#just as a grounding technique

[lets-try-to-be-normal-otakus]

"Jesus h. Christ, you would make such a good housewife wouldn't you? I bet I could just come home after work and-"

Steve removes his legs from around Eddie's waist and abruptly pushes the other man off of him, fighting the grunt of pain from the alpha's dick sliding out so quickly as much as the hurt of his words. Eddie tumbles off the bed with a flail of gangly limbs as Steve rolls to his side and starts looking for his pants.

"Wh- what??!" Steve didn't spare him a glance, just kept rummaging around for his jeans.

"I thought you were different-" he said as he finally found his clothes and started putting them back on.

"I don't-"

Steve whirls around as soon as the waistband is over his hips. "I thought you were fucking different. Preaching about saying fuck you to society's expectations."

Fuck, there was the sting of tears behind his eyes. He actually thought... "But here you are spouting-" he whips his button-up off the ground and starts putting it on. Eddie's mouth was open, doe brown eyes huge as he looks up at him from the floor. "-the same inane shit as those jocks you love to hate. I can't believe I thought-" he cuts himself off and busies his hands with the buttons, mad at Eddie, and even more mad at himself. How could he expect anything else from an alpha? Turns out they're all knotheads after all.

"Wait, what-"

"Save it. I don't wanna hear it." He paused buttoning his shirt to pinch the bridge of his nose. Don't cry, don't cry, don't give him the satisfaction of hurting you.

"No, I-"

"I said save it!" Steve snapped, breaking into an omegean growl, voice rumbling with the thunder of a pissed off omega. Voices like these were normally reserved for those hurting someone's pack or pups, and it shocked Steve to silence for a moment.

It worked as intended though, and Eddie turned paler, eyes growing wider in turmoil. "I don't- I didn't mean-!"

"Mean what? Mean to say that I'm not good for anything other than a knot-hole? Did you ever, ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe- I would ever-" he paused. "Am I just some pretty omega that needs taming so you can bend them into a skirt? Am I even a guy to you?" His voice did not break it did not.

Maybe Nancy was right. Maybe all he is is bullshit.

"No, I-"

Steve resumed buttoning his shirt with a hurried hand, cursing internally as they shook. Eddie seemed to get the memo and frantically looked around for some kind of bottom while trying to stand up. Fat chance of them continuing.

"I'm so sick, and tired of everyone's bullsh-" he cut himself off with a grimace.

"Look, whatever it is you think I think of you, it's-"

"Like what? It's not what you meant? That not all omegas want to be forced into a skirt and made to be barefoot and pregnant for their alpha?" He ignored the fact that he already had a gang of pups, and he reluctantly let them call him 'mom'.

"No- I mean, yes? I just-"

"Shut it. You knotheads are all alike. I swear- Jeff was wrong about you."

"J- what does he have to do with it??"

Steve whirled around and used his finger to punctuate his words, "Your friend said that you were different, that you were kind and sweet and caring." Steve was getting closer, and his finger was dangerously close to Eddie's chest. He could feel the heat coming off the alpha. "That it didn't matter I was a guy and omegean. He said-" Steve closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Nevermind; it doesn't matter what he said cause he was wrong. God, you're such a fucking asshole."

With that, Steve turned around and stormed out of Eddie's bedroom. He could see the other man squawk and fumble with the clothing in his hand.

"I'm not-" Eddie called out, "Well, maybe I did but-"

Steve slammed the front door open. Dramatic? Maybe. But man he was pissed as hell and it felt good to hear the 'bang!' of the door hitting the side of the trailer. He spotted Max across the lot and cursed his luck. Of course she had to see that.

He must've paused, because suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder, and he didn't even think before his body reacted. The growl that ripped from his throat could be heard just as much as the gnash of his teeth coming down in a hard bite.

His face must've been something fierce, and he watched as Eddie tumbled backward clad only in a pair of plaid boxers. Steve's plaid boxers. Fuck. He must not have grabbed them in his rush. Eddie clutched his wrist when his scrambling body found its balance.

"Don't ever talk to me again - I don't want to hear or see your ignorant ass ever again." He growled. Eddie did have a cute ass. Tiny, but cute. "Rot in hell, Eddie Munson.

He turned around before his brain could recognize the look of tears starting to form and stormed to his car. He hit the gas in reverse and entertained the idea of hitting the prone alpha. No, he couldn't protect the kids in jail. As he sped off, he made eye contact with Max and saw her face morph into something scary. He was raising that alpha right.

If he had stopped to look, he would've seen Max marching over to Eddie in the review mirror.

omega steve who hates all the feminization surrounding male omegas. no, he doesn't want to wear dresses or skirts, he doesn't want his hair long and feminine, and he's going to punch the next asshole who says they'll make a "good housewife" out of him. he's a man, designation be damned, and he wants to be treated like one.

so when he hooks up with alpha eddie for the first time and he starts spouting the same bullshit as every other small minded idiot, steve hisses and pushes eddie off of him and immediately goes on a rant that's fueled by years long frustration.

poor eddie, who's never been with *any* omega before this, is at a loss.

[spoonie-support]

[syn0vial]

another headcanon i have for "alan fishes tronzler out of the poisoned sea and brings him to the user world" AU is that, because the grid was devoid of any natural textures, such tactile stimulus is useful for pulling tronzler out of traumatic flashbacks where he thinks he's back on the grid again.

basically, imagine alan noticing tronzler starting to disassociate, and then just very gently and concernedly placing a pine cone into his hands. and it works

[temscraft]

the world building, foreshadowing, character development and storyline of parkour civilization is genuinely so fucking good

[dawnthefluffyduck]

I think i doubt my ability to work faster under stress too much

[dchuntress]

breathing exercises stress me out even more if i'm feeling anxious or having a panic attack. am i stupid?

[remncntss]

just fell to my knees thinking about gwenmiles forehead touches post-fights where they’re breathless and exhausted and it’s not safe yet to take off their masks but they need that reassurance the other is okay. it’s a moment all to themselves

[skeletalheartattack]

[the-mountain-flower]

Spoiler warning for the webcomic Aurora

So I've had this theory for a while (since somewhere during early/mid Daybreak page releases) abt Erin's tattoos in relation to how he uses magic that was more of a headcanon than an actual theory, until in a reread I noticed smn. (Bear with me, it's a little long bc I tend to over-explain to avoid misunderstandings 🫠 and also I got excited)

So Erin usually touches his tattoos when using magic, right? Which can range from grabbing his arm to just with the fingertips for a second before casting.

This makes sense in the context of another theory I've seen going around- that I agree with so far- that Erin's tattoos are a sort of disability aid. That they're there to assist with something like malformed or incomplete magical links.

So it was strange to me when I noticed that Erin did the same thing when using Void magic. This isn't something that is applicable in the same way his tattoos are, as his void-connection is something done to him as opposed to something he was born with, and there doesn't seem to be any indication of disability in that particular aspect.

This makes sense from a characterization standpoint, since he's used to doing it and it makes sense he'd resort to that habit, especially for a type of magic he's never used before. But it got me thinking.

While we haven't seen many examples of mages using tattoos outside of Erin, it doesn't look like touching them is required for casting the same way he does. It's also interesting when you consider that we've seen rune tattoos on the forearm, wrists, and hands as opposed to a specific area. That, in combination with how it looks like magic links work, makes me think that the placement either doesn't play a role in how the tattoo channels magic OR that it does so differently depending on where. Adding to that, why would touching the tattoo be necessary when it's already there on the skin?

Furthermore, it's established (mainly here, also implied here and here) that Erin touching his tattoos is necessary for his spellcasting.

Now the detail that got me thinking about this while rereading: when the Void Dragon is possessing Erin, he doesn't touch the tattoos before casting. And while it's possible that he does and we just don't see it onscreen, it seems odd that throughout both sequences where VD is using Erin's magic, we don't see him do this, or even any indication of it. Which is interesting when you consider that he's directly influencing Erin's actions through his soul, and when casting, through his magic links.

Now, if the action of touching the tattoos is what enables Erin to do magic, how come VD can do it through the same channels without doing that?

My theory: it's not physically necessary for using magic, but mentally necessary. It's possible that Erin uses the action as a sort of grounding technique, which makes perfect sense if these are something that is directly linked to maintaining or stabilizing his magic. The tattoos make it possible, while the action of added contact while spellcasting makes it easier. It's something that he has associated with doing magic, and without it it takes longer or significantly more effort to make it work.

Any thoughts?

[charaunderwood]

taking a neighborhood walk while listening to the pikmin 4 credits music and looking at the way sunlight filters through tree leaves is singlehandedly keeping my joy and whimsy alive rn, would totally recommend if you're able

[lightblueminecraftorchid]

Packing ice cubes in an insulated bottle to attempt to schedule the near-inevitable dissociative episode today. We deal with trauma LATER when I don’t have MEETINGS.

[dailykugisaki]

Day fourty-one | id in alt

Kugisaki looks so wack Everytime she's not paying attention, she's thinking of shopping, meaning a friend or a third more sinister and bad thing.

[phagodyke]

never stops being funny to me how everyone at the gym assumes im FAR more competent than I actually am without question. went to a roped sesh w one of my clubs bc they asked for novices to come along so the ppl training for the climbing qualification could get some hours in teaching ppl the basics & I wanted to learn. two climbing friends ask me if I've memorised the handbook for the assessment yet and are genuinely surprised when I tell them I'm not on the course. the instructor running the qual course (again, who I'm friends with) goes around and points out who's on the course and who's here as a novice to the assessor who had just dropped by, gets to me and goes oh yeah you're on the course too right? nope. then he goes ah but still they're a competent climber. nope again. pure novice. literally here bc I don't even know how to tie in and belay mate, u know that bc you've rope climbed with me before and had to fill out a supervision form bc im not signed off!! theres not even that many ppl DOING the course i dont know why he associates me with it. the first time I rocked up at one of the rope sessions the same guy (who, btw, has a hyperfixation on climbing safety & gear and is a fucking stickler for it & calls literally everyone else out abt it!!) asked if I could lead belay him - IM NOT QUALIFIED. TO LEAD CLIMB LET ALONE LEAD BELAY!!!!! then today they move on to gear and everyone is surprised I don't have my own belay device or harness. IM NOT SIGNED OFF. TO BELAY. I DONT EVEN KNOW HOW. THATS WHY IM HERE. I EXCLUSIVELY BOULDER. YOUVE NEVER SEEN ME DO ANYTHING ELSE. WHY WOULD I OWN ANY ROPED GEAR???? also bear in mind I'm a solid 10-15 years younger than the instructor & most ppl doing the course like where the hell are u getting this impression from guys 😭😭

[horrorsequel]

the thing they don't tell u abt watching a movie where skulls is that it makes you think about skulls

[variousqueerthings]

while reading house of leaves: i physically cannot take in all this referencing, it's too many connections

after reading house of leaves: wow everything is so house of leaves coded

[inevestigator]

@hemerasiae's bellara sent [ FOREHEAD ]:  placing a hand on the back of the receiver’s neck, the sender guides them close and rests their foreheads together.

it's late and neither of them have slept as much as they should. the thing about the lighthouse is that it's remarkably easy to find company at any time of the day. or the night. two. three. four in the morning comes and goes and bellara, neve and lucanis pass each other in the courtyard more than once. every night the same.

it's three in the morning and they're sitting in amiable quiet, as bellara tinkers with something and neve cuts out scraps of newspapers to go in her case notes. occasionally chatting. more often listening to bel mumble to herself about whatever it is she's working on.

neve opens the next paper. one side of the page has a long, neatly printed list of names. recognisable. familiar. her stomach turns. she stares at the list. the floor creaks, or maybe a rope does.

there's pressure in her chest. the air is frigid. she can see her breath.

and then there's hot pressure on the back of her neck.

" what-? " she has questions (doesn't she always?). the questions, predominantly are 'what' and 'why' but the touch is warm and she's being manipulated towards bellara until their foreheads are touching. and it's like the sun has exploded behind her eyeballs.

or like something has just exploded inside of her ribcage. her breath rushes out of her in a single puff and her shoulders slump, tension suddenly eased out of them by the simplest of touches.

" sorry, did you say something? " it's a breath, a whisper, an apology and a thank you. there's solid ground beneath her feet. there's someone holding tightly to her.