#so it’s all going in one post and then i’m not flooding your dash!

[miupow]

투모로우바이투게더 一 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐗𝐓 𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐀𝐒𝐌。

★ pairing。txt x fem!reader ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎g。⧼ 📖 ⧽ smut , pwp ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎cw。dom!txt , unprotected sex , creampie mentions , men whimpering and moaning 🙏 , praise kink , dirty talk , pet names/name calling (bitch is used in bg’s sorry) , breeding kink if you squint | to library。

notes from lia。inspired by a skz post i saw on my dash teehee >_< a little drabble thingie to help me get back into the swing of writing ! hope you enjoy~ <3

수빈 𝐒𝐎𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐍

while soobin is a yapper outside of bed, he’s relatively quiet in it— that being said, that doesn’t mean he isn’t noisy. cute little whines and whimpers spilling out from between his plush bunny lips, staccato moans that grow higher and higher in pitch the closer he gets to his orgasm. but god he’s anything but quiet when his climax overtakes him, his eyes rolling back in his head as he moans so deep and broken, a complete 180 from his falsetto hiccups from before >< he pants like a dog as he rides through it, hips stuttering and twitching like he can’t bare the thought of staying still. his big cock spills so much cum everywhere, thick and sticky, makes a complete mess wherever it lands (in your holes, on your face, on your tits, on his own hand and belly, etc..) immediately floods you with praise once he remembers how to speak again, he’s so sweet <3

“o-oh, fuck, bunny, i’m cumming—! t-take it all, that’s it, that’s a good girl…”

연준 𝐘𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐉���𝐍

the prettiest porn star moans you’ll ever hear, pouty lips open in a perfect “o” <3 he gets so stupid on pussy he can’t even think straight, babbling complete nonsense cos he can’t keep his mouth shut to save his life !! his moans get so whiny and pathetic the closer he gets to his climax, his whimpers sounding almost like he’s crying as he’s chasing his orgasm <3 lets out one long, loud, shrill pretty whine when he cums, high pitched and needy, trailing off into broken little sobs as his hips keep thrusting like he’s trying to milk himself dry, he just can’t stop!! his face gets so pink when he cums too it’s so cute :( buries his face in ur neck to hide his embarrassment as he comes down from his high hehe huffing like he just ran a marathon

“oh god, baby, i’m gonna cum, ‘m gonna cum, i c-can’t— w-where do you want it? i-inside?! oh, fuuck…”

범규 𝐁𝐄𝐎𝐌𝐆𝐘𝐔

throws his head back and lets out a moan so deep and broken it almost counts as a howl, so animalistic as his body shakes with his release. his pretty adam’s apple bobbing up and down his veiny neck, sucking on it will only make him cum harder <3 gets so loud you’re always worried he’ll wake up the neighbors, but if anything that’s what beomgyu wants— he loves letting everyone know how good you make him feel, how hard you make him cum with your pretty body beneath or on top of him ! won’t stop yapping even when he’s in the middle of the throws of his orgasm, stuttering out in his gravely low voice broken, nearly nonsensical dirty talk as he struggles to gain control back over his body <3 mixing up praise and degradation and everything in between, he’s just so cute you can’t help but giggle

“fuck, fuck, fuck! ‘m gonna cum, don’t fucking stop, shit—! fuck yes, take it, take this cum, that’s my girl, that’s my bitch!”

태현 𝐓𝐀𝐄𝐇𝐘𝐔𝐍

loses all composure once his climax starts creeping up on him, suddenly all he can think about is how badly he needs to cum!! he’s always so focused on your pleasure over his own, but once his orgasm is close he becomes nothing more than an animal !! huffing and puffing like he’s in the middle of a serious workout, so poised and focused even when his head is all empty except for pussy teehee <3 he’s always on the quieter side in bed but he gets pretty loud when he cums, crying out all high and whiny as he spills hot thick cum everywhere, preferably in your pussy, he hates letting his seed go to waste ! <3 sucking his dick is the best way to get him to get really noisy , he loses his mind with his cock in a tight wet throat <3 always grits his teeth and bares them like a predator, sharp canines on display with his pretty face all screwed up ..

“i-i— oh, fuck, fuck! i’m gonna cum if you keep doing that!”

��닝카이 𝐇𝐔𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐊𝐀𝐈

kai gets so lost in pleasure sometimes, he just can’t help but turn into a wild animal… and it’s even worse the closer he gets to his orgasm, the tightening knot in his belly all he can think about, focus on.. practically starts using you like nothing more than a pocket pussy , big hands grabbing tightly ahold of you and moving you against him however he wants, just lay still and take it!! <3 cums so hard he cries sometimes, pretty broken moans sounding like angel choruses, rendered completely unable to speak the closer and closer he gets! just grunting and moaning, slack jawed and cross eyed, pussy drunk and fucked stupid… his cry of relief gets so loud that sometimes he has to bite down on either a pillow or your flesh, just to keep from waking everyone up !! whiny, high pitched, almost a sob.. he sounds so completely broken when he cums, fat dick spurting so much cum it’s insane.. leaves the whole bed wet and messy with both yours and his release by the time he’s done with you <3

“i’m gonna cum, i’m— im cumming, baby, oh my god, please don’t stop! o-oh fuck, i’m cumming, i’m cumming—!”

[maxwellatoms]

For the interested and curious, I’ll once again be putting some original Billy & Mandy and Evil Con Carne production artwork on eBay– probably the last of it! Starting this coming weekend (the 28th or 29th), I’ll first be posting auctions for some non-B&M stuff, like Dead Meat props and collectibles from other animated shows I didn’t work on. Then it’s on to the Grimmiverse. The goal is to drum up enough money to cover my mortgage for a few months while I try to outlast the studio drought.

It’s been… a year. I lost my job to studio cuts (but am still cool enough to get scraped by MidJourney), had a flood requiring expensive repairs, some cat emergencies, a small fire, and a dash of skin cancer. It’s all been a bit excessive, if you ask me. I’m not a person who spends much, but this has definitely been one of the more expensive years of my life. And all without an income! It’s amazing how fast things start to come apart when there’s no money holding it together.

Anyway, this is probably your best (and maybe final?) shot at getting your hands on some Billy & Mandy production artwork, some other original hand-drawn animation art, some fun cartoon collectibles, a few hand-crafter post apocalyptic movie props, and SUNDRIES!

Everyone loves a sundry.

When I’m going through this stuff, I end up taking a lot of photos of the art and memorabilia. Those end up on my Instagram, so check ‘em out there too. I’ll also be posting some new Halloweeny artwork there during October!

If you want the deep dive on all of the artwork (I’ll be posting some full storyboards soon) please check out the Patreon.

Demurely yours,

Maxwell

[delenygma]

FANFICTION | Eleutheromania (Part 1/3) | Edward Nashton/The Riddler x Reader (AO3)

Gotham is not the only thing in ruins.  Post-The Batman Edward Nashton x Reader.

Part 1/3.

• 

TW: implied/referenced sh, implied/referenced abuse (past), mention of bruising, smoking.

Originally published on AO3 in April 2022.

• 

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

PART 1/3

“You have fifteen minutes.” The security guard pockets the wad of cash you hand her in a swift motion, making you believe that she has done this numerous times before. She hums tunelessly as she leads you down a labyrinth of corridors, further and further down into the depths of the hospital. You try your best to concentrate on her, instead of the shouts and whistles coming from the cells on either side of you. 

Finally, she halts and turns around to face you. 

“End of that corridor, then turn left.” The security guard pulls out a pack of cigarettes from the back pocket of the trousers and offers you one. “Go on, you might need it. He’s not… He’s not been taking it so well.” 

While you don’t usually smoke, you gratefully accept the cigarette with a nod and let her light it for you. You start walking down the corridor but stop abruptly, realising your potential blunder. 

“Wait-!” You turn around. The security guard is leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette herself. “It’s not like… Me and him are not…” 

Her eyebrows shoot up. 

“Yeah, right.” The security guard shrugs. “Look, I really don’t give a damn. You better go. The clock is ticking.” 

You turn back around, taking a shaky drag on the cigarette and noticing how heavy your heart is, and how dry your mouth has become. It’s been some time since the flood, and the city was not the only thing still in ruins. After GCPD seized the apartment, you had to quickly find somewhere new to live, which proved to be a catastrophe. Your new place was a bare-bones apartment in the worst part of Gotham. Always cold and desolate, you often found yourself too terrified to function. Whilst yours and Edward’s relationship (if you could call it that) remained secret to all, you knew that it wouldn’t be hard for the authorities to follow the trail of crumbs and find you. Alone.

Turning left, you unexpectedly hear him shout your name, and your heart jumps to your throat. His voice is hoarse, raw, but unmistakably his. You drop your cigarette onto the floor and dash towards the door of his cell. Breathless despite the shortness of distance, you find yourself facing Edward through the iron bars in the door. 

“Edward…” You whisper his name, over and over, your heart throbbing in your chest. 

You shakily open the hatch and push your hands through it (fuck the security cameras, nobody gives a damn, anyway). Suddenly speechless, he grabs hold of your hands and almost crushes your fingers. 

Your eyes meet his, and you feel as if you have been punched in the gut. You have never seen so much distress. Not even during his most destructive nights. When he first became The Riddler, when he clawed at his wrists and wailed with anguish and wrath, when the voices called out to him and would not stop… 

“Eddie, I…” You don’t know what to say. He is grabbing onto your hands with sheer desperation, the combination of panic and failure echoing in his eyes as they gradually fill up with tears. You notice how bloodshot they are, the dark circles under his eyes darker than you ever remember them being (he isn’t sleeping until they make him...). The right side of his face is bruised, a brilliant shade of purple spilling over his cheek (did he… Or did someone…?). 

“I’m here, Eddie.” You manage to say, taking a trembling breath before words start to spill from your mouth. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry this took me so fucking long. I had to find ways… To get here. But I did, and…” 

You stop for a second to compose yourself and notice just how violently his hands began to tremble. They are so much colder than usual, too. He was always so warm... 

“I haven’t got much time, but…” You start.

“I knew you would come.” He interrupts you. “They told me that I was alone in this, they said you were a delusion. But I knew better. I knew better. I knew that those liars were wrong.” 

“Don’t listen to them.” You say with assurance, although unsure of who ‘they’ could be. “Remember what I said… All that time ago? Only ever listen to your heart.” 

“My heart has shattered.” Edward’s voice, although unexpectedly venomous, quavers as he speaks. “I’m broken. I was so close, and I thought that even being in here, I could… But I was wrong. And it’s all getting worse, I’m getting worse. I feel like I am back at…” 

“Eddie, I have an idea.” You interrupt him. “I will get you out. I fucking promise you.” 

“P-please hurry. Please. I…” The rest of his sentence is quelled as he breaks down, pressing his delicate lips to your fingers. You haven’t felt him like this for such a long time, and the sudden intimacy awakens feral desperation inside you. 

“Eddie, you have to promise me something.” You whisper. “You can’t give up.” 

“You’ve got a minute left!” You hear the security guard yell from up the corridor. Edward sniffs and lets out a faint whimper as he pulls his face away from your hands. 

“Can’t you stay?” His voice turns delicate and innocent as he clutches your hands even harder than before. 

“I’m sorry.” You are stifling back tears. “But... I always keep my promises.”

[mydetheturk]

we'll find out if i feel up to putting this anywhere else, but have some post trimax knives and domina???? look, i stopped to think about the fact that domina's the only independent plant we for sure know knives absorbed so i thought "well she should get to haunt knives after everything" and out came. two plants sharing one body because they don't have the energy to make another, i guess??? knives might be dying. neither of them know for certain.

i sure don't.

enjoy?

~~

"He doesn't want to talk to you," Domina says. "Our body flooded with fear upon hearing your voice."

Vash the Stampede sits across from her in this worn out little diner he found them in. Two drinks, rising to room temperature, sit on the table.

To Domina’s inexperienced eye, he looks tired.

[hes been drinking]

[are you sure?]

[yes]

“What do you want?” Domina holds her drink in their hands to not do what Knives would do right now and put a knife through the Stampede’s hand so they can leave. Running is also off the table, as the only exit to the diner is behind Vash the Stampede.

[we can put a hole in the window shatter it with our elbow]

[shut up not yet]

[we can run]

[running will imply things we dont want not yet]

“Well?”

A number of expressions flick across the Stampede’s face before exhaustion settles in like an old lover.

“To talk to my brother,” the Stampede says.

Adrenaline floods their body. It is not Domina’s. She carefully does not think about Knives’ suggestion of shattering the window to run.

Run, and not fight.

It goes against both of their natures.

But Knives is always exhausted and Plants call out for their help in a way that Domina couldn’t hear before. Sometimes their thoughts merge. The urge to run is both hers and not, and this is not how Domina wanted to meet Vash the Stampede.

Domina used to have all of space between herself and that which she feared. She had the power to eliminate them, even though it was locked within her. The Joining revealed that. Now she is the companion to a dying Plant. The tiniest Hive of two, barring when they connect to one of the Sisters.

“No.”

The voice is her but also Knives, blending into harmony.

The Stampede flinches.

“Don’t follow us,” Domina says. She carefully releases the cup before it shatters in their hands and stands up.

And leaves the diner. Vash the Stampede can pay for the meal they haven’t eaten.

Their thomas honks and bumps its head into their chest when Domina unties it from the hitch. She gets on the creature and goes to leave.

“Wait!”

[can’t let us leave in peace]

“What do you want now.” Domina doesn’t look at him, doesn’t look at the face that looks so close to the one she now sees in the mirror.

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to convince you to make him talk to me.”

[hes right]

[hush]

[not for a very long time anyway]

“But… be careful. There are people looking for you.” Vash sighs and adds, “People looking for you both.”

“Go back to your people, Vash,” Knives says. “Let us go.”

Vash the Stampede sucks in a startled breath.

“A couple of your people survived. The woman with the nails. Wolfwood’s brother.” 

“Zazie.” Their lips curl in a snarl. Betrayal and hurt and a dash of fear simmer under their skin. “Zazie is still around as well. You be careful,” Knives says. He taps the thomas’s side.

“Goodbye, Stampede,” Domina says.

They take off into the early morning sunshine.

Vash lets them go.

[voulezloux]

To celebrate it being the last show of FITFWT, what have your favourite moments been of the tour? 💕💕

the BEST one in my opinion is the collective meltdown we all had when louis wore a tank top for the first time in cuyahoga falls. but i also really enjoyed going to three of his shows!! i put them under the cut bc im being nice and not flooding the dash from everyone else’s posts

so i had planned my vacation last year so my official first day was the cincinnati date (a christmas present from regretfully my dad). it happened that i think the next two shows he did (i might be wrong) were within 2 hours of me, columbus and indianapolis, during my vacation. indy is where my ex lives so we decided to go together and i went to cbus and cincinnati by myself.

these are from my cincinnati date! i had a joke beef with louis because the past 3 times i saw him, he wore a white polo. v glad to not have that beef w/ louis anymore

my favorite story from this show is that there was a mom and her 2 y/o daughter at the show near me. it was the daughter’s first show and she was really excited for it. everyone around us kept giving her little gifts and bracelets and just 😭 really sweet to see!! at the end of the show, the girl starts crying because louis left (same girl) and she asked her mom where he went and she kept telling her it was his bedtime and he needs to sleep

these are from cbus! the venue was weird and there was a minor league baseball stadium next to the venue that had a game at the same time as doors opening. so all of us are in line waiting and these baseball fans are going inside and wondering why there’s this long ass line next to the venue. it was also hell in line because of the game and doors opening. BUT i did see tank louis in the flesh so 🫶🏻🫶🏻 worth it

and these are from indy!!! this was the show i went with to my ex. he had previously seen 1d on otra so he didn’t know what to really expect (he also is into kpop and those concerts are notably different than other genres). after a few songs, he leaned over to me and told me louis walks around like he has the biggest dick in the room and it’s hot to see (same). the only story i can remember from this show from the audience is someone threw up in pit. venue had like alcoholic slushies??? and someone threw that up. also i’m on the official LTHQ ig for that photo dump. i only know this bc i wore my fucking shrek bucket hat to this show and there’s a shot you can see my stupid hat in.

i will also miss shirt bets and @allwaswell16 forgetting to do shirt bets. and the meltdown we all continued to have with every outfit. i love my favorite little white man 🫶🏻🫶🏻

bonus: a sneaky photo of joshua i forgot i took during the cincinnati show. i saw him in cbus and i messaged one of my servers like … i think i just saw joshua and someone went yeah he’s interviewing people! talk to him! and i DIDNT bevause i have ANXIETY

[ilyuu-archive]

update!

get ready folks this is a rollercoaster of emotions but uh, just to put this out here, it isn’t exactly good news

alright, so i think i’m gonna go ahead and quit writing for this blog. yeah, not exactly the best start to this - you think as a writer i’d know what words to use.

before anything - nope, i am not going to deactivate my blog, next best thing is to archive it since there’s so many memories that i like to at least keep, of my moots and of just a lot of things in general that i like to memorialize and a lot of writings and posts.

i want to keep them here because i want someone, whoever comes across it, to read whichever one and feel some semblance of comfort; that’s the main reason why i made this blog in the first place and that’s how i intend to leave it.

oh uh, yeah, for the reasons why i’m quitting, i can technically list a few :

genshin burnout : i don’t feel as strongly as i do for the game anymore, not as excited, even as fontaine was released, and stopped playing it a few months back. so, y’know, as genshin-centric this blog is, it’s technically a bit hard to try and get into something that you long lost interest for.

school : it’s catching me off-guard every time and even though i found a rhythm with my classes and schedule, it’s only asking for more of my time and, quite literally demanding. i’ll be honest and say that i can’t juggle a blog with a post every day and stay consistent with my schoolwork and what’s expected of me. i need to start thinking about my future.

spiraling thoughts : yup, you read that right; i’m back at it again with me thinking that my writing isn’t good enough and am doubting my skills as a writer as a whole, especially with my way of writing that as his poetic touch to it that’s making me wonder if it’s even worth anything at all.

with that, i think i just need to start writing for myself again because i haven’t felt that feeling for literally a while now.

have i thought about this for a while now? i have actually, somewhere in the middle of august but i was really, really hesitant for a lot of reasons.

said reasons being mainly my moots. i don’t like the ideas of leaving any of them behind at all, especially with them being the main reason why i love opening this app every day, seeing them flood my dash with everything that happened the night before, saying good morning, and seeing them in my notifs and inbox with their chaos and genuineness. i have so many memories here that i consider so dear to me because of each and every one of them, making my day and night, and… i don’t know, it’d suck to lose all of them.

@mikacynth : you were my first moot and i know i’ve mentioned and said this so many times to the point that you’d probably get sick of it but it did and does mean a lot to me knowing that you opened a door for me to meet so many others that made writing and just being on here amazing. you’re just so damn cool, creative, and nice and i’m so, so happy that i met you.

@floraldresvi : i don’t remember how i met you, and i’m so sorry for that vi, but you’re the kindest, absolutely gentle and attentive person i know and i just wonder how i ever got the chance to talk to you and be moots. i wish you nothing but the best because that’s all you deserve and more and you better keep that in mind vi.

@st0pthatsgay : this was a strangers to friends to lovers arc fr!! sorry i couldn’t help that, do you know how long i wanted to make that joke? but seriously, oli, you and your unbridled chaos and energy never fails to make my dash and quite literally everyone else who follows you like a rom-com movie or something; i’m so glad that i can call you a moot and one that i cherish so, so much.

@papiliotao : rei, you made my day whenever you drop in one of your small blurbs into my inbox and i get the space to just write whatever comes to mind; it was a little thing we had and, i don’t know, i loved it. i love it still a lot. it was like a duo we had and always made me smile with whatever we talked about, maybe just about writing in general or the cats that you always see. i’m just sorry that we won’t be able to have our wedding soon. really.

@supernova25 : bestie, i still remember those times about the ai bots!! i still think about them a lot!! it was fun!! in general, you’re always a lot of fun to talk to, and it could be about anything and it’d fly off the roof. also your asks about the most random of things has definitely made me feel better on my worst of days just to put that out there.

@soleillunne : i’d make a joke about you running up for the title of creator of angst and all that but you’ve always been so sweet so let me just push that aside, considerate as well; don’t think i didn’t see you send me links of anything scaramouche related because i do and i appreciate that so much

@hollythius-rising : YOU AND YOUR THEME CHANGES DON’T THINK I DON’T NOTICE THEM you’re also very very sweet and chaotic when it comes to your taste in tall purple men in lab coats but we don’t talk about that aosjksjs just that it’s always been a pleasure to talk to you whenever we have the chance to

@mondaymelon : YOU. we vibe with each other a lot like radio waves and it got me all giddy, and i’d just drop a lot of memes into your inbox just so i could see how you’d react only for you to give me a taste of my own medicine when you do the same thing 100 times more effectiveaisjsjs

@venusflwers : those late nights of playing roblox with you makes me feel so, so happy, you have no idea. it’s filled with crack with whatever you say and you somehow make a horror game feel like some comedy instead i swear; you’re literally the most unhinged and funniest person i met and i love that about you so much

@kazumist : it’s like a parent watching their kid grow up and then completely surpass them in terms of height. yeah, that’s you akiaki!! always frothing over your writing, your drabbles, because it had that soft and domestic feeling to them that i absolutely love to the moon and back

@m1shapanda, @snobwaffles, @vennnnn-diagram : you three are, excuse me for my language, so fucking amazing. i always wanted to talk to you so many times and even when i did, always hoped that we could’ve talked a bit more. misha, you’re so cool and i always wanted to just ramble with you; that and your art is so pretty and soft and just so DAMN COOL did i mention that? snob, you detective, you and your curse arts that make me laugh as much as pour bleach on my eyes (/j), you’re just so supportive and i really like that about you. ven, i wished we could’ve talked a lot more too with how just vibe with everyone so quickly and easily - you’re just as amazing, really.

and to all of my other moots, the same goes to you, even with the ones i didn’t talk to as much - just being moots with you, knowing that someone liked me like i liked them made me feel more belong on here and more a part of something. i’ve never been a part of something like this, and know so many people and to know that i mean something to them? yeah, that really, really means a lot to me.

i’d probably just be a lurker on here than anything… haven’t really thought that far, only that i know that i can’t stay on here any longer without feeling guilty, burdened, stressed, or all of the above. or maybe just start off as a smaller blog again without any sense of obligation because ever since i’ve hit 500, which was a while ago, that’s what this blog started to feel like with each bit of time that passed.

i’ve enjoyed it, of course i did, don’t get me wrong! i’ve just been enjoying it less than i did when i started off, that feeling of accomplishment and joy and pride at myself numbing a bit more with each milestone i passed. that’s just all me though, i’m sure.

anyways, not right now though, maybe just around the weekends when i actually have time to spare. so, until then, i’ll stick around here as much as i can. other than that, i don’t have much else to say other than thank you.

that i hope that you’ll keep doing what you love, whatever that is, despite the highs and lows. just know that the community you’re in is filled with people who love you through and through and that i do too - that you’ll do what you love because you want to, not because you should.

[peachesofteal]

✨

I am so touched and flattered by the amount of supportive messages that have flooded my inbox since this morning. You all are truly so sweet, so supportive and I really feel like we’ve got this nice little village going on. I really want to answer each one of them but there are like, over 30 and I just don’t want to clog all of our dashes with it.

I’ve mentioned a few times that I usually don’t like to post negative or rude anonymous messages because it feels like I am reinforcing a child’s poor behavior, and I still stand by this. These weren’t the first and they won’t be the last, but unless something irks me and I decide to make an example of it, you won’t see them.

So, in short: thank you. I cherish each and every one of you, and your support is highly valued by me. You’re all so lovely and I’m so thrilled to be able share these crazy little stories with you all.

[clumsiestgiantess]

A while ago I posted a list of some Other-world Universe AUs, and while I neglected to mention some of the darker ones, there is a pretty heart wrenching one: Fallen Erica AU

In other words, enjoy the angst!

I was biking home from school, my dorm not too far away, when I was nearly run off the trail by a fox dashing in front of my bike.  It shrieked, dropping whatever it had in its mouth as I came to a halt directly in front of it.  As quickly as it appeared, the fox raced away into the woods, abandoning whatever prey it had held on the ground beside me.  “Oh no!  Poor fox, I didn’t mean to scare you from your food!”  I leaned over, glancing at what it had caught.  Confusion, quickly followed by an intense kind of fear, flooded my veins.  The little creature painfully tried to move, wheezing labored breaths as it slowly reached out to haul itself up.  But the creature.. as small as it was, it looked like a person.  That was impossible — should be impossible, yet.. there it was.

The moment it spotted me it screamed, quickly and desperately scrambling upwards.  Dropping my bike to the side of the path, I rushed to the tiny thing.  “No!  Please!  Please, I don’t want to die!”  Oh god.  Carefully, I knelt down beside the small person as she struggled to get away.  She’d gotten upright, but one of her legs dragged limply behind her.  “Hey, it’s- it’s ok; I’m not going to hurt you.”  The tiny woman stared up at me, teary-eyed.  “Wh- What are you?  Where am I?”  

She doesn’t know?  She flinched harshly after I leaned down over her, trying to see her better.  Why is she so small?  The tiny person was around the length of my longest finger, nothing more.  “Did you shrink?” I asked, “Why don’t you know where you are?”  A whimper escaped her throat, making me cringe.  “I.. I just.. don’t know.”  “Here, let me help you.”  I reached to help her up, but she cried out in fear.  “Wait!  Don’t!”  Her tiny hands reached out to shield herself from mine.  When they touched my skin, a jolt spiraled through my nerves, and I was frozen in place.

The woman yelped, and suddenly I had the strong urge to get away from her.  The next thing I knew, I was on my feet, backing towards my bike.  What?  Why am I leaving?  I don’t want to leave her alone like this.  I had just mounted it before realizing what I was doing.  Coming out of whatever daze I was in, I knelt again.  “Alright, I won’t pick you up, but I’m not leaving you out here.  What if the fox comes back?”  She shuddered at the mention of it.  “I can help you.”  

Her face distorted indecisively before falling into reluctance.  “I don’t believe you, but I-“ her voice cracked, “I don’t think I have a choice.”  My heart stung painfully.  “Of course you have a choice.  Do you want me to leave you here, or should I take you with me?”  I knew the decision was so much harder that those two simple choices — so many other factors weighed into it.  Her options were limited by her height, her injury, her little knowledge of.. anything happening.  Finally, she nodded.  “I’ll go with you.”  She said it almost unwillingly, but I still reached for her.  

She’ll understand after I take her home.  I’ll get her cleaned up, get her something to eat, maybe some sleep, too.  Hopefully she’ll realize I won’t hurt her — that I just want her to be safe.  Why am I so adamant about this?  Well, I admit she was fascinating at such a small scale, but I couldn’t stand the thought of someone being that utterly helpless.  Powerlessness has always frightened and taunted me since I was little.  Seeing it in such a dramatic scale made my nerves spike so awfully, all I wanted to do was wrap her in a comforting blanket and find her somewhere safe to be.

As gently as I dared, I slid my hand beneath her.  She whimpered again and pulled away from me, but as I lifted her she leaned more heavily against my palms.  Her tiny form shook between my fingers as I lightly moved her hurt leg to keep it steady.  “Hey, you’re alright, I promise,” I told her quietly, “I don’t want to hurt you.”  Slowly and hesitantly, she turned to look up at me.  “What’s your name?”  “E- Erica.”  I smiled slightly, trying to seem as least threatening as I could.  “I know I must look scary to you, Erica, but I swear there’s nothing to be frightened of.”  She said nothing else the entire way back, silently curled up in the palm of my hand.  I felt so badly for her, but I pressed on, walking my bike with one hand and holding her in the other.

By the time we got back to my room, Erica seemed solemn.  That was until I tried to nestle her in a small blanket.  She grabbed my hand in a sudden ferocity.  “Would you just leave me alone?!  Stop coddling me like I’m pathetic!  Just pretend I’m not here!”  Right before my eyes, she faded in my vision.  What am I doing messing with this little cloth?  Shouldn’t I be working on my essay?  I left my nightstand and sat back at my laptop for an hour or two before readying myself for bed.  I fell asleep completely unaware of the tiny woman on the table, begging me to bring her something to eat, or even acknowledge her.

When I woke the following morning, everything came racing back to me — the person that I’d taken in, and how I suddenly stopped caring about her.  What was that?!  Why did I completely ignore her?  Why couldn’t I see her?!  I scrambled out of bed to find her sitting dejectedly in the little blanket I’d given her before she told me to forget her.  Wait.  She told me to pretend that she isn’t here.  Ever since, I couldn’t see her.  She.. She did that to me somehow.  As I stepped closer, Erica gave me a nasty glare.  “You ‘promised’ to help me,” she spat, making air quotes when she said the word promise.  “I-”  “If you’re going to starve me, you should just put me back in the damn woods.”

“Erica, I’m so sorry, but.. I think you forced me into thinking you weren’t here.”  Her eyes burned with hostility.  “And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?  I told you to ignore me, so you played along and starved me to teach me a little lesson?”  I gawked, “N- No!  That’s cruel!  It happened when you grabbed me!  I- I couldn’t even see you or hear you!”  “So you’re telling me,” she began, shuffling threateningly to her feet, “That I forced you to stop believing I exist.”  “I know how it sounds, but yes.”  “Give me your hand.”  “W- What?” I stammered.  “Give me your hand.  I want to see if it’s true.”  My hand shook as I hesitantly reached for her.  “What are you going to do?”  “Find out if you’re lying.”

Taking a long breath, I held out my hand.  Her tiny digits slid over a single one of mine.  “Go get me something to eat, then come right back with it.”  I did.  I wanted to anyways, but I found that even if I tried to stop myself.. I couldn’t.  When I came back with her meal, her expression grew curious.  “Alright,” she huffed, putting her hand on mine again.  “Umm.. take everything off your bed and wreak your room with it.”  She’s testing me, and it’s working.  Gnawing fear grew in the pit of my stomach as I watched myself tear pillows, sheets, even my mattress, off the bed and scatter them on the floor.  “This-  You aren’t tricking me with this, are you?  How am I even doing this?”  As my hand neared her again I spoke, trying to keep nervous fear from entering my voice.  “E- Erica?”  She paused mid-reach.  “I think that’s enough.”  A cruel sneer spread over her face as she quickly forced her hand into mine.

“No, you don’t.  In fact, you’re willing to come listen to my commands every time I call your name.  Which is?”  “Alexis,” I replied numbly, almost robotically.  “Good.  Now go clean everything up.”  The sickening lurch of bile rose in my throat.  For the first few minutes of cleaning I stayed quiet, disbelieving my sudden awful predicament.  “You know I was just trying to help you, right?” I asked her, finishing my task.  “Well now I know for sure,” she replied haughtily, “because I’ll make sure of it.”  “You don’t have to do that-”  “No, but I want to.  And what are you gonna do?  Stop me?”  Genuinely afraid for my safety, I lunged for her, quickly trapping her in a pillowcase I still held in my hand.  “Yes!  Yes, I will!  You can’t just.. control me!  I’ll help you, but this has to stop.”

I could feel her struggling, trying to find a way out as I hauled the writhing bundle into my hands.  She shouted commands at me, and I assumed they wouldn’t work because she wasn’t touching me, but when her hand managed to slide to a thinner layer of cloth, I snapped into obedience.  Immediately, I let her down.  “Nice try, asshole!  I don’t know how or why this works, but you follow my rules now!  You listen to me.”  “Why?!” I spat, “Why do you want me under your control?!  I didn’t do anything but try to help you!”  “You abandoned me on a table for hours!”  “Because you told me to pretend you didn’t exist!”  “You were going to hurt me!”  “No I wasn’t!  Never have I once said I wanted to do anything but help!”  She marched up to me and I stepped out of her reach.  I made it to the door before she called my name and I returned to her like she’d told me to.

“I want you to gently and non-maliciously get me off of the floor,” she commanded with a hand on me.  I slid my own hand around her, lifting her back to the nightstand.  Erica paced its surface, thinking aloud.  “Well, that’s one less thing to worry about.  Let’s see.. until I find a way back home, I guess I’ll just live here.  But if I let you go, you’re going to rat me out for sure.  If I don’t, people will probably come looking for you…  What if..  Nah..  Oh!  But-  Hey giant?”  “I’m not a giant.”  “Yeah, yeah, sure.  What do you do?”  “Excuse me?”  “Like, what do you do with your life?  Do you have a job?  Something else?  This looks like a dorm; are you in school?  College?”  I nodded, keeping my mouth shut unless I was forced to speak.  “Ok, I guess college won’t be so bad…  Then whenever I’m done with pretending to be you, I can try to figure out how to get home!  Perfect!”

I cleared my throat, sitting down on my desk chair across the room.  “What are you planning without me?”  Erica shrugged, “You don’t need to know.”  “But what if I want to?”  “That’s too bad.”  I groaned, spinning around to let my head fall on my desk.  The rest of the day I spent at Erica’s beck and call, completely against my will.  Is this what I get for being a good person and helping someone not die?  How long will I have to do this until she realizes I’m not a threat?  That night, I slept on the floor with a single pillow and blanket.  Erica decided she needed the bed to ‘make up for the awful night yesterday’.  My back ached the next day, but that was the least of my worries.

After breakfast that morning, Erica commanded me to find the biggest hoodie I had.  “Alright, I want you to keep me in your hood all day while you’re in class.  I can make it so you can’t speak, but that’ll be suspicious, so I’m going to come with you instead.  And if you even try to tell anybody, I’ll stop you before you utter a word, understand?”  I rolled my eyes.  “Erica, please.  I know you’re scared of me, but you don’t need to force me around!”  “Scared of you?” she yelped, “I- I’m not scared!”  “Then let me go!”  She shook her head angrily.  “You’re trying to trick me and it’s not working!  Now get going before you’re late.”  I did as she asked, gently bending down to lift her in my hands.  Fortunately, she hadn’t specified that I should lift her up without malice like she had before.  I had the ability to end my problems right there — to crush my puppeteer in a single swift movement she couldn’t react to.  However, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

She was a living person, albeit a small one.  I couldn’t get rid of her with a clear conscience.  Instead, I settled her into my hood beneath my hair where no one would see her, and headed out.  It was near impossible to concentrate in class with her there.  She’d shuffle around every so often, and I’d feel her tiny limbs stretching out and moving positions against my back.  Then there were the commands she’d give me, whether it was to stop sitting a certain way because it was squishing her, or if it was to sneak her some food to snack on, I couldn’t get a moment of peace.

Over the week, I grew a small hatred towards her.  I kept trying to remind myself that she wasn’t controlling me purely because she could, but because she was scared of whatever she thought I might do.  That whole week, whenever we were alone, I tried again and again to convince her that I wasn’t malicious, but that only got me a ‘be quiet’ command, which Erica quickly had to revoke because my breathing was considered part of my loudness.  When she wasn’t accidentally suffocating me, Erica would walk me out to the woods where she’d appeared, trying to find where she’d come from and how to get back.

It was strange, Erica wanted me under her control almost every second, especially when we were alone.  However, she didn’t actually know what to do with me, just what she didn’t want me to do to her.  I’d kinda just stand in whatever corner she wanted me in, or busy myself with work so I wouldn’t seem interested or threatening.  All things considered, she was living a pretty good life.  Erica had whatever she wanted from me, even if I didn’t want her to have it, and she got to lounge around all day, letting me deal with anything she couldn’t.  

Yet, day after day we would search the woods she appeared in for a way home.  Apparently, she’d been a bit drunk when she first arrived, and didn’t quite understand where she was.  When she’d finally sobered, she found herself somewhere way too large in scale to be anywhere she knew.  Erica had wandered for hours, frightened and lost, before she was hunted down by that fox and dragged around until I’d spooked it.  Desperately, she wanted to find her way back.  

A month into living with me, she was becoming restless.  We stayed outside for almost the whole day, Erica wandering the ground while I chaperoned her like she asked, making sure nothing else would try to come snatch her up.  The sun began to set through the treetops, and I was starving.  “Erica, we’ve been out here forever!  How long do you want to keep searching?  We can do this another day; let’s head back to the dorm.”  She grumbled angrily, “No!  I- I need to find where I was!  I had a dream about it last night!  I think I remember what it looked like; if I could just find it-”  “You’re not going to find anything in the dark.”  “I have to!”  “That’s what you said last time.”  “Would you just shut the fuck up for five minutes?!” she yelled, hostility sharp in her voice.  “God, why are you so annoying?  I just want to go home!”  I didn’t argue with her, even though I could’ve.  I didn’t feel like testing her patience any further.  She didn’t speak that way to me unless she was really upset.  

Silently, I followed her until it was barely light enough to see.  Erica only gave up after falling down an animal burrow in the dark.  A hiss came from deeper inside and she screamed, fearfully calling my name so I’d be forced over to her.  She commanded me to take her back after that.  By the time we ate and she showered, Erica must’ve been dead tired.  She forced me to sleep on the floor so she could have my bed again.  Usually she slept in a stuffed tissue box with a little blanket that had belonged to a stuffed animal, but obviously my actual bed was more comfortable, so sometimes she’d take it if she was having trouble sleeping.

I lay awake on the floor, trying to get comfortable, when I heard a shaking sob.  Sitting up, I waited to listen for it.  Again, a small whimper echoed through the quiet space.  I stood, leaning over the mattress towards the sound.  A muffled scream tore into the night as she noticed me above her.  Reaching beside me, I quickly flipped on the light.  “Hey, it’s ok!  Erica, it’s just me.”  I swallowed nervously when I saw her.  She was sitting hunched up with a blanket tightly wrapped around herself, shaking.  Her face was red with tears, and her eyes were bloodshot.  I expected her to command me to leave, or even wipe my mind of the event, but she just put her head down and continued crying.

“Erica?” I whispered, “What happened?”  Very slowly, her head lifted to stare at me.  “What happened?” she asked, tears catching in her voice.  “I’m trapped somewhere terrifying and gigantic.  Everything can hurt me, a- and I can’t do anything for myself without a giant puppet to do it for me.  So far, I haven’t found a single clue how to fix everything and I.. wanna go home.”  Her words sank quieter and quieter until it became a whisper.  In two sharp breaths, she started bawling.  Carefully, I slid into bed beside her.  A gasp exited her throat as I lay down, curling myself protectively around her.  As annoying and sometimes even threatening as Erica might be, I had a suspicion that it was some sort of guise.  That night proved it.  Beneath the threatening display she loves to flaunt, she’s just really… lost — stuck in a place that she wouldn’t survive in alone.

Erica stilled as I shifted closer, tears drying on her face.  I curled around her until we were nearly touching, but I was still afraid of closing the gap.  Briefly, she hesitated, then stepped up to my chest, burying her face into me somewhere just above my stomach.  With caution, I pulled my arms around her, keeping her snugly against myself.  A few more minutes of sobbing carried on before she lay down beside me, the curve of her back aligned with my chest.  Twined between my fingers, she finally drifted off to sleep.

Gradually, we fell into a weird schedule.  I wasn’t overly thrilled about it, but she hadn’t made me do anything dangerous or uncomfortable since that night, so I let her controlling tendencies slide, hoping she’d grow used to it and let me go.  She did start releasing me more often, and she let me have more time to myself rather than forcing me to go search the woods with every free second I had.

Unfortunately, there was always some incident that would deter her from releasing me entirely.  Once, it was her nearly falling out of my hood after a friend jokingly threw it over me.  Another time, she accidentally told me to do a task that required me to leave her behind.  Mostly, it was our fighting.  We’d start up a normal conversation, but something would happen to come up related to me being stuck with her or her being stuck here, and we’d suddenly be screaming.

It was after one of those incidents, when Erica thought she could ‘punish’ me by having me go out to her woods in the pouring rain.  I’d dropped her off like normal, letting her search the ground, which ended up getting her more of a mess than me.  “You’re so petty, bringing me out here like this,” I grumbled, “I know you don’t want to be out here, either.”  “Of course I want to be out here!” Erica spat, “I want a way home.”  “Why bother?  You can basically do whatever you want here.”  “Because I’m fucking sick of feeling so small!  You wouldn’t understand!”  Just to rile her up, I kicked some wet leaves at her.  One stuck to her side, plastered on by mud.  “Ok, that’s it.  Get over h-”  She told me to do something, but a clap of thunder roared louder, drowning out her voice.  “What?” I asked before clapping a hand to my mouth.  If I can’t hear her call for me, I don’t have to come to her!

Adrenaline rushed my system as I plugged my fingers into my ears.  Then, I could hear nothing but the very light noise of rain on leaves and another clap of thunder.  Yes!  Yes, I’m finally free!  Good riddance you little nuisance!  I’m out of here!  I ran as fast as I could towards my dorm and didn’t unplug my ears until I was safely inside.  Finally!  I threw open my door as my chest swelled with relief.  Flopping happily onto my bed, I nearly cried.  No longer would I have to fear another inescapable command from that menacing tiny woman.  Nothing but good sleep came to me that night, but by morning, the rain outside hadn’t stopped.  Somehow my first thought was: Wow, Erica must be absolutely drenched.  

At first I smiled at the thought, finding the karma almost amusing.  Then the picture of her vulnerable three-inch-tall form drifted into my head, covered in muck and grime from the woods, wandering in circles because she couldn’t see far enough to gauge where she was.  I have to go back for her.  I don’t have to go back for her.  But I do.  I shouldn’t.  She’ll be grateful.  She’ll be pissed.  I’ve wanted her gone for months.  She might die.  She might be dead.  I groaned loud and long, realizing what I wanted to do.  I’ll go back and bargain.  Her safety for my freedom.

Minutes later, I stood under an umbrella, staring out into the trees.  Erica had always told me the way.  Hopefully I could find it again.  After trekking to what might have been the spot, I called out to her.  “Erica!  Erica, I’m back, I.. I want to make a deal!”  I called her name every several feet, gradually becoming more and more worried that something horrible had happened to her.  Then, faintly; “A-Alexis?”  Now that I heard my name, I was summoned directly to her.  I came prepared though.  When I spotted her, I quickly stuffed earplugs into my ears.  From then on, I couldn’t hear her.

Erica looked awful, though.  A good two thirds of her was covered in grime, and her eyes were completely bloodshot like she’d been crying for a while.  Fury tore into her features as she spoke, her lips moving too fast for me to try guessing what she had said.  “Erica, I can’t hear you.  You can’t control me anymore.”  Her eyes widened, mouth dropping open in shock.  “I’ve come to bargain.  My freedom for your safety.  I can leave you here right now, and ensure that no one will ever see the likes of you again.”  She shook her head rapidly, clasping her hands together pleadingly as she spoke.  Anger boiled in my chest.  “Don’t shake your head no!  I can and I will!  You’re lucky I felt sorry for you!  Your pathetic little self can sit here and rot in the mud while I go live my best life without some manipulative little bitch whispering commands to me from behind my back!”

I hadn’t meant to say all that, but I couldn’t take it back.  Erica sobbed, reaching out for me.  I quickly dodged her, standing up to my full height.  “ARE YOU SERIOUSLY TRYING TO CONTROL ME RIGHT NOW?!”  Her arms slid over the slick ground as she scrambled away from me.  Behind her, a small muddy drop caused her to tumble over backwards, rolling down the bump in the earth into a large swampy puddle.  Shakily, she tried to stand, but her arms and legs stuck fast.  I watched as if in slow motion as fear made way for panic.  She thrashed around for a moment or two before releasing a wail that I even heard through my earplugs.  

Honestly, it was the most pathetic thing I think I’d ever seen — the kind of thing I think I’d wish on only the worst of people.  I stepped down the slope in one long stride.  “You have a choice,” I told Erica, mimicking the first time I’d seen her, “Do you want me to leave you here, or should I take you with me?”  I couldn’t hear her reply, but I could read it on her lips.  Hesitantly, I pulled out my earplugs.  If she was touching me, I couldn’t avoid her commands no matter what; she could even make them mentally.  There would be no reason for me to have my ears plugged once I picked her up.  

“Please!” Erica sobbed, despair clawing at her throat, “Please, I’ll do it!  I’ll stop controlling you!  Don’t leave me here!”  “Swear.”  “I-  Will…  Are you going to hurt me if I give up my powers?”  I was so shocked by her question, I took a step back, unintentionally frightening Erica into believing I was turning to leave.  

“Ok, ok!  I- I don’t care!  Do whatever you want to me!  Abuse me, humiliate me, f-fucking hurt me!  Just don’t leave me here!  I’m begging you!”  Erica’s voice tapered off into sobs.  I was so utterly distraught that I immediately knelt down to get her, covering my hands and pants in filth.  Slowly and gently, I lifted her limp form out of the muck, clutching it to my chest.  She gasped, struggling in my arms.  “Calm down; it’s ok, Erica, it’s ok.  I told you once, I’ll tell you a million times: I don’t want to hurt you.”  “It’s.. ok if you do.  Everyone does.”  “Not me.”  “… O- Okay.”  

On my way through the main door, I stuffed her under my coat.  Someone commented on my muddied clothes and I hastily told them I fell.  Back in my room, I took Erica to the sink, letting the water run warm before placing her down in it.  She stared up at me, unmoving.  Reddened eyes scoured all of my features, searching for malice, but they wouldn’t find any.  I stood outside the bathroom, letting her clean herself up.  She called me back in with a washcloth around her like a towel.  Her clothes were in a small pool of water at the bottom of the sink.  She scrubbed desperately at them, trying to get the dirt out of the one pair of clothing she had.  

I sighed, resting my arms on the counter.  “Do you need any help?” I asked gently, “Are you hurt at all?”  Erica shook her head numbly.  “Hey, I’m sorry I left you out there, but you have to understand.. I ran because I was scared of you.”  She flinched as I stressed the word, turning slowly to look up at me.  “I want to help you, but we have to trust eachother for that to happen, ok?”  “How?” she asked in an almost whisper.  “How can I trust someone who can hurt me so easily?  Y- You didn’t even have to be there to hurt me!  All you did was leave and I was helpless!”

I tried not to look at her too pitifully.  “I’m sorry I left you there like that.  I promise you, if you stop controlling me, I’ll try to help you however I can.”  “I was making you do that anyways,” Erica muttered.  “Yeah, but I’d like to do it of my own free will.”  She sighed, wringing out her clothes.  “And you’ll still take care of me?  You won’t.. kick me out or something if I fight with you?”  I thought about it.  If I tried to rebuke her for something she said or did, how would that work?  I couldn’t kick her out or refuse to take her anywhere, because she wasn’t self-sufficient.  I couldn’t physically scare her, mostly because I was afraid I’d take it too far without realizing it and severely injure her.  All that left me with was verbally scolding her.  Hopefully, I wouldn’t have to make that decision often.  

“That.. wouldn’t be fair to you.  I promise that I’ll try not to take things nearly as harshly as I did just now.  If I do, remind me of this.  I’ll back off you.”  Erica considered me for a moment, then nodded slightly.  “Alright, I- I’m sorry for being such a jerk to you before,” she sighed, “You were right when you accused me of being scared.  I don’t expect you to understand how I feel, but it is.. horrible sometimes.  Like in the woods…”  I watched guiltily as she set her clothes down to dry on my countertop.  “And I know that’s not an excuse for what I did to you.  I was just so worried that you wanted to hurt me or.. I don’t know.  But you can imagine for yourself what was running through my head when you snatched me away the first day we met.”

Gently, I slid a hand around her.  It came close, but wasn’t quite touching her, just hovering nearby.  “Is it still alright if I pick you up?”  Erica shied away from my fingers, pulling her makeshift towel tighter around herself.  “I- I think I’m gonna wait for my clothes to dry.”  I understood, taking my arm back to my side.  “Should I go, or do you want me to stay?”  Erica thought for a moment.  “Stay,” she said decisively, “I want to try properly explaining myself to you, like what my life was like before I got here.  It- I realize you know practically nothing about me.  I kinda just forcefully moved myself in, huh?”  A nervous chuckle bubbled in her throat while I sat down beside her on the closed toilet seat.  “That’s ok.  It’s in the past.  I won’t hold it against you unless you do it again.”  “Thank you,” she replied, genuine relief in her voice, “Thank you for coming back — for.. for letting me be your roommate until I can find my way home.”

We talked for a while.  Her clothes dried off and I briefly left so she could get them on.  Together we shared a meal, but midway through it she started to yawn.  I was about to joke about her tiredness, before realizing it was because she’d been stumbling blindly through the woods all night.  Erica glanced up at me almost guiltily, as if she didn’t want to admit how much of a strain it was for her.  “Do you want me to go pull something comfy together for you?” I asked hesitantly.  She stubbornly shook her head.  “I’m fine; I just needed some more oxygen.  I’ll sleep whenever you do.”  

Usually I’m up late into the night.  However, I wouldn’t force her to wait that long.  She really was stubborn about staying awake while I was. Either it was another facade, or she was genuinely too scared to sleep with me awake. The moment I finished dinner after rushing through homework, I flopped into bed. 

Before Erica could say anything, I sat back up and brought her over to the dresser where she had her bed.  I was on the verge of sliding beneath the covers when I heard her small voice.  “I- I don’t want to be awful…”  My eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.  “Hmm?”  “I mean.. I want to sleep through the night tonight.  It’s- I’m really fucking tired.  And I.. I used to kick you out of your bed to do that.”  I stepped back over to my nightstand, bending down slightly to see her fully.  She seemed so conflicted, but I was willing to help her with that.  It was my fault for her tiredness in the first place.

“Here,” I whispered, gently tucking her into my hands.  Erica shuffled between them anxiously, but didn’t object.  Slowly, I slid into bed and shut off the lights.  Sunlight still streaked in from the sunset outside, lighting the small space where she sat.  “You.. never go to bed this early,” Erica noticed, glancing sheepishly away from me.  “I was a bit tired today,” I lied, laying back on my soft mattress that Erica so greatly adored.  Shifting her between my hands, I lay her down where she’d slept that one offbeat night before — positioned snugly against my stomach.

I swear her face was bright red when I glanced down at her, but it might’ve just been the reddish glow from outside that caused it.  Her head cautiously lifted to glance near-vertically upward to see me.  A small smile cracked through her lips.  Returning it, I reached down and rested a hand gently across her little form.  “Get some rest, Erica.  You need it.”  She nodded tiredly, shifting to fit more perfectly between my fingers before drifting off into sleep.

[yuckydraws]

Valentines RP Event

Valentines Day, the day for love, companionship, and… shenanigans?

The Skele-House is lively, as usual. The bustle of the energetic skeletons keep the home full of life, while the lazier skeletons bask in the chaos they seem to spark everywhere they go.

However, none of them seem to have any inkling about just what day it is. To them, it’s just a normal, everyday… day.

It’s up to you, dear human, as their friend and maybe-more-than-friend, to share the joy of this love-filled holiday, and perhaps gift that special some-skele (or a few) a Valentines Day gift. But, you’ll have to find them, first.

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Rules

This event will last from 2/7/2024, 9:00A.M. PST - 2/14/2024, 11:59P.M. PST. After that, while I may choose to respond to submissions from before the cutoff, I will be deleting any sent after the cutoff. This is a temporary event for fun, but my blog typically isn’t rp-related.

Keep things PG-13. Suggestive jokes/flirting is okay but anything too spicy will be deleted. On this note, if a submission makes me uncomfortable in any way, I will be deleting it.

While there isn’t a limit to how many skeletons you can interact with in the allotted time of the event, you’ll have to wait for a response from me to send another. You can’t be in two places at once, dear human.

Energy will be (mostly) matched, in these responses.

Be patient with responses. This is for fun.

I’m not sure how much engagement this event will get, but if it’s a lot - I will try my best to get to everyone.

On the last day (or few days) of the event, I will be suggesting that everyone start wrapping up their storyline.

If you don’t want to see the posts for this event on your dash, I will be using the tag “yu’svalentinesrpevent2024” for all the posts - so you can block them if you’d like.

That’s it! I hope y’all have fun with this!

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Introduction

• (What you’ll be first responding to) •

You enter the familiar, large, cabin-like home, biting back a grin as you look around for some of your friends… only to come up empty.

Huh, usually at least one of them is in the front room. There’s fourteen of them, after all. It’s hard not to have every room occupied.

CLANG, BANG, SCREEEECH!

Well, they’re definitely home.

Slipping your shoes off, yet keeping your bag with you (for gift-giving purposes) you walk further into the home. The noises are flooding into the open first floor from all over, it seems, and it reverberates off of the high ceilings.

Well, guess it’s time for a skele-hunt.

Where do you visit, first?

The Kitchen

The Game Room

The Garden

The Backyard

The Bathroom (be sure to knock, first!)

The Attic

The Gym

The Garage

Their Bedroom (choose a skele, they may or may not be there)

[dragonprincess18]

What’s Up With Tiktok?

Let me assure you, I’m mostly on the app for cute animal videos and surprisingly-good One Piece shorts, but I’ve had the urge now and then to use templates to make silly little videos myself whenever the mood strikes.

All of them are about my undying love for Law, which is also well-documented here, and there wasn’t exactly a buzz. They were basically meme-slideshows with music, but I thought they were cute! XP

That is, until a couple days ago when I found a template that fit Lawlu SO WELL, and decided to post it.

Suddenly, my notifications were FLOODED with comments saying ‘no’ and ‘delete your account’ and ‘law isn’t gay’ with fire and those angry demon-face emojis, and I just kinda sat back thinking “If you don’t like it, just block me? Or skip the video? Why are you expending so much energy being mad about it?”

(And while I do have concerns about wide age-gaps in REAL LIFE, we all know it’s Luffy running that show and not Law manipulating him. Anyone who’s watched the anime or read the manga knows you can’t make Luffy do ANYTHING he doesn’t wanna do.)

It’s not as if every One Piece video that comes across my dash is one I want to watch. Instead of downvoting or leaving inflammatory messages, I just...skip to the next one. It’s called curating your own experience! If you know how the algorithm works, you can influence it to avoid things you don’t care for and go for things you do, rather than try bullying someone into getting off the app.

Bitch, I have been in fandom for more than fifteen years, and you’re not going to scare me.

What happened to letting people like what they like? What happened to different interpretations of characters? You can believe Law is hetero, but I’m also free to believe he’s gay, bi or even ace, because it’s not hurting anyone to think a fictional character is anything but heteronormative!

It’s mostly annoying, because I just made it for a giggle and now random strangers I don’t care about are hounding me for imagining Luffy and Law holding hands.

[taylorswiftandx]

Taylor Swift and Bodies of Water

Note: huge thank you to @meandmypagancrew who assembled all the lyrics for this post! Related posts include water and beaches.

'Taylor Swift'

Tim McGraw: The moon like a spotlight on the lake

'Fearless (Taylor's Version)'

We Were Happy: We used to watch the sun go down on the boats in the water

'Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)'

Mine: Do you remember, we were sitting there by the water?

Mine: Do you remember all the city lights on the water?

Mine: You said, “I remember how we felt sitting by the water”

'Red (Taylor's Version)'

The Lucky One: Now it’s big black cars and Riviera views

Starlight: He was trying to skip rocks on the ocean

'1989 (Taylor’s Version)'

This Love: Clear blue water, high tide came and brought you in

This Love: Skies grew darker, currents swept you out again

Clean: Let the flood carry away all my pictures of you

Now That We Don’t Talk: You part the crowd like the Red Sea

Suburban Legends: Waves crash to the shore, I dash to the door

'reputation'

Gorgeous: Ocean blue eyes looking in mine, I feel like I might sink and drown and die

This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things: Jump into the pool from the balcony

This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things: Everyone swimming in a champagne sea

'Lover'

Paper Rings: In the winter in the icy outdoor pool, when you jumped in first, I went in too

False God: We were stupid to jump in the ocean separating us 

'folklore'

The 1: Roaring twenties, tossing pennies in the pool

The Last Great American Dynasty: They say she was seen on occasion, pacing the rocks, staring out at the midnight sea

My Tears Ricochet: And so the battleships will sink beneath the waves

Seven: Feet in the swing over the creek

Peace: I’m a fire and I’ll keep your brittle heart warm if your cascade, ocean wave blues come

The Lakes: Take me to the Lakes where all the poets went to die

'evermore'

Willow: I’m like the water when your ship rolled in that night

Willow: Lost in your current like a priceless wine

Gold Rush: Ships on waters, so inviting, I almost jump in

Long Story Short: And my waves meet your shore ever and evermore

Marjorie: Long limbs and frozen swims, you’d always go past where our feet could touch

Evermore: I’m on waves, out being tossed

'Midnights'

Midnight Rain: Jumping off things in the ocean

Bigger Than The Whole Sky: ‘Cause it’s all over now, all out to sea

Other Songs written by Taylor

Carolina: O Carolina creeks running through my veins

Carolina: It’s between me, the sand, and the sea

Official Alternate Releases

(no bodies of water)

[stevebabey]

This is the link to the screenshots. I really don’t want to get into this because I love both of the blog owners and writers but if you see the screenshots it has changed my mind. Of course I’m not going to hate on anyone and stir the pot but I think everyone deserves all the information before they decide who they’re siding with. 🫶

look, last ask i’m answering on it because i will not be the bitch to flood the dash (sorry mewchies forgive me <3)

there’s no link in this ask. if you have genuine actual proof of autumn being nasty, then sure— you can send it to me. reason being, i genuinely do not think it exists because autumn is a nice person.

if the screenshots you’re referring to are her conversations with a smut blog then woah have i got news for you! i’ve already seen them. i was talking & giving advice to her through the whole convo of them trying to find middle ground.

let me reiterate; i made that post asking that if you agree with the rumours, please unfollow me. i’m not trying to change your mind. i’ve seen the screenshots and no one has yet managed to whip up proof that she’s been one of the thousand nasty anons going around so, i believe my friend more than the random words of blogs i’ve never heard of before. i value her friendship more than your follow.

peace and love, mwah!

[raisin-shell]

Sorry for barging in, I really wanted to talk about the situation, but I can’t in any way other than anonymously for obvious reasons. Hoping I’m not bothering you too much, but regardless thanks for standing up for tmntspidergirl!! she is very lucky to have such a good friend.

With the whole anti infestation in the fandom I’ve had to be like super careful. I run a larger tmnt blog but have to keep that entirely separate from my interests in tcest for my own safety on this platform.

When I saw your story (Raphael’s Journal) on my dash I was actually super excited to know there were bigger blogs into tcest and that there’s still that little corner of safety. I’m so upset about tmntspidergirl, and the bullying going on CONSTANTLY. It’s insane that this fandom has shifted SO MUCH over the past couple of years. Even some of my favorite creators have broken my heart by showing such violent hatred for anything close to pro-ship.

It’s things like this that are really what keeps me from opening up to anyone in this fandom. Because I know that even if I don’t post tcest on my blog, if someone gets even an inkling that I like it or am even okay with it, they would likely try to run me right off the platform. Over literally nothing.

I could talk more, but I don’t want to flood your inbox. Thank you for listening, I hope you keep up the good fight and keep being yourself!! It’s super refreshing for those of us in hiding.

Absolutely not barging in at all. And I’m terribly sorry you have to hide that particular part of your love for the TMNT fandom. Being pro tcest and outspoken about it… it’s not easy but I find that the ones who are meant to stay, will. The ones who have an issue, I don’t want on my blog to begin with. It pisses me off that it’s perfectly acceptable to ship OCs, different characters, male on male but to even so much as to give a warning label about TCEST gets you nothing but hate… it’s just saddening. Tcest is a part of this fandom wether others like it or not. It’s there. Only difference is we tcesters don’t shove it down anyone’s throat and we are kind enough and know better enough to give warnings to those who may not want to read or see it. Hell most of the majority of the TMNT fandom as a whole (I’m talking about the male 40 something year olds who make up the majority of the fandom) think WE ARE ALL SICK FOR SEXUALIZING TURTLES. They think we are into beastiality. They think we are fucked in the head so let me tell you something… THIS PARTICULAR PART OF THE TMNT FANDOM IS SUPPOSED TO BE OUR VERY OWN. But yet we have our very own hating on us just for existing in the exact same fandom as they are in simply because differences in taste. It sickens me. And saddens me my friend. I’m saddened you feel you have to hide this side of you. But just know you will never have to hide any side of yourself from me. This blog is a judgement free zone. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

[mommalosthermind]

The problem with my dash randomly being infected with things I don’t know is sometimes those things follow me into sleep and I wake up deeply bewildered because I just lived out an entirely too involved story for characters I have very little context for. Which is to say someone flooded my dash with appleradio (radioapple? I’ve seen both I don’t know which one is predominantly used) art and whoever it was, this is your fault.

Anyway, apparently Alastair (alastor?) played a long con something something about getting close to Lucifer for reasons I don’t actually know but Lucifer thought it was genuine past a point and got really like Committed and. I don’t know, some kind of fight, Lucifer’s all teehee I get to tell him about The Baby and Alastor’s like TeeHee I Win and You Are An Idiot. Uhhh. Also Lucifer’s reaction to the Reveal was like. Cool. Cool cool cool take care of Charlie I’m going to go kill myself by like, getting into a fight with god or something. Woke up with the image of the long skinny deer idiot gently cradling a visibly pregnant tiny exhausted man in white and gold while apologizing stuck to my eyelids.

Is any of that in character? Literally no idea. Probably not, because fanart is probably not the best place to get a feel for characterization. I don’t even know the plot of this damn show post the eldest kid being like ‘Adam is killing people in hell’ which does not explain why it’s also apparently a musical or what that has to do with deer man or why the depressed king of hell’s kid is running a hotel.

What it is, tho, is deeply weird and very very funny. I know the bible about as well as I do hazbin, why am I writing what is essentially bible fanfic in my sleep.

…I’m gonna go check the tag now though, so good job on your not so subliminal messaging.

Is this what happens when I’m too tired to write. Is this punishment for ignoring my wips. Lucifer himself strolled over and was like you didn’t come up with any useful words so I’m giving you some cursed words for shits and giggles.

[papa-evershed]

Okay so I just saw your post about Rob is shaky hands and someone who suffers with really bad anxiety/social anxiety I’d like to offer an input

I do think it’s nerves and/or some sort of anxiety disorder, by the way his hands are shaky, it’s not quite actual shaking more so trembling if that makes sense? And when I feel really anxious or nervous my hands tremble the exact same way

I would have to do some more looking and watching of his interviews but I think I’ve seen a few things that he does that could be linked to nerves/anxiousness (such as biting his thumb which I’ve seen him do quite a bit)

Obviously I’m not saying that Rob does in fact have anxiety or anything as we don’t know if he does, but I’d definitely say he gets really nervous doing interviews and such especially on live TV which kind of makes me want to just give him a huge hug and remind him it’s okay to be nervous and that we love him 🥺

As someone that also deals with anxiety, I agree with you. Definitely not saying that RJC has some massive issue with anxiety, but we all struggle with it at times. And what a more appropriate time for anxiety to hit than when you're on live television? 😅 He even mentioned in that latest Act On This how he's actively sought out ways to deal with anxiety/nerves, like using breathing exercises or even mindfulness.

So yeah, definitely don't think it's out of realm of possibility that his nerves get the best of him sometimes. Like the rest of us, he's just a human so it seems fair enough to say. Plus, I know a lot of times we will see a hyper/goofy/extroverted person and assume they're never nervous but sometimes that's exactly how it manifests in certain people.

Also, I got a lot of asks about this so I'm probably only going to answer this one tbh. 😂 No hate intended at all to people who sent messages in, but there's just only so much I can say and I don't wanna flood everyone's dash. Plus, I don't want the tumblr police to come after me and accuse us of attempting to armchair diagnose anyone if I'm being brutally honest. I apologize to anyone who sent in an ask and didn't get a response though. 💖

[imagineitdearies-old]

No the posts were definitely hating on fem luke and especially the reply one posted by the author of the not the boy cheating fic. Which you liked so don’t backtrack now.

Alright, so I'm off work now and went and reread the two posts you guys are referencing. This will be in response to all the anons in my ask box rn.

Idk about you, but I don’t have to think “wow I would write this myself, every word is like it came straight from my brain, it is now gospel to me” to hit the like button on a tumblr post as I scroll. I do it because I found it in someway interesting or relatable. I'm still getting used to ppl even noticing me on here, but I wasn't trying to tell fem!Luke writers they are inherently bad, that's not even what I got out of those posts--if I had, I would have just kept scrolling. I see now quite a few people found me doing that to be hateful though, so I'm happy I could explain my own opinion when someone wanted it. I, again, apologize for unintentionally hurting anyone; fictional characters mean a lot less to me than living breathing humans.

Rereading my tags, people may be mad I put "anti fem!Lucerys"? I usually add anti to things if they're talked about with any sort of critique, just bc I want people who have that tag filtered to not see anything approaching criticism on their dash. (I have anti alicent hightower filtered out, for instance, so it's annoying to me when people don't tag it properly). I like criticism/hot takes for most things lucemond but I know a lot of people don't.

Unlessss it's that I wrote fans who refuse any portrayal but fem!Luke being “weird (not good)"? I was being brief since it was just tags, but was referring to how many people have such a preference that they hate on everything that doesn’t fit their fem/bottom view of Luke. It's weird, it's not good. My fic somehow filtered out most of them by my first few chapters, so I got lucky, but that's always been concerning for me to see in other comment sections. DLDR, ya know?

As for the second post, the part that 'people should just go for Aemondxfem!oc more often' was a controversial statement I wholeheartedly agree with (not that it matters?? people can use the name Lucerys however it pleaseth them). But also I liked their last few paragraphs that reiterate what I’m telling you now—I’m not here to police anyone. I’m not here to force anyone to like what I like or be careful about the things I think are important, or vice versa. This fandom is soooo tropey and polarizing in every way and that's fascinating to me, and I do think some weirdly-prevalent tropes in this ship can contribute to stereotypes when they’re used en masse (honestly I have way more personal dislike for toxic abusive Aemond being romanticized, let's not even start)….but I’ll say it again, my opinion literally means nothing and at the end of the day I more care that people enjoy what they like. I would be a hypocrite otherwise.

You can be mad at me if you want. Your prerogative. But someone asked me to clarify, so I did, and people can make of it whatever they will and unfollow me etc etc if that will help. I'm just now noticing the lucemond tag is flooded with talk about this (and some fun fem!Luke recs)--it's definitely a bigger deal than I ever thought to make of it while doomscrolling last night, so my wisdom failed me there.

Shout out to those genuinely hurt by me--idk how many, but y'all are valid.