in her, she can at least believe in herself, and that can be enough.

17. Does your character swear? What’s their favorite phrase/word?

Of COURSE Selene swears have u heard her… As for favorites. I think Selene is very particular to the usage of "asshole," but I've never actually considered it consciously? lol

27. If they were a ghost, how would they haunt in the afterlife?

She would move around your furniture and make spooky little noises. Mostly harmless! Haha unless…? I guess it would also depend on who she's haunting, because if it was like, the PRESIDENT? That guy would not be getting a harmless ghost that's for dang sure.

35. Do they consider themselves childish/mature for their age?

I don't think she really considers herself more or less childish/mature tbh. That's just not something she ever really thinks about yknow. Listen, that's Talfryn's obsession, not hers'. She's just livin her life out here.

53. What does freedom mean to them?

FUCK the government is what it means. Selene doesn't want to be constrained by others' ideas of who or how she should be. Also she's a roaming kinda gal <3 loves to wander. The facilities are basically antithetical to that entirely which is part of the reason she's against them on just a basic level. Governments that rob people of their autonomy have never been her jam (cuz yeah… the ancient Greeks did do that with women. A lot.)

65. Adoration or Intimidation?

Adoration for sure. Above all else, Selene is a charmer, although she definitely uses the power of intimidation when she really needs to! Sometimes what people need to be convinced is a good scare, and how is that her fault, huh.

Endymion

8. What is something they cannot resist?

I don't think Endymion is really a person who indulges in much so like. I can't really think of anything SORRY. I guess like… Selene in a way ?? She gets him to do things out of his comfort zone, pushes him out of his shell, gets him to say what he normally wouldn't. They're besties :) and he trusts her with that power.

10. If they were in a rock band, what role would they play?

Uhhh vocalist, perhaps ? He isn't really very musically inclined haha. Though I think he would get a bit nervous when put in the spotlight, so something like percussionist/keyboard might fit him better. If only he knew how to play either.

12. Physically, does your character feel warm or do they always feel cold?

Endymion runs hot! So it's always a little chilly for him during normal weather. That's why the Mediterranean climate fits him well, it's usually at least somewhat warm and sunny, and the winters aren't too too cold.

13. If they were a body of water, what would they be?

This is. Such an odd question to think about aslkdjglsk. Maybe like… a stream???? Not as big or intimidating as a river. Idk man it ain't that deep <- am I talking about the question or the stream? Who is to say.

35. Do they consider themselves childish/mature for their age?

Mature—he has a lot of responsibilities and has been able to basically single-handedly take care of himself and his family for over a decade. Though maturity is all subjective, and it's not something he values in himself or others. If he had a choice in the matter, he'd want to be more childish and enjoy life rather than be bogged down with worries or responsibilities. dw about his traumas <3

69. Journey or Destination?

Destination!!! Endymion is always looking ahead at the future, so living in the moment is harder for him to do. 6isms amiright. The shorter the journey the better, in his eyes.

[englishflagcumrag]

Do all the questions for kal please he's my babygirl my skrunkly

oh god ok. this will get long.

💖 Has your OC ever been in love, be it romantic or platonic or otherwise? Who with and did they ever express their feelings or keep it private? How long did these feelings persist / do they still feel this way?

if we're counting platonic then absolutely he's in love with jarmo and has been as long as he's known him. i think he was probably in love with syvne and wasn't too great at showing it. he took his time getting over it but they stayed friends during that time and it sort of faded naturally. and obviously he's in love with orion and is also pretty bad at expressing that but ori gets the message i think.

❌ What kind of things would end any relationship for them? Is there a history behind why these things bother them? Could they ever take someone back despite this? If so or if not, why?

tbh the only examples of this having to be relevant in his life are his family and syvne. he and syv parted on good terms simply because she wanted kids and he didn't. he was so against it mostly because of his family and not wanting to mess his own kids up like his parents did to him. i don't think he would take syv back as long as they still fundamentally disagreed on that, but he did become a stepdad a few years later so idk. in another life i guess. as for his family, that's a matter of abuse (and apologetics thereof) so. yeah. bit of a dealbreaker. he would be willing to forgive eevi if she ever actually changed but she isn't going to.

💋 How affectionate are they with their friends? Their family? Their romantic partner(s) (if they have any)? Are they more physical or emotional when it comes to displaying their affection? Why?

he doesn't come off as affectionate unless you know what you're looking for. with his friends, affection comes in the form of hanging out and making dumbass jokes; with his family, he is Not Affectionate At All; with ori it's more in the form of like. little touches i think? he's not one to initiate Kissy Cuddly Mwah Mwah but it's more. his hand on his back, his head on his shoulder, that kind of thing. and the hanging out and the dumbass jokes.

🔥 Give us a list of general likes and dislikes, such as colours, textures, music, weather and other stuff!

liked colours: blue, grey, brown, cream disliked colours: like neons i guess liked textures: paper, smooth metal, mechanical keyboard disliked textures: many. Autistic King Under Constant Fucking Attack. liked music: just about anything disliked music: he has a bit of a complex about not liking top 40 stuff but even that's negotiable liked weather: storms, snow as long as he can still get around ok, like sunny and breezy at once so it's not too hot or too cold disliked weather: very hot sun, snow too thick for his wheelchair to handle liked animals: birds in general but especially corvids, pigeons, swallows, and just about any bird he gets to see day to day. also cats. disliked animals: bugs

🍊 What is your OC’s favourite meal? Snack? Dessert? Drink? Any reasons behind this besides liking how it tastes?

meal: just a bunch of bread and cheese and cold cuts and maybe some smoked fish to pick at and combine as he pleases. snack: apples, specifically Fucking Raw Granny Smiths. reminds him of his friends <3. also bread. dessert: pastries, pies, sweet breads, that kind of thing. especially with apples or berries. drink (non alcoholic): coffee drink (alcoholic): he's an insufferable wine guy. vodka neat if he's sad.

What is your OC’s most hated food? Stuff they can’t stand to eat or drink?

avocado (<- he is projecting because he can't think of anything)

🧡 Who is your OC’s favourite person? Why is this person the top of their list and have they actually met them (an idol or rolemodel or celeb can be someone’s favourite after all!).

jarmo. self explanatory.

Who does your OC absolutely hate, the one person who they’d sell to Satan for one corn chip? Why do they loathe this person so?

he claims eevi but tbh she's just an easier target than their parents and he's actually pretty willing to forgive her if she ever made the effort.

📙 What kind of subjects (of conversation, of discussion, in school or whatever) does your OC find interesting or engaging or that they can talk for hours about? What kind of stuff do they just find fun?

horror films (including real life horrors that happen to have been caught on film), birds, linguistics, computer science

What things bore your OC to tears and they couldn’t care less about? Why?

maybe doesn't bore him as such - he likes to see him having fun - but jarmo has tried to explain pro wrestling to him many times and he is completely incapable of getting it. and when ori talks about sports for that matter.

😊 What can make your OC smile even when they’re feeling down? What cheers them up and makes everything feel better for them? Is your OC generally a happy person and do they enjoy making others smile? What about your OC makes others happy?

jarmo can usually make him laugh pretty easily. if that fails, there's always stress baking. he's not an especially happy person but he's pretty funny when he wants to be. he's a very good person to complain with. speaking of which:

🍋 Does your OC act petty and jealous easily? What sort of things make them feel like this and do they experience guilt for getting so worked up? How do they deal with these emotions when they get them? If your OC doesn’t feel like this often, why not?

god yes. he's a cunt. he's a little jealous in his romantic relationships, which is mostly a matter of insecurity, but it comes out in a pretty bitchy way. it's fairly harmless and orion mostly finds it funny. he's also just incapable of being polite if he finds someone unpleasant/annoying/obnoxious. he's just openly mean in a way he hopes you will think is a joke. he mostly doesn't feel that bad about it, unless he goes too far and it blows up in his face. empathy isn't his strong point.

📀 How easy is it to shock your OC? To confuse them? To lie to them, to manipulate them? How are they with feelings of trust? Can your OC be trusted?

he's pretty hard to shock after decades of brain-melting horror films. he doesn't get confused by complicated jargon or weird surreal art - he, in fact, loves that shit - but if you're deliberately making 0 sense to confuse him on purpose it will work. he's pretty easy to lie to, and if you pay him the right amount of compliments you can manipulate him pretty good. he's pretty trusting as long as you don't give him a reason not to be. he's a pretty honest person himself, maybe to a fault.

💛 In general, how in control of their emotions is your OC? Do they have a good hold on them or do their emotions control them, not the other way around? What do you think is the reason behind this and is your OC ever concerned about their lack of or good control?

he likes to think he's in control of his emotions but actually what he's doing is called "repression" and is the result of "a childhood spent being punished for having a human reaction to the things being done to him"

🌳 Compare your OC to themself from 10 years ago. How has their mental state changed since then, how have they aged and grown up? Would they say they’re in a better place than they were back then or do they need help? What advice would they give their younger self? What advice would their younger self give to them now?

ok i'm going for 20 years ago because i don't really have as good as a grasp on kal's 30s as i do his late teens-early 20s. kal in his early 20s was peak horror freak - he was already into it via VCRs swapped between the same gaggle of edgelords at boarding school, but after he moved out and got his own computer he could finally watch Even Worse Shit with the power of online. he was only a few years fresh from his accident and his coping strategy of choice was Rotten Dot Com - plus a few things he'd picked up at school (namely drinking too much, not eating enough, and isolating himself). now at 43 he's been in and out of therapy for a very long time, he's started appreciating horror for the Art vs disturbing himself for the sake of disturbing himself, he talks to his friends and has a healthier relationship with food. he's doing way better than he was, and though he's still a mess of a man he's coping alright. he's replaced most of the self-destructive shit with stress baking, though he never quite stopped drinking. his advice to his younger self would be something along the lines of "stop doing the things you are doing". his younger self is in no place to give advice to anyone.

🍏 Does your OC have any triggers? What is the history behind these triggers and are they related to any disorders or mental illnesses? In what ways does your OC react to being triggered?

being in cars (after the accident - this is pretty easy to avoid since he doesn't really go anywhere), being talked down to (he doesn't really call it a trigger and more thinks of it as something he's just sensitive about, but it is absolutely a leftover from his upbringing), diet culture shit (he had a bit of an eating disorder in his teens - he's mostly over it by this point but it can flare up if it's given a reason to)

🥝 What does a bad mental health day look like for your OC? Walk us through it with them. What kind of things can help them out of this slump and what kinds of things comfort them when they start to feel like this?

he'll usually just stay in bed the whole time. he works freelance and from home so he can get away with it quite easy. jarmo's usually the one to give him a shake - he'll put him in the shower or send him to walk hedvig or just talk to him for a while. it doesn't always work but it helps.

🍐 What is your OC’s mentality? Are they overall positive? Negative? A bit of both? Describe their thought patterns and reasoning behind their choice making!

he's overall pretty negative and prone to catastrophising. a small problem will become a big problem in his head very very quickly, but he's also a programmer first and foremost and when he needs to take a step back and Solve The Problem he will. after like an hour of going insane. his process is like little problem -> oh no -> big problem -> become the joker -> have a little drinky of water and talk to jarmo -> oh ok i just needed to do xyz -> repeat.

💚 Talk about some of the traumatic events in your OC’s life. These events can be ones that have happened to them or a loved one. These events can be minor or major.

as a kid, his parents were emotionally and verbally abusive. they constantly compared him to his sister, who was Socially Awkward Child Prodigy autistic where he was more Having Meltdowns And Not Talking autistic. his hometown was extremely white and extremely conservative, so even when he could get away from his parents he had that shit to deal with. when he was 11 his parents sent him and his sister to boarding school in france. after several years of having to deal not only with french people but with rich french people, his mental health declined, culminating in him getting very drunk, stealing a teacher's car, and crashing it, paralysing himself from the waist down in the process. he was expelled and stuck in his parents house for several months, where they were their usual delightful selves about their son's new disability. he also spent his late teens and early twenties absolutely fucking himself in the brain with the most disturbing movies he could find.

💧 What is the earliest memory your OC can recall? Do they know what their first words were or remember where they took their first steps? Do they have any mementos of their childhood they’ve kept such as a stuffed toy or tiny baby clothes?

it's hazy, but his earliest memory is being 5 years old in the school playground and having a chubby kid covered in scrapes a little older than him start talking his ear off. nobody really remembers his first steps but he and that same kid remember what his first words were because he was about 7 at the time. "jarmo, shush. eurasian tree sparrow." jarmo proceeded to lose his absolute shit, scaring away said eurasian tree sparrow.

🌠 Who was your OC’s first friend? Do they remember them or are they still friends now? Talk about some of the people your OC has lost contact with over the years. Do they have any regrets about losing these people and would they revist them if they could?

jarmo is his bestie forever age 5 to the GRAVE bitch. also a few years ago his family started noticing how he was avoiding them, leading to a huge fight where eevi inevitably took their side. he and eevi lost touch after that. he would reconnect if she changed but she isn't going to.

💙 What did your OC want to be when they grew up and why? Did they have any lifelong dreams or ambitions they never got to work on or are they currently working to achieve this dream? Has their life taken a very unexpected turn and put all these plans on hold for a while or have they given up on any dreams?

as a little kid he probably wanted to do something with birds, and then as a teenager he wanted to make horror films. then the modern day started coming to his time capsule of a home town, he realised big directors don't come out of rural finland and he was pretty good with computers, and he ended up going into computer science. he's given up on being a director at this point, but he's also been growing disillusioned with the tech industry. some day he'll quit being a freelance software dev and start making cool indie horror games by himself, but that's a long way away right now.

🌀 Where is your OC from? Where were they born? Do they still live there, if not why did they move? If they still live in the area how has it changed since their childhood? How many places has your OC lived in and where has been their favourite?

he was born and raised in a small rural town in finland with huge class divides (that, all things considered, worked out pretty nicely for his family) and a fascism problem (that did not). jarmo and iisakki left around the same time as his accident, and when they got back in touch he jumped at the chance to leave his shit parents behind and live with his besties in helsinki. he has lived in this small town, a fancy boarding school in france, and helsinki. the only one he likes is helsinki.

💤 What was your OC like as a baby, a child and as a teen? (if your OC is a teen or a child, what will they be like as an adult?). How have they changed since then? What lessons have they learned and what things about their youth do they miss the most? Do they have any general regrets?

baby: quiet, chill baby, except if there's noises. child: shy. bookish. doesn't start talking until he's like 7. easily overwhelmed, prone to meltdowns when he is. fights with eevi a lot. inseparable from jarmo. obsessed with birds. teen: fucking edgelord. into true crime and is weird about it. the most bulliable boy in school. has a ridiculous growth spurt that leaves him able to buy alcohol and rent fucked up movies very easily at like 14. barely on speaking terms with eevi most of the time. makes himself some pocket money selling on those fucked up movies. could've had it absolutely made if he'd branched out into selling porn but he was in it for the love of the art.

he's gotten a little more normal. he deeply regrets most of his teen edgelord phase but he stands by the horror movie black market because it was funny. he's still obsessed with birds.

🍇 Day or Night? Sun or Rain? Summer or Winter?

night, rain, winter

🛍️ Function or Aesthetic? Skirts or Pants? Heels or Flats?

function, both, flats

🔮 Star gazing or cloud watching? Hand-holding or snuggles? Early mornings or late nights?

stars, snuggles, late nights

💜 Music or Silence? Swords or Spells? Cities or Nature?

music, spells, cities

🍆 Tea or Coffee or Hot Chocolate? Sweet or Spicy? Fruits or Vegetables?

coffee, sweet, vegetables

🌸 What does your OC’s voice sound like? Their laugh? Are they good at singing? Do they have an accent?

he has a very deep, soft voice. he laughs very quietly, from his nose or throat. he's a great singer though he doesn't think he is. when he's speaking english he tries to enunciate very clearly and hide his finnish accent, but it gets thicker if he's tired or emotional.

🎀 Do they wear a specific accessory with a special meaning behind it? What is their usual fashion sense like? What do they wear when they want to be comfortable and what do they wear when they’re going to a fancy party? Or do they just not care?

his usual fashion sense is practical and professional, that kind of tech-bro stylish-in-a-boring-way. all muted colours and turtlenecks. he's been trying out more feminine clothes of late - he's always had a certain gnc quois, he wears subtle makeup fairly regularly, but fully dressing the part is a different matter. he has blouses and skirts tucked away but he doesn't really have the confidence to wear them out or around people other than maybe jarmo.

💗 What would your OC say is their best feature? Why? What do their friends / family / lover(s) / people they know think is their best feature and why?

kal's come to really like his wrinkles. after being so scared of ageing his whole adult life, doing his gay little patrick bateman skincare routine, he's gotten to middle age and found he actually looks quite distinguished. jarmo likes his nose. orion likes his concave little ass.

🌺 Does your OC have any tattoos or other body art? Does their body art have any specific meaning behind it? Do they have any scars? How did they get those scars? Any birthmarks?

on his upper left arm he has a tattoo of a granny smith on its branch. it's the same one jarmo and iisakki both have. they got them tattooed when they were all around 20. struggling with the adjustment from his hometown to helsinki, kalevi attempted suicide (so, yes, he has a good few scars too). after taking him to hospital jarmo and iisakki were at a loss as to what to do, so they got in the car and drove for 6 hours to the orchard they all used to steal from as children. they stole a huge crate of apples for kalevi and brought them back to him, after which kalevi made the decision to get better and booked his first therapy appointment

🌷 In what ways would your OC alter their body if they could? How would they do it using mundane means (hair dye, surgery, make-up?). What is their ideal look for themself?

he has periods of time where he considers getting his ears pierced and then he doesn't. honestly, he prefers not to stand out too much.

[warden-melli]

Hello pokemas anon again! I'm delighted by those details I missed when I played pla, thank you for sharing them :D Came back to share a vitally important yet distressed comment Adaman just told me. He told me how he's learned there are pokeballs that work better the longer the battle goes - why would anyone invent that?! Adaman confirmed Quick Ball Spammer - oh!! I forgot a super important detail in my write up previously. Irida and Adaman announced they were going to stay and learn about Pokémon bonds by showing they had put their pokemon in pokeballs - they explained their misgivings about them but are trying to view it as a symbol of trust. (For the lodge minigame, if you get a character's friendship level to 100, you get a special bonus Sync Pair where the character has an alt pokemon - I just got the Adaman one where he has a Vaporeon! Some people are arguing Irida is gonna get a Flareon but that is very dumb! Doesn't fit at all. Which eeveelution do you think Irida would get? Im hoping for Espeon since thats the only Eeveelution that hasnt veen in the game yet)

Oh totally! Adaman wouldn’t want to waste time. Quick ball enthusiast for sure (same tbh)

I was wondering how they would handle the issues of pokeballs considering neither used them in PLA. I personally think Adaman would be the most likely to come around to the concept first, with Irida being a harder sell as she was quite critical of them during PLA, where as Adaman seemed curious at times.

Congratulations on unlocking the alt pokemon! As for your Irida question, I actually think Flareon would make perfect sense. Despite being a fan of cold weather and liking Ice type pokemon, Irida canon has a Flareon in PLA, so I don’t really understand why Flareon wouldn’t be a good fit?

Adaman and Irida are supposed to represent Dialga and Palkia respectively, and are therefore often portrayed as complete opposites. This goes for their personalities, values, leadership styles and even pokemon teams with their teams featuring eeveelutions often accepted to be the opposites to one another. It’s why their personalities clash so badly, and is a big factor in the reason for their feud. It was the only thing they do have in common, their love for the Hisui region and the people and pokemon who dwell within it, that was able to help them put their differences aside to help save the region and close the rift. Taking this into consideration, and with Adaman already using Vaporeon, it would make the most sense for her to use Flareon in my opinion. Espeon could make sense too as she also canon has one in PLA. I suppose it depends on what the devs value more, as while I appreciate it would make more sense in the context of the game to add a pokemon that hasn’t been in the game yet, it would make more sense lore wise for her to use Flareon.