#still i can't help my existential thoughts

[wanderingmind867]

I don't know how much longer my comics hyperfixation will last, but I'm trying to force my brain to persevere just a tiny bit longer. I just want to read hulk and namor, them maybe go back and read Howard the Duck (and maybe other humour comics, if i find the time). But that's it. I've already read so much since like january, so i should be able to content myself with the knowledge that i've read nearly every 60s marvel comic.

That being said, i still don't know how to feel about my comics hyperfixation still being here. It's been here for like half a year, and so my brain almost wants to tell me that it's a sign that my interests aren't changing as much because I'm getting older. Which apparently is another excuse for me to get existential. It's not fun, but this is just how my brain seems to operate. Maybe i can make another post about all this later, if i mange to find time (or remember to write it).

[hauntingblue]

I have connected two dots... yamato kaido and momo (and kinda shirahoshi with her top) have clouds above their shoulders... and luffy in gear fourth has them also.... I can see the signs

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

hi! sorry if you've answered this already, i tried to search your blog and didn't find much, but we all know the tumblr search function is...uh...but i'd be deeply curious to hear your thoughts about Stephenie Meyer's "The Host," specifically re: treatment of the issue of souls' colonization and possession of other species...and obviously, since i'm asking you, an animorphs blog, this, my curiosity is definitely coming from a place of comparison to animorphs, but that doesn't have to be your focus!

from the posts tumblr's search algorithm did grant me, i gather you see it as wanda unlearning the colonizer's propaganda stance she takes at the start of the story, which i agree with!

but i guess every time i read it, i really can't help but feel...unsatisfied? with the way it actually engages with the horrors and colonization of it all?

sort of like, okay, The Host is this one very individual YA romance story in a sci-fi setting, which is obviously different from a heavily-Star-Trek-inspired middle-grade series about guerrilla warfare and is going to grapple with these issues differently...but still! i don't leave feeling satisfied with how it engages with consent of "host" bodies the souls are in, and i don't feel satisfied with how it engages with the souls' systemic behavior!!! but i can't really put my finger on why, and i just...was curious, i guess, whether this was something you had thoughts about.

(full disclosure: i'm asking you specifically because one of my HUGE points of existential dread on my first adulthood reread of The Host was how Jodi never wakes up, and her boyfriend just starts implied-dating the soul who's in her body? or how kids who are infested from birth are just...gone, and they were like "well sweet we can just put Wanda in there, this is a perfect solution!" and that I think hit me so hard in comparison with having read Eleutherophobia--which is, by the way, a masterwork of fanfiction that wrecked me, overwrote canon a little bit in my brain, and I think fundamentally changed how I see the possibilities of writing and narration, so, you know. thank you for that!)

(also like, i know there's different worldbuilding where it's implied most hosts just...go away...but do they actually? because Mel and the Seeker's host are still there, which kind of implies to me that it's more of a problem than the souls want to admit?! and even outside humans, all the memories, and compulsions toward certain behaviors are still there! what makes a person in this universe of Meyer's?! it's kind of fundamentally horrifying?!)

apologies for this extremely long ask, haha, and i hope you're doing well, love your blog, your writing, and all your thoughts!

Oh my god, ALL OF THIS. I thoroughly enjoy the first 98% of The Host. It's a romance novel about consent! Where the characters have to struggle to resolve the plot in a way that gets the permission of everyone in the love quadrangle to boink everyone else, and spends over 500 pages doing exactly that! It's anti-imperialist as fuck! It's got an amazing supporting cast, like every Stephenie Meyer novel! The imagery is unparalleled in its richness and coolness, because Stephenie Meyer! I've written fan fiction about it! I have an extremely normal relationship with Kyle O'Shea!

And then Sunny. And then Wanda's unnamed second human host.

I think that Meyer, either because of romance genre conventions or pressure from publishers, felt she had to write a happy ending. But the book does such a good job of setting up an unresolvable moral dilemma — either Wanda gets to be with Ian, or she does the right thing by giving Melanie's body back — that there is no path to a happy ending. If Ian did as Wanda asked and sent her in a jar to some other planet, romance fans would feel cheated. If Doc did as Melanie asked and let Wanda stay in her body, then the book's anticolonial message would be for nothing.

But resolving it through PARASITING A KID IN A VEGETATIVE STATE? What if Doc makes Wanda a nice robot body? What if Wanda stays in a jar, but Ian finds a way to join her in the jar? What if she and Melanie set up a time share? Uuuuuugggggghhhhh. The Host was THIS CLOSE to being the best anticolonial novel ever written, and then falls on its face inches from the finish line.

Which, aside, is the reason I don't think Animorphs would ever work with a happy ending. "Happy" for the protagonists would never be morally okay in the bigger story.

[duskyvenus]

Super Blue Moon: What you need to hear right now

This is a general intuitive reading meant for entertainment purposes. Take whatever resonates. I am still practicing my intuitive ability so feedback would be really helpful :))

Pile 1

You might be wanting peace, a quiet life. I'm seeing walks in the nature, consuming healthy unprocessed food, lots of fruits. You might like red or orange colored fruits (could be any). I'm sensing changes in lifestyle. Maybe you will relocate or renovate your home (changing your aesthetics and style). Your soulmate(romantic) or current partner or future partner(whatever resonates) is sending you messages of affirmation. Also they might like to stare at you and admire your features lol. I'm hearing: It's all about the little things. Maybe this is something you believe in or it is about to become a theme in your life in the near future. A short trip or holiday might soothe your nerves a bit, preferably somewhere cooler. Overall, I think change is coming your away; there's this picture of letting things go and relaxing in a lodge in the mountains while sunlight creeps in through the window. Yeah lots of sunshine imagery in this pile. It's about how the sun slowly warms you up. Slowly and surely you will be moving to the next stage.

Pile 2

Similar to pile 1, I think you might be in need of some sunlight lol. I'm seeing something about hobbies, so maybe you need to get back to them? You might not have completed a previous painting, book, blanket or whatever. I'm also seeing cakes which means some kind of celebration. It might be your friend's birthday soon. Yeah I'm hearing about a dear friend, someone you think is your soulmate (for some of you, they are :] ). Or maybe a connection where either person has romantic feelings and the other feels neutral. Some of you might be studying hard and preparing for your future job and you're trying to keep a positive mindset. I see so many drawings and scribbles in a notebook. This is the student pile. I'm also seeing baked food and the aroma of cafes. Maybe you like to do your work in a cafe with a cup of coffee and some cake. Also you might be secretive and like to keep things to yourself. Might be a homebody. You are working to chase a reward and you're feeling frustrated because the path is so long. Don't be too hard on yourself. Set small goals and reward yourself for finishing them.

Pile 3

Whimsical and airy vibes for this pile. I'm hearing that you might have witnessed something paranormal? Or something that just can't be real. Hmm existential crisis? Questioning the universe? Questioning yourself? I'm seeing wings. You might be wanting to just fly away lol. Or they could be angel wings. You might be feeling lonely. Recently you might have ended a friendship or relationship OR you might have lost someone so you feel empty. I'm really sorry for your loss :( A big phase of your life suddenly came to an end so you're feeling lost. Old memories flashing in your head. Though I also feel that someone wants to approach you with hopes of making new memories with you. They seem like a very doting person and also calm. 'Calm'; your head is a mess and you feel like you're not able to think clearly. You might be asking yourself, "Am I seeing/hearing things?", "Why am I not able to do such a simple task?" Maybe your spirit guides or guardian angel want(s) to communicate with you and for that I'm hearing lavender and mint. Meditation may also help you to sort out your thoughts.

Pile 4

This is the happy-go-lucky pile. I'm seeing you have so much fun with your friends! You seem like the type to uplift people's moods. It feels empty when you're not around. You might feel pressured to keep up this cheerful image. Lately someone might have been rude to you or accused you of something or just bad-mouthed you. You might have felt taken aback because of this and tried to reflect on yourself. Don't worry, they're just jealous. Maybe you started thinking about the time when your demeanor was very different from now; you were not a cheerful person to begin with, but you started acting this way because you wanted to be treated differently. Now that there has been a sudden rejection that is asking you to re evaluate your choices, you are considering reverting back to your old self. Or maybe you think a lot about your friendships and just feel overwhelmed by the love :( This is so wholesome. You feel deeply and often wonder about the outcomes of your actions. I think that's why you wanted change, you genuinely wanted to be of help to someone. Your friends really appreciate it even though they won't admit openly (for some of you, your friend is a tsundere lol)

Pile 5

An ethereal energy in this pile. Stargazing and being mesmerized. You know that feeling you get when you look up at the stars and wonder if someone is watching you? I think your guardian angels want you to know that they are always there for you. If not a guardian angel then a deceased loved one. You have big aspirations but you often feel intimidated. You may have doubts about the path you're choosing. I just want to say that you have the star quality and you're blessed. I'm hearing fate and good luck. If you have been manifesting, try using candles or star shaped objects. You can even use them as a lucky charm. "You drew stars around my scars" - this may apply to you and someone you know. Something about light at the end of the tunnel. 'Hope' ; someone or something gives you hope to keep going. You're working really hard, you just wonder if you'll get the results. This kind of reminds me of pile 2 so you might want to check that out. "Funny how all dreams come true"

Pile 6

You might be talking to someone and you don't really know where this is going? You can say it's a situation-ship. Or you're crushing hard on someone. Either way this is making you giddy. You might also be transforming yourself and so all the changes are making you feel giddy. A very new feeling. You're trying to look at things differently. You're trying to concentrate. You're craving some form of affection. The message I'm getting is that self care will help you get that faster. Also I'm hearing that you have a vibe that is easy to mesh with. People often find you attractive even when you're not doing anything. "Aphrodite's blessings" - you may get the glow-up you've been waiting for. Similar starry night vibes as pile 5. You're also really good at giving compliments and appreciating the beauty of the smallest things. You are a very loving person if you are given the space to do so. "Hang in there baby." - your future partner could be very devoted to you.

A channeled message for everyone: Please eat well !! And have some good sleep!! Take your vitamins!!

[ghoulfuckersincorporated]

politely humbly asking if is it time for nick valentine headcanons? :)))

It sure is! I absolutely adore Nick, and while I definitely understand the "peepaw" thing people seem to prescribe to him (he does certainly ooze Old Man Vibes), I think the fact that he's also incredibly sexy is sometimes overlooked. Very unfortunate about the whole "cop" thing, but hey, my guy wants for the good of society and he's a menace when I need him to be, so he's husband material to me!

Nick Valentine (FO4) Headcanons

SFW

Physiologically, he gets absolutely nothing from smoking cigarettes, but human Nick Valentine was a 1-2 pack per day smoker back in the day. Granted, only about 20% of those cigarettes are smoked from beginning to end; both then and now, they're moreso the noir version of a fidget toy, something to occupy his hands or fret away at between his teeth as it slowly smoulders away to nothing. Without access to his cigarettes, Nick doesn't necessarily get grouchy, but he does get noticeably more antsy, clearly a little uneasy and unsure what to do with his hands. Still digs into his pockets every five minutes unconsciously.

Doesn't sleep, but keeps a shaky-framed old bed in the agency's office and actually uses it. Sometimes he likes to crawl into it and lie down with his eyes closed for a while, using the quiet time to ponder things, go over evidence, study connections in his mind. He feels a bit embarrassed by it when you ask him if he ever uses the old thing, but the act is nostalgic, even a comfort on an especially bad day.

That old duster he wears means a lot to him, and helping him repair it (or even replace it if something really terrible happens to it) will earn you major points with him. Checking up on him, in general, showing concern for him and his wellbeing will do so. He isn't used to someone caring for him so much, treating him like a regular man from the jump.

Art and art history enjoyer, as well as a good opera recording from time to time. Any time he comes across any kind of art museum or a place that would have once sold or stocked holotapes, he has a look around. Usually he turns up nothing, sometimes he ends up with new holes in him, but every once in a while he sees something, scrounges something up or sees a fairly intact piece of art that reignites feelings in him that he can't quite describe.

NSFW

Nick is a patient, almost overly generous lover. In fact, you'll be hard-pressed to even get him to allow you to touch him in turn early on in your intimate relationship. He's slick about it, using the weaknesses he's discovered against you to keep pushing you to the edge over and over again until you're too exhausted to even coherently think about reciprocating. It's nothing to do with you and everything to do with the daily struggle he fights against his own self image, his own existential thoughts. He also still regularly struggles with mourning Jenny, even though she was never really his to begin with, and he knows that. Unfortunately, that knowledge doesn't stop him from hurting, and it makes it difficult for him to be vulnerable in situations like that.

You can't hide anything from the man; if you have any kinks or interests that you're sitting on for whatever reason, he will sniff them out. Doesn't matter if you find it embarrassing; whatever it is, he'll get it out of you eventually if he notices signs that you like something. It's not like you can stop your face from flushing, your heart from racing, or your panties from dampening.

The seams between the panels that make up his body are very sensitive, and once he feels comfortable enough with you that he'll open up his shirt, it will drive him absolutely crazy if you run your fingers (or tongue) very gently along them.

Practice caution, though; you can easily hurt yourself sticking your hands and fingers and other appendages into certain crevices or panels in his body, and your experimentation can quickly turn painful, ruining the mood. He hates to see you in hurting and it makes him acutely, agonizingly aware of just how inhuman his body really is. Puts quite the damper on his spirits, unfortunately.

He doesn't cum, at least not traditionally, but if you get him (literally) hot and bothered enough he can have a sort of overheating-induced power cycling that's pretty much the closest thing he has. He enjoys it, but he'll only let you get him that far if he's in one of a handful of positions, because he often goes completely lax when it happens, and his body is heavy enough to hurt you if he just falls on you.

Surprisingly dominant in bed. Well, it surprises you at first, once he lets that side of himself show, but it fits in your mind eventually. He likes rules, and he likes enforcing what happens when those rules are broken. Big fan of orgasm denial, but also a big fan of edging you until your mind nearly breaks. I mean, parts of him vibrate, and quite strongly. He will use that against you.

[sitp-recs]

Hey do you have any Drarry fic recs which basically have Draco completely changing in 8th year/after the war, like he's dyed his hair and has tattoos and just has become more friendly and changed and Harry basically loses his mind? Kinda tired of the grovelling Draco or animosity fics atp.. Thanks :)

Hi anon! Omg yes, love me confused Harry losing his mind over a changed, hotter and confident Draco. This trope always delivers even when Draco doesn’t go through major physical changes (I love it when he gets extra though 🤌🏼). I have a few recs but they’re all post-Hogwarts, I hope they still work for you!

Enjoy the Silence by @shealwaysreads (M, 3.4k)

Draco stops speaking, gets some tattoos, and discovers that Harry’s happy to be quiet with him.

Under Your Skin by p1013 (E, 4k)

He initials another section and flips the page. Being a junior Auror is a lot more grunt work than he expected, and the paperwork isn't even the worst of it. He's also managed to catch intake duty. It's getting close to 2 AM, there hasn't been a single arrest brought in tonight, and he's still got another six hours before his shift is over. Rubbing a hand over his face, he prays for something, anything, to make the interminable evening better.

The Study of Change by p1013 (M, 4.3k)

Harry's going to hell. He's going to hell immediately. Even with all of the good he's done in his life, he's never going to overcome the impure thoughts racing through his head at the sight of Draco Malfoy looking like an academic wet dream in a room full of barely legal adults.

Starstruck by phrynne (E, 4.5k)

Yeah, Malfoy has pink hair. Or sort of. Half of his hair is shaved short and dyed an aggressive pink. The other half is still white-blond, a strand falling over his right eye, only the left side of his face visible at all times. He turns it slightly and spots me beyond the moving bodies. He doesn’t stop dancing, a smile plays on his lips. This time I don’t look away like I used to when all this began.

Sex on Legs in Six-Inch Heels by @tessacrowley (E, 9.6k)

Draco Malfoy is a brilliant freelance cursebreaker and the only one who can help the Department of Magical Law Enforcement with a very dangerous case, but more importantly, he's wearing six-inch heels, and Harry cannot handle it, he really just can't.

Dream by the Fire by GallifreyisBurning (M, 11k)

When Draco Malfoy resurfaces in England after eight years abroad—tattooed, pierced, and wanting to take over a corner of Harry's coffee shop to work on a writing project—Harry can't help but be intrigued. Where has he been? What is he working on? Why here? And why does he have to look so stupidly hot with all those tattoos?

Cold Like Fire by QueenofThyme (M, 12k)

Head Auror Harry Potter had no problem with mandatory consent training for his team. He’d actually been looking forward to it, that is, until he discovered who the teacher was. Now, he had no idea how he was going to get through the training without throwing a hex at Draco Malfoy. Or a punch.

In the Shape of Things to Come by @academicdisasterfic (E, 15k)

Existential angst and chronic boredom are plaguing Harry Potter in his cushy post-war life. However, a chance encounter with a tattooed, pierced, disgruntled Draco Malfoy in the middle of Muggle Camden seems to spark something in Harry again—and he never could stay away from Malfoy.

We Might Be Too Old for a Bildungsroman by @wellhalesbells (T, 21k)

Harry finds something he’s been looking for since the war’s end. Admittedly, the packaging’s a bit odder than he expected.

Ink (My Skin With Your Name) by Kandakicksass (M, 22k)

Several years after the war, an ostracized Draco Malfoy covers himself in tattoos, becomes best friends with a muggle, and debates abandoning magical society entirely to work in a tattoo shop. All in all, he's having a hell of a time trying to figure out who he is and what he wants to do with his life. The last thing he needs is to run into Harry Potter, who seems intent on becoming his friend, even if he has to get a lot of ink to do it.

All Bets Are Off by dualwieldteacup (M, 31k)

Harry Potter's latest security assignment brings him to Las Vegas for the International Wizarding Casino World Series. At a magic underwater hotel, he is tasked with guarding the legendary and mysterious gambler known as Snake Eyes. The stakes are high when both Galleons and emotions are involved. Not to mention peacock pool floats, secret pizza, and most importantly of all, second chances.

[skania]

It's so funny how Aqua talks big about manipulating Akane, yet she ends up being the person he is most honest with in the entire manga (alongside Gotanda) 😂

It's even funnier when you realize this trend started from the very moment he set out to lead Akane on!

He deliberately kisses her to trap her in a fake relationship with him, but Akane sees right through him and to the fact that he isn't looking to date her because he is romantically interested in her.

I believe this is when Aqua first begins to realize Akane is not someone who can be easily fooled, and he rewards her perceptiveness with a truth.

To me, dating is just an extension of my work: This is part of my revenge plan

I'm highly interested in you as an actress: The way you get inside Ai's mind and understand her so perfectly is extremely useful to me

So of course, Akane reads in between the lines and realizes he wants to use her for something.

From the get-go, the one time Aqua intended to lie and manipulate Akane, he couldn't do it. She immediately shot it down.

What's more, Aqua here is telling her a truth while hiding his real motives. But Akane sees through that either way.

Aqua intended for his relationship with Akane to be a lie, but from the very beginning the truth starts to slip in.

At first, it's only because Akane sees right through him. But this soon changes, and Aqua starts sharing his truths all on his own.

(Spoilers for the entire manga below the cut!)

She is also the person he opens up to about his thoughts and feelings once he thinks his revenge is over. He tells her literally everything, from the DNA tests he ran and his struggles throughout all these years, to how relieved he feels now that it's all over.

She also knows that Himekawa and the twins are related.

But this honesty streak doesn't only apply to Aqua's revenge. She's even the first person he allows to see his old acting videos!

The one thing Aqua can't tell Akane about is that he is Goro's reincarnation, but he still goes and shares his entire backstory with her either way.

He later talks big about feeding Akane information so she would find the corpse for him, but sharing Goro's backstory and feelings wasn't relevant at all!

This all gets to a point that Aqua turns to Akane for answers when he is going through an existential crisis about what to do.

What it comes down to is that Akane makes Aqua feel understood. After spending so many years hiding his truth, Aqua craves that feeling.

That's why he can't help but to reveal more and more pieces of himself to Akane, including as much as he can of the one truth he can't say to anyone at all.

Akane, thank you for finding me.

tl;dr It's hilarious how Aqua intended for his relationship with Akane to be a lie, only for it to practically become the relationship he's most honest in lol

[goodluckclove]

I've been meaning to say something. (100 follower hot take)

Hey! Thanks for stopping by. I hope you've had a nice day. Why don't you rest with me for a while? I made some chocolate chip cookies - with shortening instead of butter, so they're very soft and very chocolatey. I made way too many and they aren't my wife's favorite, so I could use some help in eating them.

You're probably a writer, right? Or maybe you think about how you could be. Browse the tags here, or on other social media platforms. Maybe you used to write stories as a kid. I bet those were fun. Teachers might've thought they were impressive, or they dissected them line by line until the words didn't make sense in your head anymore. Either way, if you're here you're probably here for a reason.

(rant alert)

I dipped a toe in online writing communities on and off. My last attempt was forty-five minutes scrolling through the writing hashtag on Youtube Shorts (so TikTok, I guess? I don't know). I didn't like it. I really didn't. The thing that sticks out the strongest in my mind is one particular video where a woman claims that every story needs a second act plot twist.

Huh? Every story? All of them? Why? Since when? Who are you? What qualifications do you have to make a statement like that?

That's the common thread that makes a lot of writing spaces very uncomfortable for me. Successful writers are really only successful in their genre and for the given moment, so they don't have that much objective authority in the craft. And yet I see a lot of people deciding the things that you can't do in writing. Or the things you have to do, and how you have to do them. It was so much of Writeblr at first glance that I almost dipped out once again. I didn't, though, and I'm glad I didn't because now I get to watch some of the next great storytellers from across the world grow and examine and forge their way forward.

No one can teach you how to write. No, that's not true. Teachers teach literacy. Handwriting. Typing maybe - do schools still teach typing? Let me try saying it in a different way - no one, not one single person on this goddamned planet, has the right to tell you how to make a story.

I was supposed to get my MFA in creative writing before my first breakdown. My uncle stayed in the program I was meant to be in, and a few years after I dropped out he graduated. Recently I had the thought to look up his thesis novella, and as I searched I found myself regretting my decision to leave school. If I stayed and got to develop my writing in an actual class, with other writers and a knowledgeable professor, how much further along would I be than where I am right now?

It was bad. His novella was terrible. It was so bad I had a small existential crisis for, like, three days. He spent so much money on years and years of professional education and came out with a truly soulless story that read as if you prompted an AI to write the next Great American Novel. So if you think you need a writing degree to be a legitimate author, it could help connections-wise, but it ultimately won't be the thing that does the work for you.

Not all advice I see online on writing is bad. I find the people who are able to capture the "I" statements of therapy and phrase advice as things that have worked for them, or things that they personally enjoy, to be fine. Some writing advice can spark inspiration.

But if someone is the type of person to boil every story down to troupes and cliches, and then immediately say that every story that uses the trait they don't like is automatically bad for everyone? I'm dropping the kindness for a second - that's trash. That's a trash take and I see far too many writers use it as a reason to stop before they begin.

I don't like whump. I say my reasons in previous posts if you go back through my blog. But you will never hear me say that any story with whump in it is bad, because I don't know that. You might prove me wrong. I am an adult human being and I have the humility to admit that I can like something I didn't expect to. I genuinely enjoy the direction of The Human Centipede (only the first one) and if you cringed just now that probably means you haven't seen it.

There are so many types of books and movies and plays and comics out there. To enjoy a specific genre is fine, to ignore the existence of everything else is a really, really, really odd thing to do. Maybe someone will hate your story because they think everything should be Neil Gaiman, and therefore have no way to understand your epistolary high-Western. You are not the wrong end of that situation just for existing.

And at there is a definite threshold on how many writing tips you can gather before they stop being useful. If you find them interesting, that's one thing. That's fine. But if the culture of creativity online has made you feel like you need to educate yourself on every possible angle before you can write a story, you are actively harming yourself.

Imagine taking the level of structure you put on yourself in that way and putting it on children playing pretend in the backyard. Oh, Susie, don't you know that it's overdone for your Kitsune have dead parents? Xyler, shouldn't you ask someone else before you decide how Spiderman would react to this? It would make no sense and they do not need it. Kids will make a whole world out of nothing and it's the most fucked thing in my heart that at some point they get access to Reddit and dipshits start insisting that's wrong.

They aren't wrong and you aren't either. Your favorite creative influencer can't tell you your story, strangers on the internet can't tell you your story, your teachers and loved ones can't tell you your story. They can influence it, but they can't write it honestly the way you can.

You do that. That's the thing you do.

Man that makes me upset. I can't tell you how to make a story, either. If anyone sends me asks for writing advice the most I'll do is say what I've done before hopping into your DMs and starting a direct conversation. it's so personal to each individual artist, and I'd like to think that the people selling these classes and software and promoting these platforms haven't thought about that before. Otherwise it does feel manipulative. If you have a willingness to practice and imagine and really experiment with the possibilities, you are ready to write your story.

And if it doesn't work? Try again. That's what you do.

Stephen King has written roughly a thousand books and maybe five of them have decent endings. He is unimaginably successful.

I'm rambling now. I think I got that out of my system. I was really worried to say this out of fear of being too weird or somehow reverse-gatekeeping so hard that it circles back into also being a bad thing. I've just spoken to a lot of people who I still think of throughout my day, and I truly ache for them to get past the fear of creation. Because it's worth it. It's worth it and it's fun, even when it's messy and you're tired.

Let it Be just came on. Beatles. I haven't listened to The Beatles in a long time. Feels a little apropos.

I love you, reader. Reader, Writer, Colleague. Take care of yourself. Especially the little you, still sitting there in the backyard of your soul, bathing in the sun with their bare feet in the damp earth.

Consider joining them, maybe.

[oneshlut]

Can you do The Amazing Digital Circus characters meeting the reader for the first time?

A/N: ofcofc!! thanks for the request, i ADORE writing for tadc! <33 (keeping these platonic since most characters i write for in tadc are platonic)

Another New Home (TADC & Reader) [Headcanons]

Rules For Requesting

Characters I Will Write For

Masterlist

Summary: General meeting/friendship headcanons for ALL characters of TADC

Caine:

Seeing as he's the ringmaster, Caine introduces himself first!

Tries to be a bit less louder than he was with Pomni. She's actually been talking with him lately, trying to get him to be a bit more friendly! And human!

Can you blame him for being slightly rude? He's not even human, so he can't be blamed for not understanding certain emotions.

But you help him understand! He'll ask you from time to time about what certain human things mean.

When you first spawned into the circus, Caine helped pick out a name for you! By that I mean he chose it for you. You didn't get a say in anything.

Your relationship now? Well, he makes sure you don't get abstracted! That's enough for a good friend, right?

Pomni:

Immediately freaked out hearing a new name in the theme song. DESPERATELY hopes you're not too weird, like Kinger or.. Jax? Well, she hopes you're not rude like Jax

After meeting you, she's pleasantly surprised! You two can kinda relate to your situation. Jax likes to call you two the "newbies".

Pomni tries her best to explain to you what the digital circus even means for you, what abstraction is, and what not. She may not be able to answer all of your questions, though.

Thinks you're one of the "normal" ones to hang out with. Tries sticking with you during Caine's adventures. (She just needs someone else that gets her. Luckily, you fit that role perfectly.)

If she's comfortable enough with you, some days she may visit you in your room! Pomni doesn't do this often, though, so feel lucky.

Overall, the two of you are existential crisis buddies! If you become friends with her, be prepared for lots of deep thoughts and.. well, confusion.

Ragatha:

Ragatha is always eager to meet someone new in the circus! Despite how dire your situation may be, she tries her best to cheer you up.

Every morning she checks the doors before going down to the grounds, and that morning she found your door. Your design intrigued her, she just had to meet you!

She definitely explains abstraction better than Pomni tried to. When you get nervous about.. well, going insane, she heavily reassures you. Although Caine's adventures may seem like hell, they're actually pretty fun! Sometimes.

Ragatha shows you to your room, before she lets you get to know everyone else. She tries to stay optimistic for you, but you can kinda feel her underlying worries about the situation as she explains it.

She's definitely one of the easier people in the circus to get along with. If you get to know her a bit better, she may open up to you! Ragatha will try to tell you everything she knows about her past self, but she's left with very little wisps of what she used to be like.

Ragatha is on the more nicer and motherly side of the group, so when you can you try to spend time with her. If you put in the right effort, Ragatha will become really fond of you!

Jax:

If you've read my other works, you'll know Jax isn't one for new people. And at the same time he is. He's really indecisive.

But meeting you wasn't too bad. You weren't overwhelmingly annoying, but you did have some elements to your character that he could tease or make fun of.

Your first impression of Jax was.. honestly kind of bad. He was a complete dick, what more do you expect? To say the least, his antics did not help your increasing confusion.

If you still hang out with him after your horrible introductions, he would be.. amused. Becoming friends with Jax was just setting yourself for failure. Walking into a bear trap.

He teased you, pranked you relentlessly, and made sure you failed horribly during Caine's adventures. Why? I dunno, it was funny.

Jax will tone down his asshole nature as time goes on, and the closer you are with him.

You'll know he's placed his full trust in you when he asks you to help him out with a prank.

Zooble:

According to Zooble, her name for you was 'weirdo' in her head until she met you. As is for everyone, I suppose.

Your first meeting was.. awkward? You had asked her how her limbs worked, detachable and all. It was intriguing to hear about, though.

One thing you shared in common with her was probably both of your lackluster attempts at Caine's adventures, before just deciding to give up.

When you were too tired to commit to an adventure, you'd hang out with Zooble. She was nice company, and much different from others who were much more chaotic. Spending time with Zooble gave your brain a rest, a chance to slow down. And.. it was nice.

Zooble may seem unwilling to befriend you, but I promise she's trying. Not many people actually try to befriend her, unless it's Jax. If you count Jax's pranks as a way of befriending.

In all honesty, when you first met her, you kinda thought she would be.. crazy. Like Kinger. Maybe it was her design, with all the colors in all its glory, but you found yourself pleasantly surprised!

As long as you aren't a natural annoying person, or push buttons like Jax, Zooble eill probably grow fond of you! She won't admit it, though.

Gangle:

Oohh, Gangle. She's a tough one. Right now she's focused on her comedy mask, and doesn't even notice you when you first spawn in.

When you come to say hi, she's still in sorrows. She wishes you could've seen her happier side when you first arrived..

You try to help Gangle fix her mask, but you.. kinda end up making it worse. You apologize profusely. Don't worry, she forgives you. She may have just cried a bit more.

The more you hang out with her, the more comfortable she will get with you. She's a tough one to break, so it may take a while for Gangle to become fully trusting in you.

Try not to make any sudden movements or bursts of affection, because she will cry. Gangle, being as emotional as she is, will probably break down if you're too nice to her. They're happy tears, I swear. She's just not as used to affection like she was before.

As you grow closer, you begin to notice the little things. Gangle begins to show hints of smiles, and if you're lucky, she'll giggle a bit at a joke.

If you're patient with Gangle, she'll get attached to you. Sorry, no take backsies. She's just happy to finally have someone to feel safe around.

Kinger:

Kinger is.. a wild card. Don't get me wrong, Kinger is one of my favorite characters, but you have to admit he's a bit startling at times. And confusing. So imagine meeting him after being transported to another reality, already confused enough with your current situation, and now having to deal with Kinger's personality.

Him being a bit, you know.. coo-coo, he kinda ignored you at first. Kinger thought he was just hallucinating again, as per usual. Then you spoke, and he immediately jumped.

Speaking to him leaves you a bit frazzled, but you don't mind. He asks a lot of confusing questions about you, like how many half-syllables are in your name. You don't even know your name yet..

But you spend time with him anyways, he can be fun at times! He's decently helpful on adventures, and is a joy to have outside of Caine's antics. (What I'm trying to say here is that you build fortresses together.)

Kinger categorizes all of his friends using chess pieces. He says your a knight. Not even he knows why, he just one day told you that you seemed like a knight.

Grow close enough, and this humanized chess piece will ramble on and on about plants and insects to you. When he's ranting, you can barely make out anything he says, as his words naturally seem to blend together. Honestly? He's probably neurodivergent.

One day he'll tell you about Queenie. But it's gonna take a while. Estimated 5 years. For now, you two are great friends! In a way, Kinger feels like this weird childhood friend you never had. And Kinger.. still sees you as a knight.

[sarnai4]

Opening Up

About opening up...Dagur kinda doesn't. (Spoilers ahead)

This is something I've seen some fans talk about where they say Dagur would reveal personal information easily. I see where they're coming from with this. Looking at Dagur, I'd expect that too. He's outspoken, emotional, unrestrained, etc. He seems like someone who could randomly say, "I had a good cry today," and it wouldn't be anything surprising. HOWEVER, that changes for me when I look at the proof from the show. If Dagur was half as open about things as this would imply, then we wouldn't be forced to speculate so much about his past and the things that have happened to him. In another case of me spending too much time studying Dragons (probably. Still worth it), I tried to collect all the examples of Dagur sharing information. They have something in common. Each time, there's a specific reason. I'll go in chronological order.

In "Enemy of My Enemy," Dagur tells Hiccup how revenge can make you do things you didn't think you were capable. This was an interesting moment of really getting to see how the villain we saw Dagur be wasn't who he always was. It even shocked him how extreme his actions became. This has the potential to be some heavy stuff, but he didn't just outright say it for fun. He said it because he saw Hiccup going down that same path. This isn't, "I can't believe the things I've done and really need someone to talk to." It's, "I see you following in my footsteps and they led me in a terrible direction. I don't want that for you."

It takes Dagur F.O.R.E.V.E.R. to admit he didn't kill Oswald. Even as a good guy, he doesn't say it easily. In "Family on the Edge," he implies that something Heather said out of the sent her adrift, killed their dad, and tried to kill them list wasn't true, but he doesn't just say it. He writes it in the letter, admitting that and how he was worried that the other Berserkers wouldn't follow him otherwise. If he wanted to do it for emotional release reasons, he could've just said the first time or even told her way back when he thought they were on the same side. Rather than that, he puts it in a letter so that her final relative won't be quite as bad as she thinks he is.

In "Searching for Oswald...And Chicken," Dagur has two moments. First, he tells Heather how he's spent most of his life in varying stages of existential crisis. (Just wow for that. Wish we had heard more about it because that is quite the emotional load he nonchalantly dropped) Again, this clearly isn't to get something off his chest because it's not even something he brings up again. He just tells her so that she'll have proof he knows what is meaningless, hopefully getting her to stop throwing herself in harm's way to find Oswald. Later, he tells Hiccup he keeps anger, frustration, and rage to himself. This also isn't to share so much as to prove he can keep secrets and deserves to be trusted with the location of Vanaheim.

Then, we have "In Plain Sight." There, we find out he used to get bullied. He waited until as much of the last moment as possible to tell Fishlegs and Snotlout this. They had already flown from the Edge to Berserker Island and were literally walking down to meet Ansson. So, I don't think it's him wanting to share sensitive information. It's him knowing they're about to be there with the bully and since Ansson doesn't care about playing nice, it's going to be obvious that he used to bully him. This is just softening the blow a little by telling them first. Didn't really help, though, since they still laughed at him being called "Dainty." (Not cool even though I get how weird it would be to hear someone call him that)

Unless I'm mistaken, that's everything. I don't think there's another time when Dagur reveals something personal. Each of these had some deeper purpose. This is why I don't believe Dagur would start speaking about his past traumas without a prompt. Now, I'll say I do enjoy having him talk about this in stories and I support other writers who do. I just believe it takes a little nudge. He's not going to sit down next to someone and talk about his time in jail. He has literally never spoken about his time in jail in the entire show except the first RTTE episode to say that he spent 3 years thinking about Hiccup. So, it actually leaves a lot of room to be creative with what his past even has first, then what situation would get him to spill the beans.

[prettynice8]

Kinkmas Day 2: Thigh Riding

Eren Jaeger x Male reader

This guy

Warnings?: thigh riding, kissing, again no sexy times, maybe ooc Eren but this is fan fic so calm down, you two are already boyfriends, Y/N is used along with love, dirty talk, after care yay

Word count: 939

It was just a normal day for you. Wake up, go back to bed for an hour or so, skip breakfast because you slept in and who has time for that, existential dread taking over because you don't remember if you had a dog that died or if it was all a dream, just girly things.

You had just gotten back from a pretty rough fight; you sustained no lasting injuries, but you obviously still had hard feelings about it. All you wanted to do was just stay home and sleep for hours on end but no, because someone had to ruin everything.

You were on the brink of sleep, your eyes feeling heavy, and your body was melting into the mattress, sleep nearly overtaking you. Until the fucking asshole you call a boyfriend loudly stomps into the house with his big ass boots and slams the door behind him.

You love Eren, you know you do, but my god if he doesn't learn how to walk into houses rightfully and respectfully you will kill him.

"Y/N, I'm home." He fucking screamed, his booming voice filling the entire house with noise. You can hear every single one of his heavy stomps as his large body busts through the house. The steps get louder and louder as he comes closer and closer to your room.

You're seconds from getting up passive aggressively telling him to leave before you have a bf at him before he comes into the room with that damn adorable smile on his face he has whenever he comes home to you.

Immediately when he notices your presence he climbs right under the covers with you, his arm wrapping around your waist in a loving grip. Even though he ruined your attempt into deep slumber you can't help but turn around so that your face is in his chest, grumbling while doing so.

"Something wrong dear?" He said in a much more calming voice than his scream before.

"You ruined my nappy time you fucking dick." You state the frustration in your voice very much so obvious.

"I'm sorry love." He apologized. You look up at him.

"You better be." You said.

"I am, I swear." He said, then the gears in his head start to turn as you see a very mischievous smirk on his face, "And I have the perfect way to prove it." You give him a questioning glance until your face is filled with sheer surprise as he lifts you up and onto his lap.

"I swear to fucking god Eren just let me go to sleep, I'm not fucking you right now." You declare a scowl on your face.

"I don't want you to fuck me, just going to make you feel good. You can go to bed right after I swear." he assures.

You silence yourself, just wanting this to be over so you can go back to blissful slumber. Your apathy quickly shifts, just like Eren right now as he's shifting your crotch on his thigh.

This sudden sexual act catches you completely off guard. When you try to make a noise of rebellion, connect his lips with yours. starting off as a stream of quick pecks they start to become longer and more sensual. He begins to stick his tongue into your, not even needing to fight for dominance with your own because you automatically give in, increasing the tightness in your pants even more.

The kiss on your lips then goes to your jaw, then to your neck where he stays, leaving mini love bites and sweet kisses all around. All the while still keeping up with hands on your hips moving back and forth on his thigh.

The chafing which you think would be awfully uncomfortable feels incredible as the thought of sleep completely disappears from your mind. The only thoughts now being of Eren's sweet lips on your neck and the thigh feeling your now completely hard dick.

Moans start pouring out of your mouth like music to Eren's ears as he increases the speed of which he's moving you, the musical-like noise getting even louder.

"Do you like that kind of love." Eren said, it's not even a question as he can hear your beautiful moans and feel your rock-hard member pressing into his thigh. He's enjoying this almost as much as you are.

"Jesus fucking Christ I could cum just from hearing you." He praised, the praise going totally over your head from the extreme joy you're feeling right now.

Your climax is so close that you can almost taste it as he continues his barrage of kisses on your neck and somehow picks up the tempo of his movements even more.

"l-I'm close," you said breathlessly. Hearing this Eren gives you a deep kiss, his tongue dominating yours as it moves all throughout your mouth, nearly making you come cum right then and there.

All you need is one more final slow and hard push before you're puddy in his hands. Climax finally hits you as Eren passionately kisses you through it. He pulls away so you can catch your breath. You gasp for air, head laying in his chest and his arm wrapped around you.

Only Eren Jaeger could make you cum with just his thigh. Once you've finished your orgasm Eren takes off your sticky cum covered clothes for you and puts on your pajamas.

Once you're all cleaned up Eren crawls into bed with you. Your over encompassing tiredness is finally taking over. Eren just looks at you peacefully before going resting himself with you wrapped in his arms.

THE END

[keikakudom]

(Not a lore post) RR!AU Lucifer and Vox

Nobody asked, but it's been marinating in my thoughts for awhile.

In the context of my RR!AU, I think there's a lot of potential for AppleTV/StaticApple/whatever the relationship name for Lucifer/Vox is.

This can be taken platonically or romantically, but here are a few reasons why I think their AU relationship in general is pretty neat.

For one-- It's not reliant on Alastor. Alastor is not the "glue" that connects or introduces them! It's just so fascinating to explore how they'd meet naturally by those circumstances alone.

The next reasons get more intense.

CW: depression

The two dominant traits I've characterized for RR!Vox is that a.) he's super FAKE and b.) he's has existential depression(one day I will find a way to articulate how I feel about post-Hell, I know-- ironic, nihilist Vox).

Lucifer sees a sliver of himself in that aspect of Vox. The landscape of Hell? It's just so...eugh. Really easy to lose hope in Sinners because of that. The difference is that Vox sought out to "help" Charlie, and is actively trying to create a challenge for himself. On paper, this seems like a really good idea - but Lucifer still can't trust sinners, so he's like. I want to make my daughter happy AND I need insurance, so soul pact it is!

From my "Contract" comic: Lucifer was able to see instantly through Vox's façade. He lets Vox do it anyway though, because it's entertaining, in a nice way. It might be fake, but I feel Lucifer acknowledges and respects the effort it takes to be cordial and please people(at least to the wide extent that Vox can).

This screenshot is from a infodump convo with my bestie, edited because I first wrote it as "redemption" when I really just mean to 'better himself'.

That said, none of them needed to accept the soul deal from eachother...so it's very much a mutual balancing act.

Anyway, my AU is /gen but hey, I'll indulge in anything that seems interesting ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[fangirltothefullest]

Thoughts on the welcome home update because YES. Spoilers below the cut.

That sleep aid pill is called remderem which is almost "remember" but the d would be backwards, and its also almost "murder me" while missing the u. Is this anything? I don't know. Im always looking for names of things in args.

We have seen through two puppets eyes. First it was Wally and his discomfort and/or dissociation, and now it's Eddie's discomfort and/or dissociation. Which is fun because we've heard that Eddie would do crafts for the show and you'd just see his hands so that was a fun touch.

First iteration of the website we had mail letters (Eddie) giving us clues. Second iteration had bugs (Frank?) and active drawings (Wally?) giving us clues. Now we have symbols giving us clues and they remind me of stickers a little bit so possibly a connection to Sally? Who else would give the tiny pictures? Questions questions.

At the end of that commercial before his existential crisis, they say Eddie has been invited and they did his job for him so he could rest. Eddie does not seem happy about them doing his job for him instead of letting him do it himself. I am reminded of how clumsy with the mail he seems to be sometimes and how much work they make him do in the other audio clips. I wonder if he is feeling extremely overwhelmed but also unappreciated and that they can do all this work to help and choose not to most days? Sally insists it was easy to do and Eddie does not sound pleased.

One thing i can't stop thinking about and i have to go back and really re-watch the commercials closely, is Poppy. When they invite Eddie to the party they say everyone is there but there's no Poppy in the picture? And earlier they poured gravy on an ornament that, to me, looked very oddly shaped and almost like meat, and we hear Poppy, but we don't see her. So... a pea on a plate..... "P" on a plate? My brain could be misconstruing but did they eat Poppy and is that what he's actually seeing and is that why it's all red? I'd he seeing the reality beyond the mask? Is it more than a pea?

Eddie says "where?" In his crisis as a response to Frank calling his name. People are talking about this as if he doesn't know where he is. I agree this is a likely idea but what if he's asking where Poppy is? Do we ever actually see her in any of the videos or do we just hear her?

Wally has feelings a lot which is good to confirm he has feelings! Eddie also said he would be happy with an apple every single day and my he is an innocentbautism creature wally agenda is flourishing.

The amount if commercials has me fascinated because people used to do that for TV shows (still do but those earlier type ones welcome home is referencing is spot on) commercials for basically everything is accurate and what is funny is the accuracy of what each person is selling. Howdy with the cigarette commercial- he takes every opportunity to sell you something no matter what even if it's not good for you. Sleepy looking Wally selling you sleeping pills happy with the thought of the dream.

Wally being nervous about getting the holiday correct. Is it because he's never done it or ia Home going to hurt him?

Did home hurt Eddie because he was upset during the party? It sure fucking looks like it with home watching him so intensely. Does the chair have something to do with it?

Eddie's scribbled writing reminds me of the people trying to decipher the code on the safe.

On the secret pages it's signed "-W." But it talks as if it's a human person who watched the show and is working either the WHRP team. It also talks too grown up to be wally. Who is this?? Is it the same person from the terrified scribbles of the hidden page previously? It seems maybe so because of referencing needing the cleanup.

[headspace-hotel]

3 questions:

1. How do you carry the heavy burden of having so many correct beliefs plus the rare combination of motivation and the right approach to making the world a better place? 2. Does your back hurt?

3. What do you think about David Pearce's utopian idea that a sufficiently technologically advanced future society could and should one day abolish (or at least minimize) suffering, partly by redesigning the biosphere and its inhabitants to be kinder and gentler to each other? IMO that could involve bioengineering predation out of existence.

Sorry if I already asked you about this. You seem very smart and seem to know a lot about ecology so I want to know your thoughts

1. Half the work is fighting very hard against starting to believe this very thing (that I have correcter beliefs than many other people). I hope my posts inspire y'all to read things that are not posts.

2. Not really.

3. The term you're looking for is "life on Earth goes extinct."

But, okay, I've seen this sentiment before, and it is—not that you are, just that the idea is— a naive and arrogant approach to ethics in nature

I don't think it's wrong to change the biosphere. That's what life DOES. It evolves.

But "ending suffering" is an impossible goal because we don't, and in some ways can't, understand suffering scientifically. Suffering is an internal state that is defined only by the perceiver's experience of it. We still do not know the ins and outs of how physical pain works in humans, let alone spicy, obscure emotions like Existential Angst.

People who are concerned with the problem of suffering in nature focus on predation and pain in the animal kingdom—understandable if you have thought about it for under five minutes, but hopelessly incomplete and arbitrary if you consider that a creature's ability to feel and perceive is not determined by how humanlike it is.

There is no reason to think a plant or a mushroom is less capable of "suffering" than a lobster is. Plants and fungi are different; they are not simpler or less advanced or less alive than animals.

The corollary to this is that being marginally more humanlike doesn't mean that a creature "suffers" in the way a human does. When you think about it, living things can perceive "negative" stimuli because the ability to do so helped their ancestors survive. A solitary creature, for instance, wouldn't experience loneliness because being with others of its species isn't really necessary or beneficial for it. It's very likely that a creature that can't change its behavior to accommodate for or help heal an injury, can't experience continuous pain like we can. Does that mean they don't "suffer" as severely as we do? I'm not sure. It's impossible to say. I'm sure we all experience the world profoundly—I'm sure the perception of light by a bryozoan colony and the subsequent growth toward the light and feasting on algae "feels" as potent and spiritual as any of my complicated chordate emotions.

Long story short, stimuli like pain were adapted as responses that help a creature survive by avoiding things that are injurious to its survival. To eliminate suffering, you'd have to invent creatures that don't want to be alive, which would die out and be replaced by creatures that do.

Inventing creatures that don't want to be alive somehow sounds way more fucked up than anything that already exists.

But, hi, we are social creatures. Our survival instincts are overwhelmingly oriented toward seeking safety with other humans. PTSD is a disorder of social misplacement; it develops when the communities we live in don't properly acknowledge and care for our hurt after a distressing experience. We evolved to be able to communicate pain and distress to other humans, which means being aware of our own suffering, and that others can suffer, which explains why we are having this conversation, because wanting to relieve other creatures' suffering is a quality of our species.

I get tags on my posts sometimes referencing how nature is a brutal suffering machine—often when I'm talking about plant cognition and awareness—and it's troubling because that's not the takeaway I want people to have at all.

Because first of all, a healthy ecosystem working "as intended" does a lot to minimize suffering. People see predation as this violent and brutal thing, but for a deer, death by festering injury or starvation or parasite overload related to overcrowding or even old age is a lot more nasty and painful.

A biosphere without predators is unavoidably worse. The buffer on prey populations that predators provide creates optimal conditions for prey, because otherwise, the animals just reproduce to the point where the population can't increase any more because the animals are too sick/starving.

Predation ensures a deer with a horribly mangled broken leg will get picked off instead of limping around for months in pain (something i actually witnessed!). It's not evil. It just is.

If you really wanted to eliminate suffering, you would have to eliminate being alive, and to be completely honest, that is probably not possible. We could not render the Earth completely empty of even single celled organisms if we dumped every toxic chemical into the atmosphere and bombed ourselves with every nuclear weapon. We would still have tough bastards like Deinococcus radiodurans around, and those guys would probably eventually evolve into organisms with the capability to experience pain all over again.

Abiogenesis may be a bitch but life, once it exists, is a Pandora's box that can't be unopened. The first thing to be alive also invented death, and there's no way around that. The monkey-typewriter-room of molecules that let you understand that you exist are going to write out "WOW, THIS FUCKING SUCKS" every once in a while.

When you think about it, the ecosystem as it naturally evolved probably is one of the most low-suffering possible ecosystems, assuming that things that can be considered "suffering" evolved as survival mechanisms, and unnecessary mechanisms for suffering would be eliminated over time due to the detriment they are to survival.

Living things develop survival mechanisms, and this means the ability to distinguish good and bad stimuli. Can't get around that.

Even with the existence of predation and parasitism as important modes of survival, such overtly ""antagonistic"" relationships in nature aren't even dominant. A staggering portion of the biosphere is engaged by necessity in mutualism—most plants form mycorrhizal symbioses and flowering plants are also symbiotically joined to pollinators, not to mention that plants need each other to thrive.

You can view this positively (plants have friends!) or negatively (plants can get lonely...)

[icebear4president]

A small fic with dysfunctional family dynamics featuring Alfred and Arthur

"Alfred, will you please just unload the dishwasher?"

And while Alfred tried not to get too irritated with Arthur, he wasn't about to let the snide remark about his hard-earned space collection slide. Besides, he always cooked the meals, so Arthur can't complain about being put on dish duty.

"Alfred, you are acting like a child."

Rolling his eyes, Alfred stuffed his phone into pocket, and leaned on the counter arms crossed. Whatever, if Arthur wanted to annoy him, than he'll annoy him back. So why not make Arthur extremely uncomfortable with his request. Not that he desperately wanted to hear the words or anything.

"Sure! If you say you're immensely proud of me, that is."

Arthur's excessive scrubbing faltered for a second. "What?"

"If I unload the dishwasher, will you say that you are immensely proud of me?"

"No-why would I do that?"

Alfred grinned at how uncomfortable he was making the other man. Honestly, was it really that hard to answer the question? Apparently he didn't want help with the dishes as much as he said he did.

"Because I'm America. I always demand payment in some form, and this is what I want. I'll even unload the dishes first, but after you have to say your immensely proud of me."

Arthur hesitated, frowning at the soapy water. He just wanted help, was that too much to ask without being subjected to Alfred's nonsense. "Are you sure you don't want money or food? Maybe buy one of those gold kiddy coins you like?"

'Collectible and vintage coins,' Alfred wanted to say, but bit his tongue and smiled instead. "Nope," he said, popping the 'p', "I want you to say you're proud of me."

"Why in the world do you suddenly care if I'm proud of you or not, you never did before," Arthur asked. "Look, I would unload the dishwasher myself, but I'm going to hand wash them first. It's only fair."

What was with this guy and dodging answers. Good thing Alfred was just as stubborn as him, as well as persistent. "I demand payment, and this is the payment I want. Come on dude, they're just words. It's not like I'm asking for something unreasonable here."

Arthur sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was getting a headache from this whole exchange. "Alfred, if you're going to unload the dishwasher, than unload the dishwasher. If you don't want to, than don't. It's not that big of a deal."

Alfred leaned forward, desperate now. He was beginning to think this wasn't about dishes anymore, not that he'll think too hard on that. He just wants Arthur to say the words. Hell, even if he didn't even mean it or if he says it sarcastically he'll take it.

This was turning out not to be as fun as he thought it was.

"But I WILL unload the dishwasher. I'll wash the dishes too....you just need to say you're proud of me. Not even immensely or anything, just that you're proud of me."

Wiping his hands, Arthur finally turned to face Alfred. "But what have you done to warrant me to say that? Proud of you for what? Washing the dishes and putting them away? Like every person on this planet does," he asked, genuinely curious for the answer.

"No, just in general."

Arthur sighed, returning to his task. This back and forth was tiring him out. "I'm not going to say I'm proud of you for just being here."

Alfred clutched his chest, feigning hurt. "After all I've done to get to this point, and you still aren't proud? You wound me, what even is the point of life if my big brother can find no good in me," he said, swooning dramatically. Of course, none of his words meant anything, he didn't actually care what England or any of the others thought of him after all. Definitely not.

"This again. Why do you get existential and crap when you're upset?"

"I'm not upset. Why are you getting upset?" Alfred countered. "They're just words, they don't actually mean anything. I'll unload the dishwasher, plus do the dishes if you say them."

Arthur sighed again, and shook his head. "Evidently they mean something to you. And no, I'm not going to say them. Now, if you're not going to help, than go do something else productive," he said, turning his back to Alfred and signaling the conversation to a close.

Alfred stared after him a while, before angrily digging out his phone again. He didn't care, he shouldn't care. It was a joke and he admits he pushed it more than he should've. Maybe it hurt a little, or maybe a lot, but it was fine. He didn't need England's validation, he was a big boy and he would be fine. He would just go watch tv, or cry in his pillow, and forget all about it. "Fine, whatever," he finally said, with a dismissive wave.

After a few moments, Arthur turned to check that Alfred was gone before he spoke again. "I am proud of you. Immensely. I thought you would have known that already," he said, voice echoing in the room.

[rhetoric-86]

The Reluctant Chaperone

(Credit to whoever made this lovely gif cause it isn’t mine❤️)

There isn’t nearly enough love for Argyle on this app so, I took matters into my own hands.

When Nancy bails on accompanying Mike to California, the middle Wheeler child is reluctantly sent in her place. Maybe the trip will still be worth her while.

Pairing: Argyle X Female Reader

Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI, smut, oral (male and female receiving), graphic descriptions of sexual content, drug use (marijuana)

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The plane started its descent, the change in pressure causing your sense of fight or flight to kick in. White knuckle gripping the seat your eyes are drawn down to where your brother keeps bumping into your leg as he nervously taps his foot.

"Knock it off Mike!" you say through gritted teeth and he mumbles an apology.

You're unsure if his nerves come from the landing or from the fact that he's about to see El for the first time in months. You want to cut him some slack but you're already so angry you have to be here in the first place. In your mind you have better things to do back in Hawkins than chaperoning your brother on a weeklong date.

A Thump as the wheels hit the runway and another pressure shift as the speed decreases. You're done for now, thank God.

Passengers get up, busily go about grabbing their bags from the overhead and you and Mike are moving before long.

As you exit the terminal you hear a shout of Mike's name and El is excitedly approaching, he greets her with flowers in hand and you look back to the rest of your welcome party.

Jonathan stands near Will and beside him is someone you don't recognize. Tall, attractive, well dressed...Jonathan must have made a new friend here.

The new guy has his eyes locked on you and elbows Jonathan who looks up hopefully and immediately frowns. Ah. New guy thought you were Nancy. You suddenly feel very awkward in your own skin. That is, until you approach the group and the new guy immediately checks the tag on Mike's shirt and informs him hes wearing a "knock off" and you can't help but laugh.

Jonathan greets you with a half hearted, one armed hug and you return the favor.

"Hey, Jonathan."

"Hey...didn't expect to see you here."

"Well...Nance is busy and mom wouldn't let Mike go alone." you shrug. Will greets you with a large hug and you almost lift him off the floor, ruffling his hair as you put him back. Even though he's now grown taller than you, he will always be your little brother in your eyes. He and Mike used to be a real package deal, after all.

You glance over at Jonathan's friend and find him already looking at you with a goofy smile.

"Whose this?" you ask.

Before anyone can answer he embraces you in a hug as if he had known you and been expecting you. He was so much larger than you in stature, the hug was consuming and yet so comforting, you couldn't help but relax into it and embrace him back.

"This is Argyle." Jonathan shrugs.

"Hey!" Argyle nods at you. "I've heard a lot about your sister but Jonathan never told me there was another Wheeler babe."

You smirk at this. "He probably never noticed I was even there...he was too busy trying to weasel Nancy away from the most popular guy in our school."

"No shit?" Argyle looked at Jonathan with an appreciative nod. "Didn't realize you were a legend, bro."

Jonathan's cheeks blushed immediately and he clapped his hands together.

"Alright, let's get out of here then, yeah?"

The ride back to the Byers home was full of awkward tension. Mike and El were cuddled in the back of the van as she gushed about how wonderful school had been and now many new friends she had made. You were seated next to Will, who kept staring out of his window as if he were plunged into the worst existential crisis of his young life. The air between him and Mike felt very off. Jonathan was in the front, looking at Argyle with glazed over eyes and asking why "Parkways are for driving but driveways are for parking. That's weird right?"

Argyle didn't seem to be listening, what he was doing though was glancing into his rearview mirror, looking at you.

You felt a blush creeping into your cheeks and averted your eyes.

The van, a flamboyantly colored pizza delivery truck, rolled to a stop in front of their house and Will immediately got out, leaving everyone behind as he entered the front door.

"What's up with him?" you asked but Jonathan just shook his head.

"He was fine this morning."

El had insisted on taking the boys to her "favorite place" , a roller rink in town.

You had the choice between joining Jonathan and Argyle for the evening, chaperoning the kids or locking yourself in the Byers guest room with a book. You honestly considered the book until you locked eyes with Argyle, again already watching you, and he insisted you let him show you around. There are worse ways to spend an evening than with a sweet, attentive stranger...and Jonathan. You agreed to go with them to drop the kids off.

However, once you had the van to yourselves, you considered whether you had made a mistake. Jonathan immediately began asking you a tangent of questions about Nancy. How many times could you dodge a real answer before you would ultimately have to relent that you felt like she didn't come for the simple reason that maybe she didn't want to?

As if he could sense your discomfort, Argyle pulled off onto a dusty road and brought the van to a stop.

"Jonathan, man, maybe we should do something else right? I know exactly what this evening needs, Senorita." he turned back to smile at you from the driver's seat, producing a pungent joint from his shirt pocket.

"A little purple palm tree delight will make you forget all about your long distance love, dude, and let us enjoy present company, yeah?"

He fixed Jonathan with a surprisingly serious look and Jonathan relented, taking the joint from Argyle's hand and sparking a light.

Before long you were all laughing in the hot boxed van.

Argyle and Jonathan climbed out and you all opened the back doors of the van, sitting with your legs hanging out, looking up at the setting sun. You were positioned between them, lightly pressed into the warmth of Argyle's arm, listening to him tell the story of how they had met and become friends. They both had detention and ended up smoking under the bleachers after.

"The rest was history..." Argyle concluded, turning his head and smiling down at the contact where your bodies touched.

"Me and Nancy are probably history." Jonathan added, immediately making you cringe.

"Yeah probably, man." Argyle nodded, completely oblivious to the fact that normally you would try to lie or comfort a friend in that situation. "Your loss is kinda my gain though, there's no way this isn't the cooler sister."

You had been mid hit at this point and immediately began laughing so hard you almost choked to death on the smoke in your lungs.

"Dude" Jonathan scoffed at him. "You're an idiot man."

Argyle was patting your back with an amused look on his face and you glanced back at him with watering eyes, suddenly very aware.

"Hey." you sputtered. "Weren't we supposed to pick up the kids?"

You reached the roller rink and found a sea of chaos. There wasn't any more sense of normalcy at the Byers home, either for that matter.

Upon entering you immediately found Murray Bauman in the kitchen cooking dinner. Joyce was acting scattered and sort of frantic. El was vacant, Mike was on edge, Will seemed annoyed. You, Jonathan and Argyle were far too blazed to try and act cool. The absurdity of the entire situation made you bite your lip until it hurt in order to avoid laughing out loud during the painfully odd dinner conversation. Finally, El slammed in her chair and departed, obviously fighting with Mike over whatever happened at the rink. You decided this was the perfect time to make an escape as well.

"Hey!" you turned to Argyle and he met you, glazed eyes and a mouth full of risotto but somehow, still adorable.

"You wanted to show me around right? Offer still stand?"

He gulped down the bite of food in his mouth and widely smiled.

"Hell yeah!"

"Are you kidding me?" Mike objected, glaring at you from across the table. "Does this honestly seem like a good time?"

"Seems like the best time, Mike." you stood, pushing in your chair. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do. Thanks for dinner Murray! Good luck in uh...Alaska...Joyce!"

You hastily retreated and Argyle almost tripped over his own chair trying to go after you.

The front door slammed shut and Jonathan hazily glanced up from his plate.

"Hey… where did they go?"

Even with a head start you still couldn’t reach the van before Argyle.

He was laughing as he wrenched the passenger door open and waved his arm with a flourish.

“Watch your step, hermosa!”

You flushed, dipping your head so he wouldn’t see the affect he had on you.

He closed the door after you and rushed to the driver’s side, bringing the engine to life.

“Couldn’t get the fuck out of there fast enough.” you sighed.

“That vibe was weird, man.” he agreed. “Where do you think Joyce is actually going?”

If you hadn’t already smoked you probably would have given that more thought, more concern considering the things you had all seen but at this point, you couldn’t find a single concern in your cloudy brain.

“Where do you want to go?” he asked. “We can grab a slice where I work, or like, I can take you to the quarry where Jonathan and I go to break stuff and let off steam, or…”

For whatever reason, you felt emboldened in that moment and instead replied, “I don’t know…where do you live? We could uh…we could go there…”

His eyes widened, grip on the wheel tightened, he gulped.

“Uh…yeah. Yeah we could do that, it’s not far. My parents are like, never home, dude.”

“Cool!” You smiled, meeting his eye for a moment before he returned his gaze to the road. You were surprised to arrive at a gated community, houses larger than most you’d find in Hawkins. You glanced back at Argyle, taking him in, studying his soft features. If he came from money he certainly didn’t act like the rich kids back home. Not a bit of arrogance about him. He pulled into a gorgeous home, brick face and a chandelier hanging in a large window above the front door.

“Wow. Look at you!” You raised your eyebrows and cracked a smile at him. “What are you the heir to Surfer Boy Pizza?”

He shrugged. “I guess? My parents own it.”

“Oh. I was joking, but that’s cool.” You suddenly hated yourself for bringing it up. What if you had made him feel uncomfortable?

“That’s why I’m always driving this thing!” He laughed and patted the wheel. “Come on, Bonita! Wanna grab some drinks and smoke by the pool?”

“Hell yeah!” You nodded and climbed out of his passenger seat. As you met him in front of the van he reached out and took you by the hand, effortlessly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The sudden contact made your senses buzz and you found yourself more aware of everything about him. The difference in height, how you needed to crane to meet his eye. His scent, a mix of sweet notes you struggled to identify, maybe vanilla? Accentuated by a note of spice and of course, the lingering scent of weed in his van and on his clothes. You thought maybe you could get used to California after all. You may need to be available any time Mike wanted to visit El…

Argyle led you through the front door, the foyer and into the kitchen where he released his hold on you only long enough to open his refrigerator and grab two bottles of beer. He went to a small drawer beside the fridge for a bottle opener and motioned toward the back sliding door.

The pool was large, beside it sat a hot tub large enough for two. Ample seating lined the patio. He lead you to an outdoor couch near the hot tub and placed the bottles down, patting the seat beside him.

As you took the bottle he opened for you and tentatively sipped you could feel him watching you again.

“Am I an asshole if I say I’m glad Nancy bailed?”

You smiled at him, “If you are than so am I because I’ve been thinking that all day!”

He beamed back at you.

“So what’s your deal?” You ask him, “you just hang out with Jonathan all of the time or is there a Surfer Girl that usually shares your pizza?”

He laughed and grinned at you. “Nah man! We wouldn’t be here if there was. Girls here are just…I don’t know man. They’re kind of all about themselves, you know?”

His response made you smile softly.

He pulled another joint from his pocket and held it outstretched, you leaned forward and he placed the filter to your lips, offering a light with his other hand. He studied your face, the way your cheeks hollowed, lips puckered when you took a pull and he bit his lower lip.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to finding an heiress to this pizza throne though, if you know anybody!”

You laughed, plucking the joint from your lips, and smoke billowing from your mouth and nose. He took the joint from you and inhaled deeply, reveling in the joy on your face.

“I might know someone!” you replied.

“Cool!” he nodded.

He leaned back and stretched his arm over the back of the couch, and he seemed so relaxed that you had to wonder if anything ever bothered him. He wasn’t trying to pressure you, he was content to just be there in the moment and you found that, found him to be so beautiful.

You took another hit and felt yourself relax back into the couch as well, turned to face him, back leaning against the arm of the couch and one leg up, resting over his knees. He delicately stroked his thumb over your exposed leg and the high made every touch feel like it vibrated through you, directly to your core.

His palm flattened on your calve and he risked running it up to your hip, watching your expression for any hesitation. When he found no resistance he scooted his body closer to yours and turned himself toward you, leaning in so close you could feel his breath fan across your skin. Anticipation killing you, you offered a small nod to let him know you were accepting whatever he had to offer and he didn’t hesitate to close the gap.

His full lips pressed softly to yours. His long hair gingerly fell, almost tickling you wherever it touched. You melted in to the kiss and parted your lips to accept his tongue. His body pressed you into the couch and you brought your hands to rest on his chest, slipping beneath the open button down shirt he wore and resting on his tshirt.

You could stay here forever. Wrapped in this sweet boy, warm California breeze kissing your skin beside this pool. You didn’t know if it had been five minutes or five hours, you were so lost in him, but eventually he broke the kiss to trail sweet pecks across your jaw. He nuzzled into your neck, licking and sucking from your clavicle to your earlobe. Your head was spinning, every sensation better than the last.

Hawkins boys were not like this.

He finally broke away and his deep brown eyes met yours, checking in.

“Holy shit.” he breathed.

“Holy shit.” you agreed.

You both giggled at that. You felt like a love sick mess. How did this happen in one day?

“You want to go swimming, Bonita?” he grinned.

“I don’t have a suit…”

“I can check if we have anything inside?” he offered, sitting up.

Whether it was the top tier weed or the desire to make the most out of the week you would have with Argyle you didn’t know but something made you lose whatever inhibitions you may have had. You scrambled out from under him and took a few steps backwards toward the pool. Holding his eye you grasped the bottom of your tshirt and lifted it over your head, throwing it at him.

His jaw went slack as he took in your figure, standing in your bra and undoing your jean shorts, shimmying them down your thick thighs. He could feel his mouth begin to water and quickly shook himself from his daze. He stood up and immediately followed suit, shrugging the button down from his shoulders and discarding his tshirt.

You beckoned him with your finger as you turned and ran the rest of the way to the pools edge.

He lost his jogger pants along the way and caught up with you, wrapping his strong arms around you and leaning down to capture your lips.

Lost in the feeling of his skin against yours you were defenseless to him as he scooped you into his arms and tossed you into the pool.

You sputtered coming up in the tepid water and scowled as he laughed at you.

“You’re gonna pay for that!” you shout.

“Oh? What are you going to do?” he jumped in, splashing you again in the process. He surfaced and you swam to him, wrapping your arms around his shoulders for support.

“You didn’t even know if I could swim.” You scowled. “You think we have a lot of water in Indiana?”

“Come on Bonita I would have saved you if you were in trouble!” he whispered. His gaze was adoring. You couldn’t remember the last time someone had looked at you this way. “I’d do anything for you!”

You flushed at that, unable to respond with anything but a kiss.

You wrapped your legs around him, taking the opportunity to feel him with no resistance. You could feel him starting to get hard beneath the thin fabric of his boxers and you moaned into his mouth as his hands found your ass, pulling you more flush against him.

You laced your fingers into his long locks and tugged, making him lift his chin and expose his neck to you. You latched on to his pulse point and began licking, sucking deep bruises into his gorgeous tanned skin.

He groaned into your ear, “eso se siente tan bien, nena.” and it filled you with confidence, you pulled him closer to you with your legs and ground your pussy against his hard bulge, reveling in the power you held over him.

His hands traveled from their place resting on your ass and caressed the expanse of your back. He stopped at the latch of your bra and asked “can I take this off?”

You stopped your ministrations on his neck long enough to choke out “yes”, your hands beginning to roam and explore him freely.

He guided your bra straps off of your arms and cupped your full breasts in his large hands, caressing and massaging your supple flesh. He pinched your perked nipple, eliciting a moan from you and then brought his hands up the side of your neck and into your hair, pulling your face from his neck and making you meet his gaze again.

“Do you want to take this to my room?”

You had been enjoying this time, weightless with him, exploring him, but ultimately you needed more. You nodded and he brought you closer to the wall of the pool, boosting you out. The two of you all but ran to his room, stopping a few times along the way to kiss, embrace, playfully chase each other.

When you got to his room you didn’t know what you had been expecting but this fit him. It was warm, inviting, slightly musky. You didn’t have time to fully take it in before he embraced you, lifting you by your ass and falling into his bed with you.

You tried to regain control but he could so easily overpower you if he wanted. He brought your wrists above your head and kissed you deeply before descending to your neck, sucking gently, kissing across your collarbone, nipping at the sensitive skin of your breast and then taking your peaked nipple into his mouth. He teased with his tongue and sucked harshly and you didn’t even know if the sounds coming from you were coherent. His name spilled from your lips as his large hand cupped your aching cunt through your panties and he softly rubbed you through the cotton.

You scratched at his back and shoulders and thrust yourself into his fingers.

He rutted into your thigh and released your breast, traveling further down your body and stopping just as he reached your panties. His hands slid down your sides and took the elastic between his fingers, shooting a hesitant look your way and only continuing when you nodded your approval. He slid your panties down your legs, lifting your right leg and pressing sweet kisses from your ankle, up to your knee, nipping and sucking at the soft flesh of your thigh.

Your heart raced in anticipation of him finally reaching the place you wanted him the most.

He let his finger glide over your folds, spreading your lips, already slick and waiting for him. He gathered your juices and traced them up to draw soft circles over your throbbing clit. You squirmed beneath him and grabbed a handful of his hair bringing him closer. His lips replaced his fingers and sucked your delicate bundle into his mouth. Light pressure, delicate laps of his wide tongue.

You were reeling. You felt as though your body could levitate off of his bed with the electricity he was generating in you. He continued his skilled assault on your clit and you felt his finger gliding through your folds again. He pressed it into your heat and you gasped at the sensation, the stretch. You gushed around him and he gasped into you, losing focus for a moment with the feel of you, warm, soft and so incredibly tight on his finger.

“Argyle” you pleaded and he looked up, smirking to see you propped up and staring back at him, fucked out and dazed. “Come here.” you beckoned.

He slipped his finger from you and leaned up, meeting your lips. You cupped his face delicately.

“Roll over.” you requested. He did as you asked and you climbed on top of him, grinding your wet, needy cunt into him and eliciting a soft moan of your name from his plush lips. You wasted no time grabbing his boxers and he lifted himself to help you get them off. His thick cock sprang out from its confines and you could feel your mouth water, overcome with the urge to taste him. You lowered yourself between his legs and looked up, holding his gaze as you delicately licked up the underside of his length, swirling your tongue over his head, through his slit and collecting the sweet, salty precum you found there. He cursed, and you braced yourself, focusing on your breathing as you tried to take more of him into your mouth. You bobbed your head, swirling your tongue over him again and then taking even more of his length as you descended down on him again. One hand held you up, digging in to the meat of his thigh and you brought the other up to gently fondle his balls as you took him in again, again, further, deeper.

He was reduced to a whimpering mess beneath you as you worked his throbbing cock. You knew he wouldn’t be long if you kept this up.

You leaned up, releasing his cock with a pop of suction and once more laced your fingers into his hair, tilting his head up for a searing kiss.

He brought his arms around you and pulled you flush to his chest. You relaxed your weight down on to him and could feel his cock press against your waiting cunt. You couldn’t wait any longer for him to fill you to the brim.

“Do you want to fuck me, Argyle?”

“Fuck…yes, yeah I do.” he panted through labored breaths.

“I’m on the pill.” you whispered, shifting slightly and causing him to slip through your folds and glide against your dripping cunt. “Is this ok?” you ask, grinding down and gasping as his tip breaches you.

He nods, cupping your jaw and cheek in one large hand and bringing you in to meet his lips as you sink down on his length.

You both moaned into each other’s mouths as he bottomed out. You had never felt so full in your life. After a moment to adjust you began to grind yourself into him, his thick shaft stretching you. You bounced on his gorgeous cock and quickly found a rhythm with him bucking up to meet you. Pressure built in your core with each movement. His greedy hands exploring your body.

“Fuck, look at you hermosa. Taking me so well, it’s like that pussy was made for me.”

You clench around him with every word that falls from his beautiful lips and you lean back, bracing yourself on his thighs while his hands find your breasts again.

You’re close, you’re so close and you know he is too. The pressure builds in you until you break, toppling over the edge. You seize around his cock in waves of blinding pleasure, which in turn send him reeling and each clench of your cunt milks him dry.

You collapse on top of him a sweaty, panting mess. Your combined release slowly dripping out of you as he slips out. He holds you to his body, wiping the hair from your face and tucking it gingerly behind your ear. His expression once again adoring as he strokes your cheek.

He rolls you off of him and gets up, disappearing into his bathroom and returning a moment later with a soft towel.

He cleans you up and goes to his dresser, taking out a tshirt for you to wear. As you’re sat on the bed trying to redress yourself he kneels between your legs and catches you in another soft kiss.

“I have to go get our stuff from the pool. Can I keep you tonight or will Joyce like, freak out if you aren’t back?”

“Joyce has to pack for Alaska, I doubt she will even notice.” you smile, delighted he doesn’t want to immediately drive you home after getting what he wanted.

As he was passing through his door he looked back once more and hit you with a goofy, lovestruck smile that knocked the air from your lungs.

Yeah, you thought. Maybe this wasn’t a waste of spring break.