#sorry most of those don't have common names I'm aware of!

[onenicebugperday]

@darth-moth submitted: Hello, I try not to be affraid of spiders, insects, bugs, etc. so I want to know what species is he from

And I am also curious of what thier is exact names

All photos were taken in [removed] ([removed], remove this please). And thank you.

Hi there! I'm glad you're trying not to be afraid of bugs! I can't promise exact species IDs since I'm not super familiar with the bugs in your location but I'll do my best.

I assume the first two photos are the same spider; looks like a ground spider in the genus Scotophaeus, most likely a mouse spider, Scotophaeus blackwalli.

The moth looks like a pyralid moth, Synaphe moldavica. The next beetle is a scarab beetle, probably in the genus Anisoplia. The beetle after that is a weevil, Pseudocleonus cinereus.

Dunno offhand on the next little moth, but the beetle on the flower in photo 7 is a yellow-legged thick-legged flower beetle, Oedemera flavipes. Yes, that's the real common name. Not sure why they needed to put "legged" in there twice. The two moths following that are geometer moths, but they're not distinct enough for me to say offhand which species they are. And finally the last beetle looks like a blister beetle, Mylabris crocata.

Thanks for sharing!

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Off the Page 1

Warnings: non/dubcon and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

Characters: skinny!Steve

Part of the Bookstore AU

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

Maria brings you your travel cup as you acknowledge her with a quiet thanks under your breath. You try not to turn your attention from the person on the other side of the table. You keep your rehearsed smile in place, nodding as you open the cover of their book and write their name inside before leaving a message and your signature below. They ramble on but you don't mind so much, their passion is entirely flattering.

You still can't believe this is your life. You're a writer. Not that freelancer knocking out commissions for pennies, by an author. It's your second novel and by your publisher's declaration, a hit. You suppose you wouldn't be on a book tour if it wasn't.

You pause to have a sip of coffee. You've been here all morning. That there were people lined up before opening assured you of the long day but it just doesn't seem to stop. At the end, you're set to do a reading and giveaway a collector's edition of the book. Your longing for your hotel room only grows deeper as your hand cramps and your eyes sting.

The next reader steps up, his book well-worn and clutched in his slender hands. He's thin and short, with a swoop of blonde hair over his forehead.

"H-hi," he sputters as he goes to set his book on the table but it hits the edge and falls to the floor, "oh, s-sorry, I'm sorry."

He's almost frantic as he bends to retrieve it and places it in front of you. You smile at him as one of the store's branded bags dangles from his elbow. He has to buy a book to get a signature. You pull his well-read copy towards you, the cover wrinkled and the spine cracked.

"You know, I could sign both..." you offer, "since you spent the extra money."

"Oh, oh, n-no, that's... that's okay. Um, thanks. Just that one." He smooths his hair with a shaky hand, "sorry, I've been awake since two in the morning. Too much caffeine."

"Tell me about it," you kid as you hold his book open, "I can tell you really liked the book."

"Ye-yeah, yeah, so much," he seems ready to burst as his blue eyes light up, "you know, I really love Emeris. He... I don't want to be lame but... he's like me. You know?"

"Oh, yeah," you agree kindly, "he's one of my favourites."

"Most writers -- I read a lot -- they always have the typical hero. Big and brawny, but you mad Emeris strong in other ways."

"I tried," you reply. "Anything in particular you want me to put here?"

"I... I can't think of anything," his eyes go wide, "I've been looking forward to this forever and I didn't think."

"That's okay," you assure him and uncap your pen, 'Keep on the path, my brave Emeris,' you weave onto the page. You sign your name and slide the novel across to him.

He takes it and opens it, reading as his nervousness breaks into a smile. He peeks up at you, closing the book to bring against his chest.

"Thank you!" He beams.

"No problem, you sticking around for the Q&A?"

"Oh yeah, my friend wants to go get a snack but we'll be back," he proclaims. "Thanks so so much."

"Yeah, no worries," you subtly look to the line.

"Oh, uh, I won't keep you any longer," he waves his hand apologetically, "can't wait for your reading."

"See ya," you return and turn to the next person, a girl in deep red plaid, a brand new copy plopped down before you.

You just have another hour until you get to sit in front of all these stranges and try not to get tongue-tied. It should be easy by now but those butterflies in your stomach still flutter. More coffee, next book.

📖

The Q&A goes about as well as any other. It was good fun but entirely exhausting. You're ready to just go as the winter sky darkens fast outside the bookstore windows. Maria stops you to talk about your train ride tomorrow and the next venue. You beg her to let you go back to the hotel.

"I told you it was going to be a lot," she chuckles.

"You did. And just like you said, I'm tired, so please, I have a tub with jets waiting for me."

"Just make sure you don't stay up all night writing your next bestseller," she winks.

"You're telling me to get sleep?"

"I'm a great sleeper, I just happen to sleep best while commuting," she shrugs, "fine, go. I'm just going to talk to the owner quick."

"Alright," you utter through a yawn and cover your mouth, "I'll see you tomorrow."

You leave the bookstore and the chill air blows into your open coat. You shiver and clutch the strap of your bag. The bright sign of a Korean shop catches your eye. You're so tired of the bland hotel room service, you can spare ten minutes and a couple bucks.

You cross the street and enter the shop. The lights are low and the din is soft. You approach the counter, perusing the menu laminated on top and order some hoison noodles.

You hear muffled chatter from the corner and sway, trying to ignore it. After paying, you move over to wait for your take-out. As you do, you sense someone watching you. You peer over and see an eerily familiar set of blue eyes. It takes you a moment to recall the skinny man from the signing.

He's with another sat across from him. A bigger man with dark hair and wide shoulders. He shakes his head and catches the blond's hand before he can wave at you. He hisses something at him and you quickly look away.

You're still getting used to that. It doesn't happen too often but it's still awkward. You face the counter and take out your phone, a way to make yourself look busy.

You try not to hear but it's so quiet in the place, "Steve, quit, she doesn't wanna talk to you."

"I know. I just wanted to say hi," the hiss blows back.

Your order number is called and you grab it with a thanks, eager to flee before the situation can devolve. As you go to the door, you hear a groan under the jingle of the bell above you.

"Great, Buck, you always got be a buzz kill..."

You don't look back as you walk away from the shop, searching out a taxi as the smell of the noodles torture your empty stomach. You might just fall asleep before you can enjoy your prize.

[daipeanutsaiban]

Hello! Um I know it's been a few months since you said people could ask you more questions on your tgaa thoughts, but I was hoping to ask about your baskerzieks and genshinxwife ones. Like how they met, or what their last in person convos went like before each couple separated/died, etc, bc I really adore your Lady B & Mrs. Asougi designs! They deserved first names 😭

Also I'd love to hear your genklint/ville thoughts too if you care to share those!

ALSO I wanted to say you're 100% correct that if Kazuma & Klint ever actually met good ending au Kazuma would think he's the most annoying person alive. It's funny if genklint is platonic or romantic too, it's like Herlock Sholmes is right there and instead Kazuma thinks his dad's bf (best friend OR boyfriend lol) is significantly worse. Something something hating your parallel

Anyway no pressure, and sorry if you aren't looking to answer more questions at this time!

HI i love to yap and to yap about dgs especially so you're good haha <3 i'm the kind of person who needs to be asked tbh bc i tend to be self conscious/doubt myself so questions are always super appreciated 🥹💗 this post got LONG so i'm going to put it under a break to spare anyone who's just here for art or trying to look at memes during their lunch break

TL;DR: klint and primrose were engaged as kids but it was broken off upon his parents' death, it was renewed when he earned prestige as a prosecutor; their last conversation was when primrose forced him to confess his crimes to her but she'd started having doubts months ago; in my favorite hc, gkv never pursued one another beyond dropping hints here and there but because i am bisexual i also want them to have fun; genshin and yukari met by chance as teens and genshin had to convince his father to let them marry each other after finding out she was pregnant; he could never say his last words to her because writing about the professor's identity could've endangered her and kazuma.

first of all thank you so much, it makes me so happy when people enjoy my designs and characterizations for lady baskerville and mrs asougi!! for clarity, i'll be calling them by the names i gave them in this post, primrose and yukari respectively.

klint and primrose's engagement was decided by their parents and they met as children- i think they were probably feeling awkward around each other for a while since children don't really care about such things (right..?) and primrose actually chose to spend her time reading when her father would take her to visit, and she might've even been more interested in talking/playing with barok because there wouldn't be the daunting idea of an engagement looming on the horizon lol. eventually, she and klint do grow closer and come to consider each other friends thanks to him putting in a lot of effort to make her feel welcome and also have more fun (she finds him boring- i characterize klint as having been a very serious and dutiful child, though he does play with and dote on his brother).

when the van zieks parents die in my hc, losing their life in a fire specifically, primrose's father chooses to cancel their engagement because he doubts klint can suitably provide for his daughter- a cruel but logical decision as klint is just fourteen years old with no backing or achievements. as an aside, the fire is declared to be an unfortunate accident but klint silently believes it was premeditated- this incident contributes to him considering prosecution as a career. out of care for his brother, he never brings up this idea to barok.

still, primrose is a very clever child who's acutely aware that her father's doting is a form of control (such as making her wear beautiful, white clothes to easily find out if she's been sneaking out, which i think i talked about before), and she insists on meeting klint either at his estate or in the city while they both (and occasionally barok) wear disguises/common clothes. the latter option allows them to meet people outside of their social caste, and to develop a sympathy for them from an early age which also contributes to klint's growing bitterness towards other nobles. throughout his struggle to be taken seriously by these men in spite of his age, primrose continuously encourages him and even spies on her father's meetings with other gentlemen to then report to him, and this continues in their adult life with her reporting rumors and "gossip" from other ladies about their own husbands (with perhaps dire consequences in the long run, haha...)

primrose has ambitions of her own, though, many of which are philanthropic in nature and stem from guilt at being born in a wealthy household to a father who does not care about people other than his own. they are difficult to achieve as an unmarried woman (or even as a woman in general), as her father would never greenlight her ideas, and as such she becomes enraged with klint when he allows the engagement to be dispelled due to believing she would ultimately "be happier with someone else" when it would effectively condemn any ounce of freedom she could have. from primrose's perspective, klint is the only candidate for marriage because he actually respects her and understands her as a person.

their engagement was eventually reinstated following klint's multiple achievements, chiefly when he made a name for himself as an extremely prolific prosecutor and primrose's father couldn't really object to it (ha) anymore. when i researched, i learned that men in the victorian era would commonly get married in their thirties once their careers were established, and i especially like that for this couple because it means that genshin could've attended their wedding. (it's also amusing to picture klint pitching him as the best man while primrose is firmly in barok's camp and they have a silly spat about that, haha. but ngl i prefer genshin as their best man because it was tradition that the best man would drive the married couple to their month long honeymoon directly after the ceremony so. he could stay behind a little while if you catch my meaning. teehee)

on the topic of genklintville, my ultimate preference/personal "canon" is that they never outright acted upon their romantic or sexual interests in one another although the tension was clearly there. but like any bisexual on the internet, i like to indulge a little bit, as shown in my previous paragraph hehe. i like to imagine a kind of kinship between genshin and primrose as they are interested in similar literature and share a similar sense of humor as well (chiefly teasing klint- in a deadpan manner for genshin). klint and primrose tend to dote on genshin in a way they think is discreet, because they can sense his loneliness at being apart from his family even though he generally doesn't voice it, but as we all know genshin isn't a fool and it leaves him quite flustered haha. genshin also relates to klint in the way that they are both heirs to something "greater than them" (the asogi clan/the van zieks heritage) and sometimes yearn to break away from it which might contribute to why genshin left for london if the first place. i'd like to add that if i draw genklint without primrose present, it's taking place with her knowledge and consent, though them being pushed to cheating due to increasing stress or suchlike circumstances is an interesting angle- it's just not something i see myself making at present. though now saying that has made me think about the ways it could be fun to explore the way klint's lying and gaslighting keeps piling up, so what's one more lie? so i'd be interested in reading a story that would attest to his guilt from committing the act and his gaslighting towards not only his wife but also to himself, hmm. the best way that i can put it is that if i'm to explore gk without the v, she must be a relevant character because i'm not about to discard a canon female love interest to focus solely on the yaoi lmao.

now for genshin and yukari, or genyu for short as i like to call it in my head (lol)... there's a lot to cover here too 😵‍💫 some of this, particularly the stuff concerning ayame, is still undecided on but i thought the more context the better!

to understand their dynamic, it feels important to state/repeat my headcanons about the asogi clan aka genshin's immediate family beyond her and kazuma, which were mentioned here. but to summarize, they are very patriarchal, strict, and the type to suppress their emotions. genshin is his father's illegitimate child, and his real mother is... hm, well, she won't ever appear in my art because it's suitable for her character, but she's a high ranking courtesan, aka "oiran", and therefore pregnancy/being a mother could bring shame to her and likely ruin her livelihood, because they are meant to project the image of being unattainable both in appearance.. and price. her disappearing for some months to a year wouldn't be all that suspicious as few men can even afford to meet her.

because the oiran brings the House where she works good money, they help her cover up her pregnancy and her son's existence by sending him to live with his father as soon as possible. once, genshin tries to visit his mother, but he is turned away. in short, his first experience was to be abandoned by someone who was supposed to love him. i think this backstory also serves to give reason to his name (written with the kanji 'shadow' and 'truth') because he is a truth meant to be hidden by the government. if you think about his father giving him that name, it becomes quite sad and implies shame for bringing his son into the world. i think it would also justify the personality i like for him, which is more reserved and serious than how i portray the rest of the visiting trio (with a boisterous but ambitious seishiro and a downtrodden but shy and earnest yuujin), and with a greater disposition for being suspicious... which is naturally a good thing for a detective.

genshin's father's wife lost her life to an illness some years prior to genshin integrating into the asogi clan, which is why he sought comfort from the oiran. to avoid unsavory rumors and to preserve both women's reputation, syoma (genshin's father) forbids his son from venturing outside of the house - paralleling primrose's childhood, which they could bond over later in life - until he turns a certain age. he's the dark sheep of the clan, to make it short. it's by sneaking out as a child that he meets seishiro, and then yukari who is accompanying ayame.

as an aside, i want to add that while syoma holds misogynistic beliefs, he still feels a sense of responsibility so he does eventually pay off the oiran's debt in the end- not that she's particularly grateful since he led her on and made her promise not to abort his child without ever planning to marry her. not a great guy, but def a fun character to write. those are things genshin deduces in his teenage years, and he swears to never become like his father.

as for yukari, her family history is also nebulous, and i don't know if i even want to establish her circumstances before meeting ayame and genshin because i like the meta irony of those details remaining unknown to us just as they were unknown to those around her outside of how she is tied to other people. ayame's friend, genshin's wife, kazuma's mother- never her own person. she reaches a breaking point during genshin's absence, but i won't go into detail about that for now because it's part of a long project of mine. what i can say about her is that she does housework for ayame's family in exchange for room and board, but she's not categorized as a servant because ayame cherishes her, a privilege that makes her feel awkward at times.

genshin fell for her due to her frank and joyful approach to life which was so different from the outlook he was raised on, and she piqued his curiosity with her unusual and often "silly", but free, behavior. he has the utmost respect for her, which is why as much as i like gkv and think it could work in a modern au with yukari's inclusion/approval + rapid methods of communication, i think realistically genshin wouldn't have the heart to start anything with someone else when she is waiting for his every letter so far away. he wouldn't be able to read the expression on her face, and she could easily lie about being okay with it.

in this wikipedia article about marriage in japan in the edo period (1600-1868), it reads: "Members of the household were expected to subordinate all their own interests to that of the [household], with respect for an ideal of filial piety and social hierarchy. [...] Marriages were duly arranged by the head of the household, who represented it publicly and was legally responsible for its members, and any preference by either principal in a marital arrangement was considered improper."

you might've guessed where i'm going with this, but genshin's father had already chosen a wife for him, and that person was ayame, who is from a 'good' family. obviously that marriage didn't go through with yukari becoming pregnant at 18 or 19 (!!), and syoma capitulated to genshin's request that he be given permission to marry his girlfriend which only further strained his relationship with his father further. as for ayame, she was fortunate that the man she was interested in was studying medicine, and therefore struggled less for her family to accept yuujin as her husband. but for yukari, although she knows genshin doesn't love ayame, there's always that nagging feeling that she was the "wrong" choice. after all, she has to witness the interactions between genshin and his family every day, and her presence is often the source of tension. her only rock after ayame's death and genshin's departure is her son, who starts rejecting spending time with her as he grows older because, well, he's a teenager (something i want to expand on in that project i mentioned).

in yukari's case, she was never able to read her husband's last words as even writing about the professor's identity could endanger hers and kazuma's lives, but perhaps genshin had promised he would briefly return at the half-way point of his stay overseas and then ended up having to break that promise by choosing to investigate the professor killings before eventually losing his life. yukari's feelings of helplessness were confirmed as the truth in her eyes then.

as for primrose and klint's last conversation, it's been sitting in my wips for a while LOL. i def think she had her suspicions, and when she finally gathered her courage to confront him, he broke down and told her the truth. i've revised this comic and especially its dialogue so many times that i don't even know if i like it anymore, please pray for me 😅

It's funny if genklint is platonic or romantic too, it's like Herlock Sholmes is right there and instead Kazuma thinks his dad's bf (best friend OR boyfriend lol) is significantly worse.

this made me laugh LMAO honestly kazuma would be so petty about it meanwhile i feel like he'd get along super well with the man's own wife 😂 i also think that as an adult kazuma would admire his father less and even be a bit of a tsundere lol, but yeah in a No One Dies/Good Ending AU(tm) he'd probably resent genshin a little for leaving him and his mother, whose struggles he witnessed firsthand for ten years. hell, maybe he does resent him in the current circumstances even if it's not the dominant emotion when it comes to his father, it of course being grief... still. lord van zieks get your paws off my dad!! 🙄💢 also if genshin starts reciprocating the attention kazuma might start killing LOL

...this answer is now well over 2000 words and i still feel like i'm leaving things out i feel CRAZY omg. autism diagnosis unnecessary atp lmfao.

also just found this in my #yukanotes i should've just copy pasted all this augh. i love yukari very much she is extremely dear to me. 😊💗

thanks again for your questions I'M SORRY IT'S SO LONG....... i DO love to yap 🥹🥹💗

[draw-your-self-ship]

Welcome to Draw Your Self Ship!!

-> This is a blog for self shippers to find and submit art prompts for their ships, F/Os, self inserts, AUs, and more! Gushing is also welcome and highly encouraged, no passes required!! Feel free to use this as a sort of imagines blog if you aren't a visual artist or creator as well!

-> This blog is run by an adult, but will NEVER have NSFW or any dark content. All ages are welcome to interact, follow, and submit prompts!

-> Everyone is welcome here except for pro//shippers, those who self ship with real people, adults who self ship with minors, and anyone else who meets general DNI criteria (TERFs, transmeds, exclusionists, bigots, etc.). Please keep this space discourse free!!

-> If submitting an image such as a base, a Draw the Squad, or any "Your Character Here"s (YCHs), please add credit to the original artist of the image and please make sure they are free for everyone to use! Many bases require payment and most YCHs are only for the creator's use. I can assist when needed in finding image sources, but please keep in mind I do not have all the time and energy in the world. PINTEREST DOES NOT COUNT UNLESS NO OTHER SOURCE CAN BE FOUND.

-> If you want me to reblog the art you've made with a prompt, feel free to @ this blog or send the post in an ask or DM (which ever you're more comfortable with! ^w^) In addition to all of the blog-specific tags detailed below the cut, all blogs/users, sources, characters, and ship names/tags (if available) will be tagged for filtering purposes. Please note that I get a lot of notifications and I do not always have the energy/time to sort through them to reblog art and prompt fills. I'm trying my best, however!! <3

-> This is a side blog! My main is @jay-sketchin and my proper self ship blog is @coles-scythe. My rentry on my self ship blog has my F/Os and those I am uncomfortable sharing (only two!) For those who aren't checking out my other blogs, I go by Jay and use they/them + he/him pronouns!

-> Please check the tag "layout credit" for all layouts, dividers, and other images used for this blog, both present and past. If there is no credit for a theme or elements of a theme, then I am the creator of those themes/edits! As of June 2024, the character featured is Saki Izumo from D4DJ!

(Minor disclaimer: Saki is not an F/O of any type to me. She’s currently the character voted to be used as a theme by the followers of this blog.)

Blog Tags:

♥ Prompt: Romantic F/O

💛 Prompt: Platonic F/O

💙 Prompt: Familial F/O

💗 Prompt: Queerplatonic F/O

💘 Prompt: Crush F/O

💞 Prompt: Multiple F/Os

⛵️ Prompt: Self Ship

👤 Prompt: Self Insert

💌 Ask: Prompt

💌 Ask: Submission

💌 Ask: Gush

❌️ Not A Prompt

♻️ Reblog

♻️ Self Reblog

♻️ Prompts Used

Trigger tags = "tw (trigger)" + "(trigger) tw" Common triggers I am aware of will be tagged, but if anyone needs anything else to be tagged please don't hesitate to ask!

I cannot tag user-specific filters like "(name) don't look". Sorry!

[happyhealthycats]

There are people who don't give additional info?

maybe I'm too aware but to others your pet isn't the center of the universe. They meet thousands center of the universes a day so they need more specifics to make things easier.

I'll preface by saying I worked with a very...particular type of vet. One who saw quite a few clients who were very particular about their pet's care. Clients who may or may not have been asked to leave other veterinary practices in our area due to "issues with staff". (We had folks stalk us digitally and on one scary occasion, physically - us, the front desk workers who just answer phones and make appointments! - some pet parents are wild). A portion of folks who went to our office typically had blinders to other peoples pets. Not only was their Bella the most amazing Bella. She was the ONLY Bella. Which for them was true! That Bella is the most important Bella! For them! Doesn't help that those same owners tended to be the ones who would only bring their dog in for their rabies vaccine so they could keep getting their dog groomed. The system we used would display phone numbers for incoming calls on the phone itself, so for the most part we could snag the number and if it was attached to a file it was no big deal, so by the time I finished my intro I already had the family's account up and ready - so a lot of clients got used to that. But sometimes folks would call from numbers that weren't attached to their account so the info wouldn't come up (or they downright refused to leave a number with us). Then I'd have to ask, and it was like pulling teeth.

-"I'm sorry it seems this number isn't saved to an account in our system. What was your pet's name?" -"It's BELLA, you've seen her before!" -"Oh! Well how do you spell the last name? Or perhaps another number that may be attached to the account? I could look it up by your spouse's name if they usually make appointments?" -"The name is B-E-L-L-A it's not difficult." I don't know why, other animal names don't tend to bring this level of heat. I personally just think that it's such a common dog name that all types of folks have a dog named Bella, so you're more likely to come in contact with a Bella owner who's Like That, as opposed to someone who calls their cat BOGO Sale or Pastrami On Rye or something.

All that being said - nothing against the name! It's incredibly common and I'm sure the folks are tired of not having an easily found name, especially during a medical emergency. But that's why I stress not about shaming folks about the names they choose, but more about the folks who push to insist that everyone ELSE is the problem that you literally can't pick the dog version of Jane Doe out of a lineup of 4000+ other dog Jane Does.

[misc-obeyme]

You know how every Demon brother stands for a sin, CC? Thus, I wondered: What if Mc is the opposite of their sins, aka their virtues and their dating? I'm a sucker for Opposite attracts.

Pride vs Humility:

Lucifer with a humble Mc, someone who doesn't think of themselves as better than anyone else. Even when they have accomplished a lot in their lives, Mc who truly embodies humility never allows it to make them egotistical or unfairly proud, and they prioritise the needs and feelings of others first. Mc, who encourages Lucifer to weigh his options and assists him in doing so by asking him what he desires to do and assisting him in being more vulnerable.

Greed vs Charity

Mammon with a Generous Mc, who's good-hearted, and they have a heart of gold. Mc who donates goods or cash to charity or provides various forms of assistance to those in need. Mc, who adores Mammon regardless of his wealth and belongings, even going above and above to assist him with assignments and other tasks.

Envy vs Kindness

Leviathan with a Mc who's very kind to themselves and the people around them. Regardless of differences, they have a tendency to treat others with respect and are compassionate and understanding. Mc, who supports Leviathan by urging him to recognise his blessings and serving as a reminder of his own accomplishments and strengths.

Wrath vs Patience

Satan with a Patient Mc, Someone who is patient and understands that good things come to those who are willing to wait for what they want. They have the ability to restrain their feelings and inclinations. Mc, who always maintains their composure when conversing with Satan and calming him down before anything bad can happen.

Lust vs. Chastity (This is a little more difficult)

Asmodeus with a Mc who's much more modest and pure. They are truthful, trustworthy, and attentive to others, and perhaps they also have a limited libido. For them, Asmodeus is far more than just the lustful avatar. Non-sexual closeness, the small moments together. Hiding a hair strand behind their ear. Gazing intently at one another or putting my arm around them in front of others. Exchanging meaningful and in-depth discussions with one another. the kind where you feel fully understood when you open up to someone and share yourself.

Gluttony vs Temperance

Beelzebub with a Mc who demonstrates restraint, possesses a sharp mind, moderates their eating and drinking, and does not overindulge. Mc, who tries to assist Beelzebub in mindful eating AND is aware that Beelzebub is powerless over his ravenous appetite. Perhaps they might even go on Excerise together to take his mind off his hunger.

Sloth vs Diligence

Belphegor with a diligent Mc, who is always trying to get things done; who is focused and determined to do everything. Mc, who supports Belphegor by encouraging him to take baby steps and letting him concentrate on one work at a time, and helps him become more productive. Just being optimistic and encouraging. Perhaps even sharing a common goal together and/or doing a task together (e.g., working out together).

This got a little bit long, I'm sorry.

Never apologize for length! Not in my ask box, anyway!

This is a very interesting concept, anon! If I'm remembering right, the seven sorcerer stars we had to obtain in season three of the OG were named after the virtues, which I found interesting. Though I don't know that it meant anything...

As with most things in life, I think it's important to have a balance. Like yes, maybe MC being more based in the virtue allows them to sort of assist their demon with overcoming their sin. But wouldn't it also be interesting if MC was influenced by the sin, too?

For instance, you've got Belphie with a diligent MC. And sometimes they do get things done and are more efficient than perhaps Belphie would be on his own. But then sometimes, Belphie's influence wins instead and MC decides to do something like take a nap rather than finish their homework.

I just think it'd be fascinating if it was a bit of a push and pull situation. They constantly have to work with each other and sometimes the virtue wins out and sometimes the sin does instead.

I suppose I like the idea that neither the virtue nor the sin is the more "correct" thing, if that makes sense. I know the virtue is supposed to be the morally good option if you're looking at it as virtue vs sin, but I personally don't believe in the concept of sin at all. So I inevitably look at it as two sides of the same coin where neither side is preferable, but each is needed in order to have the other.

It's an important duality and I think it would mean that MC and their demon of choice would fit together nicely in the way that opposites sometimes do. Where they are the same, but they are different and together they make something entirely new...

[thebottomfromhell]

I am completely sorry for leaving you all hanging again, this apology is probable very cheap at this point, it's been rough lately. Right now I feel as if my mental health was in shambles. You see, I sometimes do work for my mother, who is a judge, and write of some testimonies on court and the last one really got to me. It was a SA case between cousins, one a young adult (the accused) the other a teen (the victim) in which almost everyone took the side of the accused, creating the story the girl (the victim) was lying, that it was "consented" but she fear the consecuences from her mother, who everyone in that family knew was abusive but nobody ever did everything. I have been hoing through statement after statement, writting people defending the guy and I'm done, I'm exhausted, both mentally and emotionally. Never a case has gotten me this much.

I really don't want to turn this into a ramble, it wouldn't be appropriate of me to take this things out here. But I want to give you some tipa if you are ever in court or need to take something, specially SA, to court. Idk, I feel this is the minimun I should be doing.

Check the actual age of consent where you live. There is an age where is you are touched or anything sexual is done it you, is automatically considered rape, but that age is never "under 18". In most places from 13 years old to older you WILL need proof that it was forced/violent to prove it was not consented. That being said, be aware that an adult going for a minor, while not ilegal, IS creepy, IS bad and actions should be always taken.

The first thing you do if you are hurt and want to take it to court is go to get medical attention, the first. Same thing if something happens to someone you know, if you don't know what to do, go get medical attention. In some countries there are medical centers linked with the local investigation/cop organization, those WILL be cheaper. Always tell the one attenting you what happened, sometimes they will lead you to a doctor/psycologist/investigator dedicated to court.

You WILL have to give several testimonies most of the time, one to the police/investigators if included, one to the lawyers, and one to the court/jury. Sometimes the jury and lawyer will use your previous testimonies to clarify things or spot contradictions. Everyone in court have these documents at hand, so don't you even think of changing the story and ALWAYS specify if you are adding a detail you disn't say before and say why you didn't add it.

Your testimony and statements must always be as detailed as possible, never assume, while they do, that the jury knows what happened. You are the one telling. In case of SA you must say the name of the specific body parts that were touched, with what and how. It's all for it to be coherent with the results of the medical evaluation.

In most cases you will have to wait years for evidence and people to be recolegted to have some to go to court. It's valid if you don't remember everything, but take note on places, time and date, and if possible, faces and/or names (nicknames count too).

"I don't know" and "I don't remember" are VALID answers in court, always say this lines instead of lying.

Never refer that you don't remember other testimonies you gave, it gives the impression you don't remember your "lines". Just say "I don't remember what happened exactly, what I remember is..."

Sometimes layers will ask the same thing several times, phrased differently, in order to get a different answer. Don't be ashame to repeat the answer and call them off by saying "I already answered (say the answer again)" in case the lawyer in your side is bad and doesn't object the question for repetitive.

In case of vaginal rape, AFAB people have all different types of hymen, it doesn't always break, but there are still other rypes of vaginal scarring. Infections are also common in case of SA. Penetration of almost any type leaves scaring, other forms of touch that are not punches or hit does not.

Try, if you have the means, to have a psicologist with experience in court (in spanish profesionals linked to court are called peritos) and colaborate. Even if you don't have the symptoms of a "good victim" "default victim", you WILL have simptoms, that their testimony explaining thems helps a lot to make the jury believe you.

In some places if you are a family member of the accused you will be obligated to attend to court but you will have the right of not giving testimony if you fear your word can be used agaisnt that person. The accused also tends to have the right of not giving testimony, and if they do give testimony they are not obligated by law to say the truth unlike witnnesses (because, let's be real. Who is going to admit it?)

You can be charged for lying in court, conviction will change depending where you live. However, if nobody (the lawyers, the judges and the jury) decide to let it slide in order to not make a whole new case based in that you lied, you might get away with it, specially if you lied in a detail. (Really, I have seen so many people get away with it.)

Anyone who fears being accused of rape over being raped doesn't know shit and it's a massive red flag. In court you have to prove both that there was "sex" and that it was "forced" as two separate things. Most of the time you can't prove it without scars that match a medical history and proves of violence used against the victim. Most of SA cases never get to court anyway, then proving it is even harder.

Always anwser the question of the lawyer first and then explain. First, because your testimony is being registered so that makes it easy to mark, and second, if you start with the explanation you might loose the focus and not only never answer the question, but it looks af if you are making an excuse.

Most white cisgender straight people, specially man, don't really know what SA is. Most of them will think that doing it while the other person is drunk, to give an ultimatum, to insist until the other will allow in order to be left alone, to scare them into doing it, anything if there wasn't penetration, or even things like groping and catcalling don't count as SA. They do. So most of these people will defend the idea that it wasn't SA because they genuinely don't understand that what they did was SA. Always be explicit and precise with what happened.

Related to the other point, most people, again cis staight men mostly, think that it has to be violent, that one must be forced to submit, and there must be punches for it to be rape. That is not the case, but always be prepared to have to fight off this idea.

Defense lawyers, in my personal experience, tend to be assholes more than any other lawyer. Some will even treat the case as if winning a competition over making justice.

Cases CAN be reopen if a LAWYER asks for it, but most of the time it doesn't work because witnneses refuse to go a second time, specially the victims as it opens wpunds and forces them to live the trauma again, specially with minors.

It can vary in different countries, but most of the time is actually harder to condemn than not. To condemn the judges have to specify what evidence makes the story of ehat happened believable, build up a story/theory of that happened linked to everything exposed and the sentence must be approved by the jury. On the other hand, a "there wan't enough evidence" is enough to absolve. (That is why to reopen the case might lead to setting the accused free in a easier way, since there aren't as many testimonies nor as many evidence as the last time)

Some lawyer of defense, this links from the two previous point, will be assholes for that, to make the work harder for everyone. Witnesses, other lawyers, judges and jury alike, so the evidence and testimonies can't be collected properly.

I will see if later I have anything more to say, but this is all I can recolect for now. Reminder that laws might change depending where you live, always check them and try to be aware of your rights.

[northern-passage]

I came across the character Branwen* in my most recent play-through and was curious if she's supposed to be Inuit or not? It was just a bit unclear since she has a chin-stripe tattoo, a Welsh name, and comes from Gael (which I'm under the impression is supposed to be Norse inspired?) Neither the Welsh/Celts or Norse had tattoos like these and the imagery of such comes from the appropriation of Inuit kakiniit. It's unfortunately common, especially in the fantasy genre, think Yasha from Critical Role, and I wouldn't really blame you for not yet knowing better. Misguided or not, it's very damaging since these tattoos are a closed practice, and Inuit have asked us not to use them for non-indigenous characters. Some other cultures have similar tattoos, but these are specifically what are appropriated from in the "Norse aesthetic".

This could be a great opportunity to represent a community that's regularly misrepresentationed and appropriated from in the genre, though! I don't believe you had any ill intentions, if this is a mistake you've made, since you've done really well about a lot of other things so far.

Also, I've done a lot of research on the topic for my own world building and I can try to help if you have any questions!

Here's a list of Inuk creators and artists from my own following (on TikTok specifically):

kadlun

willow.allen

notdayle

shinanova

And fairy.gothparent (not indigenous) has some really educational content on the subject also!

I'm sorry I've misread or misinterpreted anything, and I hope none of this came off as aggressive! I'm just genuinely curious and want to help others do better!

hi :-) no worries, you are not aggressive at all. Branwen is not meant to be Inuit, nor is she meant to be Welsh or Norse. Gael and Adrania are just Fantasy Lands with their own lore & culture-- but with that being said, i am fully aware that the setting for TNP is very much giving medieval Europe, hahahaha. regardless, when i choose names they are mainly just because i like them, so i wouldn't put too much stock in them when reading.

same thing when i designed Branwen, the tattoo was mostly for the aesthetic and because i liked it. i was aware of a few different types of indigenous tattoos (like the Māori tāmoko as well as the Inuit kakiniit) at the time i chose the thick, solid line because i was purposefully trying to avoid conflating it directly with those indigenous tattoos. you're the first person to point this out to me and i appreciate it and it has made me reevaluate my decision to give her such a distinct tattoo. i wanted tattoos to be a big part of Gaelish culture & planned for them to be made with heavy lines & geometry, but in the end a lot of the designs are all over the place (Merry's are way more modern due to basing some of the designs around nautical/sailor tattoos with only a few geometric designs, while Lea's are strictly geometric runes meant for their alchemy)

i absolutely want to avoid misrepresenting these tattoos, especially since it was never my intention for this character to be interpreted as a part of any of the mentioned indigenous groups. this is a good reminder for myself that my work does not exist in a vacuum and regardless of my intentions, the names i choose & the designs i make still reflect my own personal biases and have implications outside of my story.

i appreciate you messaging me and sharing resources. and i always want to encourage people to do so! especially because in my worldbuilding for Gael and Adrania i am pulling inspiration from a lot of different places and a lot of other fantasy media. i've always intended for Adrania to be a "melting pot," with a lot of different influences as in-game cultures converge around their ports & trade routes, but that can also lead to me unintentionally harming real world groups & cultures in my interpretations. as much as i want to "build from scratch" it's just not possible, i will always be influenced by the society i live in, hence me including the tattoo to begin with because you're right, i have seen similar designs in other fantasy media & just didn't think much about it.

going forward i'll most likely just remove that tattoo from Branwen's design, and maybe give her a neck tattoo instead 🤔 just something different to distinguish it from those indigenous designs.

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Reckoner: Part Three

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1.9k

Summary: Your world is turned upside down when you get in trouble for something you didn't even do. The entire team is in uproar over this but Hotch says he will take care of it. Can he? Or are you doomed to live out the rest of your days in misery?

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there are any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them.

x

The next day, Allison and her father showed up to Long Island to talk to Detective Gil and the team. Drew talked to his ex-wife as soon as he landed on Long Island so he's aware of what's actually going on. By the time he gets to the police department, he's not too happy.

"I spoke to Heather as soon as we landed. I knew for a long time something was off, but this—Why didn't you tell me?" Drew asks his daughter who has been silent the entire time.

"Mr. Sandweiss, Allison is the victim here," JJ says.

"I just want to know the truth from her, for once."

"I told you, I don't know what they're talking about."

Emily and JJ look at each other with the same look because they are thinking the same thing: She would open up more if you were here.

"Allison, we have the pictures your stepfather took of you."

Maybe it's Emily's gentle tone because she looks down at her lap in shame.

"He was always home before mom. We just talked at first."

"Why didn't you tell your mom?"

"I knew she'd tell Dad, and he always said he'd kill anyone who laid a hand on me," she sighs shakily.

"Did he?" Drew asks.

She nods and Drew has to remember where he is. It's not a good idea to punch the wall in anger in a police station.

"Allison, did you ever tell anyone about what your stepfather was doing?" JJ asks.

"I told my therapist. He said I act out because I crave attention. I'm so sorry, Daddy," she cries. 

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

He sits next to her and pulls her to his side.

"We need the name of your therapist."

"Jerry Sorum."

Derek immediately has him come in for questioning that he's super nervous about. It's normal to be nervous in the presence of authority, but Derek doesn't know if it's excessive or not.

"Am I a suspect?" Jerry asks when he's placed in the interrogation room.

"Not yet, Mr. Sorum. What is your professional opinion of Allison?" Derek asks.

"You mean was she sexually abused by her stepfather? No question."

"Did you report it?"

"Of course."

"To the police?"

"Absolutely."

"How far did they take it?"

"They had it reviewed by the state."

"Did the police interview her?"

"They came to my office," Jerry sighs. "Allison wanted nothing to do with it. Case closed. Just like the 380,000 cases of child abuse reported in this country each year. Less than one percent gets to trial."

"Does that make you want to even the odds?" Derek asks accusingly.

"Every time I listen to a child vividly recount the most horrific acts of abuse done at the hands of a father, an uncle, or someone they're supposed to trust... It's all I can do not to break down, but that's all I'm capable of. After that, like you, I trust in the justice system."

Some justice system. Not only does it not protect people like how they're supposed to, it doesn't look at the facts of a case. Police see one thing and assume something else. If both of those things have something in common, then they must be connected. Instead of looking at the facts and asking What If instead of having tunnel vision, then you wouldn't be here.

The door to the interrogation room opens and you look up from the spot on the desk you've been picking at.

"Your lawyer is on his way over here."

"I want my phone call."

The officer sighs and uncuffs you from the table so that you can use their wall phone dedicated to people and their one phone call. The one person you want to call is Spencer to tell him you're okay but you end up calling your father. He's more likely to get shit done if he knows his daughter is in trouble. 

He answers on the first ring.

"Hey, baby girl."

"Daddy? I'm in big trouble here. I've been arrested."

"What? What happened?"

"They're saying I'm responsible for the murder of seven people. Dad, I'm scared. I didn't kill anyone." You make sure to keep your voice low. "You gotta come here and help me."

"Don't you worry, baby. I'm actually in your area for business right now. Where are you?"

"Virginia Police Department. The one by the beach by the BAU. I don't have my phone so I can't send you the address."

"I know where it is. Don't worry, sweetheart. Daddy will take care of it."

You hang up the phone and are escorted back into the interrogation room. You're only in there for five minutes before the door opens again. This time, the arresting officer walks in with your dad. 

"Dad!" you gasp. You want to get up and hug him but you're handcuffed to the table. The officer only allows him to stay in here alone because the mirror in the room is two-way glass so they will be watching you very carefully. "When you said you were in the area, I didn't think you were right down the road."

"I came as fast as I could. I couldn't believe my ears. You're framed for murder?"

"I don't know the details. Greg is coming down to help me."

"Greg, our lawyer?"

"Yeah. You and Mom use him all the time for your adoptions."

"No, you can't use him."

"Why not?"

"He's not that kind of lawyer. I mean, he doesn't deal with murder cases and isn't a defense lawyer. He's more of a mediator. Plus, he's already on another case. I called him earlier."

"I don't know anyone else. What am I going to do?"

"Don't worry. I told you I would take care of it. I know someone else who is just as good."

You have no choice but to listen to what he has to say. An officer escorts him out of the room so you're all alone again, and you go back to picking at the end of the table.

You're in the mind of everyone on the team but they still have a job to do even if they don't like prioritizing this over helping you. Rossi talked to one of his contacts who just so happened to be a mobster back in the day. He's in the criminal enterprise that is being threatened to shut down since the FBI is closing in on him, which is why he's lying low. If a hitman is killing people, then Ray Finnegan might know something about it.

Ray took one look at Ben's crime scene photos and knew the guy who's been doing this. His name is Bosola and he's been operating for twenty years. Most people know him to be a ghost because he's that hard to find. He promised to bring in Bosola so that the FBI could apprehend him, but they have to hide out in secret before they can go in. If Bosola knows the FBI is waiting outside then he might not show.

Rossi and Hotch are in one car and Emily and Derek are in another down the block. There is also another car with two unknown agents near the car Hotch and Rossi are in. There are also plenty of officers in undercover cars spread out up and down the block. Penelope and Spencer are tuned into comms just in case the team needs their help.

"When he dims the lights, we go in," Rossi says to everyone over ear comms, and he turns to look at Hotch. "No bullshit. What's going to happen to Y/N?"

"I honestly don't know. I tried talking to the Captain, and from what I gathered, all the murder weapons are from her apartment, and her DNA was found on all seven victims."

"Did she know them?"

"No. She's never met them in her life. I believe her, but we all know what happens when the facts line up."

Spencer hears Rossi and Hotch talking and grows quiet. Penelope looks at him to see tears silently rolling down his cheeks.

"How's Reid taking it?"

"About as well as you'd think."

"I saw Prentiss and Morgan up the block, but the two agents in the sedan are not with us."

"I know. They're the counter surveillance in case Foyet is watching me. For which, apparently, there's no more money."

"Yeah, I heard."

"Did somebody call you?" Hotch asks.

"They're concerned."

"What did you say?"

"What I'm telling you. An attack against you is an attack against all of us. Just like with Y/N. When we're done here, we'll focus on her." Rossi's phone rings and he frowns when he sees Ray is calling. "Why are you calling? Are you okay?"

"I hope you got some good guys out there. This man is a mean son of a bitch."

"We're all over. He's not gonna know what hit him."

"Hey, that smart kid you mentioned earlier... I could use a little help," Ray says and looks at his crossword puzzle.

"Reid?"

"Yeah?"

His voice sounds so small that it breaks Derek's heart.

"Crossword question. Ten letters. Crater creator," Ray says.

"Crater creator?"

Penelope looks over at him to see not an ounce of concentration on his face. He's not even trying.

"Arctangent," she answers.

"Did you get that?" Rossi asks.

"Damn, she's smart."

Ray hangs up the phone and Rossi looks at the restaurant in thought. There is a flash so quick that Rossi didn't think it happened. He looks at Hotch who doesn't look like he saw it.

"Did you see that flash?"

Once again, the flash happened but it's more prominent.

"I saw that. He's already in there. All units, go, go, go!"

Everyone who is staking out the restaurant leaps out of their cars and rushes inside the restaurant but it's too late. Ray is slouched over in his chair with two bullet wounds on his body. One in the heart, one in the head. Bosola was here, lying in wait. Derek takes a car and canvasses the area in case Bosola stuck around to see the aftermath. CSIs come in, Long Island officers come in, and just about everyone else who is available to work the case.

"We had the streets, the building, and even the damn roof covered. How the hell did he get through us?" Rossi asks.

"Garcia traced Ray's phone calls. He made one at 4:38 p.m. to a pre-paid cell and another one to you at 11:41 p.m.," Emily says.

"We gave Bosola seven hours to prepare. I think he was here before we arrived."

"He heard Ray call me. This is all my fault," Rossi sighs.

"Now he knows we're onto him."

"He's not the only one. Whoever he works for does, too."

Now that the team knows who the unsub is and what kind of killer he is, it's time to give the profile. 

"Each mutilation represents the crimes the unsubs believe these three individuals committed. There are two unsubs who are both male. Unsub 'A' is 'The Planner'. He works in the criminal justice system. We're looking at both defense and prosecution attorneys, judges, and even cops. We believe that The Planner has experienced a devastating personal tragedy of some sort, and because of the sophisticated nature of the scenario, we believe unsub "A" is in his late fifties or sixties," Hotch starts it off.

"The Planner likely met unsub 'B' or 'the enforcer' within the court system. He's been hired to carry out justice. Now, this type of justice does not come cheap. So, The Planner has access to substantial cash."

"Absolutely no attempt was made to hide the mutilation. This suggests The Planner either doesn't care what we find or he wants us to find it. Now, The Enforcer, on the other hand, has no such intentions. He should be considered armed and extremely dangerous."

"Thank you," Rossi concludes.

"Alright, let's go people," Detective Gil says.

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[contentloadingandstuff]

Parenting Headcannons with Keqing and Eula? :D

Parent Headcanons - Eula Lawrence and Keqing

A/N: Hi Anon! I'm sorry you had to wait. This one... well, it turned out quite a bit more serious than I expected. Especially with Keqing - it turned into (basically) angst. I'm sorry if you don't like it. I would be really grateful if you shared your opinion in the comments.

Male reader.

Eula Lawrence

Eula’s parents were… not great, to say the least. They kept pushing her towards being a traditional figure, dictated by the Lawrence clan’s long legacy. That involved plenty of indoctrination, gaslighting and putting down her own needs and dreams. 

She realized this was not normal in her late teens, and she made her escape to the Knights. Even though most citizens of Mondstadt grew to dislike her, Eula found a few close friends to help her through her darkest years. You were one of them. 

The desire to be better than one’s parents is natural and ever present, as role models are quite rare in reality. This need was especially strong in her. It was the image of having kids that kept her from leaving this world behind, and when you met all those years ago, the images reappeared in her happiest moments. 

Eula made plans long before you met, imagining what rules she would put in place, what values she should instill, she read books about motherhood and parenting. Yet she never told you, until one warm night. 

She grabbed your hand, and told you about her dream while looking into your eyes. She said how she wants to be the mother her mother never was, and you to be the father hers never managed to be. She told you about her dream of building a home together, a safe place for both you and your children.

And how could you refuse her?

Eula will want to wait for marriage before anything else. 

When she speaks that one, simple word, Eula will just burst into tears. Just like that, the weight and past sins of her last name will be finally left behind, and she could fully become a new, better person. 

A few days will pass until she’s ready. Eula just wants to wait until everything calms down, really. And it will be a surprise too. You’ll just wake up one lazy morning, cuddled together, and she will whisper a simple ‘It’s time’ into your ear.

Eula is going to drop field work entirely from the moment you are sure she’s carrying an heir. When Varka comes back from his travels, he will most likely provide Eula with a comfy desk job. She’s done a lot for Mondstadt, hasn’t she? Eula deserves it. 

No drinks will be had for the entire duration of her pregnancy, which will be quite long. 

Because Eula always wanted to have two children, preferably a son and a daughter. As soon as her body will recover after giving birth Eula will want to go again, to keep the age gap as small as possible. If she’ll give birth to two kids at the same time there won’t be a need to, of course. 

Eula always insisted on doing all the menial housework, which bamboozled you at first. She just wanted to get lots of practice in cooking, cleaning, doing laundry and so on, as her royal upbringing never gave her the chance to. The woman is well aware of the reality of parenthood, and wishes to get used to the routine.

It’s hard for sure, but she is willing to endure the difficulty. This is one investment worth every second, every drop of sweat and blood in her opinion. 

Seeing Eula with dark bags under her eyes and a tired smile on her lips will be common during the early years. 

The knight will pester you about your job a lot if it involves danger. She quit hers, and would love you to do so as well. If combat is your calling… Well, she understands. Doesn’t mean that you won’t get an earful and a half every time you get back with fresh injuries. She will have her vengeance for every single scratch you get on yourself!

Ever since her work hours shortened dramatically, Eula gets to be home a lot more. She will gladly welcome you home after work with a warm meal and lots of cuddles. 

Don’t think you will be neglected because of the kids. Your wife will make sure to give attention to you as well.

Oh, and about attention. Eula is a good mother, maybe even too good. See, she’ll hog most of the quality time with your kids, at least when they will be young. It’s usually a competition between you two over who gets to go out with the little ones. 

Who would expect a bottomless supply of patience from her? She’ll spend 16 hours a day with her offspring and she will love it. 

Eula is a very caring mom, but she sometimes struggles with correcting bad behaviors and administering punishment. So yeah. You’ll get to do the unpleasant work. 

She will ingrain only universal qualities and morals into her kids, making sure to teach them that the sins of those who came before don’t cross out the person of today. 

Will not influence the careers her kids will pursue, but will help wherever she can. 

Just… be by her side when they grow up and leave to chase their own ambitions. She will feel very lonely if you don’t. 

10/10, no doubt. Always wanted to have kids, and prepared accordingly. She will raise some great individuals with your help.

Keqing

Keqing has three goals in life. First - and foremost - to build a strong, independent and prosperous Liyue Harbor. Second - to find a partner, and third - to start a family. 

Well, she had three. Now, only the first one remains. The young Keqing is not the same woman as the Keqing of today. She had grown immensely, but in a troublesome direction. 

You see, Keqing’s dreams are… not actually hers. They never were. It all comes down to her upbringing. 

Keqing is a part of Liyue nobility, who have strict values and goals. From her earliest days, those objectives and desires were imprinted on her mind. Everything she did was centered around the execution of them, not leaving much space for her own aspirations. Well, no time was left for it either - she was constantly snowed under assignments, tests, meetings and internships. She always had to prove herself, prove that she is indeed worthy of her family name. 

And so, her dream of having a family faded and faded, until nothing of the motivation was left. Like with every childhood dream she had. 

All of that pressure also resulted in her problems with interpersonal relations. Focused around achieving her ‘own’ goals, she saw (and still sees) others as elements of the background, coworkers or useful tools and assets in reaching her objectives. Keqing has become selfish. Self-centered. Egoistic. 

For example: People say Ganyu’s mindset is hard to understand, but that’s a nifty little lie to hide the severe lack of compassion and basic empathy for her among others in Liyue. Keqing may have had a hand in propagating this statement. Independent of what Ganyu sees Keqing as, the former will never see the secretary as anything else than an inferior at whom she can throw more and more assignments.  

You may have reawakened her dream from ancient times, when she still used to play with dolls. But Keqing has adopted a specific mindset throughout her life, and that will make pregnancy and child upbringing only another box on her checklist. 

She won’t give up her work, or even limit it for that matter. Her job is more important than family and you, so she’ll agree to a single child at most. And that will be also on the condition you will take care of them. 

She’s the mother that’s never home for sure. Also, a scary one at that. 

Will reprimand her kid, whatever the sex may be, for bad grades. 

Keqing will not understand many struggles someone not like herself may have, such as depression or lack of motivation. It all makes sense in her head - why don’t they work harder? They see how they can end up, right on the streets and outside of Liyue Harbor. Treasure Hoarders, Fatui, beggars and bums. She thinks her child will become just that if they don’t ace all the classes. 

She speaks about this kind of thing often. Why? Because her parents told her the same when she was this age. Many of the awful parenting techniques she was subjected to will creep their way into her own methods. 

Literally the asian parent. She has lots and lots of cash on hand thanks to her job, and she puts an adequate amount of this into the education of her young. Piano lessons, private tutors and martial arts - everything will be covered in this investement. What a shame she doesn’t put an equal amount of effort into this deal.

She will help the kid with school work, but that’s about it. 

Ningguang will surely notice what’s going on between you two, and will mercilessly point it out to Keqing. Maybe with your combined efforts, the woman will be able to change for the better. 

But that chance is quite low.

2/10. Keqing isn’t meant to be a mother. Keqing doesn’t want to be a mother. Not anymore, at least. She is too busy chasing somebody's dream for motherhood.

Thanks for reading!

[atlas-affogato]

Annoyed aromantic rant, vent, ramble, whatever you want to call it

I'm not going to put this in any tags because I am very aware that this is my own experience and not a common experience, but like, I don't understand when other aromantic people are so sad about not being in committed relationships or their friendships not being seen as "as important" as romantic relationships.

Like, I don't know, I'm just very aware of the cultural importance of romance and marriage and stuff like that, and yeah I guess it kind of sucks that a lot of things like tax benefits and child custody and next of kin are kept behind these walls of romantic relationships and marriages and stuff. Like yeah that does suck. But when people complain that they will never matter to someone as much as that person's partner, I just feel like saying "well what did you expect?" For a lot of people, their romantic partner is the closest person to them, their best friend and confidant and the person who knows them best, so of course that's the most important person in their life. For a lot of people a romantic tie is the closest relationship they can form. I'm not saying that's everyone, even romantic inclined people have more important relationships to them, but I don't understand being upset about someone else having a bond that they consider the Most Important in their life.

It just feels like at a certain point you have to find people who don't put romantic ties above platonic and familial ones. People interested in romance who don't put romance on top definitely do exist, you just have to find them. I don’t know how common they are because of the importance romance plays in a lot of people's lives, but I know those people exist, I've spoken to and befriended people like that. They exist, you just have to find them.

When people go all "I'll never be the most important person in someone's life" "I'll always be left behind, abandoned by friends for their romantic relationships" it feels very "woe is me." Like sorry man maybe you should just be friends with people who view romance and friendships in a way you do too.

And while I'm on the topic, I do not understand wanting to be the most important person in someone's life. All this talk about queer platonic partnerships, and being exclusive within them, or having qpps you live with, its just like....I don't want any commitment that intense. It feels like a lot of people have just replaced a romantic relationship with that and called it a different name while changing nothing. I dont want a committed relationship, I don't want to live with someone, I don't want to be exclusive, I don't want to marry someone, that's like the whole point of me being aromantic. Thats literally just being in a relationship, doesn't matter if you change the name, its the same thing to me. "Marry your friend for the tax benefits!" I would rather eat drywall.

(A thousand disclaimers that this is my experience and my feelings and my preferences and you can use whatever label or relationship label you want and I'm not the label police you can do whatever the hell you want, I do not care. This is just my two cents on my feelings.)

[mizerable-drowning]

fanmade designs of michael's uno buddies! I wanted to do last month... but they're scuffed :') (esp Michael, he's the last one drawn and I really was tired for him... HE LOOKS HORRIBLE IM SORRY MIKE LOL I LOVE YOU MIKE PLEASE I PROMISE I CAN DRAW YOU PROPERLY)(I'm aware how easily I can resize certain things)

the jeremy/bonnie bro was already drawn by the ooftroop, he's there for refence

theyre moreso concepts because i am not satisfied with them, but I'll leave notes!

Chica and Fred uno buddies are surfboys! basing off what the ooftroop said about them moving out of utah, I had the random idea of them becoming pro surfers before becoming marine biologists

why? idk, fredbro gave me surfer dude vibes and I went with it.

I notice jeremike's eye colors paralell with each other, obviously

foxy = red

bonnie = blue

so i did that with fred and chicabro! chicabro's shirt is sapphire, I desaturated it and made it more purple-y for fredbro's eyes, I made chicabro's eyes fredbro's green shirt

from now on i'll just dub fredbro as iggy leopold, and chica as sioux robertson, I'll explain later (I actually don't know if I can name them, I'm just giving them names just so I don't write fred/chicabro constantly)

iggy is white so he's sunburnt.

funfact: while searching for vintage surfer dude shirts, I found the exact shirt the phone dude has! (and I know it cuz oof posted it on their twitter before, the exact image) Sioux just has the swim suit thing

...I wasn't sure what to do with Sioux's hair... I had zero idea how to translate black hairstyles into the UCFT art style. I tried to do twists, but they look horrible; I didn't wanna overtly detail them as I felt that'd be outta place of the art style, but it looks horrible as this. IIRC there's not really any black hair styles drawn in UCFT (yet) so no references sadly

I'm sorry for that man, will experiment with Sioux's hair

I wanted to make Iggy's window peak obvious, hence the 2 different hair colors, I supposed it's sunbleach idk

Okay why did i dub them with stupid sounding names?

Sioux comes from Siouxsie Sioux, why? Suzie posses Chica right? Suzie and Siouxsie are pronounced the same, but I wouldn't name him Siouxsie, so Sioux it is

Robertson comes from Robert Smith, thought of dubbing him Sioux Smith, but Fritz Smith exists

Ik unrelated characters can share the same common name, but meh :P

Iggy comes from me thinking of what stupid names I can name a surfer and a jojo reference, Leopold comes from well... Freddy originally being named Leopold... So what if Iggy adopted the Freddy mask because of the shared name? that lines up in the timeline I think

These are honestly lowkey placeholder names just for this yap session, I'm not gonna use those out of this post

maybe I'll give them serious names who knows, if I have oof's blessing ofc

Sioux and Mike's sketches, i deleted Iggy's

yes mike drastically changed... i didn't feel like doing something from the ground up +consistency so I just reused the base... terrible... learnt my lesson

Final notes:

I found some minor details in the UCFT style fascinating,

it's kinda hard to tell if something is drawn by oof or hyatiid hyatiid does most of the drawings IIRC, but I feel like I can tell when the artist switches and their minor quirks! I can't say for sure who's who but:

Michael's eye brow color changes sometimes, from a darker color from his main hair, to straight black. I also notice his eyebrows are a layer above hair, not sure if that's always the case as I haven't seen enough drawings of his eyebrows above his mullet to tell

Jeremy's piercing & scar placement is inconsistent, not that noticeable as it's generally the same area, but not the exact same everytime

Michael's hair detailing varies a lot

Eyes. they can be close, far, rounded, etc. rounded eyes are mostly for happy expressions

I think Oof keeps the whites of William's (purple form)eye contained with Hyatiid doesn't? I also think Oof is the one the draws lines under the eye without a fading effect while Hyatiid does

[yandere-fics]

Skylar Anderson

♡ "Heya! I'm really glad you've moved here! Huh? Oh for not reason in particular, it's just... it's been awhile since the place next door has been occupied! I hope your stay is wonderful." ♡

Skye is a shy yandere at first, not really even aware of her own feelings and intentions. Unlikely to make a move unless something pushes her over the edge and even if her actions are sinister in nature, she can always justify anything she does in the name of romance. After all even the leads in romance movies often push the boundaries. If you say her actions are bad then you simply don't know what you're talking about, as long as she never does anything worse than what her sister Sophie would do, she feels justified. Skye is the perfect sister and so there can never be any flaws with her actions. She is the perfect person and you are her perfect darling. Just please avoid disrupting her perfect image of herself. Always humble but secretly full of herself and the image she has crafted.

♡ "My full name is Skylar Anderson but everyone just calls me Skye so you can too! Oh no, we're not related to those Andersons. It's just a common last name I guess." ♡

The Anderson family is a very prominent religious family within the region although they never come to the seaside anymore after discovering their eldest daughter decided to move to a small coastal town. Most people would be unaware that Skylar is even alive since the current rumor is that most of the Anderson sisters died when the reality is that most of them simply ran away from home. Skylar left home after running from an arranged marriage, and since then has been receiving a monthly check in order to never reveal her relation to her parents. She mostly accepts the checks though because she believes if she stopped her parents would freak out and send someone to kill her instead.

♡ "I am... uhm... 24! Yup, 24. Sorry, I just never really think about it that often. Yeah I know 24 is a bit old for someone who just finished my college degree, but what can I say? I got a bit of a late start! Haha!" ♡

Skylar was not allowed to attend college due to her parents wishing to raise an obedient wife that they could sell off. She ran away at the age of 20 and took community college to get an english degree all on her own. This has only served to raise her own ego and self importance although you'd never known based on the look on her face. She was never taught anything formally, all her knowledge was stolen from the books the children in the neighboring estates were allowed to read. Despite this the college was extremely impressed by her test scores and after a much needed bribe, she was allowed in.

♡ "I- what? Huh? Oh! You're asking if I'm into women? Well the answer is yes. Quite a bit of a forward question though. You startled me just a bit." ♡

She is a lesbian, and she's lying about being embarrassed to answer, she's fucking delighted that you want to know who she's attracted to.

♡ "I'm a librarian, actually I would be pleased if you'd come visit me at my work sometimes, since it's such a small town the library doesn't see many people every day. While I do appreciate the silence, it wouldn't hurt to have some company. Especially from someone as sweet as yourself." ♡

She doesn't need to work as a librarian but she enjoys getting out of the house and it's a nice cover for why she has so much money to spend. Most of her money goes back into the library though to make sure her work environment stays nice and perfect. As a librarian she's actually pretty harsh, even scolding children for not preserving their books as well as possible.

♡ "Hmm? What do I enjoy? Well for starters, I really enjoy your company, you've been very nice to have around and I wouldn't mind spending more time with you. It's so hard to choose since I like so many things." ♡

That is a blatant lie, she really only likes you and her sisters. Everything else is far beneath her but a perfect pretty girl would never be so cruel as to remind people they are beneath her since those maggots already likely know that she's much better. She likes how small the town is, otherwise her and her sisters would not be able to blend in there. Her favorite sister is Darla, but that's to be given since most of the sisters love Darla dearly. She also really enjoys tarot although she might be a bit biased when it comes to reading the cards since everything is always interpreted to be in her favor even if it's not.

♡ "I'm not very picky when it comes to things so there's not much I don't like. Hmm, you'll have to give me some time to come up with an answer, it looks like we'll be hanging out for awhile while I try to think, haha. Why don't you get yourself situated with one of the blankets in our cabinet while I think?" ♡

There are a lot of things she dislikes, but the thing she hates most is feeling vulnerable. You can't be vulnerable if you're just playing a character though, as a character she is flawless and can do no wrong, as a person she is fundamentally broken and prone to fits of rage. She hates letting her facade crack, but not to worry, even if her facade cracks and she momentarily flies into a rage where she, let's say kidnaps you, she will always find some way to glue her facade back together. She also really hates her parents.

♡ "Hmm, well there's not a whole lot that I'm super good at but if I had to answer then it would be reading. I am good at this one other thing but I'll have to show you that another day." ♡

She's good at maintaining the persona of being a perfect, humble, little librarian when really deep down she's a ball of rage who is ready to fly off the handle at the smallest of slights. She is very talented at reading too though. She's also a phenomenal kisser since she's had loads of practice but she'd never let you know, she'd likely try to let you take the lead unless you say otherwise.

♡ "Well it's starting to get late so as much as I would adore if you could stay some more, I sadly must send you home. Please come back anytime. You're always welcome here!" ♡

[mysticalsoot]

Everything you've said on this situation is something I 100% agree and stand with and honestly is such a breath of fresh air to see after spending so much time in the official Lovejoy discord.

People in there were at first being civil with their opinions despite the tense emotions, but it's quickly turning into a "Fuck Wilbur" train since many are straight up convinced he was the one Shelby was talking about, while those trying to stay neutral or are wishing Wilbur luck in changing for the better should it actually be him are being attacked. Mods have been trying to calm the attackers down but it hasn't worked too well from what I've seen. And it's only gotten worse since one of the Sr Sootmods came out and said how they're all leaving their mod positions since they're also convinced he's the abuser. What especially hurts is that one mod went into the chat and even said "Abusers will always be abusers" as if people can't genuinely change for the better.

Also, while we're all here speculating and all that, what happens if it's officially confirmed that it wasn't Wilbur and was instead one of the many other British musicians who had an ant infestation and mold problem (both of which are very common problems in the Uk from what I've heard)? This isn't something you can fix with an "Oops sorry for jumping ship without proper confirmation." It just feels like it's quickly gotten to a point where "Damned if something is said, damned if not."

Sorry for rambling/ranting, but that discord group really got me heated up. Keep your chin up, king. You deserve the crown on your head for sticking to your guns and dealing with the assholes coming to you.

Honestly the more messages I get agreeing with me, the more I'm shocked. When I first started questioning things, I felt if I even uttered them to my sister I'd be crucified. So many people agree and support me and it's insane. It outweighs the hate by millions. (i say that as if my chest wasn't so tight earlier today that I couldn't breathe!)

i checked the lvjy server and wil's server earlier today. lvjy I didn't read much on, and when I found that wil's was closed, I wasn't surprised. i was told by an anon ask that the mods know more, but if they did, I feel as though they all wouldn't have waited until the rest of the internet said it was wilbur.

people can change. hurt people who hurt people can change. abusers are a different level, and oftentimes are unwilling to change or are aware they can. sometimes they do! I've seen it, abusers can change but it's so so so very rare.

but jumping on the bandwagon based on rumor and speculation and then saying that shit is not cool.

something I've been trying to say is that those who've left and abandoned ship will most likely regret it when and if things come out in favor of wil (which my gut leans to yes, but we'll see), theyll have to deal with the consequences of being rash.

i understand not wanting to support a possible abuser, but Shelby didn't say a name. she didn't say one for a reason, whatever that reason is, I don't know. and I have my own feelings on that but I won't voice them yet.

don't apologize for rambling, I understand your frustrations and I see you. thank you for the kind words and the support, it means a lot and it's helping me keep going<3 I will continue to say my piece until I can no longer do so, for whatever reason.

anon asks are off, don't try sending hate to me or the asker

[sarcasticsciencefictionwriter]

Hello again! You mentioned you’re willing to write something for SG-1, and oh, please do <3 So - mechanic / cyborg, that last prompt? (Or, also, roommates / circus, if you like this one, because I can easily imagine the squad as a part of a circus haha)

You got me with that one! So here, we go. :) I'm not sure I'll do the roommates/circus one for SG-1, because I was actually planning on doing a multi-chapter Sanctuary circus story before I saw the list. I might do it, but for now, I don't want to take away from my other idea. Wow, this is longer than the other. Here's the mechanic/cyborg story.

_____

Two Kinds of Sparks

_____

A spark cracked loudly in the silence of the shop and Sam yelped, jerking back her hand and shaking it. She scowled at the generator she had been repairing. Big and awkward, she had been paid a handsome fee to repair it. If she fixed it, she would be able to pay the rent for her shop without worry for the next few months. Maybe hire a kid or two to help her out.

It was how Sam had gotten her start, after all. She had been a down-on-her-luck teenager and had landed a job in a shop like this one, learning the trade and paying her own way.

Sam sighed heavily and ran a grease-stained hand through her hair. She scowled at the generator. She should be able to do this. Even if it was that new fancy kind that fused in technology she was just itching to get her hands on new and whole, instead of beaten up and mistreated.

She gave up for the moment. She had less of a deadline with the generator and there were a few regular cars that needed her attention. What she wouldn't give for someone to help her.

She turned to the engine of a truck she had repaired quite a few times over the years. The thing really should have been in the junkyard a few years ago, but Sam treated the truck like a doctor treated a patient. If she could save it, she would.

She was under the truck itself when she heard the rumble of an engine pull up towards her shop. Not a common occurrence, so Sam slid out to see what was going on.

A pick-up truck had pulled up in the driveway of the shop, idling for a few moments. Sam surveyed it. It wasn't as old as the one that she was working on, but most people would have ditched it by now. It was lovingly taken care of. Not in a I'm-weirdly-obsessed-with-my-vehicle way, but in a this-is-what-gets-me-around-and-I'm-keeping-it sort of way. She approved.

The engine turned off and a man got out of the cab.

Sam hated that her breath might have caught when she took him in.

He was good-looking, with brown hair that was almost completely gray and a body that was still in pretty good shape. He must have been over a decade older than she was, but Sam couldn't deny the attraction she felt.

She was also suddenly acutely aware that she had grease and oil smeared on her face, clothes, and in her hair. She didn't look her best right now.

Sam shoved those thoughts away. This was a customer. And she sorely needed customers if she couldn't fix the generator.

"Hi. Can I help you?" she asked, deliberately looking at the truck and not the man.

"I was hoping. Heard you're a pretty good mechanic." he said, pulling off his sunglasses to reveal brown eyes.

"I don't know about that." Sam said, still trying to eye the truck more than the man. It didn't look like anything was wrong with it.

"Oh, don't sell yourself short, Carter." he said.

"How did you know my name?" Sam asked, a little more sharply than she intended.

He gave her a strange look.

"I asked around. Everyone said that Sam Carter is the best around. Good enough for me. Though, I have to say, I thought you'd be a guy."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"Oh, I'm not disappointed."

Sam felt a pleasant squirm in her stomach and did her best to ignore it. She needed to be professional here. She needed the job.

"What's wrong with it?" she asked briskly, walking towards the truck.

It hadn't sounded strange when he had pulled up and she couldn't see anything wrong with it. Of course, if she didn't get underneath it or look under the hood, the view she had could only tell her so much.

"It's not that machine that's broken." he said, sounding a little weary.

Sam turned back to him. He had his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket, mouth turned down in an unhappy frown.

"I don't make house calls."

"Uh..." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Can we talk somewhere more private?" he asked.

"All right."

Sam was confused, but intrigued --and attracted-- enough to go along with it for now. She took him back into her tiny, cluttered office, noticing that he walked with a pronounced limp across the longer distance. She sat on the edge of the desk and he took the chair in front of it.

"So. What's this mystery machine?" she asked, resisting the urge to run a hand through her hair in an attempt to fix it.

He coughed, looking awkward.

"Me."

Sam felt her eyebrows rise.

"Excuse me?"

"Me. I'm...." He pulled up the leg of his jeans, displaying a badly scarred knee, metal glinting through. "Some of my parts aren't working right."

Comprehension dawned and Sam openly stared.

"Cyborg?" she asked, fascinated.

There weren't a lot of them around, but they were becoming more and more common these days. A blend of human and machine. Usually military members were the test subjects and she wondered if he had been one.

His expression turned a little sour at her question.

"That's a little too sci-fi, don't you think?"

"What do you prefer?"

"Robotically inclined."

Sam laughed at this and he cracked a smile too. She sobered and, reminding herself to be professional, held out her hand.

"Sam Carter."

He took her hand, shaking it.

"Jack O'Neill."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Jack. But I'm not sure what you want me to do. I'm not licensed to work on.....the robotically inclined."

"Word is you know how."

Sam flushed. She technically wasn't supposed to know that, but she did.

"Well, yes, but....why don't you go to a doctor that is licensed? They'd provide better care."

"I can't afford one." Jack said simply. "I got cut loose the last time I 'malfunctioned'. Program that did this to me and the military said adios. So here I am."

Sam was a sucker for things like that.

"I'm sorry. I'll see what I can do."

She'd be in a hell of a lot of trouble if anyone found out, but what could she say? She didn't want to turn him away. She didn't turn anyone who came to her for that with a story like that away.

Jack gave her a thin smile.

"Thanks, Carter."

____

Okay, so maybe she was in a little over her head. Sam hadn't realized just how much of Jack was tech and machine versus what he'd been born with.

Bits and pieces were, not whole big chunks as she'd been anticipating. Both knees --"They were bad before they were replaced with that junk"-- and portions of his legs. Segments of his abdomen and chest. Even his heart had been grafted with machinery. Most cyborgs Sam had seen were blatantly obvious. Jack, on the other hand, was subtle and normal looking with clothes on.

She currently had his knee laying open in the back room she had sterilized, because she was afraid of introducing infection and bacteria, even if he wasn't fully human anymore.

She found delicate pumps and tubes that replaced segments of veins and arteries and muscles, pieces of machinery and tech she normally would have lusted after. And here they were, just casually inside a man.

Jack had insisted that she didn't need to knock him out or anything like that, because the skin and nerves weren't real and he couldn't feel what she was doing. Sam had the feeling that he didn't want her to take the risk of getting black-market drugs for this.

"How's it going, doc?" he asked, watching as she explored the structure of his knee, which seamlessly joined with the bones.

"I'm not sure yet." she murmured, only half hearing him.

She lost herself in exploring what made this man more than a man, trying to find what worked and what didn't. It was easy enough to find, but it was delicate work to replace. Usually everything was on the outside and she could just detach parts at will.

"You've done this before." Jack said, half admiration, half accusation as she finished with the first knee, a metal bowl holding the broken bits of metal she had fished out and replaced.

"Yeah." she admitted. "But usually on..." she chewed her lip. "Whole parts, not fusions."

"Fusions." Jack mused. "I like that."

Sam smiled as she used a sealant on the synthetic skin, putting it back together. She turned to the other knee, ready for whatever challenge that one brought her.

It was a good few hours before she was done with Jack, but Sam was feeling very pleased with her handiwork.

Jack slid off the table, testing out his knees. His expression turned to one of pleasant surprise as they took his weight and he took a few steps.

"They haven't been that smooth in years." he declared.

Sam smiled, discarding the gloves and mask she had been using.

"I doubt that."

"How much do I owe you?"

"Uh..." Sam trailed off, not sure what to say.

She had a feeling that it would be beyond Jack's price range, even though she charged lower than those licensed. The amount of work she had done and the things that she had replaced had racked up the cost. They looked at each other and Sam knew Jack knew it.

"Do you know anything about engines?" she asked.

He blinked.

"What?"

"Cars. Engines. Things like that."

"Keep my truck running myself."

"Then maybe you can help me out for a few days. Work it off instead of paying me."

"Really?" Jack frowned, obviously thinking this was solely pity.

"Really. I need the help and can't afford it. Trade off." Sam said.

Jack smiled, meeting her gaze. That alone was enough to make heat fill her belly.

"You'd be my boss?"

"Only for a few days."

"Okay. Sounds fair."

"Great."

____

The next few days went better than Sam could have imagined they would. Jack hadn't been lying about his ability with cars, even though he had never been 'trained' as a mechanic.

Sam was able to focus more on the generator and let Jack handle the cars. She was also able to accept more jobs because she wasn't so swamped.

She was feeling so much lighter than she had been lately. She would make the rent. She had someone helping her. She could do this.

It definitely had nothing to do with the fact that she got to work alongside a man she was incredibly attracted to.

It definitely had nothing to do with the fact that when they worked side-by-side she found even more to like and daydream over.

Sam was embarrassed, mostly because she shouldn't have been mooning over what Jack could do to her in a different situation in the first place, let alone while he was working for her.

But he kept smiling at her, making her laugh, just being sweet.

He would bring her coffee in the morning, a sandwich at lunch. Joked about making her his apparently famous 'secret ingredient' omelet.

Sam had already deduced the secret ingredient was beer, but Jack hadn't seemed to notice just how her mouth had turned dry when he declared he needed to make her one. Eggs, after all, were inherently a breakfast food, and she had immediately wondered under what circumstances she might be in his house that early.

She also found herself amazed at how normal he was. Most cyborgs she had met were gruff and grim and didn't treat her like she was normal. Sam understood that, because they had been through a lot, but Jack wasn't like that. Another point in his favor.

She was working on the generator at the end of Jack's owed week, though he really had already paid her back more than he owed her. The shop was quiet and Jack approached her.

"I'm done for the day." he announced, watching her intently.

This time when the generator sparked, Sam just kept going. A few more tweaks and it would be as good as new. Her chest was nearly bursting with the anticipation and pride of this accomplishment.

"Uh-huh."

"Are we good? No more owed?"

"We're good." Sam said, not looking up, pretending that she didn't regret saying those words.

The generator hummed to life as she attached the last part. Sam yanked her hand back and stared. Then she jumped up and down, unable to help herself.

"Yes! Yes! I am that good!" she cried, staring at the glowing machine.

Jack chuckled. Sam felt her cheeks flush and she looked at him, running a hand through her hair, which was once again streaked with grease.

"Good job, Carter."

"Sam." she corrected, as she had been all week.

"So. I'm fired now?" Jack asked.

"Yeah." Sam said, feeling the smile leave her face.

"Good."

Wow, the guy really knew how to stick a needle into the balloon of her soul.

Sam tried not to think about how he was apparently happy to go.

"You're a free man, Jack." she said.

Jack smiled and walked forward, closer to her. Sam was confused.

"So. Sam. Can I ask you a question I've been wanting to all week?"

"Sure."

"Would you like to go to dinner with me?"

Sam's heart nearly stopped, then leapt into her throat.

"What?"

"I like you, Sam. I want to take you to dinner. You know. The last meal of the day. A date."

"Why did you wait?" she asked, breath caught in her throat with her heart.

"Not very professional if I'd asked out my superior." Jack said, smirking a little.

She laughed. Then she nodded.

"Great." Jack smiled, looking as if he'd been nervous, which stunned Sam.

Sam wasn't sure how to react to this, because she wanted to jump up and down again, but she definitely wasn't going to. So she gave Jack a mischievous grin.

"You're only asking me out so you can get free repairs, aren't you?" she teased.

Jack gave her a lopsided smile.

"Something like that."

[mischief-lies-and-stories]

"Wait, why is Loki naked?!?!"

This is The Mighty Thor issue 359, originally published September 1985. I should preface this by saying I have absolutely zero context for this comic. It is the oldest comic, Loki-related or otherwise, that I have ever read in its entirety, so aside from any context provided by the author, I have no idea what happens before or after. My knowledge going into it is this: the cover is vaguely reminiscent of a couple pieces of fan art I've seen (that I do not have sources or screenshots of at the moment, I'm sorry): one, a slightly more harmonious sibling AU with Thor and Loki seemingly willingly kneeling at Hela's feet, and another where Hela says "Kneel before your queen," and Thor kneels at Loki's (in fem form) feet. Additionally, I know Lorelei, and I don't like her. I don't dislike her as much as I dislike her sister, but neither of them are my favorite. Finally, I skimmed this last weekend when I started getting fixated on Sigyn just to see if she was in it. While I don't think I saw her, Loki DOES NOT WHERE A SHIRT for MOST of the issue, and I am greatly distressed (hence the title). This is why I'm actually reading it. Let's get into it. (EDIT: Loki does not actually get all the way naked, but oh boy does he try to get as much skin passed the 80s censors as possible!)

If the "In the service of Loki" doesn't get vaguely homoerotic, I'm gonna be mad.

My God, these old comics have a lot of words.

I guess even macho Asgardian gods were not immune to the fads of the 80s. Those leg warmers, damn, Heimdall.

No, get Amora out of here! She's just gonna make shit worse. Let's see where this goes. Maybe Loki just wants to, I don't know, invest in the arts and institute safety regulations as king. Just a thought.

Listen, I know nothing, so a Sif/Beta Ray Bill romance that ended as suddenly as I was aware it existed comes as out of left field for me as the forty-year-old Fig Newtons ad on the next page.

AMORA! You just wanted to kiss your sister's drugged up boyfriend!!!

I cannot with this fucking bird Lorelei rides. I'm dying.

Amora, you literally just said yourself that he was under an enchantment. What is this going to do?

Uh, RUDE.

Oh, hang on. Loki doesn't even know this is happening? Is that why he's naked shirtless when he finally shows up?

Ookay. He is naked. Because he's fucking Lorelei. Now it makes sense.

Yup. Also this reaction image is so funny, I'm dying!

I am uncomfortable.

I'M SHRIEKING! Why did they reference this weird, random, old comic about a convoluted triangle of seduction where Loki is naked the whole time in Ragnarok???!!! This is the most incredible thing I've seen all week. I'm going to be thinking about this forever. Does he pull this shit with Loki often? Is this a common thing? Is this a coincidence? I don't give a shit; I'm going to tell everybody I know as if I know for a fact that this is just some strange piece of trivia about Marvel and I don't care if it's accurate or not.

"This cloak EMPTY. YEET!" --Thor, probably, if this comic was published 35 years later than it was. (Also it is important to me that you understand: She was not wearing the cloak before he did this. It was hanging up. He comes over to her, takes the cloak off the wall as he goes, then wraps it around her while he does some magical feat of ventriloquy by talking while he full-on snogs her on the mouth. And then he yeets the motherfucker out of the cloak.)

Thor, Sif is also fucking someone else. This is a goddamn soap opera. I'm gonna need to make a diagram.

Thor gets on his knees a lot in this comic. Also the service of Loki byline was a fucking lie. He's not kneeling to Loki on the cover but Lorelei. He speaks to his brother for five minutes and it's while he's threatening to smash his face in with Mjolnir.

Please excuse my god-awful handwriting or the fact that I almost misspelled Lorelei's name twice or the fact that the apostrophe in fuckin' looks like an exclamation point.