#*curious machine. ⟨ in character. ⟩

[infinitelyweary]

this fucking show....

[charlottcharles]

heather do three more seconds of research and tell me you think you could convince frank castle to talk to 1. a therapist 2. about his psyche as a vigilante 3. for a pop psychology book

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[necrotic-nephilim]

in lieu of having posted any writing/headcanons/asks in the past few days because i have been *so* busy and unable to do anything fandom-related which is terrible and evil, i have a poll out of morbid curiosity and self-indulgence. i've been meaning to ramble here about how i feel about DC's lack fo Deaf representation and which Batfam members i would personally make Deaf, but i am mildly curious about the larger opinion and now i will subject you all to the question, i would love to hear thoughts/opinions/headcanons on any specific choices. (would love d/Deaf/HoH opinions esp but i'm mostly expecting this to reach the hearing crowd, so opinions from hearing ppl are ones i'm very curious about. if you've never given it thought before you are going to now or else /lh)

[stuckatmyhouse12]

Who is Iori Fuyusaka?

[grape-souffle]

Cooking up a little something, don't worry about it....

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

Not sure if this is how to request correctly but I come Bearing Ideas

Concept: Reverse isekai mothman? You attempt to hide an eldritch horror of the abyss in your apartment, but all he wants is to snuggle New Friend (whether he recognises New Friend as the person behind the screen or not I'll leave it up to you :D)

ohh my goodness i'm squirreling away this idea and putting it on my shelf of favorite things

here's a sight you never possibly thought you'd witness: Foul Legacy sitting on your bed, tilting his head curiously as Genshin runs on your computer beside him. you had only left to get a glass of water, that's it, and yet those few minutes had apparently been enough for Childe's Abyssal form to get whisked from the game world to your room. carefully, you set your cup down so you can't drop it in shock, and Legacy watches your every move before standing from his place on your bed and slowly approaching you. he delicately sniffs the hand you hold out, then bumps his head against it like an affectionate cat, letting out a happy trill when he sees your hesitant smile

there's a vague sense of familiarity that Legacy feels when he's around you, like he's met you before but can't quite recall when and where. you feel safe; a kind, comforting presence in this strange new world he's in- when you're home Legacy is always a few steps behind you, fluttering his wings and chirping when you turn to look at him, and when you have to leave he follows you until you wave goodbye and shut the door. you do your best to act as normal as possible, as if you're not hiding an Abyssal monster who is twice as tall as you and definitely should be fictional in your apartment, since your neighbors can be incredibly nosy- Legacy accidentally broke a vase once and your downstairs neighbor came to investigate, looking at you suspiciously when you assured them that everything was just fine

you also have to get used to how wonderfully affectionate Foul Legacy is. you live alone, no pets allowed, so having a heavy moth-creature lay his head on your lap whenever you sit down is jarring at first. but he doesn't mind- he'll show you where he likes being scritched and pet best!! it's behind his horns and under his chin, and when he curls around you on a bad day, it feels like he's repaying you for keeping him safe, gently nuzzling against your cheek until you take a nap beside him, nestled into his warm embrace

...he's really not sure if he ever wants to go back to Teyvat

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[thatonecrookedsmile]

I finished re-reading The Lost Ones a few hours ago.

Constance Gray,in my heart, you will always be canon to the games,no matter what they tell me.

(You too Bill and Brant. This applies equally to both of you too)

[sananaryon]

Ixhel should become a planeswalker.

[fujouppy]

queens arc was so nothingburger i hate li haoling BUT ! the wreck crumbs will sustain me for the wreckless months ahead

[sablegear0]

Possessor(s) Demo is Live!

Heart Machine and Devolver Digital have collaborated on a stylish 2D combat platformer called Possessor(s) - and the demo is free to play! It's a sizable demo, too. I took my time through it and backtracked a bit to explore and clocked in about 1h45mins.

I took it for a spin and found it overall enjoyable. It has Heart Machine's signature dreamy art direction and chunky combat feel. (Herein I regret not taking any screenshots, I can't load back in without completely restarting because I finished the demo.) The platforming has a lot of potential and the combat seems relatively well put together at this stage. I'm intrigued by the world they're building and want to see where the lore goes from here.

Personally I feel like both the platforming and the combat could stand a bit of polishing, some of the controls feel a bit stiff and close inputs "queue" up instead of cancelling into one another, which can make responding to multiple enemies quickly a bit awkward.

Some quick tips if you want to take a look for yourself:

You might want to check the settings right off the bat. I preemptively turned screen-shake down to 50% and I'm glad I did. The game also features a bit of motion-blur and chromatic aberration as aesthetic choices. Additionally there's some flashing in the intro (but nothing significant through the rest of the demo so far). Just be aware of your own visual sensitivities!

Stunlocking combos cut both ways. Enemies can and will stunlock you to death if you're not careful. Don't let yourself get surrounded or you'll get juggled!

You will not find enough upgrade materials for any weapon. Although you can amass a lot of currency, there is nothing to spend it on. It's simply not in the demo, as temptingly attainable as those upgrades seem at a glance.

There's a minor stun threshold mechanic on some enemies the game does not directly tutorialize; enemies flashing yellow are fine, enemies flashing orange to red will be stunned or knocked around by your hits, enemies that turn pink are fully immobilized. Enemies flashing blue are unharmed.

The computer mouse item is goated, just be aware you have limited uses of your "special" unless you recharge them with melee hits. The parry timing is fairly tight, despite how the animation looks.

I recommend taking a look if you like 2D metroidvanias in the vein of Hollow Knight, etc. This one is shaping up to have a lot of potential. (And of course I have to hawk Heart Machine because I love their stuff).

[spicymancer]

Out of sheer curiosity, are there any characters in any of the casts (Rumble After Dark, Actirangers, SANCTION, Monster Researchers, etc.) who fall on the demi/aro/ace spectrum?

I understand that's probably not a high priority demographic for a lot of porn artists, but given that demi/aro/ace doesn't always mean "anti-sex" (I'm demi-bi ace myself, and I very much enjoy your work - SFW or otherwise!), I'd be curious to hear your take on it!

Semi-related note: I very much appreciate how all of your work shows a strong respect for establishing boundaries, safewords, and consent, as well as how explicit and important respecting one's partner and their preferences (both sexual and otherwise) is in your comics. Healthy relationship dynamics for the win!

Ooh, yeah I don't have many but there's a few!

In the monster research crew, Macaron is demi/ace! Mostly interested in the various sex machines as an exercise in mechanical potency rather than being drawn into in all the horny shenanigans. Though she can occasionally indulge in some self-experimentation.

for the Actirangers Pawnathan is definitely ace, though that's mostly because he's a space robot foot-soldier with no real libido or familiarity with the concept of sex. He thinks its neat but also weird. Intimacy for him is probably more in the vein of wireplay stuff and the like.

Also big shout out to my good friend Nikoto's Layana! She's one of my favorite examples of an enthusiastic aro/ace character in a Very Horny setting. She's not particularly interested in sex, but she really enjoys doing nice things for her friends and also revels in doing things well and improving at stuff.

Full thing (and more) on Patreon

The awkward thing about these characters is that since they don't tend to opt into the sexual shenanigans the focus doesn't tend to go their way very often. Though the same can be said for a LOT of my OCs, of which I have WAY too many to the point where MOST of them go way too long between appearances.

Thanks for reading!

[henley-reeves]

I did NOT just read Bill Potts slander in the dw tag. THE BILL POTTS who questioned and challenged, and confronted the Doctor and kept him in check, who had so much of the Doctor's respect that he asked HER to tell him what to do, curious and open-minded Bill Potts, selfless and brave and insanely strong, survivor Bill Potts, so kind that even becoming a cyberman didn't turn her into a ruthless heartless machine and didn't break her spirit, even though she was literally without a heart, Bill Potts who had so much love in her heart that she sacrificed herself to save a village of people she just met and carried the Doctor out of explosions twice and saved his life with her tears? The Bill Potts who survived for 10 years in literal hell but still remained hopeful and soft? The Bill Potts who spent months in a world where everyone was brainwashed but her mind was so strong it could resist brainwashing and she was the one who saw the truth and the one who was able to save the world despite knowing it could kill her? Let's be real, not every companion would have made it through retaining humanity and kindness like Bill did. They took her heart but she never let them take her soul. Are you calling THIS the lack of character?? Not on my watch.

[hezuart]

Character rewrite: Maria Robotnik is taken to the ARK with her grandfather when she is young. Initially, there are no other children on the ARK, and most of the people there are older scientists too busy to interact with her. Half of them don't even believe her disease is real, while the other half treat her like a fragile doll. Maria, severely lacking interaction and attention, starts acting out, getting into trouble around the space station, and pushing herself to her limits when doing so. She becomes a nihilist and falls into a depression, realizing her situation is hopeless, that she may never see the Earth again. Gerald doesn't know how to console her, and tries to keep her focused on her studies. She's very smart, but feels like applying herself is a fruitless effort.

When Abraham is born, while excited to finally have a possible friend, Abraham is too young to play with for several years, so she still feels a disconnect to him. (And the parents aren't too thrilled about Maria's behavior to let her spend too much time with him unattended anyway) But when Shadow is born, as the ultimate life form with immediate intelligence and zero fragility, Maria immediately takes a liking to him, which makes Abraham jealous and lonely in the later years. Shadow is actually the voice of reason at the start, reserved, but curious. Maria's rebellious, juvenile nature inspires him as a semi-bad influence. Both he and Maria get into a lot of trouble on the ARK; Gerald leaves them be, seeing how happy and hopeful Maria is now. As the years pass, Shadow became a great inspiration to Maria. She started helping her grandfather design and build machines as well as shoes for Shadow. Maria matured as she grew up, even as her illness got worse; becoming more optimistic, kinder, and sweeter. After the stories of Earth, the time together as well as exchanged promises for a hopeful future... When Shadow witnesses his best friend die, sacrificing herself for him... it's no wonder he became who he is today.

[eyeritestuff]

“I wish I had a mouth..”

Billy Kid x Reader

—X—

A/N: we need more billy kid fanfics. also, excuse grammar errors i’m struggling to get back into writing lalala

CW: mentions of NSFW, but i don’t go into explicit details :P

Reader: Gender Neutral [they/them]

—X—

Your boyfriend was clingy.

Very clingy… but so are you!

Being a human/humanoid being, it was hard enough in battle having the physical limitations you did, but when it came to your robotic boyfriend, it was scary to give or receive that physical love you both adored and craved so much. Luckily, Billy made sure to limit himself and be extra careful with you. His care is what made you value him that much more. For example, when Billy hugged you, he would snake his arms around your waist, and gently squeeze. There’s also the moments when he wants to hold your hand. Billy would make sure to gently tap the inside of your palm and wait with an open hand for you to reciprocate.

In bed, he was extra careful. Making sure to ask things along the lines of ‘Is everything okay?’, ‘Are you comfortable?’, and ‘Can I touch you here/there?’.

There of course were times, despite the cautions, you would move on instinct and hurt yourself. For example, you’d go for a hug, forget that he’s made metal, and hit your head. There was also times where you’d hold his hand and get pinched between his joints. The funniest of them all were the times where you’d kiss him and accidentally hit your forehead on his.

It’s just human to be clumsy.

He loved that about you.

Billy loved how humans and their bodies worked, and he often showed that fascination where he would do things like holding your hand out and examining it, only to hold his own up and examine the similar parts and pieces. You sometimes got worried about how he compared himself to you, but there’s nothing to worry about because it’s one of those innocent curiosities. He perfectly content with being a machine, but there are certain limitations in his design that make him grumpy. Limitations that were, unfortunately, made prevalent when you two started dating.

You didn’t realize this until one day you two cuddled up in his bed watching Starlight Knight together. Billy sat with his legs crossed, hunched over in shrimp position, and you sat in his lap, leaning back into his chest, and holding a large plushie replication of a Bangboo. He had a large blanket draped over him that he made sure to wrap it in a way so that you’d also be covered. Both sets of eyes glued were glued to the screen, and the scene that was on was one where one of the main characters had received a kiss from the space princess they had just saved from imminent doom.

“I wish I had a mouth..”

You positioned yourself enough to turn and look up at your boyfriend with a curious smile, only for it to drop when you realized his eyes animated downwards. Ohhh, you hated when Billy was sad.

“Wha..? Why?” You asked, placing a hand on the side of his face and stroking it gently with your thumb. A robotic sigh could be heard from him, and he paused the show.

“It’s a super embarrassing reason..” You giggled when you saw the blush lines light up on his face, knowing that at least he had some humor left in him.

“Well, Billy, having a mouth has never stopped you from being yourself..” You replied.

“Yes it has!” He whined, making you scoff. In your head, you were thinking he wanted one to show he was talking.. but oh, how wrong you were.

Leaning back, you grabbed his hand and started tracing over the intricate details of it, kissing it, and then going back to studying it. “Why would you want one?” You asked.

“.. I can feel everything.. The way you feel is.. Y/n, your lips.. I just wanna be able to experience that. It’s hard not being able to kiss you. Not just on your lips, but everywhere.. you’re so amazing and...” He trailed off, failing to express himself in the way he wanted to. He frustratedly sighed, slumping over, and his head on top of yours, “I just feel like I’m falling short when it comes to loving you properly.. I dunno, it’s hard to explain..”

Your heartstrings were cutting your circulation, to say the least. You got up and turned your whole body to face Billy, straddling him, and then placing both hands on his shoulders, you shook him back and forth.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!,” you started, screaming so loud it made him jolt and reply with a small scream of his own. You stopped and continued, “Billy, you’re perfect. Literally. Even without all the extra features, you are perfect to me. I don’t care about what you don’t have, I care about what you do have..” Your concerned face started to wash away, watching his eyes grow in shock. Replacing concern was a lovestruck.

“Y/n..” He mumbled, barely audible. You continued, though, wanting to know exactly how much you loved him.

“I love you. I really do. You care so much about me, down to the way you hold me. That attention to detail is so… it’s so endearing and honestly, a turn on in some instances,” you felt your face heat up, but you pressed on, “I wouldn’t change you for the world because your expression of love, physical and emotional, are one of the things that I love about you. Don’t think for a second that you need to change yourself for me. Ever.”

“… Really..?” Billy asked, his trembling like he was about to cry. You smiled and planted a kiss on his cheek and nodded, “Yes, really!”

Billy chuckled and sighed, “..Are you sure..?” You giggled, noticing he was joking. “Yes, I’m sure..”

“Soooo, what you’re saying is.. my fingers are enough fore—”was all Billy could manage before you pushed him down and started suffocating him with the Bangboo plushie. His voice was replaced by muffled laughs and struggling noises.

“ENOUGH OF YOU.” You said, burning red in the face. You let him go after a minute or two, and his childish laughs and giggles got louder.

“I had to ask..!” You huffed at his reply and turned away to pout. Billy sat back up and rested his hands onto your hips and his eyes smiled. “Imagine if I had a tongue..”

Turning back to look at him you gasped and started yanking his hair, making him yelp. “CAN WE NOT??! IM TRYING TO BE SENTIMENTAL!”

“Yank it harder,” Billy started to laugh, only making you give up and let go, “Y’know I like it rough, baby..~” He jokingly followed up. You snorted and cracked a smile at his fake sexy voice, and sighed nodding your head.

“Okay, okay.. for realsies this time, Y/n..?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you too.. it means the world to me.”

—X—

A/N: billy uses humor to cope during serious situations, that’s my HC yeah.. anyways, i didn’t proofread this :3

[grape-souffle]

Lil Stoli

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[sylusonychinus]

Day 5 - Love and Babysitters (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)

Summary: What if the Love and deepspace characters turned into toddlers ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

a/n: i was inspired by the anime gakuen babysitters :3

Zayne – The Moody Nap Refuser

Zayne was the grumpiest little prince you had ever babysat. His two moods were dramatic sulking and pretending he wasn’t tired.

Hated nap time with a passion. The moment you mentioned it, he’d frown, cross his arms, and glare at you like you just betrayed him. “I don’t need naps. I’m big.”

If he got even a little sleepy, he’d start yawning, then immediately deny it. “I’m NOT tired. I’m just… thinking.” Thinking while rubbing his eyes and swaying on his feet.

You tried to read him a bedtime story to lull him to sleep, but he just kept dramatically groaning, “Ugh, this is boring,” while fighting to keep his eyes open.

He had a habit of curling up in random places when he finally gave in—on the couch, under the table, or even inside a laundry basket. But the moment you tucked him into bed? Instant protest. “I wasn’t sleeping! I was just—just resting my eyes!”

If you tried to leave after he finally dozed off, he’d grumble in his sleep, “Stay.” You were now trapped.

Zayne was a little ball of stubbornness who had one sworn enemy: nap time. The moment you mentioned the word, he crossed his arms, furrowed his brows, and glared at you as if you had just betrayed him. “I don’t need naps,” he huffed, yawning almost immediately after. When you pointed it out, he scowled. “That wasn’t a real yawn.” For the next hour, he dramatically threw himself on the couch, claiming he was just resting, while his eyelids drooped lower and lower. You tried reading him a bedtime story, but every few pages, he groaned, “This is so boring.” The irony? He was asleep before you even reached the end. You sighed in relief—only for him to grumble in his sleep, “Don’t go…” Congratulations. You were now trapped beneath a grumpy, napping Zayne.

Caleb – The Overly Curious Chaos Machine

Caleb was a walking question mark. If he wasn’t asking why, he was pressing buttons, poking things, or running at full speed toward potential disaster.

Everything was a mystery to be solved. “Why is the sky blue?” “Why do I have to eat vegetables?” “Why do you look so tired?” (Because of you, Caleb.)

He was obsessed with gadgets. If there was a button, he would press it. At one point, he almost turned off the Wi-Fi, which was arguably a worse disaster than spilling juice all over the couch.

His favorite pastime? Taking things apart. If you lost sight of him for five minutes, he was either dismantling a remote or trying to “fix” the toaster (which wasn’t broken in the first place).

The scariest moment was catching him trying to poke an electrical socket with a spoon. When you yanked him away in a panic, he just tilted his head and asked, “But what happens if I put it back?”

The only way to keep him still was handing him a puzzle or something mechanical to tinker with—but that only worked for ten minutes before he was off causing trouble again.

Caleb was a whirlwind of curiosity and boundless energy, a tiny scientist with no regard for safety or limits. The questions never stopped—“What’s that?” “Why?” “How does it work?”—and for every answer you gave, he immediately had three more. His fascination with technology meant that if he saw a button, he had to press it. You once caught him with the TV remote, clicking every button at once. “What happens if I press all of them?” he asked, eyes shining with anticipation. (No, Caleb. Please don’t.) Danger? He had no concept of it. If there was something to climb, he was already halfway up before you could stop him. “I’m testing gravity!” he declared moments before nearly toppling off a chair. He had a habit of getting into things he absolutely shouldn’t—like the time you found him unscrewing the batteries from a clock. When you asked what he was doing, he simply blinked at you and said, “I was fixing it.” The clock, of course, wasn’t even broken. Despite his chaotic nature, he had a love for building things—Legos, block towers, even pillow forts—but five minutes later, he’d knock them down just to see how they collapsed. And his love for words was just as intense. The moment he learned a new one, he had to use it. He overheard someone say “catastrophe” once and, for the rest of the day, everything became one. “Oh no, my juice spilled! This is a catastrophe!” he gasped dramatically. You sighed, rubbing your temples, wondering how you were going to survive babysitting him for the rest of the day.

Xavier – The Shy Clingy One

Tiny Xavier was the definition of a koala. He refused to let go of you, always staying within a two-foot radius.

Super shy. The first time you showed up to babysit, he hid behind the couch and peeked out every few minutes, deciding whether or not he trusted you.

Once he warmed up to you, he latched onto your leg and refused to let go. If you moved, he shuffled along with you like a tiny shadow.

Didn’t like loud noises—if someone dropped something, he’d flinch and look up at you with big, watery eyes like the world was ending.

If he was nervous, he’d grip onto the hem of your shirt and hide his face in it. When you asked what was wrong, he’d just mumble, “Too scary…”

But once he felt safe? Total sweetheart. He’d bring you random objects like little toys or stickers and say, “For you.” (Even if it was just a rock he found outside.)

If he fell asleep on your lap, congratulations. You were now permanently stuck because any slight movement would make him whimper in protest.

If Caleb was a walking hurricane, Xavier was your little shadow, never straying more than two feet away from you at any given time. The moment you arrived, he peered at you from behind the couch like a shy kitten, big eyes watching you with quiet caution. You knelt and waved, offering a soft greeting, but he only stared. After a full minute of silence, he finally mumbled, “…Hi,” his voice barely above a whisper. Once he warmed up to you, though, there was no escape. He clung to you like a second skin, gripping the hem of your shirt whenever you moved. If you sat down, he immediately climbed onto your lap, tucking himself against your chest as if that was where he belonged. Loud noises startled him, and if someone knocked too hard on the door, he buried his face in your sleeve, his small voice trembling. “Too scary…” he whispered, his little fingers curling into your shirt for comfort. At some point, the warmth and safety of being near you lulled him to sleep, his tiny body curled up against you mid-cuddle. It was absolutely adorable—but also an unexpected problem. The moment you even thought about shifting, he let out the softest, most pitiful whimper, making your heart clench. You sighed in defeat, leaning back into the couch, resigned to being his pillow for the foreseeable future.

Sylus – The Mini Rebel

Sylus was trouble with a capital T. If he was quiet, it meant he was up to something.

Had a mischievous streak a mile long. The second you turned your back, he was either climbing on something, hiding in a cabinet, or sneaking a snack he wasn’t supposed to have.

If you caught him doing something bad and asked, “Did you do this?” he’d just blink up at you with wide, innocent eyes and go, “…Nope.” (Even though his hands were covered in marker ink.)

He LIVED for hide-and-seek, but only when he was the one hiding. One time, you couldn’t find him for a solid twenty minutes—turns out, he had curled up inside a laundry basket and fallen asleep.

If you tried to scold him, he’d give you a cheeky grin and say, “But you love me, right?” How were you supposed to argue with that?!

The only way to bribe him into behaving was snacks. The kid had a bottomless stomach, and as soon as you offered food, he’d (temporarily) behave like a tiny angel.

Sylus was trouble—the kind with a mischievous grin and the speed of a ninja. If he was quiet, it was never a good sign. The first time you turned your back, you caught him halfway up the counter, smirking like he had just pulled off the greatest heist. “Sylus,” you warned, narrowing your eyes. He flashed you an innocent smile. “I’m not doing anything.” Then, before you could stop him, he leapt off like a tiny daredevil, landing with a victorious laugh. To him, everything was a game. If you told him not to touch something, it instantly became his life’s mission to do exactly that. When you caught him stuffing cookies into his mouth, he gave you the most innocent wide-eyed look, even as crumbs rained from his lips. “What cookies?” he mumbled, feigning confusion. Bath time was another battle entirely. He fought tooth and nail to avoid getting in, but the second he was in the water? He refused to get out. “Five more minutes,” he insisted, splashing playfully. Five minutes turned into twenty, and by the time you finally dragged him out, he was already planning his next great escape. The worst, though, was when he disappeared for a full twenty minutes, making you panic. You searched every room, every corner, dreading what kind of trouble he had gotten into—only to find him curled up in the closet, giggling to himself. “I wanted to see how long it’d take for you to find me,” he admitted proudly, as if this was some grand experiment. If he wasn’t so ridiculously cute, you might have throttled him.

Rafayel – The Mini Prince

Even as a toddler, Rafayel acted like he was born royalty. If something wasn’t to his liking, he’d sigh dramatically like he was carrying the weight of the world.

Picky about everything. He refused to eat anything green. If his juice wasn’t in the right cup, he’d just stare at it and say, “This is… unacceptable.”

If you gave him a snack that wasn’t his favorite, he’d politely push it back to you and say, “You can have it.” (Sir, just eat the crackers.)

Didn’t like getting dirty. If he got even a little bit of mud on his hands, he’d hold them out like he was personally offended. “Fix this.”

The drama. If he tripped and scraped his knee? “I fear this is the end for me.” If you brushed his hair wrong? “You’re ruining me.” (Raf, it’s just hair.)

Despite all his complaints, if you gave him a hug or ruffled his hair, he’d get all pouty and pretend he didn’t like it—but his ears would turn red, giving him away.

And then, there was Rafayel. Even as a toddler, he carried himself like a prince—dramatic sighs, picky eating, and a general air of someone who believed he was destined for greater things. While the others ran around causing chaos, he sat elegantly on the couch, watching it all unfold with a quiet, unimpressed expression, as if he were above such childish antics. When you handed him a cup of juice, he barely spared it a glance before sniffing, “This is… unacceptable.” You blinked at him. Sir, it’s literally apple juice. His standards extended to food as well; anything remotely “green” was immediately pushed aside with a solemn shake of his head. “I don’t like green things,” he declared, as though it were a deep-rooted personal tragedy. Getting him to play was its own battle. He didn’t do “messy” things, and the second his hands got even slightly dirty, he held them out to you with a look of pure distress. “Fix this,” he demanded, eyes pleading yet expectant, as if you were his personal attendant. But despite all his prim and proper habits, he wasn’t entirely immune to affection. When you ruffled his soft hair, he let out a quiet huff, scowling at you—but his ears turned the slightest shade of red, betraying the fact that, maybe, just maybe, he didn’t mind it as much as he pretended to.

You deserved an award for surviving a day with these five chaotic toddlers. Between Zayne’s nap-time stubbornness, Caleb’s endless curiosity, Xavier’s clinginess, Sylus’s mischief, and Rafayel’s royal demands, you were EXHAUSTED.

…But when they all eventually fell asleep, curled up in little blankets, you had to admit—maybe they weren’t that bad. (Even if you weren’t signing up for babysitting duty again anytime soon.)