#please criticise my work it really helps

[rainytrashh]

Hi! I hope you're okay 🫂💚 Do you have any spicy Marc headcanons/thoughts? (No pressure 💚)

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Marc NSFW Headcannons

Fic type-> Headcannons

Warnings-> Brief mention of violence, breeding kink, pegging (what can I say 🤷‍♀️)

Word count-> 795, 2-3 pages of a book

Sorry it took me so long to reply I’m on holiday rn and I haven’t been checking my phone much recently, I’ve only just seen this today 😔

But omg yes ofc I do <3

This is fem-aligned btw, just ask if you want a masc-aligned version

~Masterlist~

Please check out my other works either on here or on my AO3, the link is at the end <3

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LOVES it when you call him baby/sweetheart/etc, during sex. He’ll call you baby too dw, just generally loves the exchange of pet names between you two

Can’t decide between thighs or ass so he’ll just grope both 🤷‍♀️

Switch- tells anyone who asks he’s a dom but prefers to sub

Likes it fairly rough but if he’s topping he’ll go gentler on you because he loves you too much to hurt you

It doesn’t mean he doesn’t enjoy it when he’s got you bent over the back of the couch though, watching his cum drip out of you and trail down your thighs

God your thighs

Has a bit of a breeding kink in that sense, not all the baby talk, (just the idea of having a baby terrifies him) but he’ll fill you up so good <3

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“Fuck baby, look at it leak out of you…”

“Marc…”

You feel some of his cum drip down your thigh, he’s quick to swipe it up with a finger and push it back inside of you.

“You can go one more time can’t you?”

“Baby-“

“I can’t resist it, and you have to admit that you like it too. Just imagine how full you’ll feel with two of my loads inside of you…”

You can’t help but groan at the thought as he massages your ass and lines himself up once more.

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Prefers praise over degradation (mommy issues 😭) but will let you call him a whore/call you one or something overtly sexual like that

Surprisingly open to pegging, you asked him after giving hints for a while (he knew what you were hinting about, he was just too embarrassed to say anything) and he refused to look you in eyes as he agreed

Tells you is favourite position is missionary, with either of you on top, but you found out he also really likes it when he’s face-down, ass-up for you

He likes it so much because of the vulnerability of the position, he just needs to let go and let someone else take care of him 😢

Also because you can trail kisses all down his back and he loves to feel your thighs against the back of his

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“God Marc you’re taking me so well.”

Your hips are pressed right against his as you grip his waist with just the right amount of firmness that he likes, keeping him in place.

“Just move, please?”

“Since you asked so nicely for it baby.”

You start to grind your hips against him as you lean down to place sweet kisses against his shoulder blades.

“Ah shit…” Barely a whisper that you manage to make out from him through breathy moans.

He tries to reach back with a hand to grab your thigh but only manages to hook his fingertips into the flesh of it.

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Although because of the latter, you suspect he has a thing for acting all tough and dom but then letting others pry his ‘hidden’ side out of him. Not quite like him being a brat but smth to that effect

‘Tall, dark and handsome ex-mercenary likes to take it up the ass from a woman’ yk? You think he gets off on that basically

And oh my God were you right on the money

You only found out cause you managed to disguise the question as meaningless banter cause if you brought it up directly you’d think he’d be too embarrassed to answer

You didn’t wanna scare him off with smth as abrupt as that 😔

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“Does tall, dark and handsome wanna get railed today?” You tease as you shift closer to him on the couch, leaning against him.

He hesitates to answer and averts his eyes from your intently staring ones.

“Don’t, don’t say railed. That sounds weird.”

He looks back at you only to be met with a shit-eating grin. He lets out a huff of air.

“Baby, what?”

You lean in closer and deciding to just go for it, you let your lips graze his jaw and say-

“Isn’t it what you like though? You like letting me fuck your brains out?” You plant a soft kiss against his neck as you wait patiently for an answer.

“Yea…”

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DO NOT HIT THIS POOR MAN 😭😭

Omg let me repeat this, he wants to be taken care of when you’re topping!!!

He just wants to let go and feel good he doesn’t need a needless throwback to last night when he was fighting some crime lord for Konshu 😢 (or last year, wtv the au calls for)

Yes, he likes it when he has to hold the headboard to keep his head from hitting it but don’t slap him round the face or anything 👎

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So that’s abt it for now, this has to be the speediest I’ve written anything 💪

Thanks for the request <3

My AO3

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Note for requester- Stop I had just finished writing this and I was like ‘who is this person?’ etc etc and omg as soon as I found out. Love your fanfics 🫶

[disneyprincemuke]

for the girls * fem!driver

she isn't worrying about being on track for the first time - she worries about the media.

pairings: sebastian vettel x fem!driver, f1 grid x reader

warnings: literally a piece of garbage, SO inaccurate, no idea what i’m doing…

notes: this is sOOO BAD PLS I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO WRITE THIs man

also, please feel free to send it some scenarios for this series! you can send them in here freeflow~ none of these will be posted in chronological order so don’t worry about it

(series masterlist) | (📂 the rookie season)

"here is sebastian vettel's personal addition to the grid, (y/n)," the interviewer grins, turning to face the girl. "welcome to the 2023 formula 1 season. thank you for coming in."

"thank you for having me," she smiles, hands clasped together in front of her. she's been following sebastian around all day - she doesn't want to be left alone in such a tough crowd.

"how does it feel to be the first woman in formula 1 in almost 2 decades?"

"i'm very thankful for the opportunity given to me to achieve this spot on the grid. i hope i'll be good enough to create a difference and be the stepping stone towards more women in the sport," she answers cordially, moving her arms slightly.

interviews, unfortunately, were also a very big part of the job. she didn't really mind it, but she knew the controversy of her being in the sport, and it's been driving her insane since the pre-season testing.

"and of course congratulations on your move from formula 2 to the main league. how do you feel about the doubters or naysayers who are saying you don't belong here?"

"i think it's unfair to assume my placement in the season before it has even started. i have worked as hard as everybody else to get where i am today, so i'm just really hoping that the fact that i am a woman does not overshadow all my achievements."

she's seen all that's said about her. the news articles, the videos criticising sebastian's choice to vouch for her, and the comments under her posts and announcements - it's very disheartening.

sebastian has tried his best to tell her otherwise, telling her time and time again that he wouldn't have vouched for her if he didn't think she had the potential to be here.

"and how are you getting along with everybody else on the grid?"

"very good. i mean, we've already been acquainted for years and that really helped me out a lot," she laughs, locking eyes with sebastian doing an interview right next to her. "but it is still a competitive sport. it's going to be a climb out there from my starting position at 18th. hopefully it will be a good race."

"of course, good luck out there."

"thank you so much."

"just like we talked about. you'll be fine," sebastian folds his arms over his chest, leaning back into the wall.

she's pulling the sleeves of her race suit over her shoulders. "why don't i believe you," she mutters, looking down at her shoes to avoid his eyes. "think about what the media would say if i don't finish in the points today."

"who cares about what the media has to say? just do your best out there today," sebastian repeats, patting her shoulder lightly to get her attention.

he flashes her a grin when she looks up, only to have her roll her eyes as she zips up. "me. i have to face the interviewers later, remember? not you."

"just race like you always have. you're doing this for yourself. not the media, not the insecure guys hiding behind a screen, and definitely not the interviewers." he grabs her shoulders, shaking her just slightly to lighten up the mood. "i'll be in your ears to help you out, okay?"

she sighs, leaning slightly to the side to grab her balaclava off the table. "promise to tell me when i'm being reckless?"

"i'm your race engineer. i've got you."

he turns her around, towards the track where the cars have lined up. "get out there and shut them all up. you're doing this for the girls, remember that."

"right. for the girls," she huffs, wiping her hands on her race suit. she takes the helmet that sebastian is holding out to her and gives him a smile. "okay. i'll talk to you through the radio."

and she does everything she has to do. she’s in the race car, anticipating the formation lap that’s about to start.

days leading up to this moment, she didn’t think she would be so nervous to be behind a wheel. she doesn’t typically let the feeling get to her so much.

but it’s different now that it’s being broadcasted to the entire world. she’s now watched by ten times her normal viewership.

“radio check,” sebastian’s voice comes into her ears. his voice has become a significant point to calming her down behind the wheel. you would be surprised how well he can calm her down just by his voice.

“copy.” she breathes into the mic unknowingly as she exhales, looking up and taking in her view.

her car was surrounded by the engineers, making the final touches on the car and triple checking all the components.

within a few seconds, she can see the sky as they disperse — the sun is shining bright and there are barely any clouds. to her right is yuki, also looking around the grid and the grandstand.

she locks eyes with him as he looks around, her eyes crinkling at the corners to acknowledge him. he returns the gesture with a smile through his eyes then a thumbs up to wish her luck.

she lifts her hand above the halo and returns the thumbs up.

“okay, the first car has taken off for the lap. i’ll check in on you again in a while.”

her grip on the steering wheel is tight despite the engine being turned off. she’s proud of herself for making it through her first race in the league, even parking the car neatly in parc ferme.

“you did amazing.”

“you’re only saying that. i didn’t even finish in the points,” she answers dejectedly, rolling her eyes to herself.

sebastian tries to make light of every situation, even if the normal person would not be able to find that in a frustrating position. but he was also a rookie once. the least he could do is empathise and try to make this experience less daunting for her.

he’s investing in her — her talent is impeccable, but he has to make sure that he fosters and encourages her into the best version of herself. the racer that he knows she is, she just needed someone to actively believe in her.

“the climb from p18 to p11 is good progress. the season just started, kid. the only way is up.”

“sure,” she chuckles. “i’m getting out of the car. see you in a bit, seb.”

taglist: @wcnorris @treehouse-mouse (comment to be added)

[itshype]

Like and Survive! (DC x DP)

Everyone knows who Phantom is. He was one of the very first heroes though he inexplicably chose to dedicate his life (metaphorically) to micromanaging the hell out of some random town no one has ever heard of. He's a specialist hero, only really useful for ghost stuff. He comes every time someone contacts him for help but it's only happened a few times in all of his years of operation.

Then, kid heroes become a thing. Robin, once perpetually hidden beneath the shadow of the bat emerges into the metropolis sun just in time to make the front page.

When Batman's child-raising skills are called into question, Kid Flash is brought out at a press release by Flash to show that these exceptional children are around. They just aren't common knowledge for their own health (aside from the villains - being a child star wrecks your brain).

A few villains do come forward and say "no, the sidekicks will go out on their own if their hero doesn't let them. And they have all the powers and none of the restraint. Please don't separate them."

(Batman and Robin are both very flattered that all their rogues think they have powers. Robin is ✨glowing✨ with pride.)

Cyborg calls Robin at 3am. He asks if he's seen the new 'BooTube' page.

Phantom has set up his own website. It's a dark and moody ripoff of YouTube with 1 channel. His.

Introduction Video: Transcript Hi guys, I can't lie to you, I was as up-in-arms as anyone when I saw what people are now calling "The Robin Reveal". But then I remembered that I started my hero work when I was mentally and physically fourteen years old...

Danny doesn't mention he was also chronologically 14 at the time. Secret identities and all.

...and I had no mentor, no training and no backup. It was just me and two humans, neither of whom even had powers at that time. I understand the call, in a way that none of the non-hero people criticising you could ever hope to comprehend. I'm glad to see most of you fellow child-heroes have an experienced adult watching your back. But if you don't. If there's even one of you out there who need a mentor, consider Amity Park open for business, and consider adding my number to your speedial. I'm not like those people in interviews saying "Oh, someone needs to help the children!" I am helping you, I am helping you whenever you need with whatever you want.

The ghost swallows and seemingly forces down his brimming sincerity.

And for those of you who do already have backup? Consider checking back here. I'm going over my old reports from my first few years on the streets to see what I most needed to hear, and what I wished I knew sooner. Hopefully no one else will have to learn what I know the hard way.

You know how to fight, this channel won't be for that. This is about coping with secret identities, and the messed up situations that can only happen to a vigilante or hero.

Anyways, the first video is already ready to be edited so in a few days I'll be back here to discuss what you do when you've been cloned. How to deal with that emotionally and physically. My clone isn't very well known outside of my town but I think she'll add a great perspective!

Within weeks, without his knowledge, Danny is somehow remote-mentoring heroes of all ages.

[astrologythingzzz]

Astrology observations Number 2 💜

I'm soo happy, this is already my second post! 🥺

These are my personal observations, they aren't meant to hurt anyone. Take what resonates!

Mercury in the tenth/ mercury conjunct mc is a law placement

Do all virgo sun/moon/rising women nag about everything when they're tired/ stressed? I feel like they are also really bad know-it-alls sometimes

They are also the ones to point out how much you're eating. "Do you really want to eat all of that?" YES! I feel like their parents were very strict or criticising in their childhood! 🥺 I love you guys, but please stop. This isn't healthy for you and neither for me

Virgo and pisces paired in a birth chart is an indicator of working in the medical/ health field

They are amazing at caring for other people and their virgo makes them detail oriented which helps them at university

Pisces mc's are sooo creative! They love showing or even showcasing their creativity on social media

They could also have a really nice aesthetic on social media, they are the ones to post only aesthetic stuff

Ic / moon in Virgo. Their parents prioritised books and wisdom in their childhood. Could have spent many days in libraries or with many books around in general!

Sagittarius moons/ dominants or 9th house dominants excel at university. They are known for their success and good grades, especially in law or politics

Leo suns can be very insecure. I don't understand why, because they're so creative and generous, but somehow they are.

Please embrace yourselves more leo suns! You are great!!

Also, aquarius paired with aries or sagittarius in a birth chart is a massive law indicator. Even Aquarius sun in the 11th or 9th house is.

Jupiter conjunct sun individuals are just beaming individuals. They are popular, well liked and really lively. They love adventures and travelling.

Sagittarius Venus / moon women love horseback riding. They love horses! Of course this can apply to other sag placements, but I noticed these two the most!

Virgo risings are ethereal. Gosh I love their beauty

Venus conjunct neptune hide their romantic feelings. They are literally drawing hearts all over the room while being too shy to actually speak to the person they're in love with.

Definition of falling in love with a version of someone who doesn't even exist. 🥺

These are all that came into my mind. Hope you liked it and resonated!

Until soon, love you, byee💜

[stawbeemilk]

⤷ their s/o is insecure about having a small chest – hq

✩ characters: various

✩ warnings: a teeny bit suggestive

✩ a/n: i've been struggling with my body image a lot lately, so i decided to write some more content for my fellow small-chested folks <3

⭑ kuroo likes to remind you of all the benefits of having a smaller chest, like how you're less likely to suffer from back pain and that exercising is more comfortable, or his personal favourite, the fact you don't have to wear a bra.

⭑ bokuto will genuinely get so upset if you're the type to make self-deprecating jokes about your chest size, his hair will droop and he'll look almost as if he's close to tears as he tells you that you shouldn't talk about yourself in such a way.

⭑ iwaizumi encourages you to wear clothing that's a little out of your comfort zone, and he will literally lose his ability to speak when he sees you all dressed up— he thinks you're absolutely stunning.

⭑ kenma likes to give you one of his oversized hoodies to wear when he notices that you're feeling self-conscious, before pulling you into his lap and wrapping his arms around you, leaning his head on your shoulder as he plays on his switch.

⭑ akaashi refuses to let you talk badly about yourself, whenever he senses that you're about to criticise your own body he'll give you a stern look and shake his head, his reaction making you fall silent before you can even get your words out.

⭑ suna loves resting his head on your chest while he naps, he thinks it's really comfortable. he can't help but nuzzle his face in between them, mumbling into your skin about how pretty you are as he feels himself dozing off in your warm embrace.

⭑ hinata will constantly remind you how beautiful you are, showering you with endless affection and so many compliments. even if you have a habit of deflecting them, he won't ever stop telling you how much he adores you, hoping that one day you'll start to see yourself the way he sees you.

⭑ matsukawa will randomly cup your chest when the two of you are cuddling— at first you thought it was his way of trying to start something with you, but you soon discovered that he just enjoys holding them because of the way his hands completely cover them.

⭑ tendou can empathise with you if you've ever been made fun of for the way you look, and he knows how much of an impact it can have on your self-esteem. he will always remind you that he thinks you're perfect, and that you shouldn't listen to anyone who says otherwise.

⤷ please do not repost my works on any other sites!

[florence-end]

May I have this dance?

Azriel x fem!reader Part 2

Request: Could you write a shy reader × Azriel story? Thank you!

Warnings: none

Summary: Azriel’s new mate is painfully shy, despite his efforts to get closer to her. Something shifts between them when Mor needs help with Cassian’s dance lessons.

You heard Mor calling for you all the way from the dining room, which definitely meant she was up to no good if she hadn’t come to your office to talk to you directly. You set aside the book you were combing through, adding it to the pile of discarded volumes that you and Amren had been scouring for clues on how to beat Koschei. As the recently appointed head scholar of the night court, quietly reading in your office took up most of your time and was exactly how you liked it. Groups of people, social occasions, too much noise, it all made you nervous and you retreated even further into yourself than usual.

Preparing yourself for the whirlwind of energy that was the high lord and lady’s third in command, you made your way to the large dining room at the other end of the corridor. Music was playing inside, and as you pushed open the large wooden door, you were met with the sight of Mor dragging Cassian around in a waltz as he tried desperately to keep up with her speed. Rhysand and Feyre were also stumbling through the steps, looking only slightly more proficient than the clumsy warlord. Off to the side, leaning against the large table that had been pushed against the wall and looking far too amused, was Azriel.

His eyes moved to you immediately as though he couldn’t help himself, and he gave you a small smile and wave. You felt the muted rush of affection flood the bond before he could clamp down on it to avoid overwhelming you, and you gave a small smile back to let him know it was okay.

You and Azriel had met on your first day in the night court a month ago, and the bond had snapped right away. Although you were happy to finally meet your soulmate, your shy demeanour and nervousness when it came to interacting with strangers had caused you to panic a little and you kept your distance at first. He respected your feelings and had committed himself to gently courting you ever since.

Mugs of your favourite tea were waiting for you on your desk every time you left your office to search the library. Little trinkets and decorations for your bedroom were left neatly wrapped for you to find, always hailing from whatever court or country Azriel had most recently visited on his missions. He had taken to spending any downtime he had in your office, settled quietly in the armchair across from your desk and helping you work through the never-ending pile of research in comfortable silence. Once, when you were feeling particularly relaxed after a few glasses of wine at dinner in the river house, he dared to take you on an aerial tour of Velaris as he flew you back to the House of Wind. Just the memory of his secure arms holding you close to the warmth of his body while the chilly breeze whipped around you made your cheeks heat up.

The music came to an end and Mor turned to see you lingering in the doorway. “Perfect, you’re here! Please don’t hate me but I really need your help,” she pleaded. Mor explained that Cassian needed to learn to dance in order to impress Nesta on the next trip to the Court of Nightmares. She had asked Rhys and Feyre to attend the lesson so Cassian could see what the steps were supposed to look as Mor taught him the routines but it turns out dancing was not a talent possessed by the high lord nor the high lady.

“In my defence, I have never needed to dance at the court of nightmares, my role is to sit on the throne and look intimidatingly handsome. And I am fantastic at it,” Rhys protested as Mor continued to criticise his two left feet. Feyre had a better excuse, given she had mostly grown up poor in the human lands.

You giggled as Mor and Rhys bickered for a few more moments before she dismissed her cousin and his wife. They quickly bade their goodbyes and left the dining room hand in hand.

“If you’re going to ask me to dance, Mor, I should say now that I don’t know any of the night court routines,” you warned, knowing where this conversation was going and not liking it one bit.

“That’s alright! Luckily for us all, Azriel possesses all the grace that his brothers do not and he knows them all. He’ll lead and all you need to do is follow,” Mor declared, giving you no time to object as she grabbed your wrist and pulled you over to your mate who was watching your face for any signs of serious discomfort. “Az, show her the hold for the waltz and I’ll run over the steps with Cassian again,” she instructed and left you both on your side of the makeshift dance floor.

“You don’t need to do this, just say the word and I’ll winnow you back to your office before she notices,” Azriel offered kindly.

“No no it’s okay, I want to help plus Nesta is my friend and it’ll make her happy. But I really don’t know what I’m doing,” you murmured back quietly, twisting your hands in front of you.

Azriel offered you his hand in a silent question, letting you make the move to touch him. You know he’s sensitive about his scars and would never want to make him feel any more self conscious by hesitating so you slipped your fingers over his palm to link with his and looked up into his warm hazel eyes.

Although he’s flown with you a few times and you eat most of your meals sat next to each other, the proximity and intimacy of the moment flustered you immediately and you broke eye contact. You missed the flash of pride on Azriel’s face at the evidence of how much his presence affected you.

“Now put your other hand on my shoulder and I’ll place mine on your waist,” he explained and you obeyed his instructions without delay.

“A little closer,” he urged, using the hand on your waist to curl around your lower back and press you further into his chest. You were so close now that his scent hovered all around you, you could feel his warm breath brush across your cheek, and his shadows caressed the hand that lay on his broad shoulder as though wanting to prevent you from withdrawing your touch.

“Perfect,” he whispered, his lips inches from your ear. Mother above, this male was going to be the death of you. Your face couldn’t be any hotter if you were actually ablaze. “When the music starts, all you need to do is close your eyes and trust me.”

The reminder of why you were here burst your bubble as you felt your nerves return. “What if I trip or step on your feet?” You questioned anxiously, beginning it pull back from him.

His hands remained firm, keeping you in place. Once again, his whispers sent shivers along every inch of your skin. “I would never let you trip. And it would be an honour to have you step on my feet,” he teased, helping you relax.

“Okay are we ready to try this from the top?” Mor called from across the room. Azriel nodded on behalf of you both, and reminded you to close your eyes.

As the music began, you quickly started to wonder if the Illyrians gave as much dance training as they did for combat because Azriel was flawless. He moved with a quiet grace and certainty, leading you with such confidence that you didn’t have a chance to feel shy or anxious. Cassian’s cursing and stomping footsteps nearby told you that Azriel’s skills may not have been Illyrian-taught after all but you were feeling too giddy to give it much more thought.

One dance turned into two which turned into five. When the music came to an end half an hour later, Azriel released his hold on your waist and leaned back slightly to take in your dazed expression as your eyes fluttered open, chuckling lowly.

You hadn’t noticed that Mor and Cassian had left sometime while you were dancing, and for once in your life you weren't worrying about looking foolish or trying to find the right thing to say. All of your thoughts were consumed by this miraculous male in front of you who had quite literally whisked you off your feet. And to make it even better, he was looking at you as if you were miraculous too.

[captainclickycat]

So while we're on the subject, here are some other thoughts.

I found Neil Gaiman's online presence - and the more overzealous members of his fanbase - annoying. And please stay with me here, I promise this isn't me trying to be smug or claim I "knew all along" or anything. There's a huge gulf between finding someone a bit annoying and thinking that their behaviour online is less than stellar occasionally and suspecting them of being a sexual predator. I don't think there could have been any way of me "knowing all along" without reading everything in the worst possible faith, which I'm not willing to do and which I maintain is not a good or helpful approach in general. And to people who genuinely looked up to him and felt completely blindsided by the news, I'm really sorry. It wasn't your fault and I hope you can do something kind for yourself today.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. I didn't like the way he handled criticism of his work, a lot of the time. I don't think creators are obligated to personally listen to and address every negative opinion of their work, or explain every individual aspect of it that someone disliked. But I felt like a lot of his responses to feedback tended to lean into and encourage praise, while being a little disingenuous and sometimes belittling towards criticism. (And really, why feel the need to respond to everything when you could just ignore it?)

I didn't like the way he always felt the need to weigh in on fandom debates or throw out "word of god" explanations for this or that thing, including when nobody even asked. (Want to know who inspired the "I don't care what the author said" comment in my bio? Take a guess.) Especially when some of them felt engineered to paint him and his work in the best possible light.

Again, I'm not drawing attention to all this in an attempt to claim any one thing was a blatant red flag or must have been down to some sinister motivation. That's not the point I'm trying to make.

But it is one of the reasons that I was always deeply uncomfortable by the culture of hero-worship and "touch not god's anointed" that always seemed to exist around him. Like regardless of whether or not you thought this or that criticism against him was warranted, the way people would treat him like some kind of messiah who deserved nothing but praise and lose their absolute shit whenever anyone said anything remotely negative about him was absurd. Nobody deserves that, regardless of what they've done.

But at the same time... you know, I liked his work. Not just "I liked the stuff he co-wrote with someone else" or "I liked the films and TV shows he worked on with a whole bunch of other people." I liked the books he wrote by himself. They had some parts worth criticising, sure, what doesn't. But overall I thought they were well-written and funny and thought-provoking and I enjoyed myself when I was reading them. Neverwhere is the first book I had a crack at re-reading in a different language, which should tell you how much I liked it. And I didn't even dislike everything he posted on the internet. I thought some comments were pretty funny and/or insightful. I even reblogged the odd post.

And I wasn't all that vocal about any negative feelings I had towards him, because... well, frankly because a lot of the negative feelings I'd seen expressed by other people about him tended to look like "he's the devil incarnate, his work sucks, he's the worst person alive and he secretly hates every marginalised group and people should feel ashamed for sincerely liking his stuff."

And I didn't agree with that either! I didn't want to be roped in with those people. I didn't feel comfortable around them, any more than I felt comfortable around the Neil Gaiman Defense Squad, Working Tirelessly Day And Night To Aggressively Stamp Out Any Criticism Of Our Lord And Saviour.

And honestly I'm not entirely sure what kind of broader point I'm trying to articulate here, or whether I'm just working through stuff in my head. But I will say that this kind of polarising, zero-sum-game approach to criticism is... bad. It's just bad. It makes it so people are reluctant to put forward any kind of nuanced stance, for fear that they'll end up getting pigeonholed into one oversimplified category or another, or it ends up pushing people towards one extreme stance or another out of sheer frustration or contrariness. And it makes it incredibly difficult to have any kind of actually productive debate when it comes to criticising media, or criticising creators. Inevitably people's hackles are going to be up whichever side they lean towards more, and a lot of people with valuable input will inevitably end up going "yeah, I can see how that's a good point, but also the last person who brought this topic up with me deemed it appropriate to send me a barrage of messages telling me to kill myself about it, so forgive me if I'm not interested in engaging any further."

Obviously a culture of hero worship inevitably makes it a lot easier for predators to operate, and I have no doubt that being inundated with messages about how wonderful you are and how everyone who's criticising you is in the wrong must make it a lot easier to rationalise your actions. But I feel like this tendency to paint everything in terms of "are they a pure uwu blameless smol bean angel OR the devil incarnate" is incredibly unhelpful regardless of what side you come down on. The "devil incarnate" crowd can be part of the problem too.

[brights-place]

Trollex X Rapper! S/O

Pairing: Trollex X S/O

Warnings: Lots of Fluff

A/N: Okay my first ever thought today to get me distracted was listening to music so I just shuffled some songs form one of my playlists and a rap song was playing while I was writing and I was like ‘Oh shit I gotta write this!’ Now here we are!

- Trollex with a Rapper! S/O YIPPEEE it was so fun to write this

- When you first met Trollex asked you all about your genre listening to how you explained everything and told him that a rapper is a musical poet technically your job was blending rhythm and rhyme to express stories, emotions, and ideas. They craft lyrics, hone their flow, and perform with energy that captivates audiences. Rappers often reflect on personal experiences or societal issues, becoming voices for their communities like what you did

- He couldn’t stop being interested in you after that and get pulled in more when you rapped into the microphone to show him an example with an random beat he gave

- He can’t help but raise a brow at you sometimes when you rock up to the studio and wait for creativity to strike, usually spending all night to work on your music he gets worried sometimes and tells you to relax and have some fun with him at the Techno reef Parties

- He would definitely make beats for your song and let you freestyle your way with the music he had given you.

- He love sit when you rap especially when you insult someone in an rap battle he finds it funny to see your smirk or smile

- He loves when you write and perform some of your rap songs or hip-hop music.

- He hates how your genre was criticised though sometimes… scratch that he hates when anybody discriminates and insults someone’s genre or music (it’s technically their race in Trolls)

- He loves you with all his heart but can’t help but notice how you and Prince D would vibe to hip hop together and rap he’s jealous of your bond since your technically in the same music genre even if your appearance was different your genre was the same

- Trollex though loves when you share your earbuds/headphones with him to show him some New rap songs or hip hop music you enjoy fucking falls in love with you all over again

- He had tried rapping once since you begged him to do it he was good like REALLY GOOD

- That mother fucker was good at it… not as good as Bruce though that man could go off (Bruce is VA is the guy who played my favourite character in Hamilton Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson. NEHGEHE)

- He glows and has an bigger smile when you praise him as he quickly tackles you into an hug and snuggle into you which leads up to you holding him close to your chest and rubbing his back as he sleeps on your peacefully

- Trollex can’t help but admire how you hold your mic and go off at anybody or just have fun with it

- He loves how you send out messages through your rap speaking up and talking about issues and your own experiences while on stage.

- You know how I said he makes your beats? Well you also come by to his place and surprise him with an rap you wrote out of boredom without realising and asked if he could help make an beat for it

- he did and it was sold so fast 😭

- Trollex loves when you sing normally though even if you rap all the time he loves when you just sing in an slow pace and wants to dance with you slowly even if both of you were used to the loud techno and hip hop music

reblogs + comments are appreciated ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

©brights-place 2023 — do not repost on another platform, copy, translate or edit my works! if you fit my DNI list please don't interact

[lumi-nescentt]

Rumour Has It

Part 2 - I Know What You Did Last Summer

Pairing: Jenson Button x Reader / Mark Webber x Reader

Warnings: jealousy, arguing, swearing, mention of cheating and toxic relationship overall

Words: 4.4k

Summary: After choosing Mark, you thought life would get calmer but the Australian's not who you thought he was and with Jenson still in the picture, your relationship might not survive it.

Part 1 - Part 3 - Part 4

Years had gone by since Jenson had won it all and lost what he had wanted most in the same day. The Brit had tried to forget you, tried in vain to find someone else that could make his heart beat like you did. 

Sadly for Jenson, your relationship with Mark had only evolved from that night in 2009 and you had now been dating for more than 4 years. Your relationship had its ups and downs but you were now living together and it solved most of your problems. Mark was no longer grumpy because he missed you too much and you were more than happy to feel so loved and wanted in your relationship. 

The only clouds hovering over your relationship were how Mark was treated at work and his obsession with your friendship with Jenson. According to him, you cared too much about the Brit, gave him too much of your attention and not enough to your boyfriend, as he liked to remind you.

You had watched with the years passing as a countless number of girls hung on Jenson’s arm for a moment before he was back on his own. It had become some sort of running joke in the paddock and everyone was betting on how long Jenson’s new girl would last. 

Despite always smiling and joking around, you could sense that something was going on with Jenson. When you had tried to bring it up with him, he had only told you not to worry about it before kissing your forehead and fleeing. Your constant worrying about his happiness didn’t really help the jealousy Mark was feeling but, as you liked to remind him, Jenson was his friend too so he should have been trying to help instead of being a moody git. 

When Mark announced his retirement from F1, a lot of people were shocked, you included. For all of the time you spent talking to him, the Australian had never mentioned it to you. It’s not that you felt like you had something to say about it but you had thought changing career was something you’d mention to your girlfriend of 4 years before sharing it to the world.

The Australian, however, didn’t understand why you were upset, which led to one of your first big arguments.

-“ I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t tell me.” you exhaled, trying to explain to him for the fifth time since you had gotten back to your hotel room. 

-“ I told you today, just like I did with the rest of the world sweetheart.” 

-“ That’s exactly my point, Mark. I learned about it at the same time as everyone else.”

-“ So ?”

-“ I’m your girlfriend, I hoped that it was a good enough reason for you to talk to me about those kinds of things.” 

-“ Yeah well as my girlfriend like you said, I thought you’d be happier for me.” Mark grumbled, feeling himself starts to get more annoyed

-“ That’s not the point, you know I’m happy you’re moving on. You know damn well what I think about how you got treated so don’t pull that card on me right now.” you snapped back, pointing your finger at him “The problem here is that you don’t see why I would’ve liked to know when you were thinking about it and not once it’s a done deal.” 

-“ You’re right. I don’t see why you’re upset. As far as I know, this decision concerns my career, not yours, so I don’t see what you would have brought to the conversation.”

-“ Oh for Christ’s sake Mark ! Get your head out of your arse. I’ve never forced you to do anything when it came to your career. I never criticised your work or claimed to know better than you what was good for you so you can stop taking jabs at me and just try to understand why I’m hurt.”

-“ There’s nothing to be hurt about, can you please stop making a fuss ? We have a plane to catch tomorrow and I’m tired.” 

-“ Making a fuss ? Are you kidding me ?”

-“ Yes, making a fuss. You’re here cornering me in my hotel room, forcing me to have this argument with you when there’s nothing to talk about.” the Australian sighed loudly, rubbing his hand over his face

-“ Oh, I’m sorry if I’m bothering you with my feelings, Mark. I just thought I could talk about how I felt with my boyfriend but apparently not only doesn’t he want to share things with me but he also doesn’t care about how his actions have an impact on others either because all he thinks about is himself.” you snarled, feeling tears prickling at the corner of your eyes

-“ Come on sweetheart, please let’s go to bed and talk about it in the morning if you want.” 

-“ Don’t call me that ! You don’t get to call me sweetheart right now when you’re making me feel like a shitty girlfriend for caring about you and your goddamn job. I only wanted you to trust me enough to confide in me and understand where I’m coming from. Apparently that’s too much to ask so no, I’m not going to bed with you.” you spat, grabbing your jacket and your purse hurriedly

-“ What are you doing y/n ?” 

-“ I’m leaving, enjoy the empty bed Mark.” 

-“ Don’t leave alright, I’m sorry. Come lie down for a while, you’ll feel better.” Mark tried, holding out his hand for you from where he was sitting on the edge of the bed

-“ I don’t want to be around you right now, I need you to respect that. I don’t want to say things I’ll regret and I’m tired of arguing so I need some air.”

-“ Where are you going to go ? It’s quite late.”

-“ I’ll find something. If I’m not back by the time we have to leave for the airport, I’ll meet you there.” 

-“ You’re not coming back here for the night ?” 

-“ I don’t know. Just don’t wait for me, alright ?”

-“ Okay” Mark paused as you made your way to the door “I love you y/n” 

You didn’t bother answering, only closing the door behind you before taking a shaky breath, realising what had just happened. You had nowhere to go, your friends here were also Mark’s friends and you knew there was a big chance that he would text around to know where you were. You usually found it sweet, how much he cared about you and how much time he wanted to be around you but tonight you needed a little breathing room. 

That’s how you found yourself walking around the city at night, entering in the closest bar you found. You sat yourself at the bar ordering a drink when you heard a familiar sound. You turned around, hoping you had been mistaken but no, there he was. Daniel Ricciardo, the joyful Australian that was set to replace your boyfriend. 

It’s not that you didn’t want to see him, Daniel was a lovely guy after all. You had just hoped to escape the whole F1 world and seeing him only reminded you of Mark. You prayed that he wouldn’t see you or that if he did, he wouldn’t come and talk to you because you knew you looked rough. The walk you took had allowed you to let some of the frustration out and you were well aware of the smudged mascara under your eyes. 

Sadly for you, Daniel’s eyes found yours and he waved before making his way over to you, quickly followed by someone else.

-“ Well if it isn’t my favourite reporter…” Daniel teased with a grin

-“ Hello Daniel, Jules.” you smiled softly at the French driver who was behind his friend

-“ Where’s the mountain of muscle you call a boyfriend, is he here ?” Daniel asked

-“ Nope.” You smirked before taking a sip of your drink

-“ I know this is probably none of my business but are you alright ? You look like hell.” Daniel tried before getting elbowed by Jules

-“ What Dan is saying is that you can talk to us if something is wrong and also if you don’t want to be alone, you can definitely stay with us until you’re sick of our shit.” Jules kindly offered

-“ That’s really kind of you. Mark and I just argued, nothing bad. I just needed some air.” 

-“ Well let’s cheer you up then !” Daniel smiled before taking your hands and dragging you to where they had been sitting

That’s how you ended your night, talking and drinking with two drivers that were 7 years younger than you. In the end, they managed to make you smile and Jules had to push you into the taxi for the airport for you to actually leave them. 

When Mark saw you at the airport, still wearing the same outfit as when you left and your puffy eyes, he knew he had royally fucked up. Instead of picking up the argument back from where you guys had left it or scolding you for not telling him where you were or if you were alright, he engulfed you in a hug. 

You let yourself melt into his embrace as he whispered how sorry he was about how he had reacted and for not talking to you about his retirement. You were still a bit hurt but hearing him apologising felt good. On top of that, when you stepped back from the hug and saw his teary eyes, you knew holding onto the argument would hurt you both so as pained as you had been, you let the grudge go and linked your fingers with his, ready to go back home. 

This fight had been the first big one and you had hoped it would have been the last one but when Mark started his endurance career, everything slowly went sour. You no longer worked together which already took a toll on your relationship but your schedules were also drastically different. 

Mark was almost always away when you were home even if he didn’t have to race. You knew how important fitting in with the team was but surely spending all his free time at the Porsche factory in Stuttgart wasn’t necessary. Especially when you had a free weekend which was rare. 

The physical distance started to hurt your communication as well and you barely knew what the other was doing at this point. The few times you managed to be home at the same time, you mostly argued and one of you walked out of the conversation. The smallest arguments turned big instantly. Whether it was about how you missed him, which he took as you telling him to work less or about how he thought you saw his friends more than him and got better along with them than he did nowadays.

Jenson got brought up a few times in those arguments. Mark criticising how close you two seemed whenever he tuned in on the F1 broadcast and how he thought you were being too flirty with the Brit for his liking. His jealousy got the better of him during arguments a few times and he brought up the kiss you had shared back in 2009 to make you admit that you were attracted to Jenson.

No matter how often you reminded Mark that despite kissing Jenson, you had chosen to date him, Mark wouldn’t listen. He was convinced you would eventually get with Jenson while he was away. In the end, you got tired of his accusations and whenever he brought the subject up, you didn’t answer, just nodding along until he grew tired of your silence and walked out. 

When Jenson texted you in October, asking if he could stay at your place in England  the next month so he could visit his family while they hosted a big get-together that had the rooms of his childhood house packed with Buttons, you knew saying yes would be playing with fire but you agreed. After all, Jenson was a friend and all he needed was a place to stay, it’s not like you were doing anything wrong, he would only come back to your place to sleep. 

Deep down, you knew Mark would be angry if he heard but he would be away racing in Bahrain so what he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him. You knew Jenson and him barely talked anymore so the chances of him knowing about his friend’s visit were very slim. Plus, there were no chances of them seeing each other because Jenson had to be in Abu Dhabi on the 16th and Mark had to go to Stuttgart until the 18th to wrap up the season. Nothing could go wrong.

On November 11th, Jenson arrived at your door in Oxford just after dinner so you only had time to show him his room before the two of you went to bed. When you woke up the next day, the smell of breakfast tickling your nose, you froze. Was Mark back earlier than you thought ?

You made your way downstairs as quietly as possible to try and sneak a glance at the person cooking in your kitchen. The weight on your shoulder lifted when you recognised Jenson standing in front of the stove, happily whistling while he cooked.

-“ I didn’t know you could cook…” you teased, making the Brit turn around with a smile as you leaned against the kitchen counter behind him

-“ What can I say, there’s more to me than my handsome face and muscular body…”

-“ I’m glad you didn’t mention your incredible brain, I would have hated to be the one to ruin your illusion.” 

-“ If I had known you’d be this mean I wouldn’t have made French toast but I guess I could keep it all to myself…” Jenson feigned offence 

-“ Nooo, please Jenson. That’s my favourite breakfast, I’m sorry.” you whined which only made Jenson’s smile bigger

-“ I know, that’s why I made it.” 

-“ How ?” 

-“ You told me once, I just remembered that’s all…”

-“ I really don’t remember, when was that ?” 

-“ If I’m not mistaken it was 2010 at Silverstone.” he shrugged

-“ That’s 4 years ago, there’s no way you still remember something I told you once.” 

-“ What can I say, love ? I do listen when you talk. Now let’s eat while it’s warm so go sit.” 

-“ Oh so you’re letting me have the breakfast you cooked with my food ?” 

-“ Sit down and eat before I change my mind and shove the whole plate in my mouth.” 

-“ You’re so dramatic.” you muttered before following him to the dining room

The rest of your day went on normally, Jenson was off to see his grandparents for the day while you just started working on some stuff you had put off and answered some emails. 

Deciding to enjoy the fact that it had stopped raining, you got dressed in your sports clothes and headed out for a run, only to return an hour later. You had managed to avoid the rain for most of your workout but it had started pouring while you were still 10 minutes away from your house. Clearly in need of a warm shower and dry clothes, you turned in your driveway, seeing Jenson’s car.

You made your way upstairs, trying to walk as little as possible to avoid soaking the whole floor. The door to Jenson’s room was half-opened but you still knocked, waiting for an answer before you entered. Jenson looked up from where he was sitting on the bed, a book on his lap and glasses on his nose. You couldn’t help but stare at him for a second before coming back to your senses.

-“ Do you need me for anything or did you just come to enjoy the view ?” he teased, not missing the blush creeping on your face when you got caught

-“ I just needed to grab some clothes, get over yourself.” 

-“ Do you really have so many clothes that it doesn’t fit your shared dressing room with Mark ?” he joked, getting up to stand next to you

-“ No, that’s not it. Can you please move so I can get what I came in here for ?” 

-“ I don’t believe you, I’m sure the closet is overflowing. I’ll go see for myself and prove that you’re a terrible liar !” he said, making his way towards the bedroom you had been sleeping in before getting stopped by your hand on his arm

-“ Jenson please.” you almost whispered, making the Brit turn around, seeing the pained look on your face

-“ What’s going on, y/n ? You know you can talk to me.”

-“ I know. It’s really nothing, don’t worry about it.” you tried to brush it off

-“ If it’s nothing, tell me about it then.” he tried again, sitting back on the bed as you rested your hip against the dresser

-“ I just leave most of my clothes here so I don’t have to go into the bedroom.” 

-“ Why wouldn’t you want to go into your own room, I don’t understand. Isn’t it less convenient to sleep in one room and have to go in another to grab some clothes ?”

-“ I don’t sleep in there often.” you confessed, looking at your feet

-“ I thought the big room was the room you two shared ?” 

-“ It’s Mark’s room.” 

-“ Then it must be yours too, no ?” Jenson tried to wrap his head around what you were telling him as you shook your head

-“ This is my room, this is why my clothes are in there…” 

-“ And here I thought Mark couldn’t breathe without having some part of him touching you.” Jenson started to laugh but the sound died in his throat when he heard you sniffle “ Oh God. I’m an idiot, I’m so sorry love. I had no idea things weren’t going well between you two. Here I am joking about it, what a tosser.” 

-“ It’s okay, you didn’t know.” you breathed sharply as he stood up and wrapped his arms around you “ You’re going to get soaked…” 

-“ It’s okay, that’ll make two of us.” he paused, suddenly unsure of what to say “Do you want to talk about it ?”

-“ I don’t know, maybe.” you confessed, a shiver making your entire body shake

-“ Why don’t you take a warm shower while I make us dinner and we can talk about it over a glass of wine and a warm meal ?” 

-“ That sounds really nice but I don’t want to bother you. You’re supposed to be my guest.” 

-“ Let me do this for you, y/n, please.” 

-“ If you insist. Just don’t burn my kitchen please.” you finally teased before grabbing a change of clothes and heading in the bathroom

Jenson stood in the room for a few minutes, still in shock, before he finally snapped out of it and made his way to the kitchen. He looked through the pantries and the fridge, trying to find something to cook on his own before giving up and pressing the call button on his phone. 

When you emerged from the shower an hour later, you could hear Jenson talking on the phone. Not wanting to bother him, you quietly made your way to the kitchen and sat on one of the stools in front of the kitchen island. The noise made Jenson turn around and he couldn’t help the smile that erupted when he saw how relaxed you look.

-“ Thank you, Ma. I have to go but I’ll see you tomorrow.” Jenson waved before hanging up the video call

-“ Your mom seems nice.”

-“ She really is. Nice enough to pick up and help me cook something decent.” 

-“ I’m not a picky eater, I would’ve been fine with some leftovers I have in the freezer, you know ?”

-“ I know, I just wanted to make something nice and reheating something didn’t mean the same thing as actually cooking.” 

-“ What did you make then Gordon Ramsay ?” 

-“ Don’t get your hopes up, I just made cottage pie.” Jenson laughed before you almost launched yourself in his arms, wrapping your arms around his waist. “ If I had known cooking for you was the way to get you to hug me like that, I would’ve done it earlier.” 

-“ Don’t ruin the moment, Jense.”

-“ Sorry.”

-“ Thank you.” 

-“ It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

-“ Still, thank you for being here.” 

Before he could add something else, you had slipped from his embrace and started setting the table for the two of you. Jenson didn’t push you to talk and instead just helped you silently, reaching for the wine glasses that were out of your reach anc checking on the pie that was just done cooking. 

Once everything was ready, the two of you sat down at the table and he let you bring up whatever topic you wanted to talk about. He could tell you were nervous to talk about the elephant in the room. You weren’t really looking at him directly and you kept drinking wine to try to relax. 

Once you had reached dessert, Jenson finally brought it up again. He couldn’t help but notice the way you tensed and dropped your spoon a little hard before motioning for him to follow you in the living room instead. 

You sat at one end of the couch as he sat on the opposite end, trying in vain to make you look at him but you couldn’t. You knew that the instant you started talking and saw his face, you’d be crying again and you had way too much to talk about. 

You took a deep breath before you finally opened your mouth to speak. You and Mark had gone to Australia for the summer break before he had to start training again like you always had since you had been dating. You had planned on staying a week at his parents’ house so he could see them and his sister at the same time.

You usually loved seeing the Webbers, they were extremely kind to you and his sister Leanne absolutely loved having you around because you made Mark a little more bearable, her words not yours. However this year, the argument about Mark’s retirement still hung over your heads and you could tell that it was starting to keep you apart.

Once you were settled in, Mark went out on his own for a few hours to clear his head. You had found it weird but since it was the first time you hadn’t asked anything. When he left at the same time the next day and the day after, always leaving for a few hours without telling anyone, you started asking him questions only to be answered with dry comments about how it wasn’t your business. 

On the fourth day, you had finally snapped and the two of you had started arguing which had ended with him walking out while you cried in your shared bedroom. Alerted by the noise, Leanne had came to check on you and you didn’t have to explain what had happened because the screaming match had been heard from the living room where she had been standing with her dad. 

You didn’t expect her to pick a side in the fight or to defend you and confront Mark but just like she had heard your argument, you had heard your boyfriend being scolded by his older sister. 

Mark obviously didn’t like that and as soon as his sister went back home and his parents went for a walk, he was back in your room to argue again. He didn’t even flinch when you started crying in front of him or when you called his sister to ask if you could stay at her place for the night. 

Two days later when Mark went out again, Leanne convinced you to go with her to try and see where he escaped to everyday. You had parked on the opposite side of the road from where Mark was sitting in a coffee shop apparently waiting for someone. You had zoned out, checking your phone out of boredom when Leanne had inhaled sharply before cursing her brother.

The insult made you look up and you watched as Mark kissed someone else. You blinked, hoping you had imagined it but when you opened your eyes again Mark was still kissing her. It took you a few more seconds to realise that the woman he was kissing wasn’t a stranger but actually his manager. 

You had to stop Leanne from getting out of the car and catching him red handed. You made her promise not to tell anyone and for once, the very talkative Australian just nodded and brought you back to her parents’ place without a word. 

Mark still had no idea you knew about his affair and you didn’t plan on telling him which bothered Jenson. How could Mark not know when you weren’t even sleeping in the same room anymore. You just shrugged and explained that with how often you two were fighting, it didn’t seem odd.

The thought that his friend could do this to you made his blood boil and he really didn’t understand why you didn’t leave him. When he asked you, you admitted that Mark was all you knew and you barely saw him anymore anyway so you clung onto the small parts of normality you could: your house, the habits you had here and even though it pained you, the memories of the good times with Mark. 

Once you were done talking, you finally looked up and as soon as Jenson saw your tear-stained cheeks, he brought you closer to him. Your head nestled against his shoulder as he rubbed his hand up and down your arm, trying to comfort you. You must have fallen asleep against him because when you opened your eyes again, you were tucked in your bed and the sun was starting to shine brightly despite the November cold. 

Jenson was already gone so you didn’t even get to thank him right away. When he came back, he just shrugged it off and placed a kiss on the top of your head before going to take a shower. To you it seemed like everything was back to normal between you but Jenson had promised himself he’d try to convince you to leave Mark before he left. Or at least to bring back a genuine smile on your face for good, no matter what it took.

[rainytrashh]

— – - – — – - – — – - – — – - – — – - – — – - – — – -

Stop worrying so fucking much

Fic type-> Hurt/ comfort + angst

Warnings*-> Anxiety/ panic attack, PTSD

Word Count-> 1931, a short story

Please check out my other drabbles either on here or on my AO3, the link is at the end <3

~Masterlist~ | Most popular post

*I’ve written Marc’s anxiety/panic attack off of mine that I’ve had in the past but I don’t have PTSD so if there’s anything I wrote wrong please tell me so I can fix it and improve my own understanding of it, thx and enjoy!

— – - – — – - – — – - – — – - – — – - – — – - – — – -

You and Marc were working in the museum together, just chatting, not doing much of anything really. Well except when Donna was watching, which was more or less every five minutes or so because no matter how much you two tried to convince her that you were, in fact, cleaning the floors she just wouldn’t fuck off.

“Steven!”

They haven’t told her about their DID, they don’t think she’d react too well. They’re also glad she hasn’t been bothered to ask about the occasional shift in accents; she hasn’t cared enough to ask anyways.

“Donna-“

“Steven…”

“Donna, I’m cleaning you’re watching me do it.”

Daggers, right into his eyes. You can practically see them.

“Ma- Steven has the mop in his hand?”

-Is your attempt at defending him.

“Really?”

-Is her sarcastic reply.

You turn to Marc and give him a downwards smile, he side-eyes you pretending not to see but he can’t manage to suppress a grin of his own.

“And- I don’t see any mop in yours!”

She snaps, putting her hands on her hips.

“Don’t forget to do the bathroom, y’know the one someone managed to fuckin’ implode-“

“Yes, ok Donna.”

“Water literally everywhere! How does someone even-“

“We’ll. Be. Right. On it. Donna.”

You say stiffly cutting her off once more knowing their sensitivity around the subject, around what happened that day. Wouldn’t you still be a little freaked out if a massive demon dog chased after your alter and left you both just a little shook afterwards; finally making that alter finally aware of you? You know, big plot point in someone’s life to be honest.

Of course him and Steven are cool now, the whole ‘protecting the travellers of the night’ thing being over helps too. What doesn’t help is being able to remember all the bloody, action-packed, I’m-gonna-die moments that came along with it.

You give her the best ‘I’m being as polite as I can to you right now given that you’re my boss and I need this job, desperately’ smile that you have before she slowly turns and walks off.

“Could she’ve gone any earlier?”

“Yes, definitely.”

You catch his gaze after he glanced behind him in the direction of the bathroom.

“You… want me to do the bathroom?”

“No, no you don’t have to. I’ll help just like I’m helping now.”

You smile softly at him.

“Ok, I’ll take the mop. Do you wanna get the rag and spray bottle?”

He hands you the mop, swiping it from him letting the wheelie bucket it’s in trail behind.

“I’ll be back.”

He walks off to the cleaner’s closet.

You make your idle way over to the bathroom, fumbling a bit with your wired earbuds and phone to blast some music while you clean.

—

You see Marc in the corner of your eye, not being able to hear what he’s saying while waving frantically to get your attention. Taking one earbud out, you put the mop in the bucket and turn to face him.

“Sorry what?”

“I’ve got the rag and shit.”

He holds them up so you can see, he’s also oddly far away.

“Oh, ok yea. Just be careful the floor’s wet still. You… good?”

You glance down noticing he hasn’t stepped fully into the bathroom yet.

“Yea, of course.”

Your gaze clings to him worriedly before putting your earbud back in continuing to clean. You know better than to not trust his own judgement, who are you to tell him he’s not ok when he says he is…?

—

Alright Marc, time to do Steven’s job some more.

“You insisted on fronting today!”

As if on cue, an annoyed Steven from the back of his mind.

“I just wanted to talk to Y/n, I didn’t want to do your damn job.”

Marc snaps back almost instantly.

He looks up from the counter he’s wiping down and sees Steven looking back at him, he seems uneasy. A glance is shot in your direction to check you didn’t hear his sudden outburst.

“Marc…”

“What, Steven?”

“Your hands are… all trembly, maybe you should… take a step back from the situation mate.”

He sighs shakily, gripping the rag tighter in hopes to stop the shaking.

“I’m fine, stop worrying so fucking much.”

Steven scoffs. He throws his arms out and furrows his eyebrows obviously confused at how stubborn Marc’s being.

“I can quite literally read your bloody mind, you’re not fine!”

In turn Marc just hangs his head, closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths blatantly ignoring Steven. Eventually, he pries his eyes open and turns his head to face you, happily bobbing your head to your music trying to get a particularly stubborn mark out the floor- completely oblivious, as you should be.

He tries to focus on you, on grounding himself, as memories of that night weave their way into his head.

“It wasn’t nice for me either, please at least just tell them?”

There’s a sense of urgency to Steven’s voice now.

“Shut- shut the… shut up Steven.”

They both notice his voice beginning to falter despite Marc’s efforts to hide it. Him in particular notices it’s getting harder to speak because of his throat starting to close up, stupid adrenaline.

“Marc, you can’t be in here any longer…”

A plea from Steven- ever so soft, ever so tender, ever so endearing.

He tries to reply but nothing comes out, he ends up just pitifully mouthing Steven’s name. Everything is going so fast somehow, his breathing is getting heavier, sounds seem oddly muffled, and his body feels like it could topple over any second.

“Tell them.”

Marc tries to swallow but can’t get it down, he leans over the sink resting his forearms on the counter. He simply shakes his head and rests it in his hands.

As if Steven had managed to tell you from the mirror something was wrong, you turn around to see how Marc’s doing. Not so well obviously.

“Shit Marc, you ok?”

No reply although you see his shoulders tense up.

You yank your earbuds out and let them hang down from your pocket, the loud music swiftly reduced to a faint hum in the background. Jogging over to him you lean down a bit to try and see his face. He looks so… vulnerable like this. Your nerves begin to build up rapidly as you hear his raspy breathing.

“Marc? Please talk to me are you alright?”

He reluctantly turns his head just so he can see you out the corner of his eye, he’s crying now as you see tears drip down into the sink from his nose. He opens his mouth trying to speak again.

“Ok… come on, let’s get outside, give you some fresh air.”

He takes short gasps of air trying to catch his breath, and half the stuff you’re saying is getting drowned out by his heartbeat rapidly drumming in his ears.

You put a hand on his back as you pry him away from the sinks and lead him out the bathroom and through a backdoor, you have to hold onto him to keep his knees from giving out.

He immediately sits himself down against the wall with your help, you can feel his hands shaking against you.

“It’s gonna be over soon, just hang in there and… do what you need to do.”

You sit down next to him, God you really hope he’s gonna work himself through this. You know he will. You just care about him, a whole lot, and can’t help when you get scared for him whether he likes it or not. Seeing him like this is just so out of character, he’s always so confident and… shielded.

You start to pick your nails anxiously, glancing over at him regularly hoping for any kind of signal that he wants you to help more, that he’ll let you help more. In these situations you know he wants to be left alone, so even though you don’t feel like it you’re doing everything you possibly can.

He brings his knees up and rests his forehead on them, he digs his nails into the back of his head as he tries to calm his breathing down like Steven’s telling him.

“Focus on my voice Marc, don’t think just focus on my voice I’m here ok?”

“Breathe in, breathe out…”

“Don’t think about it think about what’s around you. What can you see, what can you hear, what can you smell…“

He’s trying, he’s really trying and so is Marc but he doesn’t seem to be calming down any time soon. His heart’s getting louder, his breathing’s getting choppier and everything is way more blurry than it was a few minutes ago. He doesn’t know what to do, and everything’s getting worse.

After what feels like forever you check your phone and see it’s barely been two minutes, while doing this you pause your music having forgotten completely about it letting it turn to white noise.

You let your head fall back onto the brick wall behind you. You sigh trying to calm yourself down now, you let the crisp wind hit your features and fill your lungs.

Unexpectedly you hear Marc’s breathing slow down, you whip your head around to face him and watch the grip on his hair let up.

“Marc?”

After a few tense moments you watch as he raises his head and faces you, tear stained face and red puffy eyes meet yours.

“Marc…?”

You furrow your eyebrows confused at his sudden shift in demeanour.

He shakes his head and gives weary smile, he taps his name badge- Steven.

“Oh…”

You nod your head, giving him a weak smile of your own.

“Well, you two good?”

He signals to his throat and nods instead.

Ah, it’s clicked in your head, they may have switched but all the physical things going on with the body would stay the same.

“Good…”

You both sit in a comfortable silence for a while, just letting the tension settle down. Ultimately one of you speaks up.

“Sorry-“

He clears his throat and stretches his legs out on the concrete staring down at his feet.

“Sorry you had to be around for that…”

“No don’t say you’re sorry, it’s not your fault.”

“But, we could’ve prevented it, easily!”

“It’s not Marc’s fault either Steven-“

“No no that’s not what I meant- I just… I could’ve done something. Take control of the legs or something and walked us right out of there, I didn’t. I don’t know why I didn’t, was I scared? Why was I scared to if I was scared? I just don’t bloody understand-“

“Steven.”

Your eyes meet, the calm in yours seeps into his before you look away. You reach to his hand and caress his knuckles comfortingly, oddly rough for someone who should be working in a museum.

“It’s ok now, what’s happened has happened, so try not to think about all these would’ves, could’ves, and should’ves. Just, think about what you’re gonna do about it in the future. Even better, focus on the now.”

Steven exhales weightily and lets his lead fall limp on your shoulder.

“You should tell Marc that.”

—

“Steven! Y/n! Where were you? No, I don’t want to hear it. You’re both getting inventory duty for a week. Yes a week, starting fucking today. Now finish cleaning that sodding bathroom, how long does that take you anyways I’d have it done in half this time already. No, I told you, I don’t want to hear it I’ve got more important things to do—“

— – - – — – - – — – - – — – - – — – - – — – - – — – -

My AO3

[bg3ficreviews]

BG3 Fic Review Guidelines - let us know what you think!

Hi everyone, We've finally settled on some fic review guidelines we'd like to implement here, but we would like to share them with the community and get your feedback. It's important to us that we support our fellow writers in a collaborative space. The best way to do that is to hear your thoughts and incorporate them into our plans and strategies. Once we have finalised our review guidelines, we plan to open up our doors to bring more reviewers on board and really get going properly. We may do this either by creating a Discord server for the team or simply allowing reviewers to submit their work to the blog directly. Regardless, our fanfic community is important to us and we want to do our best to help build a supportive, inspiring and creative environment. But! without further ado, here are the BG3 Fic Review Guidelines as they currently are, listed below the fold. Please feel free to reply on this post, send us an ask, or email me (Aivu) directly should you have any comments or questions. My email address is aivuthedragon[at]gmail[dot]com.

Happy writing!

Aivu 🐉💜 BG3 Fic Reviews, Editor

The BG3FicReviews review guidelines (WIP)

Please note these guidelines are a work in progress, and we may update them as we go depending on questions that arise in the community and among our team members. That said, the goals behind the BG3FicReviews blog will remain largely unchanged, and represent our underlying philosophy as a team. We’ll start there.

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[msnihilist]

Hi, (I’m not anti or pro whatever that stuff are, just adding a bit of objective side to this whole debate because for some reason it’s on my for you page)

So as for pro-shippers claiming that it’s all okay because it’s fantasy, I think you sometimes lack to realise that there’s very thin line between fantasy and normalisation, and explanations with the type like “Well I won’t normalise it I know it’s bad, it’s just fiction/fantasy” doesn’t necessarily work from like logical and actual point of view. Because as for human minds, the more you’re exposed to something in certain view, the more you get used to it, thus normalising it. So bt more content view the more the line between fiction and reality becomes blurred, as it was proven and shown many times in the past, it’s simply how our minds work. So I don’t really like how offensive you get when people use the argument that it’s bad, because it indeed is. By the process I explained before. Is the act itself bad if it doesn’t include actual people? No. Feel free to do so, I think, but you have to actively remind yourself and your viewers that it’s indeed only “okay” in not-real sense of situation. Say what you will but author is responsible for the content he creates and to make it safe. With the moment you feel like the line that should be very much defined begins to blur you need to reach for profesional help because it’s not normal to project fantasies onto actual-living-beings.

As for anti-shippers, I understand your stand but so much hate and anger is harming for everyone. It’s understandable and admirable to stand for your morals and protect those in need, but as long as the content doesn’t cause actual harm to actual people, simply avoid it. It just might not be for you. Harassing and bullying other people for their creations/fantasies is not okay. I understand not wanting to normalise 4buse/p3d0phillia/inc3st, etc. but there’s important thing to remember, that is coping mechanism and idea of fantasy. The idea of it may somehow be hard to understand, that’s why sometimes you need to take time to acknowledge things. Sometimes you just need to cut it out of your sight. We all should be mindful and expectant of other people abilities to differentiate moral/not moral and fiction/reality. While it might be upsetting and annoying when pro-shippers seem to not acknowledge the seriousness of the case, you sometimes have to give the benefit of the doubt. Of course there are some “bad” individuals, but so are in every majority/minority ever.

Ok that’s all, I think, coming from someone who isn’t on either side, just did the necessary reaserch and have a piece of actual information. No rudeness or anything behind it. Simply informational, because honestly as long as you don’t harm/include real people in your whatever you call it, it’s not my business. However if you do, and you seem to cross the line, people have all the rights to criticise and call you out for it.

Anyhow, don’t be bitter, stay woke, eat the rich. Thank you for coming for my TedTalk.

(Although I do have to say, some of yall (both sides) toxic as hell)

TL:DR:

Remember kids, the line between fantasy and normalization is thin. Simply saying "it's just fiction" doesn't negate the potential for normalization, as repeated exposure can blur this line, influencing our perception. It's crucial to remind oneself and others that certain content is only acceptable in a fictional context. Creators must be responsible for their content and how they present it. Please do seek help if you struggle to maintain the distinction between fiction and reality.

Regarding anti-shippers, while your stance is understandable, excessive hate is counterproductive. Opposing harmful content is valid, but harassment isn't. Recognize that fantasy can serve as a coping mechanism for some. Not all pro-shippers are malicious, and it's important to give the benefit of the doubt while being mindful of the difference between fiction and reality. As long as no real harm is done, it’s not anyone’s concern. However, if real lines are crossed, criticism is justified

So, anon, the reason this is on your "for you" page is probably because you follow someone who interacts heavily with ship discourse. That's how the Tumblr algorithm usually works.

Anyway, it's your first paragraph and I already have a problem with it. There is no "objective" side to this debate. What, do you think you're the first person to ever have the brave and unique take that both sides are bad? Uh, no.

Objectively, the idea that fictional settings are sandboxes and should be judgment free is simply correct. There's really nothing to debate. Antis are wrong and frankly delusional.

Now that we've cleared that up, we'll move on to your second paragraph.

There is not a "thin line" between fantasy and normalization. How do I know that, you may ask? Simple: there are 154,000 fics on AO3 tagged as incest. There are 394,000 tagged as rape/non-con. There are 1,084,000 tagged as graphic violence. These numbers increase every minute.

So where are the rising numbers of murder in our society? Most antis such as yourself are American, so we'll just stick to American numbers. I don't see increased reports of rape or incest, even though Game of Thrones and House of the Dragons are insanely popular. Shameless and Breaking Bad didn't increase drug usage. I don't see Euphoria leading to greater rates of teenagers having sex.

But if you have the facts to back up your argument about normalization, anon, I would love to see your sources. Otherwise I'm afraid I will have to put that word on the top shelf until you learn how to use it properly.

(I found one study trying to link incest to pornography, but it was published by bedbible.com, so... Let's just say that I doubt their ability to be objective on the matter.)

What you go on to describe (with people getting used to something the more they see it) is called the mere exposure effect. It's a psychological phenomenon where people tend to develop a preference for things or people that are more familiar to them. Repeated exposure increases familiarity which increases positive associations. This is how branding works.

But if you knew anything about psychology, anon, you would know that this is, again, a phenomenon and not a law of human thought. Do people tend to like things that they see a lot? Sure! I think my bedroom is super comforting. I tend to like the friends that I see more often than the ones I don't see.

But I also hate brands that are constantly blasting me with ads. The more I listen to a song over and over again, the less I want to listen to it yet again.

And none of that even has anything to do with "the fine line between fantasy and normalization," as you put it, because what you're describing is escalation. It's mostly found in drug usage — how your body becomes used to a feeling and you need to take more and more of a substance in order to get the same feeling that a little bit used to give you.

The mere exposure effect works like this: I dislike the ship Ben/Gwen. Not because they are cousins, but because it simply doesn't appeal to me. I read a couple of fics about them. Gradually, I start to warm up to the pairing. I look at fanart. My fondness grows. Rinse and repeat, and here I am, writing my own Ben/Gwen fanfics.

The escalation effect works like this: I like the Ben/Gwen ship. I consume and create more content for this pairing, but it doesn't feel as satisfying as it used to. I begin to wonder about my own cousins. I start to think that the cousin I am closest to is kind of cute. I emulate the behaviors that I've seen in fanfic and fanart with my cousin, hoping to recreate the same joy I used to feel with my favorite pairing.

Do you see how insane that second thing sounds? Absolutely nobody does that. Do you know why? Because we understand that fiction and reality are too very different and starkly defined things. There is not a "thin line" between them, that line is a fucking wall at least twenty feet thick.

The familiarity = comfort effect does work, sometimes. That example with Ben/Gwen was a real one from my life. The more I saw it, the more I liked it. But I can also give you a dozen examples of things I see a lot and absolutely hate. That's why it's a "phenomenon" and entirely irrelevant to the point you're trying your best to make.

Also, if you're going to say "as was proven many times in the past," you're going to need a citation, otherwise I'm just going to have to assume that this knowledge was revealed to you in a dream.

Moving on.

"So I don’t really like how offensive you get when people use the argument that it’s bad, because it indeed is. By the process I explained before." ← We can strike that first sentence out entirely, because what you "explained before" was pulled straight out of your ass.

You have already reached the conclusion that certain things in fiction are wrong or gross to portray, and now you're trying to work backwards and retroactively find "evidence" to prove that these things are harmful so that you don't have to face the fact that you're no better than any other reactionist. Your disgust is not a good basis for a moral standpoint, but you would clearly rather pretend that it is instead of finding real information and developing an opinion from the bottom up, instead of this top-down bullshit you're trying to pass off as "objective" when this just reeks of empathy trolling.

Next: if you have to be actively reminded that murder, rape, and incest are Bad™, then you aren't emotionally mature enough to be reading my work, or anyone else's. I worry that you might read "The Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar" and start thinking that binge eating is okay. I mean, the author didn't come out and say that gourging yourself is bad! No wonder so many children in America are obese these days...

"Say what you will but author is responsible for the content he creates and to make it safe." No, they're not. You're insane.

"...it’s not normal to project fantasies onto actual-living-beings." Actually, it is. You fantasize about real people all the time. Have you ever masturbated to the thought of a crush? Got the short end of the stick at work and dreamt about giving your boss a piece of your mind? Even just felt really sad and imagined that someone was with you to make it feel better? Congrats, you fantasized about people!

You only need to seek professional help for fantasies when they start to distress you. Up until you run the risk of doing something in real life to hurt another person, you are under no obligation to share your thoughts. You do not need to be afraid of yourself because you imagined a one night stand with a stranger on the street. What matters is how you treat others, not what you keep to yourself.

"[Directed at antis] It’s understandable and admirable to stand for your morals and protect those in need." Quick correction: antis are protecting no one. Fictional characters aren't real and don't need to be "saved." Antis are also not understandable or admirable. Other than those things, this sentence is okay.

"I understand not wanting to normalise 4buse/p3d0phillia/inc3st, etc." Do everyone a favor and stop talking like a Homestuck character. Abuse. Pedophilia. Incest. These concepts are not somehow less harsh because you spelled it with numbers and made it harder for people with reading disabilities to follow.

"it might be upsetting and annoying when pro-shippers seem to not acknowledge the seriousness of the case" that's because there is nothing serious happening. I'm playing with my dolls. It's a shame that some people think I play too rough, but their outrage is not my problem.

You did not do any research or present any information. You weren't rude, but you also definitely weren't informational.

Wrong again. Fantasies about real people are also fine. Thoughts harm no one. No one has the "right" to criticize you for wrongthink. If you try to say that it's okay to criticize people for "crossing the line," then that begs the question, where is the line drawn? Let's ban RPF. Okay. Some bands have characters and stories in their albums. Can we write about their characters? The age of consent is different in many countries. Do we have to wait until all real people are older than 18, and why do American standards get dominance? If I base my OC heavily off of my favorite celebrity, does that count as RPF? What if the celebrity says they're okay with it? What if the celebrity is okay with certain things, but not this or that? If the celebrity changes their opinion, are all old works retroactively problematic? Etc etc. I can do this all day with any facet of fiction under the sun.

Censorship is not gray. It's all or nothing. If we start drawing the lines, eventually someone else is going to get to draw them, too, and they will not agree with where the line started.

Next time you want to sound informed, it would help to do some actual research. I have a collection of papers on violent fantasies and cyberbullying and the importance of fiction as an outlet if you need somewhere to start.

[goldenempyrean]

A Luthor's Vulnerability

〚 Notes - Hello, hello! So @ekowolf (I hope you don't mind the tag) requested to do a pt2 to this fic with some Kara and Alex looking after Lena which I thought was a super cute idea so I hope this suffices :D 〛

〚 Pairing - Supercorp 〛

〚 Summary - It's the day after the conference and Lena isn't feeling any better so Kara takes it upon herself (with some extra help) to look after her. 〛

〚 Wordcount - 1500 〛

〘 Check Out My Masterlist! 〙

〘 Part 1 〙

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When Lena woke up the next day she was in bed, not where she had previously fallen asleep on the sofa the previous night and judging by the sleeping blonde nuzzled into her side she deduced that Kara had carried her here. 

She tried to sit up but stopped at the overwhelming woozy feeling nestling in her head, even just moving sent the room orbiting around her. Lena let out a soft groan, feeling the throbbing ache in her head intensify. She winced, trying to remember what had happened the night before, but everything was a blurry haze. All she remembered if that the press confer- 

Oh god. The conference?! Ignoring the jolt of aches it sent through her, Lena quickly sat upright and reached over to the nightstand and grabbed her phone from the charger (again, she had Kara to thank for that) before frantically googling her name followed by CatCo.  

To her surprise the majority of articles and news reports which appeared weren’t slandering her name, mocking her or even criticising her judgement. Instead they were sympathetic, highlighting her dedication to work despite clearly being unwell. 

As Lena scrolled through the articles, she couldn't help but let out a small sneeze. It was followed by another, and then a third, each one making her feel more miserable. She felt Kara stir beside her, and with a soft groan, the blonde slowly opened her eyes. 

“Lena? You okay?” She mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she sat up beside the ravenette. 

She nodded, “Kara, it’s fine now. I’m fine now.” Her attempt at dismissing her concerns may have been a little more convincing if she hadn’t trailed off into a couple of raspy coughs which had ultimately upset her sinuses and sent her sneezing loudly down into elbow. 

"Bless you, you're such a fibber Lena, you can’t fool me.” Kara sighed as she raised her hand to Lena's forehead to check her temperature. “Still really warm and coming from me that’s not a good thing, we should get you some medicine.” 

Lena hesitated, her stubbornness wrestling with her weariness. "You don’t need to. I'm used to taking care of myself, Kara. I've never had anyone look after me when I was sick," she admitted, her voice tinged with vulnerability. 

Lillian certainly wasn’t a good mother. Sure, when her darling, prized Lex was ill, she’d be sure to swarm him with affection and love, but for Lena? Hell no. She’d be given a box of tissues and be told to deal with it silently. There was no room for weakness in the Luthor household. As such, she’d leant to fend for herself, but just because she could do it, didn’t mean she was good at it. It was only a few years ago that she’d neglected herself to the point of developing pneumonia and even still, she’d worked through it. 

Kara's concern softened her gaze as she gently cupped Lena's flushed cheek. "You don't have to go through this alone anymore, sweetheart. I want to take care of you, so please, let me?" Kara's warmth and sincerity melted the walls Lena had built around herself and the Luthor rested her head against her shoulder. 

As Lena leaned into Kara's comforting embrace, she felt a sense of relief wash over her, finally allowing herself to be vulnerable with someone who genuinely cared for her well-being. It was so different from what she had been previously been through but it felt amazing. Kara smiled softly, brushing a few strands of hair away from Lena's forehead. 

"Okay, maybe I don’t feel the best.” Lena gave in, muffling a cough into her elbow sharply. 

Kara's tender touch extended to Lena's back as she guided her to lie down comfortably, making sure her frame was supported with a pillow, "I know you don’t love so just rest for a moment, and I'll get you some medicine and warm tea," Kara said with a reassuring smile before leaving her with a soft kiss as she left the room briefly. 

As Lena lay there, she couldn't help but feel touched by Kara's caring nature. It was such a contrast to the cold and distant environment she had grown up in. Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by a sudden tickle in her nose, and before she could react, a loud sneeze escaped her, followed by another one. 

"Bless you," Kara said as she returned with a cup of hot tea, medicine and a box of tissues. "Looks like you're in need of these." 

Lena chuckled softly, feeling a little embarrassed. "Thanks Kara, you’re so good to me.” 

Despite taking the medicine as the day progressed, Lena's fever continued to rise, leaving her feeling weaker and more miserable. She was shivering one moment and sweating the next, her body seemingly unable to regulate its temperature. Kara could see the distress in Lena's eyes, and her heart ached at just how helpless she was in the situation. 

So, she gave in and did the only thing left, Kara waited until her exhausted girlfriend had fallen back asleep before picking up her phone and dialling Alex’s number. 

“Hey Kara.” The warm, familial voice already made her feel reassured. 

“Alex, Lena’s fever still won’t go down and it’s been hours, and I read on Web MD that that’s really bad and I don’t want her brain to melt or I-“ Kara spilled out into a hopeless ramble before being cut off by a small laugh on the other side of the phone, “Alex- Alex, why are you laughing at me? This is serious.” 

“Kara, honey. Lena’s gonna be fine. She probably just has the Flu or something. First of all, don’t ever look on the internet for advice, it’d tell you that you ‘likely need brain surgery’ for a simple headache.” Alex explained, easing her sister’s worries, “But if her fever won’t break then she probably needs a stronger medicine, do you want me to come round and drop one off?” 

The blonde felt her nerves relax a little, “That’d be amazing, thank you.” 

About an hour or so later, Alex arrived at the apartment holding two small white carrier bags. Kara opened the door for her and welcomed her in with a hug with was warmly returned before the pair put the bags on the table. 

“There’s some medicine in here and some of those gel patches things which go on your forehead, that should help a little.” She explained before handing the other bag to Kara, “I bought some soup as well from the place you both like, it just needs reheating. There's potstickers in there for you too because I’m guessing you haven’t eaten today.” 

Kara’s eyes lit up at the mention potstickers, “Oh my god, Alex you’re amazing.” She excitedly blurted before going over to the microwave to reheat the soup, she could’ve used her heat vision but the last thing she wanted to do was make it to hot and burn her poor girlfriend. 

As Kara waited for the soup, Alex went to go check up on Lena in the other room. 

“Hey you,” Alex kept her voice soft, being mindful of the headache she probably had as she came to sit on the edge of the bed where she was laid, “Kara said you’re not feeling well, how are you feeling?” 

“Shitty.” 

Alex laughed at her stark response, “Yeah I can see that, I brought some stuff round for you, Kara’s just reheating the soup.”  

Lena managed a weak smile at Alex's presence. "Thanks Alex, I feel terrible, but Kara's taking good care of me, but she did ask me earlier if I felt ‘like your brain is going to drip out’ so I think this is a new leap for her.” 

Alex shook her head as she tried to hide her smile, “Yeah that sounds like her. But as far I can see your brains haven’t leaked out all over the pillows, so I think you’ll be okay.” She said, ignoring Lena’s protests when she began cleaning up the mess of crumpled tissues and cough-drop wrappers littering the bed, “We just need to get your fever settled.”  

As if on cue, Kara came in with a small tray, Lena’s soup and the medicine sat neatly on it. “Alex brought some supplies.” She said, shooting her sister an appreciative look, “Can you sit up for me darling?” Kara asked as she came to sit beside Lena, settling the tray on her knees. 

Lena mustered a small smile, touched by Kara's caring nature. She took a spoonful of soup and slowly sipped it, feeling the warmth spread through her body. "This is so good.” She murmured softly before sipping another spoonful, “Thanks you two, really, I’ve never been treated like this before.” 

Alex gave her a reassuring smile. "Well, get used to it, because Kara and I are here for you now. We're family, and family takes care of each other." 

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[almightycrisprat]

!!! PLEASE CRITICISE MY WORK!!! so you guys know how im a massive sucker for kazuya nuri art. well i was bored so i attempted to draw trucy in his art style. reference is that one aa4 drawing.

please criticise bc telling me whats wrong helps me more than just saying its good enough as is, and overall helps me improve as an artist (using that term veryyy lightly). criticise everything but colour choice bc i didnt have access to the right colours so i had to make do, but please do criticise proportions, blending, lineart etc because that will really help me

[thatanimewriter]

DRAINED.

➳ request: hello <3 can I please ask for soma, akira, erina and ryo making their s/o cry on accident?

➳ character/s: yukihira soma, hayama akira, nakiri erina, kurokiba ryou

➳ warnings: swearing, hurt/comfort

➳ notes: ooft ok here we go! food wars characters bein accidental ASSHOLES. this is lengthy, apologies :))

𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 / 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭  / 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 / 𝐰𝐢𝐩 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭  

── 𝐘𝐔𝐊𝐈𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐀 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐀.  

4/10 on the most likely to make you cry scale

he didn’t mean to snap at you

he was just super stressed

and he was going through it with him nearly being expelled

because central vs rebels isn’t an easy feat

and he knew you were only trying to help :((

you could already feel the tension walking into the kitchen

but you figured he could do with some help

even if it was just some small guidance

instead, you seemed to have soured his mood even further

because as you asked if he needed any help, he said

“i don’t need help from someone who couldn’t beat one of the elite 10. how would you be any help now that everyone’s expulsion is on the line?”

you averted your gaze to the ground at his call out, but tried again anyway

“it was just an offer...”

“i can do it. close the door on your way out, by the way.”

“right, of course.”

soma didn’t miss the strain in your voice, which alarmed him as he turned around just as you shut the door behind you

a soft pout came across his lips at the thought of upsetting you, but it only gave him more motivation to win

cause then he could save you from expulsion and apologise to you properly

even if he’d upset you, he did find your presence helpful

because now he knew what to cook against central

when he got to the arena, his determination grew tenfold

because seeing you sitting on the floor in that stupid fucking cage with your knees tucked under your chin really pissed him off

why are YOU his ONE AND ONLY in a CAGE??

you weren’t paying attention to the match, really

you quite enjoyed your spot in the corner of the cage

but soma had other plans

when you were released from the cage by the end of the day, you found yourself presented with a serving of your favourite food

and a very pouty soma with his own serving

“i’m sorry for making you cry, that was really shitty of me to be a dick to you. please forgive me, i can’t sleep at night. i need you to cuddle ;v;”

taking the food from him, you took a bite and a smile graced your lips

just the way you liked it

“can we finish this back on the train? i just want to cuddle in bed with food and talk...”

“YES WE CAN-”

pretty much launched towards you to give you a kiss and a hug

a clingy boi

won’t let you go for anything

if you need to pee, you can wait

or he’ll be super whiny about you leaving him

hogs you for like, a week

no one can contact you without him hovering over you

you wouldn’t be surprised if he starts hissing at people when they come near

── 𝐇𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐌𝐀 𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐑𝐀.  

8/10 on the most likely to make you cry scale

probably happened during his super angsty phase

he made it to the elite 10

he’s got longer hair now

that stupid fur jacket

and an annoying hyper fixation on beating soma

he’d barely made time for you the past few weeks

and you thought that maybe you could spend some time together

it had been ages since you last did spend some quality time together

when you knocked on the door, he swung it open very hastily

and that look of disdain he’d been giving everyone else was now turned on you

“what do you want?”

he didn’t notice the sharp inhale you took at his bluntness, but either way, you weren’t sure if that would’ve changed his answer

“to spend time with my boyfriend? it’s been weeks.”

“i don’t have time for trivial things like this, come back when it’s something worthwhile.”

your vision filled with tears as you hugged yourself and looked to the floor

“alright then. good night.”

to be honest, he probably didn’t acknowledge the slight tinge of guilt when you trudged away

but then SOMA HEARD ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED

and was very much ready to knock hayama down a peg :))

as well as jun after hayama and soma’s shokugeki

he very quickly realised what he actually said to you that night you tried to see him

and he swears he’s never run so fast in his life to find you

jun and soma know where you are, but they’re not gonna tell him-

when he found you, he nearly had a heart attack

you are out in the snow without a coat >:((

so here he comes

draping his stupid fur lined coat over your shoulders

and then hugging you from behind

“sorry for neglecting you these past few weeks, i should’ve made time for you, even if it was one night.”

“so, are you done being a little edge lord?”

“please never call it that again, but yes.”

turning around in his embrace, your returned it, chuckling to yourself when you heard his thumping heart

when you mentioned it, he pulled you tighter

at this point, after so long without you, he’d deal with the teasing

he just needs affection and he needs it now

if you don’t already

you smell of cinnamon

very strongly

and all his clothes are taken

because he wants them to smell like you so he keeps giving them to you

but because he’s been cuddling up to you it’s pretty counter productive

──  𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐑𝐈 𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐀.

7/10 on the most likely to make you cry scale

she’s not over her god tongue complex just yet

she’s trying ;v;

and normally you wouldn’t be that down about someone criticising your cooking

but it is erina

and she’s very picky

the thing that tipped you off to be upset is that you’d spent a week working on this dish

and it felt like all your efforts were wasted

because you seemingly couldn’t please erina either way

you were already nervous for her verdict

and rightfully so

“it’s... interesting.”

your lips pressed into a tight line at her unimpressed response, you could tell she was trying to soften the blow, but it didn’t help.

“you can just say it’s bad.”

“it’s not that it’s bad, it’s just... not the best you’ve made.”

you’ve never wanted to rip your eyes out more

“yeah, cause how could i ever compare to the god tongue?”

erina never got a chance to respond, as you’d already barged out the door

she was left with the dish you made

and instead of running after you, she took another bite

her training from her dad had really affected her ability to taste food for how it was

so, trying her best, she tried it again

ignoring her god tongue

she was curious though

could she make it as well as you?

probably not, because she wasn’t going to leave you upset for an entire fucking week

but she would try her best in such a short time span while you cooled down

and guess what?

she failed

there was something about the way you made it that wasn’t just the time taken to make it

gently knocking on your door, she poked her head in

you’re wrapped in blankets in the dark, scrolling on your phone

“hey... do you mind sharing the recipe from today, darling?”

“thought it wasn’t that good?”

erina pulled the blankets away from your face with an apologetic smile

“i’m sorry, i’m not past my god tongue days... i tried it again after you left and i actually think it was really special considering you spent so long on it.”

you gave her a look before sighing, rubbing your eyes as you sat up

“i can show you how to make it instead?”

erina is so cute, she grins very sweetly and nods enthusiastically

but for now

she’s stuck with you

she’s not complaining about cuddles though

── 𝐊𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐁𝐀 𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐔.

10/10 on the most likely to make you cry scale

aggressive 25/8

and he’s not very in tune to people’s emotions

though you’d think maybe he’d be a little more aware of yours

but it seems not on this particular day

which you learnt the hard way

all you did was come into his room to ask if he’d eaten yet

which he yelled at you for

because he’s in the middle of working out and he’s been interrupted about thirty times in the past hour by alice

standing tall with a particularly intense glare, he turned to you

who was just standing by the door

“unless alice is dying, i don’t care for what you have to say right now.”

you frowned at his response

“so, alice is more important than your partner?”

“yep.”

“why don’t you just date her, then?”

ryou would’ve gotten angrier if he hadn’t caught your tear-filled eyes

and also the fact that you’d already left

to blow off steam, he continued his work out session

but he very quickly found that your upset form was burnt into his memory

and he’s pretty bad at hiding feelings, so alice caught on fast

“what’s up with you? you’re all depressed looking.”

ryou grumbled at her nosiness, and said nothing because he’s stubborn

“where’s [name]? they’ll cheer you up.”

at his silence, she asked him a question he didn’t really wanna think about

“did you guys break up or something? have they finally had enough of your asshole-ery?”

he frowned at her suggestion, not liking the idea of being apart from you for too long, even if he acted like he wasn’t that bothered

“DID YOU BREAK UP??”

“no, but i might’ve upset them... they were crying last time i saw them.”

“wha- YES YOU UPSET THEM >:((”

she brought him to you

and by brought, i mean dragged

and then demanded he apologise to you when he stood outside your dorm room before ditching him to deal with the mess he caused

he knocked on your door and called for you in possibly the softest voice you’d ever heard

you only opened the door because of that and you nearly laughed at how awkward he looked

“do you mind if i come in?”

when you opened the door, he immediately scoops you up into his arms

doesn’t let you protest it

“...sorry.”

it’s not the best, but you’ll cope for now

he owes you a lot though >:((

it’s ok, he’s willing to make it up to you, he’s a secret softie, even if he can’t admit it

[idontknowreallywhy]

Practical Suggestions for supporting people with RSD in the workplace

Am reposting my response to this excellent post because of course tumblr never shows reblogs in the tags view… and I’d really like as many thoughts as possible!

RSD and the Workplace

Been searching for things to help explain this to my new boss without it sounding like “I am a sensitive little flower please don’t ever criticise me.”

It’s tricky… the last thing I want is for people to withhold professional feedback because that just feeds into the fear that “I’m getting it all wrong but they are too polite to tell me.”

But at the same time I need to explain why sometimes I may overreact… why a minor issue might be the end of the world for a while and why I will fixate heavily on correcting a mistake (or, more frequently obsess an unhealthy amount over perfecting something just in case there is a mistake that I have missed because that would trigger aforementioned end of world).

Anyone else have any experience in this area? I can’t find many resources from an occupational health perspective and I have a meeting with HR soon to discuss putting something in place. The last slide talks about understand and acknowledging but how does the supportive environment look?

My ideas so far

- it’s not that we don’t want feedback! It just needs to be done in a way that doesn’t prompt the SHOCK chemical reaction in my nervous system. Perceived negativity arriving out of the blue is like being jumped out on from the shadows by a knife-wielding maniac in a clown mask. Receiving feedback in a predictable and expected way is more like approaching an angry dog (having put on protective clothing and made a plan for how to deal with each of the two or three things it might do)

- If you want to discuss something with me please explain exactly what it’s about in the request. “Can we chat later?” will result in every moment of the time between the request and the actual chat being consumed by me overanalysing my every action of the last 12 months and not actually doing any work in the interim. If I know what it’s about I won’t be as highly reactive when the revelation comes (and I will be more able to focus on what you are actually saying as my brain won’t still be lingering on ALL the other non-issues I have tormented myself about in the intervening time).

- Maybe a regular catch up time for informal feedback would work? Don’t wait for issues to get bad before raising them?

- Please be aware that my initial defensive response isn’t a rejection of the feedback, or stubbornness. I might splurge a list of reasons you are wrong or I might shut down and need to take a while to process it. Either way I will eventually come around and take the constructive bit on board.

- One of the silliest things about RSD is that even neutral feedback can feel highly negative at times. (Sort of like how we all accept dropping from “Kind regards” to “regards” is the ultimate professional burn, even though the it’s not written “with deep antipathy” it reads it!!) This is particularly the case with emails actually. I’m not saying fill your emails with smiley faces but if requesting a change of task / focus / adjustment to something or just giving the next instruction, it’s worth knowing that slipping in the slightest acknowledgement of previous work being satisfactory, even a complement or a brief “thank you for doing the previous thing, I’ll look at it later” changes the entire tone and tells the primitive brain that “this is a positive interaction, dial down the fight or flight”

- Finally - FOMO is a thing. But the fear is that you are not included because THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU / YOU ARE NOT TRUSTED OR VALUED rather than concern at missing out on a pleasurable thing. An easy way to deal is to check with your staff whether they want copying in on things or not - some may find constant emails about things they don’t need to engage with overwhelming. Others may see other team members being included and worry about why they are not and what should they know and what if they miss something that causes them to make a Mistake later?) This was a big deal for me as old boss was very kindly trying to avoid overloading me but I spent months assuming she valued everyone else’s opinion over mine.

Obviously I need to condense these a little to make them HR friendly. But.. what else? Can tumblr RSDers (or anyone who works with them) chip in any more practical suggestions?