#the mix they're basically invisible

[titansarmy]

and if i say canon adjacent, ivy inspired jasonxnico fic. i can’t stop you putting roots in my dreamland.

[wandamaximoffsbadgirl]

Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?

Is it a Wonder I broke? (1)

Wandanat x human pet!fem!reader

Summary: Wanda and Natasha have been looking for a pet for some time, but they've had no luck until they meet you, will you be a good fit for their lives?

Word Count: 2.2K

Warnings: 18+ due to themes, MDNI, heavy pet play, human pets, abuse, violence, hurt/comfort

Authors notes: Hello I was listening to TTPD while I was writing the drabbles and when 'Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?' came on I was like fuck this would make a good fic. So this can be stand alone for now, but if you want more lmk! I've never written human pets like this before! They're basically hybrids in a way.

Wanda and Natasha stepped into the black market pet shop, their presence commanding attention even in the dimly lit, grungy space. The smell of decay and neglect was overpowering, a stark contrast to the pristine pet stores they had previously visited. Wanda’s heart ached with each step, while Natasha’s expression remained stoic but vigilant.

A grumpy, terrible old man greeted them with a disdainful look. "What do you want?" he grumbled, clearly not impressed by their arrival.

"We're looking for a pet," Natasha replied curtly, her eyes scanning the room.

The man led them through the front section, showcasing various human pets—dogs, cats, bunnies, foxes—all of them displaying various levels of distress. Wanda's heart sank further with each cage they passed. None of these poor creatures seemed right. She shook her head at each option, her expression growing more resolute.

"These won't do," Natasha said firmly. "Show us the others."

The man hesitated, his eyes narrowing, but he ultimately complied, leading them to the back of the shop. This area was even more dismal, filled with the so-called rejects. The noise was nearly unbearable—constant barking, meowing, and occasional screams echoed off the grimy walls. The man banged on the cages, shouting for silence, but the noise continued unabated.

Wanda's eyes softened with empathy as they walked down the rows. These were the broken ones, the ones no one wanted. She had a special place in her heart for such creatures. Natasha stayed close, her posture protective, her eyes scanning every inch of the space.

Then they saw you. Curled up at the back of your cage, you were a small, fragile-looking thing, trying to stay warm under a feeble heat lamp. You didn’t make a sound, just lay there, as if trying to make yourself invisible.

“I want to see her,” Wanda said softly, her gaze fixed on your small form.

At the sound of her voice, your eyes snapped open. Fear and confusion filled your eyes as you looked at the two women and the man who had caused you so much pain. You cowered as they approached, your body trembling.

Wanda knelt down, her movements slow and deliberate, and held her hand out for you to sniff. You snapped at her, biting her hand out of fear. But she didn’t flinch, didn’t try to hit you. Instead, her eyes were filled with understanding and sadness. Your hard eyes softened slightly, confusion mixing with your fear.

The man reeled back, ready to strike you. Natasha's hand shot out, gripping his wrist tightly before he could lay a hand on you. Her voice was ice-cold and firm. "You want this one, Wands?"

“Yes,” Wanda replied without hesitation, her voice gentle yet determined.

"You do love broken things, dorogoya," Natasha said with a small, affectionate smile.

"We'll take this one," Wanda stated firmly, turning her gaze to the man. "And we'd appreciate you not hurting our property."

The man sneered, his face contorting with disdain. "You'll be bringing her back in a week. She bites. She's loud. She's a runner."

Natasha ignored his words, writing out a check with a flourish. "This should cover her," she said, shoving the check into his chest with a look of contempt.

Wanda carefully attached a leash to your collar, giving you a moment to adjust. You stretched out tentatively, muscles sore from confinement. The three of you headed to their car, a sleek vehicle that contrasted sharply with the grimy surroundings.

In the car, Wanda sat in the back seat with you, her presence a calming force. She let your head rest in her lap, her fingers gently stroking your hair. Her touch was soft, reassuring, and you felt a strange sense of safety begin to wash over you.

“You’re safe now,” she murmured, her voice a soothing melody. “We’re going to take good care of you. We’ll get you all the things you need.”

As you listened to her, a glimmer of hope sparked within you. Maybe, just maybe, these two women would be different. Maybe, this time, you had found a place where you could heal, where you could finally be safe and loved.

You weren't sure how long the drive to their house had been, but you noticed the air smelled fresher and cleaner than the pet shop you came from. Slowly, you sat up, surprising Wanda as you looked curiously out the window. Nothing looked familiar anymore. The scents, the sounds—all new and strange.

As the car approached a large house, you felt a twinge of familiarity. Most of your previous owners had been wealthy, with big houses and nice cars. This was no different. But something felt distinctly unique about this place, a sense of calm that you couldn't quite place.

Wanda gently held your leash as you stepped out of the car, your nose twitching as you sniffed around. The lawn smelled fresh, a welcome change from the dingy pet shop. Natasha had already gone inside, leaving you and Wanda outside. You found a spot to mark your territory, your instincts kicking in.

Once inside, you couldn't see Natasha. Her strong scent of flowers lingered, and Wanda’s scent of vanilla and strawberries comforted you. Wanda let you off the leash, allowing you to explore. She stayed close behind, her voice soft and soothing as she pointed out different rooms.

“This is the living room,” she said, gesturing to a cozy space with plush furniture. “And over here is the kitchen. You’ll like it there; it’s where we keep all the yummy treats.”

Your nose led you from room to room, each one filled with new and intriguing scents. Wanda’s gentle narration helped ease your nerves. You paused at a door that was closed, pawing at it and letting out a small whimper.

“Daddy’s in there working,” Wanda said, her tone understanding. “We need to leave her alone for now.”

You tilted your head, ears flopping slightly, and Wanda giggled at the sight. “Daddy’s working, but Mommy will keep playing with you, okay?”

Her words perked you up a bit. You continued your exploration, feeling more at ease with each step. The house was filled with warmth and comfort, a stark contrast to the cold, impersonal places you had been before.

You eventually found yourself back in the living room, where Wanda sat on the floor with you, offering you a soft, fluffy toy. “Here, sweetie, this is for you,” she said, her smile genuine and kind.

Tentatively, you took the toy, feeling a sense of security starting to build within you. Wanda’s presence was soothing, her gentle touches and kind words wrapping around you like a warm blanket. For the first time in a long while, you felt a flicker of hope. Maybe this place, with these two caring women, could truly become your home.

As you settled into the living room, Wanda continued to speak in soothing tones, guiding you through this new and strange environment. You felt a growing sense of curiosity and a cautious optimism as you explored each nook and cranny. The scent of fresh flowers from Natasha still lingered faintly, but it was Wanda’s comforting presence that kept you grounded.

Wanda reached behind the couch and pulled out a large, plush dog bed. It was soft, with a warm, inviting fabric that looked incredibly comfortable. She placed it in a cozy corner of the living room, patting it gently to get your attention.

“Look, sweetheart,” Wanda said, her voice filled with excitement. “This is your bed. We wanted you to have a nice, big space just for you.”

You approached the bed cautiously, sniffing it thoroughly. The fabric felt soft under your paws, and the scent of fresh linen was a stark contrast to the filthy cages you had known. You circled the bed a couple of times, your instincts guiding you, before finally settling down on it. The plush surface cradled your tired body, and for the first time in what felt like ages, you felt a sense of comfort and safety.

Wanda sat beside you, her hand gently stroking your back. “Do you like it?” she asked, her voice a gentle murmur. “We wanted to make sure you have a cozy spot where you can rest and feel safe.”

Your eyes met hers, and you gave a small, tentative wag of your tail. Her kindness was unlike anything you had experienced before, and though you were still wary, there was a growing trust between you.

Just then, Natasha entered the living room, a small smile playing on her lips as she observed the scene. “Looks like she’s settling in well,” she remarked, her tone softening.

Wanda looked up at her with a warm smile. “Yes, she’s doing wonderfully. I think she likes her new bed.”

Natasha walked over and knelt down beside you, her hand joining Wanda’s in gently petting you. “You’re safe now,” she said softly. “We’re going to take good care of you.”

The combined presence of both women, their gentle touches and soothing voices, wrapped around you like a protective cocoon. The warmth of the dog bed, the softness of their hands, and the sincerity in their voices began to melt away the layers of fear and mistrust that had built up over time.

You laid your head down on the bed, your eyes growing heavy as a wave of exhaustion washed over you. The journey had been long and filled with uncertainty, but now, in this warm, safe home, surrounded by care and kindness, you felt the first true sense of peace you had ever known.

Natasha sat on the couch, leaning back and observing with a soft smile as Wanda continued to sit on the floor beside you, rubbing your back. "So, dorogoya, have you decided on a name for her?" Natasha asked her wife.

Your ears twitched slightly at the sound of her voice. You opened your eyes and lifted your head from the toy you were using as a pillow, curious about what they were discussing.

"I was thinking Bumble," Wanda said, her eyes twinkling with affection.

You perked up at the name, your ears standing at attention and your tail giving an enthusiastic wag. This made Wanda giggle, her laughter light and musical. "You like that? Bumble?" she asked, her voice pitched up slightly with excitement. Your tail wagged even more vigorously, and a small, happy noise escaped you.

"Okay, Bumble it is!" she announced with a smile.

Natasha chuckled, a deep, warm sound. "Well, Wands, Bumble needs a bath. Which you really should have done before letting her on her bed, but there's nothing to be done about that now."

Wanda looked at you fondly, her hand still gently stroking your back. "I'll give her one in a few minutes, okay? I just wanted her to be relaxed first," she spoke softly, her voice filled with understanding and care.

You felt a rush of warmth at their gentle banter and concern for you. As you lay there, you began to understand that this place was different. These people were different. They cared, not just for what you could be or how you could behave, but for you as you were.

After a few moments, Wanda stood up and stretched. "Alright, Bumble," she said, looking down at you with a smile. "Let's get you all cleaned up."

Natasha rose from the couch, offering her hand to Wanda. "I'll help you. It’ll be quicker and easier for both of us."

You followed them to the bathroom, your tail wagging at the prospect of their continued attention. The bathroom was spacious and well-lit, with a large tub that looked far more inviting than any you had seen before.

Natasha started filling the tub with warm water, adding a splash of something that smelled sweet and soothing. Wanda knelt beside you, gently removing your collar. "You're going to feel so much better after this, Bumble," she said softly, her hands still gentle and reassuring.

Together, they lifted you into the tub. The warm water enveloped you, washing away the grime and fear of your past. Wanda and Natasha worked in tandem, their movements careful and synchronized. Wanda lathered you up with a sweet-smelling soap, her touch gentle and comforting. Natasha rinsed you off, her strong hands steady and soothing.

Throughout the bath, they spoke to you in calming tones, their voices a steady murmur of reassurance. "You’re doing great, Bumble," Wanda said, her smile bright and encouraging. "Almost done," Natasha added, her voice low and soothing.

Finally, you were lifted out of the tub and wrapped in a large, fluffy towel. Wanda and Natasha dried you off, their hands moving briskly but gently, ensuring you were warm and dry.

As they finished, Wanda gave you a gentle kiss on the top of your head. "There you go, Bumble. All clean and fresh."

Natasha nodded in approval. "Now you really do look like a part of the family."

With a final ruffle of your hair, they led you back to the living room. You settled once more into your new bed, feeling cleaner and more relaxed than you had in a long time. Wanda and Natasha sat close by, their presence a comforting reminder that you were safe, loved, and finally home.

[vastderp]

I Had A Baby Brother

My brother was found dead last tuesday in his apartment.

He died anywhere from Sunday to Monday, and his landlord got worried and checked up on him and found him on the floor with one hand over his face. There was an open jug of methanol nearby. My sister thinks he drank it, I pray he didn't. It was an ugly, fucked up death.

He was in declining health this past decade because he was a paraplegic and uncontrolled diabetic. There are systems in place to help with low income people in his condition, but they were barred from him as he was a convicted felon.

He went from learning to walk again in the physical therapy pool to drinking a gallon of vodka per day, growing more hostile and bitter as the pain got worse, until his body just gave out. He drove away his friends, he drove away his family, and then he hit the floor and never got up.

I was meant to view the body with my sister and her grown kids, but the funeral home couldn't tell us where his body had been sent, and stopped answering the phone on friday before memorial day weekend, and then we had to wait for someone to follow up on my sister's dozens of phone messages, which they finally did, to try and make their little profit.

My sister, who has been handling all of this along with my niece, selected a different funeral home for the cremation because the first one was disgraceful with my mother's death in 2007, and they're disgraceful all over again with my brother's now.

At one point today they finally established contact, and asked how my sister wanted to handle the arrangements for her "father". O how casual the not giving a fuck goes! Dude pressed to make a sale even after she told him how unhappy we were with their work.

All this to say that I have a car full of inherited possessions, unused medical gear, and the shitty fucked up remnants of my brother's shrine to Mom.

Good old Mom may have died almost 20 years ago, but her gentle, loving mission to smother her only son to death (and probably into eternity) is finally successful. Of all of us, I've often wondered who got it worst: The golden child, the scapegoat, or the parentalized invisible middle kid. Now that one of us has effectively committed suicide, I guess it's for the scapegoat and me to hash out who gets second place. My mother crippled him long before his car accident, in one long and winding but uninterrupted line of consequences from his birth to death. I consider it a murder-suicide. Which was which? They were both the killer, and both the victim. Enmeshment is a motherfucker.

I'm super bitter, really fucking sad, and incredibly proud of what's left of my family for how they're coming together now. (Except my dad, who is in another state, petting his dogs, because I don't think he can really deal with this shit).

So what's left? To go put some cologne on his corpse when they finally let us go view what's left of him. He always liked to smell nice and he probably doesn't right now.

They'll cremate him, and give us a ridiculously heavy cardboard box of ashes that we'll have to carry out, knowing it's all that's left of a lifetime of struggling and pain. Probably we're gonna mix his ashes with Mom's, and make that lifetime of enmeshment official.

I hope if they go to the same afterlife, he kicks her in the cooter. I hope she kicks him back. I hope they can see each other with eyes unclouded by trauma, and forgive each other for the choices they both made. I hope they forgive me for still being mad at them both for not being stronger. I hope I will forgive myself for a lifetime of resentment and blame. I sure got enough time for that.

Jason was funny, weird, secretly really smart but never made a point of it. He was stylish. He was a broken man who could have made better choices and didn't, who was happily fed poison until he couldn't live without it, who was basically his own whole ass Pink Floyd song. His violence sent me running into a better life. His death sent me trudging back into a damaged family with gaping holes like torn out teeth, into the arms of my sister, and we reconciled. There's just us two left now, and it's our job to make something beautiful come out of this jerry springer childhood we shared. We're doing our best.

Dozens of catheters still in the package. Leakproof bed padding in a plaid pattern. Gallons of creams, antacids, fiber supplements by the jar, pressure sore ointments, fungus treatment creams, lidocaine pads, antibiotics, antipsychotics, a hash pipe or two.

An entire apartment hoarded with moist towelettes, pressure garments, and cleaning supplies. An entire life choked with mental damages and crying relatives. I put on CeeLoo Green's "Robin Williams" and sobbed until my face felt burned. It helped.

All the usable/safe to give away medical equipment is being distributed to the other impoverished disabled people in his apartment complex, who will hopefully put it to good use. I got his old manual wheelchair because sometimes I can't walk. I'm terrified of becoming more like him, so back to phsycial therapy I go.

The rest?

The memories, the pity, the jug of methanol that I pray he never actually drank, the stain he left on his floor after a lifetime of compulsive tidiness, the shrine to the woman he killed who also killed him? All these things I will keep with me forever. I will honor him. He could have been so much more, for so much longer. He had a whole story I'll never know. He contained incredible kindness and generosity, and also a rage so deep it was fatal. He was only 41.

If you can spare a couple bucks for the gofundme my niece set up, it'd really help make the financial side of this horseshit a little more bearable while we do all the shit that comes with a death. Thank you for taking the time to read this post, for your sympathies, and for reading my fucked up family trauma dump. Rest assured there will be more.

Dear god, will there ever be more.

Send help. Send pizza. Send sad hip hop. Hail Atlantis. Hail Jai.

[coelacanth-designs]

Timeline/ Layout of AU

Aight so I felt like it was a good idea to layout the basic concept of my personal AU! The basis of it is a kind of "what if" scenario mixed with my own experiences of trial and error of the self. What if the Mind and Heart weren't the ones causing dissonance between each other and the Whole. What if it was the Souls lack of self understanding and awareness that threw the Whole into its state of undoing and unraveling.

It would start with the dissonance and instead of Soul introducing themselves (as they are unable to) we would find ourselves seeing a freshly formed Heart and Mind. Neither of them knows how to speak to the other but understands that they have each other and that one is as important as the other. This is where I also pull in the idea that neither has a further understanding like in the original canon that only one is right, or in another term. Neither has been pushed to the point of that belief. I also like the idea that it's almost like there's an invisible wall between them which can represent my issues with my Heart and Mind almost feeling alienated from each other and the outside world giving an intensely isolating experience.

Once they're able to talk to each other, they do have arguments and spats, but they try and lead the Whole while doing their best to observe and take in the world.

Eventually they find Soul, wrapped up in layers upon layers of false ideas of themselves that they cut and pasted onto their own image to try and make up for what themselves and the Whole severely lacks. A sense of self and belonging when it comes to a person.

Heart and Mind would then have to try and understand who this was while also trying to approach what that means for the three of them. (in between this and the next part is when my version of the Juno incident happened. Where Soul impulsively lashes out against Heart and Mind, blaming their grievances on the two of them. Avoidance is their problem and they're too blind to see it.)

The next big milestone would be Soul understanding that the Whole can't run if only 2/3 parts are working towards growth, and with Mind and Hearts help, they start to peel back the layers, and attempt to break out of their shell.

Eventually they all get to a realization. "it doesn't matter what others want us(me) to be, if they don't like me for me then I don't need their acceptance." From there Soul is now starting to take the reigns and while hesitantly, Mind and Heart are their at their side trying to help lead with them. Eventually getting into a rhythm where the three have realized that being a Whole is easiest when the three can talk to each other face to face to take on the issues together.

It wouldn't end on the note of pessimism with the future, but just that the future is full of twists and turns and that they can figure it out!

Also Peewee is there throughout. Peewee is a vital reference for Mind and Heart (and eventually Soul) from start to finish about the Wholes physical health. Anywho! I want to work on as well showing the different stages that the mind went through? As this kind of co-aligns with the story idea I had that involves stepping through your mind into anothers, how their habits, emotions, and even trauma can show up in their minds.

If you made it to the end I appreciate it! Lmao I'm just genuinelly happy I can finally ramble about my ideas and if people like them, cool! But now the idea is situated and documented :3

(doodle with not okay Heart and a comforting Mind as a treat for making it to the end lol)

[allykakamatsu]

Twisted Wonderland DnD

Title says it all, basically here's what I think the NRC boys classes and species would be in Dnd

Notes:

This is me trying to adapt their powers not what they would pick, for example if I was going on what they'd pick Epel with be a goliath barbarian

Everyone's going to have a level cap of 15, with the exceptions of Leona, Malleus and Lilia cause they're noticeably older than everyone else so I felt fair giving them a few more levels due to more experienced.

I'm sticking to cannon species if I can, but I will be mixing it up in the cases where either A, there isn't a good substitute or B, I think it would be funny.

Just cause I like to I tried to give everyone a multi-class. Also this is being done with base 5e rules so none of the new 2024 stuff.

Obviously this is just for fun idc about being optimal here.

And with that House Keeping done, let's go!

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Riddle: Human, 3 Zealot Barbarian 12 Abjuration wizard

A caster with barbarian levels, well if there was ever a way to prove this was just for fun this would be it- Jokes aside the subclass doesn't matter too much here, I just had to squeak some barb levels in here cause of Riddle being a very angry boi plus him somehow having the strength to throw Floyd across the room during their orientation. The wizard levels are more straightforward, he's a smart boi and abjuration is where all the 'no magic allowed' spells are so yeah.

Ace: Human, 8 Arcane Trickster Rogue 7 Glamour Bards

Unlike everyone else sans Ortho, I didn't really have any unique magic stuff to use as a baseline for Ace, however one of his talents is sleight of hand tricks so I figured rogue would be a good fit, and Arcane Trickster with it's invisible mage hand in particular would be pretty fitting. As for bard, that one's mainly to show that he's a show off and Glamour is the one I always kinda see as the most flashy. Plus, look me in the eye and tell me Ace wouldn't be a Vicious Mockery spammer.

Deuce: Human, 5 Champion Fighter 10 Redemption Paladin

Probably one of the easiest ones for me to figure out tbh. Some flavour of fighter for his delinquent days and him getting into a lot of fights then (I went champion cause of crits but tbh any could work), and then redemption paladin cause he's trying his god damn hardest to be a good boi now, not much more to it.

Trey: Human, 8 Transmutation Wizard 7 Shepard Druid

And in contrast to Deuce being one of the easiest to figure out, Trey might just be tied for the hardest because I did not know where to begin here. Eventually I went transmutation wizard cause all of it's spells are about changing something which fits with his UM, and then Druid due to the nature and healing spells combo being a decent fit for his cooking and his big brother instincts. Again, this is the one I'm least sure on so if you have any other ideas please tell me.

Cater: Half Elf, 10 Lore Bard 5 Illusion Wizard

That moment when I have to justify the species more than the class-. Tldr, some writers, namely @ladyazurith , have sold me on the concept of half fae Cater so I wanted to throw that in, and since their isn't a half fairy race half elf will have to do. Meanwhile the class was really easy, Illusion wizard cause while there's no spell that quite replicates 'Split Card' their collection comes close, and lore bard cause Cater as a bard just feels right, though I'm open to thoughts on the subclass.

(rest underneath cut). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leona: Tabaxi, 5 Battle Master Fighter, 11 Storm Sorcerer

I love my lazy cat man, in general but also here cause he's easy to figure out. Any fighter subclass would've worked, I just went battle master cause some of the manoeuvres like tripping felt like things Leona would do in a fight, and the Sorcerer levels were mainly cause I wanted to get him disintegrate which was the closest spell I could find to King's Roar, I just went storm cause none of the other sorcerer origins seemed like the best fit

Ruggie: Tabaxi, 12 Thief Rogue 3 Enchantment Wizard:

Another simple enough one. Given his upbringing thief rogue just made way to much sense, and as for enchantment wizard well, that's the school of magic Hideous Laughter and it's stronger Tasha version belong to and that's such a good fit for 'Laugh for Me' it's not even funny.

Jack: Shifter, 10 Moon Druid 5 Cavalier Fighter

Thank you Savannahclaw for being simple- Jokes aside, Moon Druid is the class all about better wildshape, the ability that lets you turn into animals so it's perfect for 'Unleash the Beast', and again the subclass didn't matter too much for the fighter I just wanted it for more melee strength (+Jack wanting to copy Leona) and I went cavalier cause I thought it would be funny if he got the bonuses when he was the mount- Also went shifter cause there's no werewolf race and I had to improvise

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Azul: Simic Hybrid, 10 Fathomless Warlock 5 Whispers Bard

And in complete contrast to the last dorm the Octotrio were collectively a pain to figure out. Eventually I did settle on this though. There's no octopus race so I went Simic Hybrid purely because it can have all kinds of aquatic limbs including octopus tentacles so 'close enough' and Whispers is the spy bard so all the public charms plus a lot of sneakiness. As for warlock, look, I know realistically Azul would more likely be a patron than someone making a devil deal given how he is, but I couldn't resist plus nothing's stopping him from making deals of his own to take down his boss-

Jade: Triton, 10 Spores Druid 5 Whispers Bard

Before anyone makes the joke yes the twins being a species named Triton is ironic but again I didn't have the best options here. That aside, the class here was easy enough, the bard levels were mainly for fast friends and zone of truth which combined make a pretty good representation of 'Shock the Heart' and I went Whispers for the same reason as Azul. As for the druid levels well, Jade clearly loves nature given how he started the Mountain Lovers Club and all, wildshape is a good way for him to turn back into his true form, and well, Circle of Spores specifically is a creepy mushroom themed subclass which just fits way too well.

Floyd: Triton, 2 Land Druid 13 Hexblade Warlock

Despite how long this one took me to figure out this one's pretty simple. Druid for wildshape though unlike Jade Floyd isn't sticking around nearly as long, and Hexblade cause well, I wasn't actively writing down spell lists but I was keeping them in mind and out of all the classes that had the spells I wanted for him (shield and counterspell to try recreate 'Bind the Heart') warlock was the only one that gave any kind of melee game, plus idk Floyd does seem like the type to find a cursed sword and keep it as a pet. Also,I'm not going into abilities but he also absolutely gets the grappler feat cause boy has gotta squeeze.

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Kalim: High Elf, 12 Divine Soul Sorcerer 3 Creation Bard

After the fishies gave me a lot of trouble we're back to simple thank god. Kalim does scream sorcerer to me due to the 'being born with more magic without having to work as hard for it' thing (I mean this with love I love my sunshine boy) and I went with Divine Soul to kinda reference Kalim being one of only three students at NRC to use light magic plus given all the assassination attempts the various healing spells it comes with probably come in handy (also sorcerer's in general are good with con saves which is what you need to beat poison). The bard levels are pretty much just cause he likes performing and making people smile, subclass doesn't matter too much, and lastly high elves are like the typical high magic rich people race which I think is a good fit.

Jamil: Yuan-ti, 4 Assassin Rogue 11 Enchantment Wizard

Time for my babygirl everyone- My bias aside this one was fun and thankfully pretty simple. I went with Yuan-ti cause that's the snake race and I couldn't help myself (also it has advantage on poison saves so extra fitting), Assassin Rogue cause rogue is generally a good class for getting through social interactions, notably with deception which is fitting, plus I have a sinking feeling Jamil at least knows how to kill if not has already done so. And finally, enchantment wizard cause that's where all the mind control spells are, notably level 11 is when you get mass suggestion which is basically what Jamil did at the end of book 4.

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Vil: Human, 10 Alchemist Artificer 5 Glamour Bard

I know I could've been more creative with the species choice here but Vil was one of the first I worked on and I wasn't going full hog wild yet- That aside, this one was surprisingly simple, Vil is the best potion maker out of the dorm specifically dedicated to that so the subclass that's all about making potions was just way too fitting, and glamour bard because Vil is absolutely a bard and I tend to associate this one with being the most bright and showy which is a public image I think Vil would like.

Rook: Wood Elf, 12 Fey Wanderer Ranger 3 Eloquence Bard

A rare case where I knew the class right away but the subclasses were hard to nail down. I know hunter ranger seems like the obvious one but tbh I'm not crazy on it and the 2014 version especially is kinda boring so I looked at the others and I think Fey Wanderer fits Rook a bit better cause of his love of beauty and all Fey being pretty in their own weird little way, plus it's more light themed and since he's one of the light magic students I wanted to lean into that. Meanwhile I think the bard stuff he picked up from Vil and I went eloquence cause that one's all about the fancy words which Rook is full of. As for the species, I have no deeper reason other than Wood Elf feeling right admittedly-

Epel: Halfling, 3 Wild Magic Barbarian 12 Swords Bard

Sorry Epel, I love you but in my mind you're a tiny boy holding a comically large axe- As for why I didn't push that gag further, well that's mainly cause I wanted to replicate UM when I can, and for Epel the closest I could get with my level cap+multiclass rules was Wall of Force so he had to go caster, and since I realised the rest of Pomfiore were at least part bard I decided Epel can join in on the 'fun'. Though I did do him the mercy of picking College of Swords cause Vil can force this angry boi to play music and charm people but he's gonna do it in the most violent way possible-

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

Idia: Fire Genasi, 10 Battlesmith Artificer 5 Shadow Sorcerer

This was easier than I was expecting ngl. Tldr, Fire Genasi was the closest I could get to... whatever is going on with his biology, Artificer is the resident builder class so it's a good fit and battlesmith in particular is all about making weapons which is kind of what Idia did with Ortho, and Shadow Sorcerer cause his weird blood basically mandated some sorcerer levels and shadow is all about death which fits Idia's deal pretty well.

Ortho: Warforged, 8 PSI Fighter 7 Shadow Sorcerer:

And in complete contrast to his brother, Ortho is probably tied with Trey for the character I had the hardest time with but hopefully this'll do. Warforged is the resident robot race so that was a shoe in, I just kinda assume Idia used some of his magic to create Ortho hence the sorcerer levels plus spells like magic missile is the closest I can get to his laser beams, and fighter cause it's the generically good combat class, again subclass is debatable. I tried but I have no idea what I was doing for this one tbh-

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

Malleus: Fairy, 12 Draconic Sorcerer 5 Dreams Druid

Okay, I know Dragonborn is the obvious species here but man is literally the prince of the Fae and there's plenty of spells to transform into dragons so screw it Malleus is a fairy. Other than that it's pretty straight forward, Draconic Sorcerer cause no duh, and Dreams Druid cause A, Fae prince aka tied to nature and B, after book 7 I don't think I need to explain why Malleus having a sleep themes class is fitting.

Silver: Human, 13 Twilight Cleric 2 Dreams Druid

Okay, hear me out with the class here, namely cleric cause I don't think I have to explain Dreams Druid here either. Tldr, I wanted Silver to have plane shift cause that was the closest thing I could find to his UM. Unfortunately it's a high level spell so I can't properly fit in a martial class while keeping to my level limit. Fortunately cleric is one of the classes that has Plane Shift and it's good with melee weapons as well as armour, plus it's all about holy aka light magic so it's honestly kind of perfect. Also I went Twilight Domain cause Lilia found him at night and it's a nice way of showing how despite where he was from Silver true place is with the Fae rather than his birth family.

Lilia: Dhampir, 5 Eldritch Knight Fighter 15 Bladesinger Wizard

Okay I know I should've made Lilia a fairy along with Malleus but we all joke that Lilia's a vampire so when I remembered Dhampir was an option I couldn't resist. That aside everything else is fairly simple, a melee fighter with spell access in Eldritch Knight and a caster that prefers to fight at melee in Bladesinger, perfect for a former war general, and this way most of his actual spells can go to fun utility options, as well as more... questionable spells like ones to 'help' with his cooking.

Sebek: Lizardfolk, 10 Ancients Paladin 5 Storm Sorcerer

Again, there isn't a half fairy option so I had to get creative, but instead of just going half elf again I decided to do a silly and lean into the crocodile jokes. As for the classes, Storm Sorcery was mainly for the lightning spell access, and paladin was just too good of a fit for Sebek. I was tempted to go Crown due to his loyalty to Malleus but I decided on Ancients due to his pride in his Fae side but this one is pretty debatable. Though a bonus for paladins in general is Aura of Protection which provides allies advantage against fear.... the situation was more despair instead of fear but it still works pretty well for a certain moment in book 7

If you made it this far, thank you for indulging my bullshit

[i-literally-cant-with-this]

A/N ::: I don't know that I've ever written anything so quickly. I have a cavity from how gosh darn sweet this is.

C/W ::: Aged up Kirishima (20's dating 27 yr old, single mom, plus size reader), FLUFFYYYY, romantic, unprotected P->V (twice), lovey dovey schmuvvy. Sorry not sorry.

WC ::: Under 950

Thinkin' about Kirishima in his early 20's, in college to become a child psychologist. He gets paired up with you, a 27 year old, cute and kinda chubby, single mom of one. You’re going for your PhD in addiction studies. You’re both in the same basic intro to psych, 3 times a week.

You've been working together on the project for a couple of weeks now and the sexual tension between you is so palpable you could strangle someone with the invisible string that spans the distance between your bodies.

You take your daughter to your mom's house and leave her there for the night. Kirishima is supposed to come over tonight, and you’re going to do the finishing touches on editing the paper and putting the report together.

You cook up something that he mentioned in passing that he loved eating and casually set the coffee table. Nothing fancy, a votive candle that smells like vanilla and some thrift store placemats. When it gets closer to the time he’s supposed to be there, you turn on the fireplace channel on YouTube and put on some music that you know he likes. One day, he dropped his earbuds, and you picked it up to see what he was listening to before returning it to him. He thought it was so cute how your face lit up when you recognized the song (The Beach, The Neighbourhood).

He comes over about 5 minutes to 5 with a small bouquet of mixed wildflowers in a pink crystal vase (he thinks - it's really just cheap glass. But you love it because it's just so damn cute how he thinks it's crystal).

Dinner is full of emphatic conversations about your childhoods. About your best friends. Your bad decisions. Your best decisions. How can you not have good conversation with Kirishima around. C'mon.

He helps you clear the table of the few dishes you used. Offering to help you wash and dry them, but you tell him just to sit them in the sink, you'll get to them tomorrow.

You both stand at the front door, averting your gaze from one another because the night is obviously coming to a close. And neither of you know how to say that you aren't ready to do the old 'See you in class Monday'. You both wanted to sit on the couch for hours just learning everything you can about the other. No matter if it took all night or not.

That awkward moment when you both start to say something at the same time happens. Neither of you know what the other said, neither of you are terribly interested in hearing it repeated.

"Well," he rubs his forearm with his gigantic hand, squeezing it a couple of times, like he was trying to ground himself. "I had a lo- hmph!!!"

You pull him down for a kiss because standing there, listening to his sweet, happy voice and watching him move his mouth - you absolutely cannot stand another second of not pressing yours against it.

"M-me too. Thank you for the flowers, Kirishima. They're beau- mmm!!!"

This time, he pulls you into him and kisses you back with such force and passion that you feel your lungs empty and your legs go weak. He lifts you up and carries you over to the couch, gently perching you on his massive lap. He brushes the loose strands of hair from your neck and starts kissing you so deeply and slowly that you're sure you're going to die before the sun comes up.

"Kuh-eer-ee", you force what little oxygen is left in your body out to say those 3 syllables. You settle yourself over him, knees bent, sitting on your legs. You know they’re going to go numb if you keep sitting like this. But it’s just not as important as being in his arms.

Tangling your hands in his hair, you pull it loose from the bun it's in tonight. His hands explore your body, starting at your love handles. He's squeezing and pushing your hips around, caressing your sides and running his nails up and down your back.

The two of you make love on the couch, and then again in the bedroom. You both fall asleep in each other's arms, too exhausted to even move.

In the morning, Kirishima makes breakfast and does ALL of the dishes. He asks you questions about your daughter (what's she like, what's her favorite toy/color/animal/flower/ice cream/band/Disney character/Disney princess/has she been to Disneyland?/favorite kind of pizza/favorite & least favorite vegetable and fruit/does she like to drink water/all the right questions). You both get dressed, and you fix your hair for the day. He tells you to keep his t-shirt because it looks better on you right now than it ever did on him. Eventually, you said goodbye to each other. 

He leaves you with a long kiss on the cheek and a promise to meet you at the library - or your place?? - later that afternoon to work on the project (because oops, nothing got done last night. Maybe the library is best?).

You look out the window as he tosses his backpack over his beautiful, hoodie-clad, broad ass shoulder, and blows a kiss to you with one hand and waves with the other. You can't help but smile because you know that stuff like that takes coordination and you've seen him trip around campus a lot.

You're absolutely sure that you're going to fall in love with him, if you haven't already.

Taglist ::: @thenamesmiz @darkstarlight82 @millennialmagicalgirl @arlerts-angel

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Am I the Asshole for refusing to wash my sister's boyfriend's things?

I (22 NB) have a little sister (19F) with whom I used to be very very close. I'm talking she was my best friend, the person I loved the most, someone that I could rely on even when we had little fights here and there.

It all started when she and her boyfriend (20M) got together. At first nothing really changed since they were best friends before and kinda dating without dating, and I was genuinely really happy for her. I knew him casually from him being her friend and thought he was okay.

Our sibling relationship has really deteriorated ever since they started dating, though. I saw that she was starting to do unreasonable things for his sake (like almost peeing her pants because she didn't wanna "bother his family" by asking for the bathroom after driving an hour and a half to pick him up) and it raised some alarm through all our family, but she doubled down and basically barricaded me out of her personal life as much as she could. Blocked me everywhere, texts to make sure I'm not home if she's gonna be around, that kind of thing. It really made me sad, but honestly its not like I can force her to have a relationship.

Now here is where I might be the asshole.

She's gotten into the habit of playfully "stealing" stuff from him and just leaving it around the house. We have tupperware, cutlery, and of course SO many clothes all belonging to him. I usually do some chores like the laundry when I can, and it used to include her clothes. But recently I just got fed up of doing laundry and having to wash this guy's stuff. He's not even MY guest, and I don't see why I have to wash his underwear when he very reasonably can do it at home.

I told my sister that if she wants to wash his stuff here, even if she's the one wearing it and not him, she has to do it herself. My mom backed me up on it, but my sister got really really upset because she feels that I'm setting this boundary because because I have a classist prejudice against her boyfriend. She said that I am already washing her clothes and my mom's, and the only difference is that they're not as expensive as ours, and so I must have a bias against him.

(For context: One of the reasons I don't like said boyfriend is because he tells my sister she's morally worse than him because we're middle class and he isn't, and I think its super hypocritical that they talk like that and still ask us for a LOT of money for their dates and stuff)

I hadn't thought about that when I talked about the clothes, honestly. I was just sick of him being this invisible roommate I didn't consent to having there. But now I'm wondering if my bias is actually showing. I know I'm privileged, and that privilege is often invisible to those who have it, so now I'm wondering if it really would be so bad to just shut up and ignore his clothes mixed in with ours when I do the laundry. Just because I don't like him doesn't mean I have to be bigoted towards him.

Tldr: My sister's boyfriend is of a lower socioeconomic class. I don't like him for a variety of reasons, but mostly I refuse to wash his clothes with ours and told my sister to do it herself. She accuses me of having a bigoted bias towards his stuff because its not as "nice" as ours.

AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[tboycamilo]

encanto next gen au - fourth generation madrigals

wrote these bios for the fankids forever ago but just realized i haven't posted them here and that's a shame bc im proud of my little guys and want to talk about them. anyways here they are in birth order (and also if anyone wants to learn more about the spouses i can write bios for them too bc i love them)

AMELIA 'AMI' MADRIGAL

first child of camilo and marco madrigal. the first of the fourth-generation madrigals. born 1955. has the gift of self-duplication, able to create and dematerialize limitless clones at will. her gift gives marco and camilo hell quite a bit especially when they're young first-time dads attempting to wrangle up all her clones. like marco, ami is very reserved and quiet, but unlike him, she is not socially anxious or shy. she just prefers to observe rather than engage, and tends to be aloof and keep her thoughts to herself. many people see her as stoic and intimidating. because of this, she struggles building relationships with her peers at times, and worries that others perceive her as cold or scary. she's sweet once you get to know her, though, and is a great planner and a good listener. she tends to be the voice of reason in the family and is probably more mature than her dads. a little bit of a nerd.

IMELDA 'IMA' MADRIGAL

ami's twin sister, the second child of camilo and marco madrigal. 'born' 1960 - she was the first clone to materialize when ami got her gift, and gained a mind of her own, unable to dematerialize at ami's will. though physically identical to ami, ima does make efforts to change her appearance so she isn't mistaken for her sister - a definite daddy's girl, she emulates camilo with her shorter hair and bold yellow wardrobe. personality-wise, she is basically a mini version of her papa - energetic, flirty, mischievous, and outgoing. she has a sense of humor, too - she purposely named herself the reverse of her sister's name. but just like camilo, she suffers from identity issues - her boisterous personality and over-the-top style are a direct result of her attempting to compensate for being a clone and avoid being confused with her sister. she often feels like she has no sense of self and fears being seen as a mere copy of ami. if the magic were to fade again, so would she, but we don't need think about that right now!

BRUNO 'BRUNITO' MADRIGAL

third child of camilo and marco madrigal. born 1960. he looks like the perfect mix of his dads, almost all his features halfway between those of marco and camilo. he tends to dress similarly to his namesake, with a hooded poncho shrouding him in mystery. his gift is invisibility at will, so he has become a master of presenting himself inconspicuously. though camilo would never admit it, brunito is kinda his favorite child and is extremely spoiled (and may or may not be the only one of camilo's children who was actually planned). he has a friendly but nervous personality, much like his father marco, and whether his personality developed because of his gift or vice versa is anyone's guess. he is very sweet and tends to see the best in people, and can be somewhat naive - but he's not oblivious to the fact that he tends to get special treatment from his dads and often leverages that to his advantage, much to the irritation of his siblings. he is very attached both to his parents and to his brother felipe. 

VALENTINA MADRIGAL

first child of luisa and inés madrigal. born 1961. despite being adopted, she takes after luisa both in appearance and athleticism. she always has some form of bandages on her in at least one spot. her gift is indestructibility - she is able to withstand injury that would be painful or even fatal to anyone else. because of this spectacular gift, she often tends to throw caution to the wind. valentina is extremely daring and brave, and loves getting into all kinds of trouble and doing stunts that terrify both her mothers. despite her recklessness with her own self, she is very protective of her little sister and younger cousins, and feels a level of responsibility to keep them safe. like luisa, she is susceptible to the pressure she puts on herself, but she is much more comfortable with confrontation than her mother. she bonds with her abuela julieta often.

JACINDA MADRIGAL

first and only child of isabela, lilli, and rosa madrigal. born 1963. her gift is terraforming - she can create structures from the earth and form the land around her at will. with three doting moms who waited until they were fully ready to adopt a kid, jacinda is very spoiled and, in her moms' eyes, she can do no wrong. ima's mischievousness pales in comparison to jacinda's - she is the master prankster of her generation who puts camilo's past mischief to shame. she doesn't discriminate with her pranks, and is always causing hell for her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. despite her troublemaking nature, she is also very charismatic and friendly, and the kids in town love to be around her - she always has something fun up her sleeve. she loves her family, but probably harbors a little jealousy towards ciela and later the triplets for replacing her as the baby of the family. 

CIELA MADRIGAL

second child of luisa and inés madrigal.  born 1965. she has the gift of levitation and is able to float from place to place. her clothes are covered in dreamy pastels and cloud patterns, reflecting both her gift and personality. as the baby of her immediate family, ciela is innocent and creative. she has a very go-with-the-flow attitude and is great at helping others through their emotions and calming them down. she has an appreciation for nature and the arts, and likes to paint and draw in her spare time. she gets along well with her great aunt pepa, who likes to make clouds for her to float on. ciela can be a little naive at times and often has her head in the clouds literally and figuratively, but many still envy her relaxed and happy attitude.

IGNACIO MADRIGAL

the eldest of camilo and marco's triplets and their fourth child overall. born 1971. his appearance takes after camilo a lot more than his other siblings. his gift is fire manipulation - he can create fires of virtually any size at will. because of how dangerous his gift can be, he spent a great deal of his life teaching himself restraint and is very in control of his emotions. despite his levelheadedness, he can be very pompous and bratty - although he grows out of it sooner or later when he's older. he's also quite boy crazy, which he doesn't exactly grow out of. although he loves to tease and annoy his siblings and cousins, he is fiercely protective of them deep down. he's very passionate about his interests and very dedicated to his loved ones, but he tries not to show it outwardly too much out of fear of his gift getting the better of him.

FELIPE MADRIGAL

fifth child of camilo and marco madrigal, the middle triplet. born 1971. his name was inspired by his grandfather felix, and his appearance takes after him too. his gift is water manipulation, essentially the opposite of his brother ignacio's gift. as expected, the two have a big rivalry and get into arguments all the time - their personalities, much like their gifts, tend to clash quite often. felipe is bubbly and polite, but also quite an emotional boy. he often catastrophizes and lets his feelings get the better of him, much like his grandmother pepa. he's a very hard worker and tends to boss his siblings around when it's time to do chores. he's a total papa's boy and is always on the lookout for praise from marco. he's also best friends with his brother bruno despite being so many years apart in age. his wardrobe, unlike the rest of his immediate family, consists of lots of cool blues.

SOFIA MADRIGAL

the youngest of camilo and marco's triplets and their sixth and final child overall. born 1971. her gift is enhanced eyesight - she is able to see in the dark as well as from far distances, and is acutely aware of minor details that most may not pick up on. her jewelry and dress are adorned with eye designs, and the family knows better than to try and sneak anything past her. just like her tia dolores, she has dirt on everyone and can deduce when something shifty is going on in seconds. she's kind of known as the weirdo cousin for her quietness and ominous behavior. she talks very little and seems to be always watching. it's nothing the madrigals aren't used to, though - dolores was exactly the same way when she was a child. bruno, dolores, ami, and sofia all bond over being viewed as fearsome or outsiders for their quirks. she gets a lot of attention as the baby of the family but she doesn't seem to like being in the spotlight very much. 

that's all of them for now, i may also post bios for the other madrigals just to show where they end up in the future in my au but the au generally revolves around the fourth gen! also feel free to ask more about the au and characters bc i absolutely love to yap about this stuff. also sorry about all the babies camilo i only make you suffer bc ur my favorite character 💛

[vocaloightmares]

The combat ways of this idol trio:

Teen Wing

Teen Wing loves “beating the shit out of” and taunting nasty on her enemies.

The crime fighter often lands hard hits on her opponents that knocks them off their feet. Because close combat is her favorite tactic, she overwhelms them until they give a "round of applause" (surrendering) of her performance. This is supported by her arm cannons: in the form of stars appearing in front of the weapons' glowing nozzles, the strongest damage is through big stars, while weaker damage is dealt with smaller stars. They can also form certain "constellations" to mimic weapons akin to a gatling gun or sniper rifle. However, the shapes they are not as complex as those summoned from Milly Dilly's parasol. The arm cannons also help Teen Wing move around by pointing the nozzles down to, by blasting, launch herself up in the air. She can do cartwheels, or strike poses on the air to her heart's content.

Like a traditional metroidvania (or seeing her missions like those in Netroid), Teen Wing starts off with "spells" only shown from Kid Wing documentaries and related material. However, as the story progresses, she begins uncovering more spells as she gathers information about her missing role model. Eventually, she picks up the final and most powerful spell crucial to defeating Milly Dilly.

Teen Wing also lands kicks too. She enjoys bouncing on walls for making critical hits. As a bonus, sparks fly from both kicking and punching. The greater the damage is, the more sparks appear.

Lance

Similar to his daughter, the legendary Lance also “beats the shit out of” his enemies, but in a graceful and unpredictable manner. He's also what Teen Wing would be like at full power.

As a self-proclaimed "world class" fencer, he makes (frighteningly) fast and elegant swipes by the blade. Except he can dual-wield two fencers, and other swords of his choosing, shapeshifted from his default hands. The sharp tips of both weapons can also cast spells via the same stars as Teen Wing and can be used as launchers to move around (and strike dramatic poses whenever he wants to) in the air. Basically, oversized magic wands.

His favorite spell is summoning a big star that fires multiple projectiles (similar to the Storm Missile of Metroid Dread and Judgment, a signature move for the Mythical Pokemon Arceus).

One difference between the idols, however, is that Lance prefers "perfect timing." Specifically, he searches for the right place to strike his foes, whether it's the classic heart or a mad slash across the eyes. Teen Wing doesn't care where, but Lance prefers to pinpoint weak spots.

Like Teen Wing, sparks fly whenever Lance lands hits on his opponents, and he likes jumping around. In a very theatric fashion.

Everything's a stage play for Lance in fact. Just don't interrupt his battle soliloquies and monologues. Pray you get a spat and not a slash on the face.

Rakumo

Literally Spiderman: punching, kicking, grappling onto and yeeting people after lassoing them.

Except this plane's a puppeteer. However, before Rakumo pulls strings, he has to knock a foe unconscious (it's very rare for them to get killed by a furious spider ninja) and it's usually done through stealth. During battle, he can choose more than one "ragdoll" and use them against his opponents' strengths in favor of their weaknesses. Sometimes, the puppeteer can get messy with his movements like his younger cousin, especially when he's blinded by anger. In other words, Rakumo mix-and-matches his assets, which is limited up to 2.

Outside of puppeteering, Rakumo can use his "strings" (invisible, but can be inferred by his glowing hands and ragdolls' eyes when activated) to grapple onto platforms or enemies.

When "ragdolls" are out of his range, Rakumo also commits physical attacks. His arm blades (or wings as a plane) are his notable unit: they appear as shark fins when they're deactivated and extend via activation. The tip lights up via emotion, but it doesn't add onto the damage the puppeteer makes. Rakumo is also a kicker: roundhousing, scissor, and sweeping are known examples.

Teen Wing is the only trouper to go against Rakumo as calling for backup will add onto the ringleader's power. Unless certain circumstances say otherwise.

Sometimes, I wonder what a Supercharge!Rakumo would be like....

Anyways: all in all, Rakumo is the fist, Lance is the sword, and Teen Wing is the gun.

[got-into-worm-by-mistake]

Gestation 1.5 Live Reactions

(This is me, writing reactions as I read, because why the fuck not. They're not complete, mature thoughts taken after I sit back and evaluate what I've read. Consider them as such)

Reaching inside the convex armor that covered my spine, I ran my fingers over the things I had buckled in there.  The EpiPens were meant to treat anaphylactic shock from allergic reactions to bee stings and the like, and likely wouldn’t do a thing to Lung, even if I could get close enough and find a point to inject.  Worst case scenario, the injections would supercharge his power by prompting a surge of whatever hormones or endorphins fueled his power.  Not useful, dangerous at best.  I had a pouch of chalk dust that was meant for climbers and gymnasts, I had seen it in the sports store when I was buying the lenses for my mask.  I had gloves and didn’t think I needed the dryness and extra traction, but I had gotten the idea that it could be useful to throw at an invisible enemy, and bought it on a whim.  In retrospect, it had been kind of a dumb purchase, since my power let me find foes like that with my bugs.  As a tool against Lung… I wasn’t sure if it would explode like regular dust could when exposed to flame, but fire didn’t hurt him anyways.  Scratch that option.

Of course, for all that Taylor is a planner, sometimes, she's just a person who makes mistakes, like with the chalk. Really no reason to buy it, but the thought occurs and it probably wasn't a huge issue.

Lung hauled himself over the edge of the roof.  I had him hurting… I just couldn’t do anything about it.  My bugs were officially useless, there was nothing left in my utility sheath, and I would hurt myself more than I hurt Lung if I attacked him.  Making a mental note to pick myself up a concealable knife or baton if I managed to live through this, I bolted for the fire escape.

Given how methodical Taylor's planning and prepwork was presented earlier, this chapter does a lot to show that... honestly, no, she really didn't actually plan things out as much as she thought. Which makes sense. It's early yet. Presumably she gets better.

“Muh… Motherfucker!”  Lung screamed. 

I mean, that is valid Lung, I'll give you that.

“Cock.  Sucker,” he growled in his heavily accented voice, his cussing interrupted by his panting for breath, “Move.  Give me something to aim for.”

Real "come out so I can kill you" energy here. Does that ever work?

With no warning, a massive shape landed atop Lung with an impact I could swear people heard at the other end of the street.  The size of a van, the ‘massive object’ was animal rather than vehicle, resembling a cross between a lizard and a tiger, with tangles of muscle and bone where it ought to have skin, scales or fur.  Lung was now on his knees, holding one of the beast’s sizable claws away from his face with his own clawed hand.

Enter Player 2: Bitch and her Dogs

I stood, aware I was shaking like a leaf.  I was so unsteady on my feet, from the mixed relief and fear, that I almost fell over again as two more impacts shook the roof. 

A nice touch, that not every author/story would include.

Two more creatures, similar to the first in texture, but slightly different in size and shape, had arrived on the rooftop.  These two each had a pair of riders.  I watched as the people slid off the backs of the animals.  There were two girls, a guy, and a fourth I identified as male only because of the height.  The tall one approached me, while the others hurried to the edge of the roof to watch Lung and the creature duke it out.

And thus come the Undersiders, changing history by deciding to help this random cape out.

“You really saved us a lot of trouble,” he told me.  His voice was deep, masculine, but muffled by the helmet he wore.  He was dressed entirely in black, a costume I realized was basically motorcycle leathers and a motorcycle helmet.  The only thing that made me think it was a costume was the visor of his helmet.  The full-face visor was sculpted to look like a stylized skull, and was as black as the rest of his costume, with only the faint highlights of reflected light on the surface to give a sense of what it was.  It was one of those costumes that people put together out of what they can scrounge up, and it wasn’t half bad if you didn’t look too close.  He reached out a hand towards me, and I leaned away, wary.

...how does one sculpt a visor?

Still, a complete, if a bit clinical, descriptor of Grue/Brian.

“Pepper spray, wasp and bee stings, fire ants and spider bites,” the second of the girls said, answering the question for me.  She was dressed in a skintight outfit that combined black with a pale shade of blue or purple – I couldn’t tell in the dark – and her dark blond hair was long and windblown.  The girl grinned as she added, “He’s not holding up too well.  Gonna feel a helluvalot worse tomorrow.”

Oh, Tattletale, obviously I only know you from discussion, excerpts and fanfic, but my urge to punch you remains, though there's nothing objectionable here.

Also, Tattletale's outfit does seem pretty stereotypical supervillain, tbh.

“Fuck you, Grue,” Regent retorted, with a chuckle and a tone of voice that made it clear he wasn’t really that offended.  He was wearing a white mask, not quite as decorative or made up as the ones I associated with the carnivals in Venice, but similar.  He’d placed a silver coronet around his short black curls, and wore a ruffled white shirt with skintight leggings tucked into knee-high boots.  The outfit was very renaissance faire.  He had a build that made me think more of a dancer than a bodybuilder.

Let's see if Alec is as much fun as he is in the fanfics :P But I do have to respect the theming for his outfit. Probably goes pretty hard to see it in person.

I stared at her.  My voice caught in my throat before I was able to get the words out, “I don’t… I haven’t picked one yet.”

Taylor, no! Don't let them label you with Skitter! NO! :P :rofl:

When I realized what had just happened, I could have cried.  It was easy enough to pin down Regent, Tattletale and Bitch as teenagers.  It wasn’t much of an intuitive leap to guess that Grue had been one too. The ‘children’ Lung had mentioned, the ones I had gone to so much effort to save tonight, were bad guys.  Not only that, but they had mistaken me for one, too.

I mean.... Ooof. She put her whole self, her entire hope, the only reason, or at least the main reason, she fought through the last few months, in becoming a hero. In saving lives, in beating villains... and here she is saving villains and getting mistaken as one. And then Armsmaster is about to make it worse.

I wonder if he'll read quite as much of a dick as the fandom seems to think he is.

[no-side-us]

The Invisible Man, Ch. 4 - Mr. Cuss Interviews the Stranger

This chapter is basically a summation of Griffin's dreadful time in Iping. The rumors and suspicions they're spreading about him include such things as:

Temporary disfigurement

Criminal activity

Anarchist activity

Being black

Being mixed race

Being insane

They're treating him quite badly as well. Most people avoid him as he walks down the street, while some younger people mock him as he goes along. They sing "Bogey Man" songs at him and about him in church and home. Evidently, they keep pestering him about his work as well, work which he hasn't been able to accomplish, no doubt adding to his frustrations.

And sure, he's curt and rude and exceedingly private, but that's no excuse. So with all that said, his little laugh at Cuss' expense is pretty understandable. It was probably the first laugh Griffin's had in a long while.

[batsplat]

i've noticed you refer to casey's 'mystery illness' and i was wondering, is that not his chronic fatigue? i wasn't following motogp back then but he's mentioned being previously misdiagnosed, so i assumed that the 'mystery illness' he suffered from in 2009 was the chronic fatigue he's since been diagnosed with.

ah, so there's a couple of reasons I use 'mystery illness' to denote it. the first is that it's not quite as straightforward as just labelling it 'chronic fatigue'. the second is that this was how the illness was referred to at the time, which I think is key for understanding how that year played out and how the entire episode was perceived. this is a sport that was horrendously ill-prepared to deal with an 'invisible' ailment that wasn't easy to diagnose, and the ambiguity and confusion are kinda central to the whole story. you've got ducati taking it upon themselves to spread inaccurate information about casey's health against his wishes, the muddled and irregular communication from his own camp, frenzied speculation in the press and from various pundits... if casey could have just clearly pointed to something, it would've made things a lot easier. but he couldn't - that's why it's a mystery illness

just to provide a basic timeline of how this went... casey started struggling around the time of mugello, but it became obvious to everyone else during catalunya. he was exhausted after the warm-up, slept for a couple of hours - and ended up fading badly in the race itself, struggling in the brutal heat that day and barely hanging onto third place. you can see it when you watch the race back (as we should all do regularly imo)... he's almost collapsing in parc fermé, gets a chair and medical attention before even making it to the podium, and he's barely upright during the podium celebrations. he just about makes it to the presser. he thought afterwards he'd recovered, maybe it was just a regular illness... but then he was struggling again during assen, depleted by the end of the race. in laguna, same story

it is at this point that ducati decide to issue a press release 'diagnosing' the problem:

except, you know. that wasn't actually casey's illness. and casey wasn't exactly thrilled with ducati's press release

so he's going through a lot of tests at this point, week after week, consulting a bunch of different experts, and they're coming up with all kinds of explanations - like, for instance, the idea that he'd been trying too hard to recover from a viral infection. but of course, this wasn't just an innocent mistake from ducati. it was part of a pattern of behaviour in them suggesting he just wasn't fit enough

now, obviously, even if this were true, it would still be blatantly unethical to spread around medical information about your rider a) without their consent, and b) that is also inaccurate

another thing to note about the donington race - this was a mixed conditions race where the ducati team were the only ones to take a gamble on wet tyres, basically... hoping it would rain enough to make it worth it. unsurprisingly, this did not go well and they were horrendously slow, they were heavily criticised for this choice, but casey explained it like this:

wishful thinking or calculated risk, this kind of thing helped make it obvious that this situation was unsustainable. in the run up to brno, reports started circulating that casey wasn't going to race. let's just check out the language that was used to describe this:

now, this may shock you to hear, but the sport of motogp in the year 2009 was not exactly at the height of sensitivity when discussing mental health issues. so a lot of the stuff you read from the time period, you kinda go 'well first of all, that wasn't actually the issue, but even if it had been the issue this would be a fucked up thing to say or even speculate about'. once this theory really started gaining traction, around the time when casey just kinda... up and disappeared from the world of motogp (without much in the way of open communication to the public)... well, that's when the discourse got increasingly ugly

there's a lot of stuff you could rattle through here, but let's just stick to a few key flashpoints. first off, this is what the beloved kevin schwantz, 1993 motogp champ and one of casey's favourite riders growing up, had to say:

as well as this:

obviously, he's entitled to his personal experiences in struggling with motivation when rainey retired - except he's using it to speculate about casey's situation, which is considerably less justifiable. and the other bits give you a feel for the common tone of the discourse at the time. the uncertainty over what casey's illness actually was, how little information anyone had to work with, the feeling that casey should just be competing - and the speculation that his problems were primarily or even solely 'in his head'. bringing up how casey wasn't fulfilling his contract, how it was a disappointment, how this might just be about resentment towards ducati...

when casey returned from the illness, he brought up schwantz pretty much unprompted in an interview:

in his autobiography, he adds the following:

Those comments really upset me and I lost a lot of respect for Kevin because of them. For him to say something like that was another example showing me that experience counts for nothing. The media often turn to former riders for an opinion, which would be a good thing if they stuck to what they know. Sadly, often their opinions are outdated and they don't know the half of it but talk endlessly as if they do. In this case, Kevin Schwantz knew nothing about my medical condition and shouldn't have commented on something he knew nothing about. For somebody who had been through a lot of tough times himself with injuries and such, you would think he might understand. It was disappointing but he wasn't the only one who had something to say. Everybody had their own opinions. A rider doesn't go from being ultra-competitive for two years and then just drop off the face of the earth because it's 'in his head'. It is absurd for anybody to even think that. If it was depression, lack of motivation or fear I would have said. People like Chaz and Leon believed in me because they'd known me for so many years and knew I wouldn't just switch off like that. But not many people stood by me through the uncertainty. Adri, Mum and Dad, Filippo, Livio, Chris Hillard, I could practically count them all on two hands. Even within my Ducati racing team, which only a year before had felt like family, there were doubters. I think a few of the guys believed me when I said something was physically wrong but others didn't. Some of the friendships I had grew stronger through all this, and some of the friendships disappeared. In a way that was a good thing. It gave me a better perspective of what racing meant to me and what people really thought of me, who I could trust.

(of course, casey did also separately have an undiagnosed anxiety disorder that even at time of writing his autobiography he didn't really understand, so some of this should be read with that context in mind. the key bit is the frustration he experienced as a result of knowing there was something physically amiss but having no answers at hand) (very much a topic for another time, but a lot of the discourse also ended up suggesting it had been valentino who had 'broken' casey and was responsible for this alleged psychological malaise. valentino didn't personally contribute to this narrative and stuck to wishing casey a swift recovery, but you also can't really leave this out when discussing either the illness or the rivalry as it was a big talking point at the time)

speaking of ducati... well, the main thing they were doing in casey's absence was attempting to hire jorge. which isn't an issue in and of itself, except they were willing to pay him a lot more than they were to casey and allegedly offering him number one status:

(the article also reports that dani was being touted as a possibility by ducati if they couldn't get jorge, or to have a direct switch between yamaha's jorge and ducati's nicky hayden, a plan which amusingly was said to have valentino's full support)

in casey's absence, the ducati/jorge thing progressed far enough that at one point it was being reported as basically a done deal. obviously, in the end it wasn't a done deal, and jorge ended up signing a one year extension with yamaha for 2010 (still hedging his bets, depending on how the situation with valentino played out) - but the damage was already done. here's how casey talks about it in his autobiography:

They'd told me when we signed a contract for 2009 and 2010 that they didn't have any more money for me, didn't have money for development but now suddenly they could afford to shell out like that for another rider? Considering what we had achieved together, I couldn't believe it. I felt I had been stabbed in the back by the people I trusted and who were supposed to trust me. I was blown away, and not in a good way.

also this charming comment from marlboro:

this all prompted retirement rumours, yamaha rumours, all kinds of rumours, and obviously in the end casey moved to honda a year later anyway. you have to say one side ended up rather better than the other from that divorce. when casey returned, he was immediately competitive, with a podium in estoril following two home races at phillip island and sepang. while the ducati's decline continued apace in 2010 and rumours continued to circulate that casey just wasn't the rider he once was, he was able to dispel them definitively with the aforementioned move to honda

one more thing though: what was the mystery illness? the problem if you just say it was misdiagnosed but was actually 'chronic fatigue' all along is in how it erases some important context. this was seen as a possibility at the time, and he had been diagnosed with chronic fatigue before, but was actually dismissed as the primary explanation for whatever reason. from casey's autobiography (published in 2013):

I had seen doctors about some tiredness back in Australia in 2006. They said I had chronic fatigue syndrome, which they put down to a combination of my diet and my busy schedule. But this time it was far more serious and it seemed that no matter what I tried to do to make myself better I only got worse. I started having more recovery drinks made up of milk and whey powder and my condition continued to deteriorate even more rapidly. I didn't suspect that what I was doing to help was causing even more problems.

and from an article from the time:

you know that last bit of the autobiography excerpt? where he mentions the recovery drinks were part of the problem? so, at the time casey believed the main problem was lactose intolerance

the thing is, a lot of more recent articles have said he was 'misdiagnosed' with lactose intolerance and I'm sure I may have used the phrase myself as a way of denoting 'there was clearly something else going on too'. but... I'm not sure that's entirely accurate? read this from his autobiography, and decide how you're convinced that it was a misdiagnosis:

Before going back to Australia for the next race at Phillip Island we decided to try lactose again, just to confirm that it definitely was the source of the problem. Within the next day or two I started losing my usual energy. In a way, this made us happy because I could finally confirm what the problem was. After that it was like a whole new world. For ten years it had seemed to me that a lot of food tasted the same and I could go a whole day without eating and not be hungry. Once I knew what the problem was and knew what to do everything started to smell and taste good. Even the amount I ate doubled! Adriana could see a huge difference almost straight away. And not just physically: 'I love cooking but any time I'd ever put anything on the table for Casey in the past, even though he was always polite, I could tell he wasn't enthusiastic about it. I was like, "I just cooked that for you!" Now he actually started to enjoy my cooking and that was one of the happiest days of my life.' For a while I didn't go near lactose at all but then we discovered Lacteeze tablets and with them I can pretty much eat anything I want. Adri makes tacos, creamy pasta sauce with vegies and traditional Slovakian dishes like svieckova, which is beef in a carrot sauce, and knedle bread. I could finally eat my favourite dessert - sticky date pudding with custard - without getting sick afterwards. I was always pretty skinny and even though I trained my backside off I never put any weight on. But now my body suddenly started filling out and I started to actually put weight on and gain some body fat, which I'd never had before.

I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty sure that's not how the placebo effect works

and then in 2019 it's framed like this:

and also:

plus when he's talking about it in that four hour long podcast interview thing, he kinda frames it as saying he'd continuously struggled with these physical issues but they didn't cause his actual retirement. to my reading, it seems that he's had some form of chronic fatigue for a long time, plus some of his issues may have been triggered by epstein-barr virus which he got during his career - but the specific severe problems he's describing in-depth in more recent interviews concern what he's been going through after his retirement

this is obviously quite a complicated medical history, and I wouldn't say it's 100% clear what exactly he was struggling with at what point of time. how do you accurately describe that? I'm not sure just calling it 'chronic fatigue' would be accurate, right? personally, I think 'mystery illness' works as a descriptor because a) this exact phrase was widely used in reporting at the time, and generally I'm trying to accurately describe events from the pov of that time, and b) because it gives you the key bit of information - that nobody knew what it was, including casey. it's just useful shorthand, really, not much more to it

[zombee]

writing advice

what are my qualifications, you ask? i'm a mildly popular writer in the our flag means death fandom (ao3: CartoonMayor), went to writing camps from 12-18, have a creative writing minor, and the unearned confidence of a white person.

DIALOGUE -

"said/says" works 90% of the time. its function is to be invisible. more often than not your dialogue should tell us how something is being said without you have to explain it additionally through extra tags. "Oh no!" he exclaimed. - don't need it. "exclaimed" is implied.

there are other neutral dialogue tags like "asks," "replies," "continues" that work almost as well as said. i still personally recommend using them sparingly, because most of the time they're implied.

if you ARE going to use a non-said/says tag, earn it. it should tell us how someone is saying something that we can't glean from just the dialogue. trust your writing and your readers - show don't tell!

please, please, please mix non-said dialogue tags and adverbs SPARINGLY.

if it's clear who's speaking, you don't need a tag at all

an action can take a tag's place. Ed blinked at him. "What did you say?" vs. "What did you say?" Ed said, blinking at him.

SHOW DON'T TELL -

[overusing] non-said dialogue tags, italics, and adverbs are all because we as writers are desperate to communicate to our readers exactly what we're picturing. but we need to trust them (or edit) and show not tell.

verbs before adjectives before adverbs. which is better: "yells loudly" or "bellows" ? "walks wetly" or "squelches" ?

sometimes telling is good actually!!! don't be spooked if it works in context

OTHER -

epithets are a function of pov. make sure they make sense in that framework. if it's third person omniscient, go nuts. if it's first person or third person limited, ask yourself: in what context do you think of someone as "the other man" or "the blonde" ? one of my tricks if someone doesn't know another character's name is to give them a nickname. "Sparkly Shirt" "Blondie" "Handsome" etc.

don't be scared of names and pronouns. like "said," if you do it right, they'll be invisible that means you can even get away with an occasional "he said to him" if it's still clear who's who!

"then" "suddenly" "finally" "just" "still" - these are all crutch words. there are more i can't think of right now, but trust that if your action is moving forward in a sensical way your readers will keep up without all that padding. if you're going to use them, have a reason to.

description is good (@ myself) but if you can capture how your pov character feels about something that's more valuable than getting every little detail on the page

watch out for repeating words too close together. obviously not the basic ones, but let's say you're writing smut, and you use "moan" three times in two paragraphs. vary it up. (i often cheat and add an "again" to repeated verbs to make them intentional)

and most important of all... all writing advice is subjective and can be thrown in the trash if you don't like it and find something else works for you. ESPECIALLY in fanfic!!!

[sugar-softies]

It's nerd ass min.ecraft feedism time again so shut up and listen to the headcanons I and my partner have crafted through roleplay and philosophical discussion

Before the zombie virus outbreak, piglins living in the overworld tended to adhere more to overworld sizes. When visiting relatives in the nether there was always a lot of "*touches abs* who did this to you? It's okay you'll never be hurt again."

After the zombie virus cure when overworld tourism gives piglins a chance to explore a world where acquiring food is ten times easier, tourists very often have a hard time fitting back through the portal home. It's not uncommon to see piglins waiting around portal hubs looking to hook up with a super sized hog. Restaurants have lost furniture and doorways but piglins pay in gold and tip generously which more than makes up for any damages.

Similarly though, other species that come stay with piglins find themselves gaining weight faster than they ever thought possible, and often end up sleeping off big feasts where they just couldn't deny themself one more bite over and over because of how good the food was and how encouraged they were to eat

Endermen have so much trouble gaining weight their natural body type is just thin as a rail, fat endermen are rare but absolutely gorgeous and a true sign of a dedicated eater and hedonist since it takes a hell of a lot of eating and not moving for them to get that big

Phantoms (based off the origin mod, think bipedal humanoid, check the mod about the hunger thing it's true) lose hunger when they use their powers and since they can't go out in the sun without being invisible that means if they want to interact with larger society they're using their powers a lot. They store fat and lose fat super easily since it's essentially their power source, their stomachs can stretch basically indefinitely so they can store as much food as possible, and they have been known to unhinge their jaws to accommodate larger bites. A happy phantom is a phantom with a stretched stomach weighed down by pounds of food and plush layers of fat making moving even harder

Slimes can slip down your throat and weigh heavily in your stomach. They can also take advantage of being inside you to trigger pleasure centers or cause your body to move, they can reshape themselves into handcuffs and lift your body into the air and... etc, I don't usually write about straight up sex here so I won't go into detail about the stuff I've written slime doing in private just yet

There are certain unofficial potion recipes out there that can:

- temporarily dull your mind more than any high or drunken state, making you feel warm and stupid and amused by everything

- increase fertility to an amazing degree

- swell a stomach with carbonation or slime

- increase hunger

- work as aphrodisiacs. Lots of people enjoy mixing this one with one of the above

Okay that's all the horny autism I have for now enjoy

[the-gateway-to-madness]

Spirit Blood

I'd forgotten about this bit of ROTG lore I made up lesgooo

Okay, so, the basic concept is that spirits/Chosen/whatever you call the race the Guardians are, are of course not entirely physical- magical rather than mortal. That's a "no, duh" if you've watched the movie.

So what does that mean for their blood?

It's probably incredibly potent for dark magic, for starters, but that's not my main headcanon about it. I think that it's tough to make them bleed, but that if it's managed, and two spirits' blood mixes directly, wound to wound, it creates a powerful, permanent magical link between them. A kind of bond unique to spirits/Chosen/you know what I mean, and unique to the two beings that have been bonded.

Things I've thought of concerning soulbonds:

They're permanent. One of the spirits in the bond has to be killed for it to be broken (though, like Sandy or the monsters from PJO, I think they all come back after they're killed).

For most spirits, only one bond at a time is possible, as it's too overwhelming to have multiple open connections to other spirits at once.

They have a varying range of effects. The basic one is a direct connection between the spirits' minds, allowing for the passing of emotions, concepts, ideas, and understanding back and forth at will (though, no outright, verbal thoughts can pass through). The more open and close the two spirits are, the stronger the bond becomes, and the easier it is to pass things back and forth.

Other effects include both spirits always having an abstract sense of where the other is, and the ability to recognize each other in spite of invisibility, shapeshifting, curses, or anything else.

Passive abilities or traits may be shared between soulbound spirits; for example, if one has night vision, or one is sensitive to heat or cold, such things might be automatically shared between the soulbound. Other abilities, like Jack's winter-specific powers, Bunny's plant powers, or Sandy's sand-summoning, are distinctly individual and cannot be shared.

Soulbonding is commonly used in spirit wedding ceremonies but is not limited to them or required in them.

Each spirit will instinctively refer to the other as "my bond" or "my soulbond", as long as they've accepted the connection.

Soulbonds can be deliberately made stronger by sharing blood again, anytime the bonded spirits want; there's no ceremony or needed process or progression.

So- yeah.

(Have a concept I played with where someone bonded to Jack could use his staff to channel their magic)

[spectrumgarden]

Hi, I hope this is okay to ask. Is there a form of prompting is less intrusive than hand over hand prompting but that still counts as MSN? I've read your blog and some other blogs and can't figure it out (I also struggle with understanding things, so I'm sorry if I'm just missing something). Please let me know if you need me to rephrase this. Thank you in advance.

I'm guessing you read my longer post on support needs based on mentioning prompting in relation to "counting" as MSN because in there I said something like, I personally wouldn't consider someone MSN if they only need reminders not prompting. It's been a little bit since I wrote that so I do actually have a few additional thoughts on that first.

So basically I do think if you need regular prompting for bADLs it counts as MSN regardless of what type of prompt you do need. But there is some nuance there because every generalized statement is not gonna be accurate in 100% of the cases. For example I know people who rely on visual prompting for some bADLs but can live alone & considers themselves LSN, because theres no other person needed for that. Or someone who does not need prompting for bADLs but needs supervision to keep them safe, who I would not consider LSN. So yeah, Nuance.

Also, this is very nitpicky, but I think a standard reminder does theoretically count as "prompting". Because all prompting is usually defined as is "an action to help someone complete a task they are (currently) unable to do without this help". So a verbal reminder theoretically counts as a verbal prompt, and a written reminder as a visual prompt. The thing is, I seperated reminders from prompting because it generally isnt how prompting is talked about in regards to tasks that require multiple steps (aside from the fact that it also usually is a completely different amount of effort & time needed to complete compared to other prompting). Verbal & visual prompting, in all situations I've seen where it is about multi step processes, these are broken down into all (or most of) the little steps. Like, you could call a reminder a non broken down prompt and theoretically have it be accurate, but that's not how we really use the word prompt & the word reminder already exists for this specific action so. Yeah.

Anyways to save you some googling heres what I think commonly is the different types of prompting:

- proximity control: getting close(r) to someone to remind them of the task they're supposed to be doing. Obviously only works if it's already established what they're supposed to be doing (& I'm assuming staying by their side so they keep doing it, in some cases)

- verbal: saying the step they're supposed to do out loud. So like, "grab the toothbrush" then "put on the toothpaste" etcetc (contrasted to a "reminder" style thatd simply be "brush your teeth" without the additional steps. Verbal prompting pretty much exclusively refers to the multi step system) - also sometimes used to get people to speak verbally / use specific words by prompting stuff like "say: [specific thing]"

- visual: a (series of) drawing / photo / text. Basically the same as verbal but not necessarily reliant on another person to be there (the whole time.

- gestural: pointing at things for the task / direction of the task. Probably also in more intense ways "miming" the task, such as acting like you're brushing your hair with an invisible hair brush so they copy the behavior. Closely related to the next

- model: actually doing the same task as them in front of them. In that case you'd use an actually hairbrush and brush your hair, making them follow along with their own.

- physical: this is where hand over hand comes in, but it's not the only way. Less invasive (?) options include moving the elbow / wrist / ... , as well as not doing the full movement this way & only "nudging" them for the start of the action, stuff like that.

These can also all be sort of mixed and matched. Someone might pair gestural with visual. Pointing at the different pictures of the steps of a task. Or physical with verbal. Etc. Whatever seems to work best.

Also not necessarily the point of this ask but I cant stop myself from including this bit: prompting isnt the only way people with autism are cared for. I mean, some things are really hard to prompt for especially (some) iADLs, like how do you prompt someone to control their finances?? You need to understand abstract concepts for that. You can prompt parts of it like "take out x amount of money" then "give it to the cashier", "how much did you spend on x this week" etc but in the end none of these prompts generate an understanding of the abstract concepts. so sometimes it doesnt make sense to use in the greater scheme of things of learning specific things. Or they just dont seem to help in the long term (I have complicated feelings on whether they should be stopped in that case, but like. It is a thing that happens). Or also, sometimes people would need physical prompting, but they react (really) badly to being touched like that, so the thing getting done for them instead of as a physical promt might be more helpful. since it often requires less touch. (For example someone brushing your teeth for you, them holding the toothbrush on their own, touches you a lot less, compared to someone holding your own hand down with theirs on the toothbrush, or holding onto your wrist.)