#less pressure to worry abt responses

[stellarwaffles]

Ooooo you wanna talk about your ocs you wanna talk about them so bad ooooooo

Sorry for taking 381 days to answer ummmmm hi I want to talk about Ari

I don't think I've really posted about Ari on tumblr so I'll include basic info

Ari uses she/it/him pronoun and is a lesbian. She is a lion lava monster + is 6ft tall

Ari Sunfall is the oldest of the Sunfall siblings (Ari, Ziva, Leo, Daniel, Cherry*, Talya, Dasi)

When Ari was 13 her parents had to go be at war they weren't allowed to stay at home + raise their kids anymore so as the oldest Ari had to take care of her siblings

If you've ever heard Surface Pressure from Encanto that's the only song on my Ari playlist

Anyway um when Ari was 16 she got a girlfriend yaaaaaaay they were t4t :3

they dated for an amount of months before Ari's gf broke up w her bc taking care of 5 siblings was clearly stressful for Ari + gf was worried dealing w that and also a relationship was too much for Ari. Ummm she had good intentions but this made Ari put more effort into hiding when she's stressed

When Ari was 18 she had to be in the army </3 fuck Monstrox we all hate that guy

Ari got to see his parents for the first time in 5 years so that was nice

Ari also got a girlfriend while in the army! When Ari was 20 she dated Kirsten. They dated for an amount of months

:3

Kirsten broke up w Ari </3

:3

so um ye when the lava monsters got trapped in the Book of Monsters Ari was also trapped. Bc she's a lava monster

S1 nexo knight Ari is one of the background lava monsters

At some point in s1 the lava monsters attack a town called Kneadton + during the attack Ari gets distracted by the smell of freshly baked bread and goes into the bakery where Feather works

Feather is Rather Frightened and as a panic response. Acts friendly + normal as if Ari was a regular customer instead of part of the army attacking the town

Ari is thown off by Feather acting friendly + instead of stealing or destroying anything like she's supposed to he politely pays for a box of cookies

Feather + Ari are friends now. You can't escape being friends with Feather

At the end of s2! When Monstrox is trying to possess Clay or whatever + the knights save him + there's like an explosion or smth + they think Monstrox is dead fr fr. The explosion throws Ari into the rocky wall + she gets a bad injury

But um hey good news the lava monsters all want nothing to do with Monstrox + go build a town so they can chill + just live their lives

Ari takes a while to recover from his injury + has to get used to sometimes relying on others instead of always being the one people can rely on

Ari also has a back brace now. I haven't done enough research to say much about this

Once Ari is doing well enough to get a job she starts working at a bar in Burningham. He works a late shift + so she sleeps in late in the morning

This is around s3 btw + also Ari is 23

At some point Eva is adventuring around, as one does, and accidentally finds Burningham. She wanders around town perceiving + goes into the bar + this is how she meets Ari!! Yay!!

Eva is big gay for Ari. Eva + Ari become friends yay yay friendship

Ari starts getting feelings for Eva but she's in denial about it. They're just friends! Ari totally doesn't wanna kiss Eva or anything!

Teehee time for s5 (Ari is 24/25 now. I'm less sure on the ages here bc s5 + s6 were never made)

So um there's the apocalypse going on. Fun! (It's not fun)

I haven't brained much abt what exactly happens around Burningham during the apocalypse I'll be honest so some of this might change idk. I've mostly just rotated the angst in my mind

Burningham got swarmed by cyberbugs + people had to either try and fight them off or run away

The Sunfalls have safely escaped a bunch of cyberbugs + are in the woods. They're worried about Talya bc none of them have been able to contact it at all, but the rest of them are all safe and accounted for at least

Ari faintly hears something deeper in the woods + goes to investigate. A smart decision, surely. You should always go alone to investigate voices you hear in the woods

Ari finds Eva sitting by a tree calling for help. Eva says she was injured while running from cyberbugs + she needs help just come closer walk forward come just a bit closer please

Something seems off to Ari, and rightfully so bc this is a trap. Eva is infected

A bunch of cyberbugs were hiding around the nearby trees. Eva + the cyberbugs attack Ari and Eva tries to convince Ari to be evil being infected is great actually she's totally not being forced to say this

Ari doesn't want to fight Eva so she's trying to fight defensively. At one point in the fight Ari takes Eva's scythe from her hands and without thinking impales Eva, killing her

Ari stares at Eva's body for a moment, realizing what she just did, before running away (the cyberbugs are still there. They chase after her)

So you know how I mentioned Ari likes Eva but is in denial. Yeah so sometimes you realize things at very inconvenient times. Sometimes you're processing that you just killed the person you're in love with and wait a minute in love? Oh fuck

Ari doesn't really have time to focus on that or on grief bc she's gotta focus on making sure him + its family survive the apocalypse

Daniel gets separated from the rest of the family for a bit which has all of them worried but this isn't about him so don't worry about it

After the apocalypse ends the Sunfalls go back to Burningham + Ziva is sent to pick up Talya from school. Ari finally has time to process the everything + breaks down crying

*shoutout to anyone that remembered I put an asterisk next to Cherry's name! She was not part of the family before this point

Ziva returns w Talya + Cherry, Talya says Cherry is part of their family now. Everyone immediately assumes that means Cherry's parents are dead. Everyone also immediately accepts Cherry into the family. New sibling!

After idk a few days Ari goes back into the woods to get Eva + take her to a mechanic. Ari is worried sick that she did irreparable damage, but is hoping Eva will be fine

Ari is not very good w tech + things of the sort, she doesn't understand all this new tech that's been invented in the past 100 years. Squirebots weren't a thing back when he was growing up, so she doesn't know anything about squirebot anatomy. Ari has no clue if she killed Eva permanently or if Eva can be repaired

Eva is repaired yay yippee yay she doesn't have any permanent damage, her brain's all fine, etc etc

After checking approximately 1 million times that Eva is in fact alright + no longer injured, Ari apologies for killing her + Eva assures Ari it's ok she doesn't even remember it honestly so truely it's chill dw. Everything from when she was infected is kinda foggy, actually. She doesn't remember much of being infected

Anyway moving on Ari also confesses to being in love w Eva yay yippee yay they can kiss now I love when girlfriends

A few weeks after the apocalypse has ended!! Ok so remember Kirsten? There's something I didn't mention. Before she broke up w Ari she got pregnant, but neither of them knew

So as I said a few weeks after the apocalypse ended- Kirsten + her girlfriend (she has a girlfriend btw) go on a date at a bar. Which just so happens to be where Ari works. Wait I forgot to say Kirsten's girlfriend is Ari's first ex

Ye so Kirsten tells Ari she's got something important to tell her but like if it can wait til later that'd be nice bc she's on a date rn. So she gets Ari's phone number + address

Kirsten shows up to the Sunfall house the next day w her + Ari's daughter, Sunny

Ari didn't know what to expect when Kirsten said she had something important to tell her, but she certainly had not been expecting a kid

Sunny is 4 btw Ari was 21 when Sunny was born

Kirsten wants Ari to take full custody of Sunny she didn't want to be a mom she wanted Ari to take care of Sunny from the start, she just didn't know how to contact Ari. Phones were invented after they broke up

Umm I made up Sunny recently so I'm still working on this lore but at some point Eva calls Ari a milf

Misc info!! Yay!!

Ari is a nickname for Arson, the name Arson has been passed down in the family for generations Ari is Arson V (Arson the fifth) (Sunny is also a nickname for Arson, Sunny is Arson VI)

I mentioned this when Eva died but Ari isn't good w phones or tech or anything like that she's kinda a boomer L L L skill issue

Ari spent so much of his life focusing on taking care of her family and being personally responsible for everyone's safety that she never. Got any hobbies (on this topic Ari + Talya have parallels. Talya stole the bad mentality and the lack of hobbies + some other stuff)

At some point Eva gets Ari into hiking! This idea brought to you by the bestie Milkisvibin803

At some point when they're dating, Eva finds out Ari wants to be more feminine but doesn't know what exactly to do about that. So Eva takes her dress shopping to see if maybe that'll help (it does) :)

[icycoldninja]

Can you perhaps write a reader whose a war veteran/anti-war photographer with the DMC boys?

She became an anti war photographer after witnessing multiple horrors and war crimes committed by both her country as well as many others during her time serving as a front line soldier

When they ask her why she finally chose to become an anti-war photographer, she confessed that she can’t keep turning a blind eye to every atrocities committed by some soldiers ( some nights, her guilt of ignoring both her ex-comrade’s as well as other soldier’s war crimes comes to eat her up, reminding her of who she was and what she could’ve done to prevent their war crimes but instead she chose to stay ignorant as she didn’t have a backbone then )

So that’s how she became an anti-war photographer, to raise awareness of the after effects of war the governments chose to keep silent about in hopes to press enough pressure on them to apologize for their committed war crimes. Not just war, but also to raise awareness about silent genocides still happening in some parts of the world

A small part of her reasoning has to do with the fact she still feels guilty of feigning ignorance to the war crimes she had to commit as well as other’s so she became a photographer in hopes to feel less guilty abt herself

Yes, of course, enjoy!

Sparda boys + V x Veteran!Reader headcannons

¤ Dante ¤

-Dante was worried about you, and how you always run out to the front lines to take pictures of all the atrocities going on over there, then sending them to news sites so word can be spread.

-He couldn't understand why you did this. You were a veteran, someone who'd been in combat plenty of times in your life, why would you want to go back?

-After some time, he decidedd to ask you about it, not at all prepared for the response you gave him.

-You publicly displayed your opinions against war because you felt guilty for all the crimes you committed during your time in service and wanted to show the world that war was harmful, as a way to atone for your sins.

-While Dante thought that was a noble effort, he didn't want you going out there and putting yourself in danger.

-If you weren't going to reel it in, then he would go with you to ensure your safety.

■ Vergil ■

-Vergil never paid any mind to humans and their foolishness; they could wage all the wars they wanted and he wouldn't care.

-However, that all changed after discovering you were an anti-war photographer who readily charged into the fray to expose the harsh truth of battles.

-He instantly became more concerned with affairs such as these, though only for your safety.

-He once traveled to the front lines with you, and while what he saw was horrific, it wasn't anything he hadn't seen before.

-He later asked you why you did all this, and what you hoped to gain from doing such dangerous work. After hearing your reasoning, he decides you are a fool.

-While what you do might cleanse you of your guilt and all that, there's no denying you're willingly putting yourself in danger, and that you could likely get killed taking pictures of the violence. You must understand, he doesn’t intend to sound like he wants to crush your dreams; if something were to ever happen to you, he'd never get over it.

□ Nero □

-Nero knew you were a war veteran and that you'd seen some shit, but he didn't think it was so bad, you'd start becoming an anti war photographer.

-Getting you to explain why you do what you do was difficult, as it was a sensitive topic, but once you revealed the truth, Nero understood.

-Not that he's opposing you. If anything, Nero's supportive of you and your feelings. He's seen a lot of violence too, remember?

-He is concerned about your safety, but that just gives him an excuse to tag along and help take pictures.

-He's not scared of the blood and gore, nor does he enjoy it; he just wants to help you in any way that he can.

-He's your assistant, cameraman, editor and pretty much anything you need him to be. Even though he isn't as zealous about promoting anti-war material, he still helps because he knows this is your passion.

● V ●

-V didn't think much of your profession when he saw/heard of it.

-It's your business to do what makes you happy, and if taking pictures of the violence on war fronts makes you happy, then so be it.

-While V is rather worried about you out there, Griffon frequently assures him he has nothing to worry about; you can take care of yourself, and if he's really that worried, then he go with you.

-V decides to take this sage advice and accompany you on your next journey. Needless to say, he did not enjoy it. No one did.

-Upon returning from that traumatic trip, V asked you why you would willingly charge into such a dark place like that, knowing the horrors that lay in wait.

-Your response was equally as dark; it showed him just how much battle had scarred you and how far you were willing to go to atone for what you'd done.

[amourtoken]

please give me something for scrim 🙏🙏 something, anything, i’m dying and reading aapdisgusting awful things about him is the only thing that will save me! PLEASE 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

I've had this thought for weeks bc I just associate it with him so time to force it upon you 🤲 cw for breeding cause that's pretty much the peak of what I associate him with

Thinkin abt having just switched birth controls and you know how there's a transition period where you can't fuck without a rlly high risk of pregnancy yk? Telling Scott that was like the end of the world. You're supposed to wait a week, you're on day 2 and he's so needy you can't go 10 mins without him groping at your hips and ass and begging to feel you. Heavy on the "just the tip I promise" thing, which wouldn't matter it's still sex so unfortunately you have to decline.

Every time he's in the same room as you he's hugging you from behind just to grind against your ass, pulling you onto the couch so you can sit in his lap and he can play with your tits through your top and countless other seemingly innocent things he turns into excuses to get nsfw with you. He could fuck your throat or let you jack him off 100 times in a row and that itch in his brain still wouldn't be scratched, it's good but it's not what he needs.

About halfway through this waiting period you wouldn't say you were fed up but your boyfriend is comically withering away like a fish left out of water and you feel like you have to say something. You explain the situation again and ultimately end it on "unless you want a baby right now, we cant." Which was the absolute worst thing you could've possibly said because you set your own trap and now you're stuck in it. Congrats :)

"I've been begging to knock you up for fuckin' months. You think that'll stop me? I couldn't care fuckin' less. Just waitin' for you to let me."

As much as you hate to say it your resolve is also withering. You're halfway through, you'll be fine, right?

That's really the last thing on your mind when you have your face pressed into the couch cushions and Scott's dick so deep in your guts you can barely breathe. Every thrust draws an involuntary whimper from your throat and the only thing you can manage to say is his name over and over. The hand pressing your face against the couch gathers a handful of your hair and drags your upper half to meet his, your back pressed to his chest while he fucks you raw.

"Fuck sweetheart- missed this pussy so much- you really gonna let me put a baby in you finally?"

You weren't really able to form a reasonable thought while he was bullying your insides so all you could do was nod enthusiastically in response, whining his name as he hit a particularly sensitive spot inside you. Scott wrapped an arm around your throat to hold you up when his pace picked up, it made black spots swim in your vision from the pressure and things only got worse for you when he snaked his free hand between your legs to rub messy circles on your clit until your weak legs were shaking and you were fighting to stay upright. Not that you really had to worry about it, he'd hold you up.

All of this really hit you at once, making you cum on his cock with a cry of his name, fat tears running down your cheeks while he praised you heavily for it. Thank God he was holding you up cause without his support your legs would've given out already.

Your end really drew him to his, the feeling of you squeezing around his cock while you rode out your orgasm made it hard to last much longer and he buried himself as deep as he could before spilling into you. Your brain was too fuzzy to catch any of the rambling he did while he fucked his cum into you but you could probably guess what it's about. Scott eased the pressure of the arm around your throat allowing you to suck in a real breath for the first time again, his arms snaked around your waist to hold you close while he pressed messy kisses to your temple. You both sighed heavily when he pulled out, wincing at the feeling of his cum immediately running down your legs but at least you could finally lay down now.

You could worry about the mess later.

[viilocitee]

so I’m delusional and I literally just started my dive into the Roy x Wolt ship and your last post abt them was SCRUMPTIOUS so I was wondering if you could give us some headcannons for their relationship???

HI ANON, omg, sorry for the late response!!!

Uhhh... I had to look back at my posts and I don't know whether you were referring to someone else's ask about Roy's marriage options and I was like "WOLT IS HIS SEVENTH OPTION" or the one that was a Mother's Day post and it was kid Roy and Wolt haha.

ANYWAYS, I STILL LOVE THEM. It's just that I am OLD and have to age up Roy and Wolt if I ship them (went through my drafts and died a little bit from all of my Roy x Wolt drafts hahahaha), but uhhhh, I do remember my headcanons from waaaaay back until now, so here they are (if you're still interested...)

But welcome into the Roy x Wolt ship!!

Roy x Wolt (as kids)

Roy is an absolute menace and no one can tell me otherwise. He was the reason for Rebecca's headaches.

Roy constantly dragged Wolt into situations resulting Rebecca just yelling at Wolt (because he's her son) and Wolt hated playing with Roy, which made Roy sad and so Roy would bring him things to apologize (turns out they were items from other people and then just got Wolt into more trouble...)

Roy wore a lot of white because he was the Marquess's son, but his shirt always came back a darker color... Wolt's did too, but mainly Roy's fault lol

Roy x Wolt (as teens)

At one point, Wolt realized that they were in different stations therefore he stepped back to do whatever he was doing in their supports (which pissed Roy off honestly).

Wolt is taller than Roy as teen and has the height advantage until he didn't...

Roy's puberty kicks in (mainly because I headcanon his mother as Ninian and therefore dragon blood causes slow puberty?) and just becomes taller than Wolt

Idk, they make up and etc, but Wolt continues to support Roy on a more personal level too

Roy x Wolt (as adults) - This can go several ways, but mainly headcanon Roy ceding Pherae to Lilina for the Kingdom of Lycia (as stated in FE6's ending)

Roy and Wolt stay in Pherae and do whatever they have to do, but the pressure is less on Roy now since Lilina is the one who officially needs to have a heir for the Kingdom of Lycia, so they probably adopt kids and raise them as their own

OR Roy and Wolt leaves Pherae and travels (read: Smash Bros LMAO) and they have their family however they please

My personal headcanons

This is controversial, but uh... Roy tops lmao. I prefer my ships certain ways and I've been shipping Roy x Wolt forever and Roy always topped, so if Wolt tops well... I'm not interested lol

Wolt is a few months older than Roy: Rebecca gave birth to Wolt and wanted another daughter, but got another boy (Roy) to take care of, so she never had another child lol.

Only Wolt really knows Roy's true nature--I know Lilina mentions that she knows how clumsy Roy is and etc, but I'd like to think that Roy actual puts up a front around Lilina as well just so she doesn't worry, but he doesn't do it with Wolt. Essentially Wolt knows how much of a menace Roy REALLY is.

Roy is hotheaded/passionate while Wolt is cool and a bit more calm (just look at their affinities in the game. Roy's is fire and Wolt's is ice/water)

Wolt learns how to hunt and cook from Rebecca, so Wolt is a much better cook than Roy. Roy probably sets burns ice cream or something idk.

If I haven't bore you yet, I'm willing to put more headcanons I guess! But thanks for your ask--I found some drafts of Roy x Wolt that I might fix up and post :3

[gaygxnslinger]

@of-snakes-and-men & @eggsmuses

The Hunter Vanguard (is he the Hunter Vanguard when there’s two other Hunter Vanguards standing right in front of him?) folds his arms over his chest. “So. I think we gotta talk about the elephant in the room: you guys! Why the fuck are you taller than me? What’s the deal?”

How was that fair? Even if it is barely anything.

[txdoroki]

welcome home

i used a prompt by my lovely mutual @missmorosis <3: “You know, you’re allowed to be mad at me.”

pairing: shoto todoroki x reader :)

genre: fluffiest shit ever

desc: todoroki just got home from a week long business trip, and he feels more than guilty about leaving you back at home alone.

gn reader | warnings: you might get a tooth ache it’s so sweet | words: 1,114

a/n: this is not the angst i was talking abt, imma write that soon. so for now,, enjoy some todo fluff my loves <3

you smiled as you shoved another spoonful of cereal into your mouth. you had been looking forward to this morning the entire week, and you felt like you were about to explode from how excited you were.

you were sitting on the edge of your dining chair, shifting your weight between your feet as you tried to hurry and eat your breakfast.

all of last night you could barely sleep, the mixture of missing your husband’s warmth beside you and the excitement for today causing you to toss and turn.

although that had barely put a damper on your mood, your focus less on the sleepiness that dragged down your eyes and more on the fact that shoto was finally coming home today after being gone for a whole week. even though a week didn’t sound like a long time, he was nearly never gone from home for more than two days at once.

especially since he’d been so busy the past week that he couldn’t call or even respond to half your text messages until late when you’d be asleep.

to put things short .. you missed him. a lot. it was like a breath of fresh air knowing today was the day you could be in his embrace again after so long. the hoodies he left that smelled of his cologne were barely a temporary satisfaction for you, and you ached to be in his arms.

you only took a few more minutes to finish your cereal, and afterwards you struggled not to speed as you drove to the airport.

you anxiously sat on one of the benches nearby the gate your beloved’s flight was going to be coming in at, your leg bouncing as you scrolled through your phone to try and pass time that seemed to be going by as slow as humanly possible.

“whatcha doin’ there, love,” you smiled as you looked up at the sound of your lover’s voice from a few yards away. there he stood, his bicolored hair slightly getting in his eyes as he softly smiled at you. you put your phone in the pocket of his sweatshirt that you were wearing, and ran towards his open arms.

the embrace you shared with him made your heart nearly soar out of your body, and you didn’t want to leave it for a long time. one of his hands ran up and down your back, his hold on you ever so tight as if he was worried you would evaporate into thin air. his hands that roamed over your body seemed to leave trails of goosebumps on your skin.

you felt so giddy. like a kid in a candy store, getting to choose whichever candies they think would be the tastiest.

“i missed you so much,” you whispered and pressed the side of your face against his chest, your cheeks heating up ever so slightly when you smelled the cologne you adored on his body.

“me too, ’m sorry i was gone for so long,”

“it’s okay, just don’t do it again,” you giggled and cupped his face with one of your hands, moving to stare into his eyes, “it was terrible, i was so touch starved!”

he chuckled, “no worries, i’ll fix that soon enough, now, let me go so we can go home,”

you sighed and nodded, reluctantly loosening your grip around his waist. he noticed the faint pout that was on your lips, and silently held his hand out. you, of course, happily took it.

you led him out of the airport and to your car with the most eagerness he’d seen from you in a while. your grip on his hand was tight, and you appreciated how inviting it felt.

the car ride home was filled to the brim with you both sharing stories from the past week .. and kisses during each and every red light you were stopped at. you both held hands for the entire drive, only letting go when he had to drag his suitcase inside of your home.

you both spent the day making up for lost time, and you seemed to have been in his grasp, or at least near him, the entire day.

you cooked dinner with his arms around your waist, although once or twice, you half-heartedly complained about how he was going to get elbowed sooner or later.

it had taken twenty minutes of you insisting that he should let you make dinner for him that night as a welcome home gift, he usually made dinner, so it caught him off guard.

you both were practically attached at the hip for the rest of the night, enjoying dinner on the couch while todoroki’s arm was around your shoulder.

after dinner, you were pressed against his side as you watched the movie you agreed on with an abnormal amount of focus.

after a little bit of you laying against him, you made an attempt at pushing him onto his back.

he paused the movie and turned towards you, “you okay, honey?”

“yeah! just wanted to cuddle,”

“but we’re already cuddling, what do you mean,”

“i wanna lay on your chest, please,”

he raised an eyebrow, nodding after seeming to be lost in thought for a moment or two.

you smiled when he laid down, happily flopping ontop of him as he started the movie back up again.

you started focusing on the movie once more, and right when it was about to get good, he paused it.

“are you upset?”

you shook your head, “no, why would i be?”

“i mean .. i was gone a while and wasn’t being the most responsive, you know, you’re allowed to be mad at me, right?”

“of course i know that, but you were gone on a business trip. why would i be mad about that? i’m just happy you’re home right now in the first place!” you smiled at him, trying to hold back a giggle at the light blush that was littered across his cheeks.

you both still had the capabilities to make each other’s cheeks heat up like crazy, even after being together so many years.

“i love you, y/n,” he rested one of his hands on your head, all of it but his thumb staying still. the light pressure of his thumb running small circles made goosebumps cover you from head to toe, and you giggled.

“i love you too, babe, welcome home,” you smiled at him for a moment before reaching for the remote and resuming the movie, enjoying the feeling of your boyfriend’s arms wrapped around you.

your favorite way to spend time was being with the love of your life.

taglist: @frxggie @todoroki-shoto-is-life

[tiredrobin]

Its ok! I actually never expect you to answer immediately, id like you to take your time and don't get pressured.

Rest, have fun, eat, drink some water. I'm actually going to follow my own advice haha.

Today a black cat visited me and he was te sweetest lil thing, very polite, i shared some chicken with him. Just wanted to let you know.

:] i adore u. i probably cant actually reply to the hc ask at all tonight because my insomnia has been kicking my ass and my jobs been exhausting and my toothache is making it hard to focus on anything for more than a few minutes (it hurts so bad man i wanna cry) like i am just. very fatigued. which strikes me as ironic, actually, cuz im exhausted but vibrating with the desire to talk about how even more chronically exhausted ingo is

heres some basic deets for u specifically to chew on tho cuz thats easy to write out (i actually wanna get kinda in-depth with my actual response! which means i might not reply to ur ask directly and i might make a separate post instead):

its type one

he also suffers from insomnia and a generally fucked up sleep schedule

tangrowth might end up playing the role of service pokemon (i like 2 think that tangrowth can do what service dogs do and smell/sense a sleep attack coming anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes beforehand, + tangrowth is big enough to catch him if he does collapse either from a sleep attack or cataplexy)

slightly delayed cataplexy

in the main hc, he had it before he ended up in hisui, but (and this right here is not at all well-researched on my part, so please please take it w a grain of salt) im thinking that his symptoms were less severe and it was a head injury that actually worsened his condition. its not degenerative/appears to be stable, but i also rly do think he needs to see a modern doctor just in case

SNEASLER IS SO WORRIED ABOUT HER WEIRD LITTLE GUY she cant and doesnt really play role as Service Pokemon but after the first time ingo unexpectedly falls asleep in the middle of a task and nearly hits his head against Rocks, shes so fucking watchful and alert for any potential signs of it happening again, and i like to think that tangrowth ends up teaching her how to smell it. her sense for it isnt as strong as tangrowths, but she can smell a potential sleep attack coming up to three minutes before it hits

this was more than a few thoughts but. i do wanna attempt to get more technical with it later/tomorrow so!!!

ok. i go take a shower n lay down more n see abt taking painkillers or smth. salutes

edit: FUCK I ALSO FORGOT YO SAY UR CAT STORY MADE ME SO HAPPY. clutches u. i love black cats thank u for telling me abt it

[shinydocsberrytea]

does anyone have any advice on how to tell your significant other/gf that you have an eating disorder? especially if you’ve never said that fact out loud in your life.. i’m worried she’d want to break up because i’m too emotionally complicated or bc she’d feel i’m too much responsibility for her or that my eating habits would negatively affect her mental health. although she has talked about how she hates feeling bloated, doesn’t want to gain weight, & how she’s insecure abt her stretch marks & cellulite or that she used to be (neither of which i’ve ever seen on her body). she’s also very open about how much she hates her thighs. i hate when she says that bc my thighs are like twice the size of her. that definitely fuels my eating disorder. since before puberty she wasn’t confident in her skin & wasn’t comfortable eating things. for example when she was 8 she was already insecure about her thighs and didn’t eat pasta for a month. but as of now she seems fine. except for the fact that when she’s stressed/depressed/overwhelmed she doesn’t have an appetite. i know it’s wrong to be jealous of that. but as someone who binges when i’m a certain kind of stressed i do somewhat envy that. anyway my point of all this was, at least maybe she does understand disordered eating. although since we got together she has seemed happier and is eating normally. i purchased a yerba mate and a naked smoothie and some pickles and iron supplements at the store for her the other day. i love putting her stuff in my cart when grocery shopping. seeing her eat calms me down so much. when she skips meals or eats really tiny portions it makes me so nervous/concerned/insecure/worried. she’s already so skinny and i worry all the time that she’s not getting enough calories/protein/vitamins/antioxidants a day bc she also just doesn’t eat a wide enough range of foods. (while i’m over here consistently eating less than 1200 cals daily depending on my canned veggies & sugar free chocolate & diet soda.) i also don’t want her to lose weight. one, she’s already as perfect as someone can physically get & two, i feel like it would put even more pressure on me to lose more weight & faster. & when i feel pressure/stress about weight that’s what makes me want to binge. anyways. advice pls

[husbandits]

Merry Christmas!

This is my secret santa gift for @unlikelynick, I hope you like it! this year I went with a minific abt charles and arthur’s relationship. it’s a little smuttier than my usual fare in the first half

  @rdr-secret-santa

It’s a sweltering day in late July, and the air is so humid that Arthur’s shirt feels glued to his shoulders. He feels practically worn out by midday but does his best to manage with the weather, a shorter than usual list of chores to keep him busy, the promise of a little attention when the sun goes down, and only the barest amount of layers necessary to look presentable. Right now he has a big bag of feed for the horses thrown over his shoulder, and not much but simple manual labor in mind. There’s a twinge of complaint to the bulky weight somewhere in between his shoulder blades, though it’s not yet enough to actually hurt, so he ignores it. Pushes the ache aside for later, when he’s not as busy, and focuses on the heat settling on his cheeks, from the exertion as much as the persistent thought of the reward waiting for him later. On getting this chore done, and then finding the supplies Miss Grimshaw’d asked him for earlier that morning. 

He does his best to shake off the carnal haze, hauling the heavy canvas bag across camp without much trouble. Offers Charles a wave of a greeting as he carefully clambers into the loosely gated off pen where the horses are being kept, though he doesn’t realize that, focused on repairing some worn bit of equipment as he is, Charles doesn’t see the gesture, and instead Arthur allows himself an eyeful of the man’s behind, the vague form filling out his grass-stained trousers, doing his mounting ardor no favors. He gives a masked groan, as he lets the feedbag drop to the ground, less discreetly than he’d like.

“Alright there?” Charles jolts at the sound, and glances up, briefly from his worktable, brows knit in worry. The hot sun casts a golden highlight across the line of his jaw, and Arthur takes a moment to just take in the sight.

He catches himself after a moment, and gives the man a shrug. “Yeah, yeah, s’fine. Just a little beat I guess.”

Charles nods at that, responds with a dull “I see”. Arthur lingers a moment, wanting to say something, clarify himself, but ends up with nothing. Just hangs there, lost in the moment. The heat sitting low in his gut, the way Charles’ presence makes the chaos constantly buzzing in his head grow still, and the want that’s been driving him half-mad all day.

Against his better judgement, against (or perhaps because of) the threat of [kissing] in the light of day, Arthur scans the sparse campsite briefly, and then his tenacity comes back in the form of a question, voice low in his chest. “Y’gotta minute t’spare? I, uh, I think this heat’s gettin’ t’me a bit...”

The offer is soft, hushed and almost hidden when he ducks his head, as if embarrassed, but it draws a warm chuckle from Charles all the same. It’s been nearly three months now, and Arthur is still finding himself taken by surprise by how earnestly affectionate Charles is, brazen almost, despite the risk. The man responds by reaching out, moving to ghost one hand around Arthur’s side in a feigned attempt to reach past him, for the leather-working tool hanging behind, palm warm against the thinned fabric of his worn-out work shirt. He gives just a moment of pause, eyeing the other side of the camp as well, before he moves closer. Murmurs, soft lips tantalizingly close to Arthur’s cheek. “I suppose I can spare a few minutes, if you need my help...”

The decommissioned wagon makes for good enough cover, as the pair duck behind it, shielded by the dense canvas, the wooden frame resting on the ground. Arthur gives to the heat building in his gut almost immediately, pushing closer still, following Charles down to the ground as they meet, arching into the hand that comes to rest at the back of his neck, absently. The kiss is soft, tender, and Arthur pulls away quickly, only for Charles to pull him right back. Chuckles again, holding the man’s sharp jaw with one firm, gentle hand. Guides Arthur down, sinking to his knees as Charles bows back, drawing him to follow.

They part again after a long moment, Arthur straddling Charles’ broad lap, large hands shaky with restless energy. In the back of his head, there’s the vague notion that this is getting to be too much, too open, but it's overridden by the languid, hungry way Charles leans into his touch. The rough feeling of the hands brushing against the sensitive buds of his nipples, the weight of the man’s brawny chest under his fingers. His shirt is being slid out of his waistband, buttons gently tugged out of their holes one by one before he can protest, and Arthur just sucks in a soft breath in response, catching Charles' lips once more. Delights himself in mapping the layout of his mouth, sucking the man’s lip between his teeth and toying with it.

Eventually he pulls away again, long enough to allow the both of them to catch their breath, and Arthur manages to find the presence of mind to mumble, “Need yer t-touch here,” before succumbing to the pull of his boyfriend’s allure again. Hums, sliding his hands up Charles’ coarse linen work shirt, while the man’s attention drifts lower, sliding his hands down the frayed waistband of his jeans, and practically squeezing his admittedly thick-set hips.

One of the horses, Old Belle, gives a curious snort as he shudders in response, but Arthur pays the interloper no mind, shooing off the mare with an absent toss of his hand. Feels as much as he hears Charles’ coarse laugh, lips pressed to his collarbone as his collar is pulled away entirely. Turns back to his boyfriend, meeting the man’s amusement with a reverent kiss to his temple. Falls back into his lips before he can give more than a moment of sentimentality.

This time they’re quicker, hungrier. Languor gives way to greed, and Arthur’s hand finds its way up to cup the sharp side of Charles’ jaw. Feels the attention drifting down to his [ass], and hisses against clenched teeth. Despite the cloying heat, the constant threat of being caught, he spreads his legs a little further. Lets Charles fumble with his belt, half-convinced that they’ll stop themselves before it gets too far.

The two of them have only done things proper a few times before, hidden away in one of the dilapidated cabins in the mountains, where no one could hope to stumble onto them, but right now, worked up as he is, all of the sense he’s managed to cling to over the course of his life is lost.

Once his pants are undone, belt hanging open depravedly to allow his throbbing length room, pressing against Charles’ still-constrained member ever so slightly. He sucks in an uneasy breath, shifting his hips to allow the hand toying at his behind better access, though the restrained man doesn’t move beyond squeezing him in loose handfuls. Mercifully, Charles at least seems to keep his head, and doesn’t go any further. Just allows himself a low sigh of want, and gently guides him back down, dick pushed where it can grind at his own rising member, moving one hand to pull open his trousers.

He gives Arthur a second or so of warning before he moves again, smoothing his slightly clammy palm over the head of his member. Arthur shudders in response, biting back a low groan behind clenched teeth, breath catching in his chest. He can feel the heat showing in his chest, the rosy blush Charles has told him, some months back, looks endearing on the tips of his ears; but he can’t do a thing about it. It’s been nearly a fortnight since he’s found the time to take care of himself, and now he’s all but lost to the satisfaction of it. Feels too good to care about modesty.

He knows he looks obscene, leaning back on his ankles, grinding himself forward helplessly against Charles. Feels worlds better, when he feels the man push back in return, chasing the pressure of Arthur’s member on his. Another beat, and Arthur throws out one hand, fingers splayed on the grain of the wood, grounding himself. Bites back another moan, less successfully this time.

Just as he gives in and puts one trembling hand on the pair of them, just as he feels himself start to bottom out, Arthur is hit with a throat being cleared, and the distinct sound of boots hitting one of the head-sized stones lying around the campground, exaggeratedly loud. Feels his heart nearly stop, and his blood freeze. Dares to look up, around the false protective cover of the canvas, after fumbling his pants back together with shaky hands, feeling Charles tug his own pants back together, presence warm at his side. Emerges, to find not only Dutch standing in the shade of the nearby elm tree, looking outright disappointed, arms folded over themselves, but Hosea standing beside him, expression pulled tight.

His thoughts grow still, breath almost coming to a stop. Every near-miss from his adolescence flashes in his head, the hushed reprimands about keeping himself hidden. The time they’d found him, kissing some boy in some town when he’d been somewhere in his early twenties, only to throw a fit and pack everything up in the middle of the night, skipping town. The-

“Arthur.” Dutch’s voice is sharp. Pulls him back to reality with it’s rigidity. “What, exactly, are the two of you getting up to back there?”

He gulps, feeling his hands tremble. Moves out from behind the wagon, unable to drag his eyes from the dirt floor, throat clenching up.

Before he can get more than a choked syllable out, Charles is responding. Has pulled his pants back together as if nothing had been happening, shirt falling back down into place, moving to his side with a light touch. “I don’t think that is any of your business, really.”

A pause at that, Dutch’s expression going from dismayed to incredulous. “It’s none of my business, what sort of, of perversion goes on in my camp?”

 He seethes, growing in volume and indignation, but Charles doesn’t seem fazed. brick-walls the man with his usual nonchalance, as if there’s nothing really of interest to him at all. “I don’t really see the fuss, honestly. You don’t get this upset whenever you catch John and Abigail, do you?”

Arthur jolts at that, and Dutch seems to bristle. Fumes, voice turning to a cracked pitch. “You don’t see the, the fuss with what, I assume, the two of you were getting up to? With defying the very word of god, in my, in this camp?”

He flinches at that. Charles moves a little closer, one hand moving to Arthur’s. Though the memory of that incident, the threat of being tossed out, though a little irrational at this point, is still sharp in his mind, Arthur finds himself calming, though his throat still feels like it’s full of sand.

“Not really.” Charles eventually counters, voice dull. “I mean, it’s not like we follow the ‘word of god’ much anyway.” He deadpans, seemingly unaffected by the fury that seems to radiate off of Dutch at that. “I’d always thought the bible condemned theft. Not to mention murder, but we don’t seem to have much of a problem about all that.”

Dutch gives a guff, wrinking his nose in disbelief. “No, I suppose we don’t, but this is-”

“This,” Charles interrupts, low voice growing just the slightest bit sharp, just a hint of intimidation to Dutch’s heaping browbeating. “Despite what it looks like, isn’t some quick fling. What we’re, what we’re building is a real relationship. It’s earnest, and it’s certainly not dangerous, not from anything but the law, which’ll hang any of us either way, and you.” Charles’ voice is a tense growl, and “And, for all your talk about ‘family’, I can’t imagine you’d really turn on Arthur, not for something as harmless as this.”

Arthur feels his jaw loosen at the words, at putting their relationship out in the open, and laying everything out so plainly. He opens his mouth to speak, but still, still can’t manage a sound, and reaches out again to catch Charles’ hand again, give it a squeeze. “And I don’t know what exactly you think constitutes a healthy relationship, but I know I, for one, am willing to put in the time and the effort to make this work; and we’re not hollering at each other and dragging other people into our problems, so I don’t see why it should be so upsetting for you.”

When Arthur looks up, Dutch’s face is bright red, and his shoulders are slack. He gapes, but before he can splutter more than a syllable or two, Hosea pipes up, drifting back into focus. Is thoughtful and calm in contrast to Dutch’s indignation, and has an almost remorseful expression. Puts a steadying hand on Dutch’s shoulder, as if to pacify him.

“Well, I… I can’t say thought it would be quite this, ah, explosive, but it’s good to see the two of you finally stop dancing around all this,” He muses, brushing past Dutch to clap a warm hand on Arthur’s shoulder. “Although in any case I’d think the both of you might like to be a little less exposed than out here with the horses. Maybe save the, er, houghmagandy for somewhere private?”

Charles grunts at that. Gives a long, cautious look, and then seems to ease up. Softens his posture, the aggression he’d shown smoothing over like it hadn’t happened in the first place. Turns to Arthur, pulling his hand away with a last squeeze. “Alright then. I’ll see you later?” He doesn’t wait for an answer, pressing a quick kiss to Arthur’s cheek before he pulls away. Strides off, heading back to the horses, after shooting Dutch another quick look. 

“Uhh,” Arthur finally, finally manages to find his voice. The wall of unease feels lessened, now that everything’s been tossed out in the open. Now that Hosea, at least, has acknowledged them, and seems to have given his blessing, even. “Yeah, alright.” He tugs at the open edges of his shirt, eyeing Dutch’s receding form for a scant moment. Jerks into motion, one hand coming to rub at the back of his head. “I gotta move some a’the supplies fer Miss Grimshaw, now that I think about it...”

He gets a grunt at that, but Dutch doesn’t speak again. Just huffs, heading off without comment. He doesn’t get more than a moment to ponder that however, Hosea throwing an arm around his shoulder and leading him in the other direction. “Oh, you got talked into doing all that? Here, I think I know where the supplies she was looking for are, let me give you a hand, son...."

[hajimine]

hi hi lex <3 ik this is a random question but i’ve just been asking my moots & stuff to get some more info :3 so lately i’ve had the biggest temptation to move blogs—but i feel like i’d be loosing progress and idk. is it okay if i ask what u think the pros and cons of moving blogs is? dw if u don’t want to answer! have a gd bb 😽

hi gigi!! ahhh omg u asked someone who loves explaining things bsbdhsh so i’m sorry for the rambling 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

okie so that was exactly how i felt when i was deciding whether or not i wanted to move, bc overall the interactions were still really good and stuff, i just felt weighed down by the responsibilities on my old blog and it was getting messy + cluttered which stressed me out. but then i was really worried abt losing all the progress i’ve made so far.

pros:

— fresh start! fresh blog! gets rid of a lot of dead followers, you can completely change your tagging system layouts etc from scratch.

— can be more experimental with what u put out? bc there’s less prior expectations of your writing style etc. basically less pressure i suppose

— you can completely change your identity (if u truly want to start fresh) so that might be a pro?

— honestly it just feels really refreshing, if you’re feeling unspired and/or burnt out, moving maybe a good option for you

cons:

— like what u said, may seem like you’re losing progress. but then again, imo, if people wanna read your writing, they will! u can announce your move to your current audience so those who wants to follow you to the new blog can.

— may lose a few moots in the process. but eh, i feel like it’s not worth holding on to people who don’t want to be held in the first place. better to let them go and all that.

— may get less interactions at first. it’s kinda like how it is when u started your first blog, but this time with a big plushy cushion at the bottom. bc there’ll still be support from loyal moots & followers, but i think at first you may not get as much notes as you used to.

i think my points are noticeably biased here lol, bc i don’t really regret moving blogs. it feels really good to start a brand new blog, and you can build your audience back overtime.

if you’re still unsure, there’s always an option to try it out for a lil bit, and come back to this blog if you’re not feeling it. if you wanna talk about it, my dms are open for u bby! hopefully my rambling helps a lil bit, good luck! <33

[valor-selfships]

little villa in sicily ch 5 - jjba sorlato babyfic

again, warning for birth, but not like. extremely graphic. it happens, it’s just not detailed step by step. with that, the sorlato baby is finally here! so technically this is the end but there's gonna be a lil follow up oneshot to this abt the rest of la squadra meeting the baby so keep your eyes out for that! tysm for reading!

Hark! the herald angels sing

Ten hours.

Gelato's labor drags on for ten agonizing hours. At first, he's dilating slowly; when the first contraction hit, he was barely two centimeters, and progressed slowly over the next four hours. And then he goes from four centimeters to eight in less than forty-five minutes.

To say that the pain is excruciating doesn't even begin to cover it.

When he isn't completely delirious from the pain, he's either damning Sorbet to Hell (which, Sorbet himself will admit, Gelato has every right to do right now) or desperately begging him to do something, anything, to ease the pain and get this baby out of him. Sorbet feels more useless now than he ever has before; even after reading countless books and online accounts of childbirth, there's nothing that could've prepared him to see the love of his life in so much pain, to know that there's next to nothing he can do for him right now.

He finally fully dilated two hours ago, and he's been pushing for almost as long, with little change in his situation. Sorbet thanks whatever god or goddess or multiple deities there are out there that he had the thought to buy a blood pressure cuff and a stethoscope, just in case Gelato insisted on not having a midwife present. Which, as is now evident, he obviously did. He can tell through them that, despite being in terrible pain, neither Gelato nor the baby are in immediate danger.

Even so, both of them know that Gelato can't keep this up for much longer. If he keeps going like this, he's going to run out of energy too quickly, and may not have the physical strength to have the baby when the time comes.

For the moment, Gelato is leaning against Sorbet, resting on his knees on the bed, taking a break before he tries to push again. Sorbet threads his fingers through Gelato's sweat-soaked hair, his whole body shivering as he heaves in deep breaths.

"Gelato," Sorbet murmurs to him soothingly. "Gelato, I know you said you only wanted me here for the birth, but I think it might be a good idea if we asked Melone for some advice, or some help. He's the only one of us who knows literally anything about labor and delivery, and right now, we need to focus on keeping you both safe and getting our little girl here." He gently strokes Gelato's hair as he whimpers in response. "You know him, you trust him, he won't hurt you or our baby. Is that alright?"

Gelato chews on his lip carefully, thinking. Nothing they've done has worked so far, and he needs to have this baby as soon as possible. He hasn't come this far only to put her in jeopardy now.

"... okay," Gelato finally says, his voice raspy and just above a whisper. "But -- j-just call him. I --" He lifts his head from Sorbet's shoulder, looking at him with fear and exhaustion and pain in his eyes, his face streaked with tear marks. He's a mess, and he's about reached his limit. "I need you, here, right here, with me. I -- I don't want you to let go of me --"

"Shh," Sorbet murmurs. "I'm not going anywhere. Just breathe."

As Gelato leans against him, trying to rest a little and regain some of his energy, Sorbet quickly calls Melone, explains the situation as best he can while still keeping his husband calm in his arms. Within a few moments, there's a knock at the door.

"It's just me," Melone says through the door.

"Hurry up, come in," Sorbet calls back. Gelato gives another heavy groan, and Sorbet presses his lips to his scalp, murmuring "It's alright, darling, it's alright. It's almost over. Don't you worry about a thing, just hold on a little bit longer."

Melone opens the door and shuts it behind him, then crosses the room quickly, his face unusually serious as he leans against the edge of the bed next to the couple. "Okay, so, he's been in labor for... what, ten hours?" Sorbet nods while Gelato shivers in his arms. "How long's he been pushing? You made sure he was fully dilated before he started, right?"

"I did, yeah, then he waited until he felt like he was ready. That's been... two hours ago now," Sorbet confirms.

"Okay." Melone focuses his next question at Gelato. "You can answer just yes or no if you don't want to talk much. Have you felt her move at all since you started pushing?"

Gelato nods slowly into Sorbet's shoulder, then takes a few breaths before speaking: "Yeah. She's -- shifted -- feels like she's -- in a weird position. Shit, fuck -- I can't -- she won't move!"

"Easy, relax, I've seen this before, you're gonna be fine," Melone assures him. "Well. I've read about it. Is it alright if I touch you?"

"Do whatever the fuck you need to, I don't care, just -- just get her out!" Gelato's voice pitches up into a wail, and he leans against Sorbet again while Melone carefully examines him.

"Mmm. Yeah, she's turned weird. That, and from what I can feel, she's big. No wonder you've been in labor so long," Melone remarks. "The good news is that I can help you. The bad news is that it's gonna hurt like hell for a little bit, but if we can get her in the right position, she'll be out and in your arms in the next... hour, at most."

A look of shock passes Gelato's face for a moment, then he swallows heavily and nods. "Okay. Okay. Do it. Please. I don't care if it hurts, shit, I've felt like I was dying for the last six hours. If it'll get her out, just -- just do it."

Melone nods. "Alright, good then. Now, this'll probably be easier if you can stand. Sorbet, can you hold him up?"

Sorbet nods. "Yeah." He turns his focus back to Gelato almost immediately. "You can do it, okay? Lean on me as much as you need to, and tell me if you feel like moving at any point."

Gelato honestly has no clue how long he can stay on his feet, but he doesn't have much of a choice, so he nods, letting Sorbet put his arms around him and help him sit first on the edge of the bed, and then stand slowly, his legs trembling dangerously. Sorbet stands right beside him, supporting him the whole time, holding him up even as he leans most of his weight on him. Gelato gives a little yelp of pain as his change in position brings with it a change in the pressure within him.

"Do it, Melone, hurry," Gelato hisses, gritting his teeth.

"Okay. Brace yourself, this's gonna hurt," Melone warns him quickly, before carefully starting to help get the stubborn baby to change positions and make things just a little easier on her father.

The pain is immediate, white-hot, and overwhelming. Gelato screams, swears, and sobs, feeling like the agony goes on forever. Even so, the only thing he can really hear with clarity isn't any of those; rather, it's just Sorbet, only his voice, murmuring gentle encouragements in his ear and pressing gentle kisses to his cheek, neck, and the top of his head.

And then, finally, for the first time during this whole ordeal, Gelato gives a triumphant cry of relief. Melone looks over at him quickly. "What're you feeling, Gelato?"

Gelato grits his teeth, takes a few sharp breaths before saying: "Pressure, but it's -- it's different. Oh, oh shit, I think -- I think it worked, she's -- definitely moved --" He pauses for a moment. "Can - can I push like this?"

"Yeah. In fact, I encourage it. Gravity will help bring her down," Melone nods. "As soon as you're ready and you feel a contraction, give it a good strong push. Hold it for at least ten seconds, then relax. If you're still having the contraction, try to push again." He looks over at Sorbet. "When he pushes, count to ten, and make sure he pushes all the way through your count. Got it?" Sorbet nods in turn, then leans back in to press a few soft kisses to Gelato's cheek in encouragement.

He doesn't need to be told twice. Gelato steels himself, finally feeling his determination return as the next contraction pulses through him, stronger now than ever before. And then he pushes, as hard as he can, a long, low, deep groan coming from between his teeth as he does. All the while, Sorbet counts for him, his voice even and steady. Gelato holds the push for the full ten seconds, then stops to breathe as the contraction continues.

When the contraction peaks twice, Gelato manages to growl out "She's moving down, I'm gonna push again" before following through on his words, pushing with just as much strength as the last time. For the first time during his labor, he finally feels like he can actually do this.

"Alright, Gelato, listen," Melone says quickly after the contraction ends. "That was great, but now that the baby's about to crown, I need you to just breathe for a little bit. Okay? Don't push. You've got to give your body time to adjust and let the head come on its own. If you absolutely feel like there's no way you can't push, then do it gently, and no more than three seconds. Alright?"

"Fuck, are you kidding me?" Gelato groans. "Shit -"

"Hey, look on the bright side," Melone shrugs. "At the rate you're going, as soon as her head's out, one good push like you just did should be all that you need."

A sudden twinge of an emotion Gelato can't quite pinpoint races through his chest. "Y-you mean -- you mean she's almost here?" His voice cracks a little, but not out of pain this time; rather, his voice is full of anticipation.

"Mhm." Melone gives him a tiny grin as Sorbet kisses his temple. When he speaks, his voice trembles with excitement and awe.

"We're almost there, love," Sorbet says softly. He presses another kiss to his temple and strokes his hair. "Just a little bit longer, hold on just a little longer and she'll be here."

Gelato nods, doing his best to breathe and ignore his urge to push as the next contraction hits, just as relentless as ever. "Oh, ow, fucking - shit, that burns, shit, that hurts like Hell - Goddammit -"

"That's the baby crowning," Sorbet murmurs. That much, he can remember from all of those terribly boring childbirth textbooks. "It's going to feel like that, but it won't last long. You've got this. Breathe, scream, cuss, do whatever you need to. You can do it."

"I want you to know - Sorbet, my darling, love of my life - if you do this to me again, I'm going to cut off your testicles with a rusty spoon," Gelato says between breaths. "I love you with all of my heart - and our baby too, even though she's stubborn as hell - but we are not doing this again."

Having absolutely no doubt that Gelato will follow through on his threat should he say literally anything else, Sorbet nods. "Understood, sweetheart. You and our little angel are all I need."

This part of the delivery feels to Gelato like it takes an hour, but it's really less than five minutes, when finally, some of the pressure in his lower body finally eases. Gelato knows right away, and he turns his head to look at Sorbet. "Sorbet," he murmurs, and his husband gives him a bright smile.

"Give me your hand, tesoro," Sorbet tells him softly. Gelato doesn't hesitate to offer his hand to his husband, and carefully, he guides his hand down until -

Before he even realizes it, Gelato's eyes widen and fill with tears, a few making their way down his cheeks when he registers what he's feeling. When he meets Sorbet's eyes, he can see that he's crying, too. "Oh my God," Gelato barely whispers. "That's - there she is. That's our baby, she's right there -- oh my God --"

Sorbet nods, pressing a tender kiss to his lips for just a moment. "Do you want to catch her?" He asks, voice still soft.

Gelato nods, then breathes out, "With you -- yeah. You and me."

"Of course. That's what we said from the start, isn't it?" He sniffs, trying to hold back his emotions for now.

For a moment, just a split second, really, the two of them are back in their old apartment, sitting on that ratty old couch, discussing the future that they are now living, having only just realized that their little world was about to grow impossibly huge in such a short period of time.

"Whatever happens from here on out, we're gonna work through it together."

"Yeah. You and me, just like it's always been. It'll be our adventure. The Great Escape!"

And oh, what an incredible adventure it's been.

Gelato feels himself tremble as the next contraction builds, then Sorbet meets his eyes once more and says with complete sincerity:

"I love you, so much. You can do this."

A final high cry of pain leaves Gelato's throat as he pushes once more, bearing down with all the strength he has left. From the corner of his eye, he registers movement from Sorbet, and he can feel his own hands move on their own, his voice cracking and ending in a sob as the pressure in his lower body is finally relieved. As soon as his own cry ends, his voice trailing off, completely hoarse...

There's a tiny wet cough, followed immediately by a strong, high-pitched, angry little cry -- more of a scream, really, from a totally healthy pair of lungs -- picking up where he left off.

It doesn't register, doesn't set in all at once, until Sorbet helps him lift his arms up and then lean back on the bed, helps him sit as his shoulders slump in relief when the little wailing, wriggling bundle in his hands meets the bare skin on his chest revealed by his loose tank top. And even then, it still feels like his head is completely in a fog, until he hears Melone's voice once more.

"Congratulations, you've got a perfectly healthy little girl."

At that moment, everything becomes incredibly clear as he tilts his head down, looking at the little thing he just rested on his chest. One by one, he takes in her features: a little wispy tuft of black hair -- Sorbet's hair, her father's hair -- her little hands curled into tiny fists, her beautiful little face scrunched in displeasure as she cries. Each little angry cry breaks Gelato's heart; she may not even be five minutes old yet, but he doesn't ever want to hear her cry or see her upset.

Gelato bursts into tears, holding his baby girl close as Sorbet puts his arms around him, around both of them, his own body wracked with sobs of pure joy as he holds the only two people in the world he'd risk everything for, the only two people that matter to him, right now and forever.

"Oh, my God," Gelato sobs, looking from their daughter up to Sorbet, then back down to her again. He gently soothes her, cradling her head in his hand and murmuring, "It's okay, it's alright, angel, it's okay, Daddy's got you, it's okay. I'm right here. Papa's got you." He sniffs, smiling up at Sorbet. "Oh - oh my God, Sorbet, she looks just like you."

"Mmm... yeah, but she's gonna have your big, beautiful eyes," Sorbet murmurs in response, leaning down to kiss him tenderly. Immediately afterwards, Gelato tilts his head back down just a bit, pressing a loving kiss to their newborn daughter's head as she finally starts to calm down, relaxed by the sound of her father's steady heartbeat.

It takes eleven grueling hours and exactly forty-five and a half agonizing minutes, but by God, if Gelato had to do it all again just for this moment, he would do it in a fucking heartbeat, no questions asked.

On June 18th, 2000, at 7:45 AM, little Strawberry Froyo Cannizzaro is born, weighing nearly nine and a half pounds (to quote directly from Gelato, "Jesus fucking Christ, how in the Hell did I even do that?"), totally healthy, and so very loved.

And thus, the sun rises on the little villa in Sicily, greeting the newest member of La Squadra's family, a darling little girl who will no doubt live an incredibly bizarre life, but one surrounded by people who will go through Heaven and Hell for her.

[cryptocism]

ive been scrolling through ur blog for a while (cuz ur dc opinions are Top Fucking Notch) and i saw what you said abt bart in tt 03 and f:fma and while i totally agree (it killed tt 03 for me lol) im super curious abt how youd do his development if given the opportunity?

I’ve been thinking about this one like A Lot so buckle up this is long: 

it would kind of depend? On whether or not he’d be in an ensemble team like Teen Titans or with his own solo series. 

I understand metatextually why he became Kid Flash in TT, since they needed him to be more mature and a more recognizable character and having him upgrade costumes/codenames is a good shortcut for both. But I’ve already talked about why it didn’t sit right with me. 

So, lets flip the script a little bit - the start of TT would be largely the same. Our boy Bart is on the new Titans team, and things are kind of awkward after YJ disbanded, also Max is gone and Bart’s relationship with Wally is still not doing great. Things are rough, Bart has newfound doubts to deal with, especially now that the world seems to have gotten harsher and everyone seems to have a lot less patience to deal with him. The pressure to be more mature and a recognizable character is coming from other characters now rather than an authorial need: he’s reminded to take things seriously, or that he should know better by now, that he needs to slow down and think more. So Bart decides a change is necessary, and we get the library scene. He reads all the books, he reappears as Kid Flash, saves Tim via bullet catch, disassembles a gun, takes down Slade, etc. etc. Here’s my departure from canon though: it doesn’t work. 

Kid Flash is not a solution, or a magical cure for immaturity. Reading a whole library so he’s miraculously smarter and more mature and capable is, at its core, a pretty naive conclusion. And it makes sense he would think that. But it doesn’t work. He’s still impulsive, distractible, hasty. He can’t put a lid on his own sense of humor. People still think he’s annoying or lazy or careless. And he keeps trying - he knows all this stuff now, he read a whole library! - but he’s still apparently too much the same person as he's always been. And even though he’s trying very hard to live up to the Kid Flash name, it still doesn’t feel like him. Wally doesn’t like it, since Bart is literally just imitating him now, which makes things between the two even worse. And Bart keeps worrying about what’s supposed to come afterwards, since “Kid Flash” is inherently temporary, and while Impulse was only peripherally related to the flash legacy, Kid Flash comes with expectations. 

Bart is trying very very hard to be ‘grown up’ and ‘mature’, but he hasn’t actually learned anything other than a bunch of facts (which are still useful, but) he’s just trying to be who everyone expects him to be. 

And this is what i mean about the ensemble thing, because this arc would be in conversation with the rest of the core four, who are also trying very hard to be people they’re not, but all in different ways. Bart obviously with the codename change, but Cassie, Tim, and Kon all have similar issues, they’re all trying to imitate people. 

Tim is doing his Batman jr. routine, reverting back to the persona he had at the start of YJ. He’s cagey and mysterious and does questionable things without telling anybody, because he’s de-facto leader of the team again, and he has to be better than he is. No more kid stuff, the Titans are serious, he has to treat it like a job, not like a sleepover. And this whole act is putting distance between him and his friends. 

Cassie is trying her hardest to put herself in a support role. Donna’s gone and she has some big shoes to fill (she and Tim could probably bond about that if he weren’t stubbornly trying to brood at all hours of the day) and she’s doing her best to just Be Donna. Cassie and Tim would work better with their team roles swapped, and they both sort of know this - Cassie is naturally charismatic, thinks on her feet, can maintain good PR, and when she’s confident in herself is great at leading. Tim is partial to planning ahead, secrets, and keeping in the shadows, and is better at being a confidant and emotional problem solver among the team (when he allows himself to be open among friends, that is). 

But they’re both trying to fit themselves into what they see as pre-ordained roles: Robin is leader, Wondergirl is a supportive mediator. But Cassie’s got a temper and little patience for people being idiots, and Tim’s not predisposed to spotlights. 

Kon on the other hand has a story that’s less about who he should be and more who he shouldn’t be. The Lex Luthor dad storyline is here (minus the mind control shit, although the threat of it is still brought up) and Kon is doing his level best to do nothing that could be interpreted as something Lex might do. While everyone is doing their best to Not be their own person, Kon has no idea if he ever was his own person. He’s questioning everything he does, wondering if it’s some kind of evil gene showing through when he’s angry or petty or selfish. He’s going through lots of clone angst. 

So they’re all dealing with expectations and who they are or aren’t supposed to be, trying to fit themselves into boxes that don’t suit them and then convincing themselves that this is how it ought to be. Kon ought to avoid feeling or acting in any negative light because any sign of Luthor is a sign of evil, Cassie ought to tone herself down and act like Donna, Tim ought to step up and lead the team and act like Dick, and Bart ought to listen better and be smarter and slow down and grow up and do his level best to just Be Wally. 

Throughout the issues they’d all get a spotlight on their various crises, taking them through complimenting character arcs. Kon would realize through a couple close encounters and chats with ma and pa and talks with his friends and citizens of metropolis that nobody is all good or all bad. Clark can be a real asshole sometimes and Luthor’s actually done a fair bit of good (usually in his own interests, but still we’re gunning for nuance). Turns out he doesn’t have a dark side to be tempted by, he was made from 50% complex person and 50% complex person, just like everyone else. Which means he isn’t destined to be the next Superman, or Superman’s next supervillain. He’s just like, a person. With his own thoughts and feelings that have nothing to do with genetics. 

Tim would wear himself out and hide it from everybody until he killed himself, but it’s only when he sees Cassie also wearing herself out too that his ‘somebody needs somebody’ instincts kick in and they’re actually able to talk about how miserable they both are. Through some trial and error they’re able to figure out a good co-leader system for leading the team, having each other’s backs along the way, which allows for them both being able to help out the other members of their team with their own shit i.e. Kon and Bart’s identity issues. 

Bart is, like Cassie and Tim, wearing himself out trying to be this perfect version of Wally that never actually existed. He actually hates the recognition the new name gives him, because people have expectations for him now, ones he can never seem to live up to. He’s bad at following orders still, which makes him a pretty shit sidekick for Wally, in fact he’s just pretty shit at being a sidekick in general. But, he reasons, he’s supposed to be grown up and responsible now, and responsibility is all about doing shit you hate until you die, so he’s probably on the right track. 

It’s only later, once he gets some support from his friends, who help him deal with things like Max and YJ disbanding and stuff that he’s able to actually sit down and have a heart-to-heart with Wally. Wally confesses that he understands the pressure to live up to a legacy, and how he did his best to just Be Barry when he became the flash. In fact while Bart was trying to live up to Wally and be a good sidekick, Wally was trying to live up to Barry and be a good mentor. Wally’s the one to tell him that Bart’s always done his own thing, and is at his best when he does. They both agree they suck as partners, but maybe they should’ve tried to be family first. And there’s probably a racing metaphor in there somewhere because speedsters love their racing metaphors. 

ANyway Bart returns to Impulse, forging a new path, getting along better with Wally now and hanging out with him just as civilians with no pretense. He learns some valuable lessons about how maturity can’t be learned in a book, and that he’ll get it himself the more he lives and learns from experience. The Titans all get along better now that they’re all sure of their places in the group, and they can all go on just being themselves without worrying about expectations or roles to fill or whatever. 

...If Bart still had his solo series instead though, id actually want it to go in a sort of different direction? The thing about living up to predecessors and trying to be some ideal version of another person works well for the Titans because they can all deal with a similar issue in different ways, but I think it would also be interesting to do the complete opposite. 

Lots of shitty things happened in very quick succession in Bart’s life that he had no control over: Max’s disappearance, having to move in with Jay and Joan (who are nice, but whom he barely knows,) leaving his friends in Alabama, Young Justice breaking up… Basically, things kind of suck for Bart, and all he wants is for them to go back to the way they were. Instead of trying to be grown up or mature or whatever, Bart is resisting every single encroaching thing about coming adulthood. Because all growing up ever seems to mean is that everything changes and either you have to leave the people you love or they have to leave you. 

So this series would focus mostly on that, both in his civilian life; going into high school, not knowing anybody, the few friends he does make are less interested in ‘kid stuff’ and more focused on dating and interpersonal drama, high school itself seems to be geared entirely toward the “what are you going to do with your life” question, when he visits his old friends back in manchester, they’ve all kind of grown up without him. And in hero life; everyone from Young Justice is trying to move on and not talking to each other, his father figure and mentor is gone and he's not really jiving well with the rest of the flash family, and people just seem to have less patience for Impulse now that he’s older. 

Growing up is hard. It’s hard and no one understands. Especially not when you’re also a superhero and have dealt with some quality trauma like losing loved ones and feeling yourself die. So it makes sense that Bart would resist that in every way possible, do his best to pretend like everything is still how it used to be, for once in his life just trying to make everything stay put. He refuses to get rid of his old stuff, he doesn’t want to treat any villainous threats seriously, people in school keep talking about college and jobs and tuition fees and Bart wants none of that, he acts out, refuses responsibility, gets reckless under the pretense that he never used to have to be cautious. 

And this is the part where I’d bring in Inertia, cause Thad was robbed and I want him to have an actual arc that doesn’t end with infant-splosion. Also he can have a good ol companion arc to Bart. Welcome to foils everybody, where two identical boys with opposing life experiences get to thematically compare and contrast with each other as they deal with the trials and tribulations of growing up. 

So, I’m ignoring every appearance Thad ever made after Impulse 1995, picking up instead where his story left off where he swore vengeance on his creators and disappeared into the speed force. And he’s off to do exactly what he said; Thad Thawne II is going to kill his namesake/grandfather/creator - the president of Earthgov. 

But, turns out assassinating the president of a whole fucking planet is a lot harder than he thought - Thad has planned extensively for every moment of his life, so once he starts going off script things predictably go a little off the fuckin rails. Thad fails, obviously. For one because despite how much President Thawne might deserve to die, Thad at this point hasn’t done anything worse than attempted murder, and making him a killer would put a wrench in any kind of redemption arc he could have. Also he’s acting on rage, in a highly emotional state, basically going up against the entire government. Of course he’s going to get caught by the science police and brought into custody. 

Bart, meanwhile is jumping with both feet into any kind of escapism he can find, which involves various time travel shenanigans and lands him in the 30th century. He gets to reunite however briefly with his mom, but the mission he had gets derailed by the appearance of Inertia. 

Every time Bart and President Thawne interact, the president always seems to make a bid to sway Bart to the Thawne side. This never works, which is part of the reason Inertia exists in the first place; a version of Bart that the president could control. When Inertia landed in the 30th century, hell bent on assassinating his creator, the President subdued him and eventually coerced him back over to the Thawne side of the family feud. No longer a rogue agent, Inertia is back to his old self, all about destroying Bart and the rest of the Allens. 

They have a battle, taking place all over the 30th century city, and Bart does his best but Inertia has the entire Earthgov police force on his side, and Bart eventually gets captured. He gets taken to some kind of holding facility, meets with the President who monologues as him while Inertia stands beside him like a good lackey. Then suddenly the speed-inhibiting cuffs or whatever Inertia had put on Bart to stop his speed malfunctions, and Inertia drops the act, now Impulse and Inertia working together to take down the Earthgov people holding them there. 

Turns out as soon as Inertia knew he couldn’t take out the president, what with all the military force President Thawne had on his side, he bided his time until he could. He uses Bart’s help to finally get President Thawne cornered, and the assassination plan is back on track. Except now Bart is the thing stopping him. He makes the argument about how murder bad. Heroes don’t kill, etc. Inertia insists he isn’t a hero. But Bart reminds him that that’s not how Max saw him. 

Inertia hesitates just enough that President Thawne is able to get away, and now the two of them have to make an escape attempt back to the past. Bart insists on trying to take Meloni with them, and they try but ultimately fail somehow (maybe someone has to stay behind to make sure they can make the trip safely, idk. At first Thad is willing to stay behind, since there’s nothing really for him in the past. But Meloni knows that President Thawne would destroy him if he did, and she can’t let harm come to either of her sons - and she does consider Thad her son, just like Bart. She’s had far too little time with either of them, but she loves them all the same. She tells them to take care of each other, and is the first to encourage them to be like, actual brothers.) 

After yet another tearful goodbye, Bart swearing he’ll find a way for them to all be together again, Bart and Thad go back. And they do end up having to lean on each other, because shit’s tough for the both of them. Thad initially wants to apologize and possibly reunite with Max and Helen, and then finds out Max is gone. And Bart has someone who understands exactly what he’s going through. 

Things get a little more lighthearted from here. Bart and Thad don’t get along well at first, since they’re both going through rough times and lots of changes and their first instincts are to lash out at each other. But eventually they form a sort of camaraderie through shared grief, then shared fish-out-of-water experiences. Which evolves into shared inside jokes and video games and comic books and they become slow but steady friends. 

They upgrade into brothers when Bart defends Thad against the repeated (and not entirely undeserved) suspicion he receives from the rest of the Flash family. Jay and Joan take him in, but it’s clear they don’t trust him, and neither does Wally. Bart stands up for Thad, arguing that he’s as much of a Thawne as Thad is, and treating Thad like he’s the next Cobalt Blue is just going to ensure that history never changes and stupid family feuds are forever. After this, Thad starts trusting Bart a little more, and kind of solves Bart’s problems regarding encroaching adulthood with his friendship. Neither of them really had a childhood, and Thad hasn’t experienced 21st century life at all, much less the societal expectations to grow up. So Bart gets to have fun again, and Thad won't judge any of his games or his books or his attitude or interests for being childish or lame because he’s fascinated by the experience of anything regardless of the target audience. 

And from there it's a series about these two becoming brothers and growing up and the different lessons they learn and wacky characters they meet along the way. Thad ironically also puts Bart in a position where he has to take on more responsibility, since even though Thad can imitate heroic actions and is actually pretty good at it, he doesn’t understand what makes them heroic. Bart has to draw on a lot of the things Max taught him and now has to teach them to Thad. 

There’s crossover comics with Superboy, where Bart laments about having to deal with grown up stuff, and Kon gives him a new perspective on the whole “being young forever” thing, since that was a reality Kon actually had to deal with and it sucked. 

Through various misadventures they meet new and familiar characters to give them different perspectives on the whole passage of time thing. Villains who despise children or childish things, villains who embrace it but probably too much. People who talk about growing up as the worst time of their lives, others talking about it like it was the best. Kids and adults alike trying to force Bart and Thad to act a certain way while treating them another. 

The two of them come to opposing conclusions about this; Thad wants to embrace change completely, partly because he wants to experience firsthand all that life has to offer, but also his worldview depends on believing that anyone can change, and anyone can be better, because he has to believe he can be redeemed for all the shitty stuff he did. Bart, on the other hand, knows his life isn’t perfect but thinks, based on recent events, that it’s all just going to get worse from here, and so resists change as much as possible. 

Thad, in his haste to experience everything, sometimes ends up going too far, either burning both of them out, or pushing them into situations that they’re not ready for or are ill-equipped to handle. Bart, on the other hand is so resistant to change or responsibility that he stops them from doing actual necessary things like planning their futures or doing chores or making new friends. This acts as the crux for their main conflict that slowly builds throughout the series, and then in a finale to the arc, they both figure out a way to get Meloni back to the past, and to raise some stakes they have a falling out in the middle of the mission about it. 

Bart accuses Thad of trying to leave him behind, or trying to be the better version of him again, and that old insecurity about Thad replacing him crops up. Thad thinks Bart just can’t handle anything outside his personal bubble and wants to force him to live in the real world. Plus he also feels kind of abandoned by Bart, who often would leave Thad to do the scary adult things on his own. 

Tensions still high, there's suddenly an external threat to deal with - probably president thawne and the science police - and they attempt to continue arguing even while fighting the president. I’m making this up as I go so lets say yada yada big climactic moment it's looking like the two might fail to get Meloni back and they’re both still angry with each other and Bart just… can’t take it anymore. 

He keeps losing people, and the ones he keeps he always seems to screw up with. And at the end of the day he’s just a kid who wants his mom. Is that really so much to ask? So there’s a reversal, a parallel, if you will, of the assassination attempt from the beginning of the series, this time with Bart. Or, because I don’t think many people would buy that Bart would actually ever for real kill someone, maybe he’s finally about to get his mom back, but she doesn’t want to go (since she made that deal with the president that he wouldn’t harm anyone of the Allen family so long as she stayed with him) so he’s trying to force her, risking the lives/well-being of the entire Allen bloodline across all of time. 

This time it’s Thad who has to talk him down, who has to remind him about being a hero, who has to remind him that trying to go back to some magical time in the past where things were better is just going to stop him from learning and growing as a person, and that doing anything and everything possible to get there is just going to lead to Bart doing something he Actually Can’t walk back from. 

Alright but here’s the thing because having Bart be forced to leave his mom again for like the billionth time is tired and overdone, and personally the whole message about heroics involving extreme and damaging amounts of sacrifice can only go so far. So here; Thad and Bart are both right. 

Like on the one hand, yeah, it’s childish and selfish for Bart to want to be with his mom at the expense of literally everyone else in his family. On the other hand, the fact that they can’t be together because some asshole is upholding a stupid grudge is bad and unfair and wrong. The issue needing to be fixed is not the kid who wants his mom, it’s the jackass keeping them apart (and who also wants to kill/imprison people). So Bart convinces Thad that they have to save Meloni, and Thad convinces Bart that there has to be another way - one where they get their mom back and the Allens don’t have to be hunted. 

The whole story would be leading up to the two of them coming to this conclusion; the healthy middle between the two extremes. Where they have the maturity to plan ahead and sort through their differences and figure out the best course of action with the least amount of collateral, but they don’t let go of that adolescent need for justice and fairness - that thing that makes you dig in your heels and say “no. That’s not fair, that’s not right.” 

SO here’s where I’d put the title card: “Bartholomew and Thaddeus Take Down The Government”. How do they do it? No idea! I’m flyin by the seat of my pants here! Do they run for office? Do they publicize the president’s crimes in such a way he gotta go to jail? Do they somehow turn public opinion against him enough to get him out of office? idk!!! And I don’t remember enough about Earthgov’s political situation to put an accurate read on what exactly they might do to disrupt it. 

Either way they don’t kill him, manage to free their mom, and they all go back to the past together. And a new arc would involve the three of them getting settled in the past; Meloni would be a main character now, and hers is a two-pronged fish out of water story where she’s trying to figure out how shit works in the past, with overtones of the struggles of being a single parent. 

And... I’m not going to say any more about that because this is long enough already oof. 

TL;DR I think a coming of age story would be cool for Bart, and having to deal with growing up when he never really had a childhood. Also the comic itself would be aimed at younger audiences, who can probably relate to having a Bad Time in the Teens and wacky hijinks with friends and siblings.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

Fun fact: I googled Winston’s famous “you’re on a revenge jag” quote including the part about digging two graves (neither of which needed to be his). Apparently that was a reference to a Chinese proverb (often attributed to Confucius but not really) that states “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves,” meaning that seeking revenge will probably lead to destroying yourself as well as whoever you’re trying to destroy. In this case, Taylor was screwing over all of Mase (1/2)

(2/2) Cap in their quest to get back at Axe and Winston was understandably pissed at how they were paying for something they didn’t ask to be caught up in. When he said “neither [grave] needs to be mine” he meant that he didn’t have to stay and end up in a grave, which of course led to Mafee attacking him for being “disloyal” for not wanting to be in the crossfire of a revenge plot that he never asked to be a part of. But yeah, make of that what you will. Just something interesting I found.

oh yeah after reading this i also tried to look up if we know the source of the Dig Two Graves saying and apparently we really do not (i.e. yeah frequently attributed to confucius but there’s no actual record of that, been attributed to Ancient Greece or smthing just as baselessly, there’s apparently an idea it could be a rough translation of a japanese aphorism but it’s just an idea)

really winston is laying out his whole Argument v well and i suppose that’s why taylor had No immediate response for him, b/c surely if he Was just gonna complain abt it like “this sucks >:/” and leave it at that, they’d be prepared to maybe handle that level of disgruntlement and have some methods in mind to shut it down, but winston is just Right and is being thorough about why he’s right and like. i don’t think they Can really argue with it, much less were prepared to do so in that moment, and sure seems like they did ultimately agree with him / listen to him seeing as they turn around (in 4x12, not 4x11, rip) to say they Had gotten off-course and weren’t interested in taking the revenge jag route, actually

like, he’s walking through why the Revenge Jag is the only reason they’re not getting bonuses, vs mafee just ascribing it to a general strategy to Save Resources in year 1 of the fund.......pointing out that if taylor Wanted to pay *anyone* full bonuses, they Could prioritize their top employees which does included winston even though he gets no backup on that outside of 3x11 and certainly not now when he’s Cringe N Fail cuz he said Moi while insisting on his value (and when the general audience of the show seems to have decided he’s out-of-line Egotistical for taking pride in his ability and never downplaying it / the value of it) as well as the fact that this isn’t about “oh i Would pay you if i Could” b/c he knows they’re not just waiting for some influx of funds, they’re Only holding back on paying people because they’re Anticipating the [dig two graves] situation, i.e. it’s Because they’re now planning to reorient their strategy around Actively Battling Axe Cap (in that they’re now intending to go on the offensive rather than just reacting defensively to axe’s attacks) that they foresee a need to Conserve Resources b/c they know this course of action could be “damaging” to mase cap by costing them money. and that taylor is putting that Anticipated Burden of an unnecessary plan that they personally chose......like, taylor’s employees don’t really get a say in this shift where the overall direction of the fund is now: Revenge Jag, but they’re pretty literally paying for it, aka having that [dig two graves] Cost put on them, aka neither grave has to be winston’s......

plus winston has Especial reason to be upset with this shift towards revenge jag, b/c he’s the quantitative guy, and this isn’t a Quantitatively Driven approach, as evident by him in 4x08 talking abt how the numbers don’t back up this particular strategy and in 4x12 when taylor’s talking about returning to their mathematical model and then winston says Q is for Quantitative Babey which isn’t just a total nonsequitur......Revenge Jag Tmc would be less focused on the quant-driven approach and thus winston’s work would be less relevant and he wouldn’t be able to just do his best shit for them if it kept being the case like “yeah we’re pursuing this strategy b/c first and foremost it’d suck for axe” so he’d have reason to feel like not only is he being Devalued right now in not being worth like, basically investing in as a Resource (like, speaking of conserving them, Not driving off your head quant would = conserving a resource) but in the future his contributions and ideas might continue to be pushed aside b/c like, again with the Dig Two Graves, the revenge jag probably isn’t gonna be quantitatively-friendly and he’d have to keep writing off his own potential input / have his own strategies be valued less b/c they’re deprioritized in favor of “what might be damaging for axe cap”

and then from a more Meta perspective, there’s the fact that mase cap only has four named non-taylor people, and mafee’s feeling Especially obligated to provide taylor with immediate and unconditional support thanks to his whole “oops i spilled some intel” thing, and sara really wouldn’t criticize this move even if she didn’t 100% individually love it either, b/c it Would conserve resources for tmc and she’s more about telling taylor what they need to do from the “you gotta do this thing you might not personally wanna do to make / avoid losing money” and this is like, the opposite of that, and sara would also probably save such input for a one-on-one meeting lol, and lauren’s not gonna say anything, so really only winston is Available to speak up lol

and that transitions right into how winston’s also immediately proven correct in criticizing the whole structure of this “choice” they’re getting, in that they’re all pressured to take the [defer bonus for a year] route and this is happening not through Direct pressure from taylor, but the expectation that the Social Dynamics among coworkers will push everyone to defer. like, clearly the thing is that everyone’s going to be worried that if anyone’s deferring, that’ll make those employees Look Good b/c they’re proving their Loyalty and “taking one for the team,” and a reasonable worry that those employees will thus be Preferred going forward. and in this moment that winston’s bringing it up, he’s also, you know, arguing with his boss and gets no support / backup on it not only b/c none of the other people present wanna actually make these Complaints themselves / back them up even if, like mafee, they’re evidently not personally thrilled about it, but also b/c winston really doesn’t seem to have much support in s4 beyond taylor’s indirect and implicit validation, which he of course isn’t gonna get here, and if people were willing to ignore / dismiss winston’s input and/or dunk on him about it over basically Nothing before, here’s a chance to choose between “hmm Winston Vs Taylor” like. nobody’s gonna side with winston, maybe not even if he Was popular and beloved, but he’s apparently the guy nobody has much respect / appreciation for and broadly dislikes, so it’s just like. he has Points, and mafee doesn’t even argue against those, just argues against winston daring to bring them up at all, because a) mafee is looking to continue Proving his support of taylor anyways and here’s an obvious avenue to do so by just shoving winston into a locker b/c you easily Can and b) he’s attacking winston not for being Wrong but for being Disloyal for not just Supporting taylor here and being whiny rather than taking one for the team and whatever nonsense about “if you don’t like it, become ceo of your own fund” like, the lesson here is to unionize......but really winston is just proven Right by mafee, a coworker, immediately making this an issue of Loyalty and by winston only caving not b/c he accepts that he’s Wrong on any of his points but b/c he’s being Social Pressured here in the form of “being yelled at / insulted and when he’s yelled at / insulted winston seems to just want it to Be Over, reasonably,” and taylor doesn’t Have to pressure him themself if their employees will pressure each other For them

god i’m still mad about 4x11 lmfao. bitter 5ever like how can you not be. he was Right but it didn’t matter b/c nobody was gonna stick up for him in the face of a) backign Taylor instead or b) in the face of anything, tbh. that shit didn’t kick in until s5, finally, and still only Partially.....peak standing up for winston in the form of rian in 5x05 going “yeah i’ll casually argue for why you shouldn’t fire him" and “oh you’re saying winston should have a drink? i’m saying he should do whatever he wants b/c what are you, shit at math?” thank you rian. probably totally unnecessary and that’s what winston deserves for once, like, go Beyond “someone intervening only if the most belligerent and bullying axe capper comes storming over to yell at winston, but if bill uses his inside voice it’s okay to just monitor the situation even if it involves threats and getting all up in winston’s space like a creep” i don’t think rian would be a silent observer to that

tl;dr Yeah Agree lmao sorry it took me ages to answer this....i was like “oh god i gotta be semi-Coherent for this one and say smthing beyond ‘yeah agree’” and i procrastinated that for this whole time b/c it’s intimidating to think of trying to accomplish that. thank u for the ask lol

[kienansidhe]

that one college friend of mine who has a like $60/h job and inherits like a million bucks when she turns thirty? that i complained about before? i called her out on it and when she inherited like ten thousand from another family member she donated a third of it to my top surgery fund so ill be able to get top as soon as the preauths with insurance go thru. and we talked. a lot.

and i feel a lot less angry towards her than i used to, and while we still dont agree on everything i appreciate her perspective and im thankful for her friendship and not only bc she donated.

she worries a lot abt how best to help ppl. like a lot, constantly. sometimes she thinks abt just donating Everything to individuals in need, but shes also more aware and concerned than most with the overarching systemic problems that cause so much individual need, and she donates a lot to organizations that are working to fix those systemic problems. those are her main focus bc she worries abt the fact that theres always more ppl to bail out of shitty situations and if she only worked on an individual level nothing would rlly change, there would still be more ppl in need.

and it kinda reminds me of the latest questionable content arc, where may needs immediate, concrete help with her deteriorating body but hannelores incredibly rich dad goes immediately to trying to solve the systemic issue. and like. on the one hand it feels shitty to not be provided for individually, but also for some ppl it can feel like nepotism, to get helped bc of your connections while others dont, bc you cant help everyone with a couple million. billionaires can and jesus christ they should, but the middling rich friend cant.

and i kinda feel bad for the pressure that puts on her, the worry about how to responsibly use her power and privilege. shes afraid to help friends too much because is were her friends and it feels selfish, so she tries to invest in communities that need it, and i kinda feel bad for hating her so much for awhile.

i dont know what the right answers are. and neither does she. but shes trying, and i appreciate that. shes working rlly hard in a job she hates bc she feels like the best way she can help is by making a lot of money and investing it in human beings. and idk. i just wanted to update that. that i think a lot of ppl are trying more than is necessarily visible and i wanna give more ppl the benefit of the doubt and not assume i know everything abt them and condemn them all the time.

[whetstonefires]

While i was rifling thru your fic tag like a half-starved raccoon in a cake tin I found your clone Damian's fic & i'm in LOVE! And like, do u hav anymore meta on that verse? like how do the rest of the fam find out? how do they REACT?! how does Damian? does the heretic clone still exist? Just reading abt tim with a bunch of tiny dami's gave me heart palpitations. Thank you for this gift.

(In reference to this post.)

Why thank you!

It’s vaguely inspired by some meta @cerusee and @audreycritter did about what if Damian was one of several identical clones, but I’ve been fascinated by the character potential suggested by Damian having been cloned since Talia first revealed it, so.

Let’s see.

I don’t think the Heretic still exists, not in the form we saw. This story fragment sort of assumes Talia went less crazy than they made her for the whole Leviathan storyline; she doesn’t regard the clones as sons the way she does Damian (she totally relied on cloning to get him perfectly matched organ replacements, like that spine) but she’s not “sons are born to die in battle” “let’s grow him big inside a WHALE” levels of whacked out.

She hasn’t fully committed to having them compete to be selected as the official Damian #2, either, because she’s still attached to the original, though the growing prospect of that was a lot of the reason they ran for it. One of them might have wound up as the Heretic, in another timeline? But it was a timeline that diverged long before they fled the League.

So they make it to Tim’s emergency van without being intercepted, and get as far as his secure site on city limits, but they have to fight their way through the last leg of that trip and to make it inside the bunker, and it’s supplied for a siege but not really big enough for eight people, even if seven of them are small, and also staying there and being besieged would draw the attention of the Bats, which defeats the whole purpose of not making for the Cave/calling reinforcements.

So he calls his friends for extraction, and they all wind up in Kansas.

Tim puts off contacting the family until the clones have with his guidance sorted out exactly how they want to present themselves.

Unfortunately, the last stage of the ninja battle was showy enough not to be overlooked, so his absence was noticed much sooner than he expected, and regarded as more worrying. On the second day Dick calls Kon to see if he knows where Tim’s gotten to, and Kon fails to lie adequately.

Dick can’t pressure Kon as easily as he can most people because last time he asked Kon for a favor Kon came to the North Pole and died for him.

Which is the kind of thing even Nightwing isn’t veteran enough not to take seriously.

But he still calls his bluff and asks a bunch of questions, and winds up very suspicious and worried, so at this point Tim and the Damians have to hurry up and figure out how to announce the situation or go on the run from the Bats as well as the League, which would be. Not smart.

Tim explains the situation over videochat with the Cave before having the cloneboys join him on the feed; this spares them the worst of the yelling.

Bruce, Dick, and Damian all respond pretty badly. Bruce because he doesn’t like change and he’s reflexively suspicious, and having eight Damians to raise is a justly horrifying notion. Also anti-clone prejudice. It’s unfortunately an established trait of his, though not like. A strong one.

Dick because he’s really defensive of Damian, and perceives this first and foremost as an emotional threat to his bab’s fragile identity.

Damian because he knows exactly how he was raised to react to someone being in a place he wants, and he knows how many opportunities his father’s household policies gave him to take shots at Tim, and they may be six years old but there are seven of them. He is going to die.

All things considered, Damian’s being the most rational here.

He’s wrong though. The clones were raised as disposable ninjas, not princes; they’re perfectly well aware killing him would gain them nothing, and they have very little sense of entitlement.

Bruce and Dick do try to be nice to the kids once it’s finally settled they will be staying at the Manor at least for a bit, because they need to be somewhere safe and Bruce can’t leave them at Clark’s house forever. Even Ma Kent has her limits.

But Bruce blows bewilderingly hot and cold and Dick kind of makes a point of of not being too warm to them, because he’s loyal to his demon brat. Damian starts staying at his place a lot and consequently working with Nightwing instead of Batman.

Bruce has no idea what to do about this or if he even should do something. Damian’s thirteen, right? Teenagers are supposed to rebel??? This is a pretty harmless way to do that?

But he misses him.

This does lead to making more time for the Seven Identical Six-Year-Olds.

Their sense of morality revolves around having made the breakthrough to valuing on another’s lives; they aren’t as opposed to not-murder as Damian was but they’re also a lot harder to coax into seeing things his way because they don’t need as much from him, emotionally.

This makes them ironically less terrifying for Bruce, even if he’s still having trouble actually bonding with them the way he normally does with his kids.

Barbara meanwhile is cautious. She always takes a while to warm up to new people, and she doesn’t have Tim’s history with clones to get her over that speedbump. She tries very hard to be fair, but she’s not really welcoming. She’s Reserving Judgment.

Jason thinks this is the funniest thing ever and goes out of his way to tease Damian about it. Privately he’s super creeped out, but as that wears off he starts getting mad about Bruce and Dick making the kiddos feel unwelcome and at some point does a rant, and after that is vaguely protective in a useless sort of way.

He enjoys being a bad influence. The septuplets also enjoy this. They think he’s funny, too, and he’s easier to communicate with than most people around here. Achieves a fairly high tier on the Favorite Non-Clone Brother list they aren’t exactly keeping.

Cass is super about these kids. She can relate to them even more than to Damian, because they weren’t raised as heirs to anything and don’t have the sneering put-down form of pride going, and also she’s actually around to meet them at the crucial getting-to-know-you stage.

She thinks sparring one-on-seven is an excellent sibling bonding activity. There are assassin-child puppy piles once they’re all worn out. Many photos are taken.

She’s doing much better than Bruce at getting them to extend their nascent sense of empathy beyond one another, without actually making an effort. It’s not like they’re actually much behind their cohort when it comes to social development, they’ve just got murder conditioning flattening their affective empathy. (And are ahead of cohort intellectually, which contributes a lot to the dissonance.) Cass’ accidental therapy involves butterflies.

Tim continues to be around, a lot more than he has been for a while because he’s kind of obligated to see this through. The septuplets trust him, which is more than they do anybody else for a while, so he winds up with a lot of childcare duties.

Since this amounts to ‘showing them where to find soap’ and ‘being in their vicinity’ rather than i.e. brushing their teeth for them and making sure they don’t steal each others’ snacks, he’s fairly okay with this.

Sizdahum sticks especially close, which is fine because he’s not a big talker; he winds up getting a lot of absent lessons on detective work.

Tim gets yelled at for having murder scene photos open in front of him; both of them and Haftum, who happens to be there at the time, roll their eyes a lot throughout.

Tim’s friends also visit the Manor a few times specifically to visit the kids, since they already met them. At one point the Damian clones, Tim, Kon, Wonder Girl Cassie, and due to rumor mill Anita, Cissie, and Greta all have a picnic in a rare afternoon of sunshine on the Manor grounds.

Alfred packed the picnic so it has ludicrously expensive cheese, a fruit salad featuring freshly pitted cherries, and thermoses of milkshakes in the favorite flavors of everyone who got one, even the ones he’s never met before. In response to this bounty Anita threatens to come to visit every time she can get babysitters for her parents.

Then she considers introducing her parents to the clone kids. They’re turning out almost as weird, even if in theory they don’t remember their previous lives. We’ll see how that turns out.

Bruce got used to how all his sons’ friends know his secret identity over a decade ago, it’s…fine.

Steph thinks they’re creepy but she’s far enough from ground zero to laugh about it, especially about their occasional appearances as Tim’s row of ducklings, and also she trusts Cass’ judgment.

Everyone does, to a certain extent; it helps the septuplets’ cause incredibly over the course of the first few weeks. It wins Alfred off the fence about them after about three days, which is quite a coup; even before that he was fast catching up with Tim in the ‘learning the differences between the septuplets’ sweepstakes.

(Cass is the only one who can even semi-reliably tell them all apart if they’re not wearing their nametags, or catch them switching, but learning things like their individual preferences in weaponry or cake is arguably much more important.)

Speaking of names, it’s a difficult issue. Bruce would (with considerable angst and self-doubt) be willing to name them all if asked, and they’d probably be open to it if he offered, but they’re not quite comfortable naming themselves and he’s too insecure and weirded-out to suggest anything else.

The other members of the family are varying degrees of not okay with the numbering system. Steph’s main issue with it is she has trouble remembering them precisely, because she doesn’t speak Farsi and learning seven unfamiliar similar-sounding words at the same time doesn’t play to her strengths.

Damian has a tendency to call them by their numbers in English, which only some of the clones actually mind but it offends the hell out of Bruce.

The necessity of keeping them secret until they have actual public-ready names and a story has been settled on wears on everyone’s nerves a bit. The issue that there exists no story more believable than the actual extremely weird truth stands in the way.

Barbara actually crafts an entire cover about rescuing the products of an illegal cloning operation by people planning an overly complicated ransom scheme for Damian, and Bruce going ‘well dammit they’re my kids too,’ which doesn’t get deployed for a while because:

1) everyone’s still hunting for something a little less weird and

2) they have to review the entire body of legal precedent relating to clones to make sure this won’t put the kids in jeopardy down the line or undermine Bruce’s chances of getting custody somehow.

Meanwhile, Bruce absolutely forbids the clone squad from getting involved in vigilante fighting. Because they are six. They’re not quite on house arrest but they have strict supervision and a curfew. They mostly accept this; they’re used to discipline and they did come here for refuge.

He tries to take away all their live weapons. Because they are six. This fails to stick. It threatens to become a serious bone of contention.

Cass, Tim, and Damian (somewhat unwillingly) wind up having to broker the issue; explaining to Bruce that the kids think he suspects them of plotting murder, and to the kids that Bruce doesn’t think they can be trusted not to hurt themselves with sharp objects is. Fraught. On all sides.

Why does Bruce never get any kids for whom normal responsible parenting guidelines are fully applicable?

[frankencomplex]

hc - mbti

          god I already know this is gonna get so fuckign long bc i’m a huge nerd and can never shut up abt personality analyzation. on tht note , if anyone ever wants to talk mbti or just have me overanalyze ur muse’s personality..... hmu bc i physically cannot shut up abt it

charles is an intp ! i’ve probably said this before & it’s like weirdly integral to my portrayal of him ( or at least gives a lot of insight into it ) so for those of you who don’t know what mbti is at All , it’s a personality typology theory that divides human personalities into four categories : introverts / extroverts , intuitives / sensors , thinkers / feelers , and judgers / perceivers. therefore , charles is an introvert intuitive thinker perceiver , or if you want to get real deep & use cognitive function theories , he uses Ti ( introverted thinking ) , Ne ( extroverted intuition ) , Si ( introverted sensing ) , and Fe ( extroverted feeling ) in that order. 

if you read about the basic characteristics of an intp , the personality type ( sometimes nicknamed “ the logician ” ) is known for being “ philosophical innovators, fascinated by logical analysis, systems, and design. They are preoccupied with theory, and search for the universal law behind everything they see. They want to understand the unifying themes of life, in all their complexity. ” source 

the description above is charles to a T , and i’ll explain why ! he’s a huge introvert. by no means does he gain energy from social gatherings , and he’s far more content to explore the contents of his own mind than to explore the minds of others. he’s an intuitive , which means he’s more concerned with abstract , unconventional ideas , and can be quite detached from the world around him , while a sensor would be focused on reality and their concrete senses. he’s metaphorical , dreamy , non - traditional , and unfocused ( though that is not solely an N trait ). he’s a thinker , which means he relies on logic & facts more than his own feelings or the feelings of those around him. lastly , he’s a perceiver , meaning he prefers to work at his own pace without rigid structure , and prefers open endedness over set plans and commitments.

I know that’s a lot , but it makes a lot of sense when you read about it. now , to get deeper , mbti is supported by the theory of cognitive functions ( Ti > Ne > Si > Fe for charles as I mentioned earlier ). the whole idea is that every personality type uses a “ function stack ” of different modes of thinking / interacting with / viewing the world , and there are four predominant functions per type that are all accessed at decreasing levels of development. the first function is the most developed , the last is the least. so , without further ado , here’s charles’s personality type explained by his four functions. i’ve taken the most useful parts of the article on the following website. source

INTPs’ Dominant Function: Introverted Thinking (Ti)

Ti involves the application of logic and reason for the sake of understanding a given situation, system, or problem. INTPs use Ti to bring structure and order to their inner world, granting them a strong sense of inner control. Inwardly, INTPs are highly self-disciplined, working to effectively manage their thoughts and their lives. The disciplined nature of their Ti compels INTPs to frame many things as a goal or challenge. These challenges may be physical (e.g., trying to achieve an ideal state of health or fitness), intellectual, practical, psychoemotional (e.g., becoming self-actualized), or later in their development, interpersonal (e.g., “perfecting” a relationship or becoming a skilled lover). In order to succeed in these personal challenges, INTPs are apt to impose rules on themselves. However, because of the wayward influence of their auxiliary Ne, they commonly end up breaking or sabotaging them.

INTPs are also less interested in working with facts than with ideas. Jung writes: “His ideas have their origin not in objective data, but in his subjective foundation.” INTPs are constantly digging into the background of their own thoughts in order to better understand their origins and to ensure their thinking is founded on solid reasoning. They see it pointless to try to build theories on a dubious conceptual platform.

INTPs often find it easier to identify inconsistencies or logical shortcomings—to assert what is not true—than to identify and confidently assert what is true. They can quickly locate inconsistencies or logical shortcomings in a given theory or argument. They excel when it comes to identifying exceptions or imagining scenarios in which the proposed explanation could breakdown. Due to their sensitivity to theoretical exceptions, they can be quick to throw theories and start from scratch. INTJs, by contrast, seem less deterred by ostensible exceptions, perhaps feeling that they will eventually be explained or otherwise rectified.

When functioning constructively, INTPs, like INFPs, often employ a trial-and-error sort of approach to building their theories and ideas. INTPs start with a given (Ti) and then use their auxiliary Ne to explore various connections and possibilities. They also integrate past experiences and acquired knowledge through their tertiary Si. It is usually only after years of toying with ideas that something resembling a systematic and coherent theory may start to emerge.

INTPs’ Auxiliary Function: Extraverted Intuition (Ne)

INTPs use Extraverted Intuition (Ne) as their auxiliary function. Ne can function either perceptively or expressively. The verbal expression of Ne amounts to something like “brainstorming aloud.” When orating, INTPs may not always seem to “have a point” as they haphazardly drift from one idea to the next. Even ideas that seem inwardly logical and sensible INTPs may suddenly sound incoherent when they attempt to convey them through their Ne.

In its receptive role, Ne prompts INTPs to gather information. It goes beyond or looks behind sense data, allowing INTPs to discern otherwise hidden patterns, possibilities, and potentials. Their Ne is constantly scanning for relationships or patterns within a pool of facts, ideas or experiences. INTPs commonly use this receptive side of their Ne in activities such as reading, researching, and conversation. They enjoy asking questions that allow them to gain insight or knowledge from others, making INTPs good facilitators of conversation.

INTPs may also use their Ne to sniff out intriguing possibilities. They commonly enjoy and assume the role of wanderer or seeker, rarely knowing in advance exactly what they are seeking.

Ne also confers an open-mindedness, helping INTPs see truth on both sides of an issue without forming unwarranted judgments or premature conclusions. More specifically, their Ne can be seen as contributing to their openness to alternative or Bohemian lifestyles. INTPs are those most likely to suddenly become vegetarians, join a commune, or decide to live out of the back of a van. They are drawn to the idea and challenges of an unconventional lifestyle.

Like other NPs, INTPs often have a love-hate relationship with their Ne. They love the fact that it helps them remain open-minded and grasp the bigger picture. But living with Ne also has its challenges. For one, it can make it difficult for INTPs to arrive at firm conclusions or make important decisions. It often seems that at the very moment they are feeling good about a given conclusion or decision, their Ne steps in and causes them to start doubting it again. This has obvious implications for INTPs who are trying to find their niche in the world. This can leave them feeling discouraged and restless, worried that they may never find what they are looking for. They may feel frustrated by their seeming lack of progress toward anything substantial. The fact is that INTPs desperately want to produce something of lasting worth or value, but they also want to ensure they get it right. They don’t want to leave any stone unturned before arriving at a conclusion. While INTPs typically enjoy this quest for truth, there comes a point when they begin to feel the pressures of life impinging on them. Questions about careers and relationships loom large as they enter their late twenties and thirties. This can be frustrating to INTPs as they feel like life is requiring them to make decisions long before they are ready. As is true of all IN types, they feel that life would be far better if they weren’t forced to consider practical concerns.

INTPs’ Tertiary Function: Introverted Sensing (Si)

Unlike Ne (or Se), INTPs’ tertiary function, Introverted Sensing (Si), is a conservative function. It involves an attachment to past experiences and past precedent—to the routine, familiar, and predictable. Types with Si in their functional stack, including INTPs, tend to eat a fairly routine or consistent diet, “eating to live” rather than “living to eat.” Si types are not only conservative with regard to their diet, but with respect to the material world in general. They tend to be savers rather than spenders, seeing excessive material consumption as unnecessary, or perhaps even immoral.

Like other Si types, INTPs also have a diminished need for novel physical pleasures, lavish surroundings, or material comforts. They are minimalists to the core, relatively unconcerned with their physical surroundings.

INTPs’ Inferior Function: Extraverted Feeling (Fe)

Last but not least, Extraverted Feeling (Fe) serves as INTPs’ inferior function. While having inferior feeling doesn’t make INTPs emotionless robots, their feelings do seem to have a mind of their own, often coming and going as they please. Realizing how hard it can be to voluntarily contact or summon their emotions, INTPs tend to feel awkward and uneasy in emotional situations. Although they may be cognitively aware of the appropriate emotional response, if they’re unable to directly tap into their feelings, INTPs can appear clumsy, mechanical, or disingenuous. This can be unsettling to others who are looking for outward signs of authentic emotion from the INTP.

Fe is also concerned with maintaining social harmony. While Ti and Ne may inspire INTPs to function as provocateurs, their Fe encourages them to operate as peacemakers. Far more often than INTJs, INTPs will “bite their tongue” in order to avoid hurting or offending others. Doing so also minimizes the likelihood of emotionally-volatile situations which can engender anxiety and disquiet in this type.

Another aim of Fe involves establishing emotional rapport and connection with others. But again, while INTPs may do at fair job at reading others’ emotions, they may fail to actually “feel” what the other person is feeling. This is why INTPs are sometimes described as “outwardly warm, but inwardly cold or calculating.” Fe can be a bit of an act in the first place (e.g., political glad-handing), but this seems particularly commonplace among INTPs and ISTPs. Although casual social engagement may help them feel good for a while, perhaps even give them an ego boost, without sufficient Ti stimulation, it won’t be long before they’re scoping out the nearest exit.

Finally, it’s not unusual for INTPs to oscillate through phases in which they feel they don’t need other people at all. Especially when their work life is running on all cylinders, they can feel invigorated and invincible. But the psyche will only permit this sort of Ti lopsidedness for so long. Eventually, INTPs start feeling a bit lonely or empty, sensing that something important is missing from their lives. This prompts them to reinitiate contact with others, at least until they feel compelled to reassert their independence. Striking a balance between their independence (Ti) and relationships (Fe) can thus constitute a lifelong challenge for this personality type.

that’s all , if you read this far I will love you forever. if you ever want to talk personality shit , here I am