#to them i'll be like 'oh this is a recent development...' no it wasn't

[ahaaaoootblooded]

lord i need to take commitment classes or whatever it's called cause all of my relationships have been me mentally preparing a breakup speech a month or so in and just wavering on when i should deliver it

[webshooterrr9]

Take Care

Act Two Astarion x gn!reader

just fluff and angst if you squint, no smut

Sigh. "You don't have to do this, darling. I'm not some sort of child in need of coddling."

Despite his standoffish tone, Astarion makes no attempt to move away as you tend to the cuts on his arm. It had been a long day of adventuring, and your party most unfortunately ran into a horde of goblins on your way back to camp for the knight. Being stronger after a recent feed, Astarion fought most of them - giving him the most injuries.

You're being far too gentle. He watches closely in the dim lantern light as you wet the rag for cleaning. A part of him wishes you'd just hurt him instead. He knows how to deal with pain. He doesn't know how to deal with this.

Whatever this is, his mind tells him it needs to stop. Stop before he starts to care. He doesn't want to care about you. If he does, you'll be another thing for Cazador to use against him when the time comes.

He can't have that.

"Oh, shut up." you wave a dismissive hand before resuming your cleaning, gently wiping away the dirt and grime from his wounds. You sat comfortably in his lap as you worked. Another form of intimacy he was unsure about.

"I've received worse and lived, love. I'll be alright without your babying."

He would never admit it, but Astarion almost... enjoyed the way you so carefully tended to him. But it felt wrong. Why would you do this? It wasn't like his life was on the line, the goblins only inflicted minor injuries.

"I know you have, I've seen the poem that... he carved into your back. You showed me, remember?"

Astarion winces at the memory, and you feel sort of bad for bringing it up. But he just rolls his eyes, covering up the discomfort with a scoff.

That wretched devil. That evil, evil man.

"We're still travel companions, so I want to help you. Regardless of how minor it is." you continue, speaking slowly as you bandage up the cuts.

"Because I'm incapable?" there's a bite to his voice, one that he didn't mean to be there. But he couldn't help it. This was so... odd. "I managed to take care of myself just fine before you came along."

You look up at him, almost with a glare at his accusation. "I never said you were incapable, 'Starion. But you have to let others help you once in a while."

Gods, he hated it. He hated how caring you were, how sweetly you spoke to him, even when he was rude. How fondly you pictured him in your mind, even when he had done nothing but manipulate you so far.

How could you he so naive? He was obviously using you. And yet, you seemed to care about him, which pissed him off more.

He doesn't deserve someone as tender as you. As kind and caring.

Astarions grits his teeth as he speaks. "I don't have to let you do anything. I don't deserve that."

Why did he say that? How stupid of him so seem so vulnerable around you. And why does he want to curl up against you and let it all out? Why does he want you to wrap him up in your arms and whisper into his hair and tell him everything is going to be okay?

What is wrong with him?

You wrap up his cut tightly, giving him a glare. "You're wrong." you replied, short and direct. Your stare made it clear that this wasn't up for debate.

"You deserve just as much as everyone else. If not more, given what you've been through."

Astarion glares right back. If there was one thing he could do, it was argue. "You know nothing about me. I barely even told you half of it."

You don't know why he has to be so stubborn about this. Maybe it's his nature. Or maybe he's just too much of a coward to admit that he's actually starting to develop feelings for you. Astarion doesn't know which.

"I'm objectively the worst person on this team. You should be helping the others. Lae'zel got all scratched up too, you know."

"They've got each other." you argue back, just as stubborn as the elf. "But you, you've closed yourself off from everyone. Shut them out."

"If I don't take care of you, no one will. The Hells know that you wouldn't take care of yourself, either. You're too self-loathing for that."

When the hell did you become so perceptive? How in the world did you come to that conclusion? He wasn't self hating, he was just telling the truth. He was awful, evil. He knew it to be true.

...

Shit. Maybe you were right.

"Fine. Maybe your words have some truth in them." he sighs, not daring to look you in the eyes as he admits it. "You're right. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Damn it. Now he wants to hug you. The feeling he's been trying to avoid the entire time is bubbling up, threatening to engulf him.

Does it make him weak to want to be coddled and comforted by you? Would it make him just as pathetic as he was under Cazador's thumb? Would allowing himself this pampering, this affection, be nothing more than something to regret?

"I'm always right." you scoff. "You'd have picked up on that by now if you weren't so aloof."

You slide off of his lap once you're done bandaging, giving him some space. But you don't leave his tent.

You stay there, sitting in front of him, as a silent show of solidarity. "I'm not going anywhere. No matter how much you try to push me away."

The urge to pull you close and never let you go is overwhelming him. Astarion's not sure if he can trust himself to resist it.

"Why are you doing this?" he asks quietly, lowering his head a bit shamefully. "Why are you so insistent on helping me? I'm not worth it."

"Because you are worth it. And I won't stop until you believe it."

"I will not allow you to fall into tragedy when you can be so much more than that. I've seen your potential - on the battlefield and in camp. I refuse to let you waste your life in solitude."

Astarion wants to believe you. Desperately.

The evidence is staring him right in the face: the way that you care for him, how he feels secure in your presence.

But if he believes you, he can't hide any longer. He can't seek shelter behind the walls he's carefully erected within himself. And he can't shield himself from the vulnerability of admitting that he needs you. So instead he just says:

"Shut up."

You sigh. No matter how much you try to break him down, he stays persistent. "Fine."

"I'll stop talking, but you'd be a fool if you think I'm leaving."

He scoffs. "So what, you're just going to sit there and watch me all night?"

"If that's all you'll allow me, yes."

Allow. Such a sacred, unheard word to him.

Astarion didn't even have a response to that. In the end, he didn't have enough energy to make a snarky counter. And before he can form a coherent sentence and protest, his body makes a decision for him.

The elf slumps forward and places his head in your lap, curling up in a way that resembles a kitten. A stray seeking shelter.

Despite his efforts of stubborness, he closes his eyes and lets his body go slack.

He wants this.

You're relieved. For a moment, you sit still, not wanting to scare him away with any sudden movements. He needed this peace, and you wouldn't dare take it from him.

Slowly, you start to rake your fingers through his curls. Slowly, gently. Like a mother comforting her child.

He needs it. More than ever.

When you begin to run your fingers through his hair, it's like all his defenses dissolve away. Astarion lets out a quiet hum of contentment and presses his head further into your warmth, making himself as comfortable as possible in this precious moment.

Time seems to slow down as you sit there. There's no need for words. After so long of being taken and abused by his master, Astarion finds himself oddly calm. Safe.

It's strange to feel this comfortable. Even now he should have to urge to try and escape your touch, but he's not feeling those impulses.

He takes a deep breath and relaxes into your touch. The tension and discomfort that seemed to define his existence is melting away. For the first time in centuries, he feels he's where he belongs.

As you continue to pet his hair, you hear a quiet whisper come from your companion.

"Thank you."

[bookishdreamer28]

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 🌌

𝑩𝒂𝒕 𝒃𝒐𝒚𝒔 𝒙 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄✧

Rhysand

You and Rhysand have been known each other since you were babies. Your mother was best friends with his, and ever since then, you have been inseparable.

As the years passed by, you started developing feelings for him, feelings you'd never thought you'd have for Rhysand because all you were to him and all he was to you, was a best friend. But you couldn't deny the fact that throughout the years, every moment with him, all the laughter you shared together, all the sleepless nights you spent on the balcony, counting the falling stars, made you realize just how much you loved him. And just like that, you realized you were in love with him.

But what you didn't know was that Rhysand felt the same way. Every time you two were together, he felt like he couldn't breath properly. It all happened one solstice, you two were far away fro the crowd wanting to spend some quality time together. You were dancing, singing and having fum on your own. And when the statfall happened, his eyes were glued on you only. He was looking at you as if you one of stars that are falling from the sky, and you landed right next to him. That was one of his favorite moments, and it was specifically the one that he was sure he lost his heart to you.

One night as Rhys laid on his bed ready to sleep, he thought of you. He took a deeb breath and exhaled, trying to find a way to sleep. But he knew it was impossible knowing that you were a room away. He turned on his side and closed his eyes. But then he felt something changing in the atmosphere. He felt like something had knocked a breath out of him and he gasped standing up immediately. Rhys touched his chest feeling his heart beating fast, and he tried to calm himself down. Without spending a second more in his room, Rhys opened the door and started walking straight to your room but before he could knock on your door, you opened it fast. You looked like you jumped through hoops.

"You..." Rhys whispered and took a step closer to you slowly. You were panting, looking like you jumped through hoops.

" Rhys...my mate" your eyes welled up with tears and smiled so wide, that your cheeks were hurting. When Rhys heard you calling him your mate, he chuckled not believing you said these words and cupped your face in his hands.

"My mate" he growled and gave you a deep, love-filled kiss that swept you off your feet. His hands went to your waist and pulled you closer, his warmth enveloping you.

"What's all the fuss about I need to slee- oh" Cassian smirked as his eyes fell on you and Rhys. And then his whole expression into a shocking one. "OH! I KNEW IT! I KNEW YOU TWO WERE MATES!" He was ready to approach you but stopped in his tracks once he saw Rhys hard expression.

"Don't you dare take a step closer Cassian" he said in a serious, dark voice that gave you shivers and made your legs wobble.

Rhus turned to you and took you in his arms in a bridal style.

"Well guess I'll see you two after a month. Or more"he laughed as Rhus winnowed you to the wind house.

Cassian

Lately everything looked dull to Cassian. Even though he was the life of the party, he recently had become less and less energetic. He felt weird. Watching all these people around him every time he went out being with their other half, made him longing for something like this.

It was late and Cassian wasn't in the mood to rest or talk to anyone at the moment, so he thought it would be best of he took a walk through the beautiful and bright streets of Velaris. When he came across the bar he usually goes with Rhys and Az, he was skeptical about going. Another night getting drunk wouldn't do him any good actually. When he decided to turn around and continue with his walk, a shorter than him figure pumped into him. He heard a small yelp and he instantly made sure that the person wouldn't fall by grabbing them by the shoulders. The girl in front him had her head down, mumbling a few sorrys and once she looked up at him, his breath got caught in his throat. You were so beautiful. He kept staring at you and slowly stepped back.

"I'm so sorry I-"

"It's fine I'm fine a-are you ok? Are you hurt?" He voice was shaking and he wanted to slap himself for that.

You smiled and shook your head.

"Nope I'm good. I'm Y/N"

"Y/N" Cassian whispered, repeating your name. It felt like a sweet nectar rolling down his tongue when he said it.

"Ah...I'm Cassian" He smiled widely and moved closer.

"Nice to meet you! I should go cause I'm in a hurry but I hope to see you again soon!" You said and walked away, looking back one last time.

"Yeah sure bye" he waved and watched you walk away. He wanted to go with you. He didn't care where you went but on thing he knew is that he wanted to be with you. That night when he returned home, he didn't sleep at all. His thoughts were constantly on you.

Ever since that day he made sure to go for a walk every night, with the expectation of seeing you again. And even though he never had the chance to mee you with you yet, he wouldn't give up thay easily.

"Hey Cassian, how about we go for a drink?" Rhys suggested.

"Ah that would be great but I think I'll pass. I thought about going for walk. You know, it's refreshing especially after practicing for hours"

"Whay is up with you lately? Oh don't tell me, is there a woman? Who is it?" Az asked smirking at his brother.

"No nope no woman just me enjoying the chilly fresh air of Velaris anywaysgottago" he said and left Rhys office and his brothers stood there, laughing at his reaction.

Cassian was standing outside the bar, hoping to caught a glimpse of you somewhere in the crowd of the people who passed by. To his disappointment, you were nowhere to be seen and groaned to himself as he took a turn to leave.

"Cassian!" His head whipped up so fast and turned to your direction. There you were. Seeing your beautiful smile after all these days, was the greatest thing to witness. The moment you started walking towards him, something inside him snapped. And he could tell by your expression that you felt it too. You just stood there with your eyes widened. He felt his body shaking and was unable to make a move.

Nothing mattered at the moment. It was just him and you. The bond had finally snapped. And the most unbelievable and extraordinary thing ever, was that you were his mate. You are his other half. You are his everything. You.

He wasted no more time. He ran up to you and swooped you up in his arms. You wrapped your arms around his arms and held him tightly against you. You both started laughing from happiness and when you pulled away from the hug, and leaned in for a kiss. A kiss you both needed more than you thought. Cassian cradled your head and kissed you deeper. He couldn't break away. You couldn't break way.

After a few minutes you pulled away and Cassian looked at you.

"Look at you, my mate. My" he placed a small kiss on your nose "mate" and then another one on your lips again. You giggled and hugged him tight.

"How about we go somewhere with less crowd watching?" You whispered. Cassian didn't look away from your eyes once and said:

"Let them look. I'm the happiest male in Velaris right now." He murmured and sweetly kissed your forehead.

Azriel

His eyes followed your figure carefully. He was captivated by you the moment he stepped foot in the library 2 months ago and saw you reading a book on a table close to the window. He can't really explain what was it that made him want to get to know you but he couldn't help it because he was already intrigued by you. He was sitting on a table a little bit further from yours, and looked your way every now and then. He was now watching you placing the book you've been reading for the past hour back on the shelf, and when you turned around you eyes met. You looked at him with a blushed face since you caught him staring, and hesitantly waved at him.

His eyes widened slightly and cleared his throat standing up from his position. He avoided your gaze at all costs and left the library without glancing once behind him.

The moment he stepped outside he inhaled and exhaled a long breath, trying to take his mind off you. He closed his eyes and yet he could still see your beautiful eyes looking back at him the moment your eyes met his. He opened them again and winnowed away, not wanting to stay any longer here.

The next day he went to practice with Cass, wanting to release some tension and then go help Rhys with some things regarding the court's safety and more. Once he finished with all his tasks he was ready to go back to his room but his heart told him to do otherwise. And that's how he found himself standing outside the library's front door.

"What Am I even doing?" He murmured to himself and stepped inside. Clotho was in her usual position, behind the desk near the entrance and when she saw Azriel coming in, she raised her eyebrows. He awkwardly said hi amd went straight to an empty table. He sat down and rested his head in hos hands. The sound of soft footsteps making their way to him got his attention and when he lifted his head, his whole body got tensed.

"Hi" hearing your soft voice gave him goosebumps.

"Hi" he greeted back not wanting to seem rude and made way for you to sit.

You happily sat on your seat and opened your book. He wanted to get up and leave because being around made him so unusually nervous but he didn't find it in him to abandon you juse like that, so he kept himself busy by staring out the window. And though you were invested in the book you chose, you couldn't help but throwing a few glances at the shadowsinger from time to time. Azriel feeling your stare, he turned his head to your direction and your eyes locked. As you kept staring at each other, not being able to say or do anything more something spectacularly beautiful happened.

The bond locked into place. Nothing else could be heard at that moment but the sound of your hearts beating loud. Azriel was puzzled. You scooted a little closer to him and slowly reached out to grab his hand. The shadow singer's breath hitched the moment he felt your lips on his palm, leaving a soft kiss.

"Can't believe you finally felt it" your hand caressed his face gently. Wait what?

"You knew?! Since when?" He whispered and leaned closer.

"Since the moment I saw you returning a book you borrowed which was, 2 months ago" your little laugh filled his heart with happiness. He chuckled not being able to comprehend what just happened.

"We're mates" Azriel said smiling.

"We're mates!" You nodded and laughed at how happy you were right now.

You just stayed there just holding each other's hands, but Azriel's eyes went to your lips. There was so much tension between you already and he couldn't take it anymore. He needed to feel you. Taste you.

He instinctively ran his thump over the soft flesh of your lips, making you quiver. He knew what he was doing.

He leaned forward a fraction ready to capture your lips in a kiss but he slightly pulled back.

"Do you want this?"

"More than you can imagine"

Azriel then started sliding his hand in your hair slowly and then brought your face closer. Once his lips touched yours, he felt like melting.

In all his life, all he did was to avoid beautiful things in fear of breaking them. But you changed that entirely for him. You made him feel lovable and unique with just one look. One touch. And he knew he had finally found his purpose in life after so long.

¨༺ ༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺ .·

It was about time I posted something ACOTAR related 🙌

Hope you'll enjoy reading this one ♥️

all rights reserved. please do not copy, modify, repost, translate, or claim my content as yours.

[spdrvyn]

i'll be lonely with you — MIGUEL O'HARA

SUMMARY: with the passage of time and whispers from your acquaintances at the spider society HQ, you've found out that your boss has a habit of sneaking out of his office during the dead hours of night to eat dinner. completely alone.

NOTES: new formatting for fics !!! do you guys like it? :3 i decided to include summaries that way it would be easier for people to understand the general jist of the plot without me spewing nonsense in the notes. anyways enjoy !!!!! thanks for the support on my recent works as well ^_^

You didn't consider yourself the most introverted person.

Even when it came to hundreds of Spider-people, you tried to get to know who you could and become acquainted with as many of them as possible. How could you not?

However, there were few that you knew on a more personal level. People that you'd keep close to your side whenever you visited headquarters. People that you'd enjoy having an exchange of gossip with during lunch in the bustling cafeteria.

Miguel O'Hara wasn't exactly one of those people.

It's not like you didn't want to develop something more than a boss-coworker relationship. Though, conversations with him were always difficult, to the say the least. Most of the time, he's talking about work and anything that goes past that boundary goes unspoken.

Quite literally. You've forgotten the amount of times that you've built up the courage to mention anything about your other (not deceased) relatives or your friends and the amount of times that the room was filled with a silence so awkward that crickets are on the same volume as missile launchers.

Though, you didn't want to lose hope. You sort of understood where he was coming from. People go through grief and mourning in different ways, Miguel's was probably just isolation and a complete avoidance of discussions of personal life.

He was a leader. A good one. A trait of a good leader is to connect with their subordinates, establish relationships. So it really made you think.

How messed up was he that he missed that one quality?

"Hey. Your food's getting cold." There it goes, the sound of your train of thought leaving the station. Sometimes, you were grateful for Jess being there for you. She could snap you back to reality you like nobody else could.

You mutter an apology before stabbing your salad with your fork and taking a bite, Jess rests her head on her palm. Raising a brow at you, "So, did you want to eat lunch with me for fun or are you just using me to get info about Miguel? Again?"

Nervously, you shake your head. "It's nothing like that!" She leans in a little more, waving her other free hand in the air in a circular motion.

"...But if you have anything that you'd like to share then I'm not going to refuse entirely—"

"Oh my god. Fine, fine. What do you want to know?"

With that question, it felt like your mind blanked. You fidgeted with your fork, twirling a leaf of your salad against the plate as you pondered on what question to ask.

Jess responds with a deep sigh, "If you're trying to find a way to talk to him more, he doesn't leave that office of his much unless it's for work. He's in there most of time. Although..."

"Although?"

"Although, I've seen him come here normally somewhere around midnight to get a very late dinner alone. The place is less crowded, most are just in their own universe or sleeping or working."

Your face falls a little upon hearing that. "So I can only catch a non-serious conversation with him... in the middle of the night?"

"Exactly. Besides, there's a good chance he's going to just— continue talking about work with you whether he's in his office or not. You know that, right?"

You drop your utensil in defeat, burying your face shamefully in your hands. "I know..."

You quickly wrap up your lunch with Jess, as she shares bits and pieces about him. You had really wondered how she was able to learn all of these things about him anyway but before you had the opportunity to ask her, she told you to not.

Respecting her wishes, you keep your mouth shut. Respecting her even further, you decide to pack up both of your plates and wave her a goodbye before picking up those thoughts that you were left a while ago.

Admittedly, you didn't know why you were so persistent for something like this, for someone like him.

Determination was a strength of yours but that didn't mean that you didn't know where your limits rested and you would back off when you needed to.

There was just something. A swirling feeling in your gut that was telling you to keep going.

That it would be worth it.

So, you follow everything that Jess told you. Around midnight, he'd be alone, in the cafeteria, and looking for an empanada to snack on before heading back into his office. A very small fraction of his time left for personal conversation if you tried hard enough!

This most likely wasn't a good idea. You didn't sleep at all through the day but the thrill kept you alive and thriving. You confidently stride up to the counters of the cafeteria, picking out a small bag of chips for yourself and the last empanada for your soon-to-be snack companion.

Now, you wait.

You surveyed your surroundings and as you were doing that, you realize why he particularly emerges during these kinds of hours to eat. There was a significantly less amount of people.

Whenever you came here during the day, it was a miracle to be able to find completely empty seats. At times, you were forced to sit with a group of people.

You weren't entirely ungrateful for that though, you've made a lot of friends that way. Sure, it was awkward at first but the more you were forced to interact with people that way, the more you adapted to making small talk.

Even then, there were a lot of tables that were taken here save for one completely empty one at the far end.

Then, you finally see that navy and red suit.

Deciding to observe him just a little bit more, you watch him curse under his breath seeing the display case for the empanadas empty. Before he walks away any further, you tap him on the shoulder.

His mask was on, his eyes widen a little bit before you hand him the small box. "I saved the last one for you."

With a soft huff, you see the muscles in his shoulders and back grow loose once more, he hestitantly takes the container from your hands. Looking at it then looking back at you, "Thanks."

You two share a few seconds of awkward silence, you felt a little exposed. You decided to unmask for this because you wanted him to feel more comfortable talking to you rather than who you were as a Spider-person yet there's still that same awkwardness in the air.

Clearly without nothing to do and no idea on how to makem something better out of this, Miguel's about to walk off before you stop him once more.

"W— wait," A little piece of yourself dies inside as you hear yourself stutter but nevertheless, you keep going. "Uh, there aren't any other spots so is it alright if I sit you? I don't know any of the people here."

The way that you see the eyes through his masks narrow ever so slightly once the question escapes your throat makes your heart quiver like crazy.

You wanted to get to know him but damn, if you said that he didn't scare you sometimes then you would be lying.

You cry on the inside with sweet victory as he says...

"Fine."

That was it. That was all you got but you gladly take it! You have to catch up to him though because once you're done mentally celebrating, he's already a little bit far from you.

You try your hardest to keep your head straight but you can't help but look up and spare him one glance, the fact that you even had to look up at him really only emphasized your height difference with him.

Another factor that made you just a little bit more intimidated by him, his physique. You considered yourself to be of average height, you weren't the tallest person in the room but you were never the shortest as well. Just average.

The way he practically towered over you, his hand nearly being the size of your head. It made you feel something.

The moment that both of you have a seat, you take your opportunity.

"So, is there anything that you plan on doing after this?"

You get a little distracted once his mask comes off, he raises an eyebrow at you, crimson eyes that feel like they're looking straight into your soul. Though, side-tracked as he bites into the dough and meaty goodness of his empanada, with a shrug— he replies,

"Not really. Unless there's an anomaly I haven't heard of yet then I have no plans. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, nothing. Was just curious is all." Why was this so hard?!

The conversation goes as what you expected. You'd ask a question every moment or so and he'd give you a short response before going back to his food. He wouldn't ask you anything back, wouldn't add any 'unnecessary' comments. Just bask in the silence.

You simply couldn't take it anymore, you didn't know how to express your interest in him without asking him more questions about himself which he seems to avoid trying to answer.

You couldn't ask him about his hobbies because he'll most likely say that he's too busy working to actually spend time gaining and branching out to different interests.

Dejectedly, you sigh. "I'm sorry for imposing— on your alone time, I mean." It was like everything that you wanted to say just kept spilling out of your mouth.

"I didn't want to eat with you at this hour because I pity you or— or I found you lonely or whatever. I just thought that whenever you weren't talking about work, we'd be able to get along."

You stand up from your seat, eyes mindlessly darting arounf the labels of the bag of 'Spider-O's' in your clutches.

"I'll, uhm, let you eat in peace now. Once again, I'm—"

"Wait."

Which ever brain cells died from that interaction certainly reignited now. "Sit back down," It comes off an order. An order you certainly obey.

"I wouldn't have actually said yes to you if I didn't want to talk." He starts. "I know a lot of people but it's not in the same way that you do. I know their names, their faces, their canon events. You know their feelings, their mindscapes, and their troubles—"

"—And those are the exact kinds of things that I can't comprehend most of the time. We understand people differently, is what I'm saying. I still have no idea why exactly you sought out me of all people but I will... try to gain this new perspective of things."

You want to tamp down the smile that creeps up on your lips as you hear those words but you can't. What he said, it all made sense now. You couldn't see the full picture still, but you were willing to find it—

"I understand. It's fine."

"So? Do you have plans after this?"

Together.

[another-random-paradise]

Hello! I noticed your account has open requests and I've been searching for a while to find some twst writers lol! I really hope you don't mind this request and I like your works :3

A request about Leona and/or Ruggie realizing that this “naive“ m!reader is actually the king of sunset savannah's entertainer/court jester (you know how kings hired court jesters to entertain them in parties or whatever, I haven't done much research). They can insult Falena and the guards wouldn't beat his ass (since it's literally part of his job) PLUS it pays REALLY GOOD. The beastmen just recently found out because of the reader saying a comment about the King, saying something like “His hair reminds me of a tomato.“ “King Tomato Furry (Falena) said that I'll get a raise lol“ just randomly and went back to work.

I HOPE IT MAKES SENSE PLEASE 😭

A lovers Jest

Your brain is so big, anon. So very big, I love this request so much, you don't even know!! In Leonas part the M!reader is mentioned, but in Ruggies it isn't exactly mentioned, since i didn't want to unnecessarily cramp it in, I hope that's okay! Also Leona finds out during a festival, since i thought it would be funny- Also, I'm sorry this took so long, and thank you for the kind words!! Hope you enjoy :) There are way to many "Also's" in this Intro-

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Finding out their crush is the Royal Jester

Characters: Leona, Ruggie

Format: Headcanons

Warnings: None that i can think off

Leona

-How did he not know earlier about you being his brothers Jester? well, the man was to busy sleeping to partake in any of the royal festivities 

-How you could be so seemingly naive was a mystery to him, it really stunned him at times, but nonetheless you seemed to grow on him, so, you two started to hang out often

-He liked how, behind the closed doors of his room, you're even willing to joke and make fun of his brother. Falena is usually held in high regards by citizens of Sunset Savanna, not that he really minded. That is definitely why you two started hanging out so much (definitely not because he is slowly developing a crush on you, nuh uh)

-He would tease, how, as the second prince, he could report you to his brother and the guards, because of your jokes, only to get a laugh in response for from you. Truly, how naive could you be to not take threats seriously? let alone make jokes so carelessly about the king?! 

-Well, he was quick to find out, when he eventually was forced to go to a royal event! It's Chekas birthday, and the little man was very insistent about having his beloved uncle there! So, reluctantly, he went, no matter how little he wanted to. He did show up late though

-And when he did arrive, he almost immediately sees you. Well, the prince's birthday was commonly celebrated by the entire kingdom, he supposes it wasn't to weird you're here.. But why is there a crowd around you? and why are you standing so close to his brother?! And then, once he got a bit closer, he could finally hear what you were saying 

-"Why, your majesty, King of tomatoes may just be a better fitting title for you!"

-Oh. Oh no no no no no- he just came to terms with having a crush on you, and now you practically throw yourself into prison?! He knows you're naive, but to openly insult the king?! Even as the second prince he won't be able to save you from prison!

-Leona is panicking to say the least, just as he is about to try and intervene and stop you from being thrown into prison for the rest of your live, he suddenly hears his brother..laugh? The guards stand in their place, a few people in the crowd giggling, as his brother and his sister-in-law are full on laughing.

-He just stands there shocked, till Falena finally notices him. "Leona! how nice of you to finally grace us with your presence! I believe you have yet to meet my Jester?" Jester?! It would explain the situation.. "No, we have met before.." 

-respond to his intense stare with a smile, and suddenly he is looking away and blushing ever so slightly

-Suddenly your 'naivety' makes so much sense. You aren't naive, you just love your work so much, you continue to do it outside of working hours

-The rest of the night he spends silently observing you, while having to deal with chekas antics 

-You best believe, that the next time you two hang out, he'll be confronting you, very much wanting to know why you didn't tell him- You probably thought he already knew, since, y'know, he's part of the royal family and all

-This, along with his crush on you, gave him a great Idea. As a second prince, he isn't required to marry a woman, since he doesn't need an heir.. So not only is he free to marry you, he would get to take his brothers favorite Jester from him. For once, he'd be the one to take something from his brother, instead of the other way around! 

-Of course, that isn't the only reason he wants to marry you, dear reader, this lion is head over heels for you- he's just to stubborn to admit it :)

Ruggie

-You and Ruggie have probably already been close for a while, maybe you even have already gone on a date or two!

-And yet, he has yet to know what you do for work. But he does know that you make A LOT of money! He wouldn't just like you for the money, but if you're the kind of person to use at least a small amount to help those in need like himself by giving to charity, or paying for the meals he takes back home for the kids of the slum during the holidays, then that is a definitely one of the reason he fell for you

-He did notice how openly you insulted the King, and he can't say he minds, that man has so much money, and is supposed to take care of his kingdom, and yet there are still kids growing up the way he did. 

-Nonetheless, he usually stops you when your 'naive' enough to Joke about the King in the open, he doesn't need you going to prison, you pay for so many of his meals! He is genuinely in love with you, but just like Leona, too stubborn to admit it

-Until one day, he once again stops you from Insulting the king in public and you reply with a simple "Why? King Tomato-head even said I'd get a raise for that Joke!"

-"Wait what? What do you mean by that??" - If you translated Ruggies expression into words

-"Oh yeah, I'm the Royal Jester! Did I never tell you that?" No, no you did not- but it does explain a lot to Ruggie, why, no matter how much you joked in the open, the guards never went after you, why you were willing to insult the king at all.. You weren't naive, you were just doing your job!

-...Do you think you could also get him a job as jester? He knows a court usually has more than one Jester, and apparently it pays well!.. But that would mean he would spent his holidays at the castle instead of with his grandma and the slum kids. Yeah, he'll leave the Jesting to you

-But suddenly, instead of stopping you from telling your jokes, he'll help you come up with them! He knows, that the funnier a Jester is, the more they'll get paid, and you best believe he's making sure you bring home that bag!!

-...Also, maybe if you have a holiday off, you'd be willing to come with him to the slums and perform for the kids? He can only imagine how exited they would be to see the performance of an actual jester. 

-If you say yes, he'd literally be willing to marry you on the spot, he's already picking a venue

Tbh, not that proud of Leonas part, the words didn't wanna word- But I'm still pretty proud of myself nonetheless ngl

Also, two posts in one day, I feel so productive-

I hope you enjoyed! Feedback is welcomed, just be nice :)

Have a lovely day/night!

[gammija]

[CECIL]: "So, as we move into the final hours of the competition, vote! Whether it's for your favorite, local, Night Vale community radio host or some... pile of bones, don't let your voice go unheard.

Also... Well, this might be a little bit outside the rules, but you could even make a second account to show a little more support for whoever you think should win. You probably won't get caught. As City Council declared in a recent press release, "Voter fraud doesn't exist."

"There is no such thing as voter fraud," City Council said last Wednesday, their many mouths moving as one. "No one can vote more than once. We certainly can't. Ha, ha." Some of their feet shuffled. "We definitely did NOT commit voter fraud by using the recently developed cloning technology to make copies of ourselves, force them to vote for us, then bus them into the Whispering Forest where we threw them out. That. Never. Happened," they added emphatically.

Immediately after the press conference they disbanded the City Council's, 'Night Vale committee for Fair Elections', by eating them."

[A door creaks.]

[CECIL]: "Listeners, someone has just entered my studio.

Uhm, excuse me! You're not allowed to be in here!

It looks like it's a small man, with a smoothly bald head, and dark empty eyes...

Oh no. They're sockets. This must be him, this 'Snas' the skeleton. He's coming to defend his title...

Listeners, as I prepare myself for what will surely be a fight to the death, seeing who takes who out first, I take you... To the weather."

[CECIL]: "Welcome back. I know you're all dying to know whether I won the Tumblr sexyman poll, and if I defeated the small skeleton. Well...

I was all ready to fight, getting into a stance, when the skeleton held up his hands. He said that he didn't want to fight, and that he'd come here to concede and hand me the title.

I'll admit, I was a bit taken aback by this at first. Of course, I had to protest. Wouldn't that be unfair to the few people who voted for him, I asked?

But he explained that, since he already won last year, he wasn't really looking forward to all the attention and hassle from winning a second time. And seeing as it apparently meant a lot to me, he'd rather just let me win than miss his wedding.

Yeah, apparently he's about to be wed to someone named Komaeda in a few days? Good for him.

Dear listeners, after his heartfelt plee, I felt I had no choice but to accept the win.

Which means I am now, officially, Tumblr sexyman of 2023. Yay!

Stay tuned next for muffled sounds of celebration, overheard from a neighbour's house nearby.

Good night, Night Vale. Good night."

[twptwp]

Please share

Hello, I contemplated it a lot, I decided it would be best. I will be sharing this beware on a rather big artist here who hurt me personally.

I will write more at the end. Please take care. Warning: the post is very big

Pestkitty is also known as Nopperabou if I remember the name correctly on other platforms such as Artfight and Youtube

*It should be noted this is very blatant lying on that guys part, I was keeping to myself for this entire time and harassed nobody, on the contrary his friends had been harassing me. I regret not writing that more clearly

I don't think I mentioned it in the original post images but I would also like to note at the time I was not an adult yet and it was my first time going on a plane... 11 hour flight completely alone is scary, no family, nobody in my family has ever travelled so far. It was a very big deal

END OF IMAGES

Description from original post on Instagram (it's a lot so I'll make it small):

HI HI PAWB! Lots and lots of people wanted me to put this together, please do share, even if you do not know the people it would be great help. The more people who know the more people who can stay safe. This post is a little overdue but I was gaslit by them into thinking these were not big issues and that I was the one being strange so it took a while for me to gain the stability to put this together, I ended up downplaying my feelings a lot and it wasn't untill somewhat recent when I realised I may be developing a new disorder from their abuse that oh... I was not wrong for my concerns and feelings; these people really are harmful. I do not condone harassment so please do not go messaging these people. Block, share, and move on. Stay safe. That is my internet mission for you🚀

I make this post because they are rather gross and dangerous and have considerably big audiences, people have told me their opinions that they should not have the platforms that they have because their behaviours are dangerous. There is more things they've done that I have not included because I would like some of my own privacy even after my private information was leaked in a comic haha... I've displayed enough behaviour from them to show who they are and what they do though, so this is enough!

This is quite intimidating for me, so, I will be going offline off of this account for a few days and just let this post simmer... Not for too long because I have some awesome art cooking HEHE but YA! If there are questions in the comments my friends will answer for me! Though, I think I've been rather transparent so I don't think there would be any.

I will also be providing more proof in my story, specifically proof that slide 10 IS that guy because quite frankly anybody could be "Instagram user" and they have fabricated stuff against me in the past so I think it would be good to prove it is that account.

Okay bla bla that is all, apologies this is such a scary and serious post especially as I like to keep my account a friendly nice place but ahhh it really has been burning at me. So, thank you for reading so very much. Bye bye pawb!

End of description^

That was a lot! So here is why I'm sharing it to Tumblr:

☆Awareness! NOBODY should have to risk getting close to these people. NOBODY.

☆Better circulation! My Instagram post got over 3000 likes, lots of shares, 100s of comment and many saves so it did very well however after a while things leave the light and become something "of the past". I notice this does not happen so much on Tumblr and things continue to be shared

☆This still effects me. The original Beware is from 3 months ago however I am currently doing this because I was restless from lastnight nightmare (I had a nightmare about these people) and now I'm all nauseous and shaky again! It's 3am and I was panicking a lot so I put this together, I'm yet to rest

And finally....

☆TAGS

I notice that if an image in a tag becomes popular enough it shows up on things like Google! Isn't that cwl! So, if a fan of these people searches for them on the internet the beware could show up which may deter them from the artist. This is great, which is why I also need your help in making this popular!

Thank you sincerely for your time, it is greatly appreciated. I feel calmer now that I have made this post, I regret not making it earlier but it is better now than never. Nos da ac breuddwydion melys pawb♡

[kiwioala]

documents bagi found in the fed lab!

I feel so sick from seeing all these bodies... First our colleagues and now this?? I need to take some time boss, I'll be back later. Maybe...

2 pictures, both from etoiles fight:

diagram regarding mimicubes and mimic octopus:

The bouncing block of slime is capable of copying the equipment of its enemies, the different things they can copy are: weapons (not only applying on hit effects but also enchantments), shields (being able to block projectile weapons like bows and crossbows), and totems to prevent their own death. Their goo is also known to be able to be used to copy a piece of equipment to the last detail regardless of what material or enchantments it has. It's ability seems to be an evolved version of that of a mimic octopus, the mimic octopus would copy the behavior and looks of other animals for both hunting and self defense. But it seems the mimic cube can copy other materials to the very last details, including pieces of equipment.

diagram regarding lobsters:

These little creatures have incredible abilities, including but not limited to being able to smell and taste the water with their "nose" to hunt their prey, their claws are also a unique barb that allows them to hunt for fish.

IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE ESCALATE THIS MATTER TO UPPER MANAGEMENT -> They won't stop growing and won't stop molting throughout with their life, it is considered that they could live forever, if it wasn't bc of the energy needed to molt that they eventually (at 100 years,) won't have

They also can come in different colors, depending on amount and distribution of pigments, being able to be other colors, including: orange, blue, yellow, white, black, and some with special names, like the split halloween colored (black and red) red-blue split colored and cotton candy (pinkish white)

diagram regarding cosmaws:

A once believed extinct species, these flying creatures will attack any player that hits it, biting back with its protocesis, it also uses it to hunt its main pray, the cosmic cod, which can be used to tame them.

While they will not protect their owner in a fight, they serve a different purpose to exploration, whenever their owner is about to fall to the void, the cosmaw will run for it and try to catch it so it doesn't fall into said void.

"Cosmic Cod are fish that can be found in the void between end islands. [...] They float through the ether of The End in decently-sized schools. If one fish in the school is attacked; the entire school of fish will attempt to teleport away as soon as possible. [...] Cosmic Cod can also be caught in an empty bucket." -Animal Dictionary

diagram regarding code status and behavior:

book found in drawer:

more code writing:

010 010 00 0100 0101 01001100 1010 00 00 which translates to "HELP"

lab reports:

[REPORT] Given the recent events at the laboratory, including the intrusion, code breaches, injuries, fatalities among our workers, and the peculiar attack by unfamiliar individuals, we have made the decision to relocate. The place isn't the secured area it used to be, we have reasons to think that several factions with different goals have found its location, therefore we need to find a new place to pursue our researches We have to protect our informations and hide our goals, we cannot let anyone see our research. All the content of our research is now way less valuable since it has been seen and might also have been copied. The next laboratory needs to have a way more secured system, cameras, and lockdown system.

[REPORT] All entities have been transported or terminated, the documents should follow.

[REPORT] It seems like the one eyed creature has been correctly relocated.

misc. clipboards:

CLIPBOARD 1: 1: Heyy, are u having a good day?? 2: No. 1: Oh. sorry about that, what's going on?? 2: Work. 1: O.o

CLIPBOARD 2: • Terminate the subject.

CLIPBOARD 3: • Check for vitals • Check for updates • Check for infection • Check for development

CLIPBOARD 4: • No report has been conclusive yet.

CLIPBOARD 5: • Reports still have to be finalized. • Night shift has to be adjusted as the code changed it's rhythm yet again.

CLIPBOARD 6: • Has been calm over the last fourteen hours. • The current frequency can't be read, we need to order new equipment.

[esamastation]

Part forty-three of Shizuroth, aka, the SOLDIER General's Self Saving Shizun.

Ao3 link.

Previous parts: twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty, forty-one, forty-two,

-

"No, it was more like this? Legs bent more, and feet like this, yeah? I remember it because he corrected me on it, I had my foot aimed inside too much, and I wasn't in balance."

"Oh, yeah, yeah, he corrected me on that too…"

Kunsel looks between the two SOLDIERs, Second Class Keyes and Third Class Alme, both holding the same pose. "Okay, that's good, hold like that for a moment."

It had taken all his savings to buy a camera on short notice, especially one of the instant cameras, but it was well worth it. With it he managed to capture most of the Training Session second hand, photographing the other SOLDIERs doing what Sephiroth had taught them in that frantic session.

While the pictures develop, Kunsel takes out his notebook. "Okay, what did he say to you, exactly?"

The notebook is already full of quotes and lines from Sephiroth, some of them verified by other SOLDIERs word for word, others contested. The information and the pictures would soon be gathered into one easily distributable leaflet - already, most everyone he'd talked to wanted copies.

"When do you think it will be ready?" Alme asks eagerly.

"I think I got around to everyone - just James and Zadrian left," Kunsel says, adding final notes to the quotes. "They're out on a mission. I'll throw together a mock-up once I've gotten around to them."

"Let me know when, I'll proofread it for you."

"Will do," Kunsel says.

"Heads up," Keyes says. "It's the last batch."

Kunsel looks up to see the three SOLDIERs, the most recent ones to have been called into the labs, heading towards the lounge area. "Hey guys. Everything good?"

"I failed my affinity test," the youngest says while the others shrug uncomfortably. "I don't know if that's good or bad."

"Yeah," another one of them says, looking worried. "Does this mean we can't become Seconds?"

"No, no, the tests are for something else," Kunsel says reassuringly. "Some new thing they're trying. Everyone's going through them, and I don't think they will affect regular injections."

"Sunder passed the test, and he's having a time," Alme comments. "So I think you maybe got lucky."

"Oh, okay," the other Third looks a bit uneasy. "Um. I'm going to head out, I really need a shower. I'll see you guys later."

"Yeah," the quiet one agrees, and they head off together. The Third Class that spoke first waves them off but sticks around, looking worried.

Kunsel hums and glances at Alme. "What's going on with Sunder?"

"I don't know, but they've barely let him out of the labs," Alme says, a bit uncomfortable. "There are all these injections, and they want to keep him under observation for every one. Raiton and Decker are in there too."

"And a bunch of cadets," Keyes adds.

They're all quiet for a moment, uncomfortably aware of the fact that a lot of cadets are way below the usual recruitment age, because the SOLDIER program doesn't have a recruitment age, and trying for SOLDIER is an easy way to get to Infantry early.

"I guess whatever they're looking for, it's easier to get before SOLDIER Mako injections?" Keyes mutters.

"Or they just have a bigger pool of candidates," Kunsel agrees.

The youngest SOLDIER in their little circle looks confused. "Shouldn't that be a good thing? Aren't they coming up with, like, improvements to the program? Maybe the cadets will get better injections than we will."

There's another uncomfortable silence. "Maybe," Kunsel says slowly. 

The rumours of Sephiroth going all glowy before the Incident have been going through the SOLDIER floors, and it's not exactly a secret that it was something new and incredible. The fact that the Science Department is taking bigger interest in the SOLDIER program all of a sudden is without question related.

And there's the rumour of Sephiroth having been given an extra large dose of Mako just before the Incident. Everyone knows Sephiroth's Mako injections are the highest in the program. For anyone else, they'd just give them Mako Poisoning. If the Science Department is trying to recreate what happened to Sephiroth…

That's not something you can just talk about though.

"Genesis isn't happy about it," Keyes points out.

"The Crimson Commander?" the young SOLDIER asks excitedly. "Why not?"

"Well. Because. Uh." Keyes throws a helpless look at Kunsel.

"He's just worried the Science Department is getting a bit…" presumptuous and careless and injection-happy, never a good thing for the SOLDIER program, "... overzealous with their… improvements."

"Aren't improvements a good thing, though?"

Clearly the kid has never heard of the early days - when some SOLDIERs developed Mako stones in their insides. Or the ones that had to be put down. "We just hope they take some caution," Kunsel says awkwardly in face of the kid's confusion. "Mako isn't something you should throw around willy-nilly."

"... But isn't that what Shinra is all about?"

Kunsel laughs, and he's not the only one. "Ain't that the truth," Keyes says and claps the kid on the shoulder. "I gotta go get some sleep - I've got a night mission coming up. You got everything you needed, Kunsel?"

"Yeah, thanks. Good luck on your mission."

The SOLDIERs disperse, aside from the youngest, who stands there, still confused, scratching at the back of his head.

"I don't get it," the young Third Class says. "Did I say something funny?"

"Kinda," Kunsel admits with a smile. "Don't worry about it. You're pretty new, huh? Part of the last group that passed the candidate process?"

"Yeah! My name's Zack," the kid says and offers his hand. "Zack Fair. Nice to meetcha, sir!"

"Just call me Kunsel." They shake hands. "Are you getting the hang of everything alright?"

"It's been a bit weird lately, but yeah," the new Third Class says. "Mostly me and the others have been running around in the slums, taking out monsters."

That's what most Thirds do, yeah. "And how is that going?"

"Eh, I guess it's fine?" Zack shrugs. "I mean, we were given swords and stuff, and it's not like the beasties down there are much of a challenge. I come from Gongaga, and lemme tell you - after Touch Mes, everything else is easy."

Kunsel blinks at that declaration and then snorts. "Touch Mes - you mean the… frogs?"

Zack gives him a disgruntled look. "You don't know what they do, do you?"

"Well, I've heard about them…"

"They put you to sleep and then you wake up as a frog," Zack says. "They are a menace and the worst thing you will ever fight."

Kunsel laughs. "I guess you're well prepared for SOLDIER then, having already gone through the worst."

Zack grins and then gives him a curious look. "So, uh, why were you taking pictures before? Was it for some kind of magazine?"

Kunsel looks down at his notebook. The pictures have finished developing, showing Alme and Keyes striking poses. "Kinda - it's for a tutorial I'm putting together. You wanna take a look?"

-

Ducklings and a puppy

[virgo-dream]

heard u need some headcanons!! much love bc this time of year is ROUGH 🫂

Hob got really into the queer liberation movement and has gone on to be the resident bisexual professor that all the students know is a safe person to go to and helps out with the LGBT clubs on campus.

He gets really excited to share this with Dream, who is a little confused about why it's so important (having missed much of the fight) but immediately takes interest because omg Hob is into more than ladies??

Hob hosts the club at the New Inn and Dream shows up and all the students just Know by the way those two look at each other and spend the night trying to get them to admit it to each other.

Look. LOOK. I'M. I'm very NORMAL ABOUT THIS. Did you know the bi flag was unveiled in December 5th of 1988? Did you know HOB DIDN'T MEET DREAM IN JULY 7TH OF 1989 ANYWAY HAVE A FIC

Dream doesn't get it at first. He never really did get it, but only attributed it to the need humanity had for labels, for packing things into boxes and saying this goes here and that goes there. Sometimes, it led to this goes to heaven and you go to hell. It seemed to be a very common one, too. He was beyond that; his name said it all, Dream was endless. Not he nor she, not man nor creature, he was all there was to be and the nothingness beyond it. Gender and sexuality need not apply.

Still, it meant so much to Hob, that he'd have dreams about it. Nightmares too, for nights on end, and even if Dream begged Hob to allow him to take them away, Hob always declined, always braved through them. "If you take them, I'll forget how much it all means. I'll forget why I'm still fighting."

They sat at the New Inn one afternoon, while Hob graded papers and Dream had a cup of chamomile tea, but his eyes couldn't help but focus on a shiny pin on Hob's jumper shaped like a flag, the shades of pink, purple and blue a spot of proud colour in Hob's otherwise earthy colour palette.

"It's the bisexual pride flag."

"Hm?" Dream's eyes dart up to meet Hob's, tilting his head slightly. He wasn't sure if he should feel bad for being caught, because he wasn't sure what he was looking at in the first place.

"The pin. I wear it for my students, but also for myself. The kids feel safer I guess, knowing they have at least one of their own in the faculty. Can't say it doesn't make me feel good too."

Hob has a particular tone to his voice that makes Dream's heart sing in tune to its melody. It's a fuller sense of self, maybe more than Dream ever had in regards to his own identity. "...one of their own?"

"Oh, I– Sorry, those are pretty recent." Hob straightened himself up (ha) on the chair, his lecturing posture taking over. Dream liked when he did that. He liked to hear Hob speak of things he had deep knowledge of and passion for. "This one was created in 1988 by a queer activist called Michael Page. Had the pleasure of being there when it was first unveiled, but clearly it took a long time until I was able to wear something like this out in public and not be decked by some bloody homophobe."

It was starting to sink in.

"...I'm afraid I was not present for these developments." Dream saw the look on Hob's face, like he was ready to apologise. He raised a had to stop him, waving his concern away. "As far as I can remember, queer was not a form of self identification, but only a way to shun out those outside the established norm."

"Ah, yes. We reclaimed it, though. Or are reclaiming it. The 80s were crazy. All of them were, for me." Hob smiled at Dream, at their shared secret and at their years of now reestablished friendship.

"I think you're lonely."

Could it have been....? Could he have meant...?

"What does it mean for you, then?" Dream asks in a way he hopes sounds inconspicuous, pointing at the pin. He was hesitant to ask, afraid to be getting it all wrong.

"For me? It means I love whoever I love. Man, woman, either or neither."

The pride coming from Hob's words filled Dream with hope, something he had not felt in a long, long time. The look in his face then shifted onto something else, something he didn't quite understand. "...what about you? That is, if you're okay with talking about that. I don't want to overstep. Last thing I want is for you to walk out–"

"I won't, Hob." Dream knew Hob had reason for feeling that way. "I don't believe the terminology you have could define my experience. I have laid with mortals and gods alike, and have wore many faces and names. It is beyond human comprehension."

Hob seems takes a moment to think about what he'd just heard. Dream feels like he might have thrown too much at his human friend. "...I think I get it. But, and tell me to bugger off I'm wrong, do you prefer to be a particular way? To be with a particular sort of being?"

Dream. Didn't have an answer.

He never thought of what he preferred. He'd never felt in need of any sort of outside validation, but. That was a lie. He needed it. He just never cared to look for it.

Hob's smile was what broke him out of the spell of his own self doubt. "It's okay if you don't have an answer, you know. It takes people a loooong time to get it, it took me nearly 600 years, you know? Ah! You know what? I've got an idea–" He reached inside his brown messenger bag, pulling out a colourful piece of paper, handing it over to Dream. A pamphlet for a meeting. "We're having a meeting for the uni's LGBT clubs here at the Inn. I want this to be a safe space for the kids, and to get them to connect with other folks in the community, share their experiences. It's tomorrow, and I'd love it if you could make it. I'm sure they would too."

Dream took the pamphlet in hands, looking at the bright colours and bold fonts, taking in every bit of information Hob was giving him and trying to fill in the gaps of the questions he wouldn't dare ask. After a moment, he looked up at Hob, allowing himself a small smile. "I shall be in attendance, then."

[duckapus]

So in the Self-Help Hotline AU I'm starting with just seven Ashes, eight when you include the central Ash who's just starting out. I'll probably add a few at certain milestones (definitely when he goes to a new region (including the Orange Islands that totally counts) possibly after movies and similar Big Legendary-Related Disasters but I'm undecided there). Arceus gave them all nicknames because otherwise it'd start with the chat filled with nothing but "Ash Ketchum" and it'd be impossible to tell who's talking.

Mini-Me: The central Ash who just got a Pikachu who hates him but is technically giving him a chance (you really think he couldn't have just ran away whenever, even during the fishing line bit?) and left Palette Town on the Pokemon Journey of a lifetime. An arrogant, overconfident little dumbass elementary-schooler with a heart of gold who constantly switches between having an ego nearly as big as Gary's and having no self-esteem whatsoever with no in-between.

O.G.A. / TheLlamasErrandBoy: The Ash from the end of the main timeline (or at least a timeline so extremely close to it that it's functionally the main timeline), with all the character development and Trauma that entails. Arceus gave him Admin Privileges and Dipped after explaining what the chat was made for so he's allowed to change nicknames and immediately abuses that power to roast The Original One Itself.

QueenOfTheWorld: Ashley Ketchum. She had a few Realizations during the stuff in Celadon so she's transfem. Her Journey had the fewest differences from the Main Timeline of the six AU Ashes since being a girl didn't change that much about her life.

L.G.M.: The version from my Invader Ash AU. By now he's aware that his mission wasn't what he thought it was and is fine with being Earth's hero instead of its ruler. He's still morally a very dark grey and kind of crazy though. He is still an Irken and still loyal to the Empire (particularly Tallest Delia) after all.

Aaron Jr: an Ash from a world where the Aura Guardians never faded into obscurity and he received formal training from a young age. Insists that he doesn't count as a child soldier since he stumbled across disasters on his journey for Chosen One Reasons just like the other Ashes did rather than the Order deliberately sending him to solve those problems. Actually the fact that this literal child keeps ending up in so much danger despite their best efforts is one of the Order's biggest headaches. The fact that he's so good at dealing with it (and is one of the most powerful Guardians in decades) only eases their worries a little.

Spooky: A version of Ash who succumbed to the injuries and exhaustion he sustained during the Spearow chase and became a Misdreavus due to a hasty halfway-too-late resurrection attempt from Ho-Oh. He's currently a Mismagius, a master illusionist, the World Monarch just like most of the other Ashes, and has long since come to terms with his death and species change. He does still have a vengeful hatred (and slight fear) of the Spearow line, but can you really blame him?

MyJobIsBeach: An Ash who stayed in Alola to help fully establish the League after becoming the Champion. He did technically go through the plot of Journeys but instead of being a research assistant he just kept running into Goh and Chloe while working his way through the World Coronation Series. He is still friends with them but not quite as close as in most timelines.

DoTheMario!: An Ash who's somewhat more familiar with the Multiverse than the others because his world is permanently linked with a version of the Mushroom Kingdom following a recent adventure. As in, he just finished dealing with the related Big Disaster and stabilizing the connection (since for Complicated Space-Time-Continuum-Could-Get-Torn-Apart reasons they couldn't sever the connection) a couple weeks before the chat got made. Since the point of divergence was so recent (and post-series) he's the second closest to the Main Timeline out of the starting lineup after Ashley.

[multifandoms27-blog]

The Sacred Cards

Content: (Platonic) Yugi Muto x gn!Reader

Warnings: None

Notes: Been playing Yugioh: The Sacred Cards recently and I got to the end and it made me want to write about it

• ───────────────── •

You, a renown duelist, stood on the Kaiba blimp that soared over Domino city. It was the night before the final match. So much has gone wrong since you and seven other duelists stepped foot on this blimp. Your friends and yourself blindly trusted a man who turned out to be Marik, leader of the Ghouls, a group that had been hurting people since Battle City started.

But something happened to Marik. Something awful. He wasn't himself, not that you really knew him in the first place, but he seemed...more evil somehow. The semi-finals went smoothly at first, but it all came crashing down after a while.

First, there was a match between yourself and Yugi Muto. You, as his long time friend, knew of his other self when he dueled. Somehow, you were able to beat him, even if by a hair. Seto was not happy about that development, and had vowed to beat you in the finals.

However, that didn't happen. The next match was Marik and Kaiba, to which Seto had, unfortunately, lost. Seto then went into a coma and is being kept in one of the medical rooms with Joey and Mai. As far as you knew, this was his second coma. Couldn't be good for the body.

While you were thinking, you didn't notice your door room opening and someone stepping inside. "Y/n?"

You jumped and turned around. There stood was Yugi. He looked shy, as if he were approaching you for the first time. "I...came to see how you were doing. Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"I've gone over my strategies, but Marik could throw anything at me..." You look off to the side.

"So you're nervous?" Yugi wrung his hands. "I am too...I couldn't sleep..."

"Oh, Yugi..." You looked back down at him. "I'll be okay-"

"But what if you aren't? What if you end up like Joey? Or Kaiba?" Yugi looked worried now, and you swore you saw tears in his eyes.

You opened your mouth to say something, but you just walked forward and brought a hand to his cheek. A tear fell from his eye and you wiped it away with your thumb, though it smeared his eyeliner slightly. "Yugi, I'll be okay. I have full confidence in my deck, and I'm sure they'll all wake up after I beat Marik tomorrow. Then this will all be over."

Yugi sniffled and looked up at you. He put his hand over yours and took a deep breath. "I just don't want you to end up like them."

"I understand. I promise you I wont." You gave him a friendly wink. "Now try to get some sleep. I'll see you bright and early for the duel tomorrow, okay?"

Yugi nodded. "Okay. And what if you can't beat Marik?"

"Then I leave him in your capable hands."

Yugi nodded, then turned to leave. With one last look to you, he finally shut your door and walked down the hall. You weren't going to lie to yourself, you were very nervous. But that wasn't going to stop you from trying your hardest to beat Marik and win the Battle City tournament, and wake your friends up. That you were sure of.

• ───────────────── •

Here is my Masterlist in case you want to request, or look for more of your favorite character!

[hinakazino]

Valentine || Angel Devil/Reader

Summary: Angel Devil doesn’t quite understand human traditions, until Aki lexplains it to him of course.

Warnings: none, just fluff!

Valentine’s Day, a day meant for partners to express their love for one another. Or, in your case for someone to express their feelings for another. Oh how you hoped Cupid would grant your wish.

Currently you worked as a public safety division 4 member. Typically you were assigned with the Angel Devil. You noticed awhile ago he didn’t like working much, which pushed most of the fighting onto you.

However he was very helpful in developing weapons for you and joining when the situation got dire. “Honestly it didn’t doesn’t make any sense why you like him,” Himeno says to you, snapping your train of thought. Once again, you and Himeno were out about eating lunch together talking about who knows what.

Yet again, you were dreamily thinking about the devil you saw only to be an Angel. Himeno sighed, she didn’t know what to do with you. Snapping her fingers you finally came to your senses, “hey, we’re here to eat get your head out of the clouds,” she said while giving you a flick to your forehead.

“Hey! You do this with Aki too!” you retort, only to be met with an eye roll, “not as much as you do,” Himeno says. You could only give her a soft smile as you sloshed around your tea. ���Why don't you give him chocolates? You know what they mean on valentines,” Himeno suggests, giving you a wink.

You scoff at her idea, this was the same proposal she gave you last year. Which you brushed off because at the end of the day, you couldn’t muster up the courage to get him something. “I don’t know about that..” you say, glancing away nervously. You knew she wouldn’t let it go easily.

“It’s a good idea you know! Come on, we still have time, let’s go get some chocolates. They say if you start something it’s easier to go through with it,” she says enthusiastically. You get up reluctantly with her dragging you by the arm to the nearest shop with a Valentine’s Day theme.

You do end up getting something but it takes longer than you’d expected. “Thought you didn’t wanna get one?” Himeno says smirking. You scowl at her as she laughs, “I just wanna make sure it’s at least up to his standards so it won’t go to waste,” you say.

After, you head back to work to hunt another devil. Honestly, Himeno was right as you certainly did feel more motivated to give the chocolates to Angel. But what if he rejected you? Oh it’d be so so awkward to work with him then. Or maybe you could just play it off?

It was bugging you the whole time, and you weren’t exactly good at hiding your emotions. The whole time Angel peered at you as you fought to when you’d finally slayed the devil. He didn’t mean to watch you so closely, but the way your eyebrows were softly scrunched up along with the small pout was obvious.

You were distracted for sure and he didn’t want you to die, you were a good person after all. Angel could tell the effort you put in to make him feel comfortable. First, unlike others you chose to put on gloves whenever you were out with him. Second, you bought him more things and even offered outings together outside of business related things.

All in all you were a really nice person, but love? Angel hadn't thought of that, well, not until recently. At the end of your mission with him you did in fact give him the chocolates. He wasn't one to show emotions but he thanked you nonetheless. It was what you did next that confused him, why were you standing there so red? Why did you look like you expected something?

Most importantly, why did you run off? These were all questions Angel would ask to Aki as he went back to public safety. Aki sighed, "of course you wouldn't understand," he said now chuckling. Angel raised a brow, not of annoyance but more of impatience.

"I'll cut to the chase, she's confessing her love to you. Valentines day? The day of love? You give chocolates to ask them out basically," Aki explained. It made sense, Angel hadn't really realized the significance to a human day until now. "Wow, so you really didn't know? Thought you've been around for awhile," Aki says, even he's surprised Angel didn't catch your hints.

It wasn't like you were good at hiding the point you liked Angel. "I guess.. I just never researched," Angel responds as he drifts off thinking. Aki's never seen Angel this deep in thought and it worried him, he wonders how Angel feels about you too. It's truly heartbreaking when someone you've liked for so long doesn't feel the same.

It was almost the end of the day, you had ran off after giving him the chocolates. Well, you didn’t run off right away but rather when you didn’t get the reaction you expected. You see, he neither denied or confirmed his feelings towards you. Instead opting to just say thank you?

Oh now you were embarrassed. About running, avoiding, and for not having realized he may not know human things? Valentine’s Day isn’t even that significant, you thought walking home after a day of work and mixed feelings. You couldn't even call it a day of work though, since you basically pleaded with Makima to have the rest of the day off.

You felt yourself sigh, only to jump as Angel landed in front of you. You hadn't even noticed him flying above you until his shadow landed on you. Your first instinct was to flee of course but Angel was prepared, this time with his own set of gloves as he caught your hand and prevented you from running.

For a moment, neither of you said anything until Angel broke the silence. He didn't like beating around the bush, and the whole day of constantly chasing you wore him out, he didn't like having to move so much. It was also really amusing to finally see you, he had to admit.

Looking at you now, Angel wonders how he in fact never caught on to your feelings. Probably just from his years of roaming this earth. "Why are you avoiding me?" he asks, his eyes staring intensely at you. He can see that you won't meet his gaze, so he forces you to.

Angel was never one to be rough but he really wanted answers so he may have too forcefully pulled your chin to look at him. "Just answer me why?" he asks again, this time softer. You gulp, glancing into his eyes you're frightened by his possible reaction. It didn't help that his face was angelic as ever, and almost impossible to read. But you couldn't go on like this forever, right?

"It's because I like you!" you end up blurting loudly, enough that everyone around you would've heard, if it weren't for the empty streets. You can't even bear to look at him, what face would he have anyway? You didn't wanna know.

"Like, you love me?" he asks, in a pondering tone, his eyes drifting around in what can only be described as a strange awe. This was way too embarrassing, was he making fun of you now? "Yes, yes I love you," you say, way more confidently than you thought you would now looking directly at him.

You can see him shift to a smile, "I knew that," he states, much to your confusion and wonder. "But why do you love me? You know I'm a devil first?" he asks. His eyes stare at you with genuine curiosity and you're at a lost of words.

You think for a moment, you know what to say. "I don't care about that whole devil-angel business, love isn't based on circumstances like that, it's just you, ya know?" you say awkwardly. It sounded really cheesy now that it's come out but truthfully you never once thought of him being a devil restricting you two.

Although that was a very big possibly. Seeing as a devil-human relationship was never heard of. No less a devil-devil hunter relationship, which would sound crazy to some. It wasn't like him being a devil made you afraid of him or dislike him. You always enjoyed his presence.

Hearing this, Angel grabbed your hand softly in his, “I feel the exact same way,” he said as he intertwined his fingers with yours. There wasn’t much that had to be said, things weren’t perfect. It didn’t end with the kiss most romantic scenes do, for very obvious reasons.

Still, it was relieving and amazing that you both had each other now. Walking together, both of you to your house this time. You both had fun teasing and bathing each other in affection as you talked openly.

When you guys had made it to your home you both opted to watch movies together. “Want some chocolates?” Angel asked, offering you the gift you’d given him. You smiles and accepted his offer as you both spend the night munching sweets away together. It was a good Valentines Day.

Happy Valentines Day ! ❤️❤️❤️

© 2023 by Hinakazino, do not translate/edit/claim or use my work in any form.

[gingerylangylang1979]

This shit is not new

This is in response to the multiple posts right now about the recent articles that have come out and just general angst about this ship in the media.

This really isn't new. It's not unique to The Bear. It's not unique to Carmy x Sydney. It's not unique to slow burns.

I do think Mulder x Scully is the best example. Why? They are the ship that modernized shipping. The terms shipping, noromo, etc. come from that ship. They pioneered the modern "why can't men and women just be friends", "platonic soulmate", "it would cheapen the show", "the show isn't about romance" arguments.

Syd x Carmy are like Mulder x Scully 2.0 (with a slightly different flavor that I will get to). The X-Files was a huge sleeper hit with a cult following. From the first episode there was speculation about romance and people raging against it. The question was brought up in every interview and denied by the show runner. The intensity kept developing until finally they went canon. And then, only then, did the show runner change tune. Shippers felt they were being persecuted for even mentioning the ship. It was super intense.

I watched the show as a teen. I low key did ship them but wasn't involved in fandom so I wasn't aware of the shenanigans. But I know all of this from first hand accounts.

And here's receipts from media:

So, I know a big element is missing in this comparison. The race element is at play here. I'm not denying that. But I will say, I started with this example just to show it isn't just interracial couples that get this backlash. I could also mention Ted x Rebecca, but I don't think I need to go into them because they are current. Mulder x Scully started this and history is important.

I do think there is a special flavor of dislike for this ship because of race. I've spoken on it. The unwarranted hate for Sydney can't be ignored. The same has happened with Richonne, Ichabbie, etc. No denial here. But if you look at the overall history of shipping what we are seeing specific to media denial, media scrutiny, antis, denial of the ship until the very end, gaslighting, etc. is slow burn and shipping war 101.

There is no agenda from cast and crew to stick it to us. Their agenda is to maintain the element of surprise and tell the story they want to tell. There is no agenda from the media to do anything but get a story that gets clicks. There is no special denial of a romance unique to this one.

This is just how a slow burn plays out.

There are no slow burns that went canon and the show runner said, oh yeah, this is the plan before the end. If there is tell me, and I'll gladly correct. But, that just isn't reality. They will say the same thing every season until it happens, no matter what happens on screen in the meantime. And there is always some lame statement made about why they "suddenly" decided to make it a thing or a lame admission that it was planned. So basically, they lie. The lies may seem cruel but it's not personal. It's not some secret agenda to deny your fave romance and happiness. It's just showbiz.

All of this can feel personal in relation to the extent a fan is personally invested. And I think that's up to each person to decide if their investment is creating too high an expectation and too much drama for regarding fictional characters on a tv show. That's not on media. It's not on the actor, creators, journalists, etc. to determine and protect a fan's level of investment or engagement. Nobody has to read the articles. Nobody has to devote their time to fandom. It's a choice. And part of that, may be understanding that all of the media around a ship isn't going to cater to what you want or see and making decisions on what you see is the healthiest, most enjoyable way to engage or not.

Because feelings have been hurt, arguments have raged, lies have been told in fandom and media and it's not new, it's not personal. It just is what it is.

Mulder x Scully walked so Carmy x Sydney can run.

[cuprohastes]

The Trouble with Pebbles

Part the One-th.

The Tsin say Spite is a poison that hollows bones. The Atrix say Spite leaves no winners. Humans say "All things are possible through spite" and then printed it on a coffee cup, which is why everyone worries about humans.

"Then Again, 43 did walk into a hard vacuum and rescue Garf when everyone knows that's impossible, and I supposed that's what they might mean," said Dave The Human, official human and female-ish alien pangolin-mouse thing.

She was looking at the coffee mug in Question.

Raxy was also looking at the cup, and having put on some mass and developed the biology for it said, "I was there. Actually, it was me who went and got him. And I'm fairly sure she did it because… reality annoyed her."

Garf, paused while putting a new jumper on Un-Named. "… 43 is a her?"

Everyone paused to try and recall what 43 looked like.

"… Are you sure?" Dave said after another moment.

"No." said Raxy. "But uh, 43 is definitely my favourite aunty," they said.

To Atrix, anyone who wasn't your offspring, or partner (ex or otherwise), was an Aunty. They have twenty-three words for Aunty, ranging from one's most precious and delightful Aunt, to something that has the connotations of 'Oh. You. I'm obligated not to stab you, and that's as far as I'll go.' - Atrix is a fun language.

"I find it hard to tell them apart." Admitted Raxy, whose eyesight had only been good up to about two metres until recently.

Dave pawed at her muzzle. "Best advice, play dumb, or wait until they tell you or a couple of other humans refer to them enough times you can be sure. Sometimes even they don't know. Human gender is hard, Raxy."

Garfield "Garf" flickered an agreement and Un-Named Male said "Graak."

Raxy, in the transitional phase from Little Guy to Big Adult squinted at their tablet. "I thought they only had two genders."

Everyone took a moment to avoid looking at each other, and play non-committal face patterns or whootle a little ditty.

Dave, who had a degree in Humans said "OK so that's… not quite right? They have two common biological gender categories, a set of less common ones, and each category is sort of sub-divided into subsets, which have their own subsets. It's insanely complex." she said.

Tsin have four main genders, one of which can swap, a base family unity of four to eight individuals, and extended families that you have to be Phillipino to properly appreciate… and they took a long look at Humans, threw up both sets of hands and declared that the whole shebang was beyond them.

Meanwhile, the Atrix have one gender, and reproduction so external that Atrix parents can be absent for both the conception and birth of their offspring, and any pretence to Male or Female is purely a convenience for other species.

Which is to say Raxy was a little lost.

"So…" they said. "43 is…?"

Everyone took a moment until: "Grak." said Un-Named and Garf and Dave relaxed. "Yes! Ok, that is entirely correct, and definitive, and answers every question one might have about 43." Dave said. Raxy made a note.

"And Dave the Human - female?"

"No." said Garf flatly.

"Eh. Officially, male. Same as me." said Dave. "But they're still OK to be an Aunty. They're a good sort." she said eying the coffee cup.

"Practically Atrix." agreed Garf.

Meanwhile…

Dave the Human was sitting on a grassy log hiding from the lights down in the Atrix section of the station, discussing edible moss with Gondy.

Gondy who was recovering nicely from almost getting freeze-dried alive was still taking it easy. After several months of treatment, her eye was back to normal and there were hardly any scars. It'd taken 43 about two weeks to recover fully, and then he'd fussed over Gondy like she was the one who walked into space wearing only a paper gown and rescued him.

Dave was wearing a full copper tinted faceplate and a soft light jumpsuit under some specially made Atrix Coveralls that had been gifted to him. The jumpsuit, faceplate, hood and gloves prevented the UV in the Atrix lighting from causing damage.

Around thier feet, in the purple moss, skittered some junior Atrix, hatched within the last year or two, peeking out and chasing each other, watched over by the elder small adults - The ones about the size of Un-Named male, of about ten to twenty years old.

Several transitional Atrix - Smaller than Gondy, a little larger than Raxy were gardening. And since this was the Atrix deck and they weren't at work, like Gondy they were naked, which Dave privately considered a poor choice.

Then again Dave was a fan of pockets and disliked any state of dress where one couldn't comfortably stash a tablet, pen, snack, a string of Glowbs, and two multitools.

Gondy stuck her hand into some moss and pulled out a little junior Atrix, who immediately went limp, causing a couple of fatherly heads to pop out and watch her.

Atrix are communal child raisers. Atrix sub-adults sleep in little burrows under the moss that they blend in with, and when they're old enough they watch the younger generation until they develop enough to want to pair up with the more mobile large adults.

Gondy casually blinked colours at the youngster, who blinked back, while she talked: Atrix babytalk.

"It's an unusual cultivar. We had real trouble propagating them until they got popular on Earth. But now they're a lot hardier… but they're stronger-tasting. It's caused a bit of a shift in cooking recently. We've been trying some homeworld variants on curries." Gondy said.

The Junior scurried off of Gondy's lap, up to Dave who peered down at it and tossed it into the central water feature.

Dave gave a nod. "Yeah… we don't have many edible mosses but now you can hardly get a salad without powdered Grak on. And frankly, now Ranch comes with Graaak, who'd want it without?" he said casually, "As for the stuff you guys think of as a major weed… we can't get enough of it. It's the third biggest supplier of dietary fibre and vitamins for most ships and colonies."

Gondy flashed an amused expression, because the stuff was considered unpalatable and faintly poisonous to Atrix. And the humans had shown up with salad forks and a hungry look, and now it was a staple anywhere you could stick a UV bulb and a strip of substrate… wet paper would do it.

The soaking-wet little junior scrambled up onto Dave's leg and bounced excitedly, so he threw it again.

"Anyway, I've been seeing a few dry patches in my planters but I'm sure they're getting enough UV while I'm on shift… any ideas?" Gondy however didn't reply.

Dave peered and tried to decipher her colour patch then looked down to see a small adult holding an attractive rock out to him. "Oh. Oh dear." he said.

"Yes," said Gondy, "Awkward…"

And that meant...

O'Patel and Big Ma had to get involved.

They shared an office, which suited them both fine.

While technically co-administrators, they'd long ago worked out that neither of them wanted to play dominance games life was too short for office politics, and Big Ma, whose human name was: "Don't-Make-Me-Come-Down-There" had determined that the dark-skinned Irish administrator was both affable and competent, had settled in to nest comfortably with a desk and thirteen varieties of office plant, on one side of the office.

O'Patel had determined that Big Ma's subtle sense of humor and technical acumen was second to none, and that he'd rather have her on his side more than any five people he could think of, had promptly followed suit.

He had an aquarium, a cage of rats and a near constant floating video conference with a bewildering variety of people whom he bantered with, harangued, wheedled, and kibbitzed with in seven different languages.

Big Ma appreciated that O'Patel dealt with virtually all the people who called in to make themselves feel important, make demands or otherwise tie up Admin's time.

And right now they had the door closed, the windows tinted and the emergency biscuits out.

"Really, he gave Dave a rock?" asked O'Patel.

"A really nice one! I have no idea where he got it, that's some premium pebble. If it wasn't for… you know… he could have gotten anyone with that."

"That good?"

"That good."

"But…?"

"Yes…" said Ma. "Not too long back, he wouldn't have lasted long at all. No colours!"

"Is that… I have to ask, but is that because the condition also causes low survival?"

"No." Said Ma. "It's because we used to just straight up step on hatchlings like that. It was considered too severe to live with. It was a… Mercy." she said and lunged for a biscuit.

O'Patel could read the distress on the colour-changing skin across her forehead and muzzle.

"But we live in kinder times." he said.

"Barely. It's really awkward talking to him - Creepy, and he's usually excluded. No chance of pairing up. Ugh. I feel terrible but I couldn't imagine…" she admitted.

O'Patel could see the shame on her face, in a rippling pattern. "So… kinder but crueller." he sighed. "And so he propositioned Dave. Is there any chance it's some sort of mistake…?"

Ma indicted No, with certainty. "No. he outright stated that if we didn't want him around he'd see if anyone else would. Actually, he said 'Graaaak' - Very blunt but I admit, to the point - but I can't put that down in the report. I mean… I understand he feels strongly but… We can't allow it, can we? Can we?"

O'Patel selected a biscuit and pondered it. He took a bite, chewed thoughtfully and then shared it with the panel of rats who were lined up, watching him intently.

An Atrix little guy with a birth (hatching?) defect that meant he'd never developed the Atrix signature colour-changing display. And he'd more or less asked Dave to be his partner. A bit of an interspecies diplomatic issue to be sure.

The problem was that Dave was very popular with the Atrix crew and despite some highly unusual hijinks and events, had never actually done anything wrong - And O'Patel knew that Dave had a grasp of Atrix culture that was good enough that he'd spent a week as one of them on a technicality.

The technicality was that O'Patel and Ma had their claws out over someone who'd showed up to harass their staff and the aftermath was that while publically, Words Had Been Said, tacitly both the Atrix and the Human governance had been very pleased.

Big Ma had joked that if the humans didn't want Dave, they'd take him and find him a Little Guy - And now a Little Guy had marched up and put in a request.

"You know… You know what Dave will do if he finds out. And our other Dave will back him up."

"It's what I'm afraid of." agreed Ma.

"But what… what if?" Said O'Patel. "What if?"

They both had another biscuit and started to plot.

[crowns-of-violets-and-roses]

Do you have any good sci-fi recs? I haven't read anything written in the last decade except Murderbot I think.

Oh I have so many. I'll skip the series and books that have been deluged with big American SF awards (although Embassytown, the Teixcalaan duology, The Broken Earth trilogy, and The Locked Tomb series are all more than worth a read to name a few) and list a few other things here that have been published in the last decade or so that I loved.

Ada Palmer's Terra Ignota series is amazing. Set in the 25th century where nation states have been replaced by voluntarily joined polities called Hives. The books are framed as a history (the author herself is a historian as a day job) written by an infamous criminal aping the style of the eighteenth century. Lots of fun and a deeply ambitious set of books. They sometimes stumble and fail to realise their ambition but still a great series.

Deep Wheel Orcadia is a verse novel written in the Orcadian dialect of Scots by Harry Josephine Giles. English translations are provided but I found it best read by reading each section in the Orcaidan first and then the English after. Depending on your dialect of English you may often be able to understand a lot of what's happening before moving into the English translation. It follows an artist Astrid returning to her home and an heiress Darling who has run away from her life. They both come to the space station Orcadia and the novel focuses on them and the ordinary people of the station. There's lines of it still lodged in my mind years after reading it.

In Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky a runaway project to terraform a planet and accelerate evolution leads to the inadvertent creation of sentient spiders. It focuses on the development of the spider society, a generation ship of humans and eventually the two of them meeting. A great work of xenofiction. It has two sequels - I've read and enjoyed one and have heard good things about the other - but was originally a standalone and can be read as such.

It wasn't published in the last ten years but Yōko Ogawa's The Memory Police was only translated into English in 2019 so I'm including it here. Set on an island where people periodically forget about different objects and concept and they're removal is then enforced by the titular Memory Police. I'm generally suspicious of literary authors writing SF (I often find it's worse than their usual writing and not good SF) but this book is brilliant and the best I've read by Ogawa.

Isabel J. Kim is one of the best SF short story writers currently writing. While she's best known on tumblr for Why Don't We Just Kill the Kid In the Omelas Hole many of her other stories are better than it. For sci-fi specifically Zeta-Epsilon is a good intro to her work. If you're into SF and fantasy her entire bibliography is worth reading and is nearly all available for free online.

Ted Chiang had a new short story collection Exhalation released in 2019. Chiang is always thought provoking and unlike many SF authors focused on exploring the implications of an idea or concept he knows how to imbue human emotion into his work. The story the collection takes it's title from is available online and is one of my favorites by him if you're looking to get a sense of his work.

Porpentine is best known for her brilliant interactive fiction (IF) . She has a very distinct voice and it should be noted her work is often extremely dark. Usually I'd recommend With Those We Love Alive as an intro to her IF but it's more fantasy than SF, Howling Dogs might be a better entry point if you're into SF specifically and if you're interested in her work she has a collection Eczema Angel Orifice which collects much of her early work. She's also written more experimental work like Foldscape a game made exclusively of folders.

If you aren't into IF Mall school was an early "rare venture into linear storytelling" that I'm fond of. She's written more linear writing in recent years and has released a bunch of short stories, novellas and an amazing novel Serious Weakness (though other than being set five minutes in the future there aren't many SF elements in it).