#so this version is a bit different than the first

[cripplecharacters]

Hello I was wondering if you folks had any idea for mobility aids specific to different fantasy races, specifically mermaids because I really like drawing those. But you know with the mermaid example it wouldn’t make sense to give them a cane they don’t have feet to walk. Or like what mobility aids might help a fairy who has trouble flying or something.

i really appreciate any ideas you have

Hello!

This is a fun question. I always love it when fantasy series show how disability works in their world, especially when it involves showing mobility aids.

For species with animal-like traits (such as a mermaid's tail, a fairy or angel's wings, or a centaur's horse body), you can always take inspiration from mobility aids/assistive tech designed for those animals.

I'll include a few of my own ideas under the cut and hopefully folks can add on in the notes!

Braces

One tool that could be interesting for mermaids that have trouble swimming is some sort of adapted brace for their tail.

While the brace shown below is for legs, I think a similar version for a mermaid tail could easily be adapted. These braces could help with supporting a tail that has muscle weaknesses or otherwise needs some help.

Prosthetics

Prosthetic limbs can be helpful for amputations and other limb differences -- and not just for arms and legs!

They can also be used for species with tails (such as dragons and mermaids) or wings (such as fairies, angels, and dragons).

There are also plenty of real-world examples to take inspiration from -- such as this dolphin with a prosthetic tail [Link].

Depending on the type of features your species has, you can usually find a real-world equivalent that would fit them:

Dragon wings are similar to bat wings.

Angel wings are similar to bird wings.

Fairy wings are similar to butterfly wings.

Mermaid tails are similar to dolphin tails.

Sea monsters can be similar to octopi, turtles, and a variety of different sea creatures.

Wheelchairs

Wheelchairs are another aid that can be helpful for a range of creatures including mermaids, centaurs, and more human-like species such as satyrs.

The first thing that comes to mind when talking about mobility aids for mermaids is Finnegan Wake from Monster High. He's a mermaid that uses a manual wheelchair due to a motor disability in his tail.

Because they have four legs, wheelchairs for creatures such as centaurs, unicorns, and dragons can be a bit more complicated.

For horse-like creatures like unicorns, centaurs, and pegasi, there's not really a real-world equivalent but you can take inspiration from wheelchairs designed for other four-legged creatures such as dogs.

This post [Link] also shows some great examples of centaurs using wheelchairs to support their front legs. Although the post talks about them mainly in the context of broken limbs, amputations, and old age, they can also be used for centaurs with muscle weakness in their legs, chronic pain, etc.

Flying Aids

For characters that can't fly (while the rest/most of their species can), I think there's a few different ways to handle this.

One of my personal favourites is Scootaloo from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Scootaloo is a pegasus with underdeveloped wings, which makes her unable to fly. Instead of flying, she uses a scooter to keep up with other pegasi from the ground. She is also able to get some pretty great air time with it too!

With this, I think exploring different ways of flying could also be cool.

Maybe an angel has partial paralysis or weakness in their wings that makes them unable to flap them like other angels so they mostly just glide.

Maybe a fairy character has underdeveloped/smaller wings and has to flap them more often than other fairies, which makes them fly more like a hummingbird.

I just think it's cool to explore different ways of moving -- with or without mobility aids.

I look forward to seeing what others come up with! :)

Cheers,

~ Mod Icarus

[novamariestark]

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 - Bᴜᴄᴋʏ Bᴀʀɴᴇs [𝒟𝒶𝓎 𝟣]

pairing: Avenger!Bucky Barnes x Reader

synopsis: you are Pepper's younger sister, not by blood but that never bothered either of you. Without realizing it, you become the caretaker for the Avengers, so when a new member joined, it was only natural you'd do the same for him... Bucky Barnes

song inspiration: Lover ~ "Can I Go Where You Go?"

fandom: Marvel

warnings: none that I know off. Just my bad version of fluff i suppose lol

[A/N] this ended up far from what I originally imagined last night and probably would have been different had I not had such a busy day today. Bloody outside world 🙄sorry it sucks

Peace.

Love.

Hope.

Belonging.

All things that Bucky has not felt since the '40s. Things he didn't think he'd ever feel again. Things he believed he didn't deserve to feel. That was until he met you.

For reasons he still can't explain, you didn't immediately cower away from him. Him who had been responsible for countless deaths. Him who was a killing machine. Him a monster.

Instead you did the complete opposite. You were polite, kind and understanding. More things he didn't think he deserved and you picked up on that really quickly.

You knew that Bucky was still a tumbleweed of nerves, so you tried to do as much as you could to make him comfortable and make the tower feel like home to him without freaking the absolute shit out of him accidentally.

You never pushed him. You never tried to pry into every last thought that was swimming around in his head.

You were just... there. A gentle presence that existed beside him. That calmed him more than he realised.

More often than not, he found himself near you, whether you were sitting at the dinner table, or if you were sitting at the kitchen counter, he would too.

If he has a nightmare and starts roaming the tower, pacing away because he can't sit still, you would be sitting in the kitchen waiting for him with a mug of warm milk with honey and cinnamon, something your parents gave you when you had nightmares as a child.

It became routine, unfortunately, not because you didn't want to be there, but because you'd prefer that he didn't have the nightmares in the first place. He's already suffered enough and yet, some nights, Hydra still has him in a chokehold.

Months go by and the routine is still in place, but Bucky finds himself having fewer nightmares. They still occur, just not as often. Lately, he's been dreaming a lot about you. About your smile, your laugh, your eyes, all things that made him smile. Not just that small, barely existent one he usually does. An actual, genuine smile.

He didn't deserve you, he didn't deserve your friendship, he didn't deserve the peace that your presence gives him. At least that's what he keeps telling himself over and over.

It wasn't true. Sometimes you think he still sees The Winter Soldier and himself as the same thing. But they're not. They never have been. One was a weapon that Hydra wielded, the other, an innocent man who just wanted to serve his country, forced to live with the grief, the guilt and the trauma that was forced upon him.

The more Bucky's feelings for you grew, the more he buried them. Not because he wanted to. He buried them because he thought he would hurt you. And that scared him more than anything.

He was doing a good job at ignoring those feelings, for the most part, until you bought him a present.

"It's not my birthday," he had said, confusion painting over his features as he looks at the date on his phone, that you had taught him how to use, "Is it?"

You laughed, moving to come and stand next to him, "It's gotta be your birthday for someone to buy you a gift?"

Bucky shrugged, "I guess not but, I don't think I deserve this, doll,"

God that nickname always made your stomach do 100 cartwheels. You bit your lip, turning your head slightly so he didn't notice the giddy smile on your face.

You compose yourself and turn back to him, "Well you do," you told him, you voice firm and leaving no room for arguments as you picked his right hand up by his wrist and bringing it upwards, flipping it over in the process. His fingers subconsciously opened up and you place the keys on his palm.

"It's all yours,"

"I can't believe it," he said as he stepped towards it, admiring every inch, every detail, "How did you know to get this bike?"

"I have my sources,"

"Steve?"

"Yeah,"

He smiled turning back to the bike and just thought to himself for a moment before turning back to you.

"Thank you,"

It's literally the biggest smile you'd ever seen on Bucky's face, which was a shame because he had the most beautiful smile you'd ever seen and you wanted to see it more often.

And so you did see it more often. But you didn't know that that smile was only ever on his face when you were nearby and everyone started noticing this. Except you.

Everyone kept dropping hints here and there and yet you still remained oblivious. Bucky was thankful for that. The last thing he wanted was something like rejection to take away what you guys had.

--

The cold sweat clung to his skin as he jolted awake, breath ragged and heart pounding like a drum. The room was dark, silent—filled with only the sound of his heavy breathing. Your face, covered in blood, pale, lifeless faded away from him like sand slipping through his fingers.

Quietly, he rose and made his way down the hall to start his ritual, his light footsteps adding to his uneven breathing.

When he calmed down he made his way down to the kitchen to find you were waiting in the kitchen, just as always—warm mug sitting on the counter, waiting for him. The faint scent of honey hit him on his way to his usual seat.

You smiled at him, expecting him to sit down next to you as he always does but he doesn't. Instead he pulls you into a hug.

"Please don't go," he whispered, his voice trembling slightly, as though he was on the verge of breaking into tears.

"What?" you asked as your arms automatically wrapped around him. "I'm not going anywhere Bucky. What would make you think that?"

"My nightmare... you died,"

Your fingers thread through his hair, gently, soothingly stroking as you speak just as gently to him, "It will never happen, Bucky. I'm surrounded by avengers,"

He apologizes as he pulls away, you just smile and say that it's okay. The rest of the night, you sat in silence.

--

Parties definitely weren't his thing. Yours either but Tony being your "brother-in-law" somehow meant that your attendance was mandatory. Every party Tony has ever thrown, you had bailed 10 minutes in when no one was looking, but this time you had company.

You had slipped into the seat next to him, on the table hiding in the corner. He watched everyone as though they were someone coming for him. You knew he was uncomfortable just by the look on his face.

"You wanna leave?" you asked him, pointing to the door. Bucky looked over at where Tony and the others were, "Don't worry about them, they'll understand,"

And that led you to sitting on your bed, watching Finding Nemo of all things. It was a film that you knew and loved. It was also innocent and lighthearted.

By the end you were a sobbing mess as you always were after this movie. You looked over and Bucky's eyes were glossy and one stray tear that escaped was rolling down his cheek.

Your hand instinctively moved to wipe the tear, Bucky looked at you and your hand out the corner of his eye. Your actions paused and you mumble sorry before pulling your hand away.

Your hand doesn't make it very far though when it's captured by Bucky's. Your gaze flicks between your joined hands and Bucky's beautiful blue eyes.

His metal hand moves to move a stray hair from your face, the cool metal shocking you slightly.

He smiles and asks "If you get lost, can I go too?"

You smile softly, squeezing his hand. “Always.”

[allekha]

Request for prompts!

Hiya! This July, I and 279 other people will be playing a fanworks exchange game called Battleships! While sign-ups are closed, prompts are still open and will be throughout the game (which starts on July 12 and will probably go until near the end of the month). Battleships is basically played like the Battleships board game, but to call squares, you have to make fanworks first, and each fanwork has to be a gift for someone's prompt - so having prompts to work with is a super important part of the game. And you might get a fic, art, or podfic in response to your prompt!

You can go to the prompt form here to get started! If you want more instructions on filling it out, I've included an explanation below.

How to leave a prompt:

The full prompting rules are here, but here's a simplified version: First of all, you need an AO3 account, and your account needs to be set to receive gifts, or else nobody can give you a response to a prompt! Receiving gifts is disabled by default for newer accounts. Go to your preferences (you can find it from your dashboard or by selecting 'Hi, [your username]') and check that the 'Allow anyone to gift me works' setting at the bottom is checked.

At the prompt form, if you want to add more than one prompt, you can click the 'add another request?' button at the bottom to add up to 50. You can edit the prompts afterward (although you shouldn't make big changes mid-game) or remove them or add more whenever you want.

The fandom has to be one that has already been nominated by someone for the game - you can search for fandoms by typing in the box and clicking if you fandom shows up, but the search boxes can be a little glitchy, so you can also check the set of nominated fandoms (alphabetical here, or by medium here).

Then you select whether you want to ask for fic, art, and/or podfic.

The relationships box is used for both relationships and single characters (and sometimes objects, places, or ideas like worldbuilding). A tag like 1: Character means you are asking for a work centered on that character; this can be filled with a gen work, or a work with any relationship featuring the character, unless you add relationships or something like 'no romantic relationships' to your do not want list (see below). A tag like Character/Character means who are asking for work with a romantic and/or sexual relationship between the characters. A tag like Character & Character means you are asking for a work with a platonic relationship between the characters. Relationships also have to already be nominated; you can search with the box, but this one is also a bit glitchy sometimes, so you can also look for your fandom in the big list of nominated fandoms and relationships and click the arrow next to it to see what has already been nominated.

The additional tags and the optional tags field are basically the same thing, but the additional tags box has a limit of 20, and any after that go in the optional tags box. You have to request at least one additional tag from the list of additional tags, but you can request as many as you want. Be warned that the additional tags box can search the Battleship tags, but if you want to include more in the optional tags box, you have to copy and paste from the tag list. (Putting anything in either tags box except the tags from the Battleship tags list will get your prompt deleted by the mods!) If you want to add a lot of tags, there's a tickybox sheet that can help.

A fill for a prompt has to contain at least one relationship (or character) you requested and at least one additional tag you requested in a medium you requested. You can make more than one prompt for the same fandom if you want to ask for different relationships in different mediums or different additional tags for different relationships.

In the optional details box, you need to include at least a little bit of info for a potential creator. You can write about what you like in the prompted medium in general or any ideas for more specific prompts you have, like tropes, scenes, or AUs. You also need to either clearly list your do not wants (DNWs) or say that you don't have any. DNWs are things that you don't want to receive for any reason (you don't need to explain why), and creators are not allowed to include them when fulfilling a prompt. They should be stated neutrally, and you should try to make them clear and easy to understand. (For example: 'DNW: explicit sex, A/B' is good, while 'DNW: gross stuff' doesn't clearly state what it encompasses, and 'DNW that disgusting ship A/B' is not neutral.)

The archive warnings box allows you to indicate that you are interested in receiving works with those archive warnings. Not selecting them does not mean a fill can't include them (unless you add them to your DNWs) and selecting them doesn't mean that a fill must include them (unless you say 'DNW No Archive Warnings Apply').

Don't check 'Semi-anonymous Prompt?'. Battleship uses the gift functionality of AO3, so a creator can't gift a prompt fill to an unknown person.

When you're ready, click the 'submit' button! And hopefully someone will make something for your prompt 😀

[yanderes-galore]

Can I ask for a Moonknight romantic concept (Marvel Rivals)?

Tried my best, sorry if I butchered it, he only really shows himself as Marc in Rivals.

Yandere! MR! Moon Knight Concept

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Overprotective behavior, Stalking, Violence, Blood, Murder, D.I.D (Moon Knight canonically has it), Jealousy, Kidnapping, Forced/Dubious relationship.

Something interesting about Moon Knight in Rivals is we never hear much from Steven or Jake?

All of Moon Knight's voice lines are either Marc or occasionally Khonshu.

So I'm going to write Rivals Moon Knight differently from how I plan to write MCU Moon Knight.

In the MCU HCs I plan to do, all of the 'moon boys' interact with you in some way.

Rivals Moon Knight, however, won't interact with you as anyone but Marc.

So despite Moon Knight mentioning other voices in his head or mentioning he can hear Khonshu... Marc is the main identity who interacts with you.

He's also the main identity who gets attached to you... But the others either feel similarly or just want to aid Marc.

My explanation for this would be Marc not wanting you too involved with the entirety of his mind or Khonshu.

In terms of what type of yandere Rivals Moon Knight is...

I'd have to say protectiveness is his main nature.

Since being given a second chance at life by Khonshu, Marc has dedicated himself to being a protector of some sorts for night travelers.

So Marc is protective of you when he sees you from afar.

Steven would be more of a gentleman presumably, occasionally shining through when Moon Knight wants to appeal to you.

Then there's Jake who I'm assuming is the one more likely to kill than Marc, or just comes off as cold?

Marc is used to killing but tries to keep it less lethal... but it's up in the air if Jake's in control at times.

To keep it simple for Rivals Moon Knight, You're mostly dealing with Marc.

Unlike most other 'heroes', Moon Knight doesn't mind killing.

Or if he can't kill, maim works.

Moon Knight is rather passive about his obsession at first.

He's got enough to deal with and probably doesn't want to get top involved in another person.

He has the whole timeline entanglement issue like everyone else... also vampires due to Dracula.

Khonshu wants Moon Knight to find answers on how to remove vampires from the night for good.

It's an... irritating task.

So that's what Moon Knight is primarily traveling for, to steal a spellbook from Strange to look up how to get rid of vampires.

Also get his money back from Dracula.

However, just his luck, he ends up having to save someone from said vampires due to Dracula taking over a version of New York.

He's reluctant at first, watching you from a distance.

Yet you count as a traveler in the night... So when you're being attacked, Moon Knight swoops in.

You're shaking, back pressed against an ally wall as you watch blood splatter across the floor.

Once you manage to look around, you're greeted by a man dressed completely in white... except for the blood now staining the pristine white cloak.

"You okay? Geez... Didn't think there were still any civilians here...."

To him, this is a simple little favor.

Khonshu would've wanted him to do this... probably.

Or was that Steven...?

Either way... Moon Knight quickly pulls you up, holding you close in a defensive gesture.

"What's your name?" He hears you ask quietly, still shaken.

"I go by many names... Best you just call me Moon Knight, it covers everything."

That's one way you could meet Moon Knight, you don't even need to entirely be a civilian.

You could be a scientist working on researching the vampires... or even another hero who just bit off more than you could chew while trying to get to Avengers Tower.

Either way, you definitely meet Moon Knight during the whole Dracula issue.

It's the main reason he's getting involved with this whole timeline entanglement issue according to his lore.

He doesn't expect this incident to matter so much to him...

He just saved you, it's what he was meant to do.

Yet he keeps hearing Steven coo about you being cute or something... or Jake nagging at him to not get distracted.

Marc finds himself heaving a heavy sigh, realizing that he might be thinking of you more than he'd like.

Moon Knight's behavior starts as something simple.

He watches you from afar on rooftops or hidden in alleys.

He's scolding himself the entire time, telling himself he's getting distracted.

He needs to find Strange, not watch and fantasize about some person he saved.

Khonshu is no doubt either amused or scolding him... Making Moon Knight more frustrated as he argues with his own mind.

It would not surprise me if Moon Knight caved and swooped in, claiming you need to come with him.

He's clearly not going to get anything done if he can't stop watching you....

So, congrats, you're following him around.

Essentially, Moon Knight becomes your bodyguard throughout New York's Blood Moon.

He can't seem to leave you alone, so you won't leave him.

The Fist of Vengeance seems oddly... domestic in the situation for a mercenary.

You're both roaming the streets of New York, the man beside you occasionally putting his cape over you to shield you from sight.

Marc's trying to treat this as professionally as he can.

He's just escorting you to safety... That's all....

He can barely listen to the conversations he's having with you.

This should be professional...

So why does he keep feeling oddly... drawn to you?

He feels like he needs to protect you... Which for this situation, makes sense.

But why does he feel against the idea of letting you go after all of this?

Why does he feel like something is wrong if he isn't with you?

If Moon Knight isn't feeling complicated already due to his own mind... He feels even worse when you manage to worm your way into his thoughts.

Moon Knight is conflicted towards the thoughts he has about you.

He knows he shouldn't get too close to you.

You'll make his role problematic and he can't be worrying about some random person.

Yet as he speaks to you on the streets when he does listen... He's oddly enraptured.

He wants to know more about you... at first to learn why you're in this situation.

Then he wants to learn more just to... well... know more?

He needs to stop thinking you're attractive... He hates it when he screws up and calls you "Doll" or "Sweetheart" due to Jake or Steven's influence.

Marc needs control... He needs to focus....

But you make said control shatter without trying too hard.

Moon Knight feels both relieved and anxious when he gets you to Avengers Tower, now able to meet Tony, Reed, and Strange.

But Steven won't stop worrying about you and Jake keeps telling Marc about the vampire issue.

He KNOWS. By Khonshu, HE ALREADY KNOWS.

You no doubt pick up on Moon Knight having his internal battles.

Hesitantly you reach out to your savior, concerned.

"Hey, Moon Knight, you alright... You keep mumbling...?"

It snaps Marc back into focus for a moment, his mask looking towards you.

You look so concerned... for someone like him....

For a moment his mind is soothed as he looks you over before forcing himself to respond.

"Yeah, look, it's complicated, so if you want answers... sit down."

This would no doubt be where Moon Knight tries to explain his goal and... mental state.

Y'know, minus all the weird obsessive behavior he suddenly developed over you.

He'd rather you don't know about that... yet.

Essentially, Moon Knight hides a lot of his feelings towards you.

You're helping deal with vampires, meanwhile Moon Knight is having yet another argument with himself

He doesn't act too much on his desires since he's a bit overwhelmed at times.

But overall, Moon Knight is protective, occasionally charming, or downright violent.

There's times he seems to forget things... but if he explained his mental state, you probably understand why.

Even Moon Knight's peers don't particularly enjoy his violent displays.

Yet to him, that's how he gets things done.

You flinch each time Moon Knight brutally kills a vampire, the blood making his normally pristine white cloak a messy splattered mess.

Yet he shrugs it off, the first thing he does is check in on you.

"You good? Not bitten? Not hurt? Great, try not to stray."

There's times he's actually quite authoritative or stern when looking out for you.

Other times he's surprisingly caring, keeping you close when he isn't sent into a violent spree upon seeing a vampire.

Tony or the others might comment on this, but aren't met with clear answers on why he's coddling you.

You end up following him wherever he goes, Khonshu even commenting that he expected his champion to leave you somewhere safe ages ago.

This usually leads to Moon Knight telling the god to shove off.

Moon Knight isn't used to affection, he prefers watching from a distance to be a protector.

Yet other times, usually as Steven, you find Moon Knight checking in on you or even hugging you.

Moon Knight obviously struggles with his sudden romantic attraction to you.

He wants to scold himself... He really does.

But eventually he's just going to give up.

Fine, he likes you, he wants to protect you...

Now he has to find ways to do that while serving Khonshu.

By the time the Dracula situation is done with help from Squirrel Girl, Moon Knight can barely focus on the twenty bucks in his hand.

He keeps thinking of you... wondering how the rest of this timeline issue is going to affect you.

The thought... disturbs him.

Imagine Moon Knight becoming your personal protector after dealing with Dracula, claiming he can't leave you alone now.

He's a hostile person surprisingly often.

As Steven he expresses some minor jealousy when others decide to interact with you.

With Marc he's protective, warning others not to get too close as he pulls his cape over you.

As Jake... straight up threats if not outright violence.

Moon Knight probably knows dragging you through split dimensions is still dangerous...

But he can't find your actual home or timeline due to the split realities.

Part of him really hopes you were originally part of his New York....

To him, the safest thing to do is take you with him everywhere.

Then if anyone proves to be a problem... He'll bash them.

Easy, right?

Actually confronting you with how he feels is the difficult part.

He planned on just keeping it hidden the entire time, that would be the most reasonable thing to do even if Steven voices his grievances about it.

Or maybe it just comes out by accident?

Moon Knight gets so worked up over something, like maybe you're being flirted with by Loki, Black Panther, or Human Torch to give examples...

Only for him to snap.

"Look, back off, bud. This one's mine, saw them first, they're my responsibility."

The sentence is... strange....

You may ask about it, only to hear a heavy sigh from Moon Knight.

"I... we? We like you, alright? As in... You're pleasing to look at and I feel the need to look after you. You get what I'm saying? It's hard to explain, damn it...."

That's the confession, it's like he's struggling and irritated that now he has to explain himself because he couldn't control his emotions.

You may accept those emotions to make him feel better or because you feel similarly.

You just struggle on making it official since you don't know if you'll see him when the timelines fix.

Moon Knight appreciates the thought and feeds off it....

You accepting his strange feelings, regardless of your motive, deludes him more.

Now your new 'protector' is even more assertive and threatening towards people.

He wants people to both fear him and know you're involved with him.

That way they'll stay away, right?

That way he'll be your only hero.

Honestly, he never expected to be so jealous.

He's one of the few people okay with murder, too.

You often get worried for other people, warning them that while Moon Knight was always crazy... is even more so now.

You get anxious when you see blood on his cloak, unsure if you'd prefer it was his or not.

It's scary to think he may have killed others for just looking at you.

Part of you is thankful that your little "relationship" is temporary.

Yet with how intense he feels, his behavior even surprising his patron, he may not just let you go.

When the timelines are restored, whenever that may be...

What's stopping him from just snagging you?

New York is New York, right?

He'll continue to be your protector by just taking you to his universe.

Could it cause problems? Yeah...

But he could care less at this point.

For once, Moon Knight can feel all of him agree on one thing...

Once everything is done and over with and he can go back to his universe...

He'll just take you with him, then he never has to let you go (Even better if you were FROM his universe.)

"Sorry sweetheart, I'm sure this won't be much different from home, right...? Just come with me... Not a soul will touch you now."

[femnoah]

The fem Noah adopted au

Part 1 part 2

It's Chef that notices somethings wrong at first

'Noah's' constantly at work, spending time doing things that isn't 'his' job. 'He'll' complain about it but as soon as someone else offers, 'he'll' just glare at them

Then there's the fact that 'he's' constantly out of breath and falling asleep all the time

There's a particularly rough day where the night before Neha's dad went off it at her for daring to backtalk him after everything he's done for her, despite him being kind enough to let her stay under the household despite her shortcomings. Then there's the fact she was stupid enough to be put in a position where she has to work for a minor old celebrity of all people, couldn't she just think for once.

So she's having a really bad day and everything is kind of building up around it, she's definitely not in the right headspace and ends up getting injured helping set up for a challenge

Chef sees this and immediately sends 'him' to the current med tent, intending to hold an intervention before the kid actually kills 'himself' dammit

He lectures 'Noah' for being stupid, because does 'he' really hate 'himself' so much that 'he's' just running 'his' body into the ground? 'He' shouldn't act so recklessly, he thought 'he' was supposed to be the smart one.

Neha doesn't really register everything that's said to her, just bits that she puts together. She just snaps. She's sick and tired of people telling her she should hate herself or the way she looks because why won't anyone just let her live her life and goes off it at Chef.

She ends up spilling everything while she's yelling at him and Chef is actually a reasonable adult. Absolutely terrible at comforting but pretty good at solving problems

So it goes on a while where he just gets her to work under him (turns out she's also great help in the med area), giving her a space so she can stop with the whole Noah thing and actually take care of herself, basically mentally adopting her.

That gives him an idea and he takes advantage of his foster licence (those in the military are encouraged to get one) as well as his... connections to just kidnap Neha from her home. Not that her parents notice at first. When they do their furious but well, Chef can be pretty convincing

And thus the healing arc begins

She gets to grow her hair out, stops taking anything she doesn't want to take (or needs to) and wear whatever she wants- especially since Chef has a bit of a passion for collecting outfits. He definitely gets her own matching versions for his costumes

She also learns a ton of different skills from him, like how to fly a plane, and is basically strongarmed into being healthy. Very much against her will

This takes place during action so Chris and Chef are in their divorce arc meaning that Chris has no idea that Chef has just adopted one of the contestants because he just didn't tell him

He gets a shock when he comes home one day when Chef said he'd go over and cook and he just sees 'Noah' lounging on his couch, using his facemask that he ordered in from Thailand

Then Chef and Neha just gaslight him. What do you mean you don't remember your own daughter? Yes, daughter did you hit your head?

She does get actually adopted

Chris is 100% the stepdad in this situation and he's suffering because of it

Their first family outing is a heist to steal Neha's dog back. It's chaotic and not at all legal but successful in the end

Blaineley gets herself involved much to Chris' horror. But she's an absolutely amazing big sister and definitely too young to be an auntie, Chris

It kind of becomes a running gag where people just appear in Chris' living room

You can bet Neha's smuggling animals in as much as she can- Chris has more than enough room. It becomes a game, how long it takes until she's caught

Yeah, when her cycle kicks in properly she uses it as an excuse to bully Chris in revenge for everything she had to do working for him and the best part? Chef always sides with her

She doesn't compete in the third season but she is there as Chris' 'apprentice'. This does mean she has to join in with the costume shenanigans as well as a couple of changes in some challenges. Instead Justin gets to compete

The three of them basically troll the cast, especially with the voice and costume shenanigans. The audience gets to know straight away because she finishes the sign off for Chris in her Noah voice

Alejandro flirts with Neha to try and get more information on the challenges. Instead, he gets a shovel talk in front of the rest of the cast from Chris to his horror. It's also when everyone else finds out that apparently Chris has a kid. They're all traumatized.

Then we get the role reversal, Neha is the one chasing him except her flirting is a bit unhinged... Her only points of reference are Chris, Chef and Izzy after all. She could just curse out his entire bloodline and thinks that she made a significant move on him

Worst part? It actually works. Turns out the guy who made out with a pineapple is not actually normal. At all.

She's not subtle about the fact that she's 'Noah' either, constantly referencing it. But it doesn't click with the rest of the contestants until she has to sing a song and just duets herself, switching between the two

Also, apparently spending so much time with two maniacs actually rubs off you

I just envision Chef as a girl dad you know, and Chris is there on the side, unwilling at first but secretly cares in his own borderline psycho way

[adagiorii]

About your universe, the PCD is the only one or there are more organizations focused in dealing with the paranormal?

In Eiko's country, it's the only one, with multiple headquarters located throughout the country that cover each city.

So far my plans for the state of the rest of the world is that quite a few countries have become devoid of human life and are just barren wastelands completely taken over by the paranormal.

I don't really have any plans for any other organizations, although I suppose it would make sense that the countries that still have a functioning society in the present are those that had the resources and means to properly fight off the paranormal, much like Eiko's fictional home country, i.e. ones that would have their own versions of the PCD. What I might do is establish that those surviving countries (including Eiko's) formed an alliance and came up with the idea of the PCD together. The whole thing with the massacre being the catalyst for the founding of the PCD is still going to be relevant, it would just now also become the catalyst for other organizations like it to pop up in other countries.

Our PCD is the most well-known because it was the first in a way, and was also one of the most brutal, at least in the beginning (since they were dealing with the massacre and the cult). It's a bit less radical than it was at the start but it still has a reputation of being relentless and highly efficient.

It is worth mentioning that I don't think every country and civilization would see entities the same way. They're meant to have existed for almost as long as humanity, so I can see them being integrated into some cultures (hell, one of my ideas was that things like greek mythological beasts were actually real entities from a long time ago that became the centre of myths and fables), maybe even worshipped in others. Also, since the form they take will always be influenced by their environment in some way, that probably also plays a part in which kinds of entities pop up in different countries - in other words, some could be unlucky enough to have even more dangerous entities than usual.

[rustic-lowborn]

Let's talk about the live action httyd. I liked it and yall are being mean.

I watched the live action a few days ago and I feel like it was a good adaptation. Hot take I know. After watching the movie I ventured on hellsite to see what was the general opinion of the move and was surprised when most everyone hated it and honesty I didn't understand why.

Let me state that this is my opinion and I'm not trying to change anyone view on the movie yall are entitled to that.

Anyways, there are a few reasons why people don't like the movie:

1 Astrid was too mean

2 they added unessarh lore to the isle

3 they removed a joke that forshowed the ending

There are more but theses were the main ones I've seen repeatedly.

"Astrid was too mean to hiccup" is one of the the many reasons why most didn't like the movie and to that I say everyone is mean to hiccup. In the original movie hiccup is arguably treated worse. Astrid making a comment about ' taking his house' in the live action isn't being too mean.

It's in character if the line was said in the original none of yall would even bat an eye, when Astrid said that line it was when she actively disliked hiccup and thought that he was weak and getting special treatment because his father is the chief.

Honestly the whole 'astrid is too mean' comes off as a bit racist, cuse Astrid in the original movie is white and was allowed to hit and demean and threaten hiccup but now it's ' too mean' when the live action Astrid dose the same thing?

Point two the unnecessary lore about the isle. In the meeting hall scene of the live action stoic give a speech about how 'the best of each tribes came to berk to defeat the dragons.' It was added to explain the diverse casting. Tbh I liked the live action version better than the original. Stoic in the live action seemed like a real leader trying to keep the community together. In the original it was a joke about how nobody wanted to babysit hiccup.

I feel like the original movie is meaner to hiccup, he's always ridiculed and talked down at to and behind his back the meeting hall scene is one of the many examples, it's played off as a joke but all of those adults would rather die than be around hiccup ( and live action astridnis too mean)

the original move is much more upfront about how everyone wanted hiccup to change and after a certain point it gets uncomfortable. The live action softens this aspect of the movie and it's better for it.

Three, the live action writes the ' we're vikings it's an occupational hazard' and the ' vikings arnt fierproof' jokes out apparently it'd really important forshowding for the ending of the movie. Both movies end the same, both movies hit important emotional beats the incluse or lack thereof doesn't cheapen the ending.

I feel like the httyd fandom is to beholden to the animated movies, yall have a tendency to nitpick and honestlyit turns away new fans and returning fans.

I get that people are tined of the endless live action remakes thar bastardize their animated originals but the live action httyd is one of the rare good ones.

The live action isn't as bad as yall so desperately want it to be. This movie is good for the fandom, it brings in new fans, and even have them watch the original movies as well. I know rewashed the first httyd movie just to compare not with the live action and I had fun doing it.

I liked spotting the differences between the two movies and I liked how faithful the live action is to the original as well. The live action isn't a soulless cash grab you could tell by every frame in live action movie that everyone who worked on it loved the original. Seeing how well done this live action made me exited to see how they would do the other 2 movies.

I wanted to gush about the live-action movie, I wanted to re-enter my httyd hyperfixation but seeing the nonstop and borderline hivemind hatred for this move turned me away from the fandom and that's really ashame.

TLDR: the live-action movie is really good and made with care and respect for the original and yall are just mean.

[fullmoonlovestuff]

Here comes a long post you have been warned! I just saw the "more proof of him being gay"..... Here we go....

The "proof" people claim to have is really just them relying on stereotypes. They see him liking and following attractive men, and suddenly they think they've been right about him all along.

It’s always things like:

“Didn’t you hear? He called himself a ‘bougie bitch.’”

“Didn’t you see him air-lick a glowstick like it was a dick?”

Things like that...

They say his personality and voice have changed!.. because now, apparently, he’s not trying to "pass" as straight anymore.

These are the types of comments I get when I ask: “What actual proof do you have?”

It’s literally all just based on stereotypes. That’s their "evidence"..

He calls himself a bougie bitch? Pedro has always been a bit sassy and playful. If these people met some of my straight guy friends, they’d assume all of them were gay too. They’re even sassier than some of my queer friends and regularly call themselves things like "bitch" jokingly. That’s exactly why I don’t take those kinds of things as indicators of someone's sexuality.

The glowstick thing? Didn’t the DJ do the exact same move as Pedro? You know, the DJ who.... oh right... has a girlfriend. Also, wasn’t Pedro just mimicking Prince? A man he openly calls an idol, who also did that kind of thing on stage regularly, Prince who was with tons of women?

His personality has changed? No, it hasn’t. He’s the same person I first saw back in 2014/2015. He’s probably always been this way.

His voice has changed?

Yes, that’s true!!. but it’s not because he was trying to sound "straight" before. This is a man who once said his version of heaven is a multi-gendered orgy. That’s not exactly someone trying to conform to heteronormative standards. Plus, voices naturally change with age. He’s also been a smoker (used to i am not sure if he still is)!!. and when he played Javier Peña who smoked a lot, that affected his voice too. Let’s not forget he’s an actor!!. he’s done many different voice styles for different roles, and sometimes those vocal habits stick for a while.

Sorry for the long post!!. I just wanted to lay this all out in case any of those people who keep saying these things come across it.

And to be clear: there is nothing wrong with being gay. He might be! But constant stereotyping isn’t proof of anyone’s sexuality. Please stop acting like it is... its also extremely Homophobic if you ask me.. and damaging towards straight men who are soft-spoken, kind and emotional open.

This!! It’s honestly exhausting to see how quick people are to reduce someone’s whole personality ... and I feel really sad for him (even though I guess he doesn’t really care about those people). It’s also sad how they always cling to certain things. They don’t see the full picture. Just what fits into their version of the story. And that’s such a shame, because he has so much more to offer than what they reduce him to.

[aq2003]

omfg . radio play version of much ado with david as benedick from 2001

[sexisbetteronthemoon]

@thepastelpop & @the-things-that-i-miss

Lance does not comment on this at any time! he does, however, notice. (emotexastoast beat me to answering, but i wanted to add a bit more.)

— Sex is Better On the Moon, chapter 2

this is the first, extremely subtle, time that Keith's reflective eyes are in play. given it's in his POV, you have to keep in mind that Keith's never known human eyesight bc he was born with those eyes. so while he sees very well, that's still his perspective. and even if the water is reflecting some light from the moon, Lance with his human/Altean eyes, should have some trouble meeting his gaze.

— Sex is Better On the Moon, chapter 9

this is the second time where Keith himself outright acknowledges this.

i may have written more instances, but these are the two i actually recall writing.

again, Keith is not aware that this is what people are reacting to. he assumes it's something he's doing wrong.

everyone is allowed and encouraged to feel bad for him.

@emotexastoast your over-analyzing paid off!

as per your request, and since this is a fic i'm still not certain of pursuing, i can give you the broad strokes! (↓ under read more ↓)

the thing about "pregnant lance joins voltron" is that it's two different fics.

it started off as a kinky thing in which Lance is a trans guy (pre-transition) in his final year at an all-girls catholic school he attends with the rest of the cast, except for Keith, who's graduated high school and visits to hang out with Pidge and be a pain in the ass for Shiro.

basically, Keith comes around one day, and Pidge isn't there bc reasons. the one who delivers the news is Lance, who is meeting Keith for the first time.

there's an instant attraction and they end up starting up an undefined situationship where they mess around and get off. but upon not receiving any indication from Lance that he wishes to pursue this relationship, Keith leaves to search for his mom and Lance ends up finding out he's pregnant with no way to contact Keith.

Lance, after moving to Arizona where his aunt lives, is on his way to a doctor's appointment, but ends up out in the desert bc of the call of the Blue Lion. he calls Pidge (bc she's his go-to for weird tech), who's gotten her way into the Blade (who have a very tiny base on Earth to protect the Blue Lion) after she started looking for Keith and found him.

they all end up at the Castle of Lions, as in canon, and Lance very much does not want to be there.

however!

i did not find the catholic school thing very appealing for this fic, and decided to change it to the garrison (with some other changes) to make it more canon compliant.

i've since separated the smut fic from the rest (and am in the process of rewriting the start of their whole situationship)

and rather than modern era, which the fic originally took place in, it's the futuristic era in which VLD takes place in, and perhaps Adam will be added to the cast, rather than Shiro. 

there's also a third version of this fic where instead of heading to Allura and the castle, they return to Earth after blowing up the Galra cruiser, but i nixed that one.

all said, i still haven't decided to really pursue this fic, given i haven't settled any of the details, and even the plot itself is up in the air. (i'm basically fucking around and finding out.)

if anything, i might do a one shot for it, with several snapshots of Lance being pregnant in space and living through canon events while he and everyone else scramble to keep him and baby safe. (meanwhile, Keith pines in the background bc of really dumb reasons, which will make sense (to him), but also dear lord someone bonk him on the head).

🎉🎉🎉

congratulations to @emotexastoast for guessing the second reason prospective dates fled from Keith in sibotm.

i should have probably figured out a prize or something..

do you want.. an excerpt from something specific? an answer to a question? a prompt fulfillment? anything else?

[seethinglikeme]

once you start making up fan kids for a ship it’s over i fear

[piratewithvigor]

Like A Virgin

[laugtherhyena]

Continuing the relationship chart grind, look at how many goddamn arrows and multiple colors this bitch has. I wouldn't expect anything less form Mrs.Weird woman here.

Much like last time, check this post first if you're new here so you know who is who in this mess.

As an evil spiteful nurse most of Catherine's chart is composed of varying levels of dislike. While John is the only one with the hatred color all through the only reason she hates him that much is because he tries to kill her on day 1 morning, if it wasn't for that she really wouldn't have much opinion in the guy. Amos is actually the person she hates the most out of the whole cast, pretty much by default, since he is a priest and Catherine despises anything and everything related to religion or cultists or magic. Partially because the family that abused her for a good part of her life was heavily religious so she associates the practices and devotion with them, but also because she prides herself in her work a lot and feels as if using magic for things, especially healing, is incredibly lazy and requires no real skill or ability. Seeing people be able to grow entire limbs back in some rituals while the best she can do is stitch them back up makes her feel worthless and she hates that more than anything, it's a blow to the ego, what more can i say.

That's literally the whole reason she has such a bone to pick with Amos because if she stopped being an asshole for one and learned how he was forced to become a dark priest and actually dislikes that heavily I'm sure she wouldn't dislike him that much. But she'll never take time off her day to be around him unless absolutely necessary, so that's not happening.

She dislikes Kit for basically the same reason as Amos, tho his less bad because his main god isn't All-mer (the one her family devoted themslves to the most, which is also the church kind Amos was a part of) + seeing him be an absolute outcast and lacking even a basic knowledge of how it is to be normal and a part of society due to the cult he grew up in validates her beliefs that cultists are just deranged people who will ruin their own lives in favor of devoting themselves to a god that doesn't care for them. She pities him, but that pity isn't enough to make her feel genuinely bad for the guy, she will just be a dick that glares at him from the sidelines and find some form of twisted enjoyment from seeing him suffer because of his ties to the wolfmasks.

On a similar note of dislike mixed with weird feelings we have Lola, who is an odd one out in her humongous hate list because Catherine tens to have a soft spot for women who had harsh upbringing and/or grew up in poverty because she also went through hell while growing up, while Lola did have a pretty harsh life that is ironically a factor in why Cathetine dislikes her so much.

She sees herself in her, as they were both essentially forced to become houseworkers from a young age for one reason or another. But since Lola never tried to change that status or pursue genuine passions she had in life, bending to other's wills and becoming incredibly submissive as an adult because of that, Catherine absolutely loathes her because in her eyes she's looking at the kind of person she could very well have become if she didn't take certain paths in life and she hates that so so much, tho the "I relate to you heavily" keeps her from despising this girl in the same way she does with John and Amos. And hey, i do think that in certain situations she may be kind with her for once, there's just a heap of weird feelings and (self) hate involved.

Continuing on the dislike section we have Claire and really the main reason she dislikes her is because at the start of termina Claire follows her around trying to see if she can overhear any news about Kaiser's supposed plan of invading Prehevil, Catherine is from his army after all and if she's there Claire believes she can maybe check if those rumors hold true. Naturally, Cathy dislikes being stalked, which is made worse by the fact that Claire takes pictures of her around town (Catherine hates her appearance) which in turn leads to Cathy destroying her camera in a bit of a squabble during day 1 morning.

The thing is that this dislike can turn into gratitude and slight respect if Claire is the one to find and listen to her in the bop's hideout during day 1 night (which is Cathy's recruiting event), so much so that she is the only one of the playable characters of who Catherine will tell that she was indeed sent to Prehevil to scout the place and report when would be the best time for the army to invade it + how now she plans on calling them to come anyway so that they can be killed by the moonscorches as a revenge of sorts since by this point she believes Kaiser send her there to die (essentially saying she is disposable and you bet she hated that idea a lot).

Lastly we have Addison and Matyas who are in the dislike/intrigue mixture for basically the same reason of Catherine finds them incredibly annoying and can't stand being around them, Addison because of how paranoid and scaredy he becomes when termina starts and Matyas for his delusional ramblings and scaredy cat-ness as well.

Onto the neturals we have Hilda and Anatol who she really doesn't hold much of an opinion on. Hilda doesn't talk to her and she won't bother going after her either but she does find Anatol tolerable, mainly because he is Ebba's boyfriend and she likes both Ebba and Mary for the previously mentioned soft spot she has for girls who grew up in terrible environments. Tho i would say she likes Mary a bit more than she likes Ebba because she finds her ability to keep on living/fighting despite being incredibly injured impressive from a medical standpoint + Ebba taking advantage of Mary upsets her a little.

Lastly we got the Vinson brothers which are a source of intrigue to her because Cathy never had a good or even normal relationship with her sister so she likes observing the two out if wondering if that's how siblings are actually meant to be, she can tell that despite arguing and butting heads quite often both Damian and Leslie care a lot for one another which is something she finds both sweet and saddening because Madeline has never had this form of genuine care for her even after she started being nice to her.

While she is somewhat similar to Damian due to both of them being very no-nonsense sort of people who focus on their goals above most other things, they don't actually get along that well? They will work fine if they're sticking together for survival but if left on their own devices they will probably just never talk because Damian finds her sketchy/suspicious/potentially dangerous and since Cathy can tell he looks at her weirdly she will act accordingly.

Leslie on the hand is the person she likes the most out of the entire cast, surprisingly because I feel at first glance she didn't think much of him and only really started interacting with him out of being curious about the brothers. A handful of the things he'd say to her confused her immensely because she could not tell he was trying to show interest in her out of never having had anyone come towards her with that sort of intention, when he did make that clear with some kind of straightforward compliment it also confused her a lot but more as a form of denial of sorts.

Catherine is really funny too because she will be a spiteful power hungry asshole that is some level of rude to basically everyone she knows on a daily basis but she will crumble into an emotional mess the second someone displays the slightest form of affection to her or tells her that she's not an eyesore. Physical appearance is Catherine's deepest insecurity both due to the scars on her face and her body shape in general, so the idea that another person can like it let alone find her attractive is absolutely mind boggling to her. Knowing Leslie likes her that much makes her incredibly flustered but also drawn to him more and more through the festival since she longs to be loved even if Cathy herself would never admit it. (This isn't to say he only likes her for the looks tho, what made him set his eyes on her was Catherine being creepy and weird)

[irradiatepositivity]

the worst thing is when someone says something you know is wrong but also you dont know enough about the correct answer to correct it and/or learned it a While Back and forgot the details and also youre a little worried that maybe YOUR version of thiings is also a bit wrong bc you know that the full answer is a Big Complicated Thing but u cant fact check it right then and it would be kind of a dick move in the moment to go "oh thats wrong and im like 45% sure this other thing is right but also i know im forgetting details and also maybe i was misinformed too but i KNOW the thing u just said is wrong" so instead u just let the Wrong Thing pass so as to not be some awful combo of pretentious and Also Wrong

[dandyshucks]

seeing ppl say that theyre going to kiss and hug all his trauma away makes me insane bc thats so not how it works 😭😭😭 not to be "u don't understand him like i do" but CMON... that sort of trauma doesnt work like that.... its not a "romance fixes everything" situation.... and i know half the time ppl are just being somewhat silly and not actually serious but i just get so irritated w the trope of "just get into a relationship and it'll fix all ur trauma :]" bc its EVERYWHEREEE

[hum--hallelujah]

It makes him dizzy, how much he loves these people. These are his people. His friends. His family, and his everything. So the fuck what if they’re blood-drinking, cold-hearted vampires to the rest of the world. They’re his vampires, and he knows that’s not true. He’s never met anyone as warm as them.

No wonder Sandman is an arsonist. Donnie claims he set shit on fire as a kid to keep himself warm at night when he was lonely, and when the flames spread it stuck with him. The habit, and the warmth. Sandman’s softer than he gives himself credit for. He puts on a big nasty painted grin and bares both pairs of teeth, but he’s the warmest of them all. He always feels so bad, strokes Crab’s hair when the others feed.

Only one of them can at a time. Obviously. One human is not enough food for three hungry vampires, not when they want to keep him alive, at least. Donnie is the one who cleans him up. If Benze has been drinking his blood, he’s always far too dazed and shaken by the end of it to be the doctor. They still don’t know if it’s a personality thing, the distant, almost drunken shock that takes hold of Benze when he’s just eaten, or if it’s because he was made different than Sandman or Donnie.

Donnie is careful and gentle, if unpracticed, when he dabs at the bite marks. He’s Crab’s blood family. When Crab is dazed like this, the irony seems hilarious. His only blood, drinking his blood, and then patching him back up like they used to as kids when they’d get into petty scraps and then make up later. Crab giggles, lets his head fall back against Sandman, nose stroking lightly against his cheek.

Sandman never feeds on him. Never. Not once. They’ve fought about this. But it’s okay. Sandman always, always holds him. It doesn’t matter if it’s this or a real injury. Sandman is so good at holding. Crab can feel him turn his head, nuzzling at his hair. Sandman kisses his forehead. Crab smiles at that.

“Hi,” he breathes, lightheaded. Sometimes he can't tell if it's more from the blood loss or from the contact it entails. He thinks he could get drunk on this feeling, of loving and being loved in return, in the most visceral of ways.

“Hi,” Sandman whispers back. He's positioned behind Crab, with Crab leaning back against his chest and his chin hooked over Crab's shoulder. He strokes Crab's face again, doing a shitty job of hiding that he's checking his pulse. “How you feeling?”

Crab’s hands are shaking, just a tiny bit. Benze and Donnie are always so, so careful with him. They would never take more than he can spare to lose. He’s a little bit dizzy, and the puncture wound stings, but he’ll be fine by morning.

“I’m fine,” he replies, rolling his eyes though it sets his narrow view, mostly of his friends, tilting. Sandman lets out a relieved sigh. Crab huffs a quiet laugh. “Relax, dude. It’s okay.”

“I know,” Sandman says tersely. He’s so rarely this edgy, at least not so obviously. It’s almost endearing, but mostly sweet.

Crab turns his head awkwardly so he can look Sandman at an angle, peering up at him from his position with his head resting comfortably on his shoulder. “I’m okay,” he says softly.

“Don’t begrudge us our concern,” Donnie says. “Move over, he gripes, then knees Sandman in the ribs climbing onto the couch with them and gets an amused oof in return. Donnie will always, always choose to take care of Sandman if he has to choose. He knows his cousin can handle himself. Sandy’s a different deal. It's almost scary the bond those two have, and it has been since they were little. Crab used to feel like an outsider around them because they're so close. Now he's grateful for it. They won't ever end up alone.

Donnie slots himself in beside Sandman and reaches for Crab's hand. It's like they think they're killing him, or something. If he was dying, or even a bit too dizzy, he'd tell them. They should know that by now. There's no need to be so melodramatic about it. Being a dramatic bitch is his job. Crab tells them this.

"You guys know," he says, breathing softly against Sandman's jaw, "You make way too big a deal out of this?"

"Shut up," Sandman grumbles, low enough that Crab can feel the vibration where he's leaning against Sandman's chest.

"No way," Crab retorts, smirking a little dizzily. "It doesn't bother me, you know that."

"Maybe it should," says Donnie, sounding mildly perturbed. "We're not gonna stop worrying," he adds, then sighs, exasperated. "Benze, come here."

There's a moment's heavy hesitation. "Are you sure?" Benze asks quietly. When Crab turns his head to look at him, he's looking at Sandman. There's some kind of bad blood between them. Pun intended. It's like no matter how hard they try or how much they love each other, they're still afraid. Of each other, or what they're capable of. They can practically read each other's minds. Crab doesn't know what there is to be afraid of, but he sees the fear anyway.

"Benze," he murmurs. "Baby. Come here." It's a cheap shot, honestly. He knows the pet names are one thing Benze can never withstand. He kind of wonders if Benze had ever been loved before they met. It's a little sad to think about for too long. But it works. Benze's face, smeared with his blood a few minutes ago before he had the presence of mind to clean himself up, crumbles and he slowly joins them on the sagging couch.

"It's okay, dude," mutters Sandman, stretching out one hand to grab Benze by the back of the neck and pull their foreheads together. Benze sinks onto the cushions, hands briefly ghosting over the bandaged bite marks before he curls himself tightly, almost protectively, around Crab's side.

"Hey, baby," Crab whispers. Benze blinks slowly at him, red reflection from his eyes flickering in the half light. "You're okay. I trust you," he says, though he's said it so many times. "I love you." Benze still flinches at that. That's part of why Crab says it so much. Half to teach him that it's true, but partly to see the stunned, awestruck look in his eyes. It's like magic.

"Thank you," Benze whispers back. It doesn't matter if he means for feeding him or for loving him. It's kind of the same thing, anyway. Benze doesn't say I love you back. He never does. Crab isn't sure he'll ever be able to. But he knows.

Their blood is cooler than it should be, they can't regulate temperature as well as they should be able to, but with the three of them wrapped around him like this, Crab feels warm. How could anyone ever think they're monsters when they're so full of love? How could anyone ever fear them? How could they hate them?

He loves them so much he'd die for them. Bleed for them. He loves them so much, it makes him dizzy. There's nothing wrong with that being extremely, viscerally literal. Because it means that they know. And that's the warmest thing he can think of.