#used ground support equipment

[kandicon]

I need to get more jobs so I can commission artists more often (flawless logic that has never once failed me)

[astrasng]

SCRATCH || BANGCHAN

MINORS DNI!

pairing: idol!chan x female!reader

summary: thanks to chan's solo stage you finally made him yours.

warnings: blood (from scratches obv), handjob, spanking, petnames (baby, honey, angel, sweetheart) unprotected sex, cursing

author's note: from my previous breakdown post bc of chan got me in an inspired mood so i made a little somethin somethin. still what the fuck was he thinking. also, if you're a regular reader by any chance (ily) you might have noticed i write jealousy tropes, IDKK WHY THO SORRY

important!: this is pure fiction, the act in this story is by my imagination and not based off true events. please do not copy the work.

enjoy!

It isn’t like you’re not supportive of your boyfriend. You’ve always been there for every idea, even if you thought that it wasn’t the best one. The things you have to deal with him being an idol settled deep into your mind, already accepting the consequences that may come in the way. But it’s not like you would ever give up your relationship with Chan just because he’s doing risky things that you may not like. 

To be honest, it kind of became an advantage for you. 

You would watch him having fun on stage with the other members, sometimes splashing water at each other, making everyone in the crowd either cheer or laugh at their silly behavior. There were times when they got sentimental, wishing all the happiness for STAY and the members for the future. It made you emotional just in the same way as you would watch them through the TV in your shared apartment. 

And then there were times where you couldn’t help but squeeze your thighs together and wait for him.

“Had fun today?” 

The sarcastic tone caught Chan’s attention as he’s doing his everyday night routine, just as he’s finishing up his shaving session. He knows exactly why you’re talking and reacting to him this way, you’ve been all fidgety with him since he got home from the first day of the tour, and when he stepped inside the apartment he saw you still sitting on the couch, not welcoming him in with the usual hug he gets. 

Chan looks a little bit to the side so he can get a reflection of you changing in the room, the towel you used laying on the ground after taking a shower. Without him. 

“Of course.It’s always heartwarming to meet with STAY’s. And the kids were so hyped about getting solo stages too.”

Now that just boils your blood. 

“Oh, were they?” You keep your back facing him,not letting him see how frustrated you really are about the game he’s playing. “They were doing an amazing job indeed.” You shut your eyes momentarily before putting on your velvet nightgown, and slowly walking towards the bathroom where your boyfriend is staying. 

“Yeah, I assume you saw mine too, right? Did you see the special makeup they did on me?” With pride he chuckles while putting away his shaving equipment, patting his dry as he picks up his toothbrush. His question should have a very easy and simple answer, yet here you are ready to give him a brainwash about not caring about your mental health. Cause what the hell was that? You can’t even form the offensive words you want to say to him out of frustration, you could never say anything negative about his performances in general — but the way he’s talking about it, so full of himself, you can’t help yourself. “I wonder who made all that.” It slips out, biting down on your lip softly to stop yourself from further embarrassment. 

“It must’ve been the makeup artist of course, but I could’ve done a better job if you ask me.” You step into the bathroom just as you finish your sentence, Chan unable to answer due to his mouth full with mint scented bubbles. 

As you want to pass behind him, you swipe your delicate fingers on his defined back muscles, the photos of him painted in scratches for the performance fills your vision. 

“Makeup was unnecessary,to be honest.” 

There’s something glinting in Chan’s eyes as a lopsided smile appears on his face, looking at you through the mirror placed above the bathroom counter. As the words leave your lips, he licks his plump lips slowly, putting away his toothbrush he just used. “If I had asked you, would you do it?” 

The air stops suddenly in your throat,taking your eyes off of him as you busy yourself with something else infront of you. “Well…it doesn’t matter now.” 

“Oh it does, honey.” Chan says lowly, his voice suddenly closer as you want it to, and you know perfectly he’s only a step away from you. “If I only knew my baby just wanted to help me out in my solo,” He snakes his arms around your waist slowly, his bare chest pressing into your clothed back as he’s standing behind you, whispering in your ear. “I could’ve used some help.” With that, he pressed a slow open mouth kiss on the side of your neck. his hands caressing the skin on your stomach. 

“Should we recreate it and show it to my makeup artist?”

Chan whispers against your ear, biting down slightly on your earlobe as he makes eye contact with you through the mirror. You look already disheveled just from his touch, your nightgown scrunched slightly up as he kneads your stomach, one of his hands slowly inching up to your breasts. “Would you like that, baby?” 

“I didn’t mean it like that, Chan – mhphm…” A small moan leaves your lips as he pinches your nipple in his slender fingers, continuing to make out with your neck as you try and compose yourself. 

“How did you mean it then?” He grunts out as you push your backside on his crotch, his cock twitching already in his sleeping pants at the thought of you being jealous. “Tell me.” 

“I–I just…” You try to form words, keeping yourself together and not yet falling for his words but then Chan sneakily slides his other down towards your waiting heat, his finger immediately meeting with slickness between your pussy lips. He groans again, grinding into your ass to ease the pain from being so hard. “Baby, if you want to scratch my back that badly just say it.” There’s something hiding behind his words which makes you shut your eyes from the pleasure he’s causing, your hands flying on the counter for support. “I kind of…wanted to..” Your breath hitches, cutting off your sentence when Chan flips your nightgown upwards to expose your wet pussy, your naked ass on display in front of him as he takes his hand away from your breast and caresses one of your cheeks. “You wanted what? Do you need some help darling?” He grunts under his breath when he feels you clench around his fingers, plugging it in and out to take your breath away. You moan out when you feel his fingers curl inside you, hitting that perfect spot that makes your back arch. 

But Chan doesn’t give in that easily. 

You suddenly feel a stinging pain on one of your cheeks, moaning out shamelessly from the sensation he just caused with his hand. When you pick your head up you see Chan already looking at you through the mirror, lust filled eyes raking over your already fucked out face. “Say it baby.” 

You can feel his hand smoothing over the place he just spanked, the air in the bathroom so humid you can feel yourself getting sweaty again. His finger never stopped working inside you, with that spank almost knocking you over the edge. 

When Chan doesn’t see you changing your mind and finally answer him, he only clicks his tongue and tilts his head to the side. Without a second thought, he slaps your ass again, his finger circling around your clit rapidly when he hears your pornographic moans echoing in the bathroom.

“I–I wanted to mark you!” 

And there it is. 

As you practically moan out the words, Chan’s finger is coated thickly with your cum as his words made you tip over the edge. Your whole body shaking in his arms as you come down your high slowly, trying to gather your thoughts and realizing what you just said.

When the words finally leave your mouth he can’t help but smirk, the possessive side of you finally showing for the first time in your relationship. “And why is that honey?” Chan teases you, seeing your ears red from the sudden confession you just made. 

“Just so everyone knows that you’re mine..” You mumble quietly, shame overcoming you as it paints your cheeks deep red. 

Something snaps inside Chan. He can’t help but groan out, his cock painfully hard against his pants as he turns you around and places his hands on your throat, slightly adding pressure on it. Before you know it, you’re pressed up against the wall, his lips already chasing yours. 

“Do it baby.” He kisses you, his tongue sneaks through his lips to taste your lip balm you applied earlier he loves so much. “I want you to do your worst on me,” He whispers between kisses, his hand suddenly picking you up to put your legs around his waist. Your whole body welcomes him, your mouth opens as he slides his tongue inside once again, and your fingers landing into his freshly washed hair as he devours your lips. His hand scrunches up your gown once again before he presses his hardness into your slick core. 

At the contact you moan out loudly, already wanting him inside you, to ease your pain that he caused. 

“Feel that baby? It’s all yours. Nobody else has that but you.” 

With a whine you throw your head on the wall, Chan’s lips continuing to leaves red splotches on your sensitive skin as he takes his hand and pushes down his boxers, hissing out the minute the air hits his precum covered cock, tip red from all the waiting and veins bulging with excitement. 

He drags his wet tip over your puffy lips, spreading them open more to make room for himself when he circles around your clit. As he slides his length between your folds, you feel all emotions gather up inside you, the feeling too hazy as your vision becomes blurry from the need. “Channie,,please..” 

“‘s okay baby,I’ll give it to you.” He chants when he finally pushes his tip inside you, groaning out from you uncontrollably clenching around his cock when he nearly settles halfway in. “You have to relax,angel. You make it impossible for me to–”

“Chan — I’m so sorry, I–” He hears you gasp out, your body all tensed up, your eyes wide open as you look into the mirror across you. He looks swiftly behind him to see your naked bodies melted into one, and then it catches his eye. 

With one thrust he settles fully inside you, moaning from how incredibly tight you are around his length, keeping himself back to not buckle into you rapidly. He puts his hand on your chin, making you look into his eyes and not on his blood covered back. “I asked you to do this, right?” With a softened gaze, he makes sure you understand what he’s saying, not taking his eyes off of you until he sees your lust filled expression again instead of worry ones. “Right baby?”

“Y-yes..” You gulp when you see your fingers slightly covered in red around his neck. “But I didn’t want to-”

“It’s fucking hot.” He hisses, his voice whinier than usual as he puts his forehead on your chest, his hips starting to move. “You did such a great job sweetheart.” He pulls completely out before thrusting into you again, this time harsher as he hears your cries next to his ears. 

When you take another look in the mirror, you see what you just caused. The moment you felt his cock hitting you so deeply you couldn't help but deepen your nails into his skin on his broad back, now covered with blood here and there. It softly dribbles down his defined muscles, and Chan is right. It is fucking hot. 

So you clench around him again when you feel his fingers circling around your clit, his cock hitting the perfect spot as he moans out your name. “Do it again.” He demands, his hand flying on the wall next to your head to thrust up harder into you, making you roll your eyes. As you see Chan so deeply in emotions you scratch his back again, now only deep redness showing on his pale skin. 

The pain on his skin makes him inch closer to his release. The jerks of his hips, slamming against your hips are quickening, becoming more erratic, intense and desperate. You cry out his name nonstop, feeling him twitching inside you. 

“Give it to me.” He’s breathless as he chants into the side of your neck. “I need you to come around my cock baby.” 

His demand tips you over the edge again, moaning out his name as you feel him curl against you, his shoulders on display for you to see what you painted on his back. His grunts are vibrating through your body, the pain melting into pleasure as he paints your insides with his thick cum, feeling so full of him, feeling him everywhere. Chan bites down softly on your skin,kissing the pain away quickly as you both come down from this high. 

You are his. He made sure a long time ago, but now, you made sure he was yours too as you watch the crimson red blood slowly sliding down his back, gathering it on your fingers.

“It took a solo stage for you to claim me as yours?” Chan asks when he softly puts you down on the bathroom counter, a bright smile painting his face once again.

like and reblog is much appreciated! ♡

divider by:@enchanthings

[wileys-russo]

fresa, climbing gym, let me down or so help me god

part of the solfresa universe with @girlgenius1111 solstråle i'm not a monkey II f.putellas x s.engen

fresa slid her phone into the pocket of her pants as she stepped inside the climbing gym, standing up on the tips of her toes to try and see over the swarm of taller bodies to spot her girlfriend.

the brunette frowned unable to see the familiar tattooed arms or mane of thick black hair she was seeking out, having only just hung up the phone with the norweigan seconds before arriving she knew solstråle was here somewhere.

"hello." at the sudden voice in her ear and hands on her hips fresa tensed, span and swung, her girlfriend with quick enough reflexes to duck as she did so, popping back up with a grin.

"don't do that! tonta." the shorter girl cursed, hitting the norweigans shoulder with a huff. "but it is so easy." solstråle teased, pulling her girlfriend in for a hug before she could protest.

"so. are you ready?" solstråle questioned as they pulled away, an arm settling over fresa's shoulder who smiled and waved hello to a few of the norweigans coworkers as she lead her further into the climbing gym.

"can i not just watch you amor?" fresa sighed, the other girl having been on her case for far too long now about giving climbing a try, something the spaniard knew solstråle held near and dear to her heart.

"no min kjære, we had a deal and you promised. if i went to get a facial with you, that you would try the easy wall at least." the taller girl reminded causing fresa to groan, forehead pressed into her chest.

"but the facial was so relaxing mi amor, and this is not relaxing!" the youngest putellas protested, but with the pleading look from her girlfriend she knew she couldn't fight it for much longer.

"bien. get me in a harness!" fresa exhaled heavily, cheeks warming as the girl beside her peppered them with kisses. "you know this is not the first time i have heard you request this, but not usually in public babe." solstråle mumbled teasingly, chest puffing out proudly at the blush with filled the younger girls face.

"idiota." none the less fresa couldn't help but let a small smile paint her face as her girlfriend grabbed her hand, leading her off to the side and grabbing out the right safety gear, talking the spaniard through every little pulley rope and piece of equipment she pulled out and clipped on.

safety tests completed and explaining each step at least three times, the younges putellas was stood at the bottom of what the norweigan claimed was the easiest wall, however looking up at how tall it was, fresa was not inclined to believe her.

"now, find your first foothole, and where it is comfortable for you to grab on with your dominant hand." the norweigan encouraged, a very tight grip on the ropes supporting her girlfriend who nodded, testing a few different positions.

"then you just repeat that, and make your way up!" solstråle pushed, fresa slowly, but surely, starting to progress a little higher up the wall.

"babe you're doing it!" the norweigan cheered, fresa easily over halfway up the wall now, but thats when she made the mistake of turning her head to grin at her girlfriend, and realised just how high off the ground she was.

"oh no." solstråle muttered, watching as fresa's whole body locked up and she clung onto the wall, the rope now tense in her hands, as she'd seen happen to the beginner climbers who used the gym time and time again.

"solstråle. let me down or so help me god-" fresa warned with a growl, normally tanned face near white as a ghost as she clung onto the wall for dear life, heartbeat thumping in her ears and voice laced with obvious panic.

"søtsaker-" "no! no charming norweigan. bájame, ahora!" fresa shook her head rapidly, almost losing her footing as she let out a squeal and scrambled to readjust herself as best she could, wishing she'd not been so stubborn about not putting the grip powder on her hands.

"i am not a monkey! i was not made for climbing engen!" the spaniard huffed, flaring her nostrils and glaring at the wall as if it was her girlfriends head.

"fresa, you can get yourself down, just go back the way you came!" the norweigan tried to explain, but all she was met with was a firm shake of her head no.

"okay...or you can let go of the wall and i will slowly lower you down and-" "no! estás loca?!"

which left only one other option.

"puedes hacerte cargo?" solstråle called over one of her coworkers, a few of them watching this unfold either with slight amusement or concern, the gym not long off closing as most its regular patrons had started to pack up their things.

"okay fresa. i am going to climb up, and help you down." the norweigan cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted up to fresa who could barely manage a nod, still glued to the wall as if her life depended on it and she wasn't a mere fifteen or so feet off the ground.

quite confident in her own climbing skills that if she could scale a cliff she she could make it up the junior wall unscathed the scandi didn't even bother with ropes, free climbing her way up in what felt like seconds to her and an eternity for fresa.

"okay. now, i am attaching your main rope to my belt-" solstråle quickly clipped and unclipped a thick caribener, looping it through both her and her girlfriends belts to connect them.

"-then you are going to let go and-" at those two words fresa furiously shook her head, knuckles white with how hard she was gripping the small plastic handholds.

"hey. i would never let you fall, just trust me." solstråle spoke softer this time, the spaniard hesitantly nodding, letting one shaky hand go as her girlfriend climbed across to shield her body with her own, fresa gripping onto her now with shallow panicked breaths.

"jeg har deg. du er trygg." the norweigans native tongue did its job to slightly calm fresa, who though she had no idea what her girlfriend said squeezed her eyes closed and hung on tightly, sol starting to abseil the two of them down the wall.

and considering fresa hadn't even made it halfway up, in a blink they were back down the bottom, the youngest putellas not breathing until her feet hit solid ground and her knees buckled, her girlfriend catching her limp body.

"you did it! for your first time that was pretty good." solstråle beamed once she'd quickly and expertly unclipped and unbuckled the harness and pulley rope system from her girlfriends waist, cupping her cheeks and pecking her lips with a grin.

fresa smiled sweetly but it didn't reach her eyes, her own hands placed on top of her girlfriends, carefully pulling them off and lowering them to her side.

but the heartfelt thank you you're my hero, never came from the shorter girl, fresa's mouth instead opening and unleashing a tongue lashing of colorful spanish.

most of which her girlfriend didn't understand while she was busy shielding herself where fresa smacked at her before shoving past and stomping away.

"what did she say?" solstråle cluelessly asked a huddle of her coworkers who watched on snickering, fresa grabbing her bag and making a beeline for the door as one of solstråles coworkers simply barked at her.

"means, you are in the doghouse amiga." another grinned as the norweigans eyes widened and she took off, trying to unclip her belt and nearly falling over her own feet as it hit the floor and she near sprinted after her hot heeled girlfriend who had apparently decided she was going to walk home.

"fresa? fresa? i will take you to brunch tomorrow? get your nails done? go for another facial? babe? i love you! did you hear me? kjæreste? i love you!"

[ilovemitsuya]

sylus x reader (fluffy,angsty?)

summary: “During a mission, I sustained serious injuries and was hospitalized. Though Sylus couldn’t visit me, he sent Mephisto in his place. When I was discharged, I wasn’t expecting him to be outside.”

“I’m not going to lie to you two.” Jenna said, folding her arms across her chest as she leaned back against her desk. “This mission isn’t like the others we’ve done. That facility is more unstable than we initially thought. The few teams we’ve sent to investigate before found nothing at all.”

Crossing my arms as I studied Captain Jenna’s face.

“So why send just the two of us, then?” I asked.

“Why not a full squad if it’s that dangerous?”

“Because we don’t know exactly what we’re dealing with. A bigger team could draw too much attention.“

“And if we find something… unexpected?” Tara asked.

“You report back immediately.” Jenna said, her tone firm. “Don’t try to take on anything alone if it’s beyond your capabilities. This isn’t about being heroes.”

There was a beat of silence before Jenna pushed off her desk and took a step closer to me and Tara. “But you’re not going in blind. We’ll have a team on standby if things get too hot. You need to trust your instincts and watch each other’s backs.”

Glancing at Tara, she gave me a reassuring nod.

Tara and I turned to leave, but Jenna’s voice stopped us just before we reached the door. “And remember.” she called out, “If things start to go sideways, you get out. Do you hear me?”

“Loud and clear.” I replied, glancing over my shoulder at her.

With that, Tara and I exited the office, both of us knowing that we were walking into something dangerous. But we had our orders.

———————————————————————

The facility loomed over us, the metal creaking with the weight of its own decay. Tara and I moved cautiously through the halls, weapons at the ready, our footsteps echoing against the cracked concrete.

Dust hung in the air like a fog, making each breath feel heavy. We’d been searching for signs of Wanderers for hours, but aside from a few ominous claw marks on the walls, there was nothing.

Tara walked a few paces ahead, her sharp eyes sweeping the darkened corners as she scanned for any signs of movement.

“This place gives me the creeps.”

“The readings are coming from this sector.” I confirmed. “It’s like there’s a cluster of energy sources in the storage area up ahead. Something’s definitely drawing them here.”

Tara nodded and pushed forward, keeping a steady pace as we approached the large metal door that led to the storage room. She placed a hand on the door’s surface, glancing back at me. “On three?” she whispered.

I tightened my grip on my gun and gave her a quick nod. “On three.”

“One… two… three!”

Tara shoved the door open, and we moved inside in a swift, coordinated motion. The room was just as the rest of the facility, old crates and equipment lay scattered across the floor, and the walls were covered in peeling paint.

I took a step forward, my eyes sweeping the room for any signs of movement. But then, there was a flicker of motion in the shadows, too quick to pinpoint at first.

I turned to Tara, but she had already seen it. Her eyes narrowed, and she raised her weapon in the direction of the disturbance.

“Stay sharp.” she said, voice tense. “I think we’ve got company.”

I reacted on instinct, surging forward to intercept it with a gunshot.

It swiped at me with one of its jagged claws, forcing me to block the strike with my forearm. Pain shot through my body as its claws tore through my sleeve and left deep gashes across my skin.

Before we could even do anything, the wanderer let out a loud roar and smashed its claws against the support beams around us. A low rumble vibrated through the building, and the ground beneath us trembled. Dust rained down from the ceiling, and a series of cracks split the concrete walls, spreading out in every direction.

“Get out of here, now!” Tara shouted, sprinting for the exit.

I turned to follow her, but the ground heaved under my feet, and a section of the ceiling gave way with a deafening crash. I stumbled and fell, barely managing to roll out of the way as a massive metal beam slammed down where I’d been standing. The room shuddered violently, and the walls seemed to cave inward.

“Tara!” I called out, but my voice was drowned out by the roar of collapsing debris. I saw her struggling to keep her footing near the exit, but then another tremor hit, and a cascade of rubble came crashing down, forcing us apart.

I fought to keep moving, dodging falling beams and lunging over shifting pieces of debris. But it was no use. The floor buckled beneath me, and I felt myself falling through the collapsing structure.

The impact knocked the wind from my lungs, and pain exploded through my side as I hit the ground hard. I tried to move, but my legs were pinned beneath a heavy chunk of concrete, and the darkness quickly closed in around me.

The last thing I saw before everything faded was the shattered remnants of the facility above, crumbling like a house of cards. Then, there was nothing.

———————————————————————

The steady beep of a heart monitor was the first thing I became aware of as I drifted back to consciousness.

The world came back in hazy fragments, a faint antiseptic smell, the dull ache radiating through my entire body, the blinding white light overhead. I blinked slowly, the ceiling tiles came into focus. I was in a hospital room, covered in bandages, and every muscle felt like it had been dragged through hell.

A groan escaped my lips as I tried to shift into a more comfortable position. The movement must have caught someone’s attention because I heard a chair scrape back and then footsteps rushing closer.

“Hey, hey, take it easy.” It was Tara’s voice, low and familiar, filled with a relief I hadn’t heard from her often. She came into view, her face creased with worry. Her eyes softened when she saw I was awake, and she let out a breath that sounded like she’d been holding it for a long time. “You’re finally awake. How are you feeling?”

I managed to lift my head just enough to give her a weary look. “Like I got hit by a train.” I rasped, my voice rough from disuse. “What happened to me?”

“You were inside when the building collapsed.” she explained, pulling a chair closer and sitting down beside me. “By the time we got a rescue team in there, you were unconscious and pinned under the debris.” Tara’s voice wavered slightly, and she quickly looked away, as if embarrassed to show how much the whole thing had shaken her.

“You’ve been out for a while.” Her tone was a little lighter now, a hint of humor breaking through. “Can’t believe you’d scare me like that. Do you know how annoying it was waiting around here?”

A faint chuckle escaped me, though it quickly turned into a wince.

“I should let the doctors know you’re awake. They’ll want to check you over.”

I gave a slow nod, already feeling exhaustion pulling at me again, but I didn’t want her to worry. “Go ahead.” I murmured. “I’m not going anywhere.”

As the door clicked shut behind her, the room fell silent again, and I found myself staring at the ceiling, fighting the familiar feeling of emptiness that came whenever I was alone. I closed my eyes and let out a slow breath.

I wished Sylus were here. There was no way he could just walk into a hospital like any normal person.

I was about to close my eyes again when I heard a soft tapping on the window. My eyes snapped open, and my heart skipped a beat as I turned toward the sound. There, perched on the narrow ledge just outside the window, was a black crow. Mephisto.

I struggled to sit up, limping a little as I reached out to unlock the window. It slid open with a creak, and Mephisto hopped inside, a small bundle of wildflowers clutched in his beak. They were ragged and windblown, a little wilted from the journey, but I could tell they’d been picked carefully.

I took the flowers gently from Mephisto’s beak, my hands trembling slightly. There was a small note tied around the stems with a piece of dark string. I untied it and read the familiar handwriting: “Since I can’t be there. Take care of yourself. – S.”

Sylus couldn’t come to see me himself, but he’d sent Mephisto instead. His way of saying he was there, still watching over me.

“Thank you.” I whispered

Mephisto tilted its head and gave a soft caw, as if acknowledging my words. Then, it took off out the window again.

I sank back against the pillows, holding the flowers close. It wasn’t the same as having Sylus here in person, but it was enough to know he was thinking of me.

———————————————————————

As I lay in the hospital bed, I reached for my phone on the side table and unlocked the screen. My fingers trembled slightly as I typed out a message to Sylus.

I hit send and waited, my heart beating a little faster than it should. The minutes dragged on, and I started to wonder if he'd even seen my message. But then, my device buzzed with his reply.

Typical Sylus.

The response came almost instantly, as though he'd been expecting my question.

I glanced back at the window, half expecting to see the crow still there. It made sense. Mephisto had always kept an eye on me, by Sylus’s command.

I stared at the screen, my chest tightening as I read his words.

There was a long pause before his next message arrived.

It was the closest thing to comfort I would get from him, even if he couldn't be here with me.

———————————————————————

The final paperwork was a blur, the nurse’s instructions fading in and out as I focused on keeping steady. I was bandaged up and aching from head to toe, but at least I was getting out of the hospital. They’d wanted to keep me a few days longer, but I’d insisted on leaving.

As soon as they handed me my things, I slipped into my jacket and headed outside.

When I pushed through the front doors, a figure was leaning casually against the side of the building, half hidden in the shadow cast by the streetlamp. Sylus. He looked up when he saw me.

“Sylus…” I said, managing a small smile as I walked over, but his expression was tense as he straightened up, his eyes quickly scanning over my injuries.

“You’re stubborn for a hunter.” he muttered, his tone flat, though I could tell by the way his eyes lingered on my face and my bandaged arm that he was probably worried.

“The hell are you doing out here so soon? You could barely stand a few hours ago.”

“They were going to keep me trapped in there another week,” I said, trying to sound lighter than I felt. “I couldn’t just stay there doing nothing.”

He gave me a sharp look, he slipped his arm around my shoulders, guiding me firmly to his car parked a few feet away.

“You’re barely out, and here you are, thinking you’re ready to run around already.”

I tilted my head, raising an eyebrow.

"Since when do you drive anything other than that death trap of yours?"

"Since I figured you might not be up for riding around on a motorcycle after getting half crushed under a building."

He helped me into the passenger seat, taking extra care to ensure I was settled in before closing the door. He didn’t say anything as he walked around and got in himself, but the silence felt heavy, like he was holding back from saying a thousand things.

We drove through the streets in silence until we reached the edge of the city. I realized where we were going the moment we turned onto a narrow road.

“Your place?” I asked, glancing over at him.

He kept his gaze on the road. “You’re not going home alone in that condition. Not happening.”

I knew better than to argue, so I just nodded.

When we finally arrived, he was already at my side, opening the car door before I could even move. I tried to slide out on my own, but he offered his hand, steady and warm, and before I could argue, he was lifting me out of the seat.

I groaned, shaking my head. “Sylus, I can walk. You don’t need to—”

“Too late, sweetie.” he smirked, his arms sliding under my legs as he pulled me up, holding me effortlessly in a bridal carry. “Just sit back and let me do this.”

I sighed, trying to hide the warmth creeping up my face. “I’m tough, you know.”

“I know you are.” He glanced down, a glint of amusement in his eyes as he carried me toward the door. “But you’re hurt, and besides,” he added, leaning closer, his voice softening, “sometimes, you need someone to take care of you.”

Inside, he led me to his room and gestured for me to sit on the bed. “Wait here. And don’t try moving around.”

I managed a small, sarcastic smile. “What, you think I’m going to run off?”

His gaze darkened. “You have a habit of being reckless.”

Before I could respond, he was already disappearing into the other room, returning moments later with a small first aid kit and a glass of water. He knelt beside me, unwrapping some of the bandages on my arm with practiced precision.

“I already saw the doctors for this.” I said, watching him closely. He ignored me, dabbing disinfectant on a fresh cut and glancing up with a glint of warning in his eyes.

“Clearly, they didn’t do a good enough job if you’re in this condition.” he replied, his tone clipped.

I sighed, not bothering to respond. Instead, I watched his hands move, careful but efficient, his expression focused as he replaced the bandages. He was so quiet, so steady, so… unlike his usual self. His eyes kept flicking up to meet mine, only for a second, before going back to my injuries.

“You don’t have to do this, you know.” I murmured, not sure if I was talking to him or to myself.

He paused, his hands stilling for a moment, before he looked up, his expression unreadable. “And if I don’t, who will?”

I watched him as he worked, watching how he gently wrapped fresh gauze around my arm, tightening it carefully.

His fingers lingered over the bandage, as if making sure it wasn't too tight.

"Is this too tight?" he murmured, his gaze flicking up to meet mine.

"No... it's fine." I whispered, feeling my heart hammering in my chest. My words were barely a breath, and I wasn't sure if he heard me, but he continued anyway, his focus unbreakable.

"You can tell me if it hurts." he said softly, his gaze locking onto mine.

"It doesn't hurt." I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. But the truth was, all I can think about is how his fingers felt against my skin.

“You could have been killed.” he suddenly said, the faintest tremor in his voice. “And you didn’t think to tell me, or anyone, what you were dealing with out there?”

I looked down, feeling that familiar pang of guilt again.

“Tell me next time before you go off on one of these suicide missions.” he snapped, his jaw tight. “Or better yet, stay out of places where buildings collapse on you.”

“I don’t get to pick and choose which missions are dangerous.” I replied.

“And I’m supposed to sit back and just watch you throw yourself into the line of fire?” His voice was low, but I could hear the worry simmering beneath it.

He was silent for a moment, his expression hardening as he reached over to brush a strand of hair from my face.

“And next time, you’re telling me about this kind of mission. I don’t care if you think it’s nothing.”

My expression softened as I looked up at him

“I’m okay now.” I whispered.

He stared at me for a moment before he gave a reluctant nod.

“Try to rest here. I’ll get you some fresh clothes.” he said, guiding her down gently. “I’m guessing you don’t want to stay in those all night.”

I took the bundle of soft, comfortable clothes he offered.

“Thank you, Sylus.”

His lips quirked into a gentle smile, running his fingers lightly through my hair, guiding me to lie back against the bed.

“Enough fighting it, sweetie.” he murmured, his voice low and soothing. “You need to rest.”

I started to protest, but he pressed a finger gently to my lips, shaking his head. “No arguments,” he said softly. “Just close your eyes.”

He pulled a blanket over me, his hands lingering as he tucked it around my shoulders, and as my breathing slowed, I felt his fingers brush my cheek, tracing gentle patterns along my skin. The last thing I saw was him watching me, his expression filled with something I couldn’t quite place, a mix of worry, relief, and maybe… something else, something deeper.

“Sleep.” he whispered, his voice a barely audible murmur. “I’m not going anywhere.”

———————————————————————

The soft rise and fall of her breathing filled the room. Sylus sat beside her, one leg folded over the other, his arms crossed as he watched her sleep. In the dim light, she looked peaceful, a stark contrast to the worry that had been etched into her face earlier. He’d seen her like this before years ago.

He could still remember that night, when she’d slipped through his fingers.

He reached out almost instinctively, brushing his fingers against her cheek. She didn’t stir, but his touch softened, lingering there, feeling the warmth of her skin against his fingertips.

Unable to bear it, he slipped his arms around her, drawing her close, careful not to wake her. She was warm, her head resting against his chest, her body relaxed in his embrace. He pressed his cheek against her hair, letting himself take in her scent, the steady beat of her heart.

“You don’t get to do this to me again.” he whispered, his voice rough, barely audible even to himself. “Not this time. I won’t lose you. Not again.”

if you made it this far thank you sm for reading! I appreciate you feel free to request ♡

[kisses4reid]

type O | ·˚ ༘ spencer reid ,,

spencer x fem!reader, she/her used, hurt, injuries, blood, fainting, paramedics, reader is sort of nerdy like spencer

You clutched at your side, almost clawing and kneading like your stained skin was dough turn red with food colouring. It stung, but that was all. The calmness of the injury was definitely influenced by your own adrenaline and that not only scared you, but Spencer as well.

You were strong on your feet, one hand going back to grab your gun out of your belt, red hands making an only slight affect on the black barrel. You gulped, a dull pain not only spreading from your side but from your head now, a drowsiness and nauseating feeling blanketing you as a tall body came crashing towards you.

Spencer stumbled, only focusing on your face and unfocused eyes - well they were before he interrupted your running thoughts.

“Y/n-“

“Oh, hey Spencer. Um,” you held out a hand and Spencer quickly grabbed it, helping you stabilise yourself. “Did you know, that- Not! Every animal has red blood, some have blueandinsome countries like,” you took a deep breath, “Japan- they think that blood type indicates a person’s personality-“

“Y/n-“ He had both hands on your upper arms now, basically holding up your whole weight, “I already… knew this.” His eyes widened.

Your whole torso was red. It was darker on your left side, it crescendoed into a pink stain on your white shirt from there. Spencer’s heart rate picked up, his eyes darting and his head attacking itself with thoughts. How can he help you, how can he hold you, how can he stop the bleeding?

“Y/n, what happened? Jesus, how are you…”

“Standing? I don’t know. What I do know is that mosquitos prefer blood type O, and they’re gonna be really attracted to me really soon-“

You body went limp, your eyes rolling to the back of your head. Spencer scrambled to support you, bringing you both down to the wooden floors before Emily ran in and immediately called for a medic.

Spencer held your head up with one hand, the other putting pressure on your wound. The sting woke you up just enough.

“Y/n, you need to stay awake okay?” He felt tears prick his lower lashes, his heart becoming a frantic but melodic beat in his head.

“Easier said than done,” you croaked out, attempting to ease the distressed expression on Spencer’s face that frankly you didn’t understand. Why were you on the ground? Why was everything going blurry? Why was Spencer’s voice so distant?

“The paramedics are nearly here, okay? Just stay awake until then.”

Emily dropped to her knees on your other side, hovering over your torso and filling your vision as she bent to wrap a torn piece of curtain around your waist. It hurt, like an internal fire that was fueled by oxygen and apparently a knife. She winced at your small whimpers, looking over your injury and assessing the damage.

The curtain compressed the wound well enough to wait for medics, but Spencer didn’t care, he was scared.

Emily rushed to the door when paramedics arrived, ushering them in and watching them as they tried to work around Spencer.

One of his tears landed on your cheek, making you change your flickering glance to his eyes. His big, brown, warm, eyes. It was so cold in there, you felt so cold. You were shivering.

The medics shouted orders at each other as Emily approached Spencer, two hands on his shoulders. She smiled reassuringly at him, “They can’t help her if you’re blocking them.”

When he looked down, your eyes were already closed, breathing so sparse that he stared at your chest until it rose just so he could take a breath himself. Emily was shaken, but Spencer was…

“How did it happen Emily? She was right beside me- and- and I swore she said clear, the room was clear Emily! Now, now she’s- Oh my god-“ He gripped the women’s shoulders and ran hands through his hair, “I should’ve known the unsub would’ve been in here, I could’ve done something-“

You were on a stretcher now, the curtain replaced with proper equipment, but your hands reached for him, and lord did he yearn to hold your hands. But they were gone, you were gone into that ambulance, before he could.

And now he would wait, with type O blood on his hands and in his hair, and without you.

taglist (open!!) - @jeffswh0re @reap3erslov3 @candyd1es @0108s22m @aurorsworld @theoraekenslover @c-losur3 @littlelearningbrat @khxna @laurakirsten0502

[soapoet]

What are you like as a spouse?

requested by anon.

like & rb if it resonates ♡

01.

Shufflemancy: Stay with me by Anson Seabra

As a spouse you are a little territorial. You trust your partner, but everybody else is under your careful scrutiny. You very easily pinpoint weeds in your garden, and pull them out root and stem swiftly. Your spouse can rely on you to be on the look out for all sorts of dangers, big or small. Security is of great importance to you, both regarding your relationship and your loved ones, and yourself. Perhaps less so yourself, as you seem to have an instinct to protect which sometimes overrules your own safety. You could relate to the knight archetype to some extent, the concept of serving and protecting. There is an intensity to your love that is like a fine wine, and simply intoxicating to your partner. You're akin a guard dog; out in public you are an intimidating presence ready to bark and bite should need arise, but behind closed doors your service is paid for in tender love and care and you melt when your partner dotes on you. And your spouse adores this duality in you, dominance and submission merged into one.

You're observant, and pay careful attention to your partner's wants and needs, and this lends itself to both an intuitive understanding and awareness of your partner's feelings and the shifts that occur, and makes you a great gift-giver too. You're also a great example of the "girlfriend effect" (regardless of gender) because you encourage your partner's authentic self expression and help them daringly try new things, style wise but also in general. It is safe for your partner to take leaps of faith in career and other matters that may come with risks, because you stand watch and are always there to catch them should they fall. It's possible that you're a late bloomer, or have a series of tumultuous relationships before finding your person, which leads you to take things slowly, desire clarity, and develop effective communication skills to avoid misunderstandings with your spouse. You have a deep need for emotional support and reassurance, so your spouse is somebody who you can truly trust and feel the ground sturdy and secure beneath your feet in their presence, and find shelter and comfort in their arms when you need it.

For some, the term spouse is used loosely, as formal marriage may not be of interest to you if you have any qualms regarding tradition, or simply prefer the intimacy of privacy. Some could opt for court house marriage with a lowkey get together with loved ones at a later date, and others none, and simply commit as life partners without legalities or traditions taken into consideration. If marriage does occur, it's likely to happen later once career matters are stable.

If you and your partner have children, you are your child's biggest cheerleader and encourage any interests of theirs, fuel their passions and show up to their activities to support them. Strong likelihood of children who are outcasts of some sort, deemed strange by their peers, bullied, could be neurodivergent, queer, or otherwise experience difficulties growing up, which you are uniquely equipped to handle and care for. Some in this group may simply decide to have no children of their own, or consider fostering as an alternative, but could otherwise deal with children, especially the unfortunate, in their community or on a larger scale in society.

Additional details: oddly specific spotify playlists, swords and daggers, rpgs, tarot, history, psychology, the moon, moths, wolves, pirates, red or purple lips, cherries, citrus fruits, birthday dinner, makeovers (self or room idk??), emails, documents, nintendo, tattoos, kuromi, donuts, fairs or theme parks, escape rooms, the nightmare before christmas, wednesday and the addams family, fate: the winx saga, euphoria, purple, chai, scorpio/aries/aquarius/gemini, saturn/mars/moon/lilith, april/march/november/december.

02.

Shufflemancy: This side of paradise by Coyote theory

As a spouse you are a breeze. A gentle caress of the sea blowing through your spouse's hair on the beach. You're a little bit of an old romantic, and may have an affinity with the classics or period dramas. You enjoy simplicity and peace, breaking bread at the kitchen table and quality time simply spent in the vicinity of your dear. Merely cooking together can be an adventure, as can the clean-up. You're attentive and try to be both a good friend and lover to your spouse. Resting your head on their lap and enjoying the silence, the act of nesting behind closed doors appeals to you, but you're partial to little getaways too just the two of you, slipping away somewhere near or far to see what you may find and get up to.

Physical closeness is important to you, but it is not possessive, suffocating, or clingy, but gentle and warm like a shelter from the storm. Your marriage is airy and light, and even the ceremony that got you to this point may be very cozy and intimate, invites sparce and spaces dimly lit. It's a very solitary life that you lead, with little socialising outside your little bubble. Contact seems restricted to only family and a couple of long-time friends and little else. You could even choose to live in the countryside or farther from the hustle and bustle of lively cities.

Should you have children, you are a very involved parent, as is your spouse. Messes are happy accidents and you emphasise comfort and peace in your child, and encourage them to make good friends, and you may very well come to consider your children's friends bonus children who can trust you as safe adults when they have nowhere else to turn to. Neither of you are very hard on your children, and do not mind if they don't succeed at everything so long as they try and have direction all within themselves. You're forgiving and patient, both with your spouse and children. You would do particularly well raising a child of the opposite sex, masculines doing well at raising feminines and vice versa.

You may take longer to feel ready to date in general, or due to circumstances or personal issues have a delay in romance, but once you do stumble upon love, commitment is sure and stable and long-lasting. Many are likely to marry their first love or first serious partner, and others could experience the classic friends to lovers arc that slowly blossoms but then remains in bloom forever if cared for.

Additional details: paper planes, strategy and simulation games, chess, archeology, history, cartography, geography, museums, genealogy, family events (dinners, birthdays, weddings, baby showers, funerals), babysitting, cats and mice, twitch, youtube, memes, news, acoustic guitar, green, lotus flowers, blankets, sweet tea, conventions, comics, anime, cartoons, arts and crafts, sticks and stones, seaside, countryside, camping, hiking, road signs, numbers, dirt roads, pine trees, virgo/aquarius/cancer/libra, mars/sun/neptune/ascendant, january/march/july/september.

03.

Shufflemancy: Somebody to you by BANNERS

As a spouse you are quite the little ray of sunshine, but also the sudden gust of winds of change. You are collaborative, and may serve as either the artist or the muse. Both, perhaps, as there is inspiration being exchanged between you and your spouse like sparkling water shared between two cups, clear and fizzy, as sharp as it is delightful and refreshing. You're enthusiastic and cheer your spouse on, loud and proud, supporting them in their trials and assure they have your arms to run into when they return with their accolades and treasures. You may easily get flustered, and try to avenge your spouse by attempts to charm and woo them in return, even if just to wipe the smug smile off their face as their bask in the glory of making your little heart flutter.

You may be a little needy, or quick to feel discouraged, but you're just as easily brought back to your feet with kind and reassuring words and helpful hands. You try your best to make yourself useful even in situations that are new to you, especially if your partner could use the help. You're able to laugh at yourself, but also communicate when the stumble actually hurt so that your spouse can kiss it all better. Regardless of your age, you will retain a youthful air about you, which will keep things interesting as you always find new adventures and things to share.

If you have children, you'll let them grow in whichever direction they best find the sun and rain to bloom in their time and their way. You love your freedom, and want to bestow it upon your child too, who will grow up to be very close with you and consider you a great friend and trusted confidante with whom they may share all their joys and sorrows without judgement. Some of you may not have children and instead raise fur babies, travel the world with your spouse, or create an alternative kind of family of misfits and kindred spirits amongst your peers.

You are very bubbly and sociable, and eagerly introduce your partner to your friends and make merry with theirs. You could really rejoice in the merging of your individual friend groups for the sake of building a community to call home. You enjoy exchaning favours, and have the mindset and desire of managing tasks between both you and your spouse and your community so that different strengths get utilised to combat defeat should somebody have to face big challenges they're not equipped to handle. So, though you may be called chaotic from time to time, you're still a good taskmaster and collaborator, who does not keep score, and manage your spouse and groups of people well even though things aren't colour coded and organised from A to Z.

Additional details: daydreaming, dream journals, streaming, paperwork, paint, coffee stains, red and blue, strawberries, avocado, live chat, chopsticks, van or camper or truck, packages, identity crisis, illness/medicine, learning, waiting, theatre, pets, money, siblings or cousins, slurpees, sushi, suburbs, small towns, interviews, phone calls, sneakers, broken windows, kpop and jpop, manga or manhwa, lore, toys, polar bears or bears in general, empty playgrounds, twitter/x, instagram, lost and found, wooden trinkets, herbs. capricorn/sagittarius/leo/pisces, jupiter/venus/uranus/vesta/chiron, march/june/august/october.

04.

Shufflemancy: Dandelions by Ruth B.

As a spouse you seem to be a jack of all trades, the scales of justice perfectly balanced. Your diligence and the ease at which you tackle tasks, the perseverance you show despite life's challenges, and how you always get back up again when you get knocked down, all makes you a wonderful partner. You are goal-oriented, but know when to slow down and relax. You push your partner to chase their dreams, but know not to push too hard and when to offer up comfort and quiet reassurance instead.

You may have a little bit of a saviour complex, as you pride yourself in both your ability to help and your emotional intelligence. You are patient, and know that in life there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all, and you're uniquely able and willing to find missing pieces of puzzles so that everybody finds what works for them, and will be a healing presence to your spouse especially. Your spouse finds you to be a rock, but let's not kid ourselves and pretend you don't melt like butter when they pull you close and tell you to relax, and lull you to sleep with a heartbeat and fingers running through your hair. Your spouse is well aware of how hard you work and how heavy the burdens on your shoulders sometimes become, and insist that you are no Atlas, at least not in the sanctuary you call home where you may rest and recharge.

Should you have children together, you may settle into traditional or otherwise clearly defined roles and assure neither of you take on too much and both get to be involved in the life of your children to an equal extent. You're likely the problem solver and the one to help with the homework, and deeply encourage active and social pursuits to ensure your children grow up healthy and experience relationships with people of all walks of life. With the combination of you and your spouse, your children are likely to grow up gentle but quick to defend the underdogs and fight injustice. Assuring your children have access to options and opportunities as well as a safety net to fall back on should it be needed is something you will both make sure of. Note that this is the only group I have no alternatives for and sense no absence of children, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ if you really do not want children, take double or triple the precautions.

You may enjoy home improvement or possibly have either you or your spouse working from home. You delegate responsibilities fairly and make consistent efforts to show your spouse your care and affection, especially through acts of service and the kindest of words when they are at their lowest. Though you are responsible and often do things by the book, there is a little streak of mischief and wanderlust that I sense, which keeps things interesting, making you a balance between homebody and explorer. You may have great banter with your spouse and frequently tease each other.

Additional details: car rides, crying, nerves, vhs tapes, siblings, young people, writing and rewriting, praise, headbands, flannels, glasses, family issues, guardian angels, cleaning, mermaids, rodents, deer, letters, arguments, flowers, office (work or the show idk), radio station, static, noise, real estate, architecture, mushrooms, pickles, salads, sleepless nights, muscle pain (or strain), sleepless nights, sleeping on the couch, glasses, hair cuts, lilies and elderflowers, soap, hugs and hand holding, patience, reluctance, overcoming fear, hearing music from another room, virgo/cancer/capricorn/aquarius, pluto/sun/venus/juno/union, june/august/october/november.

05.

Shufflemancy: Slow dancing by Aly & AJ

As a spouse you like to be in charge, or wear the pants, so to speak. Somebody has to tell the waiter your spouse asked for no pickles, right? Though you have a dominant energy about you, you are very nurturing and full of love and care and can be surprisingly sensitive emotionally. You like to stay on top of things and have things to do, places to be, and you could serve as something of a secretary in your relationship. Your spouse can always rely on you to know what to do and to get the Christmas cards sent out on time. You have a taste for the finer things in life and enjoy indulging in these together with your spouse. You likely introduce your spouse to many new things, be it music, literature, politics, foods, or some lifestyle and habits you maintain.

You revel in the quality time spent with your spouse, though you're independent and encouraging of them living their life separate from yours too whilst you engage with your own endeavours. You are secure and loyal, and give your spouse no reason to doubt your commitment and you speak as highly of them as they of you, so shenanigans and misfortunes stay at bay. You may have only few but close friends, but keep them for life and they enjoy the company of your spouse. You may frequently host dinner parties or other intimate get togethers in your home with the few privileged to know the two of you.

As a parent you would raise well-mannered and good children, to whom you would teach many of your own talents and push them to hone and master their own abilities and take both their interests and responsibilities seriously. You have a close bond with children even if you do not have them, which for many may be the case, and you could instead together with your partner be very involved with the children of your friends or family and serve as godparents or the cool aunts/uncles. You may still teach these children valuable lessons and be an important adult figure in their lives, and possibly lend your talents to teach them new skills.

You may also work with your spouse, be it through a mutual or related field, literally sharing the same workplace, or by joining up to start a business together or works as collaborators on separate passion projects. You're highly encouraging of them and push them to pursue their goals and even wildest dreams because with you in their corner there aren't many places in the world they couldn't go.

Additional details: co-op games, cookbooks, bullet journals, weddings, calendars and memos, perfect timing, awkwardness, dogs and canines in general, horses, rapunzel, children, phone calls, electric guitars, drums, men and fathers, streetlights, stalking, power outages, doctor's appointments, pedagogy or social work, education/school, stage fright, long distance travel, reunions, road trips, ice cream, spicy food, alcohol, orange and pink, pearls, grapefruits and blood oranges, hot chocolate, lgbt+, anxiety or depression, archery, sleepovers, libra/taurus/leo/cancer, mars/mercury/pluto/descendant, april/may/october/december.

06.

Shufflemancy: Comethru by Jeremy Zucker

As a spouse you are a natural in many ways, even, or especially if, you worry that you aren't. To your spouse you are a very nurturing and compassionate, gentle lover, who is intuitive and always seems to know the right words that they need to hear or the moment to hug them from behind and press your head against their tense and tired back. You dedicate yourself to being a source of light to your spouse, and tend to be quite romantic, albeit you get shy and blush even decades into the marriage when they return the sentiment. You learn quickly to express boundaries and communicate your needs to your partner if that has been a struggle in your past as they make a big effort to make sure you make your voice heard. You carefully consider their feelings, as they consider yours. You could as a couple have an almost telepathic connection, an inherent understanding and the blue print of each other's soul, knowing each twitch and micro-expression to know when the other requires assistance or wishes to leave a situation, etc.

You may find the role of a homemaker ideal, though you aren't without your own ambitions and occupational ideals. You could for a time be a stay-at-home spouse, or parent, but simultaneously engage with your own projects and end up working from home. You really make home feel like home, and your spouse finds relief and peace every time they return home. You have an eye for aesthetics and a way to make any space feel cozy, inviting, warm, and comfortable. Even though you are more of a homebody and like the solitude, your friends may rejoice in their visits and feel at home in your house and you could occasionally agree to host bigger holidays in your home, because really, nobody does Christmas like you do.

You are very clever and learn quickly, and your curiosity takes you on quite a few adventures in just one afternoon, and you enthusiastically share these wonders with your spouse and coax out their own adventurous and speculative side. You could spend hours talking and never seem to run out of things to speak of, but also find comfort in enjoying the silence. You're affectionate and like to be close to your partner, but eventually slip away as your mind begins to wander and take you in different directions. You have a youthful and ever-curious energy that your spouse delights in.

As a parent you would truly dedicate yourself to parenthood and rejoice in even the little steps and achievements of your little ones. You are doting, but not a doormat and find that your children trust and respect you without being told or taught to. You encourage your children to think for themselves because you value logic as much as feelings. Good reasoning skills and the ability to judge things on a case by case basis is something you will instill in your children. Your children are likely to grow up very independent and just the right balance of kind and clever to be an asset to society. Both you and your spouse share a deep distaste for the state of the world and are dedicated to raising children who know wrong from right and don't blindly follow anyone or anything and have the wires between head and heart connected. You and your spouse may both do a lot to improve your community and work to eventually leave the world better than how you found it.

Additional details: tears, keys, incoming text messages, psychiatry, therapy, home, teaching or writing, good luck, headaches, cramps, horror movies, haunted side of youtube/tiktok, conspiracy theories, stim toys, minecraft, rabbits, birds, cats, hoodies, grey and blue, energy drinks, vitamin water, winning, brownies, pancakes, soup, winnie the pooh, lion king, 2000s cartoons/music, fuzzy socks, beaded curtains or string lights, green or hazel eyes, candles, intuition, dust, sleet or snow, cold/grey/dreary weather, iron and vitamin d deficiency, water colours, astrology, vanilla or coconut scent, bubble baths, gemini/cancer/virgo/scorpio/libra, jupiter/neptune/moon/lunar nodes, february/may/june/october.

[drdemonprince]

ok fine cis men aren't the bad gender it's all men and we're all exactly like that anon who admitted to having abused women even if we don't know it. are you fucking happy now? is this the solidarity you want us to feel with cis men, that we're all just as mich rapists and murderers of women as they are? you have some fucking nerve to be throwing vague jabs while calling an admitted abuser "brave"

Normally I don't platform asks like these, but I'm moved by the genuineness of your emotional reaction here. I think you're hurting, and you've been hurt, and that the belief that abuse and violence are located within one gendered group (to which you don't belong) has felt like a way of organizing your world that has helped you make sense of things, and given you guidelines for how to act and whom to trust that have helped keep you safe. I think a lot of assault survivors feel that way when they're not cis men and their attackers were cis men.

As someone who has experienced a ton of sexual predation at the hands of cis women, cis men, and even other trans people, I don't feel the same way. There is no "bad gender" I can chalk up my abuse to. I find there are no easy means of categorizing entire people as abuser or as victim either -- I have known so, so many people who have occupied both roles depending upon the power they wielded and the social context of the moment. Hell, one cis lesbian that I knew who was infamous in her community for raping trans men would always tell her victims that her acts were those of "trauma recovery," of her "reclaiming" her power after men had stolen it away.

Even she, I don't think, is irredeemable or ontologically evil.

I'm an abolitionist. That's a core value through which a lot of my political action and beliefs flow. If you're not on board with the project of abolitionism, you'll find much to object to here, and most of your objections are things I will refuse to entertain, because I do not believe human beings are disposable no matter what they do, and I don't believe that anyone should have the authority to deem another human being as disposable.

An abolitionist politics is incompatible with the idea that some people or some groups are inherently bad. It's incompatible with the belief that abuse and violence comes from evil. It's a worldview that holds that people do harm because of social structures and networks of power that must be destroyed -- systems like the patriarchy, cissexism, anti-Blackness, ableism, capitalism, and more. And I think one of the ways that we conquer such oppressive systems is by raising the consciousness of all the people trapped under it -- so that we can topple it together. I want trans men and cis men alike to realize they have some skin in the game.

You don't have to associate with the men you don't want to associate with. If, because of repeated abuses at the hands of men, you can't ever trust them, well, those are your feelings, that's your life, that is your business. But when your personal feelings of safety are used as a justification for developing and promoting a worldview with transphobic, transmisogynistic implications, I'm gonna talk shit about that on my stupid little blog. And I'm gonna continue conducting my life in the way I feel I should.

And for me, that means forging common ground between trans men and cis men, and pushing both groups to take women's concerns seriously (especially trans women's concerns) and to stop centering themselves in feminist dialogue. There's a place for both trans men and cis men in the gender revolution, but we gotta do a lot of work on ourselves to stop getting in the way. It's work I'm emotionally equipped to do and find rewarding, and it's fine if you don't. There are lots of other people who need support that you can focus your energies on -- other survivors of abuse and assault that you perhaps find it easier to relate to. That's important work too, and I wish you well in doing it. Just make sure you're not excluding trans women in that work or I'll continue to be annoying about it on my stupid little blog.

[bestanimal]

Round 3 - Mammalia - Chiroptera

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Our next order of mammals is Chiroptera, commonly called “bats.” Chiroptera is the second largest order of mammals after Rodentia. Bats comprise about 20% of all classified mammal species worldwide, with over 1,400 species. They are divided into the families Pteropodidae (“megabats”), Rhinopomatidae (“mouse-tailed bats”), Craseonycteridae (“Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat”), Megadermatidae (“false vampire bats”), Rhinonycteridae (“trident bats”), Hipposideridae (“Old World leaf-nosed bats”), Rhinolophidae (“horseshoe bats”), Nycteridae (“slit-faced bats”), Emballonuridae (“sac-winged bats” and “sheath-tailed bats”), Myzopodidae (“sucker-footed bats”), Mystacinidae (“New Zealand short-tailed bats”), Thyropteridae (“disk-winged bats”), Furipteridae (“Smoky Bat” and “Thumbless Bat”), Noctilionidae (“bulldog bats”), Mormoopidae (“ghost-faced bats”, “mustached bats”, and “naked-backed bats”), Phyllostomidae (“New World leaf-nosed bats”), Natalidae (“funnel-eared bats”), Molossidae (“free-tailed bats”), Miniopteridae (“long-fingered” and “bent-winged bats”), Cistugidae (“wing-gland bats”), and Vespertilionidae (“vesper bats”).

Bats are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight, with their forelimbs adapted as wings. Their wings are a patagium of skin stretched between 4 fingers, with their thumbs pointing forward and supporting the leading edge of the wing. The wings of bats are much thinner and consist of more bones than the wings of birds, allowing bats to maneuver more accurately and fly with more lift and less drag. The surface of the wings is equipped with touch-sensitive receptors on small bumps called Merkel cells, also found on human fingertips. In bats, each of these bumps has a tiny hair in the center, making it even more sensitive and allowing the bat to detect and adapt to changing airflow. While bats are highly agile in the air, they can only crawl or drag themselves awkwardly across the ground, and most of their time not in the air is spent roosting upside down. However, a few species, such as the New Zealand Lesser Short-tailed Bat (Mystacina tuberculata) and the Common Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus) are able to walk or even run on all fours. Most bats are insectivores, and most of the rest are frugivores (fruit-eaters) or nectarivores (nectar-eaters). A few feed on vertebrates, such as the specialized blood-drinking vampire bats (subfamily Desmodontinae), the bird-hunting Greater Noctule Bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus), the fish-catching Greater Bulldog Bat (Noctilio leporinus), the frog-eating Fringe-lipped Bat (Trachops cirrhosus), and the Spectral Bat (Vampyrum spectrum) and Ghost Bat (Macroderma gigas) which sometimes feed on other bats. Carnivorous bats make use of echolocation for navigation and finding prey, while herbivorous bats use their more well-developed eyesight. Apart from the Arctic, the Antarctic and a few isolated oceanic islands, bats exist in almost every habitat on Earth.

Some bats lead solitary lives, while others live in colonies of millions. In some, the females live in groups while the males are solitary, or males and females will live in separate groups. Most species are polygynous, where males mate with multiple females. Some species are promiscuous, where both sexes mate with multiple partners. A few species form monogamous pairs. Female bats use a variety of strategies to control the timing of pregnancy and the birth of young, to make delivery coincide with maximum food ability and other ecological conditions. In most bat species, females carry and give birth to a single pup per litter. The young emerges rear-first, possibly to prevent the wings from getting tangled, and the female cradles it in her wing and tail membranes. In social species, females give birth and raise their young in maternity colonies and may assist each other in birthing. A few species also assist in suckling other mothers’ young. Most of the care for a bat pup comes from the mother, but in monogamous species, the father will also play a role in childcare.

The fragile skeletons of bats do not fossilize well, but Chiroptera is assumed to have arisen in the Eocene. The oldest known bat fossils include Archaeonycteris praecursor and Altaynycteris aurora (55–56 million years ago), both known only from isolated teeth. The oldest complete bat skeleton is Icaronycteris gunnelli (52 million years ago).

Propaganda under the cut:

The eyes of most carnivorous bat species are small and poorly developed, leading to poor visual acuity, but no species is truly blind. Microbats may use their vision for orientation and while travelling between their roosting grounds and feeding grounds, as echolocation is effective only over short distances. Some species can even detect ultraviolet (UV) light.

The smallest mammal in the world is the Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai), also known as the Bumblebee Bat (though the the Etruscan Shrew [Suncus etruscus] is smaller by body mass). An adult Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat is about 29 to 33 mm (1.1 to 1.3 in) in length and weighs around 2 g (0.071 oz).

On the other wing, the largest bat in the world is the Giant Golden-crowned Flying Fox (Acerodon jubatus) which can reach a weight of 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) and has a wingspan of 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in).

Bat dung is mined as guano from caves and used as a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. Bat guano also contains fine particles of insect exoskeleton, which are largely composed of chitin. Chitin from insect exoskeletons is an essential compound needed by beneficial soil fungi, as chitin is a major component of fungal cell wall membranes. This fungi then improves soil fertility. However, unsustainable harvesting of bat guano may cause bats to abandon their roost. Many cave ecosystems are wholly dependent on bats to provide nutrients via their guano which supports bacteria, fungi, invertebrates, and vertebrates in the cave. The loss of bats from a cave can result in the extinction of species that rely on their guano.

The extinct bats Palaeochiropteryx tupaiodon and Hassianycteris kumari, both of which lived 48 million years ago, are the first fossil mammals whose colorations have been discovered. Both were reddish-brown.

The fastest flying bat, the Mexican Free-tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis), can achieve a ground speed of 160 km/h (100 mph)!

Mexican Free-tailed Bats are one of the few species to "sing" like birds. Males sing to attract females.

Greater Bulldog Bats (Noctilio leporinus) “honk” to warn each other when they may be about to collide.

Carnivorous bats make use of magnetoreception, in that they have a high sensitivity to the Earth's magnetic field, like birds. These bats use a polarity-based compass, meaning that they differentiate North from South, unlike birds, which use the strength of the magnetic field to differentiate latitudes.

Scientists reported in January 2025 that they had discovered how some bats travel hundreds of miles in the spring to give birth in warmer temperatures: they surf storm fronts.

The Spotted Bat (Euderma maculatum) can travel as much as 38.5 km (24 mi) in one night in search of food.

Many species of plants depend on bats for seed dispersal. The Jamaican Fruit Bat (Artibeus jamaicensis) has been recorded carrying fruits weighing 3–14 g or even as much as 50 g.

Nectar-eating bats have acquired specialised adaptations. These bats possess long muzzles and long, extensible tongues covered in fine bristles that aid them in feeding on particular flowers and plants. These long, narrow tongues can reach deep into the long cup shape of some flowers. When the tongue retracts, it coils up inside the rib cage. The Tube-lipped Nectar Bat (Anoura fistulata) has the longest tongue of any mammal relative to its body size.

Around 500 species of flowering plant rely on bat pollination. Because of this, some of these flowers have adapted to only open their flowers at night.

Due to the specialized metabolism of Vampire Bats (subfamily Desmodontinae) they are highly susceptible to starvation if they fail to feed within 70 hours. To combat this, vampire bats engage in reciprocal altruism, and will feed each other by regurgitating blood. If a bat cannot find food two nights in a row, due to injury, illness, or simple unluckiness, one of its colony mates may feed it. Vampire bats who are more “popular” in the colony may be fed more often.

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a fungal disease in North American bats which has resulted in the dramatic decrease of the bat population in the United States and Canada, killing millions and causing a 90% decline in some areas. The condition is named for a distinctive fungal growth of Pseudogymnoascus destructans around the muzzles and on the wings of hibernating bats. It is likely the fungus was brought to North America from Europe by cavers who didn’t wash their equipment. Bats in Europe seem to be resistant to the fungus. The Forest Service estimated in 2008 that the die-off from white-nose syndrome means that at least 2.4 million pounds (1.1 million kg or 1,100 tons) of insects will go uneaten, possibly leading to crop damage or having other economic impact.

It has been estimated that bats save the agricultural industry of the United States anywhere from $3.7 billion to $53 billion per year in pesticides and damage to crops. This also prevents the overuse of pesticides, which can pollute the surrounding environment, and may lead to resistance in future generations of insects.

Homosexual relations have been observed in the Bonin Flying Fox (Pteropus pselaphon) and the Indian Flying Fox (Pteropus medius).

The Christmas Island Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus murrayi) was declared extinct in 2009. This extinction was likely caused by introduced, invasive species such as Domestic Cats (Felis catus), Black Rats (Rattus rattus), Common Wolf Snakes (Lycodon capucinus), and Yellow Crazy Ants (Anoplolepis gracilipes). The bats could have also been poisoned by the insecticide Fipronil, used to control Yellow Crazy Ant Colonies.

In China, bats have been associated with happiness, joy, and good fortune. Five bats are used to symbolise the "Five Blessings": longevity, wealth, health, love of virtue, and peaceful death.

A new threat to bats has arisen in the form of bat taxidermy. Bat taxidermy, where bats are either mounted in glass, encased in resin, articulated as a skeleton, or simply stuffed, is growing in popularity as “quirky” decor. However, many sellers will claim to be ethical when they are not, and are actually catching and killing bats to meet the rising demand of this new market. In some cases, entire caves will be gassed so that the bat carcasses can be harvested by the thousands. Many of the bat species used for oddity decor are declining or even endangered. The transport of bat carcasses overseas has also been linked to the spread of disease.

[sayruq]

Today was a big for the resistance. It seems people were right, they were waiting for Biden to leave so they can respond to the Ah Ahli Hospital massacre (the tweets below are arranged from the earliest reports I saw to the latest in order to show the coordination between different groups in different countries and the escalation)

Like I said, a big day for the resistance

And I see no signs of things slowing down

The Palestinian resistance has a list of objectives for this operation including damaging Israel's economy, forcing Israel citizens to flee the country, and slowing down immigration to Israel in the long term (because that leads to new settlements)

In other news, Biden's bloodlust was enough to disgust an arms dealer.

Several of his staff have also expressed discomfort with the administration's choices the past few weeks

Nonetheless, American troops have been told to prepare for deployment

The past few days I've been pointing out how Russia has gone from pro Israel to carefully neutral to increasingly critical of Israel and now we have this.

I'm so glad that Israel has continued to shoot itself on its foot by isolating itself from Russia and China

Russia is actively intervening to ensure that America and its allies can't use the Black Sea to counter the resistance in West Asia which is a big deal

So far, all signs are pointing to a regional conflict

This has to be a huge blow to Israel seeing so many countries, even a NATO nation, coming together to ensure that it can't annihilate Palestine.

More importantly, it shows that Palestine does not stand alone.

[khaire-traveler]

🌍 Subtle Gaia Worship 🌱

Pick up trash and litter in your neighborhood, nature preserves, hiking trails, beaches, etc. (please wear protective equipment!!!)

Take a walk/hike outside; nature environments would be great, but it's ok if you don't have that option

Open a window in your home; breathe in some fresh air

Support organizations focused on climate control, the environment, or the well-being of wildlife/plant life

Support organizations that are against domestic abuse or aiding domestic abuse survivors

Plant a tree if you can

Try gardening or own a houseplant

Have a candle that reminds you of her (no altar needed)

Wear jewelry that reminds you of her

Keep a picture of her or the earth in your wallet

Fall asleep to nature sounds, such as birds singing, forest ambiance, or comforting animal noises

Try to spot something beautiful in the natural world around you every time you go outside; take a moment to appreciate it if you can

Learn about your local flora and fauna; learn about invasive species to look out for

Watch a nature documentary or educational video about nature

Learn about foraging; try your hand at it (SAFELY!!!)

Try eating organic fruits and veggies; if you can't, try eating fruits and veggies in general

Spend extra time making a tasty meal for yourself or loved ones; add natural ingredients to it, like fruits, veggies, meats, eggs, etc.

Drink tea made from herbs and the like; add honey to your tea

Try communing with plants and their spirits, if you're open to that practice; give thanks to local nature spirits; this includes nymphs

Have imagery of the seasons, lightning, fruits, the earth, the ocean, the sky, mountains, natural environments (like forests and jungles), plant life (especially very green plants), ash trees, pine trees, olive trees, rosemary, motherhood (however you choose to interpret that), scorpions, snakes, dragons, bats/bat wings, sea creatures, centaurs, nymphs, and flint sickles (or generally sickles)

Have a stuffed animal snake, dragon, bat, or scorpion; have a stuffed animal of an animal you associate strongly with motherhood

Lend a hand to any new parents in your life; offer to help babysit, if you can

Be kind to children (or disengage, just don't be beefing with a child)

Play with or spend time with any kids in your life

Donate child supplies, such as diapers, baby food, and toys, to a homeless shelter or organization that helps parents/single mothers

Engage in random acts of kindness towards a stranger; make someone smile

Allow yourself to rest when you need to; rest is productive

Treat yourself with kindness and love; practice self-love

Try to encourage yourself when you're having a hard time, or otherwise be gentle with yourself

Give compassion to others, especially those who are struggling

Embrace being the "parent friend", if you are one (someone who always has snacks, bandaids, etc.; someone who is always checking in on everyone in the group; someone is always taking care of the group, etc.)

Practice grounding techniques; give meditation in nature (or to nature sounds) a try

Engage in relaxing activities, especially when you're feeling overwhelmed; this can include drawing, painting, crocheting, writing, etc.

Take an herbal/salt bath (USE BATH SALTS; MAKE SURE HERBS DON'T GO DOWN YOUR DRAIN!!!)

Take frequent breaks from your phone/technology; make sure you're not straining your eyes

Exercise/stretch; move your body in some way

-

For now, this is my list of discreet ways to worship Gaia! I'll likely add more later on. May Gaia embrace you in her loving arms, if you wish her to. 💚

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

[sebastianswallows]

The Little Death — 1. Captive of your desires

— PAIRING: Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen x Bene Gesserit!Reader

— SYNOPSIS: A Bene Gesserit gets left behind in the Arrakeen palace. When Feyd becomes the Planetary Governor, he finds her there in hiding. The Harkonnens don't traditionally keep them as truthsayers or concubines like other Houses do, but Feyd might have a use for her. After all, he's never had a Bene Gesserit of his own before.

— WARNINGS: choking and death threats

— WORDCOUNT: 2.2k

— A/N: I couldn't resist. I had to write more for him. Reader, I love him. This fic might go a little wild, because I want to play into this naughty boy's love for pain. Expect some subby Feyd, some inkpies, generally a messed up dynamic with an equally messed up reader. Hope you enjoy, my lovelies! 🖤

Seek freedom and become captive of your desires. Seek discipline and find your liberty. — Bene Gesserit Coda

House Harkonnen fell upon Arrakis like a hammer — with a deafening crash and destructive reverberation. After the palace was ransacked and the most important figures murdered, their bodies piled high and set alight, the stragglers were hunted through the streets and homes of Arrakeen. There was a week of slaughter. By the end, nothing moved. All spice production had ceased. Then the violence left the city and spread out into the desert, and the whole hemisphere of the planet was captured.

Arrakeen sat near the northern pole, on thick bedrock surrounded by natural fortifications that protected it from worm attacks. It was a difficult place to escape from. Those who remained were understood to be loyal to the Harkonnens, or at least indifferent to who held the power. The Atreides rule had been brief enough to not have garnered that many supporters. Only the rumour of their goodness and grace had been planted, and the Harkonnens returned before those could take root.

There can be said to have been a second Harkonnen takeover once Feyd-Rautha arrived. The Baron’s youngest nephew. Word was spread — or rather, been carefully planted — that he was the kinder, gentler of the Harkonnen brothers. The people greeted him like a saviour. Inside the palace, the atmosphere was more subdued.

It was a stark contrast to the transition from when Rabban came to power. No mass killings, no ransacking of rooms, just an orderly takeover through which the cold and calculating presence of Feyd-Rautha flowed. Furniture was rearranged. Staff was brought in from Giedi Prime. Brand new equipment arrived, especially for the spice harvesters.

The message was clear. The new planetary governor was thorough and exacting. Most of those in the palace breathed a sigh of relief, but there was at least one breath that stuttered.

She was there at his arrival, watching from a distance together with the throng of Arrakeen locals, Fremen and others, who gathered to see the procession. It was early in the morning, just before sunrise. He walked differently than other Harkonnen she’d seen. Rabban stomped through like a bull. The servants grovelled. The Baron was so fat he had to be suspended in the air. But this one, this one strolled through with confidence. Sleek and slender, he was beautiful in an inhuman way. That much she could make out from a distance.

He struck out at Fremen sietches on his very first day, using artillery fire and on-the-ground troops. An old way of doing things, but effective. It painted the new governor as precise, determined, and strangely honourable, and then word spread around the palace that he’d struck his own brother to the ground and made him kiss his feet. The word ‘humiliation’ was uttered. The news sewed a sliver of hope in the hearts of the longsuffering palace staff.

She had evaded close contact with the Harkonnens until then. It only made sense, as she was in hiding, slipping through the cracks of their negligence until she could procure safe passage off-planet, but that was getting more difficult by the day. What they lacked in caution, they made up for in paranoia, and all comings and goings were kept behind esoteric layers of bureaucracy. She was in the process of making contact with a smuggler when Feyd-Rautha gained governorship of the planet, and all her hopes were dashed.

It was the evening of his second day on the planet when she was called. The servant that summoned her looked at her like she was an apparition — which, in a way, she was. She had managed to remain undetected, keeping herself busy, staying out of sight, acting like she was meant to be there. She’d become part of the scenery and could dispel suspicion if anyone got too close. Her Bene Gesserit training was good for that if nothing else. But there was no escaping this. Somebody had finally found her and knew exactly where she was.

She followed the servant — a heavily armed pasty-white figure, crooked and willowy — to the chamber door of what she knew to be the largest office of the governor. He opened it for her, pushed her in, and locked the door behind her.

Like a tiny sun, a glowglobe floated through the room, its light falling on the smooth black surfaces of the furniture and the pale stone of the walls. She folded her hands before her, hidden by the long sleeves of her dress, and followed what the light revealed. The room was large and windowless, stripped bare of any useless item. The table was empty, the chairs were in their place, and upon the plinths set in the corners, no potted plants or works of art stood. Only one thing moved there, together with the light. Feyd-Rautha paced slowly, quietly, on the other side of the room.

“My lord na-Baron,” she said in a smooth and submissive voice. Her knees bent in a slight curtsy — respectful, but not too much. “You summoned me.”

She wore a garb that didn’t belong to any particular function. The long black dress would have fit just as well in the kitchens as in the cleaning staff, and the head covering was suited for the Arrakis weather, worn by any female. All of those with hair, anyway. The light material bent around her, giving her a slightly oval shape, soft and harmless. But when she looked up and caught the na-Baron’s gaze, he would have seen a sharper look there than that of any servant.

His eyes were cunning too. They looked upon her knowingly and with amusement, a strange manner for a Harkonnen.

“Who are you?” he asked with a playful squint.

His voice scratched across her skin like kitten claws. He didn’t sound the way he looked, and she admitted it surprised her. His tone, nevertheless, was gentle. Deceitfully kind. He could kill me in an instant, she thought, and take pleasure from it.

“My lord, I —”

“You were not on Rabban’s stafflist. I know that, because he didn’t have one. And you’re not on mine, because I didn’t ask for you. We have as of today an account of all the palace workers, but the list comes up with one extra room unaccounted for.”

Nights in Arrakeen were cold, but her skin just turned colder. What rotten luck, to be in the palace right when they decided to actually investigate who worked there and did what. It’s my own fault, she said to herself. I relied on their incompetence for far too long. Now I pay the price. So be it.

“I have been a servant in this palace for many years, my lord na-Baron,” she said with a slow bow of her head. “And I wish to serve you as well.”

“Is that so?” he purred, coming closer. His steps were lazy, but the pace was measured. He had more control over his body than his playful swagger let on. “Many years, you say? You worked for the Atreides, then?”

“And for Count Fenring before them.”

He stopped. She looked up at him from underneath her lashes and smiled in quiet satisfaction. Lady Fenring was a skilled Bene Gesserit sister and had lived in Arrakeen with her husband for many years before the Atreides decided on it for their capital. She was the most logical choice as a secret envoy to the Harkonnen heir. And if Feyd-Rautha met her, it could only mean one thing.

Uroshnor, she thought. He’s likely been imprinted with the usual prana-bindu phrase. It would stun him, if only for a moment. But long enough… It didn’t provide her a means of escape, but it gave her hope. It gave her room for manoeuvre.

“I am not a spy,” she said, straightening her back.

“Of course, a spy would say that.”

“You may test me in any way you wish,” she said with a playful chuckle.

Feyd’s eyes darkened at her proposition, a smile bending his full lips as he stepped closer. Oh, he could think of many ways to test her…

“What are you, then?” he asked, his voice scratching low and close as he stopped close enough to touch.

She could see now that his eyes were a clear blue. Not the sort of blue brought on by long-term spice exposure, that dark electric shade, but blue like water, like the sky, like a shard of ice. His jawline was firm — that of a biter. But his lips were pillow-soft and curled around the edges in a smile that wouldn’t go away. Lips made for laughing, made for kissing, made for love. He’s such a delicate boy. The thought ran through her mind before she realised.

“I served the Lady Fenring as a housekeeper,” she said.

“Lies.”

“My lord?”

“You’re one of them, aren’t you? A damn witch.”

She remained completely still, her eyes locked on his. He was trying to dominate her with a hard incessant glare, but she held his gaze merely for the pleasure of it. What a comforting colour they were on such a harsh planet… No matter the malice behind them.

“You’re a Bene Gesserit. I’ve met your kind before,” he continued, looking down her body in a cruel, suggestive way. “You hold yourselves the way no other women do.”

“Perpans not like Harkonnen women.”

He chuckled, the sound scraping up his slender neck. “All women in the known universe are the same, given the right circumstances.”

“But not the Bene Gesserit.”

“Yes, not you,” he sighed, head tilting as if his mind was trying to escape a painful memory.

His eyes stayed upon her figure, trailing down the contours of her dress. Then he reached out a hand and touched it, his fingers tracing a silky pleat so lightly that it barely moved. She felt it still, the slight disturbance his caresses caused, but willed her body to stay motionless. There was no trace of aggression in him now.

“Why are you still here?” he asked.

“You have not dismissed me, my lord na-Baron.”

He chuckled faintly. “I mean on Arrakis.”

“I wish to remain in the palace.”

“Why?”

“The deserts are harsh.”

“Many prefer that to serving a Harkonnen.”

“One master is as good as another.”

“I’m sure it must’ve felt like that to you,” he said, looking her in the eye again. His fingers left her dress and went to rest upon the hilt of a dagger at his belt. “So I take it you were one of Lady Fenring’s servants. A… fellow sister, would you call it?”

“I was part of her staff, yes.”

“And you didn’t leave with her and the Count when the Atreides came?”

“I remained behind to assist with training their staff,” she said with a bow of her head. Even now she retained a certain respect for that dead House.

“And Lady Fenring,” he hissed, the name dripping from his mouth like poison, “she never wanted to retrieve you?”

“I believe they think me dead.”

“Yes, she is not the sentimental sort,” he chuckled, and his cold gaze caught hers.

A dangerous thought was taking root behind those eyes, she could see it germinating. She waited, reading his body, scanning the minute changes in his expression, and tried to determine what went on behind that pallid mask.

There was envy there, and regret, and longing. The Harkonnens never kept Bene Gesserit truthsayers, nor were there any among the Baron’s concubines — all of them were young boys anyway. They were unique among the Great Houses in that way, and although she knew that Feyd’s mother had been a Bene Gesserit herself, he probably didn’t know what it was like to be raised by one. Why else would he be looking at her now as if he wanted to peel her clothes away, and then her skin, and reach toward her heart and grab it?

“How can I help my na-Baron?” she asked, her voice a whisper, her gaze a caress.

“By not getting above yourself,” he rasped with the air of slapping her offer away.

Her heart stuttered in her chest and she bowed her head to hide her terror. Did I read him wrongly? she thought to herself. I must not fear.

“House Harkonnen has no use for witches,” said Feyd.

She felt his strong hand grip her shoulder, slipping past the veil to curl around her neck. He stayed there, holding her in a half-choke just firm enough to feel her heartbeat in the palm of his hand.

“I ought to kill you,” he said sweetly, “and feed you to my darlings.”

Her lips parted, swelling slightly, and she felt her face go pale. The little death takes on a whole new meaning, she thought with grim amusement.

“But I do want to know one thing…”

“Yes, my na-Baron?” she asked in a shaky voice.

He breathed in sharply at the sound of it. He liked it. When she looked up into his eyes again, the grip around her throat felt not so much murderous anymore as it did greedy, possessive.

“I want to know… Do you have one of those pain boxes too?”

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - February 22-28

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles! (This month’s doodles will be a little delayed since I wasn’t able to work on them throughout the month)

1. City trees absorb much more carbon than expected

“[A new measurement technique shows that trees in LA absorb] up to 60% of daytime CO₂ emissions from fossil fuel combustion in spring and summer[….] Beyond offering shade and aesthetic value, these trees act as silent workhorses in the city’s climate resilience strategy[….]”

2. #AltGov: the secret network of federal workers resisting Doge from the inside

“Government employees fight the Trump administration’s chaos by organizing and publishing information on Bluesky[…. A group of government employees are] banding together to “expose harmful policies, defend public institutions and equip citizens with tools to push back against authoritarianism[….]””

3. An Ecuadorian hotspot shows how forests can claw back from destruction

“A December 2024 study described the recovery of ground birds and mammals like ocelots, and found their diversity and biomass in secondary forests was similar to those in old-growth forests after just 20 years. [… Some taxa recover] “earlier, some are later, but they all show a tendency to recover.””

4. Over 80 House Democrats demand Trump rescind gender-affirming care ban: 'We want trans kids to live'

“[89 House Democrats signed a letter stating,] "Trans young people, their parents and their doctors should be the ones making their health care decisions. No one should need to ask the President’s permission to access life-saving, evidence-based health care." "As Members of Congress, we stand united with trans young people and their families.”“

5. Boosting seafood production while protecting biodiversity

“A new study suggests that farming seafood from the ocean – known as mariculture – could be expanded to feed more people while reducing harm to marine biodiversity at the same time. […] “[… I]t’s not a foregone conclusion that the expansion of an industry is always going to have a proportionally negative impact on the environment[….]””

6. U.S. will spend up to $1 billion to combat bird flu, USDA secretary says

“The USDA will spend up to $500 million to provide free biosecurity audits to farms and $400 million to increase payment rates to farmers who need to kill their chickens due to bird flu[….] The USDA is exploring vaccines for chickens but is not yet authorizing their use[….]”

7. An Innovative Program Supporting the Protection of Irreplaceable Saline Lakes

“[… T]he program aims to provide comprehensive data on water availability and lake health, develop strategies to monitor and assess critical ecosystems, and identify knowledge gaps to guide future research and resource management.”

8. EU to unveil ​‘Clean Industrial Deal’ to cut CO2, boost energy security

“The bold plan aims to revitalize and decarbonize heavy industry, reduce reliance on gas, and make energy cheaper, cleaner, and more secure. […] By July, the EU said it will ​“simplify state aid rules” to ​“accelerate the roll-out of clean energy, deploy industrial decarbonisation and ensure sufficient capacity of clean-tech manufacturing” on the continent.”

9. Oyster Restoration Investments Net Positive Returns for Economy and Environment

“Researchers expect the restored oyster reefs to produce $38 million in ecosystem benefits through 2048. “This network protects nearly 350 million oysters[….]” [NOAA provided] $14.9 million to expand the sanctuary network to 500 acres by 2026 […] through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”

10. Nations back $200 billion-a-year plan to reverse nature losses

“More than 140 countries adopted a strategy to mobilize hundreds of billions of dollars a year to help reverse dramatic losses in biodiversity[….] A finance strategy adopted to applause and tears from delegates, underpins "our collective capacity to sustain life on this planet," said Susana Muhamad[….]”

February 15-21 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[warping-realities]

All For The Family - Final

TJ was frozen, his heart poundin' like a jackhammer while he tried to wrap his head around what was goin' on. The cop, Lucas Harding, looked genuinely worried, and that made TJ feel all kinds of uneasy. He glanced over at RJ, who was visibly jittery too. The tension in the air was thicker than molasses, and all eyes were on him.

“Officer Harding, I… I don’t… know... your brother,” TJ stammered, his voice shaky.

Lucas shot him a look, suspicion flashin' in his eyes. “You sure? You got no idea where he might be?”

“Honestly, no… I don’t… I’m sorry… I’ve never seen him.” TJ replied, feelin' a knot twistin' in his gut, even though he couldn't figure out why. He looked around, searchin' for support in the familiar faces.

“If y’all can help me find him...,” Lucas pressed, pullin' out his phone. “Here, check out his picture.” He said handing TJ a cell phone whose screen was filled with the image of a skinny young blond man, very similar to Lucas Harding himself. But instead of the impression of a dangerously fast animal that the police officer gave with his lean and toned muscles, the brother seemed to TJ just… meek.

“Sorry, I don’t… I don’t remember him,” TJ said, feelin' a bit embarrassed. He felt the pressure buildin' in his chest. What in tarnation was wrong here?

Meanwhile, Debra and Mrs. Abernathy exchanged quick glances, whisperin' low between themselves, tryin' not to draw attention.

Roy, on the other hand, seein' the worry etched on his kids' faces, stepped up, standin' next to TJ and throwin' a giant arm over the broad shoulders of the young man, givin' him a solid, protective presence. “Officer Harding,” he started, his voice low and authoritative, “I don’t reckon you got any reason to be here. What goes down on my property is none of your business, and if there ain't no proof that your brother was here, I suggest you leave.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback by Roy's attitude. “I understand your position, Mr. Abernathy, but as an officer, it’s my duty to ensure the safety and well-being of my brother. And the last word I got from him was that he was headin' this way.”

“I get your concern, but I can't allow you to go snoopin' around my land without a good reason. If you're so keen, I suggest you come back with a warrant!” Roy shot back, his voice steady but with a firmness that made it clear he wasn’t budgin'.

At that moment, Marisa chimed in, her expression resolute. "Roy, darling, maybe I can help. Officer Harding, if you really feel it's necessary, I can tag along with you to search the outskirts of the farm.”

Everyone turned to her, surprised by the offer. Roy tried to protest, but Marisa was set in her ways. “I think this is the best route, Roy. Let’s just check the nearby areas; it might ease everyone's mind.”

“All right, ma’am,” Lucas said, relieved by Marisa's willingness. “I really appreciate your help. Let’s head out together; maybe we can find a lead.”

Marisa nodded and turned to the kids. “Y’all stay put and keep an eye on the house. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine, and you don’t need to tag along.” With one last look at Roy, who still seemed reluctant but held his ground. Marisa turned back to Lucas and led him toward the barn. “Let’s start here,” she suggested, walkin' with determination and a cheeky smile playin' on her lips.

She guided Lucas into the barn, the fresh country air contrastin' sharply with the tension hangin' between them. As soon as they stepped inside, the soft light of the evening spilled over the space, revealin' a bunch of tools and equipment. In the corner sat the red Mustang that Ryan and RJ had been workin' on. Marisa stopped, pointin' at the car with a playful look. "You were right, officer, your brother was here. But, unfortunately, he ain't with us anymore."

“What’d y’all do to him?”

“Just some upgrades, like the old car of my boys.”

“I ain't followin'…”

“Oh, men, what y’all don’t understand could fill up encyclopedias.”

“You’re not makin’ sense, woman. Where’s my brother?”

“Your brother is out there, and at the same time, he ain't. Just like this car is and isn’t his.”

“You're crazy!” Lucas shot back.

“Men call it crazy what they can't wrap their heads around, Officer Harding. I’ve been misunderstood my whole life, until I decided to take the reins myself.”

“Ma’am, quit the ramblin', where’s Brian? If you don’t tell me, I’ll have to take you in!”

“How can you, when you're the one that's trapped?”

“What the hell are you talkin' about? Enough of this!” The man exclaimed, tryin' to move but findin' himself stuck. “What the hell is this?”

“Just a little safety measure, officer. Now what am I gonna do with you? You weren’t in my plans. A new kid to help with the plowin' and harvestin’, a shark less tryin' to bite into my family, that’d be perfect. But who’d have thought the worthless Brian would have a brother so tied to him... unlike him with you, the kid forgot about you quick as a flash, didn’t he?”

“What’s goin' on, let me go, you witch!”

“Oh, there’s that nasty word. I am a witch, just like my mom and her mom before her. But y’all made us this way. I tried to fight to live away from it. Thought I found love, but that good-for-nothin' was gonna ditch me and my daughter, the worthless. So I had to do what my mama and so many others in our family did. I took the scrap I had on hand and created something better, much better. My Roy, a real man, like he oughta be. To take care of me and Debra. Then when she was grown, I had to do it again, that filthy boy, daring to deflower my little one and leave her? I could’ve made him crawl, turned him into the worm he was, but no, in my kindness, I rewarded him. RJ, the son every mom would want, and I love him like only a mother knows how, and the same goes for TJ—how could I not love him? I created him with my own hands!!! And now we got you, Lucas! What to do with you? You’re a risk in many ways. Brian was a conscious choice, see, the biggest issue with most men is their foolishness. But some are truly dangerous; there are still those who hunt women like me, and that’s another reason I need to surround myself with strong, capable men. And also the reason I use so little of my powers. I could’ve sorted our financial situation long ago, but I can’t draw too much attention; many of my sisters got caught just for flauntin' undue riches while others for usin' too much of the gifts our Great Mother gives us. And now you show up and put me in a tight spot. But there’s no way around it; I’m gonna have to take a chance.” The woman concluded with a maniacal grin, while a wave of energy swirled around her.

Lucas, on his end, mustered all his willpower and managed to break the spell for a few moments, takin' a few hesitant steps before bein' hit squarely by the concentrated power of the woman.

Lucas found himself in the dim light of the barn, his skinny silhouette castin' a long shadow against the wooden beams. He’d always been the lean type, the kind of cop who relied on agility instead of brute strength. Frozen, he felt the air weighin' down with that strange energy. Marisa, now wrapped in shadows cast by golden sparks, was watchin' him closely, her eyes glimmerin' with mischief.

As Lucas took a deep breath, he felt a weird tingle runnin' through his body. It started in his arms, where he felt his muscles contractin' as if they had a mind of their own. The sensation spread like wildfire, ignitin' every fiber of his being. His frame started expandin', growin' taller and wider, while layers of muscle surged to envelop him. His arms, once toned but not really muscular, thickened up, his biceps swellin' like cannonballs, and his shoulders broadened, givin' him a formidable presence.The witch's eyes sparkled with delight as she watched the transformation.

Lucas felt the heat radiatin' from his chest as his pecs inflated, creatin' a powerful, chiseled torso. The uniform he wore strained against his growin' physique, the seams threatenin' to burst as his body morphed into a real giant. He desperately tried to escape, but it felt like he was glued to the barn floor, disbelief settlin' in as he watched the changes unfold.

His thighs expanded, stretchin' his pants until they felt like a second skin, and his calves hardened, turnin' muscular and defined. The feeling was overwhelming but strangely pleasurable, an intense mix of power and confusion. Lucas instinctively flexed his arms, watchin' the veins snake across his skin, pulsin' with his heartbeat.

When he turned to face the witch, he felt a low growl risin' in his throat, a deep, imposing sound he’d never made before. All he wanted was to attack. The witch, seein' all that rage, just smiled, clearly satisfied with the transformation she had orchestrated, which was nearing its end, as sparks swirled around the face of the man caught between anger and confusion. Until that face suddenly become a blur. In that instant, an intense pressure settled in his skull, causin' memories, feelings, and his very identity to suffer a blow so strong that everything turned to a blank void. When the blur faded, it revealed a face with a square jaw and a prominent chin, framed by a respectable mustache. There were full lips that, with frequent smiles, would reveal pearly white teeth. The change in his face was striking; the features that once hinted at a possibly obsessive and controlling person now looked friendly, yet also striking and commanding. His big, expressive eyes shone with a friendly glimmer, but at the slightest provocation, they would fill with fierce determination to protect those he swore to defend. The confused expression gave way to a confident stance, as his facial muscles adjusted, creatin' a visage that radiated strength and masculinity, breakin' into a strangely shy smile for a man of his size.

“Oh, Levi, darling. I’m flattered you spoke to me first; I know Roy can be intimidatin’, but he’s known you your whole life, kid. It ain’t been few times you’ve helped out on the farm, right? And if marryin' you is Debra's wish, he’ll surely give you her hand.” Marisa said, makin' Levi’s shy smile widen. That made Marisa feel immensely satisfied with herself. She knew Debra was a bit ticked off with that solution, but over time, just like Marisa herself, she understood it was necessary for the good of the family she had built. Knowin' that, she returned the smile, though this one was of relief and accomplishment for once again turnin' a problem into an asset.

….

Levi strode into the Abernathy kitchen with firm steps, the massive frame of his body fillin' the wide doorway. The familiar aroma of Mrs. Abernathy's kitchen enveloped him, a mix of homemade bread and fresh coffee that always made him feel at home.

He found TJ leanin' against the kitchen counter, shirtless, drinkin' a beer from a big mug. The sunlight pourin' in through the window highlighted the contours of TJ’s defined muscles, sweat still glistenin' on his skin after a long day of hard work out in the fields.

When he saw Levi, TJ furrowed his brow for a brief moment. Somethin' felt a bit off, like he was tryin' to remember a skinnier man, someone he had a vague memory of. But when Levi broke into a wide grin and said, "Roy said I can marry Debra," that strange feelin' that somethin' was wrong disappeared fast, replaced by a wave of happiness for his friend.

“You're serious, man? That’s awesome!” TJ exclaimed, droppin' the mug on the counter and walkin' over to hug Levi with genuine enthusiasm. The embrace between the two was more than just a show of friendship; it was a confirmation of the new bond they shared, a brotherhood forged in hard work and mutual support.

“It’s true, and I was thinkin’, TJ, I’d like you to be my best man,” Levi said, his voice ringin' with sincerity.

TJ was momentarily speechless, surprised and honored by the invitation. He hesitated, not ‘cause he didn’t want to, but ‘cause the emotion of the moment caught him off guard. “Best man? Dude, I don’t know what to say…”

“If you don’t want to, I’ll just ask RJ,” Levi joked, winkin' at TJ.

“Oh, fuck you!” TJ shot back with a laugh, givin' Levi a light punch on the arm. “Of course I’ll do it! It’d be an honor, bro.” He replied, not knowin' how close and far from the truth that statement really was.

…

The next mornin', the sun shone bright, lightin' up the Abernathy kitchen. RJ and TJ were at the breakfast table, both shirtless, laughin' and chattin' excitedly about what else they needed to do to get the Mustang ready.

“Dude, if we can wrap this up by next weekend, we gotta take a spin around town and show that car off to the girls. Just imagine their faces when they see us rollin' out in a classic like that!” RJ said, his eyes shinin' with excitement.

“Absolutely! We gotta seize the moment, right? After all, the first one in the group is gettin' hitched…” TJ replied, swallowin' a hard-boiled egg whole in one bite.

“Bro! The bachelor party! We gotta plan somethin' epic! You know how it is, bro, Levi deserves a good party. Somethin' he'll never forget!” RJ commented, noddin' his head enthusiastically.

While the two were talkin', the kitchen door swung open and Levi strolled in, cheerful and shirtless, a wide grin plastered on his face. He looked as if he was radiatin' energy, like the day was in tune with his spirit.

“Good mornin’, fellas! Y’all still hibernatin’ in here?” Levi joked, crossin' the kitchen and headin' straight for the coffee pot.

“And what? You sleep well on the couch?” RJ shot back, with a cheeky grin.

“Pff, you think a hard couch could take me down? Takes more than that to knock me out!” Levi replied, fillin' his mug with coffee and turnin' to the brothers.

“Maybe next time we oughta put you to sleep in the barn, to make sure you don’t get any ideas about sleepin' with our sister before the wedding!” TJ joked, winking.

Levi burst out laughin', holdin' the mug tight. “Oh, don’t you worry about that! I ain't that easy! Debra's gonna need a whole lotta effort to corrupt my pure soul.” He said with a wink. “And look who’s talkin', why couldn’t I have some fun in the barn? Especially knowin' what you boys have done in there! You’ve always been a bad influence!”

The three shared a laugh, the vibe light and filled with camaraderie. The time they spent together as childhood friends was now transformin' into family bonds, somethin' that would tie them even closer.

“Yeah, my pals, looks like we’re finally takin' on real responsibilities, but I’m glad to be startin' my family by joinin' yours, for real,” Levi said, lookin' back and forth between them, his smile turnin' serious. “I’m truly grateful to have y’all by my side.”

“And we’re grateful you’re here, Levi. You’re part of our family now. No matter what happens, we’ll always stick together,” TJ replied, feelin' an emotion wash over him that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

RJ nodded, “Exactly! We’re in this together! Now, let’s talk about the bachelor party, ‘cause I’ve already got some ideas and none of 'em involve the barn, though it could have a couch and plenty of girls!”

….

Later, before the men headed out to work in the fields, Roy and Marisa were out on the porch, watchin' their kids as they got ready for another day of work. The morning sun lit up the space, makin' the young faces glow with excitement. RJ and TJ were loadin' farming tools into the truck bed, laughin' and chattin' animatedly about the plans for the day.

“Look at how happy they are, honey,” Marisa said, a satisfied smile spreadin' across her face. “It’s wonderful to see them like this.”

“Yeah, they’ve turned into real men, ready to take on the responsibility of the farm. And havin' Levi in the family just makes it all the stronger,” Roy replied, with a proud look.

Marisa nodded, her eyes shinin'. “It’s good to know Debra found someone who respects and values her. And, more importantly, who’s gonna add to the family.”

Roy nodded, watchin' Levi and Debra from a distance. The couple was talkin' in a soft and respectful tone. The way Levi looked at Debra, with care and admiration, made Roy's heart swell with joy. “It’s a good start for them. And havin' a lawman in the family is always a bonus. He can help protect what we’ve built here.”

“Exactly,” Marisa replied, wrapping her arms around Roy, seekin' his warmth. “And not just that; he cares for Debra and all of us. It’s a blessing to have him around.”

The two stayed quiet for a moment, watchin' the kids and their future son-in-law. Marisa found herself reflectin' on her choices and how much her life and family stemmed from them. As she watched, the happiness and unity were palpable, and Marisa didn’t give a hoot that the path to all that involved manipulatin' reality itself.

“I’m so happy, Roy,” Marisa said, lookin' into her husband’s eyes. “We did a good job.”

“Yeah, honey.” Roy pulled her closer, envelopin' her in a tender embrace. “I know the work was all yours, but I’m thankful for what you’ve given me, and I’ll always be.”

The two lingered like that for a few moments, enjoyin' the fruits of their labor. But the work wouldn’t wait, and soon Roy said his goodbyes to his wife and headed off to meet the boys.

Debra walked past her mom with a huffy expression, and Marisa couldn’t resist a little jab. “For someone who was so upset with my decisions, you sure seem to be enjoyin' the end results, don’t ya think?” The irony in Marisa’s voice made Debra stop and look at her with a mix of frustration and disdain. “Mom, that ain’t fair! You know I want what's best for our family, but you meddled in my freedom of choice!”

“When it came to others’ freedom, you didn’t seem too upset, sweetheart…”

Debra crossed her arms and stormed into the house, slamming the door behind her.

Marisa felt a satisfied smile form on her lips as she muttered to herself. “Oh, sweetheart, one day you’ll get it. Once you have a daughter to protect, you’ll see that sometimes you gotta make tough choices.” Marisa’s gaze softened as she thought about her daughter’s future, hopin' Debra would find the same happiness she had, and, more importantly, the courage to pay the price. The weariness she felt was immeasurable. The energy transferred from the double transformation made her bubble over and left her lookin' younger than she should’ve, but the effort to contain it... Even though she shared with her family most of the burden control depended on her.

Turnin' around, Marisa saw the men of the family walkin' and chattin' animatedly, with a special glimmer in their eyes. Golden sparks danced around them, penetratin' the ground and fertilizin' the earth with new energies that reverberated in tune with the Great Mother whom she served.

Then, with a bright smile she slowly began to release the large amount built up inside her, while thankin' the Mother for givin' her the power to do what’s necessary for the family, knowin' she'd do it again as many times as needed.

[lyjen]

Duty calls

Summary: A sergeant and Evan keep on running in to each other but their conversation always gets cut off.

A/N: English is not my first language so don’t hate on me lmfao. Also just thought this was a cute story ish. Enjoy!

Next Part >> | 9-1-1 Masterlist

…………………………………………………………………………….

Just as (Y/n) steps out of the door with her usual coffee order, a car smashed into the side of an other car. The collision happened right in front of her eyes. She immediately drops her coffee to the ground, and she runs on to the scene. “Dispatch this is 442-L23, I need an RA unit on the corner of West 9th street and south olive street. I have a two car collision.” (Y/n) speaks into her walkie.

(Y/n) gets to the car of the person who crashed into the other car. The window of the car was opened when it crashed. “Sir are you okay?” The man stares forward, and after a few seconds he turns towards (Y/n). The man was clearly in shock. “Are you in any pain?” She asks while she quickly inspects the man. The man shakes his head as a sign for “no”. But if the man was really in shock, then he wouldn’t be able to feel the pain. “Sir I need you to sit still, and stay where you are. The fire department is on their way, they will assist you getting out of the car.”

Due to the crash, the door of the drivers side got an impact which made the door unable to open without heavy equipment. She pointed to a bystander, watching from the sidewalk. “You. Come here, and keep this man talking.” she needed to get to the other victim in the other car, but needed the driver to stay conscious. And the best way to do that, was keep him talking. The man fastened towards the car and nodded as an answer to her order she gave him. While the man kept standing at the window with the driver.

Y/n hurries to the second car, which was in much badder shape. (Y/n) saw that the driver of the second car was a young woman. Due to the impact of the crash a large piece of glass had gotten itself free of the window and landed in the neck of the woman.

“Ma’am are you alright?” (Y/n) asks while she tries to get to the window of the woman. The woman touches her neck. “I have to get to my mom” she says, starting to panic. “Ma’am do not tou-“ before (Y/n) could finish her sentence, the woman pulled out the large piece of glass and a wave of blood came out of the wound. The woman screamed out an ear deafening scream.

“Shit, shit, shit!!” (Y/n) hurried to the passenger door, opens it and gets in the car next to the woman. While getting in the car, she feels a few pieces of glass lightly scraping her hand. But she didn’t care, all she cared about was helping the woman who was basically bleeding to death in front of her.

She puts her knee as support on the passenger seat, “okay ma’am I’m not gonna lie. This is gonna hurt like hell.” And with that said she pushes both of her hands on the wound to try and stop the bleeding, the woman screams out but gets used to the amount of pressure (Y/n) put on the wound.

“What’s your name?” (Y/n) asked, trying to take slow breaths to keep herself calm. (Y/n) knew she had to keep the woman conscious, so she asked the most simple question she could think of. “Liv” the woman the woman spoke softly between the sobs. “Okay Liv, my name is (Y/n), help is on the way. You’re gonna be okay. Just keep breathing.” She tried to calm the young woman down. Tears kept streaming down the woman’s face. “So you were on your way to see your mom?” she asked. Liv tried to nod, “We were supposed to go shopping.” She says through her sobs.

In the distance (Y/n) could hear the fire truck sirens and ambulance. Just trying to keep Liv conscious, (Y/n) asked “where were you planning on going shopping?” “We were going to the mall, shopping for some decorations for my dorm room.” She told her, gasping for breaths. (Y/n) also noticed the woman had trouble with keeping her eyes open.

(Y/n) was so focused on the woman, that she didn’t noticed the LAFD were already on scene. One of the firefighters got in the back of the car, so they could give Liv the help they needed. (Y/n) kept pressure on the wound like she did from the first second.

“Woman around 20 years old, name is Liv. A piece of glass from the window broke off and got stuck in her neck. And I think because of the shock, she pulled it out. It started bleeding like crazy.” (Y/n) spoke to the firefighter in the backseat. “Sounds like the glass hit her artery. How long have you been putting pressure on the wound?” The female firefighter asked while she went through the medic bag beside her. “About like three minutes I guess.” (Y/n) answered.

“Ma’am I’m Hen, I’m with the LAFD.” She said to Liv, the victim who was still conscious but could go out any second. Liv hummed a small okay. “Here’s what we’re going to do. Keep pressure on the wound, on the count of three you let go, and I will take over from you. Then you get out of the car and one of my colleagues will assist me further.” Hen said. (Y/n) nodded. “One.. two.. three..” (Y/n) let go of the wound and not even after a half a second Hen’s hands were putting pressure on the wound. (Y/n) got out of the car as fast as possible. She wouldn’t want to be the one to hold them up doing their job. As (Y/n) stepped aside, an other firefighter took (Y/n)’s position in front of the car while they worked on Liv.

(Y/n) walked a few meters away from the car. Leaning her back against the wall, to come to her senses. She sighed, and took a few deep breaths. “Hey, are you okay?” A voice asked. She looked to her left to see a firefighter walking towards her. Slowly. She nodded, “Yeah, I’m fine… just a little bit of blood.” (Y/n) said softly. Her trembling hands were covered in blood from the woman, with a few other cuts she didn’t noticed before. That must have happened when she entered the car in such a hurry. “Can I take a look at that?” He asked carefully, while he pointed at her hands. (Y/n)’s face was doubtful, she wanted to say no, because there are people out there who might need the care more than she did herself. That was typically (Y/n), always putting other’s needs first. “I’m specialised at scratches.” He continued, trying to convince her. She sighed, and nodded.

The firefighter put the medic bag he had hung over his shoulder on the ground. He started to get some gauze out and a bottle with a little spray head. As he stood up, he smiled at her and he started carefully to clean the wounds on her hand. “I don’t know how I didn’t noticed I’ve cut my own damn’ hand.” (Y/n)’s voice speaks, while she hissed at the staining feeling she got while the firefighter was cleaning the wound. He grinned, “There was so much going on… you were alone, in the moment and full of adrenaline. Of course it can happen that something slipped your mind.“ The guy says with a worried look spread on his face. (Y/n) was looking at the scene, the other firefighters of the team were trying to get Liv free. “But right now, all that matters is that you’ve saved that woman’s life with these two hands.” He continued, while pointing at Liv, the girl who was finally getting pulled out of the car. (Y/n) smiled slightly at his comment, and stayed silent.

“You know, i don’t think we’ve ever met before.” He says after a few moments of silence. He looked at (Y/n) with a small smile, trying to wrap up the hand with the few cuts. (Y/n) didn’t know what to say, “No… I don’t think so…” she says, unsure what to say. “I’m Evan, but people call me Buck.” he says to her with a reassuring smile, while he finished wrapping up her hand. “(Y/n)”.

“Buck come on let’s go!” A voice roared over the scene. “That’s my cue to leave.” The firefighter says, while he closes the medic bag. “Well.. Evan… thank you for the pep talk. And this.” (Y/n)’s voice speaks while motioning with her hands. A smile spreads across Buck’s face while he swings the medic bag over his shoulder. “Please, call me Buck. And no problem, us first responders should be there for each other.. right?” Evan says.

“Buck! Let’s go!” An impatient voice yelled now, while the horn of the fire truck sounded through the streets. Probably to get Evan’s attention. “Coming!” He yelled back slightly irritated. He turned his head back to (Y/n). “I’m sorry. Duty calls.” He says. And he jogged towards the fire truck, while halfway he turns towards (Y/n) so he was basically jogging backwards. “It’s was nice to meet you sergeant” He yelled, trying to get above the sounds of the LA streets. She wanted to say that it was nice to meet him too. But before she could do that, he was already climbing into the rig. All she could do was smile, and get back to her work.

…………………………………………………………………………….

A few days later, (Y/n) stepped through the doors of the hospital to go to the emergency room. There was a robber who got shot in the chest by a store owner. She was here to make up a police report and to make sure the man didn’t make a run for it.

As she walks towards the desk where one of the nurses was sitting down. She greeted the nurse and told her for who she was coming for. The nurse nodded and told her to wait for a few moments, she had to check with someone else of the status from that patient.

As (Y/n) waited and watched a few people walk in and out of the emergency room. As she hears the sliding doors of the ER open again, with lots of people walking through it. She turns her head, and sees a few paramedics and firefighters enter through the doors. A loud voice filled the room with the voice of a man “Unknown male, around 50 years old, BP is…-“ the words, along with the medical terms the paramedic was calling out seem to fade. When her eyes meet his.

He smiles and walks towards (Y/n), while he for a second looks at the ground and back at her. His face was covered in ashes. He has his florescent jacket in his right hand. “Wasn’t expecting to see you here.” were the first words to leave Evan’s mouth. She laughs, while fidgeting with her fingers. “I’m only here to write a report.” is the only thing she can seem to bring out with words. A small laugh left Evan’s lips.

He pointed at her hands, “How are your hands?” He asked, trying to change the subject. It was a weird question to ask, especially if people didn’t knew the context of it.

She smiled and put her hands up, so she could show him. “Like you said, you are specialised in scratches.” He smiled. “Oh they look great!” He says as he grabbed one of her hands and pulled it a little closer so he could get a good look. (Y/n) was a little surprised by the touch of the firefighter.

“And how was your call?” She asks him this time. He wasn’t at the hospital by coincidence. He was here for a reason, because a few moments earlier they wheeled a patient in.

He took his eyes of (Y/n)’s hand. But kept his hand cupped underneath hers, with her palm up. “Just a house fire” he smiled at her, like it was nothing new. While his other hand fingers wandered over the scratches of her hand. And she just nodded. Unsure what to answer to that.

“Ma’am?” The nurse called her. “The gun shot wound patient is in bay 14” she continued as (Y/n) looked at her. She nodded “Thank you”.

“Well, duty calls.” (Y/n) spoke, as she was slowly backing up entering the ER. But still facing Evan. “Guess we’re even now! Last time it was me, now it’s you.”

All she could do was smile and roll her eyes.

“See you later?” Was the only thing he said with an hopeful smile.

“Yeah, see you later.” (Y/n) gave him a small smile, and turned around. And walked away.

Evan felt his smile grow wider and a spark of warmth go through his body.

A hand landed on his shoulder, as he turned his face to the right he could see Eddie smiling and shaking his head.

“What?” Evan spoke, stating that he didn’t do anything.

…………………………………………………………………………….

Sitting on a chair at the bar, (Y/n) leaned with her right elbow on the bar. Fidgeting with the empty glass in her hands.

After a day on the job, you always need a place where you can come to yourself. She was here all alone. Because that’s what she needed. But she wouldn’t want to be alone at home. It was hard to explain.

She can see in the corner of her eye, that someone took place on her right side. “You couldn’t stay away from me, couldn’t you?” A familiar voice asked.

Still fidgeting with the glass in her hand on the bar, she smiled and feels her cheeks flushing. “Technically, you’re the one who keeps coming to me.” (Y/n) says, while her eyes remained on the glass she was touching.

“I was the first in that collision scene, and the first at the hospital when you wheeled that patient in. And I also think that you were the one who came sitting next to me just a second ago.” She continued. She smiled as she looked to her right. Evan held his hands up in defence. “Okay you got me there sergeant” he says. And he smiled. While he looked her in the eyes. Those beautiful sparkling eyes.

“But why are you in a firefighter bar then?” He smirked. Yeah. How was she going to explain that.

Her eyes drew the attention of a man who was closely walking past people and reaching out next to them. The guy was stealing money. “What the fuck” she whispered. Evan’s face got to a confused look. (Y/n) got up from her chair. “Hold that thought” (Y/n) said and she walked towards the guy.

Just as the guy tries to put out his hand and to steal from another person, (Y/n)’s hand touches the man’s shoulder. “You’re under arrest.” Is the only thing she says. The man reaches his arm out to hit her, but she ducked. She locks the man’s arm, put it behind his back and pushes him down on the table with all her strength.

A crowd starts to form around her, while she puts the man in handcuffs. She sees Evan staring in disbelief. She gave Evan a glance.

“Duty calls” she said.

Why is it always that, when they have a conversation duty calls.

[thatnewweeb]

HIS SISTER?! | Denki Kaminari

Summary | Denki met a cute girl in the support course with red eyes and blonde hair. What will happen when they go back to his dorm and he founds out who her brother is?

CW | None really, protective brother Bakugo maybe

Word Count | 1.2k+

A/N | This is an idea I thought could be funny. I wrote this like probably more than 2 years ago on a different site originally. I might rewrite it at some point

"Here it is!" You say excitedly, holding out the device to the blond boy. "This goes on your arm, like you requested." You help him put the device on, showing him how he should put it on. "If we go outside, I can show you how to use it?"

"Wow, thank you!" Denki looks down at the new equipment strapped to his arm before looking back at you.

You laugh a little. "You're welcome! It's only a prototype, so let me know if there's any changes you want, other than appearance, that isn't done yet. Feel free to tell me any extra requests you have regarding that, by the way."

The two of you walk through the corridors, out to the grounds of the school. You continue to walk for a while to get away from the main campus, not wanting anyone to get caught up in the tests.

"Okay, so all you need to do is point to where you want the discs and shoot." I tell him, gently tapping on the trigger device. "Go ahead and try it. Aim at that tree."

He watches as you step back, waiting for you to nod to let him know you're far enough out of the way. He presses down on the trigger, jumping back a little at the kickback from the device, not expecting it, pointer missing the tree.

"Ahh, I missed!"

"It's okay! That was your first try, you'll get better with practice! The aim can be a little bit tricky at the start, don't worry about it!" You try to offer a little comfort as you jog over and retrieve the disc. "There will be more discs in the final, I have only made one for practice so far."

You take his arm and show him how to reload the discs into the pointer, him looking between the device and your face, trying to focus on what you are showing him, but getting distracted, lost in your bright red eyes.

"If you don't remember, that's fine! Like I said, it's only a prototype, it may work a little differently in the final design." When you look back at him, there's a soft blush on his face, which he quickly manages to shake off, thanking you.

He tries again, this time hitting the tree, the disc sticking into it.

You make a small, excited noise, happy that he managed to aim it properly and that the disc actually embedded itself. "The glasses will show you where they are, and there will be a dial in the final design that'll allow you to choose which disc your electricity will be targeted towards." You explain. "For now, just check that the disc does attract the electricity."

You step back, putting several meters of space between you and Denki for your own safety.

When he releases his Quirk, it gets targeted to the disc as it was supposed to.

You and Kaminari immediately look at each other, excitement evident on both your faces. Your arms wrap around him, his wrapping around you as you both jump a few times, celebrating.

A moment later, you realise what you're doing and let go, both looking away, a little embarrassed.

"Um, I was wondering, if you would like to go on a date with me sometime?" Kaminari asks, sounding a little shyer than you would have expected from him.

He had been so excited for your date, telling his friends about his plans and how much he likes you. Well, telling the friends that would listen, at least. Bakugo Katsuki had no interest or patience with his stupid friend's adventures in love.

You had spent hours together, significantly longer than you had planned. It was an amazing time, and when curfew was coming around, you didn't want to leave each alone, so he invited you to the Class 1-A dorm for a while, which you agreed to.

You knew it probably wasn't the best idea, but you figured you would need to tell him at some point anyway, and it may as well be early.

Unexpectedly, many of Kaminari's friends were waiting for him, wanting to ask how it went. Even more shockingly, Katsuki was there, apparently either not realising that Kaminari was even gone, or maybe even actually being interested in how his friend's date went.

Seeing the spiky-haired boy sitting on the couch made you stop in your tracks. Even though you thought you might see him, you didn't actually expect it to happen.

Kaminari looks at you, confused, placing his hand gently on the back of your head, playing with your straight blonde hair.

"Are you okay, Y/N?"

As soon as he says that, Katsuki's head snaps up, his signature 'hah?' leaving his lips.

"You? It's you? You went on a date with that idiot?" He asks, standing up and walking towards you.

Everyone else looks confused. "You know each other?" Denki asks you.

You sigh. "Unfortunately, yes."

"What do you mean 'unfortunately?' You should be honoured!" Katsuki almost shouts at you.

You roll your eyes. "Oh, shut up, dumbass!" You shout back.

Kaminari, and everyone else, stares at the two of you as you argue back and forth, confused.

"Are they... related?" Kirishima asks quietly, making Kaminari's eyes go wide as he has a big realisation.

Your similar facial features, your blonde hair, your red eyes... it would make sense.

Deku happens to walk into the communal area on his way to the kitchen as this is happening.

"Midoriya!" Kaminari calls out to him, running over. "Are they related?" He asks, knowing that, having grown up with Bakugo, he'll be the person in the class that'll have an insight into Bakugo's family life.

"Yeah, they're twins." He responds. He smiles a little, looking over at you. "You can really see the similarities when they're with each other can't you?"

"I'll kill you, damn nerd!" Both you and Bakugo shout at him at the same time, making Kaminari chuckle nervously. Deku has no reaction, used to this behaviour.

"Yeah, definitely." Denki says quietly, unsure how to react.

"Katsuki, I'm done here. I'm spending time with Denki right now, I'm not here to argue with you." You say before running over to Denki, grabbing his hand, flashing Izuku a smile, and dragging the blond boy towards the elevator.

Once you're away from everyone, you turn to him and sigh. "I'm sorry I didn't mention that. I don't like people knowing about that straight away. People have opinions of my brother that sometimes get transferred to me when they find out."

He smiles and takes both my hands, squeezing them softly. "Hey, it's okay. I understand."

You look a little surprised by his understanding reaction. "So, you don't mind? You're still interested in me?"

He nods, pulling you against his chest and wrapping his arms around you, your hands getting stuck between you and his abdomen. His hand comes up your back, stopping against the back of your head and bringing it softly to rest against his shoulder.

After a moment, he pulls back a little to look at you. "You're really beautiful, you know that?" He whispers softly, leaning in and pressing his lips against yours softly.

Your hands grip onto his shirt, standing on your tiptoes and leaning against him a little, his arms moving to wrap around your waist.

"Get off of my sister, idiot!"

You and Denki startle and quickly break apart when you hear that, looking over at Bakugo, who is still with small explosions going off in his hand.

"You have five seconds to run." He glares at Denki, who yelps and runs. You run over to Bakugo and grab onto his shirt to slow him down, laughing the entire time.

[smilelikerandal]

veiled affections

hi everyone !! thank u for 250 likes <33 tysm for the support, it means the world to me :)

in the halls of UA, katsuki bakugo and you share stolen glances and secret moments, hiding a forbidden love from the watchful eyes of classmates and teachers. but as the pressure mounts and danger looms, you both realize that keeping your relationship hidden may be harder than you ever imagined.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

the halls of UA academy bustled with activity as students hurried to their next class. among them, you and katsuki bakugo moved with purpose, your steps carefully timed to avoid drawing attention. ever since you started dating in secret, every moment together felt like a precious stolen treasure.

"meet me at the training grounds after class," bakugo whispered as he passed you in the hallway, his crimson eyes flashing with excitement.

you nodded, a thrill coursing through you at the thought of another clandestine meeting. keeping your relationship hidden was risky, but the moments you shared with bakugo made it all worthwhile.

as the final bell rang, you made your way to the training grounds, heart pounding with anticipation. bakugo was already there, waiting impatiently.

"took you long enough," he grumbled, but there was a hint of a smirk on his lips.

you rolled your eyes, but couldn't hide your own smile. "you know I can't just skip class like you."

he stepped closer, his gaze intense as he reached out to cup your cheek. "i missed you," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

you leaned into his touch, savoring the rare moment of tenderness. "i missed you too," you admitted, feeling a warmth spread through you at his words.

but before you could savor the moment any longer, the sound of approaching footsteps broke the spell. with a quick glance around, you both realized that you were no longer alone.

"quick, hide!" you hissed, pushing bakugo behind a nearby stack of equipment.

he scowled but complied, disappearing from view just as your classmates rounded the corner. you held your breath, praying that they wouldn't notice anything amiss.

"hey, have you seen y/n?" one of them asked, scanning the area.

you forced yourself to stay calm, plastering on a nonchalant expression. "nope, haven't seen them."

your classmates shrugged and continued on their way, oblivious to the close call. once they were out of sight, you let out a sigh of relief, turning to bakugo with a sheepish grin.

"that was close," you said, laughing nervously.

he snorted, rolling his eyes. "tch, they almost caught us."

you reached out to take his hand, intertwining your fingers with his. "but they didn't. and as long as we're careful, they never will."

he squeezed your hand, a flicker of doubt crossing his features. "yeah, as long as we're careful."

the unease lingered between you, a reminder of the risks you were taking to be together. but as you looked into bakugo's eyes, you knew that it was worth it. no matter what obstacles stood in your way, you were determined to fight for your love.

and fight you did, through secret meetings and whispered conversations, each one a testament to the strength of your bond. but as the days turned into weeks and the pressure of keeping your relationship hidden mounted, you couldn't shake the feeling that danger was closing in.

little did you know, your secret love affair was about to be put to the ultimate test, forcing you to confront the truth of your feelings and the risks you were willing to take to protect the one you loved.