#you see i do have plenty of time in between outings w my family

[aurorangen]

catching up with everyone's posts later. it's nice to not think about posting but i do miss interacting with everyone

[court-jobi]

Alexa, Play...

((banner by me! I don't own Horikoshi's work OR the mindblowing art of @gsony24~used w permission))

Pairing: Midoriya x reader

Words: 1.6k

Rating: G~

Warnings: Southern US!GNreader, comfort fic, tooth-rotting fluff here y'all, established relationship, language barrier, dancing-in-the-kitchen level self-insert

Summary:

Izuku comes home to spot your grocery list on the fridge written out in your native language- something he sees just as rarely as hearing you speak it. Just when he thinks he couldn't possibly find you more adorable, you strike a match and chuck it into his heart with a touch as simple as a peck on his cheek, a laugh thrown his way... or -like now- when you chat over the phone in an accent he never gets to hear. He wants to hear more so badly, and asks for it so sweetly.

A/N: a short n'sweet one today, folks, bc I was missing writing for this sweet green bean. I have yet to see MHA: You're Next, but have no one to see it with ughhhhh so off to writing fanfic to soothe the pain~

For my My Hero Academia Masterlist, check it out here!

Read on Ao3

You're on the phone with your mom when Izuku finds your sticky note for shopping on the fridge. His mindful shut of the door was appreciated by your mouthed apology, but let him know that he'd best occupy himself solo for a bit while you catch up. The time difference between your home country and here leaves your windows to chat limited, so he’s happy when your schedules align like this. 

If you'll be on a while longer, he thinks he can take a quick drive and pick up these few things for you. Inspired by the idea, he plucks the list out from the magnet’s hold.

You've got nice handwriting, a blend between printed letters and a tilted, cursive script. Personality shines especially near the end of a word, when you're rushing to move onto the next thought. 

Painter’s tape

bananas

white vinegar (stupid drain line)

It's so simple, but when it's written in your native language by default, it feels like a secret to be reading even something so simple as a list like this– scribbled out in the way as it appears in your head.

For most formal paperwork, your kana characters are decently executed, though it's always going to be harder when you grew up speaking Japanese rather than filling out lines and lines of bellwork in the kanji style. This isn't to say you've not been trying:

Over the course of your courtship, you've bonded with young Eri as an extension of Izuku's life and have inherited some of her early learning textbooks. You happened on them by accident, when you were helping her paint her room a few months ago. It sounded elementary when you expressed the interest to read and write Japanese better, and the sweet girl was so enthusiastic to help! 

She lent you her books, but of course you weren't becoming an expert overnight. However slow you’d pace yourself, Izuku was plenty proud of you for making the effort. He'd allow you as much grace as he could spare– especially since your notes were still so cute to find here and there~

Across the room, pacing along every other tile on the floor like stepping stones, you look up catching Izuku staring. You’ve been deep in conversation for only about an hour, but give him a wrench of your nose in jest, and begin wrapping up the call explaining that he’s home and you’d like to greet him properly. 

Izuku calls out a quick 'hi’ and ‘bye' to your mom when he motions to go on speaker; you're not one to refuse him, as he well knows. 

You seem pleased on more than one front when he asks to talk to your family, so he continues to do it. For one, you’re touched by how spirited he is to even want to interact with your mother, and his dropping of formalities and reverting to English to speak to her means a lot to you. Neither point is lost on sweet Izuku, based on how your smile brightens when he jogs over to you to be more in speaking range. 

When you hang up, you're quick to pop up and kiss him as a welcome home. Izuku hangs onto you a little longer than usual, thumb rubbing into your cheek as he savors you several times in quick succession. 

Just when he thinks he couldn't possibly find you more adorable, you strike a match and chuck it into his heart with a touch as simple as a peck on his cheek or a laugh thrown his way. 

“‘Zuku, what's that look for, babe?” 

In your sentimental bliss, you're still surprised to get such adoring treatment from him almost a year into a relationship. 

“Nothing,” Izuku chimes back, “I just forget that you're this American sometimes~”

“Whaddya mean, ‘you forget’?!” the concept sounds hilarious to you. 

“I do!” Izuku offers to take your phone to plug it in nearby, “I have to remind myself that Japanese isn't your first language, until I see you on FaceTime with your mom. Out of nowhere, I'll just hear you sound so different, like: ‘byyyye~ talk to y'all later’!”

You snort at his attempt at a southern accent– stiff and stuck on the wrong vowels. Clearly this succeeds in amusing you, because you hop up and down on the balls of your feet like you've discovered a new game:

“Oh my God, ‘Texas Smash Deku’ is the stuff of my fantasies!– oo!! say, ‘I’d like a honey butter chicken biscuit’~”

“WHAT?? N-no!!”

“What YES!! Please??”

Both doubled over in laughter, you're entertained over his thorough embarrassment, but you're both smitten and carefree: holding onto each other despite nearly buckling at the knees.

Izuku tries his best to catch his breathe first, determined to explain himself,

“I can't do it right! It's like- you say things- I don't know how to describe it! It's not just the flat, movie star accent.. It's–"

“What, a-- ‘drawl’? ‘Twang’?”

Izuku snaps at the realization.

“Yes!! That!! The country kind, like that chef you watch!”

You've rolled your eyes, stepping out of his kind hold in favor of checking out what takeout he brought home. 

“-Hey, no, come back!”

“‘Makin’ fun'ah my accent, I outta smack you’.”

You're far from really mad as you tote around the kitchen getting silverware and soy sauce, but Izuku follows you around like a shadow regardless. Eyes full of that puppy love, he does try to block you in from the pantry closet,

“I’m sorry, honey~”

“No you're not.” --but you're grinning out of forgiveness anyway.

Izuku sneaks a hold on you, reeling you in. It’s cozy in your shared kitchen, alight with just the right amount of overhead lighting and enough space for you two to stand and share tasks.

“I do like hearing you talk like that,” he shares contentedly, “It’s nice to listen to that side of you, especially when you have a lot to say.”

“Yeah well,” you turn into his arms, rather than away, “I'm sure you've noticed already, it comes from her side of the family. Guess I can't really ditch the accent whenever I switch back. The more I think about it… I'm gonna be happy if I can keep sounding like her as I get older. Lets me keep something of hers- even if my ‘dashing hero’ of a man over here thinks I'm being cheeky."

“No, I'm not teasing now! I mean it,” Izuku presses into you, “I only meant, you don't hold back or anything when you're chatty with her.”

He wonders if it stems from shyness, your avoidance of using too much English here at home. If you’re jamming out while doing chores -presuming you’re alone- you’ll switch the station once you know you have an audience.

“Not trying to hide it with you! I'm just out of practice here. No one else in our circle really uses English, so it doesn't come up, I guess.”

You make the point with a wistful aire. Occasionally you'll sub English classes as a favor to Izuku’s effervescent coworker at UA, but not often enough to get too much exposure. He's always been impressed with your Japanese diction, and thinks you could very well go into teaching if you ever wanted a career change.

Still, whether its for work or play, it’s a sound that’s intrinsically you, and there’s a magic to it that Izuku finds himself chasing. A secret power of yours, if he could only unlock it.

“--Plus, I don't think a lot of the slang translates over?” you get comfortable in his arms, locking your fingers behind his neck with no intention of leaving as you muse, “You guys have your own here, and that’s hard to figure out anyway.”

“I suppose you’re right.” 

Tenderly, you run your nails through his hair, a thoughtful look up to him, 

“Do you want me to use it more at home? Lay on the sugar for ya?”

A chance to hear you at your core? Watch your handwritten notes come alive?

“If you want-” Izuku softens, “-if you’re comfortable.”

“Can you understand me though?”

“I can hear you. It only gets hard when you get excited, ‘cuz you talk fast.”

You fuss back at him, “Oh, as if you don't.”

Caught under your hypocritical eye, he can only offer an honest chuckle back, “Fair~”

But for all of your feeling put on the spotlight, you seem to hold a soft spot for the way Izuku makes his requests:

“ ‘I guess I can indulge ya, since you asked so nicely.’ ”

–and it’s enough for him to try his hand to give you a linguistic sparring partner right back:

“ ‘Say something else.’ ”

All English flies out the window when he's looking at you like this, as you fall under a fit of nervous laughter, “What am I supposed to say?!” 

“ ‘Sing me a song, my love. Something 'twangy'.”

You giggled, "'Twangy', good Lord…” 

Izuku could write novels on everything from your finest features to even your most pensive insecurities, romanticizing each of them into a beautifully imperfect anthology. He does so in his mind, at least, when you’re barely lucid on the edge of sleep but still trying to engage him in meaningful conversation. He’ll do so in the notes on his phone, when he learns of yet another favorite token of yours, and wants to add it to the list of comfort measures he can refer to when you need it most.

And when you prompt Alexa to play your newly revealed ‘Karaoke hours that will never see the light of day’ playlist -the one that’s chock-full of female power ballads which you begin to sing your own rendition to-  Izuku is certain his mind nor fingers nor heart can catalog how much more he can possibly love you… though he’ll dance in place with you as he listens and soaks it all in.

[cursedtrans]

Ryoshu and Grief

Ryoshu as a sinner is defined by her lust for blood, art, and the beauty that comes with both. However I think a large chunk of people realize that this is not her only trait, and this is something that has slowly been fed out across the Cantos and Egos we’ve gotten for her.

Spoilers for basically all of Limbus.

Since her reveal, we’ve had some plenty of reads that PMoon is not taking her inspiration, Hell Screen, as mere setup for an insane artist. Her constant connection with Spider-Bud and family shows that she is at the bare minimum connected to the lore of the family torn apart by lust for a perfect painting of Hell itself.

Ryoshu’s identity in relation to Hell Screen and a traditional family setup is something that honestly deserves more attention in a separate post, but it’s clear something massive happened between her family and it’s caused her a massive trauma response that triggers grief quite often...even if it doesn't seem like that.

Most of Ryoshu’s behavior is opposite to how people usually think of grieving, but it’s still a form of grieving nonetheless. She tries to repress her emotions through increasing forms of ecstasy. As someone who has depression and has gone through losses of my own, one of the possible responses you can have is to try to chase some emotion, regardless of what it is and how unhealthy it is for yourself and those around you. You’ll do anything for that warm feeling of positivity about yourself.

Regardless of this though, that sadness still exists in Ryoshu. We know this thanks to her mood during Canto 7 being rather quiet aside from the betrayal of Hugo, where she immediately decides to cut off his arms due to it being “unoriginal and played out”. Otherwise she’s being bristly towards the concept of family, but not actively aggressive or particularly violent. In fact, the one time I'd say she has a strong reaction in this Canto is to Sinclair's interpretation of her usual acronym stuff.

Ryoshu and Sinclair honestly ALSO deserve their own post because there is a lot to go into, but to put a cap on it I'll simply state that Ryoshu has a lot of emotions regarding Sinclair. It's the only thing that can rouse her aside from the art of betrayal she sees from Hugo, because the concept of family triggers her that much. There's a reason that the ONLY Ryoshu ID to have Gloom in their kit is Spider Eyes, because she's having to directly confront the very concept of family and protecting others, and it's reflected in her giving out more support than most of her other kits and in story by helping calm Yi Sang.

This sadness and desire to care exists across the Mirror Worlds as well, she just does a far better job of hiding it under her usual veneer of "insane artist only pursuing ecstasy". Edgar Family Butler is all about taking the role of caretaker of things, and she normally helps take care of her fellow butlers, only changing her attitude when they are about to be raided by the Wild Hunt and die. Even in something like her W Corp or 7 Association identities, she still has her kit showing off some support by giving out fragility for the team or even giving out barrier in W Corp.

No matter what she does, it's inescapable for her, and something she is desperately hiding away in order to keep things moving. The very same way Yosihide continued his painting, Ryoshu keeps spreading violence to hide away her grief. But it will always be there, underneath the surface, if you look closely enough.

Overall, it's a fascinating take on grief and how one can cope with it, and PMoon has always done a wonderful job on not taking the typical route with things. They did it before with Roland's grief, and it's clear that they're doing similar things with Hell Screen's adaptation. Also thanks to @lu-is-not-ok for inspiring me to write up more about one of my favorite sinners, since their posts analyzing The Red Chamber and Hong Lu fascinate me to no end. Additionally thanks to @ryoshudoodles for making beautiful art themselves and showing off the duality of Ryoshu's lust and gloom beautifully.

[milkibabe]

♥ Family Camping Trip w/ Kenny ♥

✢ summary: headcanons on going on a camping trip with Kenny’s family

✢ authors note: heyy since my first post blew up i'm deciding to do all of the boys ;p

✢ gender: reader is implied to be female <3

✢ warnings: nsfw, mentions of weed/smoking

Kenny Headcanons

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT below cut!

𝒮𝐹𝒲

Begged you to go camping with him for months.

When you finally took some time off to go with him, he was ecstatic.

"We're gonna have so much fun"

Was confused why you packed so much stuff.

"What do you mean you still need to brush your teeth?"

Boy is an animal I swear, he can be so nasty.

You, Kenny, and Karen played 'I Spy' while in the car.

Kenny loves when you play with his little sister, it makes his heart melt.

"You'd make such a good mom"

Kenny just casually drops that while you're unpacking, like it isn't the sweetest thing you've ever heard.

You cannot escape his kisses, you've lost count of how many times he's kissed you.

You'll just be getting the fire wood ready for the campfire and he'll sneak up and kiss you on the neck from behind.

"There's my pretty girl"

Kenny is already rugged by nature, so camping is really his element.

When it's just you around he'll purposely be shirtless to get your attention.

Seeing him chop wood... while shirtless??? You nearly exploded at the sight.

"Whatcha lookin' at hm?"

He gives you a cocky grin that makes you roll your eyes.

Stupid, sexy Kenny.

He is a night owl. He prefers to do everything later at night with you.

He always sleeps through breakfast, so you always nag him to eat lunch.

"Only if I get to eat you for lunch" He grins at you.

You groan and push him away. Dude can be so cheesy.

Never lets you wear your own sweaters or jackets. He wants you to wear is giant, orange parka, always.

He saw you shiver and immediately draped it over your shoulders.

His parka smells like his cologne and weed.

You always tell him "Babe... you're gonna make my hair smell like weed.

Speaking of weed, boy is always offering you some.

"Babe, can we please smoke by the water?"

You look at your phone. "Kenny, it's like 3 am..."

You, of course, do it anyways. It's fun getting high with your hot, blonde stoner bf.

*Queue Moonlight by Kali Uchis*

He makes sure to bring plenty of water for the dry mouth and your favorite snackies when you get the munchies.

He loves to feed you the snacks himself, he loves spoiling you.

"I want to do this with you every night for the rest of my life"

𝓝𝓢𝓕𝓦

Everyone already knows Kenny is a horny ass man, so it was no surprise when you couldn't get him off of you.

Cannot fucking resist teasing you every second.

Would whisper in your ears in the car while you're just minding your own business.

"Can't wait to fuck your brains out"

The face you made when he whispered that satisfied him a lot.

Everywhere you went on that trip was a place to fuck.

The tent? Yep. Some random isolated place in the middle of the woods? Yup. The showers/bathroom? You betcha.

Asked you to go skinny dipping with him in the middle of the night.

You were freezing cold of course.

This dude has the audacity to say "Aw, you can come to me to conserve warmth"

Obviously, this whole thing was a ploy to hold you while you were naked.

He would instantly start to suck on your neck, while massaging your ass with both hands.

You dug your fingernails into his back and in response he bit your neck.

Your moans made him grin, he loved how easily you melted into his touch.

Turned you around so he could grind his cock between your ass.

Wrapped his arms around your shoulders and whispered into your ear while he grinded against you.

"You're fucking perfect"

When shit was getting super heated, he walked you over to an isolated rock so you could hold yourself up on it while he fucked you.

You held on to that rock for dear life while he pounded you.

He loved watching how your body looked under the moonlight.

His favorite thing about standing doggy style is being able to watch himself pull out all the way and slam back into you.

Always riles him up when you stroke his ego.

You whine out, "Ah, its too big Kenny!"

Kenny smirks and says "Aw, but you take me so well, baby"

He only fucks you harder when you whine and whimper.

Takes him forever to cum, you probably came three times by now.

That's fine by him, he enjoys overstimulating you.

You were losing your grip on the rock and your legs could no longer stand, so he has to hold you up.

Kenny knows his job is done when you are about to collapse.

"Fuck, I'm gonna cum"

He finally hits his climax and he pulls out to cum all over your ass.

"My favorite sight in the world"

He's proud of the work he's done but notices you about to pass out and quickly uses the water to wash you off.

"My sleepy little princess"

After drying you off with a towel, he puts his parka on you and carries you back to camp.

"Ooh, remind me to fuck you while you wear this next time"

Dude's always thinking of the next time he gets to fuck you smh.

[licorice-tea]

You’re An Angel When You Sleep

Pairing: Trafalgar Law x reader

Content: angst, drowning, a little “off-screen” violence, hurt/comfort, near death experience

Word Count: 1.5k

A/N: literally wrote this in between classes so hopefully it doesn’t feel too rushed! not edited super closely yet, the grammar might be a little off. inspired by the song “Around The Bend” by Pearl Jam, specifically the last verse <3

Edited 2/28/24

Law is sinking, and there’s nothing he can do.

People call it “The Curse of The Sea.” They say that “she” turns her back on you when you eat a devil fruit. It’s simply the price to pay for such immense power.

And he has never had to worry about it before. His devil fruit ability affords him the security of being to prevent trips into the ocean. Not that he ever would fall- Law is far too careful a man- but he has plenty of crewmates and friends/allies that could somehow knock him overboard.

How sickening, that the first time it actually happened was at the hands of an enemy. And how disappointing, that it had only happened because of his own pride. A foolish disregard of taking caution while standing close to the railing on the enemy ship, when one of his opponent’s underlings threw something that didn’t even really hurt, but sent him overboard. In the midst of a battle where everyone was expected to hold their own- Law could expect no help as he plunged into icy waters.

It’s cold enough as it is, and his curse does nothing to help. He tries his hardest to stay conscious- perhaps he can still use his power if he thinks hard enough. People awaken their devil fruits all the time, so there’s no reason why he can’t do it now. But, no matter how badly he wants to simply teleport back to the deck of the ship, he can’t. The feeling of impending doom only serves to weaken his resolve, and soon enough Law is unwillingly giving up and giving in to the sea.

He’s about 10-12 meters down now. The weight of the water makes it feel nearly impossible to hold his breath for longer, so he lets out an exhale ever so slowly.

But no one is coming, and it’s time to accept his fate. “This is it,” he thinks, “just another pirate lost to the sea. That’s how it ends for me.”

He takes a moment to reflect on life up until now. So much pain and suffering, but in the end he just can’t stop remembering what little good there has been. His crew, who, no matter how much they bothered him, were his family. His blood family and Corazon, who he hopes to see again soon if there is any sort of afterlife. Then there’s you- with your uncanny ability to make him smile and laugh, your clever personality and friendly nature, all your strength and intelligence, and seemingly unwavering good morals. Law feels he barely deserves to have known you in this life, let alone fall in love with you as he has. Which is why he never shared his feelings with you or anyone, in all the time you’d been on his crew. Before this moment, he’d at least had the comfort of knowing there would always be the future, and therefore more time to open up to you figure out his feelings.

“How foolish.”

Law is just about to close his eyes- at least then it might be a more peaceful demise- when there’s a splash that breaks the surface of the waves. His eyes shoot wide open as he tries to figure out what it is, as it’s rather difficult to see clearly with his vision blurring and on the verge of losing consciousness.

All he can be sure of is that it’s a person. The light from above the waves surrounds their silhouette giving them an angelic halo, but simultaneously blocking out all their features from his view.

Law wonders, “Are you here to seal my fate? To ensure I don’t find some way out of this?” If he could, he’d ask that they do it quickly. Still, that painfully hopeful little part of his mind can’t help but come out in what are more than likely his last moments alive. “Or, are you here to save me? Are you gonna give me a second third chance at this? I don’t deserve it, but I will accept it. I’ll use it to do more; work harder, fulfill every goal. Confess to y/n.”

And that hopeful streak seems to take over his body as he uses his last iota of strength to reach upwards. Law’s angel continues swimming downward, but he can’t hold his breath long enough to see them reaching out to him, too.

His last thought is of you. He swears he can see your face on this mystery person as they get closer; your pretty eyes and lips, your hair swirling around your form underwater. Could it actually be… No, he doubts you’d even seen him falling overboard. But maybe he’s already dead, and you really are an angel. Law doesn’t get the chance to fully consider either reality though, as he finally blacks out.

-

“Gimme gimme gimme… a man after midnight…”

This is how Law taught you to do CPR on someone whose heart had stopped. Years ago, when you were struggling with keeping count of 100-120 beats per minute, he told you to “think of a song with the same count.” Most everyone’s go-to CPR song is “Stayin’ Alive.” But, you prefer the classic ABBA song. You pause every 30 compressions to administer 2 breaths, and as you remove your lips from his, a thought crosses your mind. “He looks so peaceful like this.” And even while unconscious, he’s handsome… angelic, even. Nevertheless, you’d much rather have an alive and annoyed looking Law than a dead and calm one.

“Is there a soul out there… Someone to hear my-”

Law coughs suddenly, and shoots up into a sitting position, gasping for breath.

“Law!” You throw your arms around his neck, nearly knocking the man back over.

And though he’s still catching his breath and coming to his senses, he lets you, and puts an arm around your back. “Y/n,” another cough, “what happened?”

You release him (much to his disappointment) and explain how the fight had ended soon after the crew lost sight of him; their captain. And, while the others quickly overtook the enemies, you dove overboard where you’d last seen him. It was pure luck, though guided by your intuition, that you found Law beneath the surface.

“Then I swam over here-“

“Which is where?”

You nod in the direction behind him. “Just around the bend from the harbor. The Polar Tang and the enemy’s ship can be seen from there, so I thought it’d be best to hide while you…”

“While I was dying.”

“Don’t say it like that,” you scold him with a frown, “you’re alive.”

“But I could have died.” Law says with very little pride. He sounds a little out of it, which makes sense considering the circumstances. “I could have died, and you saved me.”

“Well, any one of us would’ve, Captain-“

“Thank you, y/n.”

You shake your head bashfully. “It was no problem, really.” That’s a lie, and you both know it. The water in this part of the ocean is freezing, but through some incredible resolve that you hadn’t been aware of before, you pushed through it. For him. “So… We should get back to the fight, yeah?”

You move to stand up from your place on your knees, but Law stops you. With his hand on your shoulder, he pulls you back down to his side. “You said the fight is over?”

“Mhm.”

“Then let’s just… stay here, for a moment.”

He leans toward you hesitantly, though you’re not sure if it’s because he feels weak or he just wants you to hold him again. Either way, you wrap your arms around him and rest your chin on his shoulder. You hold onto each other with gentle force, and you feel him exhale deeply.

“I need to tell you something.” Law mutters.

You pull back enough to see his face. “Right now? Can’t it wait, Law-“

“I can’t want any longer.” And he really can’t. He’d tell you about how he had mistaken you for a living, breathing angel another time. For now, he just needs to fulfill his promise to said angel (to you?), and confess his love for you.

“Ok… What is it?”

Law is very straightforward as he says it. “I’m in love with you.” And he makes it impossibly hard to return to the battle when he asks that you never leave him in this life, like so many others have. Which you promise not to, of course, though it’s not exactly your decision. You tell him that you love him too, and in turn demand that he doesn’t die on you, either. Law nods against you.

The two of you stay there a while longer, in each other’s arms around the bend.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for making my mom’s boyfriend feel bad on purpose?

disclaimer: my parents have an open marriage

so i (20m, northern cheyenne) don’t have a problem with the modern celebration of thanksgiving.

really. i don’t.

the whole “pilgrims and indians” schtick is gross, but i find that generally, outside of elementary schools, nobody thinks about that part very much. people mostly just want to see their families and eat weird food. and i fucks w that.

the problem comes in with my mom’s boyfriend.

my mom (52f) is white, but she’s been married to my dad (53m) who is also northern cheyenne for 26 years. she’s the DEI coordinator for our county’s public school system and she’s one of my favorite most trusted shire people ever. so i never really have to censor myself around her. i can make jokes and complain and vent and etc etc etc. she’ll always listen.

her BOYFRIEND though.

i really do like my mom’s boyfriend (41m). he’s super cool, recommends good books, teaches me about plumbing, all sorts of other Manly Step Dad Shit (/hj).

but he is decidedly extremely caucasian. like so white.

he’s not /racist/ but he’s that in-between that a lot of white people are where they’re never mean, but you gotta watch what you say around them bc they bruise like a two week old apple.

there have been a few instances where i have in fact bruised his sensitive white man apple skin.

1) i was listening to a podcast with my mom about people indigenous to Hawai’i protecting Mauna Kea. we were listening to it out loud in our living room, and her boyfriend came in and listened for a few minutes before asking me to turn it off because it was “depressing”. fair enough. i figured he was having a rough day and i turned it off. (side note, it was All My Relations, “For the Love of the Mauna”.)

2) we were driving somewhere and trading off command of the AUX. i put on a song by Nahko and Medicine for the People, specifically their parody of “My Country Tis of Thee”. he again said he didn’t like it, it was depressing, and could I please turn it off. i did.

3) this is where i’m the asshole. we’re planning for thanksgiving, and i mentioned wanting to do a anticolonial thanksgiving. we’d watch some stuff about the wampanoag tribe (first contact tribe at plymouth rock), i’d make frybread and fried squash blossoms (along w my mom who would make the thanksgiving basics) we’d have a grand old time. her boyfriend asks why we can’t just enjoy thanksgiving without making it too political.

i’m like. that’s not political? it’s cultural?

and he says that to him it feels self flagellating and it would make him feel bad.

and i said honestly? the idea of thanksgiving’s history makes Me feel bad. and not to complain dude, but as an american indian, it’s always about you, and never, ever about me. so truly, i don’t care if you feel bad. we’re not doing a fucking colonized thanksgiving in this house. so if you’re just here for that sham bullshit, go and stay gone.

my mom says she agrees with me that an attempt at a decolonized thanksgiving is a good idea and a good compromise for our mixed family, but that i was way too harsh on her boyfriend and should’ve tried explaining in a kinder way first, since he’s really not educated on this stuff. i see where she’s coming from; i worry i might’ve scared him off of ever learning about cultural decolonization. ik it’s not my responsibility to make him care, but that doesn’t change the fact that plenty of white people are subconsciously looking for a reason not to care about natives, and by being a dick i might’ve just handed him that reason. so not only was i an asshole to him, but an asshole to my community at large by disservicing our reputation.

idk. i think i ruined thanksgiving :/

What are these acronyms?

[blushy-tigerrr]

story time w/ tiger!!

so, as you all probably know from my post on friday, i was able to visit @applesyaboi for a second time this year! although, this time, it was a bit different. we weren’t just spending time together as friends. i am honored and blessed to call this lovely man my boyfriend, and i have for about a month now. he’s made my life so much brighter even from the crazy distance between us, and this past week that i got to spend alongside him has only solidified how in love with him i am.

i’ll get really into the sappy stuff at the end, but here’s a condensed version of what we got up to! :3

this past thursday (thanksgiving for my fellow americans), apples picked me up from the airport and brought along with him a small bouquet of red roses. i had previously told him that these were my favorite flowers, so that was such a lovely surprise. along with that, we were finally able to have our first kiss right there at the airport as neither of us wanted to wait any longer. it was everything i had ever dreamt of and more. after that, we hopped into his car and drove back to his apartment. that first day was a whole lot of snuggling, kissing, tickling, and snuggling some more.

over the next few days, we did a lot of stuff together despite the cold midwest weather. we went out for food a few times (i went to texas roadhouse for the first time hehe), went grocery shopping so i could make us food at home, met his friends and family, and visited him at work to deliver lunch one day which was so lovely to be able to do. this week was packed full of really fun stuff, and it was lovely to get to meet the people in his life that i had heard so much about.

this is probably the section most of you really want to hear about. of course, knowing the two of us, not a day went by without us tickling each other at least a little bit. most mornings if not all of them, apples would tickle me as soon as i woke up which was really mean because i’m somehow more ticklish right after i wake up. we also explored some spots we didn’t get to last time, and i discovered just how bad my neck and ears really are… illegal btw. he also got my thighs and hips a lot more this time because of some posts i’ve reblogged craving those spots to be gotten… and that was really fucking flustering fun. but enough about me! this lil shit was way more ticklish this time than he was last time, so i was able to get plenty of revenge. i even found some new spots on him that work extremely well. i won’t out exactly what they are though. it’ll have to be up to him to say ;) but i could not get enough of his giggles and his precious smile. UGH i’m so in love <3

unfortunately, our time together has come to an end, and we were both very emotional today when he dropped me off at the airport. i can’t express enough how much fun i had with apples. last time was wonderful, but this week was so much better than i could have ever dreamed. i feel completely at home and comfortable when i’m with apples, more so than i’ve ever felt with anyone else. he’s truly a very special person, and i feel so grateful to be his girlfriend. he’s given me all the kinds of love i have always secretly desired and done so as if it were second nature. he never allows me to make myself feel like a burden, he always reassures me when i need it, and he’s so patient and understanding with me in every way. i’ve only ever dreamt of a person like that, and now this perfect human is my boyfriend. i couldn’t be luckier.

apples, i love you endlessly. this isn’t goodbye, it’s see you next time, even if that next time doesn’t come for a long time. you’re everything to me. thank you for being you. you’re my world. i love you, baby <3

(also here’s a picture of the pretty flowers he got me i’m so in love guys don’t look at me)

[brokenpieces-72]

heya!! on the topic of the SCPF, i wanted to see your take on how the Ghosts (perhaps even a reader character, as well) would act in being within a MTF group, like pre-disbandment Omega-7 (Pandora’s box) or Alpha-9 (Last hope), so fighting alomgside SCPs like 076 and 073? I feel it’s such a cool concept <3 for example, how would 076 tolerate or think of the Ghosts? Would he favour certain members and ‘respect’ them more? See them as competition? 🫶

thank youuuu 🪷🪷

This will be very fun. This has been in the wings for a while, I’ve been busy, and visiting family in another province. That and the holidays are always crazy.

Brothers

You could deal with plenty of big monsters. A humanoid monster? Sure. One of the very first children to roam the earth? Well… that was another story. At least you had your own brothers and you were learning to take more combat. Holy hell, he could put you through your paces and even that was understating it.

You were certainly exhausted, and found yourself laying in the tent getting as much shut eye as you could before 076 or Able, got bored. Able was running out of things to do but he was more compliant to the wishes of the soldiers. Wandering had become his past time if he wasn’t fighting or talking to the men. Logan came in and laid in the cot next to yours. He was getting back from watch or patrol... honestly you were too tired to remember.

“Abel’s been giving me looks.” He said, laying on his back. You were on your side, and opened one eye to see him turn his head to you. You shut it again.

“Go on.” You said, hoping his voice could help you sleep.

“Kept staring at me and David when we interacted, especially during his… training.”

“Makes our hellweeks a walk in the bloody park.” You commented.

“No kidding. But it’s like… I don’t know, like he’s jealous and confused.” Logan said. You don’t have a brother except for Logan and David.

“Your dad talked to him though, give us some time off?” You asked, hoping it was a yes.

“Agreed to go easier on us. He’s wandering right now.” Logan said. You felt much more relaxed. “Your dad still keeping your hair tucked in I see.”

“I think he’s concerned about how Abel will respond to a woman.” You commented. "Apparently it's been mostly men working with him."

“You think Abel has a brother?” Logan asked. “They were kind of vague about his origins.”

“Logan, no offence but I’m a few minutes away from putting a bullet to Abel’s head if only so this hell week will be over.” You groaned, sighing.

Elias stood back letting Abel pace or roam around. Honestly it was a mixture of the two. He'd taken notice of the looks his sons received. Elias wasn’t willing to approach the man when he was wandering. Abel didn’t seem to like being interrupted, and Elias wasn’t one to prevoke him.

Eventually, Abel approached Elias. Before Abel could ask anything Elias started first. He hoped to leave Abel a little more civil before he left. Thankfully they were sending more soldiers to take care of 076. They also said they were sending someone else with them.

“My men are resting, they need it after your last session.”

“They’re tougher than most.” He commented. Elias took that as a rare compliment.

“May I ask you something?” Elias asked. He always found himself talking carefully around Abel. The man seemed to be seething constantly. Reminded Elias of someone else he knew. Abel nodded to hear the question.

“You’ve been eyeing my sons quite a bit, more than anyone else. Why is that?”

Abel lifted his head. They were Elias’s sons? He could see the resemblance.

“I had a brother.” Abel told him. “He betrayed me.”

“I’m sorry.” Elias said. “I’ve lost a brother myself.”

Abel looked at Elias curiously. “A good man, great warrior. During a mission I couldn’t pull him out, and chose between him and the rest of my team. It was the hardest decision for me.”

“This man’s name…what was it?” Abel asked.

“Rorke. Gabriel Rorke.” Elias answered.

“He was not your blood.” Abel said. “He is not your brother.”

“He was. All of my men are brothers in arms. They look out for each other, have each others’ backs. Rorke and I were brothers not in blood, but in bond.”

“…your sons are blood brothers?” Abel asked. “Yet they do not hate each other, and smile when they exchange weak blows.”

“Yes.” Elias said. “It’s how they express their bond for each other.”

“Hmm…” Abel stared at David who was going to the tent.

“When do more arrive?” Abel asked changing the subject.

“Tomorrow.” Elias replied.

“Fine.” Abel said, excusing himself without a word. Elias watched him go. At least tomorrow his team would be allowed to leave. Honestly the foundation was far too secretive for its own good.

You cracked your back, glad you could actually crack it as you got up and headed out for your turn for watch. Logan and David were out there already, having interchanging shifts. You tagged out Merrick, who reminded the three of you to stay safe. You saw Abel still testing weapons against an unknown opponent.

“Does he sleep?” You wondered aloud.

“I asked him, and well… if you kill him then yeah technically.” David said.

“Turns into sand and returns to the other SCP.” Logan clarified. “…why is he so angry all the time?”

“…if you were stuck in a box for years on end, with no way of venting frustration, it tends to build.” You suggested.

“Centuries old.” David muttered.

“A couple of the guys from the other task forces were saying he could be older.” Logan commented, as Abel continued to rage about against an opponent that wasn’t visible to the three Ghosts.

“Pretty good looking for his age.” You thought. You didn’t realize it was loud enough for the Walker boys to hear until they took their eyes off Abel and looked at you. You cleared your throat awkwardly.

Thank god for the SCP Foundations timing. Or that’s what you thought when you heard vehicles pulling up. Abel’s shadow killing session ended abruptly as you and the boys went over to greet the newcomers.

The commander immediately brushed all three of you off. The hell?

“Where’s Elias Walker?” He asked.

“He’s resting, I’ll retrieve him.” You said. Up until now, all of you were given respect, even from Able, this guy brushing you off didn’t sit right. Wouldn’t take long for you to find out what was going on. First you had to find Elias.

You found him wandering much like Able would, but mostly enjoying the peace of the night. Not much gear on, but still had a side arm.

“Sir?” You said, not wanting to startle him. Not that you ever could.

“Valkyrie.” Elias said turning to you. “Did the team arrive?”

“Yes sir. They just pull-“

You didn’t finish your sentence when you heard a loud enraged roar that could only come from able and shouting from the SCP Task Force. Shit.

You and Elias came back to the main camp to find the vehicles totalled and the Ghost taking up cover with the rest of the task force. Where was your father? You spotted him moving closer to a blood hungry Able who was striking at another figure. Able was speaking Arabic. Elias found his sons and you took up next to your own father.

“The fuck happened?!”

“The foundation brought a thaumiel for Able.” Keegan explained taking risking a peek. “Abel’s pissed now.”

“Thaumiel? Why would they bring a thaumiel?” You shouted, hearing the earth behind you breaking up and Able raging. Wait. He was crying out. Was he in pain?

The task forces kept shouting something but you could barely make it out.

“We need to calm him down.” You said. Fuck it. You made a break for the next closest cover. Ignoring your father, you made it to more cover before making another break. You made out the fight but just barely. Able was losing, wounded and pissed. There was another man you could make out through the smoke. Arabian in appearance though it was hard to tell in the dark. He wasn’t phased though. You noticed a few fallen soldiers from the foundation near the confrontation. Keep going, eyes forward. Don’t get distracted.

You found cover and slid into it, loading your gun. You could make it. Set up your shot, make sure it’s clean. If you could injure the one still standing, Able might pull back or at least relax. This new SCP, was a threat, Able knew that.

There was a moment of stillness as the newcomer stood there, head down slightly as you took a deep breath. Injure, don’t kill it. If you do there will be way more shit later. You took a deep breath, seeing the target in your sights. He was just standing there. Able was beaten and wounded, almost fatally. Your finger was on the trigger, the shot wouldn’t kill it. Aimed at the shoulder you noticed they were silvery gray, likely metallic. At least you could pull its attention if the bullet bounced off. You blocked out the shouting behind you hearing Able and the strange talking. Shit you needed to learn Arabic. Able was enraged, and the other man simply stood there, his voice monotone. Deep breaths. You needed to wait a bit. The shouts are too far away. For the most part you think you can hear them telling you to back off, move away. You noticed the man slowly turn his head towards you. Now or never.

You fired on the newcomer, hitting his shoulder.

Except… you didn’t.

Instead you felt a massive pain in your shoulder, and you cried out from it. You hid immediately, falling back and out of sight. Able’s rage reignited as you adjusted yourself, looking for another sniper. Where where? There had to be one. You were bleeding. Shit, fuck. Then you heard a name roared by Able before you heard a sickeningly wet slicing sound.

Then…It was quiet.

Your arm was still in a great deal of pain, but you kept your hand over the wound. Fucking hell what just happened. You heard footsteps approaching and you were regretting your choices. You readied your knife biting back your pain. The footsteps stopped and you were ready to fight.

“I wouldn’t recommend that, after your arm was damaged.” You heard someone say. You slowly looked up and saw the newcomer, looking down at you. “Apologies, but you did shoot at me without provocation.”

You winced as the medics took a look at you. A few scientists asked if they would do a more thorough assessment of your wound. Yeah don’t ever ask that kind of question in front of a protective parent, especially one who fully capable of eliminating targets, and have spent more than a couple weeks with an SCP that could make drill sergeants weep. Keegan nearly cussed them out, while you sat on a cot in a tank top and army pants. SCP-073, or Cain, stood some distance being fussed over by scientists like an untouchable celebrity and their make up team. Logan was patching you up, Merrick standing guard with Keegan to keep the scientists away from you.

“No bullet.” Logan said, keeping his voice low.

“No bullet?” You couldn’t believe it. “You’re sure?”

“If I pry any more in there, it would do more damage. Lift your arm.” Logan said. You winced but simply from the injury, not anything inside it. The fuck…okay yeah you were ready to go home.

Elias stood by Cain, having a few questions for him once the scientists left him alone. Cain kept glancing at him before Dr. Glass called them away. Elias had a chance and he was taking it.

“You speak very good English.” He commented.

“I do. It is not the only language I know.” Cain replied. Elias could tell Cain would be blunt.

“Why did you set him off? Able?” Elias asked. Cain didn’t seem comfortable with replying. Elias had a guess, wasn’t the most religious man, but he knew the basics. “If it is classified I understand.”

“Thank you. I did not wish to disclose my reasons.” Cain said. “We were brothers once. By blood. Now I don’t know what we are.”

Elias said nothing. Elias and Rorke were the same once. Unlike Cain, Elias had an answer to what they were now.

Enemies.

Taglist: @yourlovely-moon @kaoyamamegami @h0n3y-l3m0n05 @sans-chara @0wosugarmommymedic0wo @smitten-haematite-quartz @talia-the-gemini @yuki2129 @whitetiger846 @graystorm444 @chibiduck @reaperxxxxzz @danielle143 @sobbingnshtting @cringeycookies @cryingpages @dcnocap207 @reaper-chan666 @bestbookfriends @thriving-n-jiving @cutiecusp @shikigami-the-paper-spirit @lolyouranelf @theotheronedotorg

[lokisprettygirl]

Under his influence (Post Avengers! Loki x female reader)

Read chapter 3 here // Series Masterlist

Chapter 4

Summary : Disastrous Dinner with your parents leads to a small quarrel between you two.

Warning: Smoking, mention of recreational drug use, insecurities, a bit of angst, not so great parenting , 4.5 k words

After your mom left you immediately took a shower to cool down a little bit, it was 10 am and you had plenty of time to prepare for the evening.

He went to the bathroom after you and when he came out you could feel him staring at you but he wasn't saying anything.

"What?" You looked at him so he averted his gaze and pretended to read his book. "Gotta call my boss, i don't think I can go to work today"

You mumbled as you dialed the manager's number and put it on speaker phone because you wanted to paint your toenails.

"Hiii Mark it's y/n" you said cheerfully and you heard him grumbling in response. Just great

"I just ..uhh wanted to tell you that I won't be able to make it today, sooo"

"Whyyyyy?"

"Uhhh it's a family emergency"

"You can't just take a leave out of nowhere, you have to inform way beforehand, " he said, clearly sounding upset. Did he understand the meaning of emergency? Doofus

"Yeah I would have but it's umm I don't think you heard me right. I said that my family's car was hit by a bulldozer and some of them were still in it. And now they're in an emergency ward so I have to go see them..see you tomorrow byee" you tapped on your head in frustration as you hung up "Argggghh I hate this day already"

Also, why did you have to keep the phone on the speaker?

"So your mother seem ..a bit ahhh –" you found him to struggling to form a complete sentence which wasn't like him at all.

"Overbearing?"

"That. Yes. That"

"She is like that, but she means well"

His brows furrowed as you said that. He was finding it a tad harder to believe.

"Okay, we need to make a man, asap" you said to him as you tightly closed the bottle of the nail paint after you were done using it. He laughed in response because he thought you were joking.

"Darling, I promise it can not be Asap. I mean it would take months for him to grow in your womb before he's birthed and–" he stopped talking as you gave him the look that he had learned to understand as a sign for Stop right now. You sighed as you stood up and went down on your knees in front of him, you placed your hands on his thighs and the position made him gulp.

"I want you to be my boyfriend" his eyes flickered as you said that.

"Ohhhhh?"

"Just for the evening" you clarified it immediately. God you hoped he didn't think of you as some midgardian desperate creep.

"Oh"

"Will you do it for me please?"

"I uhhh–"

"Pleaseee please do it .. please I'm begging you Loki please I'll do anything you'd ask please " you joined your palms together and begged him to just help you out. You didn't really have to beg he thought, you saved his arse, he would walk right into the sun if you'd ask him to.

"I just..never have been a boyfriend before "

"You said you had relationships "

"What is the correlation here?"

"Huh?" He sighed as you failed to understand him.

"I just don't want to ruin this evening which I am sensing- is already a very stressful affair for you" he mumbled as he placed his elbows down on his thighs to rest his chin in the palms of his hand.

"You won't ruin it, oh no please. I'd love to have a friend while we eat dinner..a friend who actually likes me..you know" your eyes teared up so he cupped your cheeks and leaned forward to press a soft kiss on your forehead. That gesture made you feel so warm but you wished you had more time to relish in this feeling.

"I am very fond of you my darling" he mumbled softly. The words made the butterflies go crazy in your stomach. Okay so you were attracted to him which you had already figured by the intense feeling you kept having where you wanted to fuck him all the time, there was the bubbling scorching heat between you two and you also wanted to cuddle him all the time now, all of these things combined together looked bad when you considered how he was literally unattainable. A fucking prince, he was a god that you couldn't even dream of having. He probably wouldn't even look twice at you if you were in a crowded room full of all the beautiful women in the world, women that he probably deserved to have.

Everyone kept telling you that you had higher standards for yourself but then he must have them too right? You weren't it unfortunately.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yess" you stood up and jumped around a little in excitement.

"Oh wait butt oh no.. they can't see you..my mom will recognise you, she's obsessed with you..but in a very bad way"

"She is?"

"Yeah she hates you "

"I figured that..umm do not worry about that. I'll take care of this" he pointed towards his face so you went down on your knees again. You had to stop doing this in front of him because one of these times he'd forget to enchant his cock to not get hard in a jiffy.

"But .. I don't want anyone else there, I want you, I mean. I like this face..it's such a loki looking face that I like" he chuckled as you said that. Sometimes your words hardly made any sense and that's exactly why he adored them so much.

"How about I change my hair and the color of my eyes, maybe get a bit of facial hair, the face stays" you tilted your head as he said that.

"That could work besides there's no way she'd think that you're him with all those modifications you know..oh that's a great idea. Well I'm going to cook now..by the way can I paint your toenails afterwards? You have such pretty toes" you got up from the floor again so he looked down at his feet.

"Noooo" he yelled, making you giggle but now another thing was starting to bother you.

"Wait a second!! You don't have clothes, I need to get you earth people clothes"

"Yes I was troubled by that thought" He did have a suit he had stolen from a midgardian shop when he visited Thor a few years prior after he was banished but for some reason the idea of putting it on again disgusted him. And he couldn't have worn his famous Terrorist from Asgard terrorising Stuttgart overcoat either for obvious reasons.

"Oh no I have to go get it for you then ..it's 11 already and I have to make dinner, and dessert also and oh my god it's so dirty around here, what I'm gonna doooo??" he walked towards as you started to freak out again.

"Now let us pause for a moment here. Take a deep breath for me, can you?" He told you as he grabbed your shoulders to calm you down.

"Okayy..okay..i'm just freaking out" you took a deep breath in order to not pass out right this moment.

"You go purchase the attire for me and I will tidy up the space until then. That is alright?" He asked you so you hugged him tightly, his arms instantly wrapped around your waist as if it was the most natural state in the world, breathing in the scent of your hair he sighed deeply.

He really needed to get a grip. A woman like you deserved a man so noble and not a hideous looking frost giant like him whose moral compass has broken a long time ago. You have waited so long for the man of your dreams and he could never be it for you.

"I'll be back soon"

It took you two hours to find something decent for him to wear, you even had to buy a pair of shoes for him, you saw a bunch of cute t-shirts so you bought that as well. You heard the shower running when you came back from the mall, you couldn't even recognise your apartment. It looked beautiful. First of all it was clean, ofcourse. But he had done something with the lighting as well, it seemed fancier, like a classy restaurant, and it smelled really good too. He had also filled the space with a much needed furniture you didn't have.

There was an elegant looking table right in front of the kitchenette. Bonus point? It also had chairs, you had chairs in your apartment.

The bed was covered in a beautiful satin sheet. Asgardian sheet. He also had that sofa all cleaned up, it looked brand new.

You put the shopping bags down on the sofa as your eyes circled around again. When he entered the room you immediately ran towards him to hug him, momentarily forgetting that he was naked from the waist up and dripping wet.

"This is.. gorgeous..you're like a sorcerer" you mumbled as you pulled away from him and took a few steps back, he was freezing cold. He smiled as he walked closer and wiped the droplets of water from your cheeks, the ones you had gotten by hugging onto his naked wet chest so tightly.

"I'm a sorcerer " he giggled and it made your heart grow ten times larger.

"Thank you Loki, you have no idea what you have done for me" your eyes teared up and so did his, but then again you didn't have time to enjoy this moment, they would be here in like three hours, you also had to get ready.

He tried to help you in the kitchen as much as he could but he wasn't really helping plus the heat bothered him a lot so you made him sit down on the sofa, he had done enough already and you were very grateful for that.

After cooking and assembling the cutleries on the table which again was the courtesy of your alien friend, you put on a dress and finished your makeup. You looked good for a change, the black dress complimented your dark soul. It always did.

You looked at him as he got himself dressed too, you didn't want to go overboard with his attire, there was a dark green jacket because you remembered that to be his favorite color, a plain black t shirt underneath with a tight fitted trouser. For some reason you knew he wasn't the denim jeans type of alien god.

His tush looked extremely good in those pants but that's not what shocked you, it was the change in his appearance. He kept his face but his hair was no longer raven, it was light brown and shorter, you could finally see the back of his neck and it was as smooth as the rest of his skin, his eyes were hazel brown, light freckles adorned his nose and cheeks. The finishing touch was the golden tan on his skin and that I haven't shaved in a week stubble. Even though he had the same face he didn't look like himself. He actually reminded you of that guy from that one King Kong movie you couldn't remember the name of.

"This okay? Or do I resemble my oaf brother a little too much" He asked you so you smiled.

"You look very handsome mister" And hot, and sexy, delicious.

A nervous laughter escaped his throat at the compliment.

"And you my lady, you look–-" before he could finish his words you heard the buzzer going off so you hurriedly stepped towards the door and got them in. You felt anxious and awkward like always, having dinner with four people where you didn't really like the three of them was not your idea of fun. As you opened the door you saw your mom and her husband David first so you hugged her and your step father gave you a side hug.

"Welcome to my humble abode" you chuckled as they stepped in, then you met his daughters from hell, his perfect little princesses, the elder one was named Chelsea, she was a year younger than you and married. Ofcourse because she was just perfect like that. You weren't expecting her to bring her husband Shawn though.

"Wow i didn't know husbands were coming" you mumbled as you hugged her and your mom glared at you.

The younger sister Courtney gave you cheek kisses. Pretentious bitch. She was just 25 but obviously more accomplished and much more successful in her career according to your mother.

As they all stepped inside you noticed them looking around, they had never been here before.

"Wow, this is so tiny and adorable, you know when daddy said you were renting a studio apartment i thought it'd be bigger" Courtney said and you resisted the urge to poke her eyes out.

"It's actually bigger than most studio apartments, I'm actually not supposed to have that whole window area, default in their infrastructure, goodie goodie for me" you felt everyone's eyes on you so you stopped talking immediately, turned around and walked towards Loki, you grabbed his arm and decided to introduce him to everyone, most of them looked shocked but atleast your mother was smiling from ear to ear.

"This is uhh.." oh god you didn't think of a name. Ofcourse you didn't. You see Perfect Chelsea over there would have thought of a name.

"Mark, this is Mark Johnson..he's an auditor for the ..uhhh Marks and Spencers" they smiled at him as you introduced him. No, that name didn't sound fake at all. Nope.

"Hello Mrs. Umm –" he looked at your mother. Wow you two really should have discussed this part a little more. Like for real.

"Used to be something else now she's Mrs Jackson" you told him so he gave your mom a hug. She looked at you as she hugged him and mumbled a wow behind his back which made you want to die from embarrassment.

You didn't want to waste much time so you all sat down for dinner. The problem was he only made six chairs, and there were 7 of you. Gee, No thanks husband Shawn.

"You sit down okay?" You made Loki sit down so he grabbed your arm and scooted a little to the side, one of his buttocks was hanging in the air but he didn't care, he didn't want you to feel left out at your own family dinner.

As you sat down next to him, well almost onto him, everyone cooed. It's not as if you weren't getting used to being squished against him.

"So i noticed the accent, are you a London boy Mr. Mark" you wanted to hurl at the way Courtney was looking at him.

"Uhh yes, England" You took a sip of the wine you had in front of you, for the god of lies, he wasn't really good at living up to that status.

"So you're here on business? How did you two meet?" Your mom asked you so this time you answered instead.

"Ohh he's a member at the gym I work for" you smiled.

"Why do I feel like I have seen you somewhere?" Your mom squinted her eyes and it made you nervous.

"Ohh he looks like that guy from that movie.. I don't remember..the one with the big burly ape" you agreed as Shawn said that. Well thanks Shawn

"Ohhhh yeah..yeah you're right"

"So auditing? You like that job, son?" David asked him. Oh!! he's not your son David. No no considering his age, David was the son, his father was the son, his grandfather was the son. Why couldn't you just stop having thoughts for once?

"No. I don't know what that is actually" he chuckled and then you heard them all laughing in unison. You did too before you glared at him,

"Wow, good looking and funny. By the way, raise your glasses everyone.. I have an announcement" Courtney grabbed her glass of wine and took a deep breath before she proceeded to speak.

"I got the job in London..ahhhh" she squealed as she celebrated herself and everyone then squealed for her, she worked for an embassy or something, you never cared to find out. Your mother did remind you now and again as how it could have been you if you'd have been a little sincere about your life.

"Ohh honey congratulations, that's amazing, I'm sooo proud of you" your mom said to her so you smiled in disbelief.

"Okay okay..i have a news too. We have a news" Chelsea said as she smiled from ear to ear and looked at her husband "So I'm not drinking wine because I'm abstaining, I lied sorry.. hint hint" She pointed towards her belly and the whole world gasped for her.

"Call Odin and ask him if he heard the gasps" you mumbled in his ear and he bit on his cheek to stop himself from smiling. She was pregnant ofcourse. They all hugged her and congratulated the lovely couple, so did you, you had no other choice.

"Both of our daughters make me so happy sweetie" David's eyes teared up as he held your mother's hand.

"I am so proud of them"

After the happiness died down a little, Courtney looked at you.

"So y/n you're a trainer at the gym right..don't they like pay very less?"

"It actually depends on my competence and how many clients I can get in a month," you said to her. No you didn't miss the snark, you just wanted to ignore it.

"Oh.. so less huh"

God you hated her.

"Shoot i am out" David said as he opened the box of his cigarettes.

"Oh honey" your mom comforted him and then she glared at you as Courtney made another comment.

"Y/n smokes, just ask her for one dad"

"It was just that one time.."

You tried to defend yourself but your mom cut you off as she shook her head in disappointment.

"Look if you have it, just be a good hostess and give one to him" she said to you so you were about to get up but Loki stopped you.

"I'll get it darling. I found it while cleaning" he said to you so you smiled, as he walked towards the closet you wondered what he meant, what did he find? As he returned he passed the lighter to David along with that fucking joint you couldn't find yesterday.

"Uhhh this is not..is this weed?"

You stood up and snatched it from his hand. Loki felt mortified now, maybe he should have asked first if your stepfather wanted to smoke weed or something else. He really should have thought a little harder about it.

"It's not mine, it's a friend's" you mumbled so your mom looked at you.

"Oh sweetie, are you in the wrong company again?" She questioned and you immediately denied. You felt overwhelmed now, you just wanted to go cry in your bathroom.

"I apologise darling, i had no clue what he wanted" he whispered in your ear so you sighed. He just wanted to help.

"It's fine..it's okay " you told him, you didn't want him to feel bad about this even though you felt completely mortified now.

"So what are your plans for marriage?" The wine came out of your nose as your mom questioned Loki.

"Mommm" you glared at her and gestured to cut it out but ofcourse she ignored the cue.

"I'm just asking, you two make a cute couple..what do you guys think?" She looked around the table for approval.

"Ohhh yess hook him in y/n before you lose this one too" Courtney cackled like a witch. Loki felt awful, these people reminded him of those bilgesnipes, all ready to pounce and attack you for no reason. He felt something grazing over his shin so he looked under the table and saw a bunch of toes rubbing against him. It belonged to one of your sisters.

"She's touching me" he whispered in your ear so you looked under the table and she stopped immediately.

"Marriage is such a beautiful thing, it just makes me sad that y/n is going to be in her thirties now and she's still..so lonely" Chelsea gave you a sad look making you scoff in response.

"But I'm happy.. and I don't really care alright?"

"Well you should care honey, when you're sixty and alone with no-one to take care of you you'll regret this attitude" your eyes teared up as your mother chimed in. You saw your step sisters smiling and passing glances to each other.

"Didn't you marry twice?" Loki asked your mother so you glared at him and asked him to cut it out.

"Excuse me?" Your mom had the typical look of disapproval now. You could just tell she didn't really like him any longer.

"You married her father and it must not have worked very well since you are married to this gentleman here now?" He asked her again so you facepalmed.

"But that's life, that happens, sometimes things don't work out between two people, there are several different reasons why people get divorced" she raised her voice a little and you could feel everything getting out of your hand now.

"Well pardon my interference but perhaps she doesn't want that to happen to her as well, maybe she wants to spend her life with someone who would be there for every reason and not only for a season" your mom gave him a death glare as he said that and so did you. The tension in the room kept on piling up.

He could tell you were upset with him for opening his big mouth today.

After the dinner and dessert ended, you were hoping for them to just leave, you had no energy to take more insults.

"Sooo we are going to be here for two days, let's go somewhere tomorrow" your mom hugged you as she spoke so you hummed in agreement "And lose this one, he's not the type of man who is going to marry you" she said to you as she pulled away.

"Yeah? Why do you think that?" You chuckled but it was because of the frustration you were feeling in the moment.

"Look at him honey. Don't be such a fool, men like him don't settle for women like us, he's just having his fun I can tell" you nodded as she said that. Once they all left you shut the main door with a force and then you turned around to glare at him.

"Y/n i –"

"You could have just kept your mouth shut you know"

"I didn't intend to disrespect her, she just--"

"What were you trying to do then huh? Do you know how hard that divorce was on her? On me?" Your eyes welled up as you questioned him. That comment your mom made was the last nail in the coffin and unfortunately she wasn't here to bear the brunt of it so you took it out on him.

"I am sorry, please don't be upset darling" he mumbled softly but you were too angry to care right now.

"I'm not your darling, giving him the roll of weed wasn't enough for you huh? God I wish you weren't here today, it's all my fault" his eyes filled with tears as you said that. A part of you knew you were misdirecting your anger and frustration on him but you still couldn't stop, you wished you would have though because the look on his face bothered you a lot, you never wanted to see him look so sad and that too because of you.

You scurried towards the bathroom and then the tears couldn't stop coming, your step sisters were younger and better than you and they were living their best lives while nothing turned your life around no matter how much you worked for it, they were accomplishing everything they had dreamt of while several of your dreams had already been shattered, you had successfully wasted half of your life so far and accomplished nothing. Your mother probably wished for a daughter like them and that's why she found love in David again.

When you came out, he looked at you with a worried look on his face, he still had the same clothes on but he was back to looking like himself. Did you really just tell him that you wished he wasn't here after everything he had done for you today? God, you felt like a selfish asshole. No wonder you didn't have anyone in life that you could actually count on.

"Do you want me to disappear?" He asked you and you suddenly felt so anxious.

"No. I'm sorry..I'm so sorry Loki" as you started to sob he walked towards you and hugged you as tightly as he could, that was it for you in that moment, you broke down and cried until you couldn't cry any more.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean it, please don't go, i ..you're the only true friend I have..the best one i have ever had, and you were so good to me today, so sweet and I'm so sorry lo" you pulled away to look at him so he cupped your cheeks and kissed your forehead.

"I'm sorry I ruined the feast with my callousness" you smiled as he said that. He wasn't being callous, he just wanted to defend you. What a sweet sweet man.

"Well it's not as if it was going any better before..so I'm not really sorry about it" he kissed your forehead again and you just wanted to kiss him, it took everything to not clash your lips against his in that moment.

"You don't deserve to be treated in such a manner, you went through such pain today to make this enjoyable for them and you don't deserve anyone hurting you like that, none of the things they said hold true whatsoever" he said to you softly.

"You don't either Loki, I'm sorry it was me who hurt you today but I never want to be such a jerk to you again" he smiled at the statement.

"I understand, I have had my fair share of outbursts to comprehend that it didn't come from a place of malice but mere frustration and it wasn't intended for me" he mumbled and it made you smile. God he really was a dreamboat.

"Thank you Loki for everything you did today. You have no idea how much I appreciate you being here for me right now, i really do"

You hugged him again and took a deep breath, his hugs and sweet words really made you feel better than before. He was your friend, you loved having him as your friend. You looked up at him and the look in his eyes made you aware of the close proximity so you stepped away a little, he placed his hands inside the pocket of his pants to avoid the awkwardness but he had something in there so he took it out.

"What is it?"

"Something one of your sisters shoved into the pocket when we greeted each other" he said as he passed the slip to you. It was her phone number. What a bitch.

"Burn it down"

"Yes madam" you smiled as he said that.

"Umm..I'll go sleep, I'm tired" you mumbled as turned around and stepped towards the closet to take your pyjamas out.

"Uhh..What can I do to make you feel better?" he asked you, so you sighed.

"Nothing i– " Well actually "There's something you can do" you gave him a mischievous smile and he sighed as he understood what you wanted from him.

That's how he ended up on the sofa with you sitting on the floor with his feet resting on your thighs while you painted his toenails the same colour as yours.

"So pretty" you giggled as you finished the one leg and it warmed his heart. It was unbearable for him to see that hurt look on your face throughout the evening, knowing that there were people in the world who hurt you like that made his heart clench, he just wanted you to not feel that way like ever. He wanted to keep you protected.

"Maybe tomorrow we can do your makeup" you said nonchalantly making him tilt his head in response.

"How about no?" He responded and you feigned a look of disappointment.

At night he slept in that bed of yours, his sad brows were faster than your resistance today. You couldn't sleep though. You kept wondering if he'd come cuddle you but it has been an hour and he seemed asleep now. Wow this really bothered you, him not cuddling you by force like he had done in the last two days really really bothered you.

You sat up and got off from his princely bed then you took a few steps towards yours, you thought about what you were going to do for a moment. When he cuddled you, it was circumstancial, he had a nightmare the first night and then his body ached the other, you had no choice in that matter, you could have always pretended that you didn't love his cuddles but getting in the bed now would affirm that you indeed enjoyed sleeping with him like that and wanted it as much as he did.

Fuck it your cursed in your head before crawling into the bed. He was asleep but he did feel your body next to him, maybe he'd think that he was dreaming. Goddss he smelled divine.

He was lying on his side facing towards you so you sneaked your hand in the space between his neck and the pillow, he felt the invasion and instead of opening his eyes and calling you out for it he scooted closer to you instead and pressed his head down on your chest like he had done before. One of his arms went under your waist to pull you even closer while the other wrapped around you.

He embraced you as intimately as he could without it turning too sexual, this was the most intimate you had ever been with a man. Sure you had sex but even then you had several inches of distance between your bodies somehow. You hooked your legs around his waist in the usual position.

"Thank you" you mumbled softly in his ears and he hummed in response. You were thankful for him, you had known him for mere few weeks but you had never felt so strongly understood by someone.

"I'm overjoyed that you came. I just figured you needed your personal space tonight, perhaps I was mistaken " you smiled as he mumbled against your chest.

"Perhaps"

You knew it won't take you long enough to fall asleep now, you wondered if this was appropriate or not but you no longer cared for it. You also knew that you were only digging a deeper hole for yourself. Getting addicted to the feeling of cuddling him like this will only hurt you later when he won't be here with you. Your mother wasn't wrong, men like him didn't choose women like you for life but then you knew that already, didn't you?

Nothing so good could ever last forever, nothing so sweet and gentle could ever be wholly yours. Maybe you can press the stop button on this tomorrow but tonight you just wanted to indulge a little. Tonight you just wanted to live a little. Something that you haven't done for as long as you could remember.

🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶

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[isfjmel-phleg]

The Short-Lived Friendship of Grant Emerson and Bart Allen

I've talked about Grant and Bart's friendship before, but I wanted to do a more thorough post in chronological order to provide a better understanding of what happened to this relationship. The Doylist explanation is that they went to different books by different writers, and any connection between them was apparently forgotten. But in universe, this is a story of a friendship that happened at the wrong time for two kids who weren't equipped to handle each other's flaws.

Technically, Grant and Bart meet during the Zero Hour event, when they are seen standing in each other's vicinity in Zero Hour: Crisis in Time #0. This was Grant's first big heroic feat after having had his powers for about two days, and Bart had only just arrived from the thirtieth century, so they have something in common. They're both newcomers, and they're both friendless.

This will change when they end up on the Titans together. Bart is there apparently to have an excuse to get away from Wally, and Grant is there by court order as an alternative to prison after his destruction of Atlanta. Neither of them have worked with a team before, so they require a lot of training. Grant is still struggling to keep his explosive powers under control, so Arsenal is training Bart to respond to these emergencies by using a lifting device to quickly whisk Grant away over water where he can explode without destroying anything or hurting anyone. Although Bart complains a bit about how difficult it is to lift Grant in his more massive fully-powered state, he readily helps his teammate out and makes sure he's okay, and they seem to have established a friendly rapport. In his private thoughts (the pictogram thought bubbles weren't an established thing yet), Bart confirms that he likes Grant the best of his new teammates and admires his destructive capabilities.

(New Titans #0)

Grant takes to Bart too, looking out for him during fights and (not pictured because I'm over my limit but it's in New Titans #117) trying to get Psimon to stop tormenting him.

(Green Lantern 1990 #54)

Their interactions tend to be jokey, although we see that Grant will joke externally but keep his angst to himself. Note also that Grant makes a point of making sure that Bart gets his references; he knows that his new friend is from the future and hasn't had time to catch up on all of pop culture yet.

(New Titans #117)

And it's pop culture that will further allow them to bond. They are both Star Trek fans! Grant in his solo is established as being into sci-fi in general, and Bart apparently spends his spare time watching TV trying to acclimate. TNG would have been airing a lot in the 1990s, so he would have had plenty of opportunity to catch up.

(New Titans #118)

They share an excited high-five before they head out to spend a day off exploring New York City. While there, Tara will point out to Grant that he, she, and Bart are like family--and like older siblings, Tara and Grant have to try to get Bart out of trouble--like when he stops to play cards with a scammer on the street (but wins!). And they stop at an arcade--this seems to be more Bart's thing, we don't see Grant play with him.

The trio are also seen celebrating Christmas together with another jaunt on the town in Green Lantern 1990 #59.

When Grant storms out to go look for answers about his parentage on his own after Arsenal forbids him to do so, Bart is the one who tries to talk him out of leaving.

(New Titans #119)

He's upset to lose Grant, who is the first human friend he's ever had, and he begs him to stay, because "....we...need...you!"--which is to say, he needs him. And Grant, still angry after coming out of that argument, responds by trying to hit Bart.

Bart's too quick for it to land, but he's (rightly) shocked that someone who he thought was his friend would try to do that to him. And Grant immediately regrets it and apologizes, but he's not very good at communicating why he wants to leave.

(Damage #8)

Bart's speed and his closeness to Grant make him an ideal choice for Arsenal to send to keep an eye on Grant in his travels and help him out if needed. As far as I can tell, Grant is never made aware that Bart was doing this.

(New Titans #119 / Damage #10)

And Bart is able to figure out where Grant might have gone because Grant has talked to him a lot about a girl he liked back in Atlanta. Which suggests that they've had more serious personal conversations besides the jokes and the shared fandom.

(Damage #10)

When Grant returns from his solo adventure, he has been through a lot and isn't in the best frame of mind, and when he's obligated to take part in a team training exercise that he believes is actually a punishment directed at him, he lashes out at his teammates. He can take Bart in a fight because he has taken note of the patterns in Bart's fighting style and knows that Bart tends to forget how fast he (Grant) can be. And Grant knows all these things because he knows his friend, has taken the time to store up all these personal details--but he's using this knowledge in anger to attack him.

(Damage #13)

Grant attacks the team verbally too. He's mad at them all for treating him "like the second-string comic relief," and one by one, he airs his grievances with each of them. For most of them, he criticizes how they have treated him. Kyle and Bart are the only ones he attacks on a personal level.

"I know the real world is like some slow motion video game to you--but the truth is I've got a life and sometimes I don't feel like playing!"

And Grant isn't wrong about Bart. But he attacks him on a very sensitive point. Bart has spent his entire life in VR before being transplanted into a world that he doesn't understand and that can't keep up with him. Adjusting to the real world has been an ongoing struggle for him, and the people around him haven't been particularly patient, especially his cousin Wally, who has frequently voiced complaints very similar to what Grant is saying here.

So for Bart, this seems like a betrayal. His friend, who has previously treated him like a peer rather than a nuisance and whom Bart himself has worked hard to protect and help, is now treating him like a trivial child, just like Wally does. Bart has no reply for Grant but, once Grant leaves, insists that what was said about him isn't true and storms off.

Grant's anger at the team hasn't come out of nowhere; most of them haven't been as supportive of him as they could have been at a time when he really needed it. But his worst flaw has gotten the better of him. His uncontrolled anger inevitably leads to destruction, even without the use of his powers. And in this moment, Grant unintentionally destroys his friendship with Bart. Everything in their interactions changes from here on.

The next time Bart will speak to Grant, it's to disagree with him.

(New Titans #122)

But in general, he's not speaking to Grant at all after the confrontation, and so Grant can't turn to him when he needs help.

(Damage #14)

There's no indication that Grant ever attempts to apologize for what he said. He continues to be openly contemptuous of Bart's love of gaming, and Bart responds by sneering at him for exploding (you know, that thing that he used to think was cool).

(New Titans Annual #11)

In this same issue, Bart is the only member of the team who doesn't react when Grant explodes after discovering his flight powers and gets yelled at by Roy. It's as if he's indifferent to his former friend.

Grant's interactions with him take on a critical, older-sibling-like tone (see his "I told him not to..." line in the panel above), but Bart just ignores him.

There's perhaps some fondness in Grant's expression, and maybe on some level, he's trying to reconnect. Isn't working though.

(New Titans #124)

When Bart misses the Titans' flight to Jupiter because he was distracted looking for his misplaced Gameboy, Grant voices further criticism of him to the others, even referring to him as a "vidiot."

(New Titans #124 / Darkstars #34)

Although later his tone changes to one of regret that Bart is missing out on the adventure--his annoyance probably stemmed from disappointment more than actual contempt.

(Damage #16)

Later, Bart has progressed from ignoring Grant to actively trying to get his goat. He pulls pranks like stealing all the toilet paper so that Grant is stranded in the bathroom, he tries to argue Martian Manhunter into inviting him rather than Grant to join the Justice League Task Force ("I've got a better haircut!"), and he steals the uniform and equipment intended for Grant and runs off to wreak havoc. An annoyed Grant has to spend the rest of this issue tracking him down and trying to wrangle him into order. He's now referring to Bart with terms like "pipsqueak" and "squirt"--no longer a peer, more like an annoying little brother.

(Justice League Task Force #26)

But still, Grant shows signs of missing that friendship. On monitor duty, he's seen reading an Impulse comic (which somehow? exists? in this universe?) and wishing that Bart could arrange for a team-up issue with him. (The fans of Damage wanted this too, according to the letter pages, but the editor pointed out that this would be difficult to pull off given the current state of the boys' relationship.)

(Damage #17)

The last time that we see them interact is when they respond to a call from the Justice League Task Force to everyone who has ever been associated with him, but it turns out to have been sent in error, and Grant has to haul a reluctant Bart away (not pictured because limits, but it's in Justice League Task Force #30).

They never interact again.

From here, Bart ends his association with the Titans now that he's living with Max and focusing on trying to lead a normal life, and Grant walks out on the Titans for good, his solo comes to an end, and he's on the run for an indefinite time.

They never got that team-up issue of Impulse. Bart never even alludes to Grant once in his entire series. It's as if this friendship never happened. Even during times when they're in each other's vicinity, they do not acknowledge each other, like here, in Young Justice 1998 #49.

Apparently early plans for Young Justice 1998 would have included Grant on the team, which would have required the narrative to address the history between him and Bart. But instead they ended up on separate teams.

This had the makings of a good friendship. The readers of New Titans evidently liked the dynamic. And in-universe, it's important too, because these two friendless boys are getting their first chance to bond with someone who is like them. But that's the problem with the friendship. Neither of them have the interpersonal skills or emotional maturity to navigate something like this. Bart is literally two years old (chronologically--he's about fourteen physically and mentally), has spent his entire life alone in VR, and is only recently having to realize that other people are not just NPCs. Grant was raised by abusive foster parents, has never formed any long-lasting friendships due to moving around a lot, and struggles with anger management. So when their flaws clash, they don't have the tools to resolve the conflict, and there's no one to help them through it.

Bart will initially be very reluctant to make friends in his new civilian life, but once he does, he handles it much better, and by the time he joins Young Justice, he's more equipped to befriend other young heroes. And Grant will be alone for quite a while, but his second stint with the Titans will go much better interpersonally. He won't have a friendship comparable to what he had with Bart for a long time though--not until he joins the JSA as a young adult and befriends his genetic half-brother Tom.

The timing for these two was unfortunate. But it's not too late. I'd love to see these two reunite in the current continuity.

[zeep-xanflorp]

so at this point everyone is accepting that rick and diane never had a healthy marriage right??

like i think what everyone assumed (including me) is that they retconned all the things about rick not believing in love in the first two seasons when they revealed rick's revenge quest in season 6. like i thought that because rick was doing all of that for diane and beth, that it was indicative of a healthy relationship. but i don't think that's the case anymore after looking into some old episodes. i truly believe it was the intentions of the writers to make him have a bad relationship w diane since the beginning.

so here's what i've been thinking right.

"listen morty, what people call love is just a chemical reaction that compels animals to breed. it hits hard, morty, and then it slowly fades, leaving you stranded in a failing marriage. i did it. your parents are gonna do it. break the cycle, morty. rise above. focus on science." (rick potion #9, ep 106)

the situation he describes is so specific. he describes "failing marriages" and compared his marriage to that of beth and jerry's which is infamously codependent and toxic.

"i couldn't make [marriage] work and i can turn a black hole into a sun, so..." (the wedding squanchers, ep 210)

he talks about how little he trusts in marriage. because despite his intelligence, he couldn't be happy in his own.

so these are the two hints we get about rick's marriage before diane even actually shows onscreen. both of these quotes demonstrate rather clearly that their relationship was dysfunctional in some capacity. that it was "failing".

so if we're call caught up let's move onto the season 3 premiere.

"why don't i go grab beth and we can go out for ice cream?" (the rickshank redemption, 301)

that's all she has to say after rick says he's giving up on science - his passion. which is rather odd because it was clearly something he was working on for some time and he just says he's giving it all up immediately. which is odd, right? this well seeming remark could be far more insidious than it seems.

i'm not the only one to point this out but that's it. she dismisses his feelings. she invites him out to a place with their daughter (where, with her present, they would be incapable of having an adult conversation which would put more distance between them) and in this regard, beth acts as a physical barrier between them both.

i'm not saying that diane is in the wrong here. i'm not saying rick is perfect. but that's one instance of their relationship where something pretty major had just happened. and it's immediately brushed off.

(abcs of beth, 309)

there are plenty of hints that rick was indeed an absentee father, even when he was still living with his daughter. take the abcs of beth, where rick talks about all the toys that child beth had to play with. beth insists that she asked him to make those because she wanted to spend time with him. let me repeat, beth explains that she wanted to spend time with her father so bad that she asked him to make lethal weapons for her to play with. plus the whole froopyland thing - an environment designed to be safe so he wouldn't have to keep an eye on her. it's obvious she channeled her neglect in a destructive way - aka in a way that she got from her father. but i digress.

the point is, rick has always been absent from his family in some capacity. whether it was emotionally as we see with diane or physically as we see with beth.

there are also some hints at infidelity on rick's end. take mr nimbus, who is confirmed to have known diane.

then when diane and beth die, he absolutely crumbled. and this scene does break my heart watching it bc we know it's not just a part of a fake memory now. it was all real. the pain he experienced in that moment - the hope he had of living a normal life and making everything up to his family - just got ripped away from him.

so even though on the surface, rick appears to have a healthy relationship w diane when she shows up in the show, that doesn't mean that's all there is. it's very unlikely based on all of the information presented in the earlier seasons that these two were stable together and i think that the presentation of diane as a perfect loving caring wife is intentional. it either represents how rick remembers her - as someone kind - or is only a small part of the equation.

oh and let's not forget the ghost ai that rick made for his dead wife. he designed her to berate him, to wear him down. to never let him move on from what happened. like that's something super messed up wow. maybe

in conclusion, rick has never had a stable family or home life. that thing didn't appeal or satisfy him. it caused him to neglect his daughter and continues to impact the relationship he has with his adult family members. by no means is this an excuse and that's hardly my point. i feel it's important that we know the reality of ricks marriage to understand how that impacts him in the show we're watching.

ofc this is just my take on what little we have seen from the two of them. i rlly want to see more so i can maybe make a better assessment. but yeah. whatever went on there? not healthy. no way in hell.

[rose-l-20]

Dad Head-canons - T.I.K

Master-list

Warnings: Mentions of childbirth/pregnancy, Dad jokes

AFAB reader. fluff.

Summary: How I see Tom as a Dad with the help of my current wave of baby fever 😂

Sorry if it’s a bit all over the place!

1000% takes as many days off as he can both during your pregnancy and the first couple of months after you give birth. 

Two words “GIRL DAD!!!!”. I’ve seen SO MANY other peoples HCs on multiple platforms saying the same thing and i’m so glad im not the only one that thinks this. I see him being the “as long as they’re healthy” type, but the minute the doctor announces “it’s a girl!” he (respectfully) would burst into tears of joy and bounce around the room and mumble “I knew it”.

As well as helping take care of the little angel, he would have the eye of a hawk when it comes to your recovery. Always makes sure you’re taking the right vitamins, drink plenty of water, have eaten all 3 meals of the day plus snacks/fruits, helps you with postpartum care and gives you cuddles, love and praise. 

Has a million different nicknames/terms of endearment to your daughter. some are sweet like, “My Princess” “My World” “Munchkin”. some are funny like, “Miss wriggle-giggle” “Milk-coholic” “sassy-gassy” which you laugh at every time.

I see Ice doing local or base related jobs (like teaching) instead of missions because he wants to be as close as possible to his family. 

When it comes to milestones, if he misses even one of them he will be excited but feel both jealous and utter disappointment. When it comes to your daughters first word, he makes it his mission to have her say “dada” first to the point he hides a photo of himself in the flat surface of the mobile above the crib. 

If he succeeds, he will brag about it for months until she eventually says “Mamma” and then he will stop. If he looses, he would mope around the house for a while in self pity and say “how dare you” as soon as the “Mmm” sound starts.

I see him being good at: dressing wounds (of course giving it a kiss), morning routine, school lunches (you write the note), homework help, bike training and first swimming lesson.

I see him being not-so-good at: night time routine, school drop off, being serious when his children have done something bad and keeping his wallet closed (his weakness is the puppy eyes and will spoil).

Invites all his Naval friends over to meet the bubba and they all refer to themselves as “Uncle ____” to which the both of you love and melt over. They all are super respectful by making sure they wash their hands and arms before getting the all clear to hold her.

as she hits 3 years old, her personality/mannerisms shows up in full swing and its the perfect combination of the both of you. His cockiness, compassion, and smile are the main ones. 

At this point you are pregnant with your second child, and Tom is on the way to becoming Admiral. Both being equally as important and exciting. 

Your daughter is already calling herself “Big sister” and wants to let every person she encounters to know and feels prideful when she gets told “you will be the best sister!”.

The two of you take her to her first day of kindergarten and even though your body has double the amount of hormones, Ice cried the most/hardest and once she was out of site and settling in you had to drag him out because he would stand there all day if he could. 

Soon you welcome twins. Another girl and a boy, which delighted you both and made your first born very excited.

Ice loved getting to experience the growth of 2 children. he loved seeing all the similarities and differences between them.

Ice made sure to be equal and take care of you the same way he did with your first pregnancy/birth, but would admit he found it harder as it wasn’t just the three of you. Tom hated to admit that he needed assistance some days and both sets of grandparents were more than eager.

When all of them were old enough (ages 8 and 5), Ice took them to work and showed them everything and there was not one bored face out of the three.

When taking them into his office so he could get an hour or two of work in, the oldest daughter asked “why aren’t there any pictures of girl Pilots or Rios Papa?” and he went on to explain why and how that was going to change soon. This ignited a flame in the 8 year old, and she got to work on her call sign, which at that age was “Snowflake”. 

Tom may not be taking professional missions anymore, but in the back yard with a DIY cardboard MiG-28 he was on at least 4 a week and for the first time in his career he was a Rio.   

All your children love Career’s day at school as they get to bring in Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky! and because of the amount of times he was asked to come in, he was gifted a display in the school and he gave them some of his medals and gear for it. 

When Tom became a Dad, he became a Dad. this means he does the “i was watching that” when he looked dead asleep, gets off the couch with a “woah” and his Dad jokes were enough to make his children want to run for the hills. Tom evolved more as the years went by to the arms crossed legs shoulder width apart when speaking to his “daddy’s group” friends.

When the kids are tweens-teens he switches from the “trying not to laugh” dad to “I give you these rules because I care (but still trying not to laugh)” dad. Definitely does the “who, what, when, where, why?” When they start hanging out with friends and partying.

Takes his children on joy rides with his Admiral privileges. He even gave them their own helmets designed and custom to each child.

Would 100% help with them wanting to apply into flight school, would shine his rank in the absolute worst case scenario.

Gives a speech at all the graduation ceremonies, but cries when it’s one of his kids class and the audience and you “aww” at it.

Always makes sure that he takes you on date night throughout the years and spoils you like he always does.

Just a genuine and amazing dad

If you want more or another list of Headcanons feel free to request

Lia 🤍🧊

[strljaem]

twilight pt.2

jaemin cullen, again.

note : this plot i wrote is EXACTLY like in the movie, so it’s a little cringe.

(I’M OBSESSED W THE TWILIGHT SERIES)

The first time I saw Jaemin, it was in the cafeteria. He stood out even in a crowded room. His skin was impossibly pale, with an otherworldly beauty that drew every gaze. Yet he seemed indifferent to all the attention, his eyes fixed on his tray, uninterested in the lively conversations around him. I couldn't help but watch him. His presence was like a magnet, irresistible and slightly unsettling.

The next time I saw him, we were in Biology class. He sat as far away from me as possible, his expression tense. It was as if he couldn't stand to be near me. His posture was rigid, his eyes fixed on the wall, and he seemed to be holding his breath. I was hurt, but also intrigued. What had I done to make him react this way? Then, he disappeared for a while, and I couldn't help but wonder where he'd gone. The days stretched into weeks, and his absence left an odd void in my life.

When Jaemin returned, he seemed different. There was an intensity in his eyes, but it wasn't hostile—it was curious, almost tender. We started having conversations, slowly at first, then with more ease. He had a way of speaking that was captivating, his voice smooth and melodic. He talked about the beauty of the forest, the way the light filtered through the trees. He asked me about my family, and I told him my parents were away on business, leaving me to live with relatives in Forks. He listened intently, his gaze never leaving mine.

One evening, he invited me into the woods. I was hesitant at first, but he assured me it would be safe. And then, with a swift motion, he lifted me onto his back and leapt into the air. We flew through the trees, the wind whipping past us. I could feel the power in his movements, the raw energy that coursed through him. It was exhilarating, unlike anything I'd ever experienced.

Later that night, I was in my room, sitting against the headboard of my bed. My room was cozy, with soft pastel walls and a small desk by the window. I had a few books scattered around, and my laptop sat on the desk, its screen dark. I was on the phone with my mother, catching up on the latest news from abroad. She was asking if I was doing fine, if I needed anything, and I was reassuring her that I was okay, that the relatives were kind and gave me plenty of space.

Suddenly, the window burst open, and Jaemin appeared out of nowhere. He stood there, his skin gleaming in the dim light, his eyes a deep shade of gold. I was so shocked that I nearly dropped my phone. He just stared at me, his gaze intense, as if he was seeing straight through me.

"I need to call you back," I told my mom, my voice shaky. "Someone just... I'll call you later." I hung up, my heart racing, and looked at Jaemin. "How did you get in here?" I asked, trying to sound calm.

"The window," he said casually, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Do you do that a lot?" I asked, a nervous smile playing on my lips.

"Just a couple of months," he replied, his own lips curling into a small smile. The humor in his voice made my pulse quicken.

"I like watching you sleep," he added, and I was caught off guard by the intimacy of his words.

He took a step closer, his eyes locked onto mine. "I want to try one thing. Stay very still." His voice was soft but commanding, and I couldn't look away. I nodded, my heart thumping loudly in my chest. He leaned in closer, very slowly, the tension building with each inch. I moved slightly, nervous and unsure, and he whispered, "Don't move."

His lips met mine, and the world seemed to stop. The kiss was passionate and deep, filled with a mix of thirst, love, and raw lust. It was overwhelming, the intensity of his embrace. I felt his hands on my waist, his grip strong yet gentle, and he pushed me softly onto the bed, never breaking the kiss. My mind spun, lost in the heat and the connection between us.

Then, suddenly, he pulled away, his eyes wide with alarm. "Stop," he yelled, and he flew back to the wall, leaving me on the bed, stunned and breathless. He stood there, looking guilty and worried, as if he’d crossed a line. I sat up, my hands trembling. "I'm sorry," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

"It's fine," he replied, but the tension in his body was palpable. He crawled back onto the bed, his movements cautious, and reached over to turn off the lights. The room fell into darkness, and we just sat there, talking quietly about random things, our voices low and soothing. Despite everything, he stayed with me, his presence comforting. As my eyes grew heavy, he stayed beside me, keeping me company until I drifted off to sleep.

[lockwood-ot3]

Lockwood & Co Fic Recs: cot3

Lucy/Lockwood/George fanfic recs! By no means comprehensive.

Last updated 7/8/23

I Found A Fox, Caught By Dogs by @twelfthbite Some of the best tension in a scene between L/L/G I have read. My goodness. light kink & D/s tone Literally Everything by TheMalapert but especially her L&Co Bodega Series which includes "Ghosts made them do it" Literally Everything by chahakyn / @shizuoi see my Author Spotlight for extended summaries!

Better than Before Series by @lemonsharks Stunning tension between cot3, then progresses further into the relationship. features the amazing line: "George, I," Lockwood said, then hesitated. "I like the way you look at me, too." Sweet Somethings Series by justice_for_skull (hyper_fix) Insanely hot series including free use & cockwarming. So hot, and soft at the same time.

Sink or Swim by @waiting-for-my-hogwarts-letter Mermaid AU! Freedivers Lockwood and George; local mermaid Lucy

Someone Throw A Lifeline (I Don't Wanna Drown) by @waiting-for-my-hogwarts-letter pre-cot3. Anthony Lockwood hates storms.

Interpolation (A Line We Drew In the Array) by @iantalks Great pacing, and ballet.

Honey honey honey (series) by @fromjannah Pre/developing Lucy/Lockwood/George

aftershocks by @aberfaeth Fantastic magic system theory concept, well-executed

Chivalry Fell on Its Sword by alphabetsoup4u cute get together fic

Kiss It Better by @wolfjawswriter Cute, with fun banter.

whiskers on kittens by 11pmbed great pacing, Locklye --> ot3 progression with fantastic confession from Lockwood

at last, peter rabbit made his way home by 11pmbed drunk!Lockwood & spot-on dynamics between the three of them

Tea for Three by IceAngels sweet ot3 w/ plenty of tea & an observant Portland Row neighbor

Could Never Want For More When I'm Here by @dont-offend-the-bees like a warm hug. fantastic ot3 dynamics!

Gunshots Are More Powerful Than Sheer Stubbornness by @between-two-fandoms such great Lockwood POV, showcasing how & why it's hard for him to be vulnerable. so sweet thunderbolt through my body by @sa-heelies amazing view of George thru Lockwood's perspective and it feels good to be known, so well by @paladinbaby Lucy & George, then George & Lockwood. it takes Lucy & lockwood a minute but they get it together pieces of you and me (and us) by @grasslandgirl bright and dark and beautiful

you should never know how easy you are to need by @grasslandgirl Lockwood develops Hanahaki. Death by heartbreak, and all. Dreadfully boring.

Dressed in Black (head to toe) by cherriepixie27 the Lockwood Dress Fic

Domino Effect by cherriepixie27 insanely hot Maysturbation fic - chain reaction of overhearing each other

chase the echoes from the rafters by @sanvitheartificer Three scenes of Lucy, Lockwood, and George loving each other on purpose.

Turning Saints into the Sea (Series) by @alphacrone “Georgie.” Lucy tilted her head up to look at him. “Do you love him?”

i'd blind myself to see it by @hazelnutchai Includes kissing (for science!) and then kissing (not for science)

Sundress Season by Lindzm1318 getting together Pride!fic with Lucy doing face paints, queer Kipps & Kat, (well, queer everyone) and Lucy irresistible in a sundress, of course. The Night Started Like Any Other by @siapom pre/developing cot3 featuring George in a too-small towel

Blinding Lights by @kennysbirthday Lockwood gets a migraine, and George knows how to help. Lucy follows his lead. featuring great banter

you only live forever in the lights you make by @thethinkingcloth two years after she was ghost-locked, Norrie wakes up. book spoilers! found family goodness, and not just for our cot3 The Care & Keeping of AJ Lockwood by FionaDunn featuring Dom!George with some smokin' hot dirty talk!

hug all your friends and let them know by @beautifulmakkaris Contrary to popular opinion, Lucy realises she’s in love with both boys on the same day.

Please also check out my cot3 fanfiction on Ao3 (Rainshadow07)

Updated 7.8.23

[denizenhardwick]

The Part Where You Missed It: Chapter 4

Read on AO3 | Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3

Denizen Hardwick knows who he is now; for the first time in his life, he has a family and a real home. But, of course, nothing is that simple. Vivian still won’t open up to him, and feelings are so often a painful burden to carry. As Denizen begins his new life of Knighthood, he finds challenge and triumph lurking around every turn--both in the world and in himself.

Takes place in the six months between Knights of the Borrowed Dark and The Forever Court; massive spoilers for book one.

Simon soaked up sunlight like a plant. Sometimes, while walking through Dublin, he would suddenly stop and stare up at the sky. It reminded Denizen of when people saw the aurora borealis–not that he had seen it, but he’d seen pictures of people seeing it–and looked up in absolute wonder.

It was winter, though, and nice, sunny days growing scarcer and scarcer.

One such lucky day, Abigail pointed out at breakfast that the weather was pleasant and gave Denizen a not-so-subtle wink indicating this was the day, as if he’d forgotten somehow. He had to get Simon out of the house for a few hours to give the girls prep time.

So he invited Simon on a little walk.

Simon grabbed his scarf, and they were out. It was a crisp day, made chillier by the breeze, and the sun kept dipping behind clouds, but running into various shops managed to keep the shivering to a minimum.

Denizen supposed he could draw on his power to keep himself warm… no. Absolutely not.

They ended up standing side-by-side, watching the faint winter sunlight play across Dublin Bay.

“So… tell me about Grey?” Simon gripped his scarf closer to himself and looked up innocently.

Denizen went cold in a way that had nothing to do with the weather. “What?”

The other boy shrugged. “I dunno. It's okay if you don't want to talk–I get that–but I didn't get to meet him, and, well, you don't really let people get close to you. So I was wondering. What was he like?”

“I…” Words failed, and he trailed off.

Gazing out over the water, Denizen tried to think of something to say. “I don't think I really knew him that well.” If at all.

“Hmm. That's okay.” When Denizen remained silent for another minute, Simon sighed. “I shouldn't have brought it up. Sorry.”

“Ugh, no. Don't apologize. You told me what happened with you, which was infinitely worse than my month, and I still haven’t shared what happened with me… it's not fair.”

“I got the basics. Shadow monsters, magic, saving the world, your aunt actually being your mother. All that. I'm just curious at this point.”

Denizen laughed.

“Dublin’s nice,” Simon said, changing the subject. “We should go exploring sometime.”

“Oh, no, don't worry, you'll get to see plenty of the city when Abigail takes you running.”

The boys finished their walk, interspersing light conversation as they moseyed along the waterfront, and started heading home. Outside of the embassy building, Denizen abruptly stopped.

“Grey was a really easy person to be around.” Denizen threw thoughts regarding the later bit of the month in a mental box, took a breath, and continued. “He was chatty, and he'd tell jokes, and sometimes he'd do these really kind things and try to pass them off as jokes or something casual, but…”

A lump was building in Denizen’s throat, making it hard to speak, to breathe, and anger rolled fitfully in his chest.

He cleared his throat. “Also,” he said, pointedly louder, “Abigail and Darcie are waiting in the dining hall for us. Well, more specifically, you.”

Simon frowned. “Huh?”

Grinning, Denizen took his arm and escorted him inside. “You nearly died on your birthday, remember? I wanted to give you something nicer.”

“Happy birthday!”

Simon spun slowly, face breaking into a smile as he took in the decorations. It wasn’t much, but Denizen was proud–there was a banner hanging from the ceiling, a pretty cloth draped over one of the tables, and, on top of that, the cake that Darcie had made, which was probably more edible glitter than actual cake.

“Here,” Denizen said, gesturing to a bench. “Sit.”

Simon complied. “I cannot believe this.”

“It was going to be a surprise party, but we didn’t think you’d like that,” said Darcie.

“Yeah. Thank you.” His voice was awed. “Oh, so this is what all the winking this morning was about! Ha.”

Denizen flushed. They’d been planning this for a month, and it was a miracle they'd managed to keep it a secret.

With flourish, Abigail presented Simon’s birthday present. His jaw dropped.

“Guys…”

“It’s mostly from Denizen,” she said, “but he wanted us to present it as a kind of joint gift.” She took a seat, then so did Denizen, and Darcie cut them all cake slices–Simon’s being the biggest, of course.

The party lasted most of the afternoon, and Denizen wasn’t sure he saw the smile ever leave Simon’s face. It was contagious. By the end, Denizen’s cheeks hurt, and they got busted by a very angry Vivian for making a mess of the dining hall again, but…

But it was the happiest he’d seen Simon for months.

[a-libra-writes]

could you do jon snow and robb stark w a sister reader? not like separate headcanons, like just the reader being ride or die besties with them their entire childhood. she's robb's younger twin sister? thank you!

I did my best ~ I love stuff like this, also it reminded me of one of my first pieces I posted 3 years ago ... man. A lot of stuff from there can also apply to this, but I try to not repeat myself.

The birth of the twins was a grand event in Winterfell, a huge spot of hope amongst the gloom of war. On his way home, Ned already had a heavy burden and grief to carry - and when he arrived to see not just one child, but two, he felt dizzy with worry, relief and happiness.

Naturally, the twins are positively doted on by by everyone in Winterfell, not just their parents. I like to think that while Robb inherited his mother's looks, his sister would be closer to a Stark. Ned would never give her the name of his beloved sister - the wound was too fresh - but perhaps his mother, or Catlyn's.

Beyond that, you can't remember a time that Robb was not at your side and Jon wasn't right by his. Jon was always just there, just as your twin was. You didn't understand why he was disliked, why he was your father's but not your mother's. It was something no one wanted to explain to you, yet they expected you to follow unspoken rules regarding how to treat him. Your lady mother, who was nothing but adoring of you, would become more closed-off and cold when you played with him.

The three of you are a trio around Winterfell, well-known and well-liked. Your personality determines the dynamic of this group; if you're more outgoing and tomboyish, it's usually you and Robb always competing. Jon is the quieter, mediating personality, often having to be the "go between" when you and Robb fight. Not that you and your twin stay angry for long; you've never gone more than a day before apologizing. If you're the more introverted and quiet type, it's you and Jon following Robb's lead, him playing the "lord" while you and Jon pretend to be loyal knights. Having a more sociable and clever personality would make up for the boy's collective awkwardness and lack of intrigue, and they'd often look to you in new social situations, especially as the three of you grew older. Being more shy or nervous leads to both boys being incredibly protective of you, willing to throw down with anyone attempting to mock you.

(While no one would dare mock Robb, the future Lord Stark, Jon and even you are not so lucky. It doesn't take long before you all realize the insult that "bastard" carries, and by being a girl, you are also lesser. More than once the boys have had to drag you off some kid who was throwing insults.)

No matter what, the three of you have a tight bond that leads you to protecting each other. Between you and Jon, there was always this unspoken rule of protecting Robb above yourselves - maybe not just because he was meant to be Lord, but some odd, nagging feeling that he may need it some day.

The older you become, you're expected to be a lady who doesn't run around with boys in the mud or the forest. If you're the sort who wants to ride horses and go hunting with the others and play swords with Jon and Robb, well ... it's very difficult for Ned to deny you anything, though your mother has plenty of scoldings, worrying about what sort of lady you'll turn out to be.

This is especially true when Theon arrives, as Catlyn would not want an Ironborn captive associating so closely with her eldest daughter. Robb lets him into the circle first, so you and Jon follow suit. Theon doesn't always hang around the three of you - he doesn't begin to think that he'll ever be part of that bond, and on the days he misses his family most, it stings. Still, it's hard to keep his usual biting remarks when Robb, you and Jon are willing to include him.

(He most certainly gets a crush on you and handles it in the most awkward, annoying way a teenage boy can. Jon notices it right away and Robb is clueless.)

Sansa and Arya are incredibly fond of you, and your mother certainly encouraged you to set a good example for your little sisters and take on some caretaking duties when they were much younger. They go to you for comfort, and drag you away from the boys so you might play with them instead. If you're more tomboyish, it's likely Arya is closer to you and she feels less alone about her "strangeness"; while if you're more ladylike, Sansa admires you as much as Catlyn and often follows you around like a duckling. Striking a balance between the two means you're the best to play peacekeeper when your sisters get into spats.

By the time you and Robb are nearly considered "grown" by Westerosi standards, you're the confidant of Robb and Jon, and they're the same for you. You three often discuss your futures, either with hope or trepidation. The fact you'd have to be apart from them, to go off and marry some lord like a proper lady ought to do - even if it may be the future king of Westeros - was a constant worry. Then there was your father's increasingly sorrowful looks when he looked to you, haunted by old memories you were never told in full ...