#something about unconventional caretakers just gets me

[flowercrowngods]

hi yes hello, I would like to know literally ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING you can tell me about steve and el in your time travel au, please.

oh jesus oh sweets oh honey i am sending you so many flowers right now and try to make it coherent (addendum: i think i failed)

obviously: spoilers for i’ll try. i’ll try.

so i’m going with the same angle that steve barely knew el in their real timeline, so he doesn’t really have a pre-established bond with her, but obviously that’s going to change in this situation

she appears rather unexpectedly and saves his life, essentially, but she’s completely exhausted from using her powers and also staying in the forest for two nights, on the run, cold, soaked through from the pouring rains the previous night, so Steve’s first objective is to get her inside, get her warm and safe, and see about the rest later

it turns out she doesn’t remember anything about ‘86 either, and steve is devastated but he doesn’t take that out on her. instead he makes her waffles, gives her some clothes that are tragically large on her and shows her how to tie a knot and roll up the pants, and it’s something to do that’s not primarily destruction or survival. it’s kinda healing

also the first thing he tells her is that she can leave whenever. she’s not a prisoner in this house (unlike him)

then of course there’s moments like this:

(when the first season is over) steve aka. mr emotional intelligence talks names with her because it feels kinda icky to him to be calling her Eleven because he thinks names are kind of a big deal for a person, so he makes a few suggestions but El likes Levi the best. (though i’m also toying with the Hebrew Eli)

and not to be the guy who forces gender nonconformity on kids in the 80s, but El loves to copy steve’s style. it’s comforting to her. so he’ll take her shopping outside of hawkins and she’ll look like a mini jock and go by levi and they all just roll with it (because honestly how would el know anything about gender roles and norms? that shit didn’t exist in hawkins lab, so she’ll cling to the first bit that gave her comfort and a sense of self, and i’m very normal about this okay 😭)

at some point steve will bring her to hopper, because that’s just how it’s meant to be; but still he sticks around, visiting her after school, cooking dinner for her and hop when he’s working late — which also supports hop, and he’s a bit less overwhelmed, which avoids a few conflicts we know from the show. obviously hop considered steve his son at some point, too, and will soon be the third to know about the Upside Down and all that jazz

they have this way of comforting each other, where el will play with steve’s hair even when her own is longer than his, and steve will lean into it, and they won’t talk and instead just. be. (like here) nonverbal steve and nonverbal el creating a safe space for themselves and each other is something that can be so personal)

they’re just. they’re siblings your honour 😭

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Is it just me or is the sussex Christmas pic with the kids kinda funny. It just gives the impression that the couple came back from months months of oversees trips and holidays and were the kids after aaaaages. And also, it's basically a still grab from a video.

Very unconventional for a Christmas card, to have a collage of your couple pics and videos that already in the public domain and then just slyly insert a screenshot from a private video in there. Tells me Meghan chose the pics she thought she looked best in and then insisted it was more professional this way.

I'm going to add this incident to the divorce watch list because this past week we also had articles separately from him and her blaming eachother for polo. There was an article from Harry's perspective blaming Meghan for not working enough. Then there was one from her perspective distancing herself from polo and saying they had no control over the final edit.

I think Harry's team is sneakily working on his return to "serious work". I'm waiting for when they start saying that most of the money making projects have been his - heart of Invictus, polo, that one documentary about world leaders (it's his kinda people after all, not her network), spare, Harry and Meghan the real story - it's all been either his interests or his family that was cashed upon. Meghan's ventures haven't made any money - bench, podcast. Or they never took off (40x40, jam making).

Do you think it's strategic that Meghan isn't actually working and making any money and letting Harry bring in the serious money that they have been living off of? It seems rather obvious by now and goes against everything that she told us she was 6 years back.

Yeah, I thought that picture of the kids was weird too. It's very much projecting "one big happy family" (which is also an indicator in divorce watch, so...).

Do I think it's strategic Meghan isn't working? Yes and no.

Yes, because it's to her advantage if there's a divorce. If she can show that Harry is the main breadwinner and that his income afforded the children a certain and precise standard of luxury living that they're accustomed to while she has been the primary caretaker at home, then Meghan has a very solid case to request huge sums in monthly child support and alimony and she may likely get it.

No, because it's clear Meghan fancies herself an entrepreneur of some kind (and she has since at least 2012ish when she launched The Tig) and you can tell it really bothers here- maybe even angers her - when her ideas don't work or something isn't received or executed the way she wants. The flaw in this approach is that Meghan can't focus on just one thing; she changes her mind and switches her idea every couple of months when it isn't the overnight success she expects. She needs to pick just one thing and stick with it, giving it time (like years-long time) instead of losing interest the second something shinier comes along.

[whumble-beeee]

Whumptober 2024 | Day 7 | The Bee's Whumptober Masterlist

SAVE US BOTH

AI-less Whumptober: Field medicine, running out of supplies, “Hold on, we’re going to have to improvise.”

Whumptober: ONLY FOR EMERGENCIES | Unconventional Weapon | Magic with a Cost | "It's us or them."

Content: war setting, blood/wounds, death/dying motifs

* * * * * * * *

Caretaker let the green of the magical forcefield spread all down their skin like dripping bright green honey made of pure light. They’d be very visible. But that’s okay. Because they’d be safe.

Because what they were about to do was so immensely stupid. But it was necessary, it was so, so necessary. Their heart beat like a drum in their chest. Their nerves were shot through.

They took a deep breath. 

No turning back.

Whumpee needs them.

Then they ran.

Run.

Run. Run run run RUN RUN RUN RUN RUNRUNRUNRURNRUNRUN–

Explosions surrounded them, gunshots CRACK CRACK CRACK BOOMMMMM bright light explosions unsteady ground rumble rumble rumble SHAKE SHAKE BOOOOMMMM.

Their body flew through the air. They SLAM into the packed earth and slick, scratchy grass. Dizzy, dizzy, terrifying, shaking. Where was up or down, where was gravity?

Wait. Slick grass?

Slick?

Caretaker paled as they held up their arm. Then paled. The world shook.

Blood.

Who’s blood?

Who’s blood was this? Was it their own? Who bled here, who died here–?

Doesn’t matter keep moving. Get to Whumpee.

They felt the green glow of their magical shield spread around them once more, bathing the ruby-red marring their skin into a nasty dark black.

Their breath shuddered. Energy drained from their muscles into the brilliant jade.

Their feet pounded against the uneven earth, over loose dirt and pot-holes torn out by haphazard grenades, flying through the grass as bullets whizzed past their ears and plinked off the brilliant sparkling green.

To Whumpee.

Lying barely shaking and fatally wounded in the grass. 

Caretaker dove over them and crashed into the ground hard, bitlets of dirt pelting their face, grinding between their teeth, penetrating into their eyes and blinding them.

They pushed up and clawed at the mewling Whumpee, and Whumpee seized in terror, but Caretaker didn’t stop other than to scream “Whumpee, help me!” over the roaring gunshots and agonized voices shouting orders and pleading for mercy as they spread their jade forcefield over both their entire bodies.

Ba-bump.

Fatigue slammed into their chest like a freight train. They kept going.

Forcefield stuttered.

They barely managed to drag the catatonic Whumpee through the tall blood-shining grass and behind a rock that barely covered them both before the forcefield spluttered and faltered it’s last dying, shaking tendrils of protection before winking out of existence. But they were safe.

BOOOMMMMMM. Gunshots, PLAT PLAT PLAT, screaming, crying, shouting orders, footsteps running, rustling grass and dirt raining from the heavens.

Mostly.

Be-bump, ba-bump.

The world winked out of existence for just a second. Their vision blurred, pressure grasped their head on their head like an unyielding metal claw, metallic wires shooting through the top of their mouth and they couldn’t catch their breath. 

So tired. Running out of time.

Save Whumpee.

“WHUMPEE!!” they cried, screaming with all their might in Whumpee’s face. Their eyes barely opened.

Their jacket and shirt were practically ripped to shred, their body showcasing the finest of shrapnel bathed in the slick red liquid of life.

It was a wonder they were still alive. Caretaker nearly collapsed in relief. 

“Whumpee! I’m here to save you!” they shouted. So warped, they could barely hear themself, it was as if everything was underwater.

Whumpee said something back. Dazed, quiet.

“WHAT?!”

Whumpee clenched their teeth, and only then did Caretaker realize they there were teartracks running down their blood- and dirt-stained face.

“I’M NOT GONNA MAKE IT!! SAVE YOURSELF!!”

A desperate attempt to push Caretaker off. Caretaker barely even had to fight to keep both of them safely behind the rock.

BOOOOM!!

“I’m NOT LEAVING YOU TO DIE!!”

They scrambled through their medic box. Wrapped bandages where they could, taking the blood-soaked ones away, applying slave, new bandages, how were these bandages already soiled with blood?? So much blood too much blood, they were losing too much blood, more blood, more salve, more bandages, JUST STAY ALIVE–

Out. 

They didn’t have enough. 

They tried to stop the bleeding with what little magic they could muster, the light green tendrils snaking up and down Whumpee’s body and seeping into their wounds. They winced. They shook. 

The blackness encroached Caretaker, threatening to swallow them whole

Their brilliance faded. 

Not enough.

Not nearly enough.

No.

No. NO NO NO NO SHIT FUCK SHIT THEY NEEDED TO MAKE IT OUT OF THIS–

Idea.

A terrible, horrible, batshit insane idea that would get them both killed.

But they were both dead anyway.

Whumpee could get them out. They were stronger, they were the soldier. Caretaker was just a medic. 

A medic with magic.

Whumpee could save them both.

“WHUMPEE!!” Caretaker screamed. Whumpee’s eyes fluttered open again. They cringed and curled in on themself, around the new blood-soaked bandages and the healing salve and the shrapned invading their chest.

Tears ran down their face. They cried in earnest now as they stared up into Caretaker’s fiercely caring, pleading eyes.

“I’m so sorry!” They screamed, shoving their face into Caretaker's chest so they didn’t have to witness their twisted face of death. 

Maybe caretaker wouldn’t have to watch the light leave their eyes when they died. Whumpee could see the light beckoning them now–

“NO!!” Caretaker screeched, clutching Whumpee’s head to their chest even further, fisting thw hair in the tightest embrace, holding them like they would never hold each other again. 

Because honestly? Who knew if they ever would?

“I’M SORRY! I’M SO SORRY! PICK UP WHERE I’M LEAVING OFF!!” They cried into Whumpee’s hair.

“SAVE US BOTH!!”

The battlefield glowed green as Caretaker unleashed every ounce of magic they ever could have stored in their body into Whumpee, green tentacles of the most brilliant lime and jade and forest and honeydew spread and writhed across the entire battlefield, before arcing up into a single point and diving straight down from whence they came.

Whumpee’s skin, their clothes, their very being glowed brighter than Caretaker could have ever seen, pushing back the blackness for just a moment as they shook and spasmed in Caretaker’s arms.

Then the black won over. 

Caretaker went limp.

* * * * * * * *

Whumptober Taglist: @whumperofworlds | @whumptober-archive | @regular-whump-sfx

(If you wanna be added or subtracted from the taglist, don't be afraid to ask!)

[cyncerity]

alien terrarium au!!

here it is! i said it’d be today, so it’s done! 1 min before it becomes tomorrow!

minor thing, tho: this is extremely unedited. like, there are a lot of things i post that aren’t edited fully, but i didn’t even fully read this one in one sitting. but i’m not free again until this tuesday or wednesday, so i’m not gonna make you guys wait that long lol

basically it’s midnight and i’m way too fucking busy so i’m gonna post it and edit it when i have time to later in the week. if you wanna wait for the fully edited version, ignore this until i specify that I edited it. if you don’t care, i hope you enjoy! this has been an on again off again thing for a few weeks and i’m so glad to finally have it like 95% done :)

tw: soft safe vore, unconventional vore ig?

“We have to cut our losses here. We don’t have enough to fund this any longer, and there’s no one we can reach out to for more money. We can’t risk this getting out.” “Fine, I- I know, it’s just…this is a breakthrough. We can’t afford to give up now.” “We won’t. We just need some time to get back on our feet is all. Besides, he knows what to do now…” the scientists turned their heads to the one way mirror they stood behind. A little boy, barely a teenager, sat behind it on his bed, his eyes glassy and unblinking, turned a glossy pearlescent white. Their project, practically their life’s work. Well, the container for it, anyway.

***

Wilbur heard the three scientists come into the room, and somehow registered one of them motion vaguely with their hand despite his eyes being effectively turned off, which meant they wanted him back in their world. Ugh. Still, he cut off his thoughts with his practically other half, eyes beginning to function again and the scientists approaching him as they saw his eyes shift back to the colors they were supposed to be.

“Wilbur, what we’re going to tell you is very, very important, so you have to listen carefully. It’s your life at stake if this goes wrong. And his.” The one in blue said, gesturing to Wilbur’s torso. Well, that was certainly a way to get his attention. Wilbur didn’t say a word, though; the green one didn’t like it when he ‘sassed them,’ so he instead scooted back and placed both arms protectively around himself and his…what did they call him once, ‘cargo’? He was sure he heard Green call him a ‘parasite’ once, which was rude. Still, they must have noticed his panic, cause the orange one responded immediately. “It’ll all be ok, things will just have to change for a minute here. You’re…youre not going to be able to stay here for a while.” “What?!” Wilbur said, unable to restrain himself. The green one went to speak up but was silenced by blue, who just whispered something about him being ‘scared’ and how this was ‘probably a lot to handle.’ Yeah, no shit it was!

“I get this is a huge change, I do, but it’s necessary for now. We don’t have the necessary resources to keep taking care of you here. We need to find a way to keep you safe and healthy, both of you. You’ll be staying somewhere secure while we find somewhere more reclusive to hide you. We don’t want anyone finding out anything and putting the two of you in danger.” Orange said, sitting next to Wilbur and rubbing a thumb across his knuckles. Right. Right, he had a purpose. And if part of his purpose was to survive without his caretakers for a short while, he could do it. If it meant safety for his stowaway, he could do it.

“You doin ok, bud?” Orange asked, and Wilbur nodded slightly. Orange was his favorite of the main three. He was always nice, and even gave him extra treats when he was behaving! “When do you think you can be ready to leave, Wil?” Green asked, crouching to be at level with where he sat. “Whenever you need me to be, sir.” Green smiled and ruffled his hair. Wil always tried to be extra good for Green. It’s not like he didn’t like him, it’s just that Green was more likely to yell at him if he messed up. “Good kid. We’ll leave tomorrow morning and introduce you to who you’ll be staying with. Try to get some rest.” He said, smiling before leaving and leading the other two out with him.

***

“Sam! Hey buddy!” Dream said, jumping out of the side of his van and running over to his old friend. “Dream! How’ve you been?” “Pretty good, you?” “Doin pretty good myself.” Sam replied, pulling Dream in for a hug. “So, who’s this kid you found?” “Calls himself Wilbur. We found him a few months ago, but we’re a bit short on money right now and can’t handle another mouth to feed. He won’t stay here for long, promise, just till we find a more stable income.” Dream hated to lie to an old friend, but he couldn’t afford his secret to be leaked. “I’m always lookin to help out, especially for a friend. Anything I need to know about him?”

“Yeah, he’s a bit of an odd one, but that’s what we love about him.” Dream chuckled, hoping his friend was still oblivious. “He disassociates a lot. Like, constantly, and tends to get really upset if people try to mess with him when he’s like that. He also doesn’t do a lot of physical activity. Bruises take longer to heal for him, he gets sore easily, and his immune system doesn’t handle cuts well. He’s not very talkative, and he’s got some weird scars all over him. We think the two are connected, but we don’t know what this kid has been through.” Dream finished, and Sam nodded solemnly. Great, he was taking the bait. He was less likely to ask questions if he thought he was prying into the past of an abused child.

meanwhile, in the van…

“We found you abandoned. You’re just staying here until we get more stable jobs and can afford to feed you again. If he ever asks you about where you came from, you look away or change the subject as quickly as possible. You don’t know why you disassociate. You don’t know where the scars came from. Never do any of your caretaker necessities for him in front of Sam. He can’t know. Got it?” “Got it. He’ll never know.” Blue nodded back. Orange had just kind of been pacing in the van as Blue gave him the rundown again. Green came back to the van with a hand out towards Wilbur, giving him a reassuring smile.

Wilbur was about to take the hand before his arm got tugged and he was pulled into a hug from behind. A gentle one, obviously no one wanted to risk damaging what was inside of him, but a hug all the same. He didn’t get many of those. When the person pulled away he saw it was Orange, who was smiling proudly. “You’re gonna be fine kid. We believe in you. I’ll miss you, ok?” Wilbur just smiled back and nodded. “I’ll miss you, too. We both will.” He said before taking Dreams hand and walking outside with him.

***

It had been an…odd week with Wilbur in Sam’s opinion. Firstly, he’d been way more interested in things like trees and grass than any normal child would be, but refused to touch them. He also spent 95% of his time in the guest bedroom with the door locked, never making a sound. Who knows, maybe the kid just liked to sleep. He refused to play any sort of physical game, like Dream had warned him, but he seemed overly cautious of anything that could hurt him. But he wouldn’t pry, that wasn’t his job. His job was to take care of the kid until Dream, George, and Sapnap could take him back. Right?

That’s what he was supposed to do, but somehow, against all logic…he knew this kid. The giant brown eyes, the curly brown hair, his face shape, it was all so familiar. But why?

Until it hit him.

He’d woken up in a cold sweat, immediately racing to his computer to see if he was right. And his suspicions were confirmed, against all odds. There, on his friends facebook page, was a photo of him and his young son. His young son who was Wilbur’s age. His young son who used to have an identical twin brother who went missing when he was just a few years old.

Sam knew Wilbur’s face because Wil wasn’t the only person he knew with that face.

Sam wasted no time calling. He must’ve called 12 times before someone answered, which was fair given the ungodly hour, but this was urgent. “What the fuck, Sam…” and groggy voice answered. “Mate, it’s, like, 4 in the morning, what could possibly be this important-”

“Phil, I think I found your son.”

***

Breakfast was different the next morning. Wilbur walked downstairs only to see two strangers sitting at Sam’s table, one an adult and one a child around his age. The adult looked about as old as Sam, which was to say a bit older than his scientists. He had blonde hair and kind blue eyes, and was wearing a dark green sweater jacket over a white button up. The other had long pick hair pulled back into a loose messy braid and glasses almost reminding Wil of his own except square instead of circular. He wore a simple pink hoodie and dirtied jeans and surprisingly clean white sneakers, but he must have been staring, cause soon the kid looked over to him and-

Wilbur’s breath froze.

Why…why did this kid have his face?

At this point, the man had looked over to, and immediately shot up from where he was sitting, knocking over the chair he was sitting on in the process and making Wilbur flinch. “Orpheus?” Wilbur stared blankly for a few moments before the man rushed him, barely giving him time to react before he was pulled into a hug.

Not a gentle one like Orange knew to give. Not one given by someone that knew why so few people were even allowed to touch him. A lung crushing, tight hug that was unbelievably painful after so much time with such infrequent gentle touching. He rarely found his mind drifting back to his the feeling of cargo in him, given that he’d lived most of his life with him and had gotten used to the odd sensations, but now it was impossible to ignore. Everything in him, everything that had been worked on so diligently, everything that had been removed and replaced and rearranged to make him perfect for his purpose, and his stowaway inside were being crushed. His purpose, the thing he’d been raised to protect, his only true constant in his life, was being crushed. It was the most horrifying downpour of fear he’d ever felt.

Wilbur screamed.

He screamed bloody murder as the adult let go and backed away, eyes wide. Wilbur vaguely noticed that both the strangers were crying, but he didn’t care. Wilbur only stopped screaming once his air was gone and now replaced by jagged breathing and spasms in his lungs. He felt like he was about to collapse as his vision darkened and his limbs began shaking. He needed to know if he was ok. If he wasn’t, Wilbur would never forgive himself. He needed to know.

“Kiddo, I need you to take deep breaths, ok, I think you’re having a panic a-“ “Stay the hell away from me! All of you!!” Wilbur screamed, voice hoarse as he smacked Sam’s hand away and ran up to his guest room and locked the door. He sat on the bed with a thud and tried to stop his shaking, but couldn’t spare much time for that since he had to make sure his cargo was still ok. He needed him to be ok. God, he was still just a kid, even younger than Wilbur. He can’t have let him get hurt.

He tried to take deep breaths and reached his mind out to some foreign instinct he knew. He wasn’t sure what it was, or how it came so easily, but it was such a central part of his brain that he could find it with ease. The second he got close to it, his whole body relaxed involuntarily. He hadn’t done that, which only meant…

“Oh, Tommy, thank god.” Wilbur sighed out loud, though the rest was said just to Tommy in the special way only they could communicate. He felt Tommy slow his heart rate more as he felt like he was being sucked away from his body into a void that words couldn’t possibly describe. “Wilbur!” a voiced called out. It hadn’t come from anywhere, just everywhere, like Wilbur’s did when he was here. Wherever ‘here’ was. He didn’t really know. It wasn’t like a darkness or white area, it was just…nothing. Not a nothingness that couldn’t be seen, but felt. Devoid of anything that could make it describable. Wilbur liked to joke that it was the emptiness in Tommy’s brain. “What was all that outside? You know i’ve got se-“ “Sensitive hearing, I know. I was being loud. Sorry.”

Wilbur could basically see Tommy huff and roll his eyes, despite the fact that he’d never seen Tommy at all. He knew every detail of his little brother friend, and Tommy knew every detail of Wilbur. Despite neither of them being able to see in their respective nothings, somehow they could sense every “move” (aka the movement they imagined themselves making since they didn’t have bodies in the nothingness) the other made in the void. Also Tommy can sometimes see through Wil’s eyes to look at reflections, but he rarely does that. Green doesn’t like when he does that.

Still though, he knew Tommy. He may not know what he looks like perfectly, but he knew Tommy. In an odd sense, he knew his details, but never what he truly looked like. He could list the facts of how Tommy was, but he had a feeling of deja vu whenever he tried to imagine a face or any detailed image of his body. He never could, he just knew the facts, like he’d seen Tommy but the detailed image in his brain had been removed and blurred beyond recognition. It seemed kind of unfair to him, given that Tommy knew exactly what he looked like because of the shared vision things and mirrors existing.

Still, though, he knew the pale white-blue of his skin the bright blonde of his hair and otherworldly accents. The shining, almost glowing iridescence of his eyes and the strange markings found on his body. He was mostly humanoid, which had initially shocked Wilbur and the scientists. Orange had warned him once that since they had no idea what Tommy was, something inhuman and vicious could easily rip through him. It scared him a little, but at that point he’d seen Tommy’s egg once and had grown monumentally attached, lethal beast creature or not. But Tommy was humanoid, except for one thing; he didn’t have legs. Rather, he had a long predominately red scaly tail like a snake.

When Wilbur was first getting used to Tommy’s being in there, the hardest thing to deal with was one: the odd feeling of scales against his sensitive organs and two: Tommy was almost always cold. How he could stay shockingly chilly in almost 100° Wilbur didn’t know, but that’s probably a big factor on why Tommy couldn’t be in open air; he’d freeze to death. Or his aversion to any form of light (maybe that was an understatement: a dim lamp 2 rooms over could kill him). But besides that, his unnatural colors, and a few other random snake-like features, Tommy was far from the horrific deep space lovecraftian monster he or the scientists were expecting. He was more just a little person who also happened to be a snake from space. No biggie.

“I- I don’t know what happened down there. There’s…there’s these two people, and one looks exactly like me and the other called me the wrong name and rushed to hug me and I panicked cause I thought he hurt you. You’re not hurt, are you?” “I’m right as rain, mr. human man. I’m sturdier than you think. Er, well, you’re sturdy and I’m in here so yeah I’m good.” Tommy responded, letting out an unearthly mix of a rumble and a hiss as he did. Wilbur liked Tommy’s weird alien noises, it comforted him. He sighed. “Still, I should’ve been more careful-“

“No you shouldn’t have! Stop bein a..a uh…” he paused for a minute to mumble a series of his weird Tommy noises before starting again. “what’s the english word for someone who takes blame for no reason and thinks that they need to solve every problem ever cause somehow everything is their fault?” “I think you’re talking about a martyr complex.” “Stop have’n a martyn complex!” Tommy yelled back, making Wilbur laugh. He pressed a hand against where he felt Tommy within himself, in one of the open areas that had been cleared just for him. Tommy pressed back and started to purr, a common reflex for him when he was happy, excited, or just needed to comfort Wilbur.

Even if Wilbur’s and Tommy’s consciouses were in the nothingness, they could still feel their body’s and move a little bit, even if it was more difficult than when they were awake. Wilbur liked to think of it as the same type of gesture that his scientists would do when they rubbed his hair or gave him a side hug, something he would love to try but could never do with Tommy. He thought Tommy deserved to have his hair played with or to be hugged, but it could never happen. But the pressing in, the only amount of intentional contact they’ve ever had and could ever have, worked just fine as a replacement. Something comforting and quick to show he cared. Of course, Tommy knew he cared, they’ve lived together (well, one within the other, but same difference) for most of Wilbur’s life and all of Tommy’s.

“Still, though…i don’t know what to do. Sam hasn’t had anyone else over, i don’t know what they’re doing here.” “I’d say good old fashion spying, then. See if you can get closer and make out what they’re saying.” “Good idea-“ Wilbur said, beginning to break off the connection before Tommy shouted out. “Wait! Aren’t you gonna let me see?” Wilbur rolled his eyes and somehow, in a way he couldnt describe, let Tommy’s weird telekinetic force into his mind. He opened his eyes and he was back in his room, the nothingness vanished and his body back in his full control. He looked to his mirror and sure enough, the shiny white gloss that overtook his eyes when talking to Tommy had confined itself to just Wilbur’s pupils. He’d given Tommy access.

“There, is that better?” Wilbur asked quietly, unable to respond telepathically when not in his weird zoned out state. The lack of that void didn’t seem to pose an issue for Tommy, though, as Wilbur heard an enthusiastic “Yup!” mixed with a few alien chirps echo through his mind as a response. Wil nodded to his reflection (and Tommy by proxy) and went to the stairs. He probably didn’t need to go down, he just needed to be able to hear them.

***

Ok that was, in hindsight, a bad decision.

“‘Dad?!’ I have a dad!? And a brother!?!” Wilbur whisper yelled, pacing back and forth across his room. With Sam and the now-not-so-much-strangers still talking in their kitchen, he figured it’d be safe to talk outside of the mind void. Tommy, meanwhile, laid himself against the front of Wilbur’s storage, rubbing circles into the walls to try and calm him down. “Maybe that’s not so horrible! I mean, you’re not an orphan! That’s normally a good thing, right?” Tommy said skeptically.

“Maybe it would have been 9 years ago! But now I have you!” Wilbur said, stopping to sit on his bed and pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. “I don’t know them. I don’t remember them at all; you’d think if they were a good family to me I’d at least recall that they existed. But I don’t. How could I ever trust them with knowing about you?” “I…I don’t know. But…you have a dad, Wil! And a brother! That’s not something you can just ignore! Neither of us know what it’s really like to have a family, maybe…you could learn for the both of us?”

Wilbur sighed. He knew Tommy was right. And they’d both wondered where their families were; if they missed their sons, if they even wanted to give them up in the first place, what ever happened to them. Wilbur always felt awful because Tommy would likely never know. The odds that his parents were even still alive were slim, and it’s not like he ended up on earth with very specific instructions on how to take care of him by accident. But Wilbur had never thought his family could show up, either, yet here they were.

“What do we do about the trio?” “You know how I feel about them. Let’s see if those two are any better.” To be fair, Wil did know how Tommy felt about them; he didn’t like them at all. Tom didn’t like the tests they ran on him, he didn’t like what they put Wil through in order to do tests on him, he didn’t like how they treated his big brother caretaker as the less important one in their experiments, and he didn’t like how damn nosy they were. That part even bugged Wilbur. How the hell did they expect Tommy to be able to explain so much about what he was? He’d never met anyone like himself either, he’d been hatched on earth!

“Well, at least we know them. They’re predictable, and we know they have our best intentions at heart. Our. They know how to help the both of us and I- I don’t know if I can do all this alone.” “Wilbur you haven’t been alone since the day I was born. You’re not gonna start now.”

“What if something happens to you and I don’t know how to fix it? It’s my job to make sure nothing bad happens to you. I couldn’t live with myself if I let myself get caught up in some familial adventure and you ended up getting hurt because of it.” “I get it but don’t you think that’s unfair?” Wilbur paused. “Wh..what do you mean ‘unfair’?” “We’re kids. You’re a kid. It sucks for you that I’m your responsibility, it’s unfair that you gave up your childhood to keep me safe. But you can get it back, some of it, at least. Just…see if this can work out. If not for you, then for me. I hate seeing you put yourself on the back burner like this, Wil, I hate it. I can’t stand that i’m the reason you can’t have friends or play or be a kid. But this could change that. If it can’t, we’ll go to whatever lab the trio puts us in next. I’m sure they’ll be sooo thrilled that you’ve met your family.”

“Tommy don’t say those things about yourself.” Wilbur said, hugging his arms around himself. “I chose to take care of you, and I’ve never regretted it. Not for a second. You’re worth everything I willingly gave up, ok?” He heard a disgruntled noise in response. “Fine, we’ll come back to this conversation later. For now…ok. I’ll..I’ll give them a shot-” He heard Tommy cheer with a mix of wooing and trilling that he made when he was excited “-but Sam obviously knows the trio, so i’m sure he’ll tell them about my family at some point if he hasn’t already.” “I figured, but what are they gonna do? They can’t take you if you want to stay.” “Emphasis on if I want to stay, remember?” “Got it, bossman.”

“Wilbur?” He heard a voice outside call while knocking before the door opened a crack. “Were you…talking to someone..?” Sam said, poking his head in through the gap a bit. “Uh, no, I just..uh..kinda talk to myself sometimes. But I’m, uh, I’m sorry.” Wilbur said, trying to move past his previous conversation as quickly as possible. The less Sam questioned why he was talking to an empty room, the better. “I shouldn’t have freaked out like that, I just…don’t like being touched.” Not exactly true, but if it would keep the blonde guy and his clone from touching him it could be the truth for a while. Sam just solemnly nodded. “I’m sorry, I told him about you and how you were just kinda found with no memories, but…I don’t think he believed that your amnesia was as bad as I told him it was. I don’t think it hit him that you really didn’t know him until you ran off…Wil, he’s-” “He’s my dad, apparently. I was eavesdropping, i heard you talking downstairs.” Sam stared wide eyed for a second before he nodded solemnly.

“I know this must be a lot. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable by calling them here, you obviously didn’t expect to meet your long lost family while you stayed for the month. But…I’ve been friends with Phil for a while. That’s the blonde guy, by the way. He…he didn’t take losing you well. I was there for him when he and Techno were grieving and it..it was horrible. They were so broken.” Sam said, eyes beginning to shine from unshed tears. “I can ask them to leave if you want, I understand if-“ “I don’t want them to go.” Wilbur interrupted, almost mad at himself that he’d let Tommy talk him into this. “I want to meet them. I want to see what they’re like again.“

“Really? I mean, you can, but I just thought-“ “I’ve made up my mind. Can I meet them again?” “Y-yeah, yeah, absolutely.” Sam said, leading Wilbur out the doors down the stairs. He heard Tommy make a few more excited chirps before he started purring again. Like always, it put Wilbur at ease a bit. He followed close behind Sam down the stairs and back to the kitchen, where he saw the pink haired boy leaned over the blonde guy, who was sitting at the table with his head on his folded arms. The pink haired boy’s head snapped up from where he’d been comforting his father as Sam and Wilbur re-entered the room, eyes narrowing at Wilbur like he was a rabid animal. In the awkward silence, Phil looked up, and it almost pained Wilbur too see his red cheeks and puffy eyes. He really hadn’t meant to hurt the guys feelings, he just panicked. They all stared at each other for a moment before Wilbur realized that they were probably waiting for him to speak up. Great.

“Uh…I’m sorry for screaming at you, Mr. Phil. I don’t do well with…surprise contact. You just scared me, is all.” The man just continued to stare back at Wilbur for a moment. “You…you really don’t remember me, do you, Orpheus?” Wilbur looked back and took a deep breath. This may have been for Tommy, but he had to stand his ground here. “I’m going to say this once, and only once cause I don’t think you can handle hearing it a second time, ok? You think you can handle this?” Phil looked a bit confused at the annoyed tone but nodded, prompting Wil to continue. “Good, cause here it is: I don’t know who Orpheus is. I don’t know who he was. All I know is he’s not me. Maybe he was, but not anymore. So maybe your grieving wasn’t in vain: because he is in fact very much dead.”

Wilbur paused as Phil’s face fell and tears started to run down his face again. Even the pink haired boy had started crying. He tried to ignore it. “My name is Wilbur. If you want to know me, not Orpheus, me, I…I’m willing to try to connect with you again. I don’t mean to be heartless but I need you to understand that if you want me back, there will be no prior standards for me. I won’t try to change how I am now to be the person I used to be for your amusement, because frankly? I couldn’t give less of a shit about what you want, because I don’t know fuck all about either of you. If you came here to find the son you lost, I’d suggest leaving. Any questions?”

Shocked silence filled the room. Phil stood silent and still as tears poured down his face, his clone even started to cry when he saw Phil crying, and Sam looked like he’d just watched a bomb go off. Wilbur just stood at the center waiting for something to change. For Sam to send him to his room, for Phil to break down even worse or for him and his son to deem Wilbur too different and abandon him (again), but nothing was happening. ‘Way to sugarcoat it, Wil.’ quietly played in his head, as if Tommy was afraid he’d somehow interrupt the group despite them not being able to hear him. He’d elbow himself in the gut later, that’d probably look really weird if he did it now.

“…Do you want to come home with us?” Phil said after a few minutes, shocking Wilbur. “Do you want me to?” Phil just nodded and wiped a few more tears from

his face. “Even if you don’t remember us, you’re still my son. You always will be. I’ve missed you so, so much Wilbur.” He said, kneeling to be at eye level. Wilbur just sighed. “Ok, then…let’s go home, I guess. I didn’t come here with much, I can just go with you now?” “Really?” Phil said, surprised but seemingly excited. “Oh, o-ok then! I thought you’d want a few days but, uh, sure! As long as Sam is ok with that?”

“Oh yeah, Sam!” Wilbur interrupted, turning to face the man who’d just kind of been standing silently, clearly unsure of what to do in the situation. “I need you to tell my guardians what happened. They’ll

probably understand, but they’ll also want to meet my long lost family

since they raised me and all.” ‘More like interrogate them and possibly file a restraining order so they can never take us again, but same difference I guess.’ Tommy chimed in unhelpfully. Wilbur ignored him. “Give them Phil’s address asap so they know where to find me. Also give me their phone numbers, i don’t remember them.” “Wait, guardians?” Phil chimed in, lightly tapping Wilbur on the shoulder with a concerned look. “You have legal guardians?”

“Three college aged guys, yeah. But I wouldn’t say legal,” Wilbur explained, “they just kind of took me in when I was lost without my memories. They tried to find you for a few years but gave up after a while. I couldn’t really give them any info to go off of.” “Oh…do they treat you well?” “Yes.” ‘No.’ Wilbur and Tommy said at the same time, though obviously only one was heard. “That’s…that’s good, i guess.” Phil said quietly, then it was back to the awkward silence. Godammit, Wilbur hated silence. Was it gonna be like this all the time with Phil?

“Well then, let’s get a move on.” Said the pink haired boy who Wilbur had only remembered was in the room when he spoke up. He’d been pretty silent, but at least his tears had dried. That was better than Phil was doing. “And you are?” Wilbur asked. “Technoblade, but most people call me Techno.” he said, holding a hand out. Wilbur just stared trying to figure out why he was doing that. Was it a high five? Sometimes orange would give him a high five when he did a good job testing, but why was he doing it sideways?

Wilbur smacked his hand quickly and pulled away, smiling awkwardly. Techno just lowered his hand and stared. Shit, he was wrong about the high five, wasn’t he?“Ok…” Techno said, “we’re gonna have to re-teach you some stuff, aren’t we?” “Uuuhhh…maybe.” Wilbur said quietly as he heard Tommy laugh at him. Asshole.

Wilbur made his way to their car after grabbing his bag and saying goodbye to Sam. The packed into the car, and Wilbur was met with the silence again. Phil seemed…weary of him, to put it best. Like he was dam one bad storm away from breaking. Techno seemed more disinterested in him, just playing on a phone as Phil started to drive, never looking up at him. Well, he wasn’t going to be the one to break the silence this time. He didn’t want to talk to them anyway.

Instead, he let himself fall into his nothingness, connecting with Tommy on the other side. “Well that went great!” Tommy said sarcastically. “I stood my ground.” Wilbur shot back. “I don’t want to be treated like some lost broken kid. I’m 13. I know what I’m doing.” “Well, I like them. They seem nice!” Wilbur wasn’t sure how to respond. Sure, Phil seemed like he wanted to care about him. Techno seemed…willing, at least, even if he was a bit nonchalant. But could he trust these people? They were the people who abandoned him and left him to almost starve to death in the woods as a toddler. That wasn’t exactly something a loving family would do, but they seemed happy to see him alive. Was it a mistake? How could they have fucked up badly enough that he got amnesia and almost died at the ripe age of 4?

But Tommy seemed so excited. As much as the scientists always tried to make sure it didn’t happen, Wilbur loved Tommy. He really was like a little brother, they’d grown up together. They’d both always been told that it would be for the best that they didn’t make that kind of connection in case something where to go wrong, but who else did they have? Tommy was family to him, and damn if he wouldn’t do anything to make the little boy happy. He sighed. “Yeah, well…let’s hope so.”

[c0la-queen]

Clarifying the Hybrid AU

So this is nothing bad, and nothing has happened! I've just realized that there are a few things about the Hybrid AU that may not make sense without context, and it deserves its own post to explain.

Also I'm stepping out of my comfort zone a little posting this, so please bear with me here! I was raised in an environment where I learned to be ashamed of my more "unconventional" preferences, so I've almost always kept them private. But this is something that I want to share with you guys! So I'm trying to be strong here!

Now, this is mainly talking about Hybrid Reader.

I use this Hybrid AU as a form of self-indulgent comfort. Sometimes, in my brain, there are days where I just want to stop having to think, stop having to make decisions. During these times, I get so much comfort from the idea of a "handler" being there to take care of me.

I know to some people, this can seem irregular, or even a little weird. And everyone is entitled to their opinions! But my recommendation to you is that if you don't like it, please don't read it. There might be some other people who, like me, find this kind of thing comforting. So if I can share a little happiness with them, I think it's worth it to put this out there, even if I feel a little flustered doing it.

Additionally, don't think that this AU is all some kink! None of this needs to be taken in any kind of sexual context unless it's specifically written to be NSFW.

Now, here's a few cosmetic bits of the AU that are important to note:

All hybrids are legally required to have a human caretaker known as a Handler. A Handler's job is to take care of their hybrid, as well as keep them out of trouble.

Not all Handlers and Hybrids have relationships that are inherently romantic. Some may have a platonic relationship, some may be familial. It's a case-by-case situation.

Not all Hybrids are the same. Depending on what kind of Hybrid they are, they may have different temperaments, behaviors, needs, or purposes. Some Hybrids may be used in the military, others may be used in occupations like farms. Others simply live as their Handler's companion, providing company in their lives.

Now for a few self indulgent bits, mainly about our specific Bunny Reader:

A Handler getting their Hybrid a collar is very common. It's kind of a big deal to Hybrids, and they'll become extremely attached to their Handler if given one. Again, it's not an inherently sexual thing! For me, collars are a source of comfort and security. It's like something that helps ground me and put me at ease.

Kennels can also be a thing in the AU. Again, just like the collar, it doesn't need to be sexual! It would be a place where the Hybrid goes to calm down when in a panic. If you're picturing some tiny, cramped, bare metal cage, that's not what I'm talking about! Hybrids would want a decent sized kennel, and they would fill it with blankets and pillows and anything else that brings them comfort.

I apologize if to some of you, this seems weird! I don't mean it in any way that is gross or degrading. For me, it's all about having someone love you enough to take care of you when you need it. To trust someone enough with someone that you know they'll keep you safe.

And if anyone else does find any of these ideas comforting and you'd wanna read more of it, please reach out to me in my inbox! I am more than happy to share some of the comfort that I get from this AU with other people. I hope someone gets the same happiness from it that I do!

Sorry if I rambled a little here, and thank you for letting me take a chance here! Mwah mwah! 💚💚💚💚

[peach-and-bugs]

Thoughts on Yellowjackets 2x9

if you're here specifically to learn how this season is going to impact my fanfic, feel free to stick around! spoilers start after the cut-off.

So, that was a wild ride! I just wanna say before I get into my thoughts that from here on out unless otherwise specified/stated, my Yellowjackets fics will all be part of an alternate cannon where all the girls stayed a lot closer and had a lot more therapy after the wilderness because let's be real that would have solved so many of our current problems. they still have some fucked shit to deal with, but it's not as bad as it is in actual cannon because our cannon is making me so sad.

but anyways! thoughts and spoilers for the season 2 final start now!

Gotta say I was loving it till we got to the hunt. Though I absolutely didn't want it and knew someone would die, I was convinced either Natalie, Van, or Lisa. logically, those just made the most sense to me, so I wasn't surprised when it was Natalie. However, Misty????? You really had to do that to her, again. I'm horrified to see what's going to become of her in season 3. and Natalie's arch through this season is so heartbreaking. She was finally making progress! she was forgiving, working so hard to better herself and she was feeling better. after over 25 years of being on the downhill, she was finally finding her way up, only to be killed to further traumatize Misty.

However, I do know though that it's very likely Natalie was our victim because Juliette Lewis has been actively talking about getting back into film and tv takes a lot of time, especially for a main character, so they had to find some way to write her off. We don't know when this choice was made, so Natalie's rather strange arch was either a victim of a spur-of-the-moment change, or it's just frustrating writing. had the plan always been from the start of the season to kill Natalie, I'd be even more disappointed than I am because she had a really good setup for development! She was really starting to heal, and having the plan from the start be her death felt like a waste of all that development.

I really don't have much more to say about Natalie if I'm honest because I'd like to wait for more explanation on the creative choices made and if Juliette really did ask to be written off, but I have so much to say about Misty, because holy shit, what have they done.

Misty is already so broken. having her kill Natalie with her hand isn't going to change her character. this isn't going to result in any positive development for her. it's literally just going to crush her. Misty killing Natalie is 100% a callback to Christen/Chrystal and I think we all know that, but the issue is that there is no growth between those two events. it would be one thing if Misty had felt no remorse for Christen/Chrystal back when she died only to kill Natalie and really realize what she's done and is capable of, but she did know and she cared.

They took the time to show it in 2x7 when she has to step away from Shauna, blood on her hands to sob and cry because she knows she did something wrong. At that moment, she realizes everything she's done wrong, and she is fully at her lowest. She beats herself up, cursing her hand because she's fully realized the situation they're all in is, in fact, her fault. I think the only way Natalie's death could have any "positive" impact on her growth would have been had she not had that meltdown in 2x7. Had she stayed completely focused and diligent, more concerned with keeping the truth behind Christen/Chrystal's death than thinking about her fault or blaming herself, then she could have had that breakthrough as an adult after Natalie dies. At this point, Natali's death is only going to force her down under the water more than she already is.

I think all this is going to do is have Misty drastically pull away from her friends. Misty is a caretaker. No matter how unconventional her methods may be, ultimately that's the role that she plays, or at least tries to play. She puts others' concerns and needs above her own and goes to any extreme that she needs to because her friends are her priority and she thinks they're worth taking that extreme action if it means they're safe.

But, try as she might, her friends still die, and she keeps finding herself at the helm of those deaths, but not on purpose. She repeatedly finds herself with a hand around her wrist, forcing her to push the big red self-district button flashing in front of her. But she ignores the hand that's forcing her. She eliminates the middleman and decided those tragedies are her fault. because she is there and trying to help, any harm is ultimately a result of her failure. And a lot of her more drastic actions are extremely logical, literal, and calculated to her. In her mind, they're completely foolproof, so when they fail it's directly because of her. (Personally, I think an argument could easily be made that she's autistic, but that's for another post. If anyone is interested please let me know! I'd love to talk about it).

In season 3, we're going to see a whole new side of Misty that I don't think I ever wanted to think about. She's going to be broken and a shell of herself, more so if Natalie had been killed in any other way. Had Lisa shot Natalie herself, sure there would have been some grief and self-blame, but not at the same level as this. She's going to completely retreat into herself, removing herself as much as she can because she feels everything is her fault, and Natalie's death is just the nail in the coffin driving that "fact" home for her. Our sweet, bubbly blond who is always readjusting her glasses, who loves her bird and is a proud citizen detective is gone, and I don't know how else they can move her story forward.

[baylardo]

AIGHT SUSPIRIA AND ED THRESHOLD AU THOUGHTIES HRRRHGRRHRG LONG POST SORRYYYYYY

I have a few different ideas for how she and Ed would maybe meet... not sure which one I wanna go with yet. One is that her Ocampans on her array would eventually piece together that she's been using them this whole time and they'd revolt against her and kick her out/abandon her in space, kinda follows in line with String Theory's idea that Suspiria's been lying to and experimenting on them this whole time for her own agenda. (What she's experimenting on them for homie I don't know the book doesn't elaborate haha. Maybe she's trying to see if she can harness the telepathic abilities of these lesser lifeforms enough to get her back the Nacene realm: Exosia)

Another idea is that in String Theory it has another Nacene (Phoebe) explain that both Suspiria and the Caretaker were nearing the ends of their ability to remain "alive" in our realm. And with THAT like, maybe Suspiria's been progressively getting weaker and has lost a lot of power and ability to maintain the array for her Ocampans. And maybe she gets all of her Ocampans to exodus off of the array to find sanctuary on a planet somewhere where they can flourish without her guidance and protection, leaving her alone and adrift in space.

Ummm I'd also had the thought that maybe she'd experienced some irreparable damage that's weakened her substantially after Janeway shoots her in Cold Fire with the poison or whatever, so she's held a grudge ever since. BUT MAYBE NOT maybe she's just old.

Regardless, "the Exiled" Nacene, while technically immortal, can and will experience their species' version of "death" if they do not return to Exosia

Was thinking that like, maybe Ed would find the dead array in space and discover a weak little puddle/blob of Suspiria on it when he investigates the craft, who's just been sitting around waiting to die.

Another thought was just him shuttling out in space and she just pops up inside of his shuttle when he passes by. Or alternatively, she's floating out in space and senses "Janeway" and uses what little power she has to drag his ship to HER (Like what the Caretaker does with Voyager but way less broad of a range). Maybe that's how he'd discover the deserted array and he's like "lol how'd I get here," and she'd be on the array when he finds her.

Thought it'd be cute if he introduced himself to Suspiria while she's dormant in her weak little form as "Edward Janeway, but you can call me Ed," and her hearing "Janeway" sets her off and she momentarily resumes her towering tentacle eldritch form in a sudden bout of rage, but she can't sustain it and regresses again.

I think Ed having traveled around so many places would maybe have some weird unconventional methods of healing and he'd be able to like, revitalize Suspiria a little bit. I don't really know how he'd convince her to accompany him in the end, but maybe has something to do with that, because she thought she was doomed to die soon and feeling rather hopeless about it. But they end up becoming traveling companions. :)

They wander the Delta Quadrant visiting a variety of planets and alien civilizations, I think Suspiria would be well aware of the development and nature of most of them as a Nacene, but that doesn't stop Ed from visiting them, regardless of how crude/uncivilized Suspiria describes them as being (She kinda hates everyone).

She's pretty mean to Ed but he doesn't mind and he helps her in finding little temporary remedies for her degradation as they travel, just kinda wandering and searching for short term solutions for her. She'll sometimes go planetside with him posing as a little girl like she did in Cold Fire (Maybe she does other forms, maybe not, UNDECIDED, I figure she's kinda limited in form choices most days).

When Philippa finally comes aboard Ed's shuttle, Suspiria hates her right off the bat and there's deffo some petty jealousy going on with Ed's attention being diverted away from her in favor of him and Philippa trying to find their lost sister. :) They butt heads, Suspiria is VERY condescending to Philippa and super moody lol.

[iamchildoflight]

Thoughts & Feelings About Grandma

Grandma passed away around noon on August 23rd, 2024.

My relationship with grandma has in a sense been simple and light. But at the same time, deep. We have a language barrier, generation gap and other things. But we have a strong connection, between grandma and grandson.

Throughout life, grandma has sort of been a mother figure. When mother passed away, she would continue to look after us kids. I would say her style of looking after is like a caretaker and not so much of a nurturer. She would look after my basic needs such as whether I've eaten. And she would spoil me by offering extra portions of yummy foods.

The perhaps not so good part of our relationship was one stage in my life when I was staying at home with her for a period. I would do my own thing and she would sacrifice her time by spending a few months looking after me, cooking etc. She didn't have much to do except for mainly watching satellite TV. I could tell she was kind of sad. And I guess at times towards the latter years, I would be impatient with her whenever I am helping her with getting things done. Perhaps like helping her brush her teeth.

But all in all, I think I did care and adore grandma. My affection towards her is more of a playful and uplifting spirit. Being silly and having fun. Though I don't know whether she gets it. My main form of love towards her is just spending time with her and looking out for her needs. Being someone who's not very talkative, I couldn't lift her spirit up by talking to her as much.

I probably regretted gaming too much during the period at home before her final stay at the hospital. Instead of gaming, I could've spent more time with her. Who would've known it was her final period at home. But I have learnt to look beyond this and moved on.

Although I don't have a good memory when it comes to personal experiences of the past, I think I kind of get the picture of grandma's personality. Also because I've seen photos and videos. I think she was kind of funny in an awkward way. She would say something unconventional and also being who she is, cute. Towards the latter years, I think she kind of became simpler, supposedly due to her physical constraints. We could still see grandma through her reactions as we poke at her. So grandma has been this delightful person all along.

I guess my prayer is that grandma overlooks the negative things I've mentioned in this article for the things she could sense. And that she has always been able to sense my type of love towards her, as unobvious as it may seem. Because it's the kind of gentle, caring, don't need to say much kind of love. And I hope that during the final 2 days of her life when I spoke into her ear while she was semi-conscious (sleeping), she heard me. They were simple honest words.

Thank you grandma for looking after me all these years. Even when times have changed and I've grown up. Your heart of wanting to look after me is precious. You have always loved me dearly. I know your promise towards mum may have obscured it, but I believe that love is genuine.

[kim-poce]

Not Again 5 - A LITTLE OUT OF THE ORDINARY

Adverse Effects | Unconventional Restraints | “This wasn’t supposed to happen”

Olive = Whumpee

Eden = Caretaker

Previous | Next

Masterlist

CW: vampire whumpee, failed escape attempt, burns.

=-=

Olive had to run away, this new vampire was too dangerous, and the way they were too casual about everything showed that they had nothing to worry about, they are in the middle of a human district and yet they act as if they are home.

Vampires can’t die easily but they can feel pain, that was what Olive thought looking outside as the sun was starting to rise, and it’ll be so easy for this vampire to turn their life into hell again.

They were trapped in there, there were no ropes or chains, not even clear threats, the door was just there, but so was the sun, hence the house was just a big unfamiliar cage.

“If the owner of the house comes here you want to eat them or traumatize them for life?” the other vampire asked, “I mean, you want to feed on them or tie them somewhere until the night comes again? I don’t want to go under the sun, you know.”

That’s right. Olive thought, yeah, the sun hurts! It was the first time this thought brought hope. They were tied under the sun so very often, and that vampire would never show his face until the sun was completely out of sight, of course, tying Olive was supposed to only hurt Olive.

“Can’t decide? I guess we’ll see if the human comes, I’m not really hungry right now, are you? So maybe just hit their head… no, that kills them, right? Tying up is safer.”

Olive wasn’t listening, they were just staring outside, the light was entering from the window, it would reach them soon.

“You better come closer, you don’t want to be burnt, do you? Also, speaking of tying up, there was one time I tried to tie a human and their arm just broke. Seriously, how can they really use these? Anyway, I was young then, I’m not this careless anymore.”

Olive breathed, it was useless, but they had to get a deep breath before going under the torturous light, the other vampire was too distracted telling another story, and Olive wasn’t so weak of a vampire to the point of not being able to break a wooden door open and run.

So they did.

The other vampire said something but they didn’t hear, they just ran, —it hurt so much— they ran the longer they could before the pain from the burns could force them still. —I can’t anymore, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t— they stopped.

They hid in a shady alley, hoping they could heal enough to run again before the night comes, they have until then, right? The vampire wouldn’t go under the sun just to catch them, right? It hurts so much, they aren’t worth it.

Yeah, they just need to stay there and run bit by bit and–

“I see that the one who turned you really didn’t teach you a thing,” the vampire’s voice came from upwards along with the sound of really big wings flapping. “Like the fact that the sun only makes a vampire like me dizzy instead of hurt, and that this attempt of an escape would never work.”

Olive didn’t look up, they didn’t need to to check to know that they utterly screwed up.

=-=

Taglist: @cupcakes-and-pain, @nicolepascaline, @wolfeyedwitch, @nii-chans-rabiddogs, @whump-me-all-night-long, @latenightcupsofcoffee, @rose-pinkie, @dyingisbadforyourhealth, @extemporary-username, @neverthelass

[barnesandco]

Little Hands (V)

Series Masterlist

Bucky treats you to a day out. 

This is an entry for @star-spangled-bingo​ 2021. Word count: 1625. Square filled: “Lucky (Clint’s dog)”

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Police. Sad child.

A/N: This is so late and I am so sorry. Let me know what you think! And massive thank you’s to anyone who is still reading this disaster.

Morning brings a new perspective, a new ease in the way Bucky moves around Ana. He pretends he doesn’t know that you witnessed the way they bonded last night, and for that benefit you don’t bring it up. It’s discussed and laid to rest with the intelligent smile you give him, one that he lets dissolve through his sternum and curl around his heart. Tendrils of soft hope, wisps of quiet connection, strengthening the friendship you’ve established and glinting with promise of something more.

Something more might have to wait, but Bucky thinks you’ve made it clear that it is there, on the horizon, awaiting you both. A future, one that, on his part, also involves the little soul that sits on top of the kitchen island, swinging her legs into the cabinets. Children are early risers, and so are superheroes, but today, on this cool morning, Anastasia has them beat.

So, it’s just the three of you. Bucky, and Anastasia, and you. You’re cutting up fruit and washing berries for the pancakes he’s making while you also remotely monitor the tea. A minty brew, warm, topped with honey and lemon, sharp enough to wake lingering drowsiness while still soothing, syrup-soft. You know your stuff, and Bucky’s glad to have a change of pace after a fast week of too much too strong too sweet coffee, even if he chooses to have it that way.

This particular change of pace would give him whiplash if not for the fact that he got a good night’s sleep, Anastasia’s nightmares notwithstanding. It has strengthened his resolve to find her a child psychologist, somebody who can help her better than he can, once this ordeal with Tobias Zola is over and they are all safe.

He needs to keep her safe. It was her mother’s – no, her final caretaker’s – last wish and request, and now that they are tied by blood, it has become his. She really looks so much like him. Her hair hasn’t developed the same brown yet, it’s still a shade lighter, with hints of golden for the lesser age, the summer sun bleaching that has yet to pass. It’s curly like his never was, likely an affectation of whatever female contribution is in her genetics.

Her genetics. Bucky shakes his head at the frying pan. He doesn’t want to sound like one of the scientists that put her into this situation, into this cruel, cruel world.

A clearing of your throat breaks him out of the thought bubble, and he flips the last pancake out of the pan and onto a plate, much to Anastasia’s delight. The ensuing giggle is the closest thing he’s heard to laughter from the kid. That’s not good. Children need laughter. He makes himself, and Ana, a silent promise to be more uplifting.

“Do you think we could leave the Compound, today?” You ask, out of nowhere, as you place the assorted fruit on the table. Ana, whose hands is halfway to the strawberries, stops as she waits on Bucky’s answer. Clearly, this is something she wants, too. Who is he to deny them?

“Sure. Fury might want us to take some security measures, but we should be fine.”

-----

That’s how they wind up at an ice cream parlor by 10 am, after the security has been cleared with Fury and Sam, and the only addition to their little team is Lucky, a dog apparently shared by Clint and his protégé in the city, one Kate Bishop. They’ve been told that while not a trained security dog, Lucky has sensors that will let Kate know if they’re in danger, and she can provide and send further backup. The rest of the Avengers are busy with tracking down leads to Zola.

Bucky knows he can protect you and Ana just fine, should need be, and isn’t worried about the fact that the only bodyguard they’ve been provided with is canine. Ana has bonded with the dog and walks with one hand in the fur by its shoulder and the other in his own hand, her eyes flitting between the sights of the city and her companions. Her caretakers. Her guardians.

The ice cream place is a little business that another one of Steve’s children is working at on weekends. is a head shorter than Bucky, and terrifies the living wits out of him. She’s one hell of a people watcher, she has a sweet tooth and a thing for Jane Austen, and the world is lucky her foremost interest is in dessert making and not something far more nefarious, like say, espionage.

She greets Bucky at the door with a hug and shakes both your and Ana’s hands, and lets you all sit outside so you can be with Lucky. The rusty fall sun makes Lucky’s fur shine like spun gold and light Ana up in hues of ruby and topaz, and you turn your face to the light and sigh.

For a moment, the world is quiet. For a moment, the scent of sugar crystallizes on his face like the sensation of rightness does. And when it ends, it’s not with a crash landing. It’s a gentle reorientation. You open your eyes, look at him with immeasurable affection. Ana pets Lucky. Vivien says, “Let me know when you’re ready to order, Uncle Bucky,” and puts a menu on the table.

You decide on a mango ice cream shake, Bucky wants an Oreo sundae, and Ana, of course, demands the largest dish on the menu, the one whose picture is emblazoned across a good quarter of the laminated card. A massive ice cream and berry split.

When your order arrives, Anastasia laughs for the second time. Bucky thinks he should say something, make a joke, conversation, but in this moment, nothing else could feel so forced. He’s a man of few words and many services. That’s how he chooses to love, and Ana can see that. You can see that.

It's why you nod affirmingly when he meets your eyes over Ana’s mountain of ice cream. You carry entire sentences in your glances, words of silent confidence, the fuel he is feeding on right now.

-----

Ana is happy. The world, if for a few hours, is right. He knows it cannot last, even now, walking back to the car after a morning and afternoon of joy, arms laden down with bags of new things, treats he never had but can now provide. Despite the resignation that has started to weigh on him, he reminds himself: his daughter has a home. She will be safe, and he will take care of her, no matter what it takes.

-----

The car ride back is louder than he anticipated. You give the music a go, playing something by Raveena, a sweet voice he likes but that Ana talks over, making quite the chaotic symphony that he likes even more. Lucky contributes the occasional bright bark that makes Ana laugh, pausing her incessant chatter, if momentarily.

Mostly, she talks about what she saw, the things she has now started to process, asks questions about the stores she did not previously have the luxury to, presumably because her previous guardian didn’t have the means, and besides, they were on the run.

He’s grateful to her. Irene. Before he was confused but now it is obvious: Ana is his daughter, and he wants her as much as any other parent does their child, even if the way she was thrown into her life was unconventional, to say the least.

Looking at her in the rearview mirror as she twists in her seat to reach Lucky in the back, he knows he will move heaven and earth to remove the threats in her path. It makes him dangerous. It makes him a father.

“You okay?” You ask, following his gaze, and Bucky smiles, eyes returning to the road.

“Never better.”

Your hand finds his where it takes a break from the steering wheel to rest on his knee. He twists your joined hands until he can hold yours. Squeezes it, as if to say, thank you. As if to say, we’ll all be okay.

-----

Turns out, he’s wrong, and this is why you should never rely on routines. Promises are made to be broken. When they get back, the NYPD is waiting, and not to update them on the case. He sees the waiting handcuffs, and he knows you do, too.

You make the right move, trying to usher Ana out of the room with some excuse or other, but it’s too late. Her instincts have latched onto the fact that something is very, very wrong.

The DA says, “James Buchanan Barnes, you’re under arrest as a suspect in the murder of Irene Orlov,” and Ana screams, and screams, and screams.

Bucky tries not to close his eyes, knows it’s too late to put his hands over his ears as cuffs close around his wrists. Besides, he needs to show that he understands the charges, and yes, they’re reading him his Miranda rights, and yes, he understands.

He’s innocent. And his team will prove it. But it’s no use arguing with these people, so he goes silently, even as he hears Sam, Steve and Nat going at it with the police chief in the dull background of Ana’s roar. It’s no use. The police wouldn’t be here without reason, and they’ll let him go when his team finds them reason to.

Everything is going to be okay, he tells himself. It has to. Because he doesn’t know what he’ll do if it isn’t.

Bucky sees you, tear-sodden and holding onto a distraught Ana, in the reflection of the glass doors before they slide open.

[sixeyesgojo]

wait wait, but imagine Gojo with a younger sibling around the first years ages 😳 they'd probably grow up with the same veiws since he technically raised them

Summary: Gojo with a teenage sibling. (hc)

First of all... I don't really know why but I just wanna say I also see him raising his sibling, instead of his parents or caretakers (they barely did anything)... don't ask me why, it's just a vibe I get.

Gojo's sexy mindset about overthrowing the superiors because they fucking suck??? And pair it with a rebellious teenager phase??? BEHOLDDDDD. The sibling (pronouns they/them here) would be fucking savage. While Gojo still said things like "please" and was arguing rather 'formally' with the higher-ups, the little sibling would straight up say shit like, "yeah, no, I ain't gonna do that, fucking old geezers."... and they get summoned a lot because... reasons. They would be SO RUDE about it, to the point Gojo has to interfere and say something like, "Mind your manners!!". I know that's rich coming from him but he knows these fuckers will despise his little sibling and may even deliberately do something to harm them. Naturally, he doesn't want that, so he has to interfere here.

When they walk out of that chamber? Different story, they will laugh about the superiors. "I'd spit on their grave," Gojo says as he laughs. "Yeah, same. I hate the lot of them," they respond. They hate the people in power because they fuck up too much. Sending first-years to handle special grades? A no-brainer. The biggest reason why they hate the higher-ups is simple: the suffering those geezers put their brother through.

Gojo and his sibling would be the kind of siblings that fight from time to time but wouldn't hesitate to cut a bitch if needed...

In terms of strength: the sibling will be strong. Just like I said in my dad!Gojo hcs, Gojo will train his "little baby" at home, privately. He teaches them all the good stuff he knows they can handle. Definitely would not go easy on them either. Gojo would particularly focus on stamina training too, so they can hold out for a long time. Hand-to-hand combat is very important too. Do you reckon he would be able to explain Reversed Cursed Technique?

I don't know how it is in other countries but over here, you cannot teach a class where your direct relative is in... though I am not sure if this applies to Jujutsu Tech too since Jujutsu sorcerers are scarce and I imagine Jujutsu teachers would be even more rare.

But let's imagine he is their teacher too and they're in class with Yuji, Megumi and Nobara. Would he play favorites? Yes but actually no. He'd play favorites to fuck with the other three when it comes to food and so on. But work? Hard no. They will get the same treatment the other three get, if not even tougher missions. Gojo values the growth of a sorcerer and will not hesitate to take unconventional steps (*coughing in Volume 0*) to spur that growth on. They will curse at Gojo for doing that in their teenager years but as they grow older, they slowly understand that this was for their sake. Doesn't make it less unconventional though.

[ladym-17]

Whumptober ‘22 Masterlist

~Fic links round 2~

With a total of 10 fics, 10 fandoms, 22,595 words, and 31 prompts, voila: 

Barbed Veins (2306 words)

Day 1: A Little Out of the Ordinary (Unconventional Restraints) Day 17: Hanging by a Threat (Reluctant Caretaker) Day 18: Let's Break the Ice ("Just get it over with.")

Fandom: The Thundermans

Summary: Max was so close to falling asleep, only for him to hear knocking and find Phoebe bleeding on his doorstep. And no one qualified is picking up their phones... shit.

Content Warnings: Swearing, gore, and blood

Birthday Storm (3434 words)

Day 4: Dead on Your Feet (waking up disorientated) Day 9: They Very Noisy Night (caught in a storm) Day 11: "9-1-1, what's your emergency?" Day 12: What Could Go Wrong? (Cave in)

Fandom: Zero Chill

Summary: Mac convinces Kayla to let them go camping for their eighteenth birthday. Surely nothing can go wrong, right? Wrong. Mother Nature has other thoughts.

Content Warnings: blood, broken bones, minimal swearing, and lightning strikes

I’ve Run Through the Night for You  (1130 words)

Day 6: Proof of Life (screams from across the hall) Day 7: The Way You Shake and Shiver (shaking hands) Day 31: A Light at the End of the Tunnel (comfort)

Fandom: Ms. Marvel

Summary: After the wedding, it took Aamir a while to get used to sleeping with a woman. In that sense, yes, but also in the perfectly acceptable sense of there was someone in the bed with him now. 

He’d pull the blankets towards him, only for them to get tugged back. He’d roll over, and find another person there. It was an adjustment, and it was one he was only too happy to make because this was his wife. But needless to say, he was sleeping a little lighter than he used to.

Not that it mattered because when the screaming started he figured nothing short of chloroform could have him sleep through that. He shot up in bed, waking up Tyesha from where she’d been resting her head on his chest.  

Content Warnings: Nightmares, mentions of death/past death

This Building Reeks With Our History (2644 words)

Day 10: Poor Unfortunate Souls (Taser) Day 13: Can't Make an Omelette Without Breaking a Few Legs (Fracture) Day 30: Note to Self: Don't get Kidnapped (Hair grabbing)

Fandom: Z-O-M-B-I-E-S

Summary: There're still people at Mountain College who aren't happy with the integration. They take it out on Zed.

Content Warnings: one (1) swear word (it’s the b-one), violence, hate crime against a fictional group, non-graphic descriptions of forced experiments, broken bones, beating, electrification, insults.

Two Indestructible Forces (2305 words)

Day 5: Every Whumpee's Needs (Running out of air) Day 14: Die a Hero or Live Long Enough to Become a Villain (Desperate Measures) Day 27: Pushed to the Limit (Stumbling)

Fandom: Henry Danger

Summary: Ray had Schwoz build a doomsday, worst case scenario device. He’d hoped he wouldn’t have to use it.

Content Warnings: Death, blood, violence, mentions of a broken bone

You’re Worth the Risk (1887 words)

Day 3: Hair’s Breadth From Death (Gun to Temple/“Say goodbye”) Day 16: No Way Out (“No One’s Coming.”) Day 26: No One Left Behind ("Why did you save me?”)

Fandom: Mission Impossible

Summary: After Ethan gets shot rescuing Benji, Benji confronts him about whether or not he's worth the risk.(Spoiler alert: he is.)

Content Warnings: torture, hospitals, kidnapping, guns, swearing, broken bones, bullet wounds, self-esteem issues

Trust Doesn’t Always Blow Up in Your Face (3213 words)

Day 19: Enough is Enough (knees buckling) Day 21: Famous Last Words ("You're Safe Now") Day 28: It's Just the Tip of the Iceberg (Anger born of worry)

Fandom: Lab Rats

Summary: Chase and Adam wake up kidnapped by androids. They need something from Chase and they're desperate to get him to cooperate.

Content Warnings: Broken bones, kidnapping, violence, mentions of death

Give It Your All (919 words)

Day 8: Everything Hurts and I'm Dying (Stomach Pain) Day 20: It's Been a Long Day (Fetal Position) Day 24: Fight, Flight, or Freeze ("I don't want to do this anymore.")

Fandom: Girl Meets World

Summary: Riley's having her first few days at college. Josh comes to visit.

Content Warnings: Homesickness, anxiety

Skipping Scars (1282 words)

Day 2: Nowhere to Run (confrontation) Day 15: Emotional Damage (Lies/new scars) Day 29: What doesn't Kill Me (defiance/"better me than you")

Fandom: Mech-X4

Summary: Mark comes home from college to find Ryan's work-life balance has gone wrong.

Content Warnings: Swearing, arguing

Long Haul (3475 words)

Day 22: Pick Your Poison (Withdrawal) Day 23: At the End of Their Rope (Tied to a table) Day 25: Silence is Golden (Duct Tape)

Fandom: Supernatural

Summary: Demons force Sam to drink demon blood and force Dean to watch the process.

Content Warnings: Hallucinations, weapons, canon-typical violence, kidnapping, non-consensual drugs/demon blood, swearing.

[that-scouse-wizard]

Fireworks

Word count: 745

Tagging @whatwouldvalerydo because I know you were excited for this 💛

5th of November, 1987

To anyone who had been raised in the wizarding world, the fifth of November would be just an ordinary night. Yet for those familiar with the celebrations of muggle Britain, it was a special time of year indeed. A night filled with spectacles, celebrations and occasionally, pranks.

However this night at Hogwarts, a little piece of muggle history was going to be brought to the grounds of the school in a most unconventional way.

“So let me get this right,” Tulip stated, eyeing the sparkler curiously as she twirled it between her fingers, “Muggles have a celebration on the fifth November, burning an effigy of someone involved in a failed plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament, and now it’s complete with fireworks and these sparkler things?” 

“More or less.” David and Tonks shrugged as they replied in unison. The two half-bloods having the most familiarity with the holiday. 

“Muggles are weird, but awesome.” She resolved, practically bouncing with anticipation for the prank they were about to enact.

Tonight was a night the three of them were going to torment their common enemy, Argus Filch. All in the name of cheering Tulip up after her scare with the current curse afflicting the school shook her to he core. So far, it was working, the Ravenclaw thoroughly enjoying organising the plan they had put in place.

Leave a gift outside his office, really a fanged frisbee in a box and with any luck it would chase him all the way to the courtyard. Where he was to be greeted by a display of fireworks and a burning effigy of himself. Simple in execution but very entertaining in practice.

“Ready?” David said giving his two friends a conspiratorial smirk, returning it with grins of their own. Tulip eagerly held the lightly vibrating box, the vicious object inside clearly wanting to let its anger out on the next unfortunate soul to set eyes on it. 

Whilst David and Tonks hid behind a corner, Tulip quickly tip-toed to the door. She joined them after enacting her stage of the plan, almost unable to contain her giggles.

It didn’t take long for the door to the office to be flung open with surprising force. Filch’s perpetual scowl sweeping the corridor until he finally noticed the box. 

“Look at this Mrs. Norris. Finally, a gift for all our troubles, about time we got some respect from these little blighters.” That line nearly had the three pranksters guffawing that they thankfully silenced.

His beloved pet cat growled suspiciously at the package, yet Filch removed the top. Clearly she was just paranoid from the last few times this had happened.

Filch’s pleased, triumphant smirk rapidly switched to wide-eyed terror as the crocodile-skinned disc burst forth from its containment. “Agh! Another trick, run Mrs. Norris!” He blared, stumbling through the corridor in a panic as he desperately avoided the frisbee’s relentless assault. Though undyingly loyal to him, Mrs.Norris decided to spare her own hide as she bolted past the trio now emerging from their hiding spot. 

The caretaker couldn’t hear their laughing over his own terrified screams as their prank chased him down the exact corridor they were expecting him to go down. Following behind him as stealthily as a group of laughing teenagers could.

He threw himself to the stone flooring of the courtyard, the fanged frisbee whizzing over his head and flying off into the night sky to find something (or someone) else to harass. Finally breathing a sigh of relief, a peculiar sight now greeted him. 

A large humanoid shape that looked to be made of several stitched together pillows, hanging from a noose over the fountain. A cartoonishly angry face and mop adorning its head. Come to think of it it looked an awful lot like...

Him.

A cry of “Incendio” from behind him set the dummy alight, glowing briefly orange from the flames. Soon it bloated before popping like a balloon in a blinding rainbow of colours. Filch instinctively backed away from the heat, multicoloured streaks flying past him. By the time the light had died down, Filch was a mess of singed clothes and hair, covered head to toe in soot and coughing up a storm.

Triumphant in their prank, the three departed the scene before he could regain his bearings. Each taking out a sparkler and lighting it up in celebration.

“Well you two,” David chuckled, “I reckon tonight’s been very successful.”

[luna-helps-writing]

Could I please get an Lotr and The Hobbit Matchup?

☘️ 18yo Woman // Bisexual // Autistic and Disabled

☘️ I really love Mythology (Worldwide), Gardening, Home Remedies and Superstitions, Biology, Witchcraft and the Arts. I hope to begin crafting things like Jewelry, Weapons and Kilts, possibly even making a business out of them. I am also an avid writer and like to draw.

☘️ I’m interested in Witchcraft, such as working with Deities and Spirits, and performing magic that helps me and others. The first spell I ever performed was a healing spell for a sick friend, and not thirty minutes after I finished it, I got a text saying he felt a lot better, so I guess it must’ve worked!

☘️ Because of my Autism, I can be rather shy or quiet and quite blunt. I like explaining and teaching people things. I’m very polite but I have been known to go off when pushed enough. I’m also a bit of a trickster, unpredictable and wise in an unconventional way. I have the personality of “I never start shit, but I always finish it”. When you get to know me, I actually have a really good sense of humor and a spunky personality, but it can get buried under the nervousness a lot. I also have a strong sense of duty to others, I’m very protective over fellow misfits and am always kind and polite to those I deem worthy of it. I’m very conflict averse, but when I’m deeply upset enough, I go for the throat.

☘️ I am very short, with a fluffy mane of brown hair, blue eyes, crooked glasses, and pale skin with lots of scabs and moles all over it. I love to wear skirts, especially my red hand-me-down kilt, but that doesn’t limit my tomboy attitude at all

☘️ I have the bizarre ability to attract and befriend random animals. So far, I’ve befriended a stray cat named Diablo, a dog named Hans, a backyard snake, my pet rat Canoli, and a young horse named Fileo. People tell me that animals like me because I have “good vibes” and am very close with nature

☘️ I LOVE going outside and getting messy. Playing in the mud, getting soaked in the rain, I’m the type to go outside and come back home covered in dirt and twigs. It’s just really fun to me.

☘️ I have a habit of giggling to myself just by remembering something funny that happened, even if it was a couple years ago. I also laugh when I do something stupid, because I find my flaws and shortcomings funny for the most part. I love to laugh with people, but never at them. I never take myself too seriously, and I have a pet peeve for others who take themselves and silly things too seriously as well

☘️ My closest friends say I give off “Dwobbit” vibes. That’s a ½ Dwarf and ½ Hobbit btw. I’m around 4’ 10” tall, I don’t shave, I love crafting and art, I live in the Mountains, I’m tomboyish but I also love gardening and can be a bit of a homebody, I love going barefoot, etc.

☘️ I’m basically like a tiny, less-impressive Aragorn. I love travelling on foot, getting messy outside, I was kind of a Horse Girl as a kid ngl, I’ve always wanted to be a knight or king of some sort, chances are that I haven’t bathed in awhile, and I too would pine for a hot elf girl for literal years on end.

Sorry this description is so long, I hope you don’t mind! Thanks so much dear! 🤗🎉💕

Don’t worry about the long description! Thank you for your ask!

For the hobbit, I ship you with Fili!

• Personally, I believe that Fili would go absolutely crazy for witchcraft. His reaction at Tauriel when she healed Kili said enough for me.

• He would have no trouble helping you with your jewelry or weapons. It’s basically his expertise and he loves teaching you all about it!

• Your autism doesn’t bother him at all. He knows how to help, but he also knows exactly when to let you be. Comments that sometimes slip out seems normal to him, as he grew up with a brother who might’ve had the same issue....

• Often takes walks with you. You’ll go anywhere and everywhere. Sometimes, when he feels bold, he’ll launch at you, pushing you into the mud or into the water. Not that you mind. You drag him with you before he can take a step back!

• Your laugh might yet be one of his favorite things. There’ll be times when the two of you are sitting quietly and you suddenly let out a giggle. He cannot help but smile at you and join your laughter, even if he has no idea what’s so funny.

• And last, but very not least, he is an amazing caretaker. He will join you in fun activities, but he will know when and where to draw a line. He’ll remind you to take baths, and if you decline, he’ll probably propose to join you.

For Lord of the Rings, I ship you with Aragorn!

• This sweetheart barely knows any life outside the wilds. Traveling with you would be amazing for him! He’ll show you the prettiest places in Middle-Earth and introduce you to the greatest animals to walk around. (To which you interact with in a great way, much to his surprise.)

• He himself knows a thing or two about home remedies and biology, but your witchcraft takes him by surprise. Sure, he has seen it before, but now he personally knows someone who is great at it!

• It is absolutely no surprise that traveling with a ranger can get messy at times, but you don’t mind at all. Sometimes, he’ll just brood off into the distance and you’ll throw something at him like a pinecone or a piece of mud. He sees this as an immediate challenge and will not stop chasing you until you surrender.

• Aragorn loves how blunt you are. Sometimes, you can’t help it, but he won’t mind the comments at all. He appreciates them. There are multiple times where you’re very shy, but he’ll stand up for you, urging the person to talk to him and not to you.

• He teases you a lot about your laughing. There will be times where you suddenly laugh, and he’ll imitate you, which makes you laugh even harder.

• The two of you together are a great combo! He is there to help when you need it, while you do the exact same for him, because even our favorite ranger sometimes needs help, though he will not confess it.

My second choice was Éowyn, but Aragorn seemed a better fit to me.

• Often play fights with you. It’s great for your entertainment and great for her sparring experience.

• Seems like a sweetheart, but if anyone dares mock you, you can count on her to rain hellfire upon that person. You will definitely need to calm her down.

• Might he the most blown-away person by your witchcraft. She will buy you all sorts of gifts to help you. Sometimes she’ll bring something that you don’t really need, but you appreciate it nonetheless and proudly display it.

• LOVES HEARING ABOUT MYTHOLOGY. Before you go to bed, the nights are spend by you telling Éowyn stories. It could be about anything, but she is all ears. She even has a little notebook where she writes the things down you say. It’s truly adorable.

I hope it was to your liking! Have a great day and stay safe please❤️

[wisteria-lodge]

Character Analysis: Sorting Pirates of the Caribbean

So @sortinghatchats is brilliant. Absolutely my favorite character (and person!) analysis system. Instead of one house, you get two - a PRIMARY (your motivation, why you do things), and a SECONDARY (your toolbox, how you get things done.) Here is a very stripped down refresher, and here is my explanation for why I am saying Lion, Bird, Badger and Snake instead of the names of the Hogwarts houses. 

IDEALIST PRIMARY Lion - I do what I feel is right. (MORAL) Bird - I do what I decide is correct. (LOGICAL) LOYALIST PRIMARY Badger - I do what helps my community (PEOPLE MATTER) Snake - I do what helps me/my inner circle (MY PEOPLE MATTER)

IMPROVISATIONAL SECONDARY Lion - Charge! React! Smash the system! Snake - Transform, adapt, find the loophole. BUILT SECONDARY Bird - Plan, make tools, gather information. Badger - Community-build, caretake, call in favors.

Now let’s talk Pirates of the Caribbean! I’m mostly focusing on the first film because it’s the best and my favorite, but I do mention 2 and 3.

***

Jack Sparrow is the classic Snake secondary. He’ll improvise an escape, improvise a weapon, wait for “the opportune moment.” He’s never fought fair in his life and doesn’t feel the tiniest bit bad about it. He’s silver-tongued. When he’s in a tight spot, he’ll tell you exactly what he thinks you want to hear. And if he knows you don’t trust him, he’ll reverse-psychology you on purpose.

It’s hard to see past his theatrical, charming, over-the-top way of doing things, and that’s on purpose. The last time Jack told someone what he actually wanted, he got himself marooned. No wonder he “plays things close to the vest now,” living in his secondary, and making people guess his motives. 

At first he appears totally pragmatic, always on the side of the person who can give him the most stuff. But I don’t buy it. Jack Sparrow has a weird code of honor. Maybe not one he’s comfortable with (“you can never predict when an honest man is going to do something incredibly… stupid.”) But it’s there. The way he’s introduced - alone, respectfully saluting hanged pirates – that’s letting us know it’s not just his own freedom he values.

I like that little moment after he rescues Elizabeth when he makes it clear that she doesn’t owe him anything. “I saved your life, you saved mine, we’re square” implies that there’s a right way to do things, and that the wrong way is making people feel obligated. Jack has similar moments with Gibbs. Every time he says “keep to the Code,” he’s reaffirming that no one has to save him. When his crew abandons him, Jack shrugs and says, “They’ve done what’s right by them. Can’t ask for more than that.” 

This means that Jack Sparrow has a Lion primary. But he’s a pirate, so his felt morality is less right vs. wrong and more free vs. trapped. Apart from that he’s actually kind of a classic Lion - perfectly happy on his own, so long as he doesn’t have to compromise his morals. In a deleted scene we learn that he turned pirate because he refused to be a slave ship captain, and that’s in character. He only wants the Black Pearl because the Black Pearl is freedom. That’s the message he teaches, as an unconventional mentor. He cuts Elizabeth out of her literal corset, and prods Will out of his figurative one.

(and a magic compass that points to whatever Jack wants most is a gorgeous metaphor for a Lion primary, guided by their feelings and intuition. Their internal compass).

Elizabeth Swann has a pirate’s soul. She ends the story as Pirate King. But when we meet her, she is a high-class lady deeply suspicious of the rules. She’s not on board with the latest fashions, eager to ditch her table manners, and she’s real friendly with Will - even though it makes her father bluster, “The setting is not entirely proper!” Miss Elizabeth Swann is stifled by her situation (her corset is too tight.) She’s got a whole life planned out for her, and it’s a nice life. Port Royal is a nice city and Norrington is a nice guy. But still. The thought that this is where things are going makes her uncomfortable. 

Elizabeth wants to be able to act based on her gut responses. And as long as the pirates are also doing this, she’s on board. But she ditches the Pirate Code the moment it contradicts her own internal felt morality.

ELIZABETH: All of you with me. Will is in that cave and we must save him! (…) GIBBS: There’s the Code to consider. ELIZABETH: The Code. You’re pirates. Hang the Code, and hang the rules. They’re more like guidelines anyway.

She’s been using the pirate way of life as a way to justify and explain the way she’s always felt. And when you put things in that order (I like this system because it supports what I already know to be true) that’s a Lion primary. Also, the advice her dad gives her is just so perfect for a Lion: “Even a good decision if made for the wrong reasons can be a wrong decision.” You’re doing the smart thing Elizabeth, not the thing you feel is right. It’ll make you miserable. Stop it.

When it comes to secondaries, Elizabeth definitely has some Bird skills. She collects data (about pirates), and can put a plan into action. But it’s a model. When she’s in trouble, when things are serious, she goes improvisational Snake secondary all the way. Elizabeth lies to Barbossa, tells Norrington what he wants to hear, pretends to be drunk to put Jack off his guard. She improvises weapons, and she plays into “proper lady” stereotypes so people underestimate her. Gibbs actually recognizes this, and calls Elizabeth “daft like Jack.”

Elizabeth and Jack do house-match, which is why they always seem to get each other. Elizabeth can pin Jack down and make him give her a straight answer. She’s the only one who can consistently trick him. And when she kills him – well, he forgives. Easily. It’s never even a thing. If he had been in Elizabeth’s place he would have done exactly the same thing, and he knows it. And he knows she knows it.

(it’s kind of neat how at the end of the first movie, the two of them are trapped by Norrington, then freed by Norrington, and go off to form the core of their respective pirate crews.)

Will Turner is a charging Lion secondary who deals with challenging situations by laying all his cards on the table and throwing his sword at something. This makes him a really good foil for the Snake secondary leads, and I will never get tired of watching Jack make faces, and say variations of “how about this time we don’t just run in screaming, yeah?”

JACK: Do us a favor. I know it’s difficult for you, but please, stay here. And try not to do anything… stupid.”

WILL: Let her go! BARBOSSA: You’ve only got one shot, and we can’t die. JACK: Don’t do anything stupid… WILL: You can’t. I can! JACK: … like that.

JACK: So what’s your plan then? WILL: I row over there, search the ship until I find your bloody key. JACK: And if there are crewmen? WILL: I cut down anyone in my path.

To be fair, Will does start off with a Badger secondary model. Badgers care about things being fair, and Will gets annoyed at Jack for cheating, and annoyed at Elizabeth for stealing the medallion. He’s also really leaning into the hard work aspect of the Badger secondary by practicing sword fighting three hours a day. But this doesn’t seem to be a secondary that’s especially good for him. It makes him tense and uptight, and by the end of the first film he’s completely thrown it off.

I really considered a Snake primary for him, based on how single-mindedly he goes after Elizabeth. Movies 2 and 3 just keep throwing Loyalist conflicts at him. (Will can stay with Elizabeth or save his father, but he can’t do both!) But I think he’s actually a Badger primary.

This boy cares about his communities a lot. He doesn’t think he can be with Elizabeth (even though she clearly likes him) because of “propriety.” He believes society when society tells him she’s out of his league. He covers for a boss who spends most of his time passed-out drunk, probably out of a sense of loyalty, or because he feels that’s what he’s supposed to do. He starts off the film completely dehumanizing pirates, but slowly learns his lesson –  a very Badger primary character arc. And then, when Will rescues Jack at the end, it’s not because Jack is his (the way a Snake primary would parse it) but because Jack is a good man who isn’t being treated right.

(also the “part of the ship, part of the crew” refrain that Will’s new crew chants as he takes over for Davy Jones is very… dark Badger magic. You are becoming part of the whole.)

Hector Barbossa is the definition of a Burnt Primary. He can’t want. He can’t allow himself to want. Wanting is off the table. (because he is an undead skeleton.)

However, I do think that when Barbossa is healthy and y’know, not cursed, he’s a Snake primary. His beloved monkey is a little nod to the sorts of Snakey bonds he would like to form, but isn’t able to at the moment. Apart from that, he values self-care, and is a bit of a hedonist. He likes pretty things. He likes putting Elizabeth in pretty dresses. He likes elegantly prepared food, antique furniture, and nice hats. (Things start getting serious in the sword fight after Jack cuts off his feather.) This is why I think his redemption arc is so funny. Once his primary unburns, and he’s able to want things safely, he pretty much becomes a happy-go-lucky good guy overnight. And you know, I completely buy it.

As for secondary, I’m going with Badger. Barbossa community builds (he’s a much better captain than Jack.) He gives morale raising speeches. Leader of a mutiny is pretty classic dark Badger stuff. Marooning Jack, and dropping Bootstrap Bill into the ocean tied to a canon are both very ruthless, very public acts that are all about weaponizing community as a way to dehumanize your enemies and cement your power.

James Norrington starts out very Establishment (like Elizabeth.) But unlike Elizabeth, he seems to enjoy the way he can just see his life all laid out. Work his way up, become Commodore, marry the governor’s daughter. He proposes the second after he gets his promotion, it really is like he’s working from a checklist. It’s a very rigid Bird primary.

And he follows the law: “One good deed is not enough to redeem a lifetime of wickedness.” But more than that, he is comforted by following the law. When Jack tempts him into going after the Black Pearl, Norrington is clearly feeling it – but says there are things he values more than his own gut responses.

JACK: Think about it… the last real pirate threat in the Caribbean, mate. How can you pass that up? NORRINGTON: By remembering that I serve others, Mr. Sparrow, not only myself.

This is such a great illustration of the difference between a Lion and Bird primary. A Bird’s higher power lives outside of them (and as we see here, that can make them really hard to tempt, bribe, or corrupt). But a Lion’s higher power is inside them, always. At the end of the film, Norrington adapts his system into something that looks a lot more Lion primary (this is a universe that likes Lions, and Norrington likes Lions too). But he’s still very, very Bird.

Governor Swann tells him that “perhaps on the rare occasion that the right course demands an act of piracy, piracy itself might be the right course,” and Norrington takes that in, sees the actions of Elizabeth, and says - okay. Maybe hunt all pirates always isn’t the perfect system I thought it was. Jack Sparrow tends to leave the world better than he found it, so it’s best to let him go. This change doesn’t seem upsetting to him, he doesn’t need to justify or explain it. It’s just obvious. Norrington reacts exactly the same when he learns that Elizabeth is not in love with him. He absorbs this new information, tells her that he understands, and walks away. When Lions change their minds, the process is a heck of a lot more emotional.

Then in the next film, the people around him don’t support his new Truth, and force Norrington to continue doing things he has discovered that he finds morally objectionable. And so he resigns his commission, burns, and goes into freefall, grasping at the systems he sees around him, trying to find something to hold onto. He seems like he might be beginning to build a more stable Truth – but dies before he can manage it. The sequels did Norrington dirty.

I actually want to say he’s a Badger secondary. At his most desperate and lost, his instinct is to join Jack’s crew. At his most powerful, he’s quietly calling in all his favors and getting the entire Royal Navy to look for Elizabeth. These are both versions of the same thing – leveraging community and connections to get things done. 

tl;dr

Jack Sparrow – Lion primary that sees “freedom” as the ultimate good, with a bit of an amoral, pragmatic Snake primary performance so people don’t find that out / Snake secondary

Elizabeth Swann –  Stifled Lion primary living in a situation where she’s not allowed to act on her instincts. Runs after pirates every chance she gets, because the ‘pirate life’ allows her to do just that / Snake secondary, Bird secondary model 

Will Turner – Badger primary / Lion secondary, Badger secondary model that Jack gets him to drop.

Hector Barbossa – Burnt Snake primary that un-burns when the curse that doesn’t allow him to want things is lifted / Badger secondary

James Norrington – Rigid by-the-books Bird primary that changes to something that looks a lot more Lion, before it burns in the sequels / Badger secondary

[sableflynn]

I just noticed that you reblogged that whump ask game the other day. If you’re still up to answering some, how about 6 through 9?

Hi!! Totally! Thanks for asking!

What are the traits of your ideal whumpee? I like a lot of different types, but I think what I'm drawn to the most is quiet resilience. Not the loud in your face defiant type, not the stoic type, not the ""broken"" weepy type. Just someone who is doing her best in a shitty situation, who is scared and in pain and overwhelmed, but still manages to hold onto some core within herself. Surviving however she can and never totally giving up hope for better days. Taking her small victories where she can get them. idk! I like em with that unconventional understated strength. Also cute girls.

What are the traits of your ideal whumper? Ok we all know the answer. It's mean man. Specifically what really gets me is the dynamic of power & control. I love a whumper who is so easily confident of his control of the situation. Laughs off any attempts at defiance, because he knows they won't make a single difference. Holds every card and plays them in the worst way. The most infuriating confidence, and it'll be his downfall in the end 🥰

What are the traits of your ideal caregiver? I'm a little fuzzier on this one? I think for me in the type of stuff I typically read/write, there's not like a strongly defined Caretaker who dotes on the whumpee. It's more like, different people close to her, who are all doing their best. I like a caretaker who's flawed and dealing with their own issues, but also genuinely cares and is doing the best they can with what they have. Just a bunch of hurt people all trying to help each other!

Which archetype do you identify with the most: the whumpee, the whumper, or the caregiver? Hahahaaa I love the whumpee! There's something appealing about going through a horrible situation, getting knocked around a bunch, and then having people who love you support you as you build yourself back up. Oh to be trapped in a mean man's torture basement, only to be saved from a horrific fate by my ragtag group of friends who bring me back to our cool shared apartment and nurse me back to health 🥰