#realistically he was probably having a breakdown

[fixielixie]

at the start of mdzs when lwj drags wwx back to the cloud recesses and then almost immediately goes to the cold springs, known for both its calming energy and helping with … arousal . like… how much of that do u think is lwj being so excited that wwx is back AND also being excited wwx was back, brattier and twinkier than ever

[trevisos]

the true xarrastarion bad end is ascended astarion and absolute xarrai… if you can’t be free of your cycle of trauma and abuse neither will i.

[yorktaylor]

.

[mylovelo-ak]

aventurine ☆ first i love you

pairing: aventurine x gn! reader

summary: you always daydreamed about aventurine loving you. and it was just a matter of time before it came true.

tw: reader feels unlovable

you often daydreamed about different altenate worlds in your head. a lot of them involved aventurine, of course. you found comfort in indulging in fantasies, and you boyfriend being a key character only helped.

you wondered what it would be like if you worked in the ipc with him. would you be dubbed his work spouse? you’d be able to share more meals together. would his colleagues ask about your relationship? realistically he would never let you work in the ipc though, he always expressed wanting to keep you safe and away from such a political world.

sometimes your daydreams weren’t always the best. sometimes they only brewed more thoughts and doubts in your mind.

on mellow afternoons you’d wonder if aventurine treated you like how he treated his friends. maybe he treated you differently, and maybe it wasn’t a good thing. would he have a heartier laugh with others? a brighter smile?

you were always quick to dismiss these thoughts before a complete breakdown. you’d tell yourself to expect the worst, and to simply accept it. after all, you were only his girlfriend of six months, you probably barely come up in his mind at all.

“hi, darling.” aventurine sneaked up behind you and wrapped you in his warm embrace. he kissed down your neck to your shoulder, before coming back up to kiss your temple.

“hi, aven.” you couldn’t help the smile nor the blush that crept on your face at his affection. you wiggled in his arms to turn and face him. you propped your hands on his firm chest, relishing in the sight of the blonde in front of you.

it was hard for you to believe that he’d ever choose you. blonde, smooth and cute aventurine, with plain old you.

“you’re home early, finished work?” you asked as your fingers filled with the collar of his shirt. he hummed in response. his grip around your waist grew tighter in his effort to pull you closer.

“stop calling me that.” he muttered.

“huh?”you looked at him, head tilted in confusion. except his eyes were rather focused on your lips instead.

“stop calling me aventurine, you’re mean much more to me than that.”

“oh, sorry, i forgot, kakavasha.” you replied shyly. what did he mean by you meant more than that? did he mean you were important enough to him for you to call his name like his loved ones did before? did he love you?

“it’s alright, my love.” he whispered before closing the distance between you for a sweet kiss. it wasn’t long before he pulled away, but it was only to kiss you all over your face ‘til you bursted out in giggles and playful ‘stop’s as you tried to get away.

“i knew i was right to leave work early. coming home to this is just perfect with you, darling.” his words were filled with so much adoration, you almost felt like he loved you.

“i made you your favorite for dinner tonight.” you reached to tuch a strand of hair away from his eyes before he grabbed your hand in his and brought up to his lips, to press a delicate kiss onto your palm.

“god i love you.”

you froze.

he loved you?

kakavasha, oblivious to your shock, kept pressing kisses around you.

for the first time in your life, you felt that you didn’t have to hold onto meaningless dreams where you lived a better life. not when you had kakavasha right in front of you, laying a trail of kisses over what you considered imperfections of your body. here he was, kissing everything, professing his love, and holding you, like you were the only thing he loved in the universe.

“kakavasha..” you called quietly. he hummed, the vibrations from his body melting into yours. he stopped his quest for kisses to meet your eyes in an adoring gaze.

“i love you too.”

[smallestapplin]

Hello!! I hope you’re doing well!!!

I saw that you wrote for a reader x Decepticon harem and I think I had an interesting idea!

So we all know that TFP! Megs gets a little Eugh when he’s on that purple space crack, so who do you think would be the best for Reader to go hang out with when they want to avoid Zooted Megatron? Cause we all know it’s unnerving to be around someone when they’re unpredictable, so it’s natural that Reader would want to go “hide” with someone to stay out if possible conflict!

Thank you so much and have a great day!!!

Oohh good question. I think, in order in the transformers prime universe, it would be

Soundwave.

Breakdown.

Knockout.

-

Soundwave is number one as no one truly bothers him, and Megatron doesn't ask much of him. You can hide in his Chassis while he works.

In truth it's where you're safest, and Megatron won't see you in his dark energon state. Soundwave doesn't speak, but his slow and gentle actions so he cares, he doesn't want you hurt.

It's like being hidden in plain sight, and anyone who noticed dares not say a thing in fear of Soundwave, or Megatron possibly finding you.

-

I placed Breakdown above Knockout for one reason.

He's not caught up in shenanigans like Knockout is.

Breakdown is very sweet on you, you can hide in his large Chassis by his spark, or vibe in his habsuite. Besides Breakdown does get bored doing more mundane things he has to do, having you to keep him company is nice.

He'll usually have you on his shoulder, only rushing to hide you when he hears pedesteps.

-

Knockout is at the bottom of this list, but he's still a very safe option as he he's the entire medbay to himself most of the time, so you basically get to pick where you want to hide.

Besides he likes to pamper you, clean you, dress you up, make you look all cute.

He'd hate for his hard work to be ruined, so he keeps you hidden away and safe from a raging Megatron.

Not to mention he leaves the ship pretty often, even if it's to just street race. If you asked him if you could tag along, maybe get some fast food, stretch your legs, he'd be more than happy to.

Probably even call it date night.

-

What all three have in common is they would lie to Megatron's face about your whereabouts.

You are the decepticons darling, of course even in his feral state Megatron wants you, however his mood flip on a dime and he's not above throwing things.

You're squishy, at best you'd only get hurt, more realistically you'd be killed in the wake of his rampage.

-

Also, I know he joins the cons long after Megatron is freed from dark energon, but Dreadwing would also be a good choice.

You have his word, you'll never be hurt so long as he's there. He thinks you're odd in a cute way, and likes it when you pick him.

His wings will twitch behind him, happy.

Another Chassis to hide in, another one that's very spacious for you. And to feel your warmth next to his spark has him weak.

He will not cave, he will not break, you are his top priority here.

[qoldenskies]

It feels like Donnie always has a bundle of nerves. While Leo seems to have a more chill attitude. At least on the outside.

So I kind of write them like that.

One example I can think of on top of my head is Mant Unhappy Reminders.

Where Leo says to everyone to trust him, but it seems to the others that he is not taking it seriously. But had a plan, but does not communicate it.

Comparatively, when Donnie faced the Shredder, at least in the stadium. He was the only one who was shaking like a leaf. And teeth chattering.

He had a moment when he said “Eat science,” scene. But when that didn't work, he kind of just started having a breakdown and crying. And such.

Also, when the Shredder returns, I think Donnie might have froze.

when shredder broke his tech his first instinct was to scream and flee!! honestly i cant tell if his tech-bo activated on its own or not but regardless that was what saved his life and he didn't expect it to, and pretty much the SECOND shredder gets knocked away from him he collapses. im also thinking about minotaur maze when his first instinct is to scream for help repeatedly when he's in a life-or-death situation, its very telling

(also actually when people do post many unhappy returns fics nobody ever acknowledges that donnie also got the SHIT beaten out of him in end game when the others didnt because he was holding off draxum from the front??? like he's visibly super fucked up afterwards??? guys you could use this if youre treating their injuries realistically anyway, especially with the added angst of him having to fight all day after even though he was already pretty banged up)

(donnie being in the front lines in end game to distract draxum.... ok canary)

donnie is VERY vocal when he's afraid and his confidence is very easily shaken when he fails on the field, i think he's shown to have to fall down and just breathe through it after close calls when the others dont. he's very jumpy, unexpected loud noises freak him out, he freezes when he's out of immediate danger etc etc. he's not someone who hides it while leo usually does. leo feels like he has to be strong for his family, while donnie doesnt.

like lol leo locks tf in and focuses on the field when things get life-or-death (also very apparent in the fight with the kraang, where despite being under the threat of death he's focused enough to make split-second decisions, the line about missing on purpose!!) and donnie panic and freaks out LMAO (jumping in front of mikey to take the hit was completely instinctual by contrast! if he had leo's kind of focus he probably would have made something a lot more structured than that split second shield; donnie's ninpo reflects it well, he needs time to prepare before he jumps in while leo can think quickly)

[imauthicktic]

❤️‍🔥10

Sorry if this is a bit long, but maybe it could start something like this?

Y/N visits Sam at college with Optimus, who might've came with to harass Sam about helping like an alternative to the scene where they meet at the graveyard. Leo follows Sam out, probably harassing him about the website or whatnot, and basically just kinda stops like "You didn't tell me your sister was hot!" before running up ahead to hit on her, with Sam having his fifth mental breakdown of the day. Optimus isn't happy with Sam's dormmate, to say the least.

First request for the 1000+ follower event!!! Yippie!!!

Bayverse! Optimus Prime x fem!AFAB!human! Reader

OP in love with Sam's friend who is like an older sister of Sam is my favorite trope 😌💅🏻

Smut smut smut!!!

Warnings: size-difference! tried to keep this realistic so no penetrative sex. cock humping, clit stimulation. messy cum 🥴 Also cheesy flirtations from Leo

You were sitting inside Optimus who was in his semi-trailer form as you both waited for Sam to come out of his dorm building so you could surprise him. “You think he’ll be excited to see me, Optimus?” you ask softly, “I know it’s only been one day since he’s been here, but I was so upset I couldn’t help him move in,” you say with a small hint of guilt in your voice. 

“My dear sweet spark, Sam would be happy to see you,” Optimus said in his soothing deep voice in reassurance through his radio. You smile before affectionately rubbing your hand over his steering wheel. You open your mouth to say something when you see Sam walking out of the building with his roommate in tow. “Oh, look! He’s coming out!” you say happily as you scramble out of Optimus. 

“Sam!” You call out to him, effectively grabbing his attention. “Y/N?” Sam says happily as he sees you waving over to him with Optimus chilling behind you with his engine revving. Sam rushes over to pull you into a big hug as he lifts you slightly in his tight embrace. You can't help but giggle brightly as you wrap my arms around his neck tightly. “God, I’m the worst big sister ever-,” you start before you get rudely interrupted by Leo’s low wolf whistle making you pull back from the hug and look at him with a raised brow. “Damn, Sam! You didn’t tell me your sister was a babe,” Leo says as he pushes Sam to the side a bit as Leo grabs your hand to kiss your knuckles, “I’m Leo, Sam’s roommate, and hopefully your future husband,” Leo winks. Sam watches the scene unfold as he tries not to burst out laughing at the clear disgust on your face. Optimus is fuming at the scene knowing you're not exactly enjoying the flirt. Your brows raise in shock as you pull your hand away from him. “Charmed,” you say sarcastically as you wipe your knuckles on Sam’s shirt. You turn back to Sam, “Anyways, hon. My husband,” you pause to look at Leo as you lift your hand with your wedding band on it that you wear to fend off creepy men then look back at Sam, “wanted to talk to you. He said it was urgent. So, go get Bee and meet up with us,” you say in a more relaxed tone as you look at Sam. Sam can't help but chuckle lightly before realizing you're talking about Optimus and he let out a sigh. “Really? I can’t have one day?” Sam asks exasperated. “Nope!” you say as you pop the ‘p’, “And you know you can’t really say no to me and I’m not exactly asking,” you finish with a cheeky smile before walking over to Optimus and getting inside. “See you soon!” you say sweetly. 

“Wait! Here’s my number in case your husband doesn’t work out or if you want some spice in your life,” Leo says as he hands you a folded-up piece of paper and he blows you a kiss. Optimus’ engine revs loudly in annoyance at Leo’s insistence. You look at him incredulously and can’t help the laugh that comes out of you, “I genuinely don’t know where you get this confidence to go after a married woman, but I’m very much not interested, kid,” you scoff. “Leo, buddy. Trust me. Her husband is a god compared to you,” Sam adds as his hand pats Leo’s back as he guides him away from you. 

You crumple up the number and toss it aside as Optimus peels out of the parking lot. After a few minutes of driving at a fast speed and Optimus being oddly quiet, you decide to speak up. “My love?” you ask softly only to hear nothing but silence. You sigh softly, “You know you’re the best thing to happen to me right? That I’ll never get tired of you and that it’s always you on my mind right? The only one who gets me all hot and bothered,” you say reassuringly with a small giggle at your last statement as your hand caresses the dashboard in a soothing manner. “I know that. I’m not upset with you. Never with you, my sweet spark,” Optimus says with a soft sigh before pulling off to the side of the road and into a small forested area as he transformed into his humanoid form with you in his servos. 

He finds a tree and sits down with his back against it as he lifts you up to his face and carefully places kisses on your face and lips. “No one else could ever have you,” Optimus says as his spike is released and his other hand reaches under your dress to take off your panties only to realize you weren’t wearing any and he lets out a low rumbling growl. You smirk slightly, “I have to keep things interesting, Optimus,” you say teasingly. “My wife,” he says possessively and places you against his warmed-up spike making a shiver run down your spine. His voice and possessiveness were something you’d never dealt with before with him. Optimus was always so gentle and loving, but this… this was primal and rough. You begin to rock your hips lightly as your slick covers his spike making it easy for you to feel the ridges of his spike against your clit making you let out breathy moans. His servo wraps around your torso in a firm grip. “Primus, you’re mine,” Optimus groans out as he gently rocks his hips lightly to create more friction as you grind against his large spike. Your hands grip his spike as you let out a whine at the feeling of him, “I’m yours. N-no one else’s. I love you, I love you,” you whimper out desperately as your orgasm approaches. Transfluids start to leak from his tip and he pushes your hips down as he starts to apply more pressure to his length as he let out a deep moan from the feeling. Your juices have coated his spike as your thighs tighten and they become lubed up from your essence dripping down the sides of his spike. “‘M close, my love,” you gasp out as you continue to moan and whimper from the pleasure. “Optimus!” you cry out as your orgasm wracks through your body and your thighs squeeze around him. Optimus hasn’t stopped moving you against his spike as his hand moves down to hold your lower back and ass to continue the grinding. “Y-Y/N,” he groans loudly as he twitches and the transfluids shoot out from his spike in large spurts against his abdomen and breastplates. 

You watch the liquid shine against him and you bite your lip softly. “I… don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing that,” you say lovingly before looking into his blue optics. “Jealousy seems to be a great motivator for you… it’s quite sexy seeing you so- what’s the word,” you pause, “so deliciously possessive,” you finish with a smile and a small giggle. Optimus lets out a small chuckle as he raises his other servo to caress your cheek with the back of his finger. “I wasn’t too rough?” he asks softly with slight concern. “Your grip may have been too tight, but would I change that? Absolutely not. In fact, I like this rough side a bit,” you smile cutely, “it’s kinda, super, mega sexy,” you giggle brightly making Optimus laugh softly with you. “I love you with all of my spark and every inch of my being, Y/N,” Optimus says lovingly as he leans down a bit to rest his forehead against yours gently. Your hands go on either side of his face as you place soft kisses on his lips, nose, and forehead before resting your forehead back against his as you both close your eyes to breathe in the moment. “I adore you and every bit of me forever belongs to you. Mind, body, and soul. I love you,” you say in a soft whisper.

Bonus:

Sam turns to Bee at the place they were supposed to meet you and Optimus at. "Where are they?" Sam asks confused. Bee shrugs his shoulders and lifts his servos slightly, "Hell if I know," he says through multiple channel changes through his radio.

A/N: lmk what y'all thought about it!! comments appreciated ����🏻 tips are also appreciated, no matter how small 💞 much love and kisses to you all

[miss-musings]

"The Bad Batch" Timeline: Explained

I've had some interesting conversations with folks on Twitter over the last few weeks about the timeline of "The Bad Batch" show: How much time passes between any given episodes? How old is Omega during S1 or S3? etc.

The short answer is that the entire show takes place over 18-24 months*

(*NOTE: All timeline discussion excludes the TBB epilogue at the end of episode 3.15 "The Cavalry Has Arrived.")

EDIT: I’m also calculating time based on Earth weeks/months/years. I recognize that time in the Star Wars universe likely varies from planet to planet, so I just want to clarify we’re going off IRL time calculations: 7 days to a week, ~30 days to a month, 12 months to a year. I’m also not referring to any external sources (except Wookieepedia, but that’s more to confirm the timeline than create it), so I don’t care what some guidebook says. I’m going based on what happens in the show itself.

Wookieepedia lists Hemlock's death as 18 BBY, so 12-24 months pass between 1.01 "Aftermath" in 19 BBY and Hemlock's death in the series finale.

However, the two biggest and clearest indications of how much time passes during the show is Mayday's comments in 2.12 "The Outpost" and Omega's tally marks in 3.01 "Confined."

In 2.12, Mayday says he's been posted on Barton IV for over a year, and based on his comments, he wasn't posted on Barton IV until after The Clone Wars ended. So, it's been at least a year -- but probably more like 14-15 months because Mayday says "over a year" -- since the events of 1.01 "Aftermath."

Then after the time-jump during 3.01, Omega has about 5.5 months of tally marks. Rounding up from when Crosshair was arrested and taken to Tantiss, about 6 months have passed since 2.12.

So, between those two indicators, at least 18 months have passed between 1.01 "Aftermath" and the end of 3.01 "Confined." But, realistically, it's probably been more like 20-21 months.

Then, the rest of S3 takes place over a pretty compressed timeframe, as no more than a few days seem to pass between episodes. I'll get into this more later, but I'm guessing that the end of 3.01 "Confined" to the big showdown on Tantiss in 3.15 "The Cavalry Has Arrived" takes place over the course of 1-2 months.

Again, it's confirmed that 18-24 months pass between the series premiere and the series finale.

But, my best guess is that the entire show takes place over 22-23 months based on in-universe clues.

THE SEASON 1 TIMELINE BREAKDOWN

Overall, I'm guessing that Season 1 takes place over the course of 4-6 months. I think this is much shorter than some people think, but it makes sense to me based on context clues.

1.01 "Aftermath" takes place over the course of a few days, and then 1.02 "Cut & Run" to 1.06 "Decommissioned" all seem to take place in a very compressed timeframe. No more than a day or two seems to pass between episodes, and no more than a day or two passes within each episode.

So, I'm thinking the end of 1.06 takes place about a month after 1.01.

Then we get our first notable time-jump between 1.06 and 1.07.

1.07 "Battle Scars" opens with the Bad Batch having done at least 10 more jobs for Cid since we last saw them in 1.06. (FYI: this is based on Omega and Wrecker's order of 20 cartons of Mantell Mix).

However Cid talks about the Corellia job like it wasn't too long ago, and if we average 2-3 days per job (which seems realistic based on what we see in the show), then about a month has passed between 1.06 and 1.07.

So, at the beginning of 1.07, I'm saying about two months have passed since 1.01 "Aftermath."

Then 1.08 "Reunion" and 1.09 "Bounty Lost" take place immediately after 1.07.

Skipping over 1.10, we get another notable time-jump between 1.09 "Bounty Lost" and 1.11 "Devil's Deal." The biggest indicator is Crosshair's recovery from his injuries on Bracca.

Assuming at least a month for him to recover and be stationed on Ryloth with Rampart & co., that means at least three months have passed between 1.01 "Aftermath" and 1.11 "Devil's Deal."

Even though we don't have any firm timeline, I don't think more than 2 months passed between 1.09 and 1.11, because everyone on Ryloth talks like it hasn't been that long since the Clone Wars ended.

Anyway, then 1.12 "Rescue on Ryloth" takes place immediately after 1.11.

Now, we know that 1.14-1.16 all take place over the course of a few days. So that just leaves us with how much time passes between 1.12 "Rescue on Ryloth" and 1.14 "War-Mantle."

Given that Rampart gave Crosshair permission to hunt down his brothers at the end of 1.12, I'm going to assume he wasn't looking for them that long. Rampart never complains that Crosshair's manhunt is wasting time, or that it's taking so long that they should abandon the effort. Plus, they were also busy decommissioning Tipoca City and the other Kaminoan facilities, so I imagine that took some time.

So, maybe 3-5 weeks (or another month) in all.

To recap, we have:

A month from 1.01 to 1.06

A month between 1.06 and 1.07

A month between 1.07-1.09 and 1.11/1.12

A month between 1.11/1.12 and 1.14-1.16

Overall, 4 months for sure, but 5-6 months seems a good estimate.

This would also account for how much time passes during the Bracca and Ryloth arcs, and gives more wiggle room on how long Crosshair's recovery process was. Maybe it took him two months to recover from Bracca and be assigned to Ryloth. Or maybe Crosshair was searching for his brothers for more than a month after Ryloth. Who knows?

EDIT/ADDITION: 4-6 months also seems to be a reasonable amount of time for the Empire to establish the Daro base with commandos like Gregor and Scorch, and then recruit, supply and train all the TK troopers we see in 1.14 "War-Mantle."

But, overall, I'm estimating the events of 1.16 "Kamino Lost" take place 5-6 months after 1.01 "Aftermath."

THE SEASON 2 TIMELINE BREAKDOWN

I'll tell you now: early Season 2 is where a lot of my guesses go out the window, because we get far fewer clues as to how much time passes between episodes.

Let's start with the time-jump between the end of Season 1 and the beginning of Season 2.

Based on Rampart and Crosshair's conversation in 2.03 "The Solitary Clone," Crosshair was stranded on Kamino for a month.

Given that he didn't have any food or water on him when his brothers left him on the platform, he must've been emaciated and dehydrated AF, even if he found some way to collect rainwater and/or catch fish. And Rampart said he needed to be "medically cleared" for active duty.

At least two months seems a good estimate. One month for Crosshair to be stranded; another month for him to recover. It's possible it was longer, though, I admit.

So, at the beginning of 2.03 "The Solitary Clone," we're at least 7 months removed from 1.01 "Aftermath."

Now, I actually think 2.03 takes place before 2.01/2.02. Story for another time, but it boils down to:

1) The creators would want to kick off Season 2 with a Bad Batch-centric episode not a Crosshair-centric episode, even if Crosshair’s episode takes place first chronologically; and

2) Rampart learns the Bad Batch is alive in 2.02, but never has Crosshair arrested or monitored as a potential spy or anything -- this only makes sense if Rampart finds out TBB is alive after Crosshair is cleared for duty and has proven his loyalty.

But, ultimately it doesn't matter:

Based on Mayday's comments in 2.12 "The Outpost," early Season 2 has to cover at least 7 more months. That means that months are passing between episodes in early S2.

In 2.12, Mayday says he's been stationed at the Outpost for over a year, and that he wasn't stationed there until after the war ended. So, assuming at least a month after the war for him to be reassigned, and then 13 months for him to be on Barton IV ... 2.12 has to take place at least 14 months after 1.01 "Aftermath."

So, ultimately, I think 2.01/2.02 might take place 3-4 months after the Fall of Kamino in 1.16 "Kamino Lost." It would allow enough time for the Bad Batch to get new clothes, repaint their old armor, and for Omega to start all of her studies while the Bad Batch continues to do jobs for Cid.

Then we probably have another month between 2.02 "Ruins of War" and 2.04 "Faster." Then another month to 2.05 "Entombed." And then another month to 2.06 "Tribe." And then another month to the beginning of 2.07 “The Clone Conspiracy.”

Because of how compressed the back-half of Season 2 is, I think 2.07/2.08 takes place about 13 months after the war ends in 1.01 "Aftermath" and, thus, about 7-8 months after the Fall of Kamino in 1.16 "Kamino Lost."

Now, once we get to 2.07, that's when the timeline starts compressing again based on in-universe clues.

We know 2.08 "Truth and Consequences" takes place almost immediately after 2.07. So, no more than a week seems to pass between the beginning of 2.07 and the end of 2.08.

Then, 2.09 "The Crossing" takes place a few days after 2.08, as Omega is still adjusting to Echo's absence. Then 2.10 "Retrieval" is immediately after 2.09, and 2.11 "Metamorphosis" takes place maybe a day after 2.10.

So, from the beginning of 2.07 to the end of 2.11, maybe two weeks have passed in-universe.

Then, at the beginning of 2.13 "Pabu," Cid remarks that it's been 20 rotations since she last talked to the Bad Batch in 2.11.

From 2.13 to 2.14, I'm guessing 1-2 weeks have passed based on how much of Pabu has been rebuilt since the sea surge and other context clues (like Shep and Hunter's conversation about the Bad Batch staying on Pabu).

Now, we're not exactly sure where 2.12 "The Outpost" falls in the S2 timeline. I'm guessing it's simultaneous with 2.13 "Pabu" for thematic and dramatic reasons, but we see all our various plot threads align in 2.14 "Tipping Point." Everything Echo, Crosshair and Hunter & co. do happens within 2-3 days.

Then, based on Echo's comments, we know 2.15 "The Summit" takes place two days after the Bad Batch's conversation at the end of 2.14 "Tipping Point." And then 2.16 "Plan 99" takes place immediately after 2.15.

So, while I can't speculate much on early S2, I can tell you that 2.07-2.16 spans about two months.

To recap:

2 months between 1.16 "Kamino Lost" and 2.03 "The Solitary Clone"

Several months between 2.01/2.02 and 2.07

A week during 2.07 and 2.08

A few days between 2.08 and 2.09

Another week during 2.09 to 2.11

Three weeks between 2.11 and 2.13

Two weeks between 2.13 and 2.14

A week during 2.14 to 2.16

But, overall, I'm estimating the events of 2.16 "Plan 99" take place 15-16 months after 1.01 "Aftermath."

THE SEASON 3 TIMELINE BREAKDOWN

Unlike the previous two seasons, Season 3 is very compressed. Outside of the time-jump within 3.01 "Confined," the entire season takes place over the course of 5-6 weeks. Not months. Weeks.

Now, again, I actually think 3.02 "Paths Unknown" takes place during the five-month time-jump within 3.01. But that doesn't really matter.

As we see from Omega's tally marks, the end of 3.01 takes place about 5.5 months after 2.16 "Plan 99." So, we have our between-seasons time-jump spelled out for us this time.

This means the end of 3.01 "Confined" takes place 21-22 months after 1.01 "Aftermath."

Skipping over 3.02, episode 3.03 "Shadows of Tantiss" seems to take place within a few days of the end of 3.01. We see that Omega is still being monitored closely after her outburst in the lurca kennels; and Hemlock told Nala Se in 3.01 that the Emperor would be arriving soon to check on their progress, which he does in 3.03. Heck, maybe 3.03 takes place the day after 3.01, but I’ll give a little wiggle room and say it’s been a few days.

Then, we know that the beginning of 3.03 to the end of 3.05 all takes place in a very short amount of time. Maybe a week.

3.04 "A Different Approach" takes place immediately after 3.03, and no more than a day or two passes between the end of 3.04 and the beginning of 3.05 "The Return."

So, from the end of 3.01 to the end of 3.05, two weeks have passed at most.

The gap between 3.05 and 3.06 is the only span of time in S3 we don't have any solid indicators about. It clearly wasn't too long, as Howzer talks about Crosshair escaping Tantiss like it happened fairly recently. Overall, I'd guess it's been maybe a week or two since Crosshair and Omega escaped Tantiss.

Then, 3.07 takes place immediately after 3.06.

Excluding 3.10 "Identity Crisis," we know that 3.08-3.11 all take place within a short amount of time. No more than 2-3 days seem to pass between episodes, and no more than 2-3 days passes within each episode. In total, I'd say these three episodes take place over the course of two weeks.

Thus, I'm guessing 4-5 weeks, or about a month, passes from the end of 3.01 "Confined" to the beginning of 3.11 "Point of No Return."

Then, we know the timeline between 3.11 and 3.15 is very short because all the episodes take place almost immediately after each other. The only exception is between 3.12 and 3.13, when maybe 12-24 hours passes based on Omega's movements in the Vault and her brothers' plans to infiltrate the orbital station.

You can round up and say a week, but that almost seems generous to me. Maybe a work week. Like the Empire invaded Pabu Monday night and Omega & co. were back on Pabu Friday morning.

Overall, I think the beginning of 3.11 "Point of No Return" to the end of 3.15 "The Cavalry Has Arrived" spans 3-5 days.

To recap:

5.5 months from the end of 2.16 "Plan 99" to the end of 3.01 "Confined"

A week from the end of 3.01 to the end of 3.05

A week between 3.05 and 3.06/3.07

Three weeks during 3.06/3.07 to 3.11

A week during 3.11 to 3.15

Again, outside of the time-jump within 3.01, the entirety of Season 3 takes place over 1-2 months if we're looking at the larger post-"Aftermath" timeframe.

Overall, I'm estimating the showdown on Tantiss and Hemlock's death in 3.15 "The Cavalry Has Arrived" takes place about 22-23 months after 1.01 "Aftermath."

We know it's not more than 24 months after the war ends, because Wookieepedia would list Hemlock's death in 17 BBY instead of 18 BBY. So no more than 24 calendar months can pass between "The Bad Batch" series premiere and series finale.

But, accounting for things that happen within the show, 22-23 months seems about right. Like, it's been almost two calendar years, but not quite.

So, to give a real-world example, if Palpatine gave his "Revenge of the Sith" speech to reorganize the Republic into the Galactic Empire on Jan. 1, 2022, then the big showdown on Tantiss takes place in October or November 2023.

That means:

If Omega was 12 years old when her brothers met her on Kamino, she was 13-14 during the showdown on Tantiss.

After his inhibitor chip activated, Crosshair was separated from his brothers for more than 18 months before finally reconciling with them in 3.05 "The Return."

The Bad Batch worked for Cid for over a year, and she still betrayed them.

Phee and Tech's ~situationship~ might've lasted half-a-year between their first meeting in 2.01 "Spoils of War" and his death in 2.16 "Plan 99."

Howzer and his men from Ryloth were in prison for almost a year before Echo & co. broke them out in 2.14 "Tipping Point."

When Crosshair sent the Plan 88 message, the Bad Batch hadn't seen or heard from him in ~10 months (since the Fall of Kamino).

Omega only got to spend 15-16 months with Tech before his death in 2.16 “Plan 99.” 😭

Crosshair hadn't seen his brothers for over a year between the Fall of Kamino and escaping Tantiss with Omega.

Omega and Crosshair only spent about 7 months together during the show (5.5 on Tantiss and 1.5 after their escape), and most of that was off-screen. 🙁

Apparently, more time passed between S1 and S2 than during S3 (excluding the time jump and epilogue). Seriously. From the end of 3.01 to the final showdown on Tantiss, the Bad Batch had a very insane and stressful 5-6 weeks. They all looked like they could use a nap in that final group shot under the tree, and I don't blame them!

All the clones (except Omega) aged 3-4 biological years over the course of the show. So, if Hunter & co. were biologically 22 when they met Omega on Kamino, they'd be around 25-26 when they finally settle down on Pabu.

Not sure how this will help people, but I wanted to share it because I've been thinking about how insane this show's timeline — how loosey-goosey it is in some places while being super-rigid in others.

So, enjoy!

[lucabyte]

How do you get your siffrins to look adult? I keep accidentally giving them a baby face but I WANT THEM TO LOOK GROWN AND EXHAUSTED LIKE HE DESERVES

okay so i legit think i fail at making siffrin look adequately adult like half the time but here's a general breakdown of my like. thought process when im actually um. thinking .

So first of all heres my general tips for proportioning a face, and how i attempt to keep the roundness of sif's in-game proportions while also like... drawing them more realistically? i had to practically reinvent a Human Style for drawing isat fanart since im a furry artist so a lot of this is fresh in my mind, luckily(?) for you i suppose.

This newness also means you can like, watch me fight and struggle against how the hell to do this in my earlier fanart. so feel free to try and see what changed as i pieced it together.

Another note is body proportion. You note giving him a baby face specifically, but some of it MIGHT be that you're drawing the head too big for your style? Try and figure out how many "heads tall" your figures are and tweak the numbers until you find what looks "adult"

Here I cracked open one of the comics I used CSP Model refrences for (albeit feat Loop, who i envision to be the exact same height as siffrin. i am NOT a tall loop truther i think its funnier when that bitch is five foot NOTHING!!!!!)

drawing sif with adult proportions can be deceptively difficult though on account of their Being A Tiny Motherfucker. Mostly here though, I find that the best way to do this is to drop like 1/3rd of the length of an average drawing figure's legs. Short people tend to have short legs. I know this on account of a lot of my ocs being 5'3" and below (... for... reasons...... unrelated to my own... height.... 100%.... ) so once again I think a lot of this can come down to trying to fiddle with numbers and noting down what works.

OKAY NOW ONTO SOME MORE SIFFRIN-SPECIFIC DRAWING TIPS. like these are what i find myself doing to make them look older if i accidentally baby face them myself

The above kind of chibi-er doodle style im still not sure has Siffrin looking adult enough for my liking (someone who considers them minimum 28) but considering they're presumably genuinely a deceptively baby faced guy at least by game's start (even if they should probably look. unhealthy.) it's like... forgivable.

the bald spot is basically fucking cheating in terms of "making them look older" lbr but i am so fucking insistent on it and i punch the air in celebration every time i see anyone else do it. winner is ME!!!!

Anyway. the body hair thing is funny considering we basically have Word Of God that siffrin is not the kind of person who ever likes being naked/even having their feet out in a casual setting. but like. hi its me the weird fucked up miserable nudity guy. of course im drawing every pockmark and texture on their body.

Another note here is, on their naked form, I avoid overly smooth lines for outlines of the limbs and torso. This avoids making them look "sexy twink thin" (not my bag at all) and instead gives the impression of loose skin from fluctuating weight, uneven fat distribution, skin becoming baggier with age. I also let joints jut out and look sharp wherever I can. This is because im an asexual pervert who likes the human form the mostest when i can see 'imperfections' This adds to the haggard nature of it all, by being reasonably honest about what the kind of persistent decade-long neglect of self care and implied malnutrition would do to a guy

Last note: eyes. i find i end up drawing a vague glassy black smear with a hint of white for the sclera for siffrin like. a Lot. Eyebags to show weariness is not my preferred method as I find it, to be rude, a bit of an overused shorthand. Plus, while sif in game does get eyebags, they're usually more on pushed expressions where they're forcing their face. So I put more emphasis on drawing the folds of the upper lid (which the game does not do) to make them look weary.

I dont think i can elaborate on my opinions on How To Draw Eyes without it becoming a way the fuck too long essay because "drawing emotions good" is like. my number 1 goal in every drawing so even if everything else is scuffed to hell I HAVE TOOO get the eyes right because theyre the most emotive part of the face. if i cant capture an emotion correctly the drawing isnt getting fucking finished is the thing, so....

Luckily for me, drawing over eyes and continously tweaking them by painting over and over and over and redoing them can have the side effect of making them look over-detailed and thus worn/tired/agonised. yes this is why i draw loop's face so scrunched all the time. All I can say for this though is to do a lot of studies of both real life faces & the most emotive cartoon faces you personally have experienced. So like. steven universe is great for this because rebecca sugar is so scary at drawing eyes. theyre so fucking scary at it. or sometimes i just go stare at rebecca's old comics because jesus christ. anyway.

??? but yeah hope this helps. its something i feel like i have a genuine hard time with too, especially since im so intent on keeping their face round & my artstyle is genuinely very cutesy even when i am being weird soo ...?

tl;dr:

draw the eyes smaller, give them a chin, the canon nose helps a lot & dont forget the bald spot. everyone draw the bald spot. for me.

[brucewaynehater101]

Well i think that way too skinny tim is part of the problems with the babyfication/infantilization of tim.

Tim is very efficient and would take care of himself almost strictly. It all started with taking the role of one of bruce's caretakers. He couldnt let himself have a sick day when Bruce could be having yet another breakdown. Also realistically with his duty as vigilante he wouldn't let himself go thin.

But in the tall tim drake au. While still going through the growth spurts he would totally go even leaner. As he is not used to eat as much as food, i think in those months Tim would do the cryptid thing just to scare the bats. After he finally stops growing he would bulk up. (Def nothing like Bruce or Jason) more like Dick's type of physique. (Smth like jacob elordi / jack champion irl).

His team would help him with the amount of food he should get. And Tim would grt tired of being treated like a little child who cant go to play if he doesnt finnish his meal.

Anyways how do you think his family would react at Tim going tall as a tower? Especially Jason & Bruce reactions.

Og post here

Hi again!!! I think Tim being way too skinny and not taking care of himself can play into the infantalization. However, I also hc Tim to be the type of person that really struggles to put on weight or muscle mass. I've had some friends/loved ones who ate a fuck ton and still remained bean poles. That's kind of where I'm basing it at.

Tim struggling to put on muscle mass could also play into him not being a natural at Robin's physical skills/needs. Basically, him working really fucking hard to meet the same physical goals as Jason and/or Dick.

For the tall Tim Drake AU, I imagine he wouldn't bulk up quite as much as Dick. At the very least, he'd struggle to obtain as much muscle mass as Dick and maintain it. Jacob Elordi does seem like a good fit for Tim, though. A more lean muscular type but still muscles (Dick's got some huge fucking shoulders. Ripped as hell back).

I'm also down for his muscle mass needing to catch up with his growth spurt. Maybe it takes up to a year for his physique to fully settle after he stops growing taller?

He would be hungry *constantly* though. Poor Tim :'( He'd probably come up with some nutrition plan based on his blood sugar and shit to adequately fulfill his needs. He'll be hella annoyed, though, at all the changes and increased need for nutrients. YJ would definitely be roped into it too.

As far as the Bats...

Alfred: *drops his tray*

Damian: *shocked pikaku face*

Bruce: *mental calculations lady*

Jason: *"nopes" out of there*

Babs: *knew all along*

Dick: *sobbing on the floor*

Steph: *instinctively throws something at Tim*

Cass: *sprints towards Tim to tackle hug him*

EDIT: I did not clarify enough on when specifically Tim's struggles with eating may transfer into infantalization territory.

One, nothing wrong with needing support and help with maintaining adequate self-care. I personally struggle with eating and greatly benefit from someone helping me with this.

Two, I bet all of the Bats, at some point, have needed extra support in self-care matters. Particularly, Dick, Bruce, Babs, and Jason, but I imagine the others have had their times as well.

The issues stem from either a narrative of Tim being "incapable" of caring for himself or a restriction in his autonomy. While Tim may benefit from someone reminding him to eat, preparing meals, leaving him snacks, etc., this doesn't mean his own desires should be ignored. If he doesn't want someone butting into his life to help him with that, then so be it. He's capable of making decisions for himself even if others would disagree with his decisions "for his own good."

Hopefully, that's clearer ^^

[eejilunio]

I'm gonna say it again because i thought about it again and it disturbed me again.

But to see the graphic decline of Azula's mental health, with her insomnia, hallucinations, crying fits, self-isolation, and final breakdown that Katara and Zuko witnessed first-hand, and then, to see Katara and Zuko and every other characters in the show flourishing shortly after with no mention of Azula ever again, It feels insulting to look at.

Azula showed scary symptoms of mental illness, and that was the first time she showed vulnerability in front of someone, even her parents didn't see that part of her, so it is a huge thing right? By breaking down in front of her brother and his friend, it could have opened the door for communication. So what are they ogling her for? Are they enjoying the show? At least Katara was disturbed and looked away, but then she looked at Zuko as if she felt sad for him, idk, idk what that look meant i'm not psychic, and Zuko just looked stonily at Azula crying. Nobody said anything, nobody moved while Azula was restrained and sobbing. And then the scene fades out. What am i supposed to think of that conclusion? Am i supposed to forget about it afterwards ? Did Zuko and Katara leave her there and rushed to celebrate with their friends ? Is that what happened? Did they help her or not? I needed to know that before the screen faded out. And i could have also known after when every characters in the show made an appearance, if only they showed Azula somewhere.

Azula feels like the elephant in the room at the end of the show. She should be brought up at least in conversation, but the writers don't want to talk about her.

The way the writers focused so much on Zuko's pain and on giving him a beautiful conclusion, but just left Azula like this with Zuko looking disdainfully at her as if she was beneath him, as if he was satisfied of finally beating his sister at something and he was proven right in the fact he is actually better than her at life or something, it makes me angry. Do i misinterpret Zuko's face? Probably. It's not as if i could understand what he felt through his poker face. A poker face in front of someone sobbing feels like disdain to me, if it's not followed by attempts at helping.

It triggers memories of my own breakdown when my mum and brother just looked at me without saying anything.

I feel like that passiveness in front of clear emotionnal distress is the result of a mix of bystander effect and a lack of empathy. You don't feel enough empathy that could drive you to help, and you don't feel responsible for not helping either because there's another person next to you that could have done it too but didn't. So you feel normal by not helping and standing there like a statue. Like an idiot. And it must be an interesting show to them, it breaks the monotony of everyday life at least.

So yes, i'm projecting on Azula, but maybe if the writers didn't want people projecting on her, they shouldn't have made her have such a realistic breakdown.

I feel like the writers managed to write by accident a realistic depiction of how mental illness is handled by most people in society though : by not handling it at all and purposefully ignoring the obvious distress even when it's in your face, because it's more comfortable to look at someone dying inside for years and call them crazy than to actually get involved and talk about feelings.

There, i'm done.

[brain-depositary]

Okay, here are Arcane spoilers for Act 2. I have thoughts on Viktor, as there's been a lot of back and forth over whether what we're seeing is really him or if he is being controlled by the hexcore/arcane. And people are missing the narrative explanations, which seem to make what happened really obvious. And the biggest sign of this is that Viktor has been hallucinating Sky the whole time. The man has clearly lost his marbles.

The show is very clear that Sky is not there physically, but she's also absolutely not there mentally, spiritually, magically, whathaveyou. Her ghost isn't in the hexcore or whatever. There's simply no way.

It's not that we know for sure there are no ghosts in the world of Arcane. It hasn't been proven one way or the other that they exist. All sorts of fantastical things exist in Arcane and maybe ghosts do, too. But we know Sky isn't one because it makes no narrative sense for her to be.

Thematically, all of Arcane has been about people handling grief and loss not just poorly, but destructively. Powder hallucinates the people she's lost as critical voices and behaves erratically and dangerously whenever they do. Both Vander and Silco twist Vi and Powder's mother's dreams of peace into more violence and oppression. Jayce can't deal with the loss of Viktor and uses the hexcore to save him which Viktor specifically told him to destroy. Caitlyn becomes a dictator after her mother's death and uses the ventilation system her mother created against the very people it was intended to help. Ambessa has gone on a rampage for her dead son who preferred bloodless subterfuge, and I have a feeling Singed's daughter would approve of all the things her father is trying to do to bring her back, had she ever had the chance to know.

But Viktor, after losing Sky and her dreams, just kind of gets her back, and fulfills them? Yeah, no, I'm calling bullshit. Viktor is not going to be the only one exempt from the Arcane pain train. This would be bad writing.

Sky isn't a ghost here. She's gone. The version of her in the hexcore is purely a product of Viktor's imagination. We don't see Sky a lot, but what little we do, she's different, much more confident. It's not her. Viktor is handling his loss badly, too, but his method of doing so is just wholesale denying that it happened. Sky isn't dead, she's right there. Her dreams aren't gone, they're perfectly within reach. It doesn't matter if he dies now because he's succeeded in his goals of helping people. The sick are healed, the hungry are fed. The commune is thriving. Everything is great.

With whatever power he gained from the hexcore, he's able to project this denial onto the real world, at least for a little while. Everything in his little bubble DOES seem great, but the cracks in the facade come early. When Salo talks to Jayce in the overflow chamber, Jayce's breath condenses, while Salo's does not, implying that he's not breathing. Also, Salo's turnover at the commune is disturbingly quick -- his original personality just does not seem to be there anymore, despite his insistence otherwise. The "no weapons" rule, while idealistic, cannot realistically be enforced -- as much as Viktor denied, reality was going to come crashing in and he was going to be unprepared for it, because he just decided he didn't have to be. Huck didn't even seem afraid at all denying a heavily armed warlord and her contingent entry without disarming first when literally his only character trait has been being cowardly. There's nothing in him anymore.

So, is Viktor being mind controlled, or is this the same Viktor we've known the whole time? Well, it's not really either. This is Viktor snapping and having a mental breakdown. This is Viktor's equivalent of Jinx's tea party at the end of season 1, except he has far more power to make it last longer, seem nicer, and drag far more people into it. Probably, the hexcore is taking advantage of Viktor's vision to build its hivemind, but the vision itself is all Viktor.

So, given all this, my prediction is: Viktor will be salvaged and revived by Singed. He will get a reality check, that Sky is really gone, that the people he healed are hollowed-out husks, that the peace he created was too fragile to last -- and he won't care, he will try to get it back by any means necessary, even if he doesn't have the arcane abilities or ability to completely deny reality that he used to have. And this will create a bitter person, similar to the character we know as the Machine Herald from League of Legends.

[heretherebedork]

Nick's breakdown over Boston and the end of their love story and the end of what he hoped might have been (even though it was over before it started) is so painful because it's probably the most realistic imagining of what this relationship could have been. Only to follow it with...

Just to show that no matter what Nick thought, no matter how much he told himself he didn't need or want to be loved... he truly did. Of course he did. Everyone wants to be loved.

[ranbling]

I love buddie but after last night I'm starting to think it's not gonna happen. I thought we'd see some crumbs of bt having issues (regardless of what us viewers feel buck didn't appear to be overly annoyed or upset by tommy reaction). Or maybe a contrast where eddie was really sweet and caring to buck and Tommy was an ass...but eddie was laughing along as much as Tommy was. So yea I mean I know it's still kinda early in the season but I don't see how they can go from last night to bt breaking up to buddie Canon. Eddie and buck getting together would be such a huge thing to happen that they can't or wouldn't just spring it on us in one or two episodes, surely there would need to be a build up, like crumbs etc where they both realise their feelings, angonise over what to do, and then get together

I see what you mean Anon, however we still have 15 episodes left. This is the first episode that actually gave Tommy screentime (because 20 seconds is barely enough to remind the audience he still exists), and it wasn't that positive. I made a post how I think this episode was actually starting to show that Buck and Tommy are not in that good of a place.

Also, it's important to mention that most couples don't have a big build up for their breakup (Buck and Taylor is an outlier in that regard). Abby and Buck were living together and going strong right until ep10. Ana was ready to introduce Eddie to her family. Buck and Natalia went couch shopping(!!) in their last scene. Marisol (not counting the nun stuff), was Eddie's long term girlfriend who Eddie trusted enough to spend time with Chris on her own.

I also don't think it's realistic to expect bt canon and buddie getting together in episodes right after each other. I do think bt will break up before mid-season, and for all that they relationship seem going strong, they had no kiss since s7ep6. The most they did was Tommy patting Buck's leg. And even in this episode, he talked to Buck a really condescending way. He might not be appear too upset by it, but it is not a good look. Also, when he broke up with Taylor, one of things he said "I thought I could learn to live with it" referring to Taylor's traits that he disliked. Buck also suffers from seeing everything through rose-colored glasses in every relationship of his. He thought Natalia was seeing him.

Next episode will probably be the Eddie breakdown episode. He was really OOC in this episode and I think it will also start his feelings realisation journey.

I think we can expect both Bucktommy breakup and the start of the pining area by the mid-season finale.

[famousinfamous]

ok so it’s not like the fact that Keefe is treated as the protagonist of kotlc isn’t already widely talked about but ummmm I wanted to talk about it to so yeah. The main thing that I want to talk about in this post is the fact that keefe’s mental health is probably the worst we’ve seen in the series. He has suicidal thoughts tendencies that indicate self harm and a bucket load of inferiority complex’s trauma anxiety and mental breakdowns. It’s not that this isn’t realistic because quite frankly he’s had a horrible childhood. But here’s the thing. So has Sophie and yet, while there are obvious signs of anxiety from Sophie as well as times were she literally just doesn’t move for l several days which sounds a lot like severe depression her issues have never been addressed in same way Keefe’s have. No ones ever talked through it with her not the way she talked to Keefe about his mental health or parents or general unbelievable amount of trauma. And why is that? Because Sophie is the only person in this series with fix him syndrome. Honestly I have no idea. Apparently no one else in this series is able to give motivational speeches. And I mean she does get support but it doesn’t feel the same as the scenes where she comforts Keefe. And no I’m not passive aggressively shitting on Keefe for not supporting Sophie because he does but. It just doesn’t feel like he’s working her through it. More so like he’s just supporting her, which is good like he’s her friend not her therapist but it results in Keefe’s problems being talked through more than the literal MAIN CHARACTER. Look ok I get Keefe is the main love interest I can accept him being more explored as a character than the others but more than Sophie? That’s some bullshit right there.

[death-paint]

Right Here

Leon Kennedy x GN! Reader

A/N: I know that realistically this man probably wouldn’t have the energy or even the mental capacity to comfort anyone, but it’s nice to imagine. I felt bad the other night and kinda got inspired by my own breakdown, so this is mainly for myself. Any Leon applies, but personally I was thinking of an older one.

Title from "Right Here" by Chase Atlantic

TW: mental breakdown (I think???), crying, abandonment issues

Word count: 1078

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You curled up on the mattress, desperately clinging to the body pillow you kept for when Leon wasn’t around. You didn’t know what set you off, you’d had a good day. So why were you crying? You hung out with friends, had a good time laughing and playing games, ate good food, everything was perfect. So why did you feel so off?

You sobbed out apologies into the dark room, tears falling on to the body pillow you clung to. Something in the back of your mind was telling you it was all an elaborate joke. That people kept you around either out of pity or because they wanted to use you in some way. But the main thing on your mind was Leon. He’d been gone on a mission for a couple weeks now, and you hadn’t gotten a message in days. You knew it was most likely because he was busy and couldn’t send any, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that he suddenly hated you. That suddenly you were unattractive and everything about you was repulsive. You continued to cry, muffling your pained screams and squeaks with the pillow, despite knowing you were alone in the house. Or so you thought.

You had been so caught up in your own emotions that you hadn’t heard the creak of the front door closing or the heavy, tired footsteps trudging up the stairs. You wept and wept, curled up in the fetal position, unaware that the person you were crying for had stopped just outside the door, confused as to why you were crying in the first place.

Leon stepped into the house to find it dark. Confused, he searched the kitchen for you, only to be met with more darkness, food and dishes already put away and washed. He searched the rest of the ground floor, still bewildered. You usually weren’t asleep this early. He turned on his heel, figuring you’d be upstairs, and dragged his tired frame up the steps slowly. As he reached the top of the stairs, he heard soft, muffled whimpers and sniffles from the bedroom. He stopped outside of the door, unsure of whether he should step in to comfort you or to wait it out. Ultimately, he felt bad, and decided to step in to try and help, his heart breaking for you.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to, come back, please!” You wailed, clawing at the pillow as if it were him, trying to hold it impossibly closer to your shaking body. You heard the door open, and all crying ceased immediately. You let your head drop, pretending to be asleep.

“Baby…” Leon spoke, walking over to the bed and sitting down on the edge. “Hey…I heard you crying. What’s wrong?”

You shook your head in response to his question, embarrassed that you’d been caught. It hadn’t been the first time, of course, but you still weren’t quite comfortable with him knowing about it.

“What were you apologizing for?” He asked, leaning closer to you and rubbing your arm in an attempt to soothe you.

“I…I don’t know,” you croaked out, voice hoarse. “I just…I don’t know.”

“It’s ok baby. I’m here,” he kicked off his shoes and laid down next to you, pulling you into his arms.

You hesitated for a moment before speaking again, trying to figure out what to say.

“Are you mad at me?” you sniffled, tears still in the corners of your eyes as you let go of the pillow and turned around to face him. Leon’s eyes widened as the question left your lips, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Of course not, baby. What makes you think that?” His voice was soft as he continued to pry, wanting to know as much as possible so that he could do his best to comfort you.

“I don’t know…I didn’t hear from you, and I just…” you looked down at his chest, avoiding eye contact as you answered. “I’m just being dramatic, I’m sorry.”

“Shhh…” he brought his hand up to cup your cheek, lifting your head gently to make you look at him. “It’s okay. You don’t need to apologize, hon.”

You tried to hold it together, but his words (although comforting) made a cold, sharp pain shoot through your chest, and sure enough, you were crying again. You clung to him for dear life, as if he’d disappear if you let go. You could no longer speak as the wet, hot tears poured down your face, only able to express your pain through whines and small squeaks. Your face seemed to convey one of a person screaming, but you were relatively quiet against him. Your eyes flickered to his for a moment, your expression desperate and pleading, begging him to take away the pain in your chest.

Leon had seen you break down before, and the fact that you still tried to hide it from him was heartbreaking as he pet your hair comfortingly, whispering to you as you whimpered and squeaked in his arms.

“Shhh…it’s alright. You’ll be alright, baby.” he cooed. “I promise. You’re gonna be okay, hon.” He dipped his head down until his lips met your forehead, giving it a light peck as you hiccupped out more tears.

He had started to gently rock the two of you back and forth, still caressing you. The noises had mostly stopped by now, but the tears still flowed, and you were still hyperventilating. His calloused but gentle hands held you close as he kissed the tears away, still whispering whatever words you needed to hear from him, and eventually you calmed down. Finally, you spoke up again.

“You’re not gonna leave me, are you?” Your eyes reflected the minimal light of the room like glass, staring into his brilliant blue ones. “I’m sorry, I’m trying to get better, I promise. I know I’m a lot, I don’t mean to be–”

“Shhh, doll.” He put a finger to your mouth, cutting you off. “It’s okay, I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” He pressed a tender kiss to your lips, caressing your cheek with his thumb and wiping away your tears from a few moments earlier.

“I missed you,” you breathed out as he pulled away.

“I know, baby,” he smiled softly, a light puff of air leaving his nose. “I missed you too. Now, let’s get some sleep, yeah?”

“Yeah…” you yawned, nestling yourself into Leon’s chest once more. “Goodnight, Leon.”

“Goodnight, baby. I love you.”