#see if that’s the reason for my fuckin fatigue

[anachronistic-falsehood]

PISS TEST CAME BACK FINE. IT IS NOT KIDNEY DISEASE. I THINK

[jmtorres]

having a weird experience of i keep seeing people assume doctors tell you to do shit for no reason like fast before surgery and like i guess they're bad at explaining it but the reason for that particular one is "so while you're on anesthesia your body doesn't try to throw up and choke you because you're intubated"

there was something else recently about surgery that my dash was like "this is gatekeeping bullshit" maybe it was about wanting you to lose weight for elective surgeries? and yeah on one level that's BS because losing weight is not an achievable goal for most people and fat people deserve medical care anyway, but ALSO, as a fat person, my surgery didn't take twice as long as normal because of fatphobia, it took twice as long as normal because the physical reality of a fat body is there's more tissue to move out of the way and work around. --and no doctors don't explain that well EITHER

anyway doctors are 1. usually at least TRYING to protect your life and health and 2. apparently super fuckin bad at explaining anything so like. If there's a standardized medical rule and you don't see why it matters like "don't drink while you're on antibiotics" (that one is because it's really bad for your liver to try to metabolize both at once and depending on the antibiotic, you will have a SUPER miserable time if you do), ask or look it up or something instead of just assuming doctors are just killjoys who don't want you to have fun

i say this as a neurodivergent fat lesbian who had vague "fatigue" long covid symptoms as well as other chronic conditions, basically the only demographic factor I've had running in my favor was being white. I've had to do my own research and advocate for myself frequently. And there are shitty doctors of course. And doctors who hew too much to assuming health is statistical normality rather than individual and occasionally idiosyncratic. But seriously try not to assume the entire medical profession makes up rules for no reason just because you don't know the reason, okay?

[autisticlancemcclain]

fic rec friday 10

welcome the the tenth fic rec friday! where, on friday, i rec five of my favourite fics.

1. A Rain-Check on Redamancy by @youraveragemushroom

Burnout these days usually came from working long nights at the Garrison. If Lance from five years ago could see himself today—working part-time to rebuild Earth and full-time as an instructor at the very same institution that gave him his crippling anxieties—he would probably shit a brick. Hell, five years ago he hadn’t even known aliens existed (although he always knew deep down that humans weren’t alone in the universe), and now he’s best friends with multiple! One of which had apparently texted him an hour ago.

Forgoing proper texting procedure due to fatigue and general doneness, Lance tapped on the icon to call back.

“Hello?” a familiar deep rasp answered from the other line.

“Hey, mullet,” Lance replied, pushing aside the papers in front of him to lay his head down on the desk. “What’s cooking?”

In which Lance finds himself ignoring how late it is and indulges himself in pining after Keith. Which becomes slightly more difficult when said object of his affections shows up in the middle of the night to rescue him from paperwork, stress, and the melancholy that came from being away from him.

the ‘god i wish you were here’ ‘look behind you’ trope will get to me EVERY single time idc. always makes me all stimmy bc its THE epitome of romance. this whole thing was so so romantic and full of parallels to the first episode to show how deep their relationship has gotten...i love me some romantic parallels fr

2. sweetheart by @jilliancares

“Sorry, babe,” Keith says. He even smiles, no doubt proud of himself.

And Lance knows it’s his fault. He started it, after all, but at least the biting term of endearment made sense when he was the one doing it. Keith had been talking to him like they were some old married couple. The kind who’ve been married too long and don’t love each other anymore and gripe over meaningless shit, only managing to piss each other off even further.

That’s why Lance called him dear. Because it made sense in the situation. It was a calculated insult. A strategic jab.

Keith, on the other hand, is weaponizing the term of endearment without any rhyme or reason, simply to get back at Lance.

Or: Keith and Lance have gotten into the habit of using pet names as condescending insults. They're not really terms of endearment.

ooooooo god endearments going from sarcastic to desperately genuine and the inherent hopelessness in that....whew boy. its def a Concept that u indulge and then you have to clutch ur stomach. i remember reading this as i was getting ready and brushing my teeth and the cliff scene made me gasp out loud and stop just to i could pay Full Complete Attention

3. don’t speak the language by @goldengalaxies

“More importantly” Lance says. “I am currently having a breakdown in this lift because look at him- I am so incredibly gay.”

“Lance!” Hunk buries his face in his hands. “He could speak English you know, your skills of deduction are really not that good.”

Lance ignores his warning in favour of groaning dramatically. “Oh, Dios mio, Hunk, he’s so gorgeous. Look at those muscles. He could probably bench press me.” Lance fanned himself. “Oh my God, fencing is my new favourite sport, fuck swimming.”

(or the one where Lance thirsts after a random guy in the lift who he thinks can’t speak English. lance is very wrong and hunk is very much done with his shit.)

let me tell u about this fuckin FIC. it’s hilarious, but i first read it before i meticulously started storing and bookmarking my fave fics, so when i wanted to reread it i couldnt find it. but i KNEW it was hilarious so i spent fckn hours looking for it, and it took me hours too bc i coulnt figure out which tags to filter. but it was WORTH IT. the entire concept of this fic is hilarious and makes me laugh. amazing work.

4. Whose bright idea was this? by IronScript

When Lance is captured during a mission with the MFE pilots, he wakes up aboard Haggar's ship, though the witch herself isn't there, so he figures why waste an opportunity? Then he finds something that he definitely hadn't expected.

All the while, he has no idea that back at the Garrison, his team and a few select others are watching his every move.

bro the idea that the team is panicked for lance’s safety and they desperately organise a rescue mission for him terrified that hes getting tortured and losing hope but by the time they find him he’s already got one foot out the door and has rescued himself is ENDLESSLY funny to me. like he really said ‘damsel in distress who’ and i love him for that lmao

5. Garfle! Warfle! Snick! by IronScript

How the game show episode actually should have happened.

I'll admit to being a Lance stan, but even people who don't like him seem to agree that he was really fucked over in this episode. So here's my attempt at it. Is it more realistic than what actually happened? I like to think so.

another ironscript fic bc they nail bamf lance. this is how the gameshow WOULD have gone if vld gave a shit about their characters like actually. like yes of course the team is proud of each other and capable of acknowledging mistakes. of course keith knows lance’s worth. of course lance is a badass. of course the team knows wtf theyre doing. love to read this when i get mad about the game show

that’s it for today!! i’ll see y’all back next friday for the next fic rec post!!!

[hellyeahsickaf]

If you want to get mad about how fucking awful some doctors are, here you go

With my post about medical discrimination against addicts and disabled people gaining traction again I got a few people asking about how I'm doing after my kidney infection and what happened in the ER. I'm better, could've been much worse but when I was seen they gave me antibiotics before anything else- it was the one thing they did right

I knew I had a kidney infection, I told them that I had a UTI and checked off all of the boxes for a kidney infection which is potentially deadly and leads to sepsis in as little as 12-48 hours if untreated. Pro tip because I'm an idiot- always see a doctor for UTIs, you can't just self treat them even if it seems to be going away as was the case for me. That's how it reaches your kidneys. Whoops 🥴

I waited a few hours which is expected but I got progressively worse. I also reported my pain as an 8/10 (9 by the time I was seen), migraine, fever, chills, weakness, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, probably some other things. I was shaking, crying, curled up, truly some of the worst pain I've ever felt next to gallstones. Maybe others handle this kind of thing better. Or maybe most grown ass men they see in this condition either have serious injuries or are addicts putting on a show. In which case they'd still be truly suffering. It shouldn't matter if they're an addict if they're in the ER desperate for relief in that moment. But yeah, I was ignored for most of the night aside from being given antibiotics and Tylenol. I just reread my clinical notes from that night actually and got mad again lol

I saw the doctor for under 5 minutes that night. He asked why I was there and how I was doing. I told him how awful I felt and he didn't carry out any examinations, it was the first time I'd gone to the ER and wasn't even asked to wear a gown. Either way he was extremely neglectful. Had the nerve to report exams for ENT, eyes, cardio, abdominal, skin, etc that never happened. He didn't lay a finger on me. Reported answers to questions I was never asked like whether I've had past surgeries (he put no when I have). And at the end of his clinical notes he states the following:

"..While I considered a CT abdomen/pelvis, I do not currently feel it is necessary based on the patient's physical exam and clinical history and review of any labs that were ordered. Patient is otherwise well appearing; feel it is reasonable to discharge the patient home at this time with close outpatient follow up."

So he claims he considered a CT scan but based on the results of exams he never performed and clinical history he never asked for and the fact that I was "well appearing" (felt like I was dying), he felt it was "not necessary" to order a CT scan. Only at the end of my visit- 6 hours later was I given an effective painkiller. This negligence genuinely could have killed me and I didn't want it to happen to someone else so I reported him for malpractice. They carried out an investigation and concluded there was no wrongdoing on his part. The woman that was in charge of being in contact with me during the investigation was really nice and also pissed off on my behalf and rightfully so. Also some days after my visit I got a lab report indicating that the strain of infection I had was fairly uncommon and pretty fuckin dangerous with some strains being immune to antibiotics

Maybe I should have advocated for myself better but the condition I was in, I could hardly talk at all. I just hate that he just gets to keep practicing medicine and jeopardizing the health of his patients to make his job easier despite the fact that it could kill someone. It's fucked up how easy it is for doctors to get away with this shit really.

[docholligay]

Glad you enjoyed the episodes! I suggested Fatigue specifically because I think it's so well-written, thank you for validating my taste :) and am fascinated to hear that Trail Rations is actually historically not bad. I need to tell you, the reason we sent you Body Builder is because Dani and I have such different reactions to it, we wanted a third opinion: I had a really strong (good, what I want from horror) visceral reaction to the body horror of it, and she, quote, "thinks it's kind of cute and fun! They're just doing their thing!" If you had to rank the eps on actual creepiness/how well they Got you as horror, how do you think it would go?

Fatigue was easily my favorite, like i said, i think absolutely the only mishap in the whole thing was trying to link in the Michael stuff, otherwise I think it was an exquisitely written horror story, that creeping sense of certainty in a dangerous beauty a little like the curl of cigarette smoke in the dark. One of my favorite points of fear is not knowing if you are sane or not, not knowing if you can trust your own mind. SENDS A CHILL DOWN ME SPINE IT DOES, which is of course why i fuckin love it.

And yeah! Trail Rations, while it obviously didn't happen, is way way on the plausible side and shockingly pretty well grounded in historical realities. I was also surprised, and delighted! I don't know if that was a happy accident or if they knew someone who knew a lot, but it was well done enough that I would straight up call it good western horror. You could stretch it out into a short story, I think. A proper one, not these sort of tiny fictions or whatever we want to call them.

I laughed ALOUD at Dani being like, "Look at those little guys! Just doing their thing!" because I loved it but also was really drawn to this nature of obsession thing, this single-minded desire breaking you and molding you into a THING. I think anyone who gets wrapped up can see how this can happen, and that's the nature of the horror for me, not even the body horror so much as the, "what if you were given the opportunity to become the one thing you wanted to be? Would you be stupid enough to take it?" And I sit there and suck my teeth ahaha.

ANYWAY ENOUGH OF ME RAMBLING. Ranking! Some of these are very very very close and i might flip them on any given day. I will elaborate if asked!

Creeped me out the most:

6. Trail Rations

5. The New Door

4. The Bodybuilder

3. Personal Space

2. Fatigue

Book of the Dead

Thought were the best/most skillful

6. The New Door

5. The Bodybuilder

4. Book of the Dead

3. Personal Space

2. Trail Rations

Fatigue

LIKED the most

6. Personal Space

5. The New Door

4. The Bodybuilder

3. Book of the Dead

2. Trail Rations

Fatigue

[yamatossideboob]

ONE PIECE 1122 Spoilers!

(1122 is such a good number)

This week's balances:

I fucking love how much effort Oda clearly put into this redraw of a fan's piece waaaaaaaa

Hard to believe there were still doubters after Whitebeard SAID the One Piece was real 2 and a bit years ago. Though he *was* a fearsome pirate emperor and Vegapunk a beloved inventor 🤔

"Your days are numbered world government!!!" god I hope so, random prisoner

and I adore that Vegapunk made sure the folks at Impel Down heard everything. Vegapunk voice I love causing problems on purpose

My OP bestie was saying to me last night how if you told someone in 1997 that the crying pink boy mopping decks for Alvida would end up as a major foil to the main character and a contender to find the One Piece, they'd call you a fucking liar

"I have to stop your dream from being realised!!!" good fucking luck Koby, you are doomed to failure by the narrative

No but fr Koby vs Luffy is a real probability now. coughing baby hydrogen bomb.

ily Jairman Bahgee, clown of the people fr king of the pirates to ME

The Cross Guild shippers are getting to me bc when Croc told Buggy "sit" I first assumed he meant on his lap

Wouldn't it be great if Caribou had no valuable intel in fact and Blackbeard earthquaked him to death

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand the transponder is banjaxed. tough shit for the Elders though lmaooooooo

I love Emet so much lads, honestly this chapter made all those cliffhangers and teases worth it

"you look so much like him" so does this mean the Nika forme, or does Luffy actually look like Joyboy did full time?

"Sorry that I couldn't make you king" the 'Joyboy was bad' theorisers will chew on that line for months, cheers Oda

"D." UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I choose to read this as hearing the D. dispelled any lingering doubts in Emet's mind. Pull the fuckin lever Giant Robo!!!!!!!

This whole segment is just. wow. Emet laughing like Luffy or maybe Joyboy would, knowing they can genuinely protect him with this manoeuvre, them thanking him for letting them hear the drums one last time... The fucking THUNDERCLAP OF CONKER HAKI SO BIG IT KNOCKS OUT MARINES FOR MILES AROUND WHILE EMET TELLS LUFFY NOT TO DIE JESUS CHRIST LADS THIS IS SO MUCH

THE HAKI ROPE FUCKING NEGATING THE ELDERS' YOKAI FORMES AND FUCKING EJECTING THEM BACK TO MARIEJOIS

and Mars waiting for them to get home patiently lmao

So this begs so much questioning. Just how does that teleportation circle work, and why is Imu of all people fatigued by this happening? My mind is still racing at this, and this is what I think: given how we never got a Devil Fruit name drop when the Elders shifted to Yokai Forme several chapters ago (which prompted much speculation in itself), and seeing Imu worn out now after the Elders were negated and sent packing... I think the Yokai shit is Imu's power, DF or not. The reason we got no Elder DF names is bc it' the one ability, which belongs to the secret god-king hiding back in Mariejois. The summoning circle is probably also Imu's power, because this looks to me like the transportation needs to be sustained - that massive Haki blast made Imu lose his focus, causing the Elders to get jettisoned back to hg. Seeing as how Mars was there before them, this teleportation power seems to have a range too - Mars was forced out of this range by Luffy & co, causing him to be zapped back first. This all seems incredibly overpowered to be the one DF/whatever else, but given how Imu is the secret final boss of One Piece, I can totally buy that he's fucking busted.

Also who the fuck is this other person worrying about Imu. I forget does he had any direct servants or w/e but this takes me aback.

Ahem. regardless, this proves that Imu and the Elders are not invincible. As to what ends up being the key to their defeat... Idk! We saw that Joyboy Haki doing numbers on them, maybe his was just different? or maybe it's sheer volume thats the key?? UGH how exciting!!!

Nami implies Edision is kaput but this is OP and i'll not believe he's dead until I see that righteous dude being disassembled for scrap, sorry lads

WAIT JOYBOY COME BACK YOU FORGOT AN ELDER (this does reinforce my teleportation circle notion, given how Saturn was the only one who arrived at Egghead without it)

Hm. Hey Joyboy? Just how the fuck do you tie HAKI INTO A GODDAMN KNOT???

lol no but this is reminiscent of HxH (also GOAT ftr) and how nen can be imbued into objects for different effects. Or else the rope is literally Haki made physical? Is this the brand of Haki that made the other Elders gtfo? Is this the level required to put those Yokai bastards down once and for all?

I've only just noticed right now that Emet has an X on his wrist.... A True Nakama....

rip to the 'Joyboy wasn't human' speculators, you fought valiantly but Joyboy was a tiny human man

Emet you're such a strong brave boy ilysm

fuck man when this gets animated I'm really gonna cry. Emet is such a sweetie T^T

Also Joyboy's lines here foreshadow a DEVASTATING flashback to come, god almighty lads steel yerselves now

mannnnnnnnn that was a top-notch chapter, the SJ summer break will be a doddle after this feast of hype and intrigue.

Summer's here and the time is right lads, OP is on break but enjoy yerselves if and when you can! WWLD! 💪✖️

[aria-ashryver]

Hey Aria! I have a question for you, what would your characters say to you if they met you and knew who you were?

Sweet Stars! I missed you! Thank you for this ask lovely it made my heart so warm! 🥰💖

!!OK there are some minor spoilers for Starlight at the end of this!!

Given that we'd probably be talking about cancer stuff to begin with (and Luca wouldn't shy away from asking questions about it), it'd probably turn to them reassuring me like:

Gabriel: i think people will entirely understand that you need to put yourself first sometimes. Your health is important!

Luca: Yeah but don't forget to find joy in little places too. Like when was the last time you jumped on purpose? Keep moving. Dance in your bathroom. Climb a tree.

Me: my sweet darling Luca, you are seriously underestimating my fatigue levels

Cas: hey low-energy things can be cathartic too. Have you tried lighting something on fire lately?

Me: honestly, the thing that really got me through the last year was you guys. Writing your story. Seeing you find love despite all the pain.

*All three of them staring at me in varying levels of shock and hurt*

Gabriel: ...wait, you wrote all that? Everything that happened to us?

Me: well.. not all of the... I was drawing from things that happened in canon you know--

Gabriel: you're the reason I lost...

*Gabriel struggles to find his words, Cas is just staring at me, Luca is the first to wrap their head around the whole concept*

Me: In the original story... your parents died when you were young and you were raised by your grandmother. I changed that. I let you grow up with them. I gave you sisters, a cousin, a family dog. You were so loved, Gabriel.

Me: I'm so sorry I took that away. I don't want you to be in pain. Ever. I hate when you are hurting. But you need to know -- I've never seen a family so full of love before.

Gabriel, *nodding slowly*: l remember them because of you. I... I had them at all because of you, from the sounds of things. I can't begrudge you that.

*He takes Cas and Luca by the hands*

Gabriel: and these two... They are the greatest gift I have ever known. Thank you for bringing happiness into my life again.

Luca: I wouldn't change anything. All the shit that happened to me made me who I am. And it led me to these two.

*Cas blanks for a moment longer, then hauls me aside where Gabe and Luca can't hear*

Cas: ...did you have to make it hurt so much?

Me: I'm sorry love--

Cas: Don't. And... and why the fuck did you put them through so much?! Why did... why couldn't I protect them?

Me: You did. You protect them with your every breath! They are safer and happier and stronger for loving you. For having you in their lives. I know you struggle to believe that all of this is real, but I know how much they adore you, Cas, and oh my god, I wish you could see it! Their love for you is staggering.

Cas: ...wait, really?

Me: yes, sweetheart. I... look, I know your story has been rough, but I promise you, the three of you will have the happiest of Happily Ever Afters.

Cas: *finally breaking into a slow smile*

Me: In fact, I think you'll be disgusted with me how sappy and sweet things get.

Cas: psshhh, alright, shut up...

Me: hey, Cas?

Cas: Mmm?

Me: Your mama loved you. So much. I know she only got to hold you for a moment before she passed, but she was so proud of her baby boy. And she couldn't wait to watch you grow up into the brave, strong man she knew you'd become, and to tell you she loves you every day of her life.

Cas: ...

Me: I'll show you that memory one day. Or... Luca will. Memories of Ricky. Memories of the Adalhard family and Gabriel's childhood. All the people you've loved and lost. There will come a day when Luca figures out their gift. And he'll be able to bring you along for the ride to see them all one more time.

Cas: I'll g-get to see my mom?

Me: Mhmm. One day.

📢 AND THEN I GET TO GIVE CAS THE BIGGEST FUCKIN HUG IN THE WORLD YAY*

(Luca and Gabe too)

(hugs for days)

[tbonechessor]

Discovered the other day that I might ACTUALLY have IBS. Which would track with my lived experience so I tried searching it to see if I could have a laugh at my situation and find the goofs and memes only to be hit with 50 Million posts along the lines of

"The jokes about IBS are in bad taste :/ that's a disorder and chronic pain and and and--"

Which! I agree with! On a certain level. I got Diabetes which comes with fatigue and a bunch or stuff that kicks the shit out of me on top of this.

...

But I'm also eternally 12 years old and joking about poo will always be at least a little funny. Especially now that I know that the moments I've come crawling back to Jesus in my states of true vulnerability when I'm on the brink of shitting myself where I Really Would Not Like To have been for a REASON. Idk that's fuckin hilarious to me.

[pink-enby-in-distress]

so amazing news!! found out the reason for my extreme fatigue might just be bc of obstructive sleep apnea!! which means: all (or most) of my fatigue problems *might* be solved by a simple tonsil n adenoid surgery!! the problem is,, i have to see an ear nose n throat specialist first n yk when the soonest appointment for that is?? March!!!!!!:,,,,,,,) yk when we fuckin requested one?? oct-nov. n now that ik that there's this thing out there that could finally,, finally help n i don't have to live like this anymore,, i am going insane-

i am literally crying like every night. im so lucky that this (might) solve my problems n that the date is so soon!! n yet,, im devastated still,, bc yk what i have before march?? finals week. sats. my fuckin birthday!! my anniversary!! n who knows how long it'll take to actually schedule the surgery after we see the fuckin specialist in the first place. are they gonna say i have to lose weight again?? bc that's gonna take a lotta time,, n we all know they hate fat ppl bc i am apparently obese (despite the ppl that know me the most n the closest know that im recovering from an ed n think i need to eat *more* n i look fine bc im an average ass black girl)?? n they make sure to tell me every waking moment. every moment they make sure to tell me!! youre fucking obese n you're probably either gonna have to lose weight before this surgery or stay in the hospital longer after it.

there is this one hope!! that i could change something shitty that I've dealt with my entire life,, one thing that could actually help me get a scholarship n pursue a career n have a job n make enough money at a job to not have to live w my abusive ableist mom in college,, and every delay is eating me alive.

[volkihar]

I'm sorry to hear that! I recently had not one but TWO skin infections from my ocd related hand washing and something that helped me was buying some Aveeno severe dry skin lotion. I managed to get away without needing to take antibiotics.

I know they're not the same problem but maybe it'll get you by until you can see a doctor!

Thank you 😥 For some reason the flare up is on my hands too, specifically the sides of my palms and one of my fingers now. Sadly I have tried just about every cream under the sun (including my actual prescription steroid cream that I keep on hand for bad flare ups) but it just seems to make it more aggressive? I've resorted to cutting holes in socks I never wear and using them as fingerless gloves so I can soak them in oils and cover them 😭

It's super frustrating bc anything I have to do w/ my hands is a lot harder, including drawing & typing etc. Doing the dishes is fuckin miserable. It's really fuckin w me this time lol ngl. I still have to get blood work done regarding possible-definite issues with my thyroid so I'm hoping I can wave my hands at my doctor and beg her to do something about it.

I didn't even realize eczema COULD get infected (besides like, getting infected due to open wounds not being washed properly) and considering I've been super fatigued and keep getting sick lately, I'm surprised I didn't realize it sooner 😭 the weepy blisters and yellow crust (ew tmi I know) is a dead giveaway.

In the meantime I'm gonna be using liquid bandage to hopefully create a barrier (seems to be working well as of typing this) until I can get a professional opinion but bruh. It sucks.

[orcelito]

Somehow managed to get an impromptu booster shot before work today. AND caught the bus that will get me to work sufficiently on time

I am Winning today

[seraphdreams]

hiiii could you do a blurb w the aot boys (jean, eren, armin, connie) and how they might react to you getting jealous of them spending time w another girl? like when you catch an attitude w ur s/o and are like “huh i saw ur little gf today” or “no you didn’t tell me that, must have been ur other gf” pls <3

aot boys with a jealous s/o

contains - fluff, fem!reader, jealousy, a little bit suggestive, eren being a bitch, and new york connie if you squint.

author’s note - my inbox isn’t open to requests right now :(

seeing JEAN with one of his female coworkers at a dinner party you both attended made your heart stir, and not in a loving way. while around people, you kept your calm persona and interacted like normal but the thought couldn’t stop bugging you. what was jean saying that was so damn funny to her. the ride home was silent, like ice and threatening until jean decided to speak up. “everything okay, baby?” you ignore him, making him repeat his question again. “baby?”

“you and your girlfriend seemed to be having fun.” you speak up. he pauses for a second before his lips tug into a smirk. he knows it’s not amusing but it’s so cute how you sit there, draped in his suit jacket with your arms crossed and cheeks puffed into a pout. “baby, you’re my girlfriend. my wife. i don’t need anyone else but you.” he reassures, his hand on your thigh traveling up as he takes a split second to look at you. “you’re my one and only.”

EREN has a small circle, you know that but you also know when the girl in the group starts to get a little bit too handsy with him. you keep it in mind until a few days later, when he comes home unusually late.

“your girlfriend must’ve kept you real busy, you couldn’t even answer the phone” you say as you cross your arms, just a few feet from the doorway where he stood. he sighs in annoyance, fatigued for too many reasons. he was not going to play this game with you. “yup, she kept me real fuckin’ busy.” you’re dumbfounded with his words, stammering and not being able to even form a sentence. you stand there, glaring at him.

he seems to read your mind before he speaks again. “i was working late. so i could go and buy this for your spoiled ass.” he pulls out a small velvet box, handing it to you. you take it with a soft grunt before opening it and looking at the gold plated necklace reading “E.J” you’re suspicions are immediately answered when you forget about your fury and excitedly thank him for the gift. “‘m not cheating, just working hard.” he says as he tussles your hair and lands a kiss to your cheek. he could really be sweet sometimes.

it’s a chill day as you sit with ARMIN on the balcony, listening to him tell stories about the books he’s read. when the conversation ends you take reign to bring up the thought in the back of your mind. “so, armin, i went to the store today and i saw your little girlfriend.” he was following along with your words until the last sentence. his cheeks flush red as he stares at you with confusion.

“girlfriend? but you’re right here?” it’s honestly adorable how ‘innocent’ he sounded but to you, you know he’s been chatting it up with some woman at work. “don’t act stupid, you know who.” you sternly reply. he genuinely thinks for a moment before realizing the root of the issue. “i’m sorry. have i not been giving you any attention?” he asks, taking your hands in his.

“i promise no one comes before you, i’d do anything to prove it to you. anything.” armin is an honest person and you believe him and quickly apologize for accusing him of being friendly with another woman.

it’s hard for CONNIE to not have friends, he’s charismatic, funny, and charming as hell. it’s almost too dangerous, especially when he’s been kicking it back in his hometown, getting to check in with everyone. it’s obvious he’s gotten older but you can’t help but get annoyed when he talks to his childhood friend.

you hold onto his arm so she doesn’t get the wrong idea but she seems more caught up in his conversation than making an effort to introduce herself to you. it goes on endlessly until nightfall when it’s time to leave. “so who’s that? your girlfriend?” you say as you hastily walk to the car. luckily, connie catches your hand to turn you around to face him.

“my what? mamí, you’re out of your mind if you think that i’m flirting.”

you pout as you snatch your hand back from his grip. he leans in closer, checking you out while running his fingers up and down your sides. “i don’t need anyone when i have your fine, sexy, stunning ass by my side. you know that, ma.” and you do. you feel embarrassed for escalating a small situation and thankfully connie is good at progressing. he jogs around the car, opening the door for you.

“i know ya hungry, let’s get pizza, yeah?”

[corpsekiller]

Dabi + lullaby (fluff)?

✝ 𝖮𝖣𝖤 𝖳𝖮 𝖲𝖫𝖤𝖤𝖯 — 𝖣𝖠𝖡𝖨

thank you so much for requesting! this was such a beautiful idea and it's definitely soft and sweet <3

𝖯𝖠𝖨𝖱𝖨𝖭𝖦. dabi x genderneutral!reader

𝖶𝖠𝖱𝖭𝖨𝖭𝖦𝖲. fluff, language

MASTERLIST

The dirty mattress under your aching body squeaks in rhythm with your movements despite your efforts to shift as carefully as possible, turning on your back to stare into the black nothingness above your head. It’s cold in the abandoned warehouse the league of villains is currently hiding in, thick brick walls keep the light outside and the only sound that can be heard are rats that scurry through your room and gnaw at your clothes.

Yeah, being a villain has its downside.

“Stop being so fuckin’ loud,” Dabi grunts somewhere beside you, only a few inches away from you, wrapped in his long coat to find some kind of sparse warmth and definitely not even fully awake. At least one of you is able to get some rest. You can only distinctively recognize the silhouette of his figure in the dark, shoulders heaving steadily in the sickening yellow glow of the streetlamps that manage to shine through a small gap in the walls around you. “Some people are trying to sleep here.”

“You’re an asshole, Dabi,” you hiss back and roll your eyes at him, though you still wriggle closer to him until you can feel the weight of his sleeping form right at the tips of your fingers. For a moment, you just throw an arm over your face and hope for the best, burning eyes yearning for an ounce of rest but that is denied to you for unknown reasons. “I can’t sleep, okay?”

“I don’t see how that’s my problem.” His reply is cold and monotone as always. You should have expected that from him, because why should he care about your struggles when he can sleep just fine? Still, it hurts, in some strange and twisted way that you can’t quite understand and you can’t dwell on it for long either, because suddenly, Dabi groans quietly beside you.

“Alright, come here.” He shifts on the mattress and illuminates his features with the blue glow of a small flame that dances over the tips of his fingers, reaching out to your arm with his other hand to pull you against his chest. A surprised yelp escapes your throat but before you can even ask what he’s doing, he presses a quick kiss to your lips and shushes you softly. “Relax, I’m just trying to help you. Now, close your eyes and listen to my voice.”

So, you tuck your head under his chin and press your ear against his chest, listening to the steady thump thump thump of his beating heart. One scarred hand wanders under your shirt as he slings his arm around your middle, fingertips ghosting over your hips in calming motions.

The tune he begins to hum is unfamiliar and off-key at first, but then he sings the first verse of this unknown lullaby with a gentleness you've never heard before and suddenly you feel like nothing could harm you in his arms. You are safe and you can rest without worry, there's no need to run until the sun has risen above the horizon. Exhaustion finally settles your thoughts, eyelids growing heavy with every verse that leaves his chapped lips.

His gravelly voice is so calming, forming each word of the lullaby with care as if he’s relishing in a distant memory of someone who sung to him when he needed it the most. The hand he kept on your waist moves over your ribs and stills, fingertips resting on a scar you gained while fighting your way out of a hero’s grasp.

Your eyelashes flutter with fatigue despite your efforts to stay awake and listen to Dabi’s low singing a little longer because it’s so beautiful and rare to see him this vulnerable and soft, you want to cherish this moment for the rest of your life. And still, you drift off to sleep a fleeting second later with the last notes of his song.

[krabs-quill]

“methinks” this idea fucking sucks ~ high school theatre au

characters: wilbur, schlatt, (next are only briefly shown) tommy, tubbo

trigger warnings: swearing

authors notes: HI THIS IS MY WRITING ALT THIS IS KRABMEAT BUTBUT HERES THE SECOND MINOR FIC PART FOR YOU @enigmaticvariation TO GO WITH THE DRAWING!!

@mcytblraufest THANKYOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL EVENT ILYSM THIS WAS SUCH A FUCKING BLASY AHHHHH TYSMMM

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

You wouldn’t be able to tell that Schlatt is in his sophomore year while Wilbur is in his junior year. Their personalities vastly different; Wilbur acting with the carefreeness of a younger student, contrary to Schlatt who seemed to carry a casual look of exhaustion and fatigue like the majority of the finals, SAT and ACT-stressed juniors. Wilbur being a flamboyant member of the theatre club, while Schlatt spends most of his time in the school's computer science room, occasionally doing backstage work for the theatre club's plays and musicals as a means to get extra credit.

That’s how the two know each other- not really through extravagant meetings, or trials and tribulations of growing their friendship to be the best of buddies, hell, they wouldn’t even consider each other friends! Or, Schlatt at least wouldn’t. Wilbur goes out of his way to make futile attempts to get Schlatt in the practice runs of the upcoming plays. Usually rejected requests. Usually.

“Wilbur, listen to yourself, buddy,” Schlatt quipped, “out of all the times I’ve rejected you- all the times I’ve rejected you with every SINGLE character you’ve asked me to act out for you- and you think that fucking JULIET is someone I’d even CONSIDER doing? Really, Wilbur? Really?”

Schlatt looks at Wilbur, deadpanning as he rubs the side of his face in frustration. Wilbur, however, has a mischievous grin on his face.

“Oh, come on Schlatt! Just ONE scene, please? Our Juliet is busy volunteering as a teacher's aid right now and we NEED to get this act down by next week! Please, man- just this once?” Wilbur pleaded, falling on the deaf ears of Schlatt, that of which was busy listening to the discrepancy of his reasoning.

“If you guys need to get the script down by next week then why do I have to help with the lines?! Shouldn’t you wait for your Juliet then if that’s the case?”

The bickering and debate went on for a good few minutes until Schlatt eventually caved after being offered a crisp 20 dollar bill from Wilbur. Out of the times the two have talked, Wilbur just so happened to pick up on Schlatts love for money as well as his lack of it. (He happened to apply at the same butcher shop Schlatt works at and saw the $5 an hour he was making. He didn’t get the job, by the way.)

“Farewell! I will omit no opportunity that may convey my greetings, love, to thee.” Wilbur holds his hand out musingly before dramatically clutching his heart, nodding his head solemnly to Schlatt. Schlatt grumbles at Wilbur, mumbling “right, and you just had to be fuckin Romeo, too…” before grabbing the script with a sloppy hand. His eyes look down at the small print, squinting while reading aloud.

“O think'st thou we shall ever meet again?” Schlatt's voice is monotone, voice inflections set to a minimum. He struggles with the pronunciation of “think’st”, redoing it a few times before finishing the sentence.

“I doubt it not; and all these woes shall serve for sweet discourses in our time to come.” His eyes flutter as he delivers his line, a sweet smile as he awaits for Schlatt to respond in- hopefully- an equally matched delivery this time.

“O God, I have an ill-divining soul! Methinks I see- oh come ON Wilbur! ‘Methinks’?! That is the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard, I'm not doing this!” Schlatt scolded, throwing his hands up in the air and squeezing the script in his hand. Wilbur sighs, slightly tired of having to convince him again, but nonetheless he persists.

“No, you have to! If not, I suppose I’ll just take back my 20 then? If you aren’t going to fulfill your part of the deal, of course!” In response, Schlatt can only groan in annoyance while muttering incomprehensible words under his breath. He smooths out his script and begrudgingly continues on with the act. Wilbur grins contently as he gets back into character.

Unbeknownst to the pair onstage, there seems to be two figures peering in from the outside of the theatre room. The taller blonde peeks his head in above the shorter brunette. They both squint.

“Oi, Tommy, isn’t that your brother Wilbur? What’s he doing with that guy? I’ve seen him in the computer science room before but I never caught his name,” Tubbo questions,

“Hey, your answers as good as mine, pal. He’s talked about him at home sometimes, that’s Schlatt. Don’t know why he’s made him be Juliet, though. Seems like he’d make a decent Capulet.”

[tommyspeakycap]

Hi love, I adore your writing so much! And as you just asked for some ideas/concepts here’s mine for Jack Grealish from prompts list 2: fluff #11 where he’s asking her (she’s his best friend) to go for a walk cause there’s so much going on in his life and he just needs to talk. fluff #36, angst #31 and a happy ending please? Basically a Best friends to lovers thing as I’m a sap for that…thank you!! xx

Fluff #11; “I know it’s 2 in the morning but do you want to…”

Fluff #36; “because I fell for you, isn’t it obvious?”

hope I did this justice for you!

Fell for you

“Jesus god,” you grumbled with hands aimlessly palming across the mattress for the blaring sound of your phone from its place charging somewhere on the bed. Your next move is an elongated “Ahhhhh,” sound, fatigue still holding tightly onto your body in a way that seals your eyes shut even as you try to shut off the sound your phone was deafening your with. In a wakened state, you might’ve noticed that it was your ringtone that had interrupted your sleep. However as tired as you were you ruled it as your alarm right away and moved yourself into seated position with the duvet still wrapped tight around you and your eyes still shut.

You were suspended in that space between being asleep and being awake, still sitting up when the offensive sound came screaming through your phone once again.

This time, your eyes snapped open in fright and the fatigue-blurred letters of Jack Grealish’s name popped up across the top of your screen.

“How is it morning already?” You protest down the line, a heavy sigh passing your lips to follow. Jack’s chuckle can be heard through the line, “It’s not.” He replies simply, prompting you to pull your phone away from your ear to hold out in front if your face.

02:17am

“Then why on earth am I up?” You mumble, a question more posed to yourself than the man on the other end. “Wait, why are you up? And why are you calling so early?”

“I’m outside your door.”

“You’re what?!” You throw back your duvet and swing your legs over the side of the bed. You’ve hung up the phone already by the time you reach the front door at a tired shuffle. His hair is tousled when you see him, like he’s been running his hands through it over and over, you imagine that he has. He does that when he’s stressed. You have to squint against the street lights and his car headlights outside, still on as it sits running on the street. “Can we go somewhere?” He asks, his voice as desperate as his eyes look when he speaks, begging you to agree. Not that he would need to beg. You’d do anything for that man. Even if it did mean dragging yourself from your bed at 2 in the morning.

“Course.”

No question, no pressure. He loves that from you. He knows you’ll ask him later and when the time is right you’ll force him to tell you of course. Now is not that time yet and you’re nowhere near awake enough to do so much anyway. “Let me just grab my-“

“I have a hoodie in the car and your shoes in my boot.” He cuts in, tugging your arm gently out the door of your house. He knows you better than any other person in this world, so he knows full and well that there’s not much you are going to do in the way of protesting when you’re so soon out of sleep. He’d often teased with layers of worry deeper beneath that he genuinely worried for you living on your own. You open the door to people far too easily, and he will not fail to bring that up sometime tomorrow. For now, he steps into your doorway where you had stood moments before, grabs your keys from the cabinet and pulls the door closed behind him with a click of the latch locking behind him.

The cold paving stones beneath your feet make you shine in protest, shifting your weight between each one to ease the chill. In was in that cold that you look down and make the realisation, or rather come to remember the fact that you don’t have any pyjama bottoms on. “Jack!” You yelp, “I’m not wearing trousers!” You suddenly feel very exposed and rightly so, standing outside your home suddenly very awake in only a long claret and blue shirt that only extended down to the middle of your thighs. “Eh?” He whips around, “You what?”

It’s only now he really takes you in with rosy cheeks from embarrassment, your hair messed up from your sleep. His frantic eyes soften and his heart stops thundering in his chest finally. The sight of you there calms him. You’re there. Right there. His (y/n) is right there in front of him.

“What’s the rush, Jack? Is everything okay?”

Your gentle words and tired eyes bring him back to the ground, the flurry of his racing thoughts only now finally calmed. He often acts on impulse, but you are always able to slow his brain down a few paces. His sits heavily, "I know it's two am but...do you think we could go somewhere. My heads fuckin'... I don't even know." He dips back down to run that hand through his hair once again. His words stoke a bit of a worry in you, head tilted to the side in question. Jack doesn't tend to be the kind who gets himself panicked and all wound up like he has right now. That's more your half of the friendship. You did the worrying, he did the easygoing.

"It's okay, Jack. Of course. Come on then, let's go." You nod your head and he goes around the back of the car to get the shoes and socks he promised you. You very nearly choked up a lung when he presented you with a brand new Balenciaga box. "What the fuck, Jack?" You all but wheeze out, head whipping towards him climbing into the passenger seat.

"Got you a present 'cause I'm leaving soon." He shrugs with a jaw-dropping ease. You list open the lid and inside sit a pair of sliders that cost nearly £400. You physically gawp. "Oh my god."

"What?" Jack asks, drawing out of his parking spot on the street, "Heard you telling your mum you needed new sliders for the summer, do you not like 'em?"

His nerves would be clear in his voice if you hadn't been in such a ferocious level of shock. You're glad you weren't eating anything because it surely would have choked you to death. Of course you had seen Jack wearing brands like Balenciaga, Gucci, Versace and the likes, but you had never owned such an expensive piece of clothing. "I mean of course I love them, J but I meant from Primark or bloody amazon, you shouldn't have spent al that money on me." You protested, but Jack really pays it no mind. In fact, the suggestion that you don't deserve everything luxurious that this world has to offer offends him more than it does anything else. You should know that you deserve everything good that this world can give and he has the means to actually give that to you. He'd count himself an absolute fool not to.

"Gonna pretend you didn't say that." He mutters, eyes kept carefully on the empty road ahead of his car. Your eyebrows are furrowed, a part of you brain still very much trying to a) wake up and b) process the expensive of the gift he handed to you so casually. "Not arguing about it either." His voice cuts you off the second you open your mouth to speak, shutting down your protest before it even leaves you.

As the fatigue of your sleep wears off, your mind continues to be just as boggled as it had been the moment his name popped up on your screen at 2am, if not more boggled now.

"You're acting so weird, Jack. What the hell is going on with you today?" Your insistence is careful with your pressure. It's enough to try to open him up but not enough to make it sound like a confrontation. Neither you nor Jack like confrontation especially with each other. The words make him chew on his lip as he careens the large white range rover through a turn that leads up a gravel road that crunches beneath his tires. The stops when he's met with a with a large gate that prevents cars but a little slot for people to walk through. Jack leaves his door open when he leaves the car with a curtly mumbled "Stay here" as he does. He pushes open the gate with ease before he gets back in the car and follows the path up the hill further.

He stop abruptly in a very small gravel car park without any parking lines to abide and steps out, slamming his door behind him like he absolutely always does; you swear that man couldn't be quiet if his life depended on it. Which was another reason why you were so surprised by his silence. You clamber out after him with that same fear of falling flat on your face that always fills your mind each and every time you leave his car. But Jack is where he has been every time you step out the Range Rover since the first day he got it; standing by your door to hold your hand so you can jump out without a trip onto the gravel beneath. He shuts the door behind you and hands you a spare pair of his loose fitting track pants.

On an average day you might've teased the reason he hasn't worn them was because they wouldn't have squeezed the life out his legs. Today wasn't one of those days, so you slip them on without a word. Followed up by his way too big for you socks and the brand new black slides. Even wide awake, this confuses you to no end. Jack was never quiet and never elusive. He was boisterous, loud, open and confident.

The second you turn around, you realise why he brought you here.

The view of the stars, the sky completely clear. There wasn't a street lamp in sight. The moon provided the kind of spotlight hue that you kind of thought only existed in the enhancement of Hollywood movies. "Woah," you breathe, words stolen by its beauty.

"Yeah," Jack laughs, "Now you know how I feel every time I look at you."

You head turns to him so fast it sends your head spinning a little, or maybe that's just the shock of his words. You couldn't tell.

"What?"

He shrugs his shoulders, scuffing his feet along the gravel to meet up with where you stand. But he freezes before he gets the chance.

"Why are you wearing that?" He asks, a very sudden cold change in his tone that actually makes your body feel colder. "Wearing what? This?" You gesture to the claret and blue shirt you had thrown on in a haste to get to him standing at your front door a short while ago. You turn to see his unhappy scowl and the firm discontented cross of his strong arms. "Yeah that," he grumbles, "And where'd you even get it." He adds with a flare of his nostrils. He looks adorable angry like this, like he's trying so hard to look angry when his emotions lie truly elsewhere.

You look down at the shirt with furrowed brows, before you shift your shoulder forward, crane your neck and pull the material around to view the back as best you could. "What's wrong with it?" You ask finally, attempts to defy the natural state of your body failing to allow you to see your back.

"It's Ginny's." Jack states as if its the most obvious thing in the world. You just look at him bewildered. "And?"

He huffs as he takes a few more heavy steps up to you, looking like he had a lot of things to say without any way of being able to get them to coordinate from his brain to his lips. "Why do you have Ginny's shirt though?"

You breathe a little bit of laughter at him, shaking your head softly. "it was just a joke. I saw him after a match waiting for you so I jumped out at him and pretended to be a fan for a video and he signed it and gave to me as a joke. I just threw it on when you showed up at my door in the middle of the night. Wasn't exactly a fashion statement."

Jack still grunts in dissatisfaction at your answer, refusing to meet your eyes. "You have plenty of mine to wear though, don't need his." His argues in a disgruntled grumble. You raise and drop your arms down by your side with a sigh. He was really testing your patience now. "Hm, last time I checked you couldn't give me yours anymore because your ex didn't like it." You protest with a wag of your finger, making him turn his head downwards with something like a shudder running through him at the mention of her name. "Yeah well there's a reason she's my ex innit." He mutters under his breath.

"What the hell is the problem with you today Jack?" You exclaim, his eyes jolting to you in surprise. You don't often snap.

"First you show up at my door in the middle of the night and drag me out of my house and then you won't actually speak to me and now you're picking a fight about John M fucking Ginn?" You snap, the anger and confusion he had stirred up showing in your emphatic hand gestures that only come out when you're telling him a passionate story or going off your head at him. "He's your best mate, why would that even bother you?!"

"I'm sorry, I-"

"I'm not done, Jack!" You yell, holding out a hand. "You haven't even spoken to me all week. I found out you made the England call up on fucking twitter Jack, twitter! And your mum told me about you dumping your girl and I can't even get through to you and now you're buying me gifts and bringing me here? I don't know if I'm coming or going here Jack, you have to give me something. We're meant to be friends." You voice breaks on the last syllable and a lump forms in Jack's throat that he can't just swallow away. Any pain, any hurt and any slight sadness of emotion that appears in you shatters his heart. He thought that was a normal reaction until two weeks ago when he realised it only happens to him when its your upset he witnesses.

"I'm sorry." He says, his voice thick and wavering with the same level of emotion. "I really, really am." He stands right in front of you now, so close you're basically chest to chest, faces merely inches apart.

"And I'm scared." He admits, sending a pang through your already aching heart. "Scared because I'm leaving and I can't take you with me." His words tickle your lips as they leave his, clouds of air puffing above the two of you as his hot breath meets the cold night air. "You've done it before, J. It'll be fine." You soothe, hands gently raising to reach up and brush the hair out of his face. His let's forth a content sigh of relief at the feeling of your touch. "That was before though." He confesses with a slight shrug. He watches that furrow sow itself back into your brows.

"Before what?"

"Dance with me?" He suggests, his arms finding their way around you with ease, much less fumbley than you remember from your high school prom. Your head tilts in that adorable confused way that makes a grin form on his cold lips.

"Why?" You query, eyes slightly narrowed in suspicion. He laughs softly. "Because the music is slow and the sky is gorgeous and because I love you."

Before you get the chance to recognise, process or even understand what he said, he's swaying you around the gravel under the stars.

"Because you what?" You squeak, your eyes desperately searching his as you look for any reason this might be some kind of a joke or one of pranks that makes you want to throttle him. He just smiles at you with those crinkled eyes and the love shining right there in his eyes for you to see. Your stomach flutters like the teenager you were when you fell in love with him. His lips dip down to capture yours in the best kiss that your being has ever felt, his hands ringing your hair, stroking down over your cheeks with those warm hands of his.

"Because I've fell for you, isn't it obvious?"

[nyctophobia-au]

hmmm OK. I think I got something, sorry if this has already been answered,

How did they meet?

Also just to keep the conversation wheel turning so there's more then just one question to answer/thing to say, I'll just include one of my own headcanons and you can weigh your thoughts in if you want /nf

I feel like Grimm would 110% be the type, where in public, he'd just sort of subtly flirt (and probably be suggestive with it) trying to get pk to blush/be flustered. Just very smooth subtle slips into conversation and little gestures. I can see him probably doing stuff like, if he is going to whisper something, leaning in reeaally close (way more so than he actually needs to)

No, it has not been answered, and you are a God send bc I wanted to talk about this. /pos

Okay, so when they first met, Auri sort of tried to eat him almost,,, LET ME ELABORATE. So, before they met, they were both extremely solitary individuals. Auric was (and still is) afflicted with anxiety and EXTREME tokophobia. He was afraid to interact with other Wyrms for fear of being killed in a territory dispute, or (in his opinion) worse, ending up mated. He was a relatively small Wyrm compared to others (a little runt bitch baby, lmao) and so, he stayed solitary and far away from other Wyrms. He was not able to speak to mortal bugs either. I mentioned this in my Higher Being post about him (you can find it here for more elaboration), but when he was a Wyrm, he was only able to communicate with others telepathically. I often describe it as the ability to "project his voice into others' heads." Vesla actually does this all the time to communicate (she does not have a mouth), but unlike her voice, Auric's voice can be incredibly painful to hear when he wants it to be. As a Wyrm, he was unable to control his voice at all and simply hearing it would be debilitating for any normal bug. Even if it hadn't been painful for others, Auri wasn't exactly interested in speaking to them anyway, being that they were mostly mindless and lacked sentience. So, he was incredibly lonely and unsocialised. Grimm, similarly, didn't really have many companions either. Before his Troupe, he worked relatively alone. He would travel to different fallen kingdoms and find someone to perform the Ritual. His life was a constantly repeating cycle of boredom. His only companion at all was the voice of the Nightmare King within his head (and the two of them really hate each other and fight constantly).

So yeah, the two of them were both really lonely hermits who did not know how to socialise very well (especially Auri).

They first met by chance one evening during a pretty nasty storm. Grimm was wandering the wasteland and desperately looking for a place to take cover from the weather, when he happened upon the cave. When he slipped inside, he realised pretty fuckin' quick that he was not alone in the cave (RIP). Auri was in the midst of a nesting cycle (I also talked about that in the aforementioned Higher Being post), and he was not enthused or happy to be disturbed. Being fatigued and well-fed, however, he did not make an active effort to attack Grimm though (lucky man, I stg). Grimm was initially quite scared for his life!!! But, upon speaking to the Pale Wyrm, he realised that he was actually rather reasonable for a giant, carnivorous apex predator. Also, Grimm was the first ever person who he could actually speak to without hurting. Being that Grimm is the Vessel of a Higher Being, he was able to communicate without any hardship. This whole thing is what led to Auric believing that Grimm himself was the Nightmare King, which was a misconception that Grimm actively fed into and never corrected until the proposal like,,, a century later. But ANYWAYS (getting rambly and off-topic here,,,), Grimm asked big Wyrm Auri if he could sleep in his den until the storm calmed and Auri reluctantly agreed. From that point forward, the two of them began building up a rapport and became amazing friends. Being that Grimm was an entusiastic traveller himself, he adored it when Auri told him about the places he'd been and things he'd seen. Their relationship took on a more romantic context about fifteen years after their meeting, which is hilarious to me because Auri was still a big, giant Wyrm LMAO. Idk how detailed I should get after that, but yeah. Overly-detailed summary. <3 And as for your headcanons about Grimm, I 110% agree! I've always felt he gets a kick out of pushing Auri's buttons and being flirtatious in public. He also strikes me as the really touchy type, enjoying physical closeness. /pos