#this is a wholesome content only zone

[julietsf1]

Focus with Franco - Franco Colapinto x Reader

summary: Studying for exams is tough, but trying to focus while your yapper boyfriend, Franco, is around? Impossible. (2k words)

content: cute yapper franco, wholesome vibes only

AN: work starts again next week so I'm writing so much in advance rn!! I have this super cute halloween fic I can't wait to post ^_^

_____________________________________

I'm seated at my usual table in the cozy corner of my favorite café, surrounded by textbooks, notes, and a half-empty cup of coffee. It’s test week, and the weight of impending deadlines presses heavily on my shoulders. Normally, this is my sanctuary, a place where I can zone in and get things done, but today is different. Today, I have a very lively distraction sitting across from me—my boyfriend, Franco.

He insisted on joining me today, claiming he wanted to spend time with me, even if it meant sitting quietly while I studied. But quiet and Franco? Those two things don’t exactly go hand in hand. From the moment he sat down, his restless energy has been evident—he’s bouncing his leg under the table, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the surface, and stealing glances at the pastry display every chance he gets.

I hadn’t seen Franco in what felt like forever. Between my busy university schedule and his constant travels, the time we spent together had been scarce. I missed the ease of hanging out, the silly conversations, and his infectious laugh. So, when he suggested coming along to “keep me company” during my study session, I couldn’t really say no. I was excited to see him, even if I knew his presence would make focusing a challenge.

"Do you think I should get another cappuccino? Maybe a hot chocolate? Ooh, or one of those caramel lattes!" Franco muses out loud, glancing over at the counter. His eyes flicker to the pastries in the display case, and he grins mischievously. "Or maybe something sweet? You need brain fuel, right?"

"Franco, I’m trying to focus," I reply, smiling despite myself. He’s so effortlessly charming that even when he’s distracting me, I can’t be annoyed.

“I know, I know. You’re in full-on study mode,” he says, putting his hands up in mock surrender. "Silent as a shadow, I promise. Just here for moral support. Quiet, calm moral support. You wouldn’t even notice I’m here." He mimics zipping his lips and leans back, a mischievous glint still dancing in his green eyes.

“Right,” I say, fighting back a laugh. “Completely invisible.”

In truth, he’s anything but invisible. His presence is like a ray of sunshine on an otherwise cloudy day—warm, bright, and impossible to ignore. Even now, as I glance over my notes, I can hear him humming softly to himself, tapping his foot to some imaginary beat. His energy is contagious, but not exactly the kind that helps me get through chapters of academic content.

“You’re staring at your notes, but I don’t think you’re reading them,” he teases after a few minutes of quiet.

I let out a sigh, finally looking up from the page I’ve been pretending to focus on. “I’m trying. You’re just... a little distracting.”

His expression shifts to one of mock innocence. “Me? Distracting? You are offending me, cariño.”

I shake my head, amused by his puppy-like energy. Franco, with his boundless enthusiasm and natural charm, is impossible to resist. He’s always buzzing with ideas, questions, and random thoughts, much like a Labrador puppy who can’t sit still but is too cute to be annoyed at.

“I could help,” he continues, nodding at my books. “You explain it to me, and I’ll quiz you. I’m a great study partner, you know.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I chuckle. “I’m pretty sure you’d turn every question into something about racing or capybaras.”

Franco leans back and says with a playful sigh, “Ay, qué optimista eres,” (Oh, you’re so optimistic), giving me a grin that says he knows exactly how distracting he’s being.

I laugh, rolling my eyes at him, while he beams, leaning back in his chair, clearly proud of himself.

“Okay, maybe not racing. But capybaras? I could totally work with that. Did you know capybaras are basically the chillest animals ever?”

“See? Exactly my point,” I laugh. “I need to focus, Franco.”

He gives me a mock serious look, leaning forward again. “Okay, okay. I’ll be quiet. Silent. Like a... capybara.”

I try to hold back my smile, but it’s no use. He’s too endearing. As much as I need to study, it’s hard to be upset with Franco. He’s always so full of life, always so positive and uplifting. Being around him makes everything feel lighter, even during stressful times like test week.

After a few more failed attempts at reading the same paragraph, I finally sigh in defeat, setting my pen down. “Maybe I should’ve just stayed at the library…”

Franco’s face lights up, his grin spreading wide. “Nooo, come on! I’m helping, I promise! You need breaks, right? How about we take a little walk? Ice cream maybe? You’ll study better after some fresh air.”

“Franco…”

“Ice cream solves everything,” he says, not missing a beat. “You’ve been working hard! A quick break won’t hurt.”

I look at him, seeing that spark of excitement in his eyes. He’s like a puppy, always ready for fun, always eager to make me smile. And, as much as I want to get through my study session, part of me knows he’s right. A break might actually help.

“Fine,” I agree, starting to gather up my things. “But we’re getting back to work after, okay?”

“Of course,” he nods enthusiastically. “Ice cream first, study later.”

As soon as I stand, Franco’s on his feet, taking my bag from me before I even reach for it. “I’ve got it,” he says with a playful wink, throwing it over his shoulder like it’s no big deal. “This is what I’m here for—moral support and bag-carrying services.”

I roll my eyes, but a smile tugs at my lips as I follow him out of the café. The afternoon sun greets me as I step outside, its warmth a welcome contrast to the cool café air. Franco grabs my hand, swinging it lightly as we walk down the street toward the ice cream shop.

“So, what flavor are you getting?” he asks, already deep in thought about his own choice. “I’m thinking something with chocolate. Or maybe caramel? Or both! You can never go wrong with both.”

I chuckle at his enthusiasm. “You’ve thought about this a lot, haven’t you?”

“I mean, it’s ice cream. You can’t just make these decisions lightly,” he says, completely serious.

After we both get our ice creams—Franco, as predicted, goes for a mix of chocolate and caramel—we stroll toward the nearby park. The sound of children playing and dogs barking fills the air, and for a moment, the world feels simple and carefree.

Franco, of course, is still talking. He’s switched from ice cream to racing, then to a random story about a funny moment at a team meeting. His thoughts flow effortlessly from one topic to another, like a stream that never runs dry.

“Did you know,” he says between bites of his ice cream, “that capybaras are basically friends with everyone? They even let other animals hang out with them, like birds and monkeys. They’re so cool.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “Why are you so obsessed with capybaras today?”

He shrugs, a playful grin on his face. “They’re fascinating creatures. Plus, I feel like they’re the perfect animal to study when you’re stressed. All chill and unbothered by anything.”

“You’re ridiculous,” I say, nudging him gently with my elbow.

“But you love me,” he replies, his voice softening.

“I do,” I admit, leaning into him as we walk. “Even if you’re the biggest distraction ever.”

The two of us finish our ice creams as the sun begins to set, casting a warm glow over the park. Franco slips his arm around me, pulling me closer as we walk in comfortable silence for a while. Despite the fact that I didn’t get much studying done, I feel lighter, more relaxed. The stress of test week seems distant now, overshadowed by the simple joy of spending time with him.

“We’ll really hit the books tomorrow,” Franco says after a few moments, his voice quieter now. “I’ll help you, and we’ll crush it.”

I smile, knowing full well that tomorrow will likely involve just as many distractions. But with Franco, everything feels a little easier, a little more fun.

“Deal,” I say, squeezing his hand. “But I’ll need complete focus tomorrow, no distractions.”

Franco grins mischievously. “I can’t promise that, but I can promise ice cream breaks whenever you need them.” He winks, and with that, I know tomorrow will be just as productive—and just as perfect.

[ponett]

Whenever I complain about graphic or dark content in media I watch, I keep hearing people retort with this apparently very popular opinion that people who enjoy comfy, wholesome things are actually more likely to be raging assholes than people who love things like death metal and gore. As someone who seems to enjoy comfy, wholesome things yourself and likely met many others who enjoy similar such things, do you agree with this opinion? If so, why do you think this happens?

So I've been sitting on this ask for like a week, not knowing whether or not I wanted to touch it because it kind of feels like being handed a live grenade

For one, I don't like being pigeonholed as someone who just likes "comfy" or "wholesome" things. Yeah, I enjoy My Little Pony and Animal Crossing. I made a game with cute furry characters and lots of bright colors. I also enjoy things like Berserk and Chainsaw Man and Doom and violent crime dramas and punk rock with vulgar lyrics and porn. Variety is the spice of life

Anyway: I generally don't think it's a good idea to make sweeping statements about peoples' moral or intellectual character based on what genres of story they enjoy, regardless of what direction you're coming at it from. But this is a very leading question that kind of skirts around the root problems

There's frequent (perhaps a bit exaggerated) pushback these days against people who prefer their fiction to be a warm blanket, a form of escapism meant to distract you from the real world. In particular, the dreaded "person who only watches kids' cartoons" is a form of this that gets brought up a lot. I don't think the root problem here is what media people enjoy or don't personally enjoy - taste is subjective, and I don't think it's a moral obligation for everyone to have diverse tastes in TV shows - but I do think some folks should try to get out of their comfort zone a bit more. Sometimes stuff that seems like it won't be for you on a surface level will really end up speaking to you, but you won't know until you give it a shot. Trust me, I've been there many times

It becomes a problem when people demand that media ONLY cater to that "warm blanket" attitude. And I think that's part of the reason why that stereotype you mentioned about fans of ""wholesome""" media being assholes exists. People who view dark or violent content as an inherent flaw because it's not what they like. People who yell at creators when they make bad things happen in their stories, because how dare you do this to my comfort characters? People who say movies should never have sex scenes. People who want "problematic" moral complexity stripped out in favor of black and white moral instruction. People who seem to hate any sort of interpersonal conflict in fiction at all

These attitudes can be the result of many different cultural factors, factors that can't all be traced back to Tumblr or what shows you like, but sometimes it's definitely because of that lack of broader perspective on media. You can tell when someone's opinions on The Right And Wrong Ways To Write Fiction were shaped almost entirely by, like, Steven Universe discourse. (Yes, this is a jab at Lily Orchard.) And when these people are very loud about their opinions, well, it becomes a trend people notice

Like. I don't know you. You sent this anonymously. But when you say you "complain about graphic or dark content in media you watch"... that could mean a few wildly different things! Maybe you're just venting about something that unexpectedly triggered you, and that's totally fine. But the wording could also imply that, like, you take issue with these things being present at all, and that you expect a person who likes "death metal and gore" to be more of a "raging asshole" than someone who likes the "wholesome" things you like. So... well, maybe you're more dismissive or judgmental of things outside your comfort zone than you realize?

Unfortunately, in case it's not already obvious, on the internet this shit quickly becomes a proxy battle over dozens of intersecting cultural issues at once where everyone is kinda just talking past each other. So it gets messy

For example, I have no reason to believe that the people who run the "Wholesome Games" showcases have anything against games that are dark or violent or contain adult themes. (They've outright said they don't. Many times!) But when you see people going "why is Spiritfarer allowed in the showcase? That's a game about DEATH and that's NOT WHOLESOME, why would you make me think about death?" or "Ugh, why does Disco Elysium have to be about a cop? Why can't we apply these systems to a game about a young witch who's trying to find a lost cat in an idyllic village instead?" it... Well, it makes me sympathetic towards the indies who don't feel comfortable with the "Wholesome Games" label and consider it limiting. But it also doesn't make me think that devs catering to a demand for more chill, nonviolent video games are categorically facilitating fascist censorship from the Christian right

It's complicated! The written word is imprecise and the internet is a nightmare

I've kind of gone off on multiple tangents here. Basically: I do think that people can kinda turn fans of "comfy" media or "adults who only watch Bluey" into an overblown boogeyman these days. I think people online generally have a habit of swinging too hard in one direction or another in their stances on certain things, overcompensating based on what group of people online are currently annoying them the most and turning said group into like The Main Problem With Society Today. But I also think that boogeyman only exists because of very real examples of people demanding that everything cater to their narrow comfort zone. Go like what you like, but also, y'know. Don't be that person

[acepalindrome]

Hey friends, let’s make a list of queer media that doesn’t do harmful bullshit tropes! I’ll start:

- Yuri on Ice. It’s just pure wholesome fluff. There’s no homophobia, the main conflict is caused by gay people not knowing how to talk to each other and everything ends happily. The worst thing the happens to anyone is the main character’s dog dies off screen before the first episode. There’s some fatphobia in the first two episodes but that’s really the only issue I have with it.

- The Magnus Archives. For spooky season! Some queer folks die but it’s never in a ‘bury your gays’ kind of way. Lots of great queer characters, including an asexual main character which delights me immensely! Does NOT have a happy ending and has buckets of content warnings, but nothing related to homophobia or any kind of queerphobia. No horror related to sexual assault either. It’s oddly safe horror, despite all the shit that happens. It feels respectful to the audience.

- literally almost any D&D actual play. Critical Role? NADDPOD? The Adventure Zone? D20? Rusty Quill Gaming? All have tons of queer characters that are treated respectfully. One character in campaign 1 of Critical Role had a homophobic parent, but aside from that I can’t think of another example of homophobia being a feature in any of these stories. Some queer folks die, but it’s D&D, so they usually get better. Usually.

Feel free to add on!

[s1llysmut]

Hello>_< can i request Vaggie x fem sub reader nfsw alphabet

A/N: Of course!!! I kinda wrote her as a soft dom cause that’s how I see her. Sorry if that’s disappointing!

NSFW Alphabet for Vaggie

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

She gently cleans you up and gets you your favourite drink and snack. Then she put on your favourite show and cuddles with you.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Her favourite body part on herself is her hair. She just loves her hair it makes her feel confident. On you she loves your waist. She loves hugging you around your waist and holding your waist during sex.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

If you eat her out and she cums, shes going to be so attracted to you. She will be kissing you immediately after so she can taste herself mixed with you.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

It’s kind of wholesome but it makes her horny. If you wear her bows in your hair she wants to fuck you immediately

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

She’s not very experienced honestly. In heaven working as an exterminator she didn’t have much time for sexual activities. Good thing she’s a quick learner!

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

She loves scissoring. She loves making you both feel pleasure.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

She’s quite serious. She tries to focus so there’s not much goofiness on her end.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

She keeps it well trimmed. It’s white.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

She’s very romantic. She loves you and she’s not good with words so she tries to show it instead.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

She doesn’t masturbate often. Unless it’s to tease you and make you horny.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

She’s honestly pretty vanilla. I think she likes her hair being pulled while she’s eating you out.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

The bedroom. She hates the idea of being caught.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

If you touch her slowly and gently she’ll fold. It doesn’t matter what part of her body you touch.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

She would never hurt you. She’d feel way too guilty.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

She prefers eating you out. She loves it when you moan her name and wrap your thighs around her head.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

She’s slow and sensual. She’s hardly ever fast or rough.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

She really doesn’t like them. She sees sex as love making, and why would you rush love?

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Not really. She gets very nervous when she’s out of her comfort zone.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

She can only last 2 rounds. She gets tired okay?

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

She owns a vibrator that she uses on herself and you. She also owns a strap on that she uses just on you.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

She doesn’t like seeing you upset so she hardly ever teases you for long.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

She’s pretty loud but she tries to keep it down.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

She loves when you praise her. Tell her how good she’s making you feel.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

B cups. They’re tiny but cute.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Not very high. She doesn’t really think about sex unless you bring it up.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

She makes sure you’re perfectly comfortable and content before she even thinks about sleeping.

[hotpinkboots]

Hiiii So I'm super Excited that I found you're blog!!! Because I LOVE Bellatrix So much😍 I was hope maybe could you do a TeenFemReader × Aunt Bella One shot where Bella is just having a bad or a Nightmare or maybe on her Priod (Your choose) And R gose and Comforts her and thay just cuddled in bed and Bella is just all soft and Loving and maybe thay Watch Kitchen Nightmere or Hotel Hell (I feel like Bella would like that) or even Bluey! I just think there isn't enough Soft Bella × Reader Fics❤ Thank you so much! Also I hope this is Enough to go off of😅🤗

~~~~~

~Aunt!𝕭𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖝 𝕷𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖊 x Teen!Fem!Reader~

(Platonic fluff oneshot, comforting Bellatrix on her period)

AHH YES I AGREE WE NEED MORE SOFT BELLA 🥺🥺🥺

She's so excited for menopause here LMAO let's be honest we're all looking forward to that

Note(s): Bella's a bit OOC to make this more fluffy (she willingly indulges in muggle entertainment and reluctantly agrees to take ibuprofen), this is set in modern times (2024), I watch Hotel Hell, Hell's Kitchen, and Kitchen Nightmares every day and she would 100% love it but I thought Bluey would make it more wholesome

How long it took to write: 4 hrs

~~~~~

𝕭𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖝 would look absolutely furious if she weren't so exhausted. Everything in her body hurt, so much to where it would tire her just to pull one of her maddened expressions. So, she settled for only looking grumpy and uncomfortable. She had gone the entire time in Azkaban without any sort of pain relief for her periods; she'd feel weak if she suddenly decided to use any sort of of reliever for the cramps and back aches.

She played stubborn, lying in bed miserably, unable to decide if she wanted somebody to come along and pamper her, or if she wanted to be left alone. The decision was made for her when a voice called at her from the doorframe.

"Aunt Bella?" You asked hesitantly, eyeing how still she was. Bellatrix quickly looked over at you with a tired smile growing on her lips, and dark chocolate eyes that brightened upon your arrival.

"Hello! Hi, sweetie, come here!" She waved you into the room, sitting up as best she could by propping herself up with pillows for support. Bellatrix pat the bed, offering you to sit beside her. Usually, she would've hugged you, but this was unfortunately out of her physical comfort zone at the moment. She made up for the lack of hugs by nudging you closer to kiss your cheek a few times, each kiss marked with a "mwah!" for the sole purpose of your amusement.

You smiled widely, pulling away from the swarm of kisses with a delighted squeal, only to be pulled back for one more smooch. Bellatrix turned her head and tapped her own cheek with her nail. "Give Auntie a kiss," she teased. Bellatrix very much enjoyed playing the overbearing Aunt that smothered you with her affection. She was very proud to call you her niece. You leaned in and returned the kisses by pressing a few to her pale cheek, in return earning a sweet, "Thank you, lovey!" from the witch.

Bellatrix then attempted, yet again, to settle down comfortably- which, unsurprisingly, she could not. For any which way she sat, she could not find a position that her aching body was content with, and every position somehow seemed to be more uncomfortable than the last. You could only observe as your Aunt struggled, watching her eyebrows furrow and her mouth turn into a thin-lipped grimace.

"Do you need anything?" You asked in concern, to which Bellatrix waved dismissively and shook her head. "No, no, just lay here with me. I could use some company, I hate sitting still for this long-" She broke off when you reached over to the nightstand and picked up your purse. "What is that?" Bellatrix mumbled, eyebrows furrowed as you turned it on and unlocked the device. Her eyes widened when the screen lit up. She gasped. "Is that some sort of muggle technology? (Y/N)! Get rid of it this instant!"

Your eyes flicked to Bellatrix. If she were a cat, her fur would be bristling. She looked confused and upset, staring at your phone as though she was on the verge of breaking it in half. You chuckled under your breath and shook your head, swiping and clicking the Disney+ app. "Wait, wait, just watch!" You defended quickly. Bellatrix grumbled something incoherent, and it sounded resentful and annoyed. Still, she decided to humor you, as you were her niece, and if you wanted to show her something, she wanted to see it.

You scooted closer to your Aunt, while she gave a delighted hum in response and rested her cheek upon your shoulder. You held the phone up and clicked on an episode to watch. While it loaded, Bellatrix stared at it judgmentally. "Is something supposed to-" She began impatiently, though she was interrupted by the theme song, which caused her to flinch in surprise.

"Oh, no, it's for children!" Complained Bellatrix in dread. She wanted to fire questions at you to understand what she was witnessing, but she didn't want to tear down something you liked. So, the witch sat quietly and watched in confusion, even if she found the show to be annoying. A few minutes in, Bellatrix was watching more intently. She occasionally smiled at the antics and jokes in the show. Moments later, she gave a little gasp when Bingo trotted into the frame. Bellatrix pointed to her. "Oh, how adorable! I like that one. It reminds me of you!"

You laughed and asked why. Your Aunt glanced up at you sweetly. "I don't know! It's cute, and so are you." She lifted her hand to run the pad of her index finger down your nose bridge playfully, before turning her head to look at the screen again. You beamed happily at the gesture.

While her cramps and aches were still raging, this was a nice distraction. However, her breathing was still heavy and deep, and her hand still rested on her lower belly in an attempt to self-soothe the pain. Once again, you reached over to grab something off the nightstand. A bottle of ibuprofen, this time. "What are you doing now?" asked your fluffy-haired Aunt. "I don't remember having that."

"It's ibuprofen, it'll make the cramps go away," you reassured her, tilting the bottle and tapping the side of it until two tablets dropped into the palm of your hand. Yet again, Bellatrix decided to whine and refuse, accusing the pain reliever of being poisonous or something of the sort. You decided to prove her wrong by taking a dose for yourself, to rid the dull headache that had been bothering you since that morning. "No, no, what if- (Y/N)!" Bellatrix snapped, snatching the bottle away from you and scolding you. "You don't know what's in it, sweetheart, you can't just take something like that!"

"It's fine!" You stressed, encouraging her by holding her water glass and the two tablets of ibuprofen out to her. Bellatrix huffed. She glared at the medicine like she hated it. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" You coaxed it towards her again. She stared at the pills through narrowed eyes, hesitantly popping them in her mouth, and washing them down with water. "...If those do anything to me, I'll have your wand, girl." Of course, she didn't mean that, for she really didn't believe you'd give her anything that could hurt her, let alone take it yourself. So, she relaxed against the headboard and continued to watch Bluey with you, worry eating at the back of her mind over the fact she had just taken some muggle pill without doing any sort of research on it.

Eventually, after awhile of laying there and watching the show with you, she felt herself perk up, and was finally convinced that the ibuprofen hadn't done anything awful to her. She thanked you with more kisses. "I think whatever you gave me worked, I feel better. Thank you, sweetheart!"

You and Bellatrix continued to lay in bed together and watch Bluey. She would've told you to go get some sleep, but what was the harm in you staying up late for once? Narcissa would most certainly scold the two of you tomorrow, and Bellatrix was already thinking of an excuse to give her sister. Perhaps something to get on her nerves a bit, such as, "She simply adores me! It's not my fault that I'm such a great Aunt."

~~~~~

Request Guidelines!

~Love, PinkBoots

[inkyquince]

so it turns out that every thought i've ever had about gale is true, and i am always right <3

characters. gale (baldur's gate 3)

content warning. Nsfw. gale gets baby fever and makes it everyone's problem. gender neutral reader, but they have the means to get preggers, either through due to race shenanigans or through other means, ahem. mention of mpreg, horny gale, implied baby trapping later on featuring angst. (2.6k words)

BALDUR'S GATE 3 SPOILERS

so basically, we'll start with the wholesome side. after the entire fucking hell hole of a time with the city of baldur's gate going to hell, Gale insists on bringing you back to live with him in Waterdeep. You need to see the place he showed you with the Weave after all. And meet his mother. Very important.

Gale is already showing off a few grey strands, but it isn't until a few more join his hair does he get smacked with the most intense baby fever known to man. To be honest, he never really thought about it (a lie, he thought about it a few times, but more to that later) but this is the first time he struggles to get through the day without dedicating many of his intricate thoughts to, say, the nursery, if Tara would do well with an infant in the house, how you would look, stomach swollen and in his shirt to sleep. Things like that. Not to mention the highly enjoyable activities that would lead to the conception, and how vigorous you two would be in the undertaking.

To go on a lengthy tangent, but Gale undertaking extra research the moment baby fever hits him? Amazing.

(I am so sorry, but im gonna alter lore here, @undead-merman and I have talked extensively about different breeding techniques of DnD races, I'm SO sorry.)

But Gale cracking open a book on tieflings, and finding out that all Tiefling sexes are able to get pregnant, since the Devils pass this ability down. Taking a moment, mug of warm tea halfway through his lips when he reads over that the only thing required for the non-females of the Tiefling race is a well known ritual and hey presto, deviled babies on the way. Goes home, and just zones out, Tara on his knee as you accept that your love is probably in his little thinky mode and get him some dinner.

Or how, while Driders can't breed, Lolth-blessed Drows are highly fertile, especially since the Underdark is quite the dangerous place, and its it would not do well if you lost your only child to an exploding mushroom. Seladrine drow have repoerted lower fertilties, but a member of the Society of Brilliance has recently reported that a simple tincture would kick up their fertility back to the rates of their red eyes cousins. That, and they have eerily similiar breeding techniques to spiders. However, if you refrain from eating him after sex, it should be good.

Wood elves have larger broodes than High Elves, and more likely to get triplets and twins. High Elves, however, seem quite unaffected by pregnancy, and seem to breeze through it. Both have seasonal mating rituals though, with Wood Elves prefering to have their children in the summer and autumn and High Elves prefering the winter and spring.

Not to mention, if you yourself can't naturally carry children. Doesn't lessen the baby fever at all. In fact, he gets his little intense glints in his eyes and spends time pouring over books. Wizards have been going into stranger and stranger things over the centuries, so obviously there's some books about pregnancy and how to stimulate the conditions to carry a child. Hopefully Elminster doesn't catch him while he's off guard. Nothing would ease the fluster Gale would find himself in if he was asked what he was researching and instead of saying anything like, "The Crown of Karsus" or "The Book of Thay", he'd instinctively reply that he's looking to get his partner pregnant.

Elminster wouldn't blink though. Old ass.

Anyway, that's all to say, he'd love reading up on the different races breeding techniques. Then comes the euphoria of fatherhood, but before that?

Slowly bringing up the subject, laying out all the plans oh-so meticulously. Any rituals? Planned in advance. Preparations? Set out. Only can have children at a certain time of year? He's got the calender out and has marked the dates where it would be ideal to do nothing but stay inside and... Well, fuck. Gale's baby fever is so bad at this point too. Instinctively goes out to touch your stomach, or tell you a fun fact you might not even know about how your people breed. No, Gale, you won't bite his head off after sex, stop bringing it up.

He suspends all appointments, regular meetings, even his own research. Gale is always more of a relaxed lover, worshipful even, but now he firmly takes charge. Has scheduled food and drink breaks, but those usually tend to end quickly. How could he resist? Fuck, shortly before the first time you two fuck, he was entranced by the sweat roll down your skin as you fought. Yet he's supposed to be a gentleman now? With you naked, greedily drinking down your cup of water, cum slipping from between your thighs, sweat gleaming like magic against your very skin? Gods help him. He whispers soft words to you each time you tighten around his cock and cum too. How you're the only one for him, how he loves you, how he can't wait to see you carry his child, even how you're the reason he gets to live properly, not as a student of the weave, but as a man.

Then, it happens.

He's always delighted by his child, no matter what. They'll always be at least half human, but the traits they carry over from you? Adorable.

His child snoozing, with little tusks peeking out from their mouth? He worries about the blanket getting snagged in them. Little horns, just barely nubs? He runs a thumb over their soft texture, knowing that with time, they'll harden. Little pointy ears and eyes that are so big and soft? Gently tickles them and laughs softly as they kick. Oh so small, they barely fill his forearm? Mans too worried to ever put them down, wears a sling to always carry them around. Scales? Mans gets weirdly paranoid about scale rot that occurs in dragonborns and dragon blooded sorcerers, and stays up reading about it, but it all vanishes when his kid makes a soft chittering noise when he gently massages the ointment into their scales to prevent dryness.

Gale insisting on being the one to feed them in the night. Spends his mornings, no longer pouring over books, but sitting shirtless at the table, trying to convince your child to eat just a bit more. His home is no longer messy with papers strewn across every surface, but toys. There used to be silence inbetween each note of the piano, but now there's your laughter as he gets misty eyed each time your kid hiccups. Pretty sure that the only person he lets near his kid in their early years would be Wyll, Shadowheart, Jaheira or Halsin. Not that Karlach gets to visit a lot but she still has to wear heavy gloves before ever holding them. Astarion agrees with Gale and stands way back, wrinkling his nose. The nicest thing Lazael says is that Gale's spawn is less wrinkly than the last time she saw it... Also Halsin's baby rights nearly get taken away when he suggests going into bear form and letting them sit on his back. Minsc is accidentally the best, with Boo at his side to tell him to hold the baby correctly. Shadowheart is not the best with your kid, but she tries, even as you have to correct the way she holds them each time. Wyll is uncle of the year easily and you'd say Jaheira is the grandmother of the century... If you didn't think she'd tell you off for saying that. Gale feverently hopes The Emperor never comes to visit for the love of everything magical, but don't worry. He'd never. Scratch is the best guard dog, snoozing by your baby's crib every night. You cried when Gale told you that the owlbear cub was very much an adult now, and should go free. Then you laughed when you saw him standing in the garden, looking a bit lost after you tried to urge him to go back to the wilds. Doesn't mean Gale lets you take the baby near him.

Sidenote, Gale officially takes back anything snide he ever said to you about your magic if you were a sorcerer, since now he has to deal with your child practically coughing up magic at this rate. Oh, his hubris.

To get less wholesome, what if his baby fever hits when you two are travelling in the first place? Every day a fight against the Absolute, every night a blessing that everyone got through it without dying. He doesn't know what triggered it.

Maybe its seeing the Tiefling children band together. Maybe it was just seeing a family in passing, the mother round with child and the father with his hand at her back. Maybe it was the paralazyed dwarf who cried out for his children as he ran from Auntie Ethel's basement.

He's a man living on borrowed time. For once, it's not just the Orb endangering his life. Each day could be his last.

Gale always had a thought he might have children in his future. But his future is black, endless as the maw that swallows every essence of the weave he feeds it.

Most cruel of all, he's meet the person he'd have loved to settle down with. Introduce you to Tara, meet his Mother, Elminster, everyone important in his life, because he wanted you ingrained into each second of every day.

Life is cruel. Mystra is cruel. Something he'd never think before this adventure, but now he knows it. This was her final act of spite. Letting him find the one, only to put a time limit on it.

The thought starts with accepting that he'll die. You may insist that you'll find another way, but the notion as settled on his soul, heavy and foul like the vials of acid those goblins won't stop throwing at him. Then the whispers at the back of his mind start. Not influenced by the Dream Visitor, nor the Absolute. His own deep worries. You were... Well... You. He knew the others had intentions on you, at least at the time of the first major win for the group, the Tiefling party.

Astarion had purred to you, slyly coming closer and cocking his head to make sure you noticed his silver curls in the firelight. Shadowheart had poured you a cup of wine, her dark eyes drinking you in. Wyll had gifted you his winning smile, stepping closer. Karlach had been loud and open about how fucking you would be definitely on her to do list for that night if you wanted. Lazael was... Basically salivating. Hell, even Halsin's smile turned toothy and sharp as you spoke to him. Fuck, even some of the Tieflings might have tried to shoot their shot. Ikaron, Alfira, Rolan, Guex, Gods knows who else.

You were just... That wonderful. But that word weighted heavily on his tongue now. What happened... When he died? How long would you remember him? How long would you mourn him?

Expecting you to never take another lover was... Insanity, even to his bleeding heart. You have your entire long life ahead of you. He would be a brilliant, bright mark on your life, of love, of lust, of truely connecting with each other. But so brilliant that you never kissed another person?

Gale knew he should be taking the higher road. To bow his head and acquiesce that you would move on, but be happy in the fact that what you two had would be real, would be pure.

He managed a single night.

He just couldn't. Maybe it was his hubris, the one that tarnished his relationship with Mystra, now rearing its head when it came to you. How long would the others wait till seeking you out? To comfort, to hold you close? Before taking the plunge.

You would forget him. Even as you snoozed against him, he lay, idly rubbing his fingers along your knuckles. You'd forget him. He knew it. The group would remember his sacrifice and raise a glass, but he couldn't bear the thought that one of their lips would curve into a smile against the rim of their mug, knowing that in the end, they had gotten you?

In the coming days, it happened too quickly. His soft thoughts about having a family with you in another life, collided with his fear that he would never linger against in your mind after a period of time.

You could have his child.

A part of him would live on. A part you'd never hate. Him and you, into one perfect child, that yes, he may never get to see, but one he'd love so fiercly that they'd always know it. That magic would always be there, even when his physical body crumbled into nothing. The others could and maybe would become intimate with you. Become your new partner. But Gale's baby would always be there, a symbol ofyour shared love, and the fact that he was your first choice. Despite everything. He was the one you wanted first.

So he whispers to you that he doesn't have much time left. Kisses away any of your insistence that you won't let him die. Holds you close as he pushes your trousers down, lips against your neck. Doesn't lead you away from camp to make love privately. No, this is for him and for you. The others would have to deal with it.

With every action, it was like he was hoping to brand your memories with nothing but him.

Branding your future.

Astarion could hold you close, skim his teeth against your neck with a drawled double entendre, but you would spend at least half your day in the sun, for the sake of your child. Lazael would bite your lips with each kiss, cunning fingers skirting under your shirt, grazing the bruises she left along your hips, but you'd never join her in the Tears, not when your child would never be accepted among her people. Shadowheart could be the one you curled up with every night, fingers intertwined and sharing slow, soft kisses, but its his soft eyes your child would have, not her dark ones he once so brazenly complimented. It doesn't matter if Karlach would spend her time with her new tentacled friend, or journeyed with Wyll throug the hells. You would not bring your child to the Mindflayers, nor Avernus. She'd visit, she'd hold you and make love to you and get your child to giggle themselves stupid, but she wouldn't be able to be with you all the time. Same for Wyll. In Avernus, with Karlach by his side, his mismatched eyes won't melt your heart. You two would have to wait years to dance again. Even as the Duke, he could lead you by the end to a soft, slow song, humming as he pressed kisses to your fingers and neck, but Wyll was the best man he knew. Every time he saw his dead friend's child, he'd feel a twinge. Just enough to sour the time spent with your baby. Halsin could fuck you senseless and cradle you afterwards all he wanted to, he could soften your heart with his effortless smile and hold you close, but he'd have to live with the fact that he came second. That you and Gale would have something that went deeper than what the Druid could offer. And your child was the perfect representation of that.

There was no proection that night. No love making while surrounded by magic and the Weave. Just you and him, getting only a partial rest as he held you close and fucked you deep.

So, imagine his delight when he got to live.

[bigfan-fanfic]

Yellow Light, Blue Light (Male!Reader x Connor DBH)

so, there's barely any connor (dbh) content, so what abt an scenario where connor waits for his boyfriend to come for work and they both live with hank and sumo? i mean like since connor started to feel love he gets so excited when seeing his boyfriend coming back with new things to show him and the three of them + sumo eat dinner together like a family (it sounds so wholesome 😭💞)

Nobody would ever be able to make him admit it, but Hank would've been lonely without Connor around.

So at the terse point where Markus' revolution created a new way of life in Detroit and across the United States, Hank very casually offers that Connor stay with him.

Their relationship often fluctuates confusingly, as Hank sometimes does feel like he takes on a fatherly role to Connor, especially in dealing with emotions now that he's accepted that he's a living being

But then they become more mentor and protegee at times, and then there's the most often state where they're very close friends and the one of the only men robots people Hank currently feels okay with hugging.

Yeah, the bucket of bolts is a hugger and now that Hank can't pretend androids aren't alive anymore he doesn't have the heart to push Connor away when the man hugs him.

It's also a little confusing for Hank because Connor doesn't particularly mind whatever terminology he uses, while other androids with their new autonomy still argue about whether "man/woman" or "human beings" are desirable and acceptable terms or microaggression or outright hate speech in reference to them.

In any case, it comes as a surprise to Hank when things go back to his comfort zone and Connor asks him about very familiar emotions.

It's immediately clear to Hank that Connor is experiencing love for the first time, and when Connor asks if he might need repairs (despite several diagnostics coming up with no problem), Hank practically needs to go to the hospital for a collapsed lung from laughing so hard.

Hank doesn't quite understand what a human-android relationship would entail - he still hasn't had the courage to ask if Connor's like a Ken doll down there, and he doesn't know he really wants to know.

But Connor seems fulfilled, and happy. In his weird analytical Connor way. And it makes Hank happy, in his own grumpy way, that Connor keeps asking him for advice, for help.

Hank isn't really sure how it ended up that Connor's boyfriend started living with them, but honestly he doesn't really mind. It's... nice to have another human in the house, and to feel the house being alive.

And to have someone else to walk Sumo when he feels lazy.

It's also kind of adorable to see Connor on the back foot scrambling around to make food for when his boyfriend gets home from work on their anniversary of moving in together.

"Connor. Con- Con! You don't need to measure the salt out to a grain. Jesus, Connor, don't give me the puppy eyes - I'll back off. Just... calm down a little."

He's a little surprised when he opens the door (Connor's dealing with the food) and you hug him. He's even more surprised that he doesn't mind.

Hank always gets a kick out of seeing just how much Sumo gets excited when Connor's boyfriend gets home - almost as excited as Connor does.

Connor acts all casual about making dinner, letting you unwind and relax and pretending like he wasn't just measuring every ingredient out to the gram.

Hank good-naturedly ribs you both about being so affectionate, playfully accusing you two of practically sitting in each other's laps at the dinner table.

Connor smirks - full on smirks and just says "Well, Hank, since I don't need to eat, shouldn't I have something to do with my hands?" and Hank chokes on his food and laughs and bares his teeth in a grin as he calls Connor a sick little bastard and it's mean words but the intent is fun and you all laugh together.

It's interesting - Hank notices how Connor sometimes acts more 'human', and sometimes doesn't do those mannerisms programmed into him by Cyberlife, like imitating breathing or blinking. It makes Hank a little proud, even more than the uneasiness. It doesn't make him less of a person, just... different.

And seeing you love him anyway. Hell, seeing Connor love you back, clearly and obviously - Hank can't help but smile and needs to listen to some metal in order to get his head back on track.

Besides, Connor's boyfriend is a pretty cool guy - he's helpful even if Connor generally insists on doing the chores because he doesn't need to sleep, and he even likes to introduce things to Hank as well as Connor.

They feel like a family. A weird, silly, neurotic family, but family all the same.

[deathbxnny]

I just have this carnal craving for HoHE!Elysia!Reader content for some reason (I still miss my best girl so much even though I have her and her full kit asdfghjkl), but anyways, this whole idea in my brain just stems from her final fight with Mei during chapter 31, where the fight is really just more of a dance (I'm a sucker for these skjskjskjs).

May I humbly request Jing Yuan n Blade just having a spar with their s/o like that, and maybe it ends with just them just slow dancing (or holding each other and gently swaying together) in their s/o's little starry world/domain (I don't remember what it's called forgib moi)? (I just love HoHE!Elysia ult sm asdfghjkl I also love your works very much btw, you are doing fabulous, friendo)

-----♡

A/N: Hello there Anon! So, I never got to this part of the story, because I couldn't get through that damned fight against Kalpas (I hate him) and decided to just quit the game there, before I experienced more heartbreak lmao- But either way, I absolutely love this idea and hope I can do it justice!<33

Content: Established relationship, mentions of reader and characters sparring, fluff, Elysia-like Reader, sfw

Reader has no set pronouns!

((Not fully proofread))

-----♡

》Jing Yuan

Jing Yuan was always very fascinated with your abilities. He could watch you use them all day, for hours on end, even if he has mountains of paperwork to complete. Your starry domain was his favourite part of your abilities. He was amazed by it, often finding himself zoning out whenever you fought enemies and forgetting what he was even there for.

So, on the rare days he wasn't working, you offered to spar with him. And who was he to ever deny you anything? He didn't have to go easy on you, even if he still did, as you were quite strong yourself and could easily defeat him if you tried. But you two didn't take it seriously and were playful instead.

Eventually, his strong hands caught your hips, pressing you close as he let out an airy, out of breath laugh. He gently swayed with you to a tune only you two could hear. Or was it the sound of your beating hearts? It didn't matter to him, as he pressed his head against yours and ended the sparring session with a dance under the stars.

-----♡

》Blade

Blade was too prideful to ever admit how unbelievably fascinated he was by you and your abilities. They were unique, otherworldly, divine even. Only you could be worthy of such strength and only he could ever be allowed to have you as a lover. It just made sense to him.

However, he was hesitant to spar you at first. It's not that he thought that you were weak or anything, but he was secretly afraid to hurt you. That you'd leave him, if he did. And you knew of his fear, which is why after some reassurance and gentle affection, he finally agreed to it. The sparring session was light and a little serious due to Blade's nature. But the way you moved with eachother was akin to a dance, one only you two could replicate.

Eventually, the sparring session came to a stop, his hand grabbing onto your waist, as the other grabbed onto your hand. He gave your wrist a kiss, his eyes gleaming under the starry skies of your domain, before you slowly swayed with him to a hum from your lips. It was a rare moment of softness from him, one only you would ever witness. And that's how it always will be.

-----♡

A/N: I hope this was alright! Thank you again for the wholesome request!<33

[heckinconfusedparade]

(Just a heads up, I don’t take requests through dms, or do requests that include movies. This is my one time exception. Ask box is closed for a reason, fellas!)

It started as Sonic’s idea, funnily enough.

Tom and Maddie aren’t home, and it’s dark and raining outside, which according to Sonic, is peak horror movie hours.

While scrolling through Netflix, Tails mentions that he heard IT was a good one. When asked who told him that, he said the big kids at his school were talking about it. He doesn’t like horror movies, but he likes fitting in and having something new to talk to people about, and making friends.

Knuckles is unsure. Not scared… just concerned about the content they’re about to consume.

Sonic heard “IT” and his heart sank to his toes. He knows that movie has a fucking clown in it, and he DOES NOT LIKE CLOWNS! He tries to get Tails and Knuckles to accept another option, but no. This is his fate now.

Knuckles isn’t frightened. He’s confused. Why is this clown hunting down the kids? Why is this one kids mom giving her kid “gazebos”? What is this “DiRtY lItTlE sEcReT”?? He enjoys the wholesome moments between the kids, and while he finds the gore unrealistic, he understands that it’s only a movie, and it won’t be realistic because like.. look at it. Overall, he enjoyed it!

Tails was a little spooked, but that’s because he doesn’t like body horror type things. The bullying scene hit a little close to home and made him sad (he was never attacked with a blade, thankfully) but seeing the boy make new friends made him happy again! He found the placebos thing interesting. Some things had him a little more shaken, and he won’t be going near any gutters anytime soon, but he thought this was a solid horror movie…. It’s the only horror movie he’s seen, actually.

Sonic had a terrible time. Every second Pennywise is on screen is a second he’d rather not be here for. He left many times to “get snacks” or “get water” but his bros knew something about this film set him off. While he’s actually sitting in front of the screen, he’s got his little brother curled against him to “protect him” but honestly, he was only comforting himself with a fluffy and adorable distraction. He’s sweating. He didn’t jump, he swears on his racecar bed. How dare you say he did? He didn’t pay attention well enough to enjoy anything. He zoned out to escape the discomfort.

Enjoyable movie. A good one. We don’t talk about the book.

Thank you @typicalrevolution for the prompt!

[goaliekisses]

we had a breakdown over some Unwholesome slutty sid content yesterday so here’s some wholesome content from the athletic on sid

It was 2016 in Minnesota and an aggravated coach Mike Sullivan was searching for the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins following a loss to the Wild. Sullivan needed to speak with Sidney Crosby and was walking briskly on the event level of Xcel Energy Center.

Then, he stopped in his tracks.

Around the corner outside of the Penguins’ locker room, Crosby, minus his jersey but otherwise still wearing his equipment, was sitting on the floor. Speaking with a child in a wheelchair, Crosby sat so that he could better make eye contact. He often does this. Sullivan executed a U-turn while his captain sat with the child for 20 minutes, a scene that unfolds countless times across North America every season.

Thousands upon thousands of people have flocked to arenas for decades to watch Crosby play hockey since was a boy. Crosby’s greater mission, though, has always been to comfort the sick and unlucky among us with an uncommon grace and thoughtfulness that is uniquely his own.

“There’s never been anyone like him before,” former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said. “And there will never be anyone like him after.”

The widely held belief that the world of professional sports doesn’t showcase any authentic role models is inaccurate so long as Sidney Patrick Crosby walks among us.

“You always hear that saying,” Bobby Orr said. “You know, that so and so is a better person than he is a player. Well, the great thing about Sid is, he’s one of the five greatest players in history. There’s no question about that. But he actually is a better person than he is a player. Now, think about that. I love him.”

On the ice, he is a living legend. The massive legs, the impenetrable ability to protect the puck, the greatest backhand ever, the cannon-like burst of speed through the neutral zone, the rare playmaking ability, the tenacity, the intelligence, the determination, the precociousness as a teenager, the longevity as a thirty-something and the ability to score goals on hockey’s biggest stage are all indelible trademarks of his greatness.

The mythology of Crosby off the ice, however, may be even more worthy of inclusion in the history books and it is very much rooted in reality. He’s not just an ambassador for hockey, but an ambassador of kindness.

“He was like that even as a little boy,” said Troy Crosby, his father. “He was getting so much attention when he was little, and then as he became a teenager. It could have gone to his head. He could have gotten a big ego. All Sidney ever cared about was taking care of other people.”

Crosby made his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2005, in New Jersey. It was a zoo after the morning skate. Hockey was back after a year-long lockout, Crosby’s debut was being made in the New York area against Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur and it was Mario Lemieux’s 40th birthday. While he was the center of attention, Crosby, who had turned 18 two months earlier, wasn’t concerned about himself.

“He was giving these interviews and there were people everywhere” said Tom McMillan, the former Penguins’ vice president of communications. “But he noticed, in the hallway outside of the locker room, that his mom was being surrounded by reporters. He was worried about her. She was fine, but he was worried about her. So he comes up to me and says, ‘Hey, can you make sure my mom is OK?’ From the very beginning, he was worried about everyone but himself. He never changed.”

Including his salary and endorsements, Crosby has earned in the neighborhood of $200 million in his career. His father isn’t the only one who says Crosby hasn’t changed. His teammates agree. Team employees agree. Even living legends like Orr agree.

There is a simple explanation for this, Crosby insists.

“I don’t think money ever gives you the vehicle to treat anyone differently or to be disrespectful,” he said. “I get to do what I love to do and I’m very appreciative of that. I don’t take that for granted one bit, regardless of what my pay is. I get to do what I love. The least I can do is treat people well along the way.”

Crosby’s legend in the Penguins organization is such that his contributions to society draw biblical comparisons.

Literally.

“I always say that he’s like a child of God,” former Penguins broadcaster Paul Steigerwald said. “That’s how I’ve always seen him. He has a certain light in his eyes that I always notice. He’s a genuinely good soul. People often give credit to a person’s parents for raising a great kid. I totally get that and they did a great job. But I also see a natural soulfulness to Sid that is innate and not necessarily learned.”

Crosby is a role model, and he knows it. He embraces it.

“I’ve been around a while and I’ve met a lot of people,” Rutherford said. “I’ve never met anyone like him. He only does things for the right reasons. And he cares about people so very much. Other players of his stature don’t always act like this. But he’s different. And you see it most when it comes to the way he treats children.”

The Penguins are the NHL’s oldest team, thus, many players have children. During the Stanley Cup years in 2016 and 2017, it was commonplace for Matt Cullen’s children to be hanging on Crosby after playoff wins, as they would naturally gravitate to the best player in the world who just happened to be the nicest guy in the room.

Crosby, in fact, has been known to have spirited mini-sticks games with Nikita Malkin. And yet, his treatment of children isn’t confined to the children of his teammates.

One story lives in Crosby lore.

It was Jan. 11, 2014. The Penguins had just won in Calgary, 2-1, in the weeks leading up to the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. After the game, the Penguins departed to their bus on a frigid Alberta evening.

While sitting on the bus, Crosby noticed a handful of teenagers standing behind a fence, which was located on a steep hill beside the Saddledome. They were chanting Crosby’s name and had signs wishing him well in the Olympics.

Upon seeing this, Crosby, dress shoes and all, sprinted up the steep, icy hill. He not only signed all of their jerseys but talked hockey with them for a few minutes before slowly coasting back down the hill.

“I’ll never forget seeing that,” Steigerwald said. “Who else does that?”

Not many people would do such a thing, it can be presumed. But Rutherford saw it every day while he was the general manager of the Penguins.

“The way he treats children is the single most impressive thing I’ve ever seen in my career,” Rutherford said. “When you see those groups of people who want autographs, you have to be careful. A lot of those groups have people that are there every day and looking to sell autographs. But I’ll tell you this about Sid: Never, not one time, has he ever passed by a child who wanted an autograph. No child is ever left behind. I’ve seen him sign autographs and then get on the team bus. Then, he sees a kid pop up who didn’t get his autograph signed. So, he always gets off the bus and makes sure the kid has an autograph and a picture with him. He understands the effect he has on people, but he’s the farthest thing from arrogant you could possibly imagine.”

Crosby is a regular at the UMPC Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital. While the Penguins do occasionally orchestrate team visits that Crosby naturally takes part in, he’s a regular at the hospital. He does so on his own time.

No cameras. No reporters. No attention.

“I’ll be honest with you,” Troy Crosby said. “That’s the way he wants it. It means a lot to him to spend time with kids, just him and the kids. He doesn’t want people knowing about it and he goes to lengths to keep it that way.”

Crosby seems miffed when others are blown away by his character. To him, to be polite, generous and thoughtful is simply natural.

“Treating people the right way has always been important to me,” Crosby said. “Whether it’s your teammates, people you see at the rink, fans, kids, whatever. You’re supposed to be good to people in life. You’re supposed to be respectful. So, that’s what I try to do every day. It’s always been a very important thing to me.”

[jadeazora]

Here we go, another message from the Masters Team!

Starting June 28, 2024, a new battle feature called the Damage Challenge will be introduced, the goal being to inflict as much damage to the opponent as possible within the allotted time to get score rewards based on the amount of damage you dealt. This is a permanent feature that can be played at any time, but will be updated periodically, and the opponent's weakness type will change. Only supereffective attacks will deal damage in this feature. The difficulty of these battles is balanced to allow you to fight with little concern for your opponent's attacks. You'll want to focus solely on building a team that can inflict damage and choosing your actions in battle wisely to get a high score. However, since the number of opponents varies each battle, your effective strategy will also differ depending on whether you use moves that attack a single opponent or all opponents.

You can get Training Tickets as rewards for this challenge, which can be exchanged for special Sync Pairs!

Furthermore, the limited-time Ranked Damage Event will begin in late July. The basic rules of this event are the same as the Damage Challenge, but you'll earn a score across the event's three battles. It will include battles with special rules, ex. "Reduces the damage allies deal with Sync Moves and Max Moves".

Story Event Exciting Treasure Hunt starts on June 28, here's the Sync Pair overview!

Gardenia and Dhelmise: A Ghost-type Field Sync Pair, with the EX Support Role. One of their Passive Skills can lower all opponents' Sp. Def by two stat ranks when they use their Metal Sound Move, and another Passive Skill of theirs can create a Steel Zone the first time they use that move each battle. They can also create a Ghost Zone with their Trainer move and Buddy Move. And each time they create a zone, another Passive Skill of theirs increases the Special Moves Next effect of all allies by one rank and raises a random stat of all allies by two stat ranks. Their Summer Hues Shadow Ball Buddy Move hits all opponents, lowers their Attack and Sp. Atk by one stat rank, and has a 20% chance of lowering their Sp. Def by one stat rank.

Acerola and Jellicent: A Ghost-type Support Sync Pair, with a EX Tech Role. Their Shoreline Ominous Wind Buddy Move can be used twice, and raises all allies' main stats by two ranks! Also, when they get hit by an attack move, their Touch at Your Own Peril Passive Skill can lower the Attack and Sp. Atk of the opponent that attacked them by two stat ranks. Their Recover Move restores their HP by approximately 50% of their maximum HP, and when they use that move, one of their Passive Skills will apply the Gradual Healing effect to all allies. Another Passive Skill of theirs restores all allies' HP when Jellicent's attack move is successful, and their Trainer move can raise their own Water Type Rebuff and Ghost Type Rebuff by up to two ranks, making them quite durable.

Starting Jul1, you'll be able to invite Kabu as a Guest to the Trainer Lodge! Also on that day, new story content titled Adventures to Unknown Worlds will be added to the Mysterious Stones Chapter! (You'll need to have collected a total of 800 stones overall to unlock this story's area.)

The Mysterious Stones Chapter, is mentioned reaching its climax. (It'll probably end in Sept, since we're all expecting a Sinnoh/Hisuian Anniversary this year.)

The previous Summer Story Event feat. Tate and Liza will return on Jul3! (This one was so wholesome with Archie helping Tate out 🥺)

In terms of smaller events, there will be Missions for a new Photo Frame and Background for a limited time starting Jun28.

Also scheduled are a High Score Event where the recommended types are Ghost and Dark, the return of Solo Event With Beauty and Grace, and the addition of Ultimate Battle Noland's Plucky Punches.

In addition, they're planning a new event where you can earn rewards based on how many event-exclusive items you've obtained, and are also making more usability updates, including adding a tab that lets you easily tell if an event is a returning or a new one, and adjustments to the Main Story's PML Arc.

The next Message comes towards the end of July!

Edit, events schedule:

[onbearfeet]

As requested, here are a few Monster Mash asks based on the "oc asks: not-so-nice edition" list. You decide which characters they're for.

What is a surprising thing your character hides?

What does your character do when they should be sleeping but can't?

What's the worst wound your character has experienced? It can be physical or emotional.

Mwahahahahahaaaaaaa. I think I'll do multiple characters. WARNING: There's mature content in this one, and it's not just canon-typical violence. See the tags if you're worried.

What is a surprising thing your character hides?

Ted has a really beautiful singing voice, even in Man-Thing form. He no longer has the physical equipment to form words in any human language, though, so he's sensitive about it and doesn't let on that he still enjoys singing. But he's sung more than a few lullabies to Jack when he's been asleep or in a coma or whatever. And Alpine gets funny little children's melodies or goofy love songs when it's just the two of them. She accepts this as no less than the worship she deserves, of course.

Elsa is shockingly generous and tells no one but her accountant about it. She inherited an absolutely stupid amount of money from her father's estate, and she IMMEDIATELY stopped using his fortune to fund his "crusade", so she's essentially sitting on a dragon's hoard. She took almost nothing with her when she ran away, so she's lived poor for most of her adult life and is deeply sympathetic to other people in that situation, not that she'll admit it. She had her finance pro shut down the murder-cult fund and set up a clean new fund to support whatever charity she damn well pleases. She's still trying to think of ideas and will probably ask the boys eventually, but just for a start, every public library in the state got a healthy donation, and every shelter she stayed in that treated its inhabitants halfway decently got a bigger one. She's also looking into funding--founding, if she has to--an organization defending the rights and interests of homeschooled children, especially those in high-control environments. Elsa was homeschooled for much of her education according to Ulysses' rather eccentric tastes, and she had to teach herself an awful lot of actual education out of the library. And that's before all the trouble she had as a non-emancipated minor who didn't have her own copies of her identity documents.

God, what DOESN'T Jack hide? He's been alive long enough that there's a huge gray zone of stuff he might have failed to mention because he doesn't want people to know OR because it just never came up. He obviously hasn't discussed his family of origin in detail, at least not with Elsa or Bucky, but I don't consider that surprising. I'm tempted to say his hidden side is something sweet and wholesome, but that's not surprising either. If I said he was hiding something terrible he or the wolf had done, that probably wouldn't surprise most people at all. If I had to guess ... the only SURPRISING thing I can think of is his spirituality, which is complex and deeply personal to him. His family might have been Orthodox, but he's got a lot of Catholic guilt written all over him, and the curse only complicates that more. I don't think he's talked to anyone about what he does or doesn't believe in a hundred years or more. He certainly hasn't talked to me.

Bucky was a sex worker in a time-displaced brothel. Okay, that's both a joke AND an oversimplification, but the first thing I thought of when I saw this question was that Bucky had the same problem as Jack: old, complicated, obviously full of both good traits and horrible trauma so nothing is SURPRISING. Then I remembered that around 2016, I handwrote a story establishing that Bucky had worked for a while as an artist at Lady Sally's. If you've never read Spider Robinson's Callahan books, they're a series of short SF stories and novels centered on a bar run by (spoiler alert) a time traveler who's trying to save the world retroactively by preventing the Cold War from going hot. They are brilliant and hilarious and they formed me as a person. There is also a spin-off series focusing on Callahan's wife, Lady Sally McGee, who does the same thing but with a brothel. The reasoning is complex, but the stories are delightful and some of the first positive, sympathetic, relatively clear-eyed depictions of sex workers (or artists, as they're called here and who am I to disagree?) I ever encountered. So it is my headcanon that young Bucky Barnes started washing dishes at Lady Sally's as a teenager, and she kept an eye on the kid because he had a lot of history ahead of him. He worked as an artist for at least a year before the war, not least because it was the only job in the late 30s that paid well enough to let him afford Steve's medicines. (Sally was keeping an eye on Buck's "roommate", too.) Bucky never told Steve, but he was actually quite a talented and popular artist, and he liked working there. He gave notice when he and Steve finally admitted their feelings for each other, wanting to be monogamous with the man he loved, but Sally insisted he come to her if he or Steve ever needed anything in the future, and she slipped him money from time to time via his former coworkers--who, as far as Steve knew, were just girls Bucky dated to keep up appearances. The connection came in handy, too, when the Winter Soldier was sent to kill a man at Lady Sally's and the staff were able to send him away again thanks to his half-remembered connection to the place. Lady Sally's is closed in our time, but you never know when Bucky might get a phone call from the Lady.

What does your character do when they should be sleeping but can't? I'll leave Ted out of this one on the grounds that his biology is different enough that "should be sleeping" may not apply.

So, on a sleepless night at Bloodstone Manor? Jack bakes. He's got access to a well-stocked kitchen now, anything he makes WILL get eaten, and baking is less likely to wake anyone else than playing his guitar or running endless zoomie laps. He also feels a little better when he can do something kind (and profoundly human) out of his emotional turmoil. Helping people helps Jack, and if there are no monsters to rescue or curses to break, he can at least make sure his people have something delicious for breakfast. (Or a midnight snack. Let's face it, somebody else will wake up from a nightmare in an hour.)

Elsa is currently the queen of maladaptive coping mechanisms. She's cut down on drinking since the boys moved in, much to everyone's relief, but she's still in rough shape emotionally. Although she sleeps better than the others thanks to her sleep-anywhere hunter training, she does occasionally have nights when her brain won't shut up, and her solution to that is to run herself into the ground. She'll hit the dojo for as many hours as it takes, usually. Bucky is trying to coax her into something less destructive in his unique sergeant-y way. The sentence "Your magic rock is not an excuse to bust your knuckles again, so wear some damn gloves!" has been uttered.

Bucky is actually the best adjusted on this front, mostly because his sleep disturbances are the worst. (Jack has more traumatic memories overall. Bucky’s are more concentrated, and he's had to heal brain damage on top of it.) Thanks to his time in Wakanda, he's learned some basic meditation techniques and some therapy exercises to help himself calm down a little. Alpine has some kind of extra sense for when Bucky is in distress, so on the rare occasion she's not already in bed with him when he wakes up screaming, she'll come running in immediately. He usually ends up either curled around her, doing breathing exercises, or settling down in bed with a book while she purrs on his chest until the tension finally melts out of him. Bucky isn't healed by any stretch of the imagination, but by God he's trying.

What's the worst wound your character has experienced? It can be physical or emotional.

Ted Sallis died of his injuries from a horrific accident, drowning in a swamp while his super-soldier serum burned him from the inside out after the so-called love of his life betrayed him. That's the worst for him. Only Jack knows about it, and even he doesn't know it all. Nothing else comes close.

Jack is pretty good at toughing out physical pain by now, so his worst wounds are definitely emotional. I think the worst one was finding out that his sister, Lissa, had died. It was a natural death, but he didn't find out until years later, and she was his last connection to who he was before the wolf. The wound has never fully healed.

Elsa's worst wound is what she told Bucky about in "Bucky Meets the Legion of Monsters": realizing that the monsters she'd been hunting, even without her father's input, had mostly been people. That's an identity-shattering experience that has fundamentally changed her.

Bucky’s worst physical wound was losing his arm. His worst emotional wound was either when he realized Steve wasn't coming to save him from Hydra a second time or when he realized Steve wasn't coming back from his time jaunt. Bucky is profoundly loyal and loving, and he is constantly disappointed by other people's failure to meet him where he is. Thus, he doesn't trust easily, but Steve has always had Bucky’s entire heart, and Steve's broken it twice now. It wasn't intentional the first time and we don't yet know what happened the second, but like Jack, Bucky is walking around with an unhealed wound in his soul. If Steve ever reappears in Bucky’s life, there will be Consequences. Even if Bucky will always forgive Steve and would take him back without hesitation, the rest of the squad will have serious concerns about a fella who'd abandon Bucky Barnes two whole times.

[number-one-shadisper-shipper]

Happy Wholesome Sonic and Tails Wednesday!

I wanted to share a cute little oneshot I wrote about Sonic and Tails not long after they first started wandering around together. This story is based on/inspired by @skimmingmilk's wonderful origin story "Chart a Course to Second Chances" from their Sometimes the Picket Fence Isn't Perfect series. I loved the portrayal of Classic Sonic's mutism and Tails's backstory and trauma. This oneshot is mostly just fluff, though. Enjoy!

A Little Fox with Messy Fur

(Sonic is 11 and Tails is around 3 or 4)

It had been a busy day. Sonic and Tails had destroyed a whole batch of Eggman robots and chased him out of a nearby town. Now they were making their way back to their latest campsite in the woods.

Tails gestured to a small creek they were walking past and made splashy motions and sounds. He liked to swim around to relax sometimes. Sonic's chest tightened slightly at the thought of water, but he nodded and they walked over. Anything for his buddy. It wasn't deeper than wading height, even for little Tails, but Sonic still opted to stay on the bank while he jumped in and splashed around.

Sonic kept a sharp eye on him to make sure he didn't end up in any trouble. Honestly, Tails was probably a better swimmer than him. Mostly since he couldn't swim at all. But something could still happen.

Tails soon grew tired of splashing and finished by rubbing out his fur a bit in the water, something akin to a bath without soap. He crawled out of the creek and shook vigorously. Sonic jumped out of the splash zone, wrinkling his nose. Water. Bleah.

Tails wrung himself out. Once he was sure there was no more threat of getting wet, Sonic reached into his backpack and pulled out their shared towel. Tails was content to let Sonic rub him dry.

As he dried his little buddy, Sonic noticed how tangled up his fur was getting. A few tufts came off in the towel, which was... probably normal? It was shedding season. At least, he thought so. That really only applied to animals with fur, so he wasn't sure. He occasionally lost and grew back quills, but he didn't really shed.

Sonic frowned as he finished drying him. The "bath" really hadn't done much good. Tails's fur was too matted to really clean it well. Even when Sonic had first met the little guy, his fur had been dirty and matted.

How long had he been on his own before Sonic came along?

Sonic paused. He'd never thought about how hard fox fur must be to take care of. His own quills were quick to bounce back into place with a shake or two. Sometimes things got stuck in them, little twigs or leaves or debris, and then he'd have to sit and pick them out, but besides that his pelt was pretty low-maintenance.

Tails, on the other hand... he looked a little scruffy. Part of that was that his fur was now sticking out in all sorts of directions from Sonic's rubdown. But even in general, all the robot battling and sleeping in the woods was taking its toll.

Well, if his little friend needed more care, he'd just have to help him out. No one else was looking after him, so he'd made that his job until he could find someone else. Someone who'd be able to care for him right.

Truth be told, he didn't really want to think that far ahead. He would miss the little whir flying along behind him.

He shook his head. This wasn't the time to worry about that. Right now he needed to get this taken care of. He motioned Tails to follow him towards a village he'd spotted on his last scouting run. Surely they could buy a fur brush there.

Tails trotted happily along beside him, making little noises to himself. Some of them sounded almost like words. Sonic felt a small pang as he realized that surely the toddler should be talking by now. Maybe if he had a real family, someone who talked to him, he'd have picked it up already.

Sonic hadn't talked in a while. He didn't really feel like it, although he kept up such a loud monologue in his head it felt like spilling over a lot. But even when he tried, he found his voice just wouldn't come. Part of it was that people overwhelmed him a little. They asked too many questions and never seemed to like his answers for some reason. Part of it was everything he'd been through with Eggman. He hated to admit it, but yeah, having to deal with all the horrid stuff Eggman put him through was a lot for an eleven-year-old.

But Tails should have a chance to talk. Maybe Sonic'd try a little harder to get the words to come out. Sometimes he almost felt like he could speak around him. It was the first time he'd felt truly comfortable with someone.

They reached the village. As they got closer, Tails slowed and cowered behind him. Sonic understood. He wasn't super keen to be around a lot of people either. Plus, he knew Tails hadn't really had great experiences with others. When he'd met him, some older kids were bullying him, and he'd had to step in to stop it. Even after the kit started following him around, it took a while to get him to actually come close, or to let him touch him at all. Now Sonic could give him gentle shoulder pats or fur ruffles or even carry him sometimes, but they were still working on it.

Speaking of... Sonic paused to look at Tails, still hiding behind him. He wouldn't make him go into the village if he was scared, but he also knew he didn't like being out of his sight for long. Maybe... He held out his paw and grinned. Tails smiled a bit and put his own tiny paw in his, a little reassurance that Sonic'd be looking after him. They walked into the village together, making their way to the square.

Once they'd walked around a bit, Tails felt safe enough to let go of his hand and wander around a tiny bit. He got distracted by some sort of organizing machine nearby. Sonic chuckled internally. By the time he'd finished shopping, Tails would probably have the whole machine figured out and could build his own. He was such a smart little dude.

Sonic made sure to keep an eye on him as he wandered through the market stands. He still had to make sure no one would mess with his friend. If they did, well... there would be trouble.

He finally spotted a brush at one of the stands. He waved to get the attention of the person who ran it and motioned to the brush. He also decided to grab a comb, just in case. Maybe it'd help him with his quills too.

He gave the guy a handful of rings and glanced back at Tails, who was still watching the machine in awe. Sonic started to walk over to him, but paused. He still had some rings... and he'd walked by a stand selling candy a few minutes ago. He grinned. While Tails was still distracted, he bought a small bag of mints. They were the kit's favorite treat. He tucked them away before Tails could see. It'd make a nice surprise later.

He waved to Tails and motioned him to follow. They left the village. Tails bounced happily along, moving his fingers and drawing in the air to make what looked like could be math equations? He was probably still figuring out the machine and making plans to improve it.

Man, if only everyone knew how awesome he was, he'd have folks lining up to give him a home. It was so stupid how no one could see past his extra tail.

They got back out to their campsite. Tails sat down in an soft patch of grass. Sonic pulled out the fur brush and held it up. Tails' eyes flickered between him and the brush and he pulled back a bit, curling his knees to his chest. Had he ever seen one before? Maybe it looked threatening. Sonic smiled reassuringly and mimed brushing his own quills. See? It's okay.

Tails remained curled up, but he relaxed a little. Sonic knelt down beside him and reached out with the brush slowly. He intended to give it him and let him use it, but the kit simply stared, making no move to take it. Right. He was still a toddler. He probably didn't really know how to do it himself anyways.

Sonic softly touched the brush against his shoulder. Tails eyed it suspiciously and pulled away from the contact. Sonic pulled the brush back, and gave him another friendly grin and a thumbs-up. Tails relaxed and allowed him to reach the brush out again.

Sonic touched the brush against him again. Once Tails was okay with it, he moved the brush over his fur slightly. Tails stared curiously as he ran the brush down his arm a few times before moving to his back. Within moments, Tails was purring and leaning into the brush like a kitten getting petted. Sonic smiled.

It took a bit, but the tangles started coming out. Sonic had to slow down for the really knotty bits, switching to the comb for some parts. Tails was surprisingly patient with the process, especially when Sonic made little motions to let him know he was getting to a rough spot so the tug wouldn't surprise him.

As he reached Tail's tails, the little fox pulled away. He clutched them tightly against his chest, staring at Sonic with his forehead furrowed.

Oh yeah. He was very protective of his tails. Sonic'd seen the bullies yanking on them when he'd first rescued him. Even now people looked at them funny. To be fair, it was unique, but that was no excuse for anyone to be mean to him.

Sonic stepped back, nodding to show him he'd respect his boundaries. Tails glanced down, then stared up at Sonic with complete and utter trust in his eyes. He uncurled slowly and moved his tails where Sonic could reach them. Sonic smiled. He'd be extra careful.

He finished brushing him and stepped back to survey his work. Still not perfect, but definitely better. He didn't look like a stray anymore. He looked like someone was taking care of him.

Sonic grinned and gave Tails a thumbs up. Tails looked down at himself and ran his fingers through his fur. They didn't snag or anything.

Tails smiled at him. "T'anks!"

Sonic almost jumped at the first real word he'd heard him speak. He was picking things up. Good for him!

He wanted to reply, to say something, anything back. His lips formed the words "You're welcome," but no sound came out. He bit back a feeling of disappointment and tried again. This time, something did come out. It wasn't words, and it stung his throat a little, but it was a noise. A cheerful grunt. And it was more than he'd said in a long time.

Tails blinked his big eyes. A tiny purr rumbled in his chest. He'd seemed to understand that Sonic was pleased with his speaking. Sonic gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up and pulled out the bag of mints. Now was as good a time as any.

Tails squeaked and happily sat back to stuff the candy in his mouth. Sonic grinned. Man, he loved this little guy.

Wait, love?

Oh shoot.

He was attached now.

Thank you for reading!

[soft--dragon]

Returning Familiarities

Set in the 2012 TMNT universe during season 3, much more wholesome than what we were given during Leo's recovery period from the big fight with Shredder

Word Count: 4,006

Warnings: Mentions of post battle injury/trauma

There isn't much tickle content in this one, but it's very wholesome overall :)

The farmhouse was a welcome breath of fresh air from the busy wildness of New York City. The turtles and humans were much more used to screaming cars and crime at every single turn, but here, it was bird song and frog bellows. 

Leo found himself relaxing into the location much more once he was supported by a crutch and able to explore it a little. His mood however, wasn't always the best. He often found himself moping or zoning out, unable to do much of anything with his damaged leg and weak body. The lack of training was annoying to say the least, but there was some good that came out of being out of commission. 

He'd been able to spend more quality time with his family. Often, Mikey would encourage movie nights and they'd cram around the small TV to watch old cartoons or lame action movies and make fun of them. Leo was content to simply listen to his family, grateful for the fact that they were alive after everything. Heck, he was lucky to still be breathing. He sipped on his water, basking in the comfortable warmth of his friends in the farmhouse. 

Casey and Mikey were exchanging little comments throughout the show, earning laughs from everyone else at the jokes - though Leo only really smiled. That was until Mikey said something incredibly out of pocket. 

"Do you think Chris Bradford ever realised how bad his name sounded? Like come on, the name reeks of a pompous American kid living in his mom's basement." 

There was a sudden splutter, turning everyone's attention to Leo who was putting down a glass and had a hand pressed over his mouth. Before they could ask if he was okay, Leo swallowed his mouthful of water and started laughing. 

It was almost comedic how everyone in the room froze, staring at their leader who was in fits of breathy giggles, eyes pressed shut and smiling so wide it looked close to painful. Leo leant back in his seat, his lingering giggles playing with his words as he spoke, "God Mikey, that was awful." He wiped at his eyes, giving his younger brother a warm grin, only to blink at the wide eyed stare the orange clad turtle was giving him. 

"What?" He looked at everyone else and seemed to shrink in on himself under their mutual staring contest with him. "What? What's wrong?" 

April was the first to get over herself. She smiled gently and shook her head, "Nothing's wrong, Leo," she reassured. "It's just been a while since we heard that."

"Heard what? A joke?" 

"No," Donnie's shocked expression had melted into a fond look. "Your laugh."

"...Oh."

Leo wasn't quite sure what to do with that. Sure he'd been out for three months but he'd been awake for weeks now. He'd laughed at some point. 

…Right? 

The air was growing uncomfortable, and Mikey, ever the one to break the silence, launched into a new tangent about how the chickens were plotting to kill him. That caught Casey off guard and he instantly grabbed onto the new topic. 

The attention shifted off of Leo, but he zoned out of Mikey's passionate proclamation of a chicken coop coup. Had he seriously been so damaged in the fight he hadn't laughed in literal months? The others had looked so spellbound at the noise, but Leo had caught the hopeful, soft look in the eyes of his friends too. So that was probably a good sign, right? He hoped so. He didn't want his messed up throat to have changed his laugh, he didn't realise how badly his friends had been waiting to hear it. 

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

Throughout the weeks at the farmhouse, Leo let himself drop his 'mandatory' leader profile, letting himself exist without forcing himself to act fine. Not like his family was buying it anyway.

He spent time with Mikey in the kitchen, offering suggestions for recipes and soft words of encouragement when Mikey needed it. Mikey dropped a couple of silly jokes here and there, and it really didn't take long for Leo's sense of humour to show itself as he muffled small chuckles into his hand. Mikey's face lit up with glee at the sounds, making Leo's chest ease a bit. It looked better than the melancholy that had mutually settled around the house. After a while, he let his hand drop from covering his mouth, his soft giggles filling the air. Even if his throat had been messed with, he saw the tension escape Mikey entirely every time his voice was peppered with mirthful titters. He counted it as a win, on both of their parts. 

As Mikey stirred the batter in a bowl, Leo read over the recipe his little brother was using, eyes half lidded and body relaxed in the cosy atmosphere of the kitchen. "You really have improved with your cooking, Mike," he mumbled sleepily, "proud of you."

Mikey smiled brighter than the sun, and Leo was sure if they had been mutated with tails that Mikey's would've been wagging a mile a minute. 

"Thanks dude, that means a lot!" He beamed. "Come a long way from worm and algae cakes." 

Leo chuckled softly. "Those days weren't the worst honestly." 

"Yeah, at least in those days I didn't have to try and figure out what human measurements were. They're kinda weird."

Leo's brow furrowed at that. "You do know what the measurements mean, right?"

"Uhhh…"

Leo's eyes went down to the paper he was reading and bit his lip to stop a smile from forming. He needed to be serious right now. "Mikey?" 

"Yeah, bro?"

"How much salt did you put in this?"

"Um, one and a half tablespoons? Just like the recipe said." 

Leo stared at him, lips pressed together in disbelief. "Mikey. It said one, or just half a teaspoon." 

Mikey paused in his quick whisking to look at Leo. "For real?"

Leo gave a single bemused nod. "I’m not kidding." 

Mikey blinked then shrugged. "Welp," he hummed. "Can't be any saltier than Donnie after losing a sparring match." 

Leo actually snorted at that, slapping a hand over his mouth but Mikey already heard it, bouncing on his toes in glee. "Awww dude!"

"Shush, that didn't happen, Mikey-"

"That was so cute! You haven’t snorted since we were kids!" 

"Mikey be quiet-!"

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

Hanging out with Donnie and Casey in the barn was much calmer than Leo expected. Well, calm for them at least. Where he expected them to butt heads and exchange insults every few minutes, they tossed each other tools and made light hearted jokes. Leo sat to the side on a hay bale, not wanting to ruin the atmosphere they'd clearly had been working in for a while now. It was surprising how much people could mature over three months while you're out cold. But Donnie and Casey pulled him into their little discussions, asking for opinions or ideas even though Leo knew next to nothing about their projects. It was nice, surprisingly, just existing with them. However, with their combined humour and general attitudes, Leo was pretty sure he was going to die. 

"G-Guys stop plehease I cahan't breathe-" he wheezed, a hand pressed over his stomach which was starting to ache with how much he'd been laughing. 

Casey, in a similar state, was slumped against his car project, dirty hand pressed to his forehead as he barked with laughter. "I'm not messing with you, Leo! Donnie literally tried to eat a freaking table he was so tired! And that wasn't even the worst of it!"

"Oh, be quiet, Jones," Donnie grinned, throwing a rag at the boy who caught it dutifully. "You're gonna ruin my reputation as the only sane one on the team." 

"Donnie, when we were kids you made a bomb to get Raph back for calling you a nerd!" Leo gasped through his snickers, wiping at his eyes that had gathered moisture. 

Casey swung around to Donnie. "You did WHAT?!" 

Leo didn't notice Donnie and Casey keeping a tally chart of times they made him laugh - kind of a competition to see who could get him to laugh more. Donnie won in the end, but Casey blamed that on the fact that they grew up together. Little cheater knew Leo's sense of humour from birth. The winner didn't matter though. Seeing Leo throw his head back in a fit of bright cackles at Casey's screams of disbelief was worth so much more than bragging rights. 

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

April had been trying to train more with her tessen and telepathic abilities, and as much as Leo wanted to spar with her, there really wasn't much he could do in terms of physical stuff. Instead, he did stretches with her, - it helped his aches anyway so it was a win win - coached her through katas' and improved things where he could. His small corrections did seem to help her, the smile she sent his way when she did something perfectly never failed to make Leo smile back with an enthusiastic thumbs up. He tried to ignore the pang in his chest from having to sit on the side lines, wanting more than anything to be up on his feet and training too.

Her telepathic training however, was much more fun for the pair of them. Leo, while expected to be the mature one, was cut some slack while recovering. And because of that, no one really expected him to take that slackened expectation and run with it. He and April were a rather surprisingly chaotic duo. 

As training, they'd play harmless pranks on the others. Using April's telekinesis to move objects to scare people, and making Mikey's water balloons blow up in his hands before he could throw them. Mikey swore the house was haunted by a ‘KillJoy Ghost’ who’s afterlife mission was to thwart Doctor Prankenstein. They just let him believe it, it made for some rather entertaining segments of Mikey trying to recreate Ghost Busters to catch the KillJoy Ghost. They would come clean after Mikey eventually broke something in the future - which surprisingly hadn’t happened yet. They also used April’s powers to float Donnie's tools when he was up at ungodly hours, doing this to trick him into thinking he was hallucinating from lack of sleep - therefore forcing him take a nap. Things like that were counted as training so April could have better control of her psychic abilities. However, there were times when Leo kind of wished she didn't have them. 

They'd been collecting eggs from the chicken coop while the birds themselves tried to eat Mikey's ankles a fair distance away. Leo had finished his side of the coop and put down the egg basket, flicking his eyes to his youngest brother to make sure the chickens weren't really trying to kill him. The chicken coop coup may actually have been legit. Something soft and fluffy brushed against the back of his neck and Leo yelped, girly and high pitched. He slapped a hand over the sensitive skin, spinning to look at April who was still tending to the chicken eggs. He looked back again, for a sign of a leaf of something that could've brushed against him. The same sensation flicked over the back of his knees, a squeak pulling from the turtle and looking down to see what on earth it was. A floating chicken feather. 

"April." He looked at her with a half-hearted glare. 

The girl giggled, peeking up with a smile. "Sorry, I couldn't resist it." Her eyes then took on a playful look. "Didn't know you were ticklish, Leo." 

Leo raised a hand in warning. "Don't you dare." It sounded weak even to him. 

April apparently did dare because the feather suddenly rushed up to dance along the underside of his chin and neck once more. High pitched giggles leapt out of Leo instantly, shoulders shooting up to protect the sensitive skin the best he could. April cooed under her breath as the turtle squirmed in place, trying to stop his laughter but ultimately failing miserably.

Leo tried to swat the pesky feather away, but April had improved with her abilities and sent it zooming to another location before Leo’s hand was even close to it. “Aprihihil! Quhihiit ihihit!” He giggled, hunching in on himself and swinging at the feather whenever it fell into his sightlines.

“I’m not doing anything,” April replied innocently, swirling the feather around Leo’s open armpit and grinning when he practically squealed. The big bad leader of the Ninja Turtles was defeated by a feather. It was pretty cute. 

It was when she brushed along his knees and ankles that his body finally collapsed under the sensations. Leo curled into a ball on the grass, giggling and squeaking like the child he was as the feather circled him like a vulture, occasionally swooping in to tickle the turtle. April was internally fawning over Leo’s endearing reactions, not having expected the guy to be this ticklish. It was lucky most of the boys were inside lest Leo die of embarrassment from succumbing to this playful barrage, at least Mikey was too far away to hear them.

She didn't tickle him for too long, backing down after a minute or two to let him breathe. Leo stayed huddled on the ground as he rubbed at the attacked spots and tried to stop his lingering titters, though they seemed permanently intertwined with his voice box now. When sufficiently calmed down, he sat up and pointed at April with a faux annoyed glare. 

"Once I'm at full strength again,” he promised playfully, “I am so going to get you back."

April laughed and leaned against the coop. "We'll see, Leo," she grinned, catching the feather that had returned to her. "I may be more powerful by then, could probably take on all five of you boys." 

Leo puffed out an amused breath. "Probably," he admitted. Then his smile got evil as a thought crossed his mind. "Think we could get away with doing that to Raph as training next time?" 

April's answering grin was a recipe for disaster. 

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

Raph had put himself in charge of Leo's recovery back to full strength. At first, Leo was incredibly disheartened as he could barely walk a few metres without needing a breather, often snarling venom at his own body for betraying him. Raph however, wasn't at all condescending or brash, instead at Leo’s side with a steady hand and confidence that the fatigue wouldn't be forever. True to his word, with Raph's frequent encouragement and training, Leo was on his feet far faster than he expected, forgoing the crutch when he could, even if Donnie disapproved. Raph would die before he admitted it, but seeing Leo in such excitement when he could walk farther made his chest warm with pride. His brother was stubborn as a bull, the recovery was expected, maybe not in such a short time frame, but expected all the same. 

Something Raph had insisted on was getting them to go on small hikes or walks through the woods, taking alternate routes each time for different terrain, but never straying far enough that they’d get lost. You only make that mistake once. Their necks still twinged every time they thought about April’s killer pinch and lecture on getting home safely. She certainly filled the role of ‘Overprotective Sibling’, Leo was honestly impressed he could almost be outdone. Almost. 

The pair were doing another trek through the forest together, conversing to fill the bird song speckled woodlands with a little more noise. There was no sign of Bigfoot and that hunter that got enamoured with the cryptid, and Leo was grateful that they’d disappeared. That whole situation was weird to begin with, but the jokes that came from the experience were almost worth the nightmare fuel. 

“Okay, but imagine if she and Donnie actually did like each other,” Raph swung a stick he’d found in front of him. “Imagine the kids that would’ve come from that relationship.” 

“No thanks,” Leo shuddered. “Just be glad it wasn’t some kind of mutant naked mole rat or something. I don’t think I could’ve handled that.”

“Can’t be any more different from Casey,” Raph chuckled, earning an amused snort from his brother and an eye roll. “No, no I’m serious Leo, think about it.”

“I don’t want to think about it-”

“Too bad, I’m making you think about it.” Raph was suddenly in Leo’s space, grinning widely and punching at his shoulders gently. “A massive naked mole rat, right? Just give it shaggy black hair and a hockey stick, boom, Casey Jones.”

“Stop. Stop. That’s just weird-” Leo almost wheezed at the thought, pushing away Raph and trying to walk away, but Raph kept jumping in front of him and didn’t stop poking the bear. 

“They have similar behaviour too! They get so violent when something outside of their colony tries to get close - I saw a documentary with Donnie about it - and Casey is just like that! Think of how many times he’s attacked random strangers just because they tried to hurt any of us.”

Leo was struggling to keep himself together. He forced himself not to laugh at Raph’s sudden hyperfixation on comparing Casey to a naked mole rat of all things as he answered. “Are you honestly suggesting that Casey is secretly a mole man?”

“With how much he digs himself into holes then yeah, I’d say that our resident, anger ridden, hockey loving friend is a naked mole rat.”

Leo couldn’t stop the laugh that burst free from him, determinedly trying to put as much space between himself and his red coded brother just so he could escape this conspiracy conversation.

“Hey! I wasn’t done! I wanna give you more examples!”

“I don’t want to hear them.”

“You laughed!”

Well, that was true, but Leo didn’t want to egg Raph on about this lest he actually try to see if Casey was a mole man. “It was the wind.”

“The wind-? Are you saying that I’m not funny?! No. No, no, no. Leo, come back here-”

Leo was already walking as fast as he could manage deeper into the woods, careful to mind roots and rocks so he didn’t trip. He heard Raph chuckling from behind him and his footsteps getting closer. 

“Those naked mole rats use scents to identify each other, and we already know Casey knows what we smell like from a mile off because of the sewers. Plus he definitely knows what April smells like cause of his crush on her-”

“I’m not listening to this.”

“They also use high pitched screams to tell others that there’s danger. Have you heard his screaming before? You gotta admit that it’s accurate.”

“Not listening!”

“And hey, I just remembered that most male naked mole rats work for most of their lives and don’t breed, which is accurate for Casey, right?” 

That one made Leo choke on air and almost stumble. “Oh my god, Raph! That is so wrong!” Leo couldn’t stop the giggles that fell from him as he shook his head, trying to push the thought out of his mind.

“But I’m right about this!”

“I don’t want to think about Casey’s body count!”

“In murder or getting lai-?”

Leo swung around and grappled to put Raph in a chokehold. “Stop talking about it!” Leo pleaded through barely kept back laughter, his smile matching Raph’s grin as they tussled in the middle of the forest. 

“Never! I’ll make you see the truth!”

“You’re such an idiot!” 

Raph managed to hook his arm around Leo’s good leg and force him to the ground, rolling onto his shell to put his brother in the same chokehold that Leo had just attempted.

A surprised squawk was wrangled out of Leo. “Hey!”’

“I’m just trying to open your eyes man.”

Leo’s chest was warm as laughter spilled free from his mouth, his heart lighter than ever as he playfully wrestled with his brother. He roughly dug his elbow into Raph’s plastron, getting a grunt from the teenager and making him lose his grip. Leo used it to force Raph off of him and pin him face down on the grass. 

“Stop talking about cursed Casey concepts!” He ordered, pressing Raph’s arm to his carapace and holding it there.

Raph tried to kick at Leo from his face down position, but he couldn’t reach. Sometimes he was grateful for being a short turtle, this was not one of those times. It took fifteen seconds of his arm being bent awkwardly that he finally smacked the ground twice to yield. Leo let go immediately and lay down by Raph on the leaves, their shoulders almost touching. Raph grumbled light-heartedly and kept his face in the grass so he didn’t have to face any gloating. Leo chuckled softly and patted his brother’s shell, partially a condolence for the loss and a comforting gesture. The birds continued to sing unbothered above the pair, making the forest feel beautifully serene. Raph breathed in deeply. As much as he enjoyed crime fighting, it was actually kinda nice being away from the constant noise and battles. Maybe when they defeated Shredder they could come back here for holidays? That sounded nice. 

“...I actually got you.” 

The awed words stirred Raph from his musings to look at Leo in surprise. Leo was grinning up at the canopy, a spark in his eyes that hadn’t been seen for a long time. He found himself smiling as he rolled onto his back too and punched his brother’s arm affectionately. “Told you you’d be able to take me down again soon enough.”

Leo chuckled. “Yeah.” He then scoffed and pressed the skin between his eyes with his thumb and index fingers, a disbelieving smile on his face as he muttered. “And I can’t believe it was over Casey Jones being a mutant naked mole rat.”

Raph’s laughter rang through the forest, Leo’s following a moment after as they lay side by side in the grass, marvelling at the ridiculousness of their prior conversation. 

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

April had written in a diary for months since their arrival at the Farm House, and she could confidently say that she now had a favourite section of the journal. It was when Leo had recovered so far that he had forgone the crutches for a solid week and could do something he hadn’t been able to since he woke up. 

"Guys! Look at this!" 

Leo was laughing as he ran, jumping small distances and being able to continue running. The boys and their humans cheered him on, whooping and clapping as he spun in the air and regained his footing. 

"Yes Leo!" Mikey ecstatically pumped his fists into the air, looking close to joining Leo in his sprint with how much he was bouncing up and down on the spot. 

Leo spun on his heel and boosted straight for his family, arms outstretched and mouth open in a wide grin. In a smooth motion, he swept Mikey into his arms and spun him around in a tight hug, laughing into his shoulder in pure glee. 

"I was running, guys! I was running!" He gasped, eyes squinting with the force of his smile. 

"We saw!" April grinned proudly, moving to wrap her arms around the pair of laughing brothers. 

The others swarmed around them, joining the hug and grinning at Leo's lingering giggles, the excitement in his chest making his heart feel like it was pounding a mile a minute, or that may have been the exercise aftermath. Either way, Leo didn't care. Wrapped up in the arms of his family, he tipped his head back and whooped loudly in victorious glee, his leg not even twinging in the slightest. His family shared a soft look at the oldest turtle brother, his laughter contagious and relieving to hear unbridled, so carefree. 

Finally, after months of a slow recovery, it seemed to be turning around for them all.

[l0ves1ckf0ol]

WHY I AM THE WAY I AM. . . . anthony larusso x gn!reader

note: as awaited, i have finally uploaded more cobra kai content

anthony larusso was the equivalent of an insufferable and egotistical asshole or as everyone would call him, a bully. the l/n's and the larussos were close knit so at one point, anthony and y/n used to be friends. until the families hung out less due to their busy schedules and well- here we are, y/n sitting alone at their table at the cafeteria as anthony laughed along with his friends at another table. though the both of them only had small talk, after hearing about how he was bullying the new kid just because of a girl or something along the lines of that, they had had enough. y/n wasn't really intending to get close with the guy (kenny) , though they were really curious about the whole karate shenanigans they stayed put and out of their business but this dude really needs to stop.

he doesn't even know karate what's he to stand up for?

anthony larusso used to be a bright boy who y/n played online games with during their trips, he used to be a kid being able to find joy on a screen, he used to like hanging out with y/n now he probably doesn't even think about them anymore.

y/n wasn't one to be in anyone's business but once they had heard that kenny was shoved in a locker then stuffed inside with milk. they had never felt angrier than ever. they weren't even close with kenny but anthony has crossed the level of being a douchebag. y/n hates to think of anyone badly, they just wanna make sure that anthony now was the same anthony that they talked about video games with.

the surprise on mrs. larusso's face was hilarious as y/n casually pops in and swears that they wanted to hang out with anthony, they also brought cookies (courtesy to their mom). y/n didn't have the pleasure to see sam on their way upstairs, she probably had training. they had also learned thag anthony has bad manners because mrs. larusso insisted that anthony can't peel his eyes off of a screen to even talk to her.

they knock on his bedroom door, "come in!" y/n hears and they went inside. anthony was on his desk - surprisingly even doing his homework. "if you're gonna rant about eagle fang, sam i don't have time-" he stops himself once he looks up to see who it was. his face falls for a moment and then lights up, realizing it was his childhood friend.

"hey... y/n. why are you here?" anthony frowns, confused. y/n sighs as they close the door behind them. "you know i don't have any friends at school, can i at least make an attempt to make one?" y/n lies, they thought they'd be fine off without anthony (again, a lie.)

"well i'm done with homework, let's catch up." anthony says, closing the math book that was opened on his desk. "wait here, i'll get us some chips and some drinks." y/n notes that he was still polite. good so far.

once he was back, he insisted they'd watch their favorite show when they were kids on his ipad and that was where they both got cozy on his bed, stomachs against the mattress and arms folded for their chin to lay on as they ate lays potato chips while watching Bluey. it had been way too long since they both shared a bed while watching wholesome shows. it felt nice. it felt even nice when anthony still acted like the same chubby kid that y/n loved spending time with.

why was he acting such a douchebag in school anyway?

"what's with the big shot attitude at school, ant?" y/n starts, still staring at the screen of the ipad, watching the show. "you haven't called me that for a while." they scoff,

"you haven't had the time to." they mutter. anthony sighs through his nose, "you know i'm sorry about not hanging out with you, my mom was surprised i went out my room to get us snacks, i went out my comfort zone for you." he jokes sarcastically, y/n rolls their eyes. "ha ha, you are the funniest person on earth."

anthony giggles as bingo and bluey chase each other at their yard. "why do you suddenly care anyway? you show up suddenly at my house and you claim to miss hanging out with me, you're still weird after a long time." he mumble his head tilting to the side one slight movement of relaxation he would fall on their shoulder. "just wanted to check on you." y/n told him. "how come when i come over, i see you- the kid that i used to be the bestest friends with, turn out to be real nice and innocent and when you're at school- you're a bully, a huge douchebag."

anthony stays silent, unmoving and this worries y/n. "ant?" y/n hears a sniffle. anthony looks at them, glossy eyes and tear stained cheeks. "why? what's wrong?" y/n asks as anthony shuts off the ipad and lays on his back.

"i don't know, y/n. i'm- i want people to like me. like how my people like my sister, the nicest larusso kid, lia seems to like kenny so i-"

"so you made fun of him, humiliated him?"

anthony scoffs, "you are just like everyone else." he mutters, sitting up to face them. y/n raises a brow, "enlighten me larusso." they reply. "i don't get why people just berate me for what i do and not even question why i act like this, why i am the way i am." anthony rants, y/n shrugs, "well then, why are you this way?"

"because... because...." anthony trails off as he tries to find a valid answer, eyebrows knitting together. y/n had a hunch in their head about the reason.

"look- i know you can't help but feel like you're left alone to fend for yourself or you need to constantly chase your parents' expectations or even just their attention, but that isn't any excuse to bully someone." y/n told him, bracing for him to get upset and this was a one shot answer to making things awkward between them.

"i know... i shouldn't have done it anyway." anthony mumbles.

"good, now i wanna see you apologize to him- i dont care how just do it sincerely." y/n says to him. "can i just hang out with you right now? it's been so long." he whines, flopping back down on to his pillow. "alright, alright, do it at school.

[kebbybites]

yo!! what media (movies/games/shows etc) do you like

yo-yo!! 🪀

this question was so good i had to think about it for several days lmao. i didn't know how to answer this without getting carried away with it, so i added a tasteful "keep reading," because this response is a bit lengthy. hope that's okay,,,

video & animation

it's hard for me to get into movies and shows and stuff of the like on my own, but i love movie nights! just hanging out with the homies and collectively using our eyeballs to watch the same thing together is so dang fun. i'm not sure if i have a favorite, but at the very least, here's a collection of things that i remember seeing with friends and enjoyed a lot :)

this probably isn't related, but i don't get That Way about youtube videos for some reason. maybe because they're easier to access? well, whatever the case is, it's hilarious how i can barely sit through an hour and a half of a finely crafted film with action and romance and cool things, but i will gladly eat up a 5-hour livestream of a 30yo man watching horrible kids content.

publishing

↑ this just means books & comics. i definitely used to read a lot as a kid, and sometimes i still do on rare occasions. a lot of them were from the school curriculum (which were normally boring), but a thing i used to do was replace the characters in the books with characters i was hyperfixating on at the time, so i could kinda enjoy them like that. but uh, i like comics too!! they're a lot easier to digest, that's for sure. the pretty pictures are the best part teehee

music

ok this one is truly all over the place for real. from classic piano pieces like the "minute waltz" to that one track in OFF when you enter a purified zone, "not safe." listen, i myself don't have a say in this matter, certain songs (and sounds) just give me the good brain juice. like comment and subscribe if you also walk in circles listening to your favorite songs 😁👍

and hey speakin' of good tunes…

games

i looove rhythm games!!! i only own a few, but i play them all religiously. i love tappin my lil fingers and toes to the beat of my favorite tunes, and it's even better that i get to tap my keyboard to them too. i also enjoy a nice rpg every now and then, and some other games with wholesome aesthetics.

and that's ! it !!! i hope it was comprehensible !!!???