#my battery is drained right now and has been for a while

[ageless-aislynn]

Darn it, I ran out of time to post my WIP tonight and I won’t have time tomorrow but... Mark your calendars, frens: “Cupid’s Kiss” (Eobard/Caitlin, The Flash) chapters 3 and the epilogue in 4, coming to a screen near you on Monday, Feb 27, 2023.

Barry doesn’t look like he believes me. Well, Barry... I can’t blame you for that, lol. But I’ve legit got the draft of Chapter 3 up into AO3 at long last, which is my next-to-last step in posting it. This is where I try to catch typos, wrong words, etc. because sometimes seeing it as it’s going to look on AO3 helps those things to pop out. That’s a step we haven’t gotten to before now, so that’s hopeful at least!

This one has dragged on for so long, there might not be anybody left to read it. But that’s okay. I just want to know that I didn’t give up, even when I wanted to. Even when it hurt. I want to be able to look back and know that made it across the finish line.

“The Price” (Caitlin/Hunter, The Flash) has its first chapter very close to being done, and I’m hoping it will be the next to post. I also intend to finish “Guardian Angel” (Caitlin/Eobard, The Flash) in another 1 or 2 chapters or so.

“15 Minutes” (John/Reader, Halo) has some major stuff coming up, so I’m planning on sticking to it once it gets going again. “Recreation” (Kai/maleReader, Halo) will continue to weave in and out of “15 Minutes” as well, though will probably be pulling away a bit so that we’re not continually just being a third-party p.o.v. on something going on with John and his reader. 😉 Lastly, the Choose Your Own Spartan Adventure fic for Noble Team (Noble Team/Reader, Halo: Reach) is still in progress. Which isn’t probably a shock to anybody who’s noticed all of my Reach love as of late. I’m also going to do another GIFset or two for my Noble Team bbs because I love them so much.

I hope there will be somebody out there who’s interested in something I have coming up 🤞😣🤞 but, truthfully, I just want to get these things done. Once completed, I’ll evaluate where I’m going to go from there. 🤷‍♀️

Thanks for reading this all, if you did. Thanks especially to those who liked or replied to my previous posts about all of this, even if the fics I’m talking about aren’t in your fandom and aren’t something you’ll read. Just having some encouragement... It’s meant a lot. I’ve been struggling a ridiculous amount over all of this and honestly just seeing a simple like helps me to feel like I’m not out here all alone, in pain for nothing at all. Even if I actually am. 🤷‍♀️

Love you, frens. I hope you’re having a good weekend. 🤗

[taintedtort]

prompt ✧ reader with a drained social battery

characters ✧ itto, scaramouche, kazuha, xiao

warnings ✧ gn!reader , none!

a/n ✧ this has been in my drafts for MONTHS. finally posting cus i haven’t written in a week..

ITTO

✧ doesn’t understand the concept of ‘low social battery’ , and since you weren’t in the mood to explain it to him, you’d have to cut the visit short and go home to sit in peace for a while.

“you’re going? where?” you felt awful after seeing the frown replace his happy smile he wore seconds earlier.

“i’m tired, im gonna go home, but i’ll see you tomorrow if you want.” you cringed slightly at the way his face fell even further. he reached forward and took your hand in his.

“aw man, but we were just getting started!” he pouted. a look of slight shock took over your features. just getting started? god, you’re already completely drained right now!

“i’m sorry, we can finish up tomorrow?” your tone was questioning, unsure if you should just stick it out to save his feelings, or go home to your private sanctuary. you had to admit, the latter sounded much more appealing.

a sigh left his lips before he lazily nodded, “okay, that’s fine.” he smiled once more before giving you a kiss on the forehead.

“i hope you feel better.”

SCARAMOUCHE

✧ completely understands, he hates unwanted company too. will take you to his private office away from the crowd of people and let you sit, alone or with him, he’ll let you decide.

“what?” you heard scaramouche ask, annoyance lacing his voice. you glanced over and plastered on a fake smile, “nothing, just tired i guess.”

you attempted to shrug it off, but he quickly grabbed your wrist and tugged you off into his office. you were a bit shocked, but mostly confused.

“stay in here, i can tell you’re uncomfortable,” he grunted, gesturing his head to his office chair, silently telling you to take a seat. you obliged and plopped down with a long sigh.

“you wanted to get out of there too, didn’t you?” you questioned, a small smile playing on your lips. when he simply replied with a curt nod, you let the room fall silent as you closed your eyes, attempting to gain some energy back. when you opened your eyes to glance at him, he was staring at you. a smile twitched onto your lips.

“thank you.”

KAZUHA

✧ he partly understands how you feel, but being on a boat, there isn’t a lot of quiet places to hide. he can easily recharge by sitting and simply staring at the ocean, peacefully listening to the bustle of people. but he knows that doesn’t work for you, so he tries to help the best he can.

“are you alright, love?” he quietly asked in your ear. your head snapped up as you halted your heads that were picking at your nails. you flashed him an uncomfortable smile before shrugging.

he gently took your hand in his and lead you to the storage unit inside the ship. it wasn’t completely quiet, you could hear people walking above you and the waves of the sea below your feet, but it was better than up there. you sat down on a crate with a grunt, relaxing your body. he stared down at you with a loving smile, pure adoration in his eyes.

“should i go so you can be alone for a little?” he gently asked. you raised your face to look him in the eye before shaking your head.

“no, please stay.”

XIAO

✧ understands better than anyone. you don’t even have to ask before he’s sweeping you off your feet and teleporting to a private place where you two can be alone.

“come here.” xiao gently tugged on your hand, pulling you towards him. you made a quiet noise of shock before making contact with his chest. his arms wrapped around you before a wave of warmth engulfed you and a flash of green and black invaded your vision.

you felt two taps on your cheek before your eyes opened, which you didn’t even remember closing. you looked around, taking in the scene of a beautiful spring right in front of you. the sound of the water and the trees moving from the gentle breeze made you break out into a smile.

you felt his arms loosen around your waist, letting you slip away and explore the new area. you took a seat on a rock near the water, looking around at the peaceful sanctuary. xiao stood behind you, watching you take everything in, your eyes full of wonder.

“is this okay?” he mumbled. you turned your body to him with a wide smile. blush covered his cheeks at the adorable sight.

“it’s perfect, thank you so much.”

[krisluxxeeempress]

HOW DOES YOUR PERSON FEEL ABOUT YOU? PICK-A-CARD

Pile (1): FALLBACK

Cards: Tower (reversed, Magician, Two of Cups (reversed) Ten of Swords, King of Wands (reversed) and the Seven of Wands and Three of Pentacles at the bottom of deck.

I was going to start off by saying “your person” however, according to the cards, it’s best to say “the person on your mind”- is feeling vulnerable at this time. I am getting Gemini, Leo, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Aquarius and or Taurus energy thus far. Anyway, I just felt like giving up while writing this. Someone in this dynamic feels powerless, mentally drained, and ultimately wanting or needing to give up. (I just got so discouraged and tired randomly) For some of you, this may be an ex that made you feel this way and the universe has brought them back into your life.

There may be an opportunity presenting itself to rekindle the relationship or a friendship though, you feel drained. For others of you, this may be someone new that you are interested in but due to past failures in relationships- you have very little energy, effort or hope that something can manifest with a potential love interest. If this is not how you are feeling, then they are. As always, this scenario is due to someone being hurt in the past and therefore, are currently unwilling to move forward or open to someone new. Another case could be that someone is fearful of being open to someone new or in general and if you are interested in someone like this- it may be a warning that your energy will become drained “chasing” someone. Intuitively, I am being told that this may be a quick lesson or REMINDER that all things happen in Divine Time, and nothing is a coincidence. Some of you, the universe is playing “games” with you. The universe knows you may want this person, opportunity or whatever but this time, you cannot control it. You are learning to not control it, therefore, if you are starting to feel drained because something isn’t going your way or pace… fall back and let go! It’s like a tease but understand it’s temporary.

Some of you may have a debilitated 7th house, 8th house, 12th house, 1st house but you don’t have to. Nevertheless, this pile doesn’t have energy. This dynamic does not have energy. The more you or they, try to manipulate this the more it becomes drained and strained. I would suggest embracing a spiritual or higher perspective and know that rejection is protection or simply, it’s just not the right time. It’s like a car engine that won’t turn on in the winter and no matter how many times you try to jump it, nothing. I’ve been in that situation before and it was only when I left it alone, found another means of transportation. Then I would try again later, and my engine would turn on. Granted, I was happy, but I went and bought a new BATTERY to be safe and sure and I suppose my story is symbolic for waiting but moving along at the same time. Funny, I shuffled more, and the Chariot card came out- no lie. Anyway, that is all I have for this pile. There’s no energy now and it may seem like a false start but there are things manifesting in the background.” Blessings in Disguise”. I feel strongly that some of you need reassurance and here it is. You may resonate with another Pile considering this feels like the beginning of a relationship or something. . .

Pile (2): COBWEBS

Cards: Seven of Cups, Queen of Swords (reversed), Hierophant, Queen of Cups, High Priestess, Wheel of Fortune, Death (reversed), Two of Cups (reversed), and Five of Cups (reversed) at the bottom of deck.

With the Wheel of Fortune present, this suggest that Astrology is involved. Something has shifted from your (or your persons) Natal birth chart, Solar Return or Progressive chart. I could also be picking up on a futuristic shift nevertheless, a time of failed relationships, loneliness, and or being distant from people/ relationships is coming to an end. The Queen of Swords is not relationship oriented, not in the 7 of cups sense that most believe “love” should be- like being emotional, sensitive, vulnerable, clingy, and OPEN. The Queen of Swords is too smart, logical, and PICKY for that. Someone may have Aquarius, Scorpio, Virgo placements that has prevented getting close and or intimidate with someone. Anyway, there’s a shift of being judgmental, picky and or avoidant to being emotional, open, and desiring a relationship.

This could be what was causing “no energy” or a delay in Pile 1 but it could be totally unrelated. Regardless, someone here is feeling very emotional and dreamy currently for what seems like the first time.  I don’t necessarily feel like there is someone solid in your life though, you may want one or are actively manifesting one. I started to shuffle to clarify the Queen of Cups and surprise, surprise- the Lovers card came out with the Three of Wands (reversed) and Eight of Cups. You or maybe the other person you don’t know yet (or well) is realizing that being emotionally distant, avoidant, and unbothered is not opening the path or doors they want in love and relationships. The Lovers card is about a choice but more so, about your masculine and feminine energy within, being in balance. When one if off, then the other cannot operate properly and in the physical, this manifest as someone having “something missing” that you cannot deal with. Example, if you lack masculine energy within and are unable to be assertive- you will then attract a man or woman who lacks assertiveness especially when it comes to you.

Or, if you are emotionally closed off and in denial that you want love etc. than you will attract men and or women who are emotionally unavailable and so forth. The Lovers card is a mirror of “as within and so without”. This further confirms my interpretation of the cards about a shift occurring within someone. Honestly, this pile feels like soulmates/ twin flames getting prepared for UNION. This pile feels like two people who may not know each other at all or vaguely, who are manifesting each other unknowingly. This pile is like two people who would tell themselves “I don’t want love, relationships, kids, a family, marriage, sex, intimacy” NOTHING. . . and yet, the cards, the energy and GOD determined that was A LIE. I clarified the Seven of Cups and the Seven of Swords (reversed), the Eight of Pentacles and Two of Wands (reversed) came through. This confirms the lies that some of y’all been telling yourselves. (the Devil just appeared also) all these lies and self-deceit. I would look at your Solar Return chart for next year because I’m telling you- something is going to POP OFF. I wanted to clarify the Hierophant because with this card comes lessons and guidance around self-esteem, commitments, hard work, and one’s values. I can see with the cards that clarified that most of you, or your person coming in- uses work and everything else to distract themselves.

I see that you have all been hurt or disappointed in relationships that may have influences low self-esteem that is covered up with LIES that you don’t want this or that lol, but 1) you were going through a challenging cycle in life 2) there’s a new shift coming soon. The Hierophant is Taurus and Sagittarius to me, so this card also represents time and learning. It’s been a long time that is coming to an end. Some of you have one more year, 8 months (and countdown) until the shift is complete. If you chose this pile, it’s time to clean out the cobwebs in your panties and boxer briefs because soon- someone will be up in there FAITHFULLY … HA! Pile One may resonate with you if you chose this pile.

PILE (3): OVER IT

Cards: Emperor (reversed), Seven Pentacles (reversed), Three Swords, Two of Wands, The Word (reversed). The Ace of Swords (reversed, Knight of Cups (reversed), Ace of Pentacles at the bottom of deck.

I felt drawn to immediately clarify the Two of Wands card and the Five of Cups came out. This suggest that there may be an ex, refer to Pile One, that you are deciding to move on from. If it’s not an ex per se than it’s indicating a behavior, belief, or habit that you are moving away from because it attracted relationships that are not in your best interest and caused pain. ANYWAY, there’s an opportunity being presented to move forward- Pile two may resonate with those who feel it’s time to get on the road again – quite literally. Some of you may feel the urge to move to a different state or country or even a new job. I feel like you may run into your life person when you do. This is obviously talking about getting out of your comfort zone- keep that in mind. I usually have more to say but not this time. It’s either move on or stay where you are.

[karoochui]

What im hearing is:

Little crow feet outside my window bcs im feeding them- that’s besides the point!

Is there magic??? His shovel looks magic and they look magic

And do give me every detail you are thinking of for the series even if its in the distant future or not that relevant but you want to share

Crows!! Cute!! Also sorry i didnt get to this sooner my laptop BROKE (still broken but usable) and my mom and i have been looking for someone to fix it. Ive been drawing with it sparingly to be careful.

YES there is magic. Of course im still working on this storywise but im getting characters designs n whatnot done right now. Dynamics n stuff. BUT i do have some refs i made before my laptop broke.

I like to draw out certain stuff so that it helps with descriptions in the future; i have the worst memory so it helps to be able to do so. (More beneath cut)

Im so excited for moon's shadow form. Oh my god. Its probably my favorite thing right now.

Fun thing about it is that in this form he can touch you but you cant touch him. Something something you can be cast in shadow but you cant take it off yk? He's still light sensitive like this though, so if the area hes in isn't dark enough or he's hit with anything too bright he just reverts back. At that point he'd just have to rely on normal hand to hand stuff and his sand lol. The shadow form is just better for sneaking and speed. Really, he's some amalgamative idea of the sandman and boogieman. I thought it fit well with his whole "naptime attendant gone wrong" thing.

Sun's design, however, is more like if you mixed a cowboy, wizard, and gravedigger together. I made it a while ago on a whim with no intention behind it but then i ended up thinking "ykw would be so awesome".

The hat dips to cover the crescent side of his face (not intentional on his part) to symbolize his resentment towards moon and how he basically damned him to an hourglass. His eyes are easier to see bc of this which could seem more trusting (eyes are the window to the soul or whatever), but the thing is thats not normal for him (as we know) so it's meant to make him look suspicious and looming to 4th wall viewers. There's also the fact that i just thought it was cool too.

He also doesn't get a second form. Moon's sneaky and weird so i thought it would fit to give him some freaky thing iykwim. Sun, however, is a pretty "in your face" kinda guy, so his look and fight style is more extravagant and boisterous. Lots of swinging amd yelling and boom bang zap! Despite the showiness he's actually a longer range fighter. Mainly because unlike moon, thousands of years ago, he wasn't often one to get violent with his hands. His weapon is just obnoxiously large too though.

They are still one animatronic and their transformation is still triggered by light. Instead of an AI chip though (which is still in there but long dead), they live through the work of a soul. They're still physically inorganic but as far as spiritually they're as close as they're gonna get to being human. Their life and functionailty is derived from the magic itself, not the machinery. Like if for some reason they lost all their magic they'd just drop dead from a battery life long since drained.

The hourglass has a carousel-like design to it purely as reference to moon's level in Help Wanted 2.

Sorry for rambling so much but this is what i've got for you so far! I have a general idea for the plot but im tryna to make it more than what it is rn, so i dont wanna share too much of that just yet in case i change or completely toss away an idea.

[swampstew]

Ok so I am basing this ask off this post:

https://www.tumblr.com/stuckinthewrongworld/754204449503870976?source=share

Could you do this with Law, Kid, and/ or Zoro please? You guys have some fun, but have to go your separate ways for a little bit, but end up in the same place again just a few months later. You've been so busy, you haven't noticed the changes to your body, only that you're more tired, but you think it's just because of everything you've had to accomplish. But he notices right away, because he remembered every little detail about you. Maybe your shirt lifts up and he notices? Or you have a tight fitting shirt on? Idk I'm so in love with this concept I NEED to read it!

-🐍

Hebi the way I had to be on life support for this....the way my uterus was like ok time to be a problem since my womb is empty from this...I could only knock out (HAHAHAHAHA) one for Kid but I plan to repost it along with Law and Zoro's POVs at a later time. Brain only light up for Punk tonight.

Summary: You have a casual relationship with Eustass Kid, a here and there type of thing. At least that's how it felt on your end. You didn't know he felt about you, the way he sees you, the way he wants you. No matter what. No bumps in the road can sway him. CW: Eustass Kid x F Reader, accidental pregnancy scenario - something short and sweet based off this post | no actual smut, all fluff and tenderness from someone so brash and violent

Kid clocks it right away. He’s so eager when he sees you, finding you on the dock instantly, and the first thing he notices are the dark circles under your eyes and your breasts look particularly perky in your top. He makes himself known, to your surprise, pulling you into a giant hug and asks you if you’re ok.

You tell him you’re just tired from work and your social battery was pretty much drained all the time, but you are happy to see him again. His hand traces your sallow cheeks as you tell him what you’ve been up to before he decides he’s going to carry you to the nearest food stall to get you both something to eat. He holds you while you hold the bags of food, cradled against his muscular chest as he takes long, impatient strides to your home. He’s going to get to the bottom of this and he wants to do it without his crew hovering.

He tells you about his adventures while you eat, if it can be called eating since you a few bites before you looked queasy, abandoning your plate and drinking ginger ale instead. Kid pushes his plate away and brings you to your feet, bringing you to his chest as he his hands gently caress your hips.

“I’ve been gone for a while now. Has anything happened?”

“Hm? Aside from taking on more work to pass the time, not really.”

“Nothing at all? Its been three months since we saw each other.”

“What are you getting at?” you ask irately, not liking the implication of his question.

Kid turns your body so your back is resting against his torso, metal hand holding you in place while his flesh fingers spread across your lower belly. The slow strokes made goosebumps erupt along your soft skin.

“You definitely didn’t have this last time…”

“ARE YOU CALLING ME F—?!” your yell is cut off as he covered your mouth.

“Y/N! Do the math!”

When your body starts trembling, he knows you made the connection and swiftly picks you up and takes you to your bed. Waiting to see if you would start the conversation.

“We never talked about an accident like this,” you whisper.

“No, so what are we going to do?”

“We?”

“Well…yeah. Unless you don’t want me involved…”

“I-I think I want too��but…sigh…I wouldn’t expect you to stay,” you whisper.

“You’re right I wouldn’t” he snorts, “Cause I’m taking you with me, idiot. No way in hell I’m letting you do this alone.”

[strwberri-milk]

hello!!! I’ve been loving your work for a liiiitle while now. I’m hoping you can do all the LADS guys of if mc/you being of latin descent (Mexican/ Honduran, Salvadoran, etc) who loves going to gathering with friends and families (like barbecues, quinceñeras, those type) and how they would react to being in such a place, meeting your large family, and reacting to you dancing/ trying to get them to dance with you (cumbia is my fav at any party lol) would). Would love to see what you come up with, much looove 🩷🩷🩷

Xavier seems uncomfortable at first with the amount of people but it's just because he's trying to figure out how everyone knows each other and how he can fit into conversations. He doesn't want to impose himself on anybody despite how welcoming they all seem.

You wouldn't have to work hard to get him onto the dance floor but he isn't exactly the most rhythmic so he's going to try his best but that doesn't exactly look amazing but everyone can appreciate that he's very clearly trying very hard.

He'll get used to it over time but he does get fatigued very easily from the amount of social interaction big family events of yours take. You just have to cuddle him up and give him a second to breathe when the two of you get home. He likes seeing everyone though and how happy you are around them so he'll never say no if you invite him to an outing.

Zayne is very good at small talk and keeping people chatting so being in a crowd like this isn't too awful, even if he's exhausted from going to work then straight to a party. He doesn't mind keeping you company and he's already met your parents. Getting along with the rest of your family doesn't seem like it'd be too difficult a task for him.

He doesn't show his fatigue until he gets home. He didn't grow up with a large family so it'll take him a while to get used to being around so many people who seem invested in him as a person, in addition to his work as a doctor. Any advice he gives as a doctor is one that he strongly urges people to double check because there are certainly some people who are hoping to ask him to look at this or that. He does give his honest opinions and if there's anything he can see himself working with he'll try to schedule them in, telling you it's no problem and he doesn't mind helping the people you love.

He can't make it to every event but the events he misses he insists you go buy something to gift your family as an apology. He would hate for any of them to think that he's missing the event on purpose and will offer his apologies in person the next time he sees them all.

Rafayel fits right in. I've mentioned before that I think he grew up in a communal parenting/child rearing environment so being surrounded by tons of family is perfectly normal for him. He's going to go into this event with a more positive outlook than normal because he wants to get along with your family.

You were a little worried that he'd come off as rude or uptight because of how he tends to be at his own shows if he doesn't want to be there but thankfully he treats them as though he's known them for a while. You can tell his social battery is draining though but he has fun getting to know people and playing with the younger members of your family.

He definitely was exhausted when he got home but he also looked a little nostalgic. There's something in the look in his eyes that makes you a little sad. He'll appear at other events in the future but he doesn't always stay the entire time just depending on his schedule. If he misses it for whatever reason he'll tell you to apologise on his behalf and usually tries to at least pick you up so he can make an appearance and say hello.

[licorice-tea]

You Feel Right; Stay A Sec

Pairing: Trafalgar Law x reader

Content: pining, yearning, wanting, and needing <3 no smut just fluff! kissing and smooching, just one mention of “going further”! reader is a heart pirate and likes reading :)

Word Count: 1.4k

A/N: it’s been a while since i wrote something for my man (Law <3) so i had fun with this😇☝️inspired by lyrics from the song “Hostage” by billie eilish… i love writing based on songs, it’s probably bc i have music playing 24/7 in either my headphones or on a speaker, and i just love music! so it’s easy to get inspo or create scenarios while listening to it, yk? anyway, hope you enjoy! <3

I wanna be alone

Danger around every corner, piles of work, tasks demanding his attention, and crew members in need of their captain’s opinion are all sources of constant stress for one Trafalgar Law. It’s not that he doesn’t love being a surgeon; it’s his passion, nor his crew; they’re the closest thing he has to a family now. It's just that his battery in all aspects- social, mental, physical- is constantly drained.

The only things keeping him going are steaming cups of black coffee and the rare moments of quiet before he passes out on top of his comforter. And, no matter what form the momentarily relief from life takes, it most always comes when Law is alone. He prefers it that way, anyway.

Alone with you, does that make sense?

He prefers being alone, really. Which is why nothing about you makes sense. Right off the bat, Law has felt differently around you than others. He made an effort not to show that difference in opinion no matter how strong it came to be at times.

Times like now, where sleep eludes Law despite how damn tired he is. For whatever reason, all he wants is to hold something- no, someone… you. Law wants to hold you. Or maybe you could hold him, who cares about the specifics?

Law flips on his stomach and groans into his pillow. This is new territory. He’s never wanted someone the way he wants you. A partner to hold close on nights like these, or to simply be alone with.

I wanna steal your soul

He has considered, on multiple occasions, telling you how he feels. But Law would never actually do such a thing. It would be a complicated and messy affair, surely, thanks to your positions. (His as your captain and yours as his subordinate.) And he wouldn’t want you to feel like you had to accept his confession, either.

Still… he wishes you were his, in every way a person could give themself to another.

And hide you in my treasure chest

At least you’re on his crew. You’re always nearby, should he need you, which he often does. Sometimes, Law likes to call you into his office for a made up reason. “Y/n-ya,” he’d say, “give me a rundown on tomorrow’s conditions at sea.” Though you’re not the navigator of the ship, you still know plenty about seafaring, so you’d comply. Then he’d find some other trivial matter to discuss, or offer you a new book so you could later exchange thoughts on it. Just something- anything to keep you around as long as possible. It’s so much more peaceful with you.

I don't know what to do

But how to make your role in his life a more permanent one? Law hasn’t a clue. Tonight, like many others, you sit on a couch in Law’s office. Neither of you speak, but the atmosphere is calm and comfortable.

Or it should be. Law discreetly looks your way every few minutes, then every few seconds. His eyes follow the way yours scan side to side over a page of your book. From the lines of your jaw and neck, to stray hairs falling over the curve of your cheek.

The usually undetectable tension seems to be coming to a point tonight, and Law doesn’t know how to resolve it. But he wants to, almost as much as he wants you.

So, for once in his life, he moves without much planning. Law rises from his desk and crosses the room to sit beside you. He (stiffly) puts his arm around the back of the couch. Naturally, you give him a perplexed look- it’s not like Law to suddenly reach out like this, physically or otherwise.

“Good book?”

“Yeah, thanks for recommending it.”

“For sure.”

“…Is that all?”

He nods, then pulls his hat lower over his eyes. Silently, he makes a plan to abort this failed mission.

Luckily, you stop him and take the initiative.

To do with your kiss on my neck

Law lifts his arm back off the couch and over you. But, you gently grab his wrist before he can go any farther. “Law, is there… You know you can tell me anything, right?”

Again, he simply nods. A moment of silently staring into each other’s eyes passes, and he leans forwards extremely hesitantly. Your hand moves from his wrist and tentatively rests on his shoulder. Still, Law doesn’t break eye contact (for once in his life), continuing to lean forward at a painfully slow pace. So you allow your hand to travel up to the side of his neck.

“You can kiss me.”

He nods again slightly, “I know. I- I will.”

I don't know what feels true

At long last, Law places a featherlight kiss on the corner of your lips. It’s an unsure, awkward action, but welcome nonetheless. His lips linger on yours, not quite aligned for a moment. Despite your breath being held, you allow your eyes to close and savor the feeling. You want more than this chaste kiss from him, of course, but you’d take your time with it. Law isn’t the kind of man you’d want to have a touch and go experience with. No, he’s the kind the one that you want to savor. The one that you want to take your relationship slow and steady with as he wants, and as a result get to spend even longer in his company.

When he pulls away, you can’t help but smile. Law’s parted lips close into the gentle curve of a smile as well, his usual smirk appearing much more bashful. The two of you lean back into each other. Your noses are nudged and warm breaths mingle before your lips can meet again.

But this feels right, so stay a sec

Law realizes he’s never done this before; kissing. But now, he’s hooked. He still doesn’t really know if he’s doing it correctly; if you’re enjoying the experience as much as he is, but it feels good. Therefore, he must be doing something right. Plus you only pull away from him to take breaths before immediately returning your lips to where they belong (on his), which confirms his hopes.

What started as a sweet and slow kiss ends up becoming a much hotter make out session. Months of pent up attraction and feelings for each other spill over, out of your mouth into his (and vice versa.) He’s the first to swipe his tongue across your bottom lip and get you to open up, and proceeds to groan into your mouth in a way that’s surprisingly communicative of how strongly he feels. It gets to the point where, besides your hands roaming over each others backs, you feel that your saliva must also be permanently entangled.

But all good things must come to an end. You pull back completely so that you and Law are properly facing each other, rather than within kissing range. “Law, I… We should talk about this. Before we go any farther.”

His face heats up at the implication; he hadn’t even thought that far ahead, too lost in your sweet taste, warm skin, and soft lips to do so. He nods and just murmurs, “Okay, let’s just keep doing this.”

You agree and kiss him without another word.

Yeah, you feel right, so stay a sec

When you do both finally wind down, and are left as nothing but half-sleep puddles in each other’s arms, Law murmurs something unintelligible into your hair.

Silence passes, though you can practically hear the gears in Law’s head turning. Finally, he speaks his mind. “Don’t go.”

A smile graces your features. How pleasantly surprising it is to have your captain- possibly the most closed off man you’d ever known- asking for you to stay. Of course, you hum in negation. “Wasn’t planning on it.”

His arms seem to tighten around you- though whether it’s reflexively or to keep you close, you’re unsure. “Good.” Then, Law murmurs something unintelligible against you.

“Hm?” He can feel the vibration on your lips against the side of his face more than he can hear it. That’s how closely you’re pressed into him.

Law clears his throat. “You feel right.”

“So do you.”

[cryslut]

Spoiled | Fyodor D.

「 𝐅𝐲𝐨𝐝𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐞𝐯𝐬𝐤𝐲 」

- in which fyodor takes you out on a date

- gender neutral reader

- 2nd pov

- modern au, rich fyodor, fulfilling his husband duties as he should, gentle sweet fyodor moments

not proofread, possible grammatical errors

first time writing fluff in a long time, fyodor fluff was requested so hope u enjoy :D

↳ 𝐅𝐲𝐨𝐝𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐞𝐯𝐬𝐤𝐲

A stream of classical music played softly in the background, your husband, Fyodor, was currently reading from one of his novels on his chair next to the window. The wind blowing softly through his hair as he takes a sip of his tea. You were scrolling on your phone, browsing through some of your favorite apps while laying comfortable on the couch nearby. A giant flat screen television was right in front of it as well as an elegant brown coffee table.

You had been on your phone for days and not outside, it made Fyodor be a tad bit concerned for you, due to the fact you did enjoy the outdoors. At least that's what he assumed, but in reality. You adored the outdoors for him mostly. It wasn't bad to you, not at all, you did love taking pictures of the beautiful atmospheric sceneries that you visited with your husband.

You two lived in a beautiful cozy mansion, having maids who cleaned and looked after the home and the both of you as well. It was something you could only dream of living in but Fyodor gave you everything, a beautiful home, expensive things such as clothing that you adored so much, precious treasures and gifts.

"Sweetheart, you've been on your phone for quite some time, why don't we go out for a while, yes?" He broke the silence that had filled the room previously, you nodded your head at him, giving him a soft smile, "Sure, I'd love to."

You swipe up on your getting rid of your apps so the battery wouldn't drain fast. Sitting up on the couch as Fyodor put a bookmark in his book setting it on the table in front of the two chairs by the window that were across from each other. He set his now empty cup of tea on the table to the side of the chair. You both standing up practically at the same time.

Both adjusting yourselves and your clothes, you fix your somewhat messy hair, "No need to bring your wallet, darling. I'll be paying for everything. All you have to do is tell me what you want," a smile forms on his lips. You comply but question his demand, "Why, are you sure?"

He nods his head at your question, "I want this day to be about you, I want to see this day uplift your mood," the same smile stuck on his lips as if he was a mere doll who couldn't move. You nod your head at him, giving him a smile in return, "Okay."

,

Arriving at a destination, you two exit a matte black limousine that constantly took the both of you anywhere you wanted to go, constantly waiting outside to drive you somewhere else. You look up once stepping out of the vehicle, a beautiful scenery filled your eyes.

A beautiful garden with lots of trees shading the area from the summers heat, some mesmerizing flowers of all sorts of colors and petal sizes and shapes scattered neatly around bushes that followed on the side of a pathway. Fyodor grabs a hold of your hand gently leading you towards the amazing sight, "Isn't this beautiful? I wanted to take you here, it's always been a favorite place of mine to relax and read."

Your gaze met his as he turned his head to look at you with an amused expression as he could tell that you were shocked from the mesmerizing sights, giving him a soft and ecstatic smile, "It's amazing, Fedya. Thank you."

"It's nothing to thank me for, sweetheart. I just want to share my favorite spots with the one I love and cherish the most," his grip tightens softly against your hand, using his thumb to caress along your skin softly, "This place reminds me of you in a way. It's quiet but it's beautiful, it has its areas where it's dark and shady due to the trees but the butterflies love it here. The flowers bloom every chance they get. You, my dear, are quite like this beautiful garden. Soft, delicate, and so sweet."

You smile at his words while your heart flutters, "You are so special to me, sweetie. I've never met a man as amazing as you," letting go of his hand, you pulled him into a hug as he caresses your back softly as he plants a kiss on your forehead, "So are you, мой милый малыш."

(мой милый малыш - my sweet baby)

(pronounced: moy-milyy-malysh)

Fyodor breaks the hug and grabs a hold of your hand leading you out of the garden, "I have other plans for us, let's go."

,

The limousine was parked outside once more, this time you two were at a mall. Not just any mall, it was a shopping center for rich people. Fyodor leading you towards a store that had clothing of your style that was also rare to get online or anywhere else, "Pick out whatever you want, darling."

You walked through each isle carefully looking at the clothes, while your husband followed behind you. Picking out whatever clothes you wanted the most. Fyodor kept on insisting to get more, pushing you to grab more clothes you liked. There was a jewelry section, you grabbed a few things, some had real diamonds and pearls on a few pieces. You picked out your favorites of all of them.

Finally walking to the counter to pay for everything. You had grabbed so many items that it all came out to three grand. Fyodor smiled and waved goodbye to the man dressed fancy at the register as you two walked side by side carrying the bags. Walking outside to the limo, the driver awaiting the arrival of the both of you, grabbing the bags from Fyodor placing them in the trunk, as well as taking them from you.

,

It was the last place of the day, it had become night time and it was finally six o clock. You were now in a super fancy restaurant, one of the best in the city. You two sat at a table the was reserved for two. You looked through the menu, staring down all the fancy looking food. The waiter had already brought you two a glass of iced cold water.

"Anything you like, dear?" Your gaze trailing up falling upon your husband, "I want this," pointing out a meal, it had a fancy display of (f/f) and a few sides. Fyodor nodded his head, once the waiter came to take your order, your husband had ordered everything for the both of you. The lady gave a soft smile to the both of you as she walked away.

"Are you enjoying this day so far, my love?" He breaks the silence, "Of course, I enjoy every moment that is spent with you. Thank you for taking me to one of your favorite spots. It was absolutely beautiful, we should definitely go there again one of these days," you smiled softly at him.

Nodding his head in agreement to your words, "Oh I'd love to take you there again, there's a few other special spots that I need to show you. I think you'd love them, one of them suits your style, the other two are quite amazing as well."

"I'd love to go with you, wherever you are, is where I want to be," he smiles at your words, grabbing a hold of your hands as you both had your arms reaching towards each other on the table.

The waiter brings two large plates of a delicious fancy looking dinner to you both. Beginning to chow down the second she leaves, enjoying every last bite, savoring the amazing taste. After moments and moments of you two enjoying your meals together, while talking about all sorts of things, the lady brings the check. Fyodor pulls out his wallet, ready to pay whenever you two leave.

Fyodor hands her the money that is owed as you two got up to leave to go back home where you two spent the rest of your night, watching a couple of movies together.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

i'm sorry if that felt rushed. fluff is not my forte so i hope this wasn't so bad

if u would like to support this work and also my other works be sure to also follow me on wattpad. i publish everything there and im currently working on a yandere bsd men x reader.

link: https://www.wattpad.com/user/cryxans <3

[rabesbabe]

intertwined, sewn together

Cassandra Webb x Reader

Summary: Your girlfriend, Cassie, has been away from you for too long. And now that she’s finally back around you she feels like you’re not giving her the attention she deserves. (alludes to smut but no actual smut)

Requests: Open!

A/N: I wanted to write a little bit of some insecure Cassie soo here’s that. Readers a little idiot in this but they get better towards the middle I swear. I hope you guys like this sorry for my shitty writing as usual!

Cassie rolled her eyes. She sat on the couch in the apartment you and her shared. She sipped at her wine while watching you laugh at a joke your friend, or so you said, made.

Your friend was gorgeous, she had brown eyes, freckles, blonde hair and somehow always looked like she came straight from the beach. So basically the exact opposite of your girlfriend, Cassie Webb.

Deep down Cassandra knew she shouldn’t be jealous. You were deeply devoted to her and she knew you’d never do anything to ruin your relationship. But, her surface feelings were greater than what her mind was telling her.

I mean, she had just gotten home from a week long trip to Peru and the most you had said to her since your friend arrived was “Good Morning”.

She couldn’t stand the sight of watching you two giggle while drinking wine and talking. Maybe she could’ve tried to join in the conversation but instead she got up suddenly and went into your shared room. She’d rather not watch her girlfriend be stolen away from her. So, instead she decided to go to sleep.

“Is she okay?” Your friend, Grace, said. You slightly raise your shoulders as if to shrug. And you look at her with a puzzled face. You had no idea why Cassie walked off so abruptly.

“It is getting late i’m sure she’s probably just tired,” You say looking down at your wrist checking the time.

“You’re right I should probably go home anyway.” Says the blonde.

“Sounds good i’ll see you later Grace.” You give her a sympathetic smile goodbye as she exits your apartment.

As you clean up the left over dishes you smile at the thought of finally being able to go to sleep next to your girlfriend after her being gone for so long.

But first you had to make sure she was okay.

Cassie has never really been a people person. So, you just assume that maybe having company drained her social battery faster than usual.

You walk over to your room to check on her.

“Cassie?” You say lightly before entering the room.

You take in the sight of her. She’s basically buried under the covers with just her head peaking out. She looks cute and you almost wish you could take a picture of her, but you knew better.

You sit down on the bed next to her and lift the covers up. “Are you okay babe?” You ask, while reaching over to fix her lopsided bangs.

She pushes your hand away from her face and mumbles out a barely audible “Yeah.” She turns away from you and pulls the covers back over herself.

You frown at her reaction and wonder if maybe she just doesn’t want to talk about whatever’s bothering her. Sometimes it takes her a while to open up and you wanted to respect that.

“Do you want to watch a movie maybe?” You ask hoping that maybe the topic change and the idea of relaxing together would cheer her up.

To your surprise she sits up and moves from under the covers. Glaring at you she snaps out, “Why? Wouldn’t you rather watch a movie with your friend Grace? I wouldn’t want to interrupt you guys ‘quality time.’” She says emphasizing the words quality time.

You widen your eyes at her accusation and even though she’s upset she moves closer to you silently begging for your attention. You finally start to realize that maybe, just maybe she was jealous.

You smile at her in a teasing way. She rolls her eyes at you, “What?” She says, struggling to stay mad at you when you have such a goofy smile on your face.

“Are you upset? About Grace and I hanging out?” You ask.

Cassie sighs and looks down realizing she was a little bit harsh. “No, It’s not her fault,” She shrugs “I guess I just wished you were paying attention to me and not her. I mean I haven’t seen you for a week. It’s like you didn’t miss me at all.” She admits running her hands through her hair.

“Cassie,” You whisper, not knowing what to say to her. You look at her and frown at how sad her beautiful blue eyes look. “I didn’t mean to make you feel ignored, you know I missed you. I spent the whole week thinking about when i’d be able to see you next,” She looks up at you, hopeful.

“I’m sorry my love. My focus should’ve been on you tonight.”

You lean into her for a hug and she opens herself up to you, accepting your apology.

She softly kisses you and when you pull back you notice a small blush over her cheeks.

“I missed you so much.” She admits.

“I missed you too Cassie.” You say and you lean back in to kiss her. This time more passionate than the last. She moves her hands down to your waist. Lightly trying to move your shirt up and you giggle. You pull away from her. “Ohh so you said all of that just to get lucky huh? Wow.” You say sarcastically.

She looks at you and laughs, slightly out of breath from kissing you. “You’re such an asshole.” She says, smiling through bruised lips.

“I know.” You say with a smile.

[winsmoke]

Inspired by Chanyeol’s “Tomorrow,” afab y/n x jaehyun, stand alone idol au, <1k of longing and pining, tiny angst & smut; minors dni

Jaehyun’s eyes follow you. Follow your eyes. Why aren’t they on his?

Somehow, amongst the high pitched chatter and glitzy music on the rooftop bar, you sense his gaze and within a minute, you approach him with a wobbly smile. It’s easy to tell that you’re trying to hide your excitement.

“Jaehyun,” you greet, covering your grin with your hands.

Jaehyun takes your hand in his. It’s warm like his.

He gently lifts your wrist, bringing the back of your hand up to his eyes. “Still wearing green nail polish?” he comments.

“Still blind?” you respond.

Jaehyun can’t think of what to say. He’s just smiling dumbly.

It’s been a month since he’s last seen you. It’s never often. And even when he’s lucky, and he gets a few days with you, it’s not enough. But you always come back to him. Whether it’s in his instagram comments or his dreams. You walk in and out of his life like you’re wandering around the world just to return to him.

He takes in your beauty and longs to slip his fingers between yours but there’s too many people around.

“Walk me out?” you ask, casually slipping your arm around his.

“You’re leaving already?” Jaehyun asks.

“Social battery’s drained,” you admit as you look longingly towards the doors.

“Let’s go somewhere quieter,” he suggests. “Catch up.”

You shake your head slowly, your tired expression surfacing. “It��s been a long day.”

In the elevator ride down, Jaehyun does his best to convince you otherwise.

Stay with me, Jaehyun tries to say while trying to tempt you into getting ice cream with him. You’ve always had a sweet tooth but you’re quick to refuse. You’re sad but firm.

In the flash of darkness as the elevator doors pull part, Jaehyun watches as your eyes squeeze together. As if getting yourself ready to leave him.

But he bites back the disappointment and watches your Uber drive away.

“Tomorrow,” you had promised before getting in the car. “I’ll text you tomorrow.”

Tomorrow, Jaehyun thinks solemnly.

Tomorrow’s another full day. Carted to SM headquarters for meetings, dance and vocal practice until exhaustion takes over and then he’s carted back. Another day of being monitored, of monitoring.

That’s what makes you so special. Somehow so separate from all of that. No one knows about you.

My secret. Mine without being mine.

There’s these small windows of escape that you provide. And tomorrow with you promises another day of escape.

In his bed, Jaehyun wonders what you’ll text him. He wonders if you’ll continue to unravel him. He wonders how much he’ll allow to be unraveled.

If he could just let go, you could be his. If he could just let you in, you’d be in his arms right now. How can he tell you how much he needs you when he doesn’t know himself?

If only he could admit how much he misses your voice and how wonderful you sound when you’re humming your favorite songs. How he adores your ranting and your strange way of sneezing.

Your birthday and christmas cards on his nightstand, he touches them the way he wants to touch your cheek.

He can imagine how it’d be living with you and not with his members. There would be no closed doors, no privacy.

He has the feeling that you’d want to be naked all the time. That he’d want you to be naked all the time.

Jaehyun longs for the body that isn’t his. He claws over your body in his mind. Thinks about how he would make out with you for hours, raking over your ass, hips, boobs, and thighs until they’re shivering with need. He thinks about teasing you endlessly until you’re begging to be filled. Tasting you and fucking you until neither of you can think.

He knows you want him. You know he wants you. But for now, his imagination has to be enough.

He imagines you giving him head in the shower. Thinks about bending you over the bed. Jaehyun tries watching porn but what gets him off is thinking about how’d you moan for him.

He’s reaching for his phone, reaching for you. He needs to call you, needs to hear your voice. But what would he say?

Finger lingering over the FaceTime button, Jaehyun imagines you asleep in your achingly empty bed. You’d be cranky if he calls now. But he likes you when your cranky. But not quite like.

Jaehyun sighs, letting his phone fall next to his shoulder before closing his eyes.

Maybe tomorrow. He’ll tell you he loves you then.

[n04hfiction]

Dating Loona Headcanons

Content/Warnings (If applicable): Sexual Content (MDNI, there’ll be a split between the NSFW content!), Profanity, Implied!Male Reader (Usage of “guy” once), OOC(?) Loona

Proofread: ✅

SFW:

Loona spent years in the adoption center, infact, a good chunk of her life, and she had only been with Blitzø for a few years now, so it’s safe to say you’re her first partner

She was most likely very awkward during the talking stage, she doesn’t talk to many outside of IMP, so honestly, it may not be easy for her at first

A talking stage with Loona consists of her being extremely awkward and nervous, borderline geeky in a sense, whether you realized it or not. She probably found you attractive from the start, like before you guys ever properly spoke, so it’s not even like she had something to start off of with you.

Going back to her life in the adoption center, we can tell that she wasn’t seen as something or someone important, and let’s be real here, she probably knew they thought that — So I can see her love language being words of affirmations, after so many years, the only thing she really needs is to be told she is enough

I can also imagine Loona’s love language in terms of giving being physical affection, she’s probably very clingy after her years in the shelter, and she just wants to hold you and never have to let you go, because she feels like if she does she might lose you forever

In terms of petnames, I can see this going two ways, Loona won’t really call you petnames aside from “babe” or maybe “hun” cause she feels like a lovesick teenager otherwise, but if you call her something she absolutely FOLDS!! Loona really gets into it whenever you call her something with “my ____”, or anything with “dear” or “sweet” - Which might surprise you, because she doesn’t use petnames BECAUSE she thinks they sound cheesy, but when you call her the cheesy petnames, she folds like a piece of paper!

An ideal date for Loona would be staying in and just cuddling while watching a movie, as much as Loona is down to party, her social battery can get drained pretty easy, so she’d much rather stay in with the one person she knows gets her - Except at your place, she’d rather die than cuddle with you infront of Blitzø

Speaking of Blitzø, she’s hesitant to introduce you both, she knows how Blitzø can be, especially when it comes to her and a guy, but she knows she has to have you both meet at some point.

Blitzø is protective (as well as defensive) at first, which honestly, is fair enough, but once he gets to know you he ends up liking you just fine! Especially if you let him ramble about his horse fantasies, he’ll really like you then!

This might be a surprise, but Loona isn’t much of a hand-holder, it’s just not her thing — and she really only kisses you in private, but she loves hugging you! This girl loves hugs! She hugs you goodbye after every date, she hugs you as her way of saying thank you when she can’t form the words quite right, she loves hugging you

NSFW:

Along with being Loona’s first partner, you are also her first time, which comes with a few different things to unpack here.

Firstly, Loona is very insecure when it comes to sex (at first), and she hardly ever even touched herself before you. The first few times of even attempting sex she’ll back out, she’s really insecure and overall scared of being abandoned, the shelter really did do a number on her.

I also personally headcanon that Loona has body-image issues, she’s a bit thick in certain places, and she’s covered in fur - So if you’re not covered in fur, she’ll get very anxious about how you’ll choose to handle it. (Occasionally she’ll slip into her human disguise specifically for sex, because she is terrified of you getting annoyed by her fur for whatever reason).

Loona is very subby for the first few months of having sex with you, but as she starts to grow and get used to it, she can definitely start to dom, maybe even lean towards it, I see her as a softer but also teasing dom, but I can also see her being rougher when and if the situation calls for it

She fucking thrives off of anything to do with her clit (fingering, eating out, ect) - It’s also probably her more sensitive area. Making out with Loona while fingering her and fondling with her breasts is probably one of the things that gets her off the most, and (as long as you’re not opposed), she is definitely into the idea of riding your face

In contrast to her love language, she definitely has a degradation kink, she gets the biggest kick out of being called a whore or slut or a bitch or anything of that sorts (even if in non-sexual situations things would be much different)

Another thing, Loona isn’t one to cry or get overly vulnerable in a relationship (although she does from time to time), making her cry during sex is definitely something you do a lot (in a healthy and consensual way, ofc)

[x0x0josephinex0x0]

hi okay so idk if your reqs are open rn (if not oops im really sorry) but pls plsplspls could you do svt with a socially exhausted introverted s/o (just coups if not svt) (this is totally not based on me and how absolutely tired i am of social gatherings) please only do it if you are inspired and have time! Dont force yourself!!! Also lysm youre doing great

ABSOLUTELY I will do this for you (also hi very rude of you to call me out like this, i am ur resident socially exhausted/overstimulated introvert gf) but since you brought up cheol I can't stop thinking about it for him and it fits so well! so here you go my lovely!! so: cheol with his socially exhausted s/o, or you can't filter your thoughts when you're peopled out and accidentally tell seungcheol you want to marry him (and maybe have his kids) gn reader, this is all meant to be comforting and cute, there are mentions of gambling at the beginning, pet names are used (baby, honey).

It's seven in the evening and Seungcheol has to settle a bet.

"Sorry guys. It's over." He throws in his cards, tosses some spare bills onto the table, and grabs his coat while the other boys groan.

"You owe me $50," Vernon says in English to Joshua, who shakes his head in disappointment.

Seungcheol decidedly will not be telling you about how the guys had bet how long you'd be able to last at your social engagement before texting him to come get you. Almost nobody had had any faith in you, and Seungcheol privately hoped they were right because you'd been so busy lately and he'd been missing you, but he knew that you'd be grumpy about people betting against you.

He's almost giddy, skipping to his car and humming along to the music as he drives to come pick you up, but that all changes when he sees you. Normally, not even your introverted nature can keep you from lighting up when you saw Seungcheol, but all you can manage is a tired smile and a wave as he pulls up to the curb where you're waiting.

"Hey baby," you call to him as he hops out of the car to open your door. "How was game night?"

"Boring," he says, wrapping you up in a hug, partially because it's true and partially because he knows how guilty you'll feel if he tells you he was enjoying himself and you pulled him away. (Never mind the fact that he'd leave his own presidential inauguration just to pick up a flower you liked.)

Seungcheol feels you slump against him, and he chuckles. "Tired?"

"You have no idea." This has been a busy and demanding work week for you, not to mention that your family recently moved closer to spend more time with you, and while you're very close, your sometimes demanding social battery is drained, leaving you exhausted, more irritable and emotional than normal, and prone to long episodes of dissociation in public. Even now, you can feel yourself begin to tear up. "I'm sorry for stealing you away."

He sighs, exasperated. "Let's get my baby home to rest."

He keeps one of his hands in yours as he drives. "Thanks for coming to get me," you say as you lean against the side of his car.

"Of course, honey," he says, keeping his eyes on the road. "Thanks for calling me."

If there's one thing Seungcheol will always do for you, it's unconsciously erase all of your anxiety around being a burden. It was one of the reasons it was so easy for you to be around him -- you felt so safe with him. He never made you feel like any favor you asked of him was too much, and he always made it seem like such a privilege to love you the way he did, without you ever even having to say anything. It's this thought that has you smiling at his profile, watching him as he drives until he gives you an uneasy look. "Are you okay?" he asks.

"Yes," you reply easily. "You're a fine man, Choi Seungcheol."

"Did you drink tonight?" he asks.

You swat his arm. "No, I'm just too tired to filter my thoughts. And my thoughts are saying that you're really pretty."

"You are pretty," he says quietly, smiling to himself. "But thanks."

"You're welcome," you say, settling back into the seat and closing your eyes.

By the time you arrive home, you're feeling calmer and less scattered. After parking in the driveway, Seungcheol comes around the side of the car to open your door again. "Can I carry you inside?" he asks hopefully.

"Now?" He's been asking this since you moved in together. "I'm okay, really."

"You look reeeeeeeeeeeally tired," he begs. "What's the point of all this gym stuff if not to carry you across the threshold of our shared residence?"

"Save it for the wedding night, Seungcheol," you tell him, and then the both of you freeze.

Because really, that is the reason you haven't let him yet. Of course, you hadn't planned on telling him that until much, much later, but once again, your social battery being on 5% has gotten you into trouble.

But Seungcheol doesn't seem worried -- in fact, he seems kind of...proud? "Okay," he says staunchly, his chest puffed out. "I will save it for the wedding night. Amazing idea, baby."

You groan as you take his hand to let him help you out of the car. "Forget I said that."

"Not a chance," he says. "Don't worry though. I know you're tired, so I'll wait until tomorrow to ask you about wedding colors."

"Shut up," you giggle.

Seungcheol ushers you into the house and locks the door behind him, following you into the living room where you collapse on the couch. He laughs at the way your face is smushed into the couch cushions before padding into the bathroom and starting the water. You listen as he bumps around the bathroom, too tired to move your head to look at him, but a few minutes later he comes into the living room and crouches beside your face. "Come on, honey," he says quietly, his eyes overwhelmingly kind.

So you take his offered hand and let him lead you into the bathroom, where there is a candlelit bath with rose petals waiting for you. "Is the water okay?" he asks, a little nervous as you test it with your finger.

"It's perfect. Thank you."

"You're perfect," he says softly before leaning in to press a soft kiss to your nose. "I'll be waiting in bed for you."

Seungcheol closes the door quietly behind him as he leaves the room. You, for your part, are once again wondering where you found a man like him as you strip down and slip into the warm water, letting yourself fully unwind for the first time in a week.

You stay in the bath for nearly an hour, but it pays off -- you leave feeling much less frazzled and drained. You're still tired, though, and you're sure Seungcheol can see it on your face as you enter your shared bedroom clad in your pajamas, because he opens up the covers he's already under and motions for you to come into his arms.

You comply, nuzzling your head into his chest like a cat with its favorite patch of carpet, and he brings a broad hand up to cradle the back of your neck -- the spot where he knows you get your tension headaches, which he massages for you on days like today.

"Feeling better?" he asks softly, kissing your forehead.

"Yeah," you say. "Thanks."

You just lay there quietly for awhile, relishing the feel of his hand rubbing firm circles into your neck. You appreciate that he refrains from asking about your night, knowing you may need some time to process before you'll be ready to talk about it. But you know he's wondering, so you decide to give him something, even if it's not much. "It was really fun," you tell him. "It's just been a long week."

"I know, baby." He kisses your forehead again. "I'm impressed with you for going and for how long you stayed. And it's good progress that you called me before you got too overstimulated."

You chuckle. "It was either come home or start throwing things and maiming people."

"You made the right choice," Seungcheol says, and you can hear the grin in his voice.

The moment is so perfect you want to freeze it in time: this man with his arms around you, in the low light of the bedside lamp, and the way you can just be around him without any demands. Your damaged filter, on the other hand, has other plans. "I don't know what I'll do when our kids just want me to be around all the time," you worry aloud.

Seungcheol's arms tighten around you. "Our kids?" he asks quietly, and you cringe.

"I'm exposing myself majorly tonight," you say.

"No, no, it's alright," he says, obviously trying to conceal how gleeful he is. "This version of you is...something else. I really like it."

"I'm sure you do," you grumble, but you muster the strength to look him in the eye. "Just so long as we're on the same page, I don't really mind you knowing I want to marry you and have your kids."

"We are most definitely on the same page," Seungcheol states firmly, leaning down a bit to kiss you. "I was on that page forever ago, so I'm glad you finally caught up."

And as he kisses you again, you think that as long as you've got him to love you whether or not you're capable of controlling your thoughts, any potential bumps in the road you might experience will be alright.

[last-herondale]

You Belong Here, With Me

Loki x FemReader

���Angst, fluff, hurt/comfort

Tw: None that i can think of

A/N: I had an idea for a scene where the reader is hidden on Asgard while the Avengers fight a threat for her back on Earth. Loki is stuck being the host, but he really doesn’t mind. She doesn’t feel like she fits into Loki’s world, but Loki has a different opinion.

Enjoy 🤘🏼

It had been a miracle that you managed to slip away from the celebration. While the Asgardians certainly knew how to throw a party, your social battery had been drained from the past few weeks.

You had agreed, when the team suggested you lay low for the time being. Earth was too chaotic, too unsafe for you right now. The largest target was on your back, and the only way to keep the people you cared about safe from harm was to leave.

Carol had many planets she offered to take you to. One where it was summer all year long, and the beaches were the most beautiful in the galaxy. You had declined. When Quill offered to pick you up for a time to travel with the guardians, you declined. But when Thor offered to take you to Asgard and have Loki stay to keep you company…

You shook your head at the memory. How stupid it seemed now.

You had slipped out of the ballroom, taking great care to not be followed. It was difficult adjusting to the Asgardian fashion. Frigga had sent up many fine dresses of various fabric and color. Tonight you selected an elegant royal blue dress that exposed most of your back and shoulders. You had a long silk shaw to match, and the ends of it billowed behind you as you hurried down the hallway towards your room.

You could still hear the music and laughter pouring from the ballroom as you shut the door right behind you. Immediately your body relaxed. You kicked off your shoes and meandered your way to the vanity table. You began to undo your earrings when you heard the door click open.

“Turning in early I see,” Loki said, shutting the door as he entered. You watched him from the mirror, and were struck by the beauty of him in his green and gold clothes. “I do believe the party was just getting started.”

“Leave me be,” you muttered. Loki rolled his eyes and made his way toward your bed. He sat on the corner closest to you.

“What kind of host would I be if I left you unattended during a party?” He kept his voice playful, but there was concern ridden in his blue eyes. It had been a strange few weeks. The two of you agreed it would be best to keep this relationship, or whatever it was that had grown between the two of you on Earth, under wraps while in Asgard. Loki had his reasons, all in good nature, he had promised, but still he was tight lipped about it all. You wondered what kind of customs Asgardians practiced when it came to intimacy, and you were too embarrassed to ask.

You sighed as you removed the rings and bracelets from your hands. They had been gifts from him, far too beautiful for the occasion. Your hands began to move towards your neck to unhook the maze of necklaces, but Loki was up in a flash.

“Allow me,” he said. He pushed your hair aside to one shoulder in a delicate motion. His hands were cool on the back of your neck, and you had to stop yourself from shivering. Carefully, began to unclasp each necklace and place them on the vanity.

“Tell me what troubles you, my love,” Loki said. He looked at you through the mirror's reflection. You stared at each other for a moment as Loki undid the last necklace. His fingers seemed to linger a bit on your shoulder, giving you the smallest of caresses.

The touch heated your blood and you stood from the vanity, turning to face him. His eyes searched yours, all amusement gone from his expression. Moonlight pooled in from your window, casting a beautiful pale light across Loki’s features. He was so ethereally beautiful that it hurt to look at him sometimes. You longed to touch him. To be able to openly touch him and love him as unabashedly as you had on Earth.

“I would prefer not talk about it tonight. Please, leave.” You whispered. You hated turning him away, but your heart and mind were too muddled and weary to feel anything else.

Hurt flashed across his face for a moment, but he quickly composed himself and simply shrugged. “As you wish.”

He strode a few steps forward, leaving you where you stood. You turned away, waiting for the door to slam shut after him but it never came.

“Have I done something to offend you?” He asked, facing the door. He slowly turned around as you looked at him. “If I have done anything, y/n, please let me correct it. You know I hate it when you're angry with me, darling. Please, tell me what I've done.”

His words rattled your resolve. You bit your lip to keep it from trembling. Your emotions from the past few weeks began to overflow, and it took all your strength to keep the tears at bay.

“It’s not you, Loki. It’s me,” you said, your voice cracked on the last word. Loki’s gaze softened immediately, any facade of anger or amusement gone. He stepped forward, placing his hands on your elbows.

“Y/n-“

You stepped back from his grip and began to pace the length of your room.

“I don’t belong here, Loki. This whole thing was a mistake.”

“What?” Loki ask incredulously. “Who the hell told you that nonsense? I shall have their tongues removed-”

“No one- I told myself that. Because it’s true. I don’t fit in here.” Tears brimmed the edge of your eyes. You silently cursed yourself for being so emotional. Why should it matter if you didn’t fit in here? Why did you care so much? It wasn't as if this was a permanent situation. You would be leaving just as soon as things settled down on Earth. Why did the idea of leaving hurt just as bad? They were answers you hadn’t been able to find in the time you had been on Asgard.

You expected Loki to laugh. It sounded ridiculous enough in your head and saying it out loud didn’t give the words anymore validity. But still, your heart twinged at the thought. But he didn’t. Instead he just stood there, looking thoughtfully at you, as if he understood.

“You are unhappy here…”

You winced at the sadness that lingered in his sultry voice. You stopped pacing and took refuge by sitting on the edge of your bed.

“It’s not that I haven’t enjoyed my time here. Truly, your home is beautiful- it’s magnificent. Everyone here has been nothing short of generous, especially your mother, but I just-“

You took a ragged breath. “I’m just a human. A human that made a very big mistake to have to be hidden away. I’m a mess. I don’t fit in here- amongst gods in their golden palace. I’m not like you Loki.”

“I believe you and I are more alike than you’d care to admit. And you are so much more than just a human.” You blinked at him, shocked by his response. He didn’t seem angry, or even the slightest bit annoyed by your explanation. Instead, a hint of playfulness danced in his eyes. He moved closer to you extending out his hand.

“May I show you something?” He asked. You opened your mouth to object but he just clicked his tongue, cutting you off. “If you still wish to leave afterwards I will have Heimdall take you anywhere you’d wish to go. Just- humor me for a moment. Please?”

You gave him an uncertain look, but the small grin on his face made your heart lurch in your chest. You placed your hand in his and followed him as he led you out of your room.

“Loki- my shoes…” you began as your bare feet hit the cool marble walkway outside of your room.

“Don’t worry, darling, you won’t need them. Come, quickly before someone sees us.”

The two of you ran through the palace. Loki kept the two of you close to the dark passage ways, making sure to stay clear from any other person that lingered the halls. Music from the ballroom could still be heard across the palace. It’s fast tempo gave the ground beneath your feet a heartbeat.

Loki held you close, never letting go of your hand as the two of you ducked into a single spiraled stairwell. Unexpectedly, he swept you off your feet and began to carry you as he ran up the stairs. You let out a swell of laughter as the two of you ascended, wrapping your arms around his neck for support. You fought the urge to kiss him, biting your bottom lip as you held him.

Once you made it to the top, Loki gently put you down and took your hand again. He walked with you this time, following the corridor until the entrance arched into a beautiful awning. Your eyes widened at the sight of Asgard in the starlight. The city seemed to dance underneath the moonlight, and the glow from the Bifrost glimmered in the distance.

You leaned on the stone edge balcony, letting the ends of your shawl blow loosely in the wind. Loki stepped closer beside you, the left side of your body felt warmed by his presence.

“It’s beautiful,” you murmured.

“As are you,” Loki said. You felt your cheeks burn as the compliment. “Do you know why I offered to bring you here?”

The question stunned you. The whole time you had assumed your placement here had been Thor’s idea. Loki took your silence as an answer and continued.

“I wanted you to come here because I could not think of any other place you deserved to be.”

Loki looked out onto the expanse of Asgard. His eyes grew soft at the sight of his home. “When I found out the truth of my past, I felt exactly as you feel now. Unworthy. And then when I continued to make mistake, after mistake-“

Loki’s voice broke. You placed your hand on top of his and held on tightly. He gave you a small smile and ran his thumb over your fingers. It was the most contact you two had since your arrival. Loki had been called away on official duties, standing in for Thor in his absence by attending meetings with Odin. But even this simple touch seemed to sustain the both of you.

“Asgard is a difficult place to call home. Especially for those of us that were not born from its glory. I have fought bitterly for my place here. I have hurt many who loved me for the sake of it, and have worked tirelessly to amend these wrongs and yet it often does not feel enough.”

Loki turned to you, taking both of your hands in his.

“I do not deserve it, but I am a son of Odin. I am a prince of Asgard, despite it all. And you,” his fingers tipped your chin up gently, moving your face closer to his. “From the moment I met you, I knew you belonged here. Even on Earth, in those quiet moments we shared together, your mind- your soul, you always reminded me of home.”

Tears were falling down your face now. Your body hitched with a small laugh as Loki wiped a tear away.

“I hoped you would fall in love with Asgard. Hoped that I could share with you one of the few parts of my life that I am actually proud of. I never wanted it to make you feel less than you are. And to me y/n, you are everything.”

Loki pulled his hands away for a moment. He held them out before you as magic illuminated around his palms. A thin silver crown made of silver vines appeared before Loki. Flecks of gold spilled around the silver, making the crown glimmer in his hands.

Loki looked at you, his gaze as steady and as sure as you’ve ever seen him. Before you stood a god, one that looked as if he would burn the world down for you, and you alone.

"There is beauty in the starlight of every corner of the galaxy, but I have found the one who for me, holds the stars."

"Loki?" you asked breathlessly.

Loki gave a small smile. "I was going to ask you tonight, before all of Asgard, if you would marry me. But as always, you made me change my plans when you left the ball early. "

"Marry you?" you whispered. Loki nodded, his pale blue eyes lit up his face.

“That’s why I was away these last few days. I spoke with my father, my mother, even Thor before we left, to ensure that if you were to accept- you would have your rightful place here with me, as a Princess of Asgard.”

“And-if Asgard does not make you happy my dear, then we can live on Earth. We could live anywhere- wherever you want. As long as I have you, I know I will be home.”

Words seemed to fail you. Tears continued to fall down your face as Loki looked at you with unbearable gentleness. “You would have me then?” You asked. “Despite everything..?”

Loki gave you a heartbreaking smile. He placed his hand on the side of your face and stroked your cheek. “Y/n, love,” he murmured. “I wish you could see yourself as I do. But I will spend the rest of our lives showing you how much you mean to me. I will be there, no matter what else comes your way. I will fight for you, and all you hold dear for the rest of my days."

You smiled as tears ran down your face. The wind blew tendrils of your hair around. You put your hands on Loki’s face, pulling him closer until the tips of your foreheads touched.

“Yes,” you whispered. "Yes, I will marry you."

Loki gave a soft, almost relieved, laugh. He used his free arm and wrapped it around your waist as he brought your body closer to his, until there was mere inches between you. His hand splayed out on the bare back of your dress as he brought you in for a kiss. You wrapped your arms around his neck and let him deepen the kiss, wanting to be consumed by him in every way. He broke apart, making sure to pepper your tear stained cheeks with light kisses.

He brought up the other hand that held the crown. You rolled his eyes at him as he spun it around his finger.

“A ring would have sufficed,” you teased.

“Not for you, my dear,” he murmured as he gently placed the crown on top of your head. “Nothing in the cosmos could suffice.”

The crown was light on your head. Loki took a step back to get a good look at you and his eyes seemed to darken as he took you in. You felt your face flush as you reached out for him to come back to you. He smiled as he spun you around, causing your dress to twirl in the moonlight. He kissed you again, holding you tightly against the backdrop of the Asgardian moon.

“Does this mean we have to return to the party?” You asked teasingly against his mouth.

“It is technically our engagement party. It would be rude to keep them waiting all night. I believe my mother had a cake made for us.”

He kissed the length of your neck, taking great care to give every exposed part of your skin attention. You smiled and tipped your head back, happiness radiating from every pore in your body.

“Can we wait- a few more minutes?” You asked breathlessly. Your hands traveled up the back of his neck, entangling into his hair as he kissed your collarbones.

“Darling,” he growled into your skin, “if you keep touching me like that, we may never make it back to that party.”

You laughed, letting yourself forget all of the doubt you had held in your heart. Playfulness danced in your eyes as you tipped Loki's face up to yours.

"No rush, or anything dear," you murmured. "But I did leave my shoes in my room."

Loki chuckled, giving you a wicked grin. With that he lifted you into his arms. "Let us make haste then to the bedroom- to retrieve my dear lady love's shoes, of course."

〰️

[jangofettjamz]

Meds

Jenna ortega x Autistic!Male!Reader

Summary: Jenna sees that you're anxious and encourages you to take your medication.

Words: 871

Jenna POV

Y/N and I just got back from the Doctor to get his prescription for his anxiety meds. He doesn't like taking them, as goes for any medication he has to take, but he needs them in times like these.

He's done so well with going to his appointments, even if he's not confident to go to them by himself he still makes the effort because he cares and wants to look after himself.

However, he can be a little stubborn despite what he'd tell you. He'll refuse to take them sometimes, says the meds make him drowsy, I don't blame him to be honest they do take a lot of energy out of him.

His social battery has practically been drained from having to talk to the receptionist, doctor and pharmacist so talking was gonna be kept to a minimum, which isn't a problem at all because I'm proud of how far he's come to even do that.

He's sitting on the couch playing with hands, he needs his meds but getting him to take them is a different conversation entirely. I'll have to be patient and convince him that it's okay to take them, he's always skeptical about taking them.

I walk up to him and try to get through to him. "Honey you alright? You're fidgeting a lot there, what's on your mind?" He shrugs; like I said his social battery is drained.

"You feeling anxious?" I ask being careful of what to say. He nods his head shyly keeping his hands in his sleeves.

I decided that getting an idea of how anxious he is would determine whether he should take them or not. "Can you tell me how anxious you're feeling right now on a scale of one to ten?" His mouth opened but no words formed, only exasper gasps; he's non verbal.

He immediately hides his face out of embarrassment, he hates being non verbal; finding it extremely frustrating when he can't say how he feels.

"Hey hey hey, that's okay if you can't speak right now babe, can you use your fingers to tell me how bad it is out of ten?" He nods and begins using his fingers to tell me his level of anxiety.

He held up seven fingers, I'd say that's high enough for him to need his meds. "Let me feel your pulse, sweetie." I felt his jugular pulse and it was going quite quick, so was his breathing.

"Your heart's a little fast sweetie, so is your breathing. Are you panicking a little?" He nods.

"Here hold my hand, squeeze if you need to. Take deep breaths with me, in *inhales* and out*exhales*. Good job baby, keep up with those deep breaths for me."

I sit him on my lap and hold him tight with his head on my shoulder, his legs wrapped around my waist as I rock him from side to side as a grounding technique. He was shaking slightly from his oncoming anxiety.

"Oh my sweet baby, I'm here. I'm here for as long as you need me for. I know today was a lot and I'm gonna help you get through it, okay? Just relax in my lap love bug, shhhh." I rub his back while giving him head scratches, that always calmed him a bit.

"I'm your safe space remember, nothing can hurt you when I'm with you. You're safe honey, you're always safe with me." His breathing began to slow and my rocking stops to look in his beautiful eyes.

"Do you wanna take your meds for me?" He shrugs again, atleast it's not a no so this might be easier than anticipated.

"How about this, we give you your meds and we can cuddle for as long as you want, your gonna be really tired after taking them so you may aswell rest with me. Does that sound good?" He nods and gets off my lap so I can prepare his meds.

I prepare a glass of water and bring it to the living room where he is. "Here you go babe" I say handing him the pills. I hold up the glass of water to his lips and he swallows the pills while I help him drink the water "drink up baby boy, you're doing really good" he hates taking pills.

He finishes his water and his pills are swallowed. "All done, good job babe." I coo and kiss his forehead. I seat him back in my lap and lay down on the couch with his head on my chest.

After about 10 minutes he begins to yawn and his eyes become droopy, indicating his sleepiness. "Feeling sleepy, sweetheart?" He nods and I rub his back and rock him to help lull him to sleep.

"I'll hum you a lullaby, just drift off in my arms bubs, it's okay shhhh." I kiss the top of his head with love. The shushing, kisses and rocking made his head woozy and he closed his eyes, my humming was enough to lull him into a deep sleep.

I sighed with contentment, he was wrapped in my arms, light snores filling out the silence. My eyes slowly shut as I followed him into sleep with him snuggled up in my arms.

[soviet-supersoldier]

Character Examination: Omega Red

Part 2: X-men (1991) #4

It's been a while since I've taken the time to do a deep dive on Arkady, but at long last, I've decided to tackle the most important Omega Red story: his first full appearance. Without this issue/arc, we wouldn't have our favorite supersoldier, and right out of the gate, we're hit with this cover:

Not too much to comment here about other than the cover is a pretty solid introduction. We're teased with his image, the full reveal to come on the inside of the pages. But one can already tell he has a unique design, the Omega symbol emblazoned on his glove, the tentacle you can see extended from his wrist, those are all visuals that make him already stand out from other foes the X-men had faced in the past. No one had a design quite like Arkady’s, and it's a hard one to top. Omega Red has a very iconic appearance.

Moving on to the interior, here he is right on the first page of the comic:

So, breaking down what we see here and what we already learned from where Arkady had come from in X-men (1991) #2, Matsu'o had to have taken Arkady’s frozen body to a remote location to have him revived. Given all the technology we see around him in the facility, as well as the medical jargon tossed around by the doctors they have bundled up in personal protection equipment, it's clear that Matsu'o is sparing no expense on getting Arkady back up and running. They did their research beforehand.

At this point, it's clear that Arkady was unthawed for the procedure to bring him back. One question to ask, though, about how all this works is why didn't Omega Red wake up the moment he was unthawed? Why was this magic ceremony needed? My best guess? He's so low on energy that he's essentially gone comatose, needing an outside force to inject life in, rather than him draining it out passively like one would expect. More on that in a moment. The Hand use their magic here to transfer the energy, and I find it interesting that it's not just a 1-for-1 exchange. 20 people have to die here to bring Arkady back. He must have had an incredibly low battery and required a lot of juice to jumpstart him.

It's up for debate whether or not it was the magic itself, Arkady’s powers, or an unholy mixture of both that caused the 20 men who sacrificed their life force to revive Arkady to disintegrate like they did. Arkady’s powers themselves have always seemed to be rather inconsistent in they way they affected his victims, with some people just collapsing, while others turned into shriveled corpses. I suppose this is all up to artist interpretation rather than a 100% accurate representation of what happens when Omega Red uses his powers. If there was more consistency in the display of his powers, this would be an easier moment to comment on.

Taking a moment to pick through what the doctors are saying here, the first thing I'm going to note is that they're speaking English. In fact, everyone in this scene ends up speaking English. There's a small part of me that was initially bothered by that, at least, coming from Arkady, since his native language is Russian, and one would think that would be the language he would first use after being revived. But then, I thought about it some more and realized that despite how he's likely feeling right now (probably like crap), Arkady has an incredible amount of situational awareness. He's able to pick up immediately from the moment he's revived that these doctors are speaking English and is able to quickly adjust accordingly to show no outward signs of disorientation the moment he actually starts talking.

There's always been these sorts of little details with how Arkady behaves that snowballs into a consistent character trait the more appearances of his you read: he doesn't like showing any form of vulnerability. If he's uncomfortable, he's not going to say so directly unless he has the power in the moment to forcefully get what he wants. Otherwise, he'll say nothing, adjusting his behavior to make it appear that he's unaffected and unbothered by the changes around him. It's a defense mechanism, one that really adds to his terrifying persona for anyone who isn't willing to look deeper than surface-level with him. People see the lack of reaction to something that would visibly affect most people and are intimidated by it, which is Omega Red’s intention. It's a rather effective way to cover for any weakness, and I think it's a rather unique character trait, the way he consistently presents himself to others. He's a very private individual and protective of his core individuality, memories and past, telling no one about his life or tastes unless the situation forces it or he's made incredibly comfortable with revealing a personal detail. There's an image Arkady is willing to present to the world, one that is darker than who he really is, and if that's the way people see him? He's not going to contest it. Better to keep people unaware of your vulnerabilities and insecurities rather than broadcast them for people to exploit you further with. It's not difficult to figure out that his life experiences hammered home that lesson rather quickly.

Once he's brought back, Arkady’s first action is to kill the doctors. Here, it is shown that personal protective equipment does nothing to negate his powers, but later comics will, on occasion, become inconsistent on this as well. From Arkady’s perspective, this action always read to me as more of an instinctual response, almost akin to taking a deep, shuddering breath of air after nearly being drowned. So here, he's killing these men to assure himself that he's even alive. This is only reinforced when you see him on the next page in all his naked glory:

The first words out of Arkady’s mouth are: "I... live?" Firstly, note the use of English. Arkady picks up on his surroundings fast. Secondly, note the questioning tone. He seems surprised to have been brought back. This is where the usage of the ceremony comes full circle. Because, when you really think about it, just how did Arkady end up naked in a freezer? He couldn't have been shoved in against his will, otherwise, where's his clothes? Why didn't he come out pissed? Instead, his first words were an expression of surprise, immediately followed up by a question of who had brought him back. He clearly knows someone else was responsible for his return. So what happened before this?

Given the way we see top Soviet brass try to manipulate Arkady into doing their dirty work in later issues, it's not too far of a stretch to imagine that they somehow convinced Arkady that it would be better for him to go into stasis than to keep him online. From their point of view, it was likely a decision done out of fear -- fear of losing control over him -- but there was probably some nugget of truth in their argument. At this point, Arkady’s powers and condition are really in flux, and Arkady was like very aware of his deteriorating condition even before being approached with this solution. With no easy cure, Arkady likely was easily convinced that going into stasis was his only chance for surviving long-term. But it didn't come without risk. Once again, note Arkady’s first question. He's surprised to be alive. There was probably a high chance that stasis wouldn't work, and he would end up dying anyway. No doubt he was told of the risk, but was convinced that locking himself away was for the best. Off with the clothes and into the freezer.

The next thing I want to point out on this page is Arkady’s appearance. Now, I'm well aware of the jokes made about Arkady’s manhood on this panel, but I'm also well aware of the lengths comics will go to cover up a man's nudity, so once again, something that's more of an art style/choice for censorship than anything I ever put any stock into. What I wanted to focus on is the visible cybernetics we can see all over Arkady’s skin here. From the head down, he's got patches of these little squares on his body. Besides the cybernetics we see on his face and head, we don't ever really see the full body cybernetics ever again. What was their purpose? How much of him was mechanical on the inside? We never are told, and his skin goes to the pure white color we always see afterward, the body markings disappearing completely, never to be seen again.

After Arkady asks his question, we see Matsu'o, hiding himself behind a protective glass. Now, one thing that always confused me about Matsu'o, especially when I was younger and reading these comics for the first time, was how much Matsu'o looked like Logan. I mean, same hair color, same hair style. They look like twins, and I used to confuse them a lot. I'm honestly surprised that Arkady didn't immediately jump him and demand the C-Synthesizer, I think those two look so much alike. So Matsu'o has some real guts showing up with that face and expecting Arkady to have a normal reaction, photograph of Logan or no. He also seems to really be relying on Arkady having good eyesight here, as you can see how small and far away Matsu'o is from Arkady’s perspective when he pulls out that photo that's the size of his hand (and that he's half-covering with his fingers).

He's really riding on quite the chance that Arkady has a great memory (and eyesight) to no only be able to tell that Matsu'o is not Logan, but also be able to call out Logan by name despite only ever being shown to have met him once before this, and maybe having heard Sabretooth shout out Logan’s name at that time (if he was lucky). Once again, Arkady’s amazing observational skills are on display. He picks up names fast, and that is another consistent character trait of his over the years: he picks up names quickly and never forgets who they belong to.

We hop to the X-men for a good chunk of the comic, and we next see Arkady when he's crashing Gambit and Rogue's first date:

You really have to wonder what those three would end up saying to each other if they met again at this point. I doubt Arkady cared that this date would end up being important to the foundation of their future relationship, and I doubt that Gambit and Rogue, even to this day, are happy with their first date being ruined in that way, but I'm sure that it would be an interesting conversation regardless (if they ever met again). Gambit and Rogue are now married. I'm sure an argument can be made on Arkady being instrumental to such young love getting the chance to form, even though such a realization would likely sicken him.

After he's disposed of the two lovebirds, Arkady goes after the rest of the team next:

Arkady drops Beast and Jubilee rather quickly, but Logan remains standing. Is his healing factor negating the effect and keeping him up longer than the others? Based on the way Logan is talking here, focusing more on Arkady’s scent than any taxation on his healing factor, that doesn't seem likely. Arkady likely used whatever limited control he has over his powers to attack just Beast and Jubilee, leaving Logan alone for more personal payback. It has been shown that he can do that, though it's not a trick we see him use often, especially these days.

After declaring that Omega Red should be dead, Arkady responds:

I find it interesting that Logan uses Arkady’s name here rather than his moniker of Omega Red. One would assume Logan got the name from an intelligence file Team X was given before their C-Synthesizer raid, so does that mean that Arkady wasn't known as Omega Red at that time? Possibly. Honestly it's actually more surprising that Logan even remembered Arkady’s name in the first place, since his mind at the time of this comic was worse than swiss cheese (this comes into play a lot in the future). However, smells have been scientifically proven to be some of the strongest memory connections a person can have, so Arkady’s scent was probably enough of a trigger to jog Logan’s memory. He must have made one hell of an impression on Logan’s scent memory.

So that concludes Arkady’s first full appearance in Marvel comics. There's three more issues left in this arc and they're likely to be even longer than this breakdown here, as there's a lot more to go through in those issues that ties Arkady into Team X. This arc does a lot to establish Omega Red into Marvel comics and where exactly he fits in relation to Wolverine and his foes. It's a rather interesting dynamic they all end up having.

[elzifelzi]

So here are the rules of this omnitrix

Firstly concept wise and appearance wise as you'll see below it's a combination of almost every canon omnimatrix device that ben has worn in the classic continuity.

This is because #1 in my AU there is no separation between AF/UA and OV it's just one series and #2 i wanted to limit the amount of omnitrix devices that ben uses for story and convenience purposes.

Now on to what thiw omnitrix actually is.

It's essentially just the classic omnitrix with some Alterations think of the recalibrated omnitrix from af except the reason for it recalibrating is not because ben hadn't used it for awhile It's because of a device called the matrix core.

This lil thing right here...it may not look like much but it is conceptually the most powerful piece of technology in the universe.

What does it do?

It's a device that upgrades and enhances any device it integrates with almost like a portable galvanic mechamorph for example integrate it into a rocket launcher and it can have the power of a tank..integrate it into a tank and ot could have the potential power of a nuke etc etc.

Azmuth developed this device to boost galvanic planetary defenses in case of emergencies but Myaxx sent it to ben before it was completed.

He also never calibrated it to work well with the omnitrix.

After ben integrates the matrix core into his omnitrix the omnitrix recalibrates changing it's appearance and features.

It is now more gauntlet shaped with the omnitrix dial located on the back of the hand and It has an alien selection wheel like the ov omnitrix (but not the touchscreen dial)

Now since the matrix core was not perfected there are some new features as well as bugs that come with it...the mistransformation glitch is back not as often as in ov but it still happens from time to time,Ben is back to only 10 aliens at the moment some are new and some are the ones he had when he was younger with the others being locked away...he'll unlock them again at some point.Transformations use wayyy more power than the regular omnitrix forms he runs the risk of draining the "battery". And since the core was never perfected staying transformed for too long as well as switching through aliens too frequently puts a huge physical strain on ben himself.

As for Bens aliens since the matrix core upgrades technology and ben put it into the omnitrix then his aliens have also been augmented.

Now as for how the augmented forms themselves work..think of the ultimate aliens crossed with the anti trix aliens from the reboot.So the Matrix core basically takes whatever species Bens selected and evolves them the evolutions themselves aren't all exactly the same and neither are the evolutionary requirements for example alien a might be put through a simulation of the worst possible state of their planet and will be forced to evolve to adapt to that while alien b might be put in a situation where they have to evolve to overcome their predator etc

The forms also have to make some sense from an evolutionary standpoint to Ult Humungousaurs hand missles,Ult big chills Fire ice and Ult Wildmutts speaking don't count. So after the alien is evolved they remain that way as long as the matrix core is part of the omnitrix..no turning it off and on like the ultimates. So like how the anti trix aliens are constantly mutated.