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(guitar riff from Break Through It All)

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"You're hurt."

"I'm fine."

The ex-villain caught the hero's arm, forcing them to a halt. That at least, perhaps, was one thing that never changed. It shouldn't have comforted them - the ex-villain's lack of care for other people's potential boundaries.

Still. It did.

They couldn't remember the last time any of their friends or team had touched them so fearlessly, as if the hero wasn't an infinitely breakable thing. Just as they couldn't remember the last time their friends or team remembered that they weren't simultaneously invulnerable. Untouchable.

It was nice.

The former villain's grip was strong and firm and warm, like if the hero suddenly keeled over they wouldn't buckle with the weight of it.

The hero realised distantly that the ex-villain was saying something, eyes dark, brow furrowed.

"Hm?"

The ex-villain's lips pressed thin. "You're hurt," they said, again.

"Yeah," the hero said. "I know. It's fine."

"Hurt doesn't sound fine." The villain's teeth were gritted. "They can't be sending you out there in pain. Do they do that a lot? I'll kill them."

The hero laughed before they could help themselves.

The ex-villain's scowl deepened.

"Sorry," the hero said.

"How is that funny? Aren't you supposed to be against brutal murder?"

"Oh, yeah. No. I am. Don't kill my friends." The hero waved a hand to bat that whole idea away. "You're supposed to be reformed and all that jazz. It would look terrible on your record. People will get the wrong impression."

The ex-villain stared at them.

The hero gave their arm a gentle tug.

The villain did not let go.

"I have chronic pain," the hero said. "So it's funny."

The villain stared at them for a long moment in absolute silence.

"I'm sorry," they said, very calmly. "What?"

"Today's not a bad day for it, particularly." The hero shrugged. "But like, yeah. If I didn't do my job when I was in pain I'd like never do my job or really much of anything, so..."

"That's not funny."

"It's gotta be a little funny."

The villain was still staring at them.

"Comes with the whole being magically super flexible thing," the hero said. "It's okay."

"Every time you say 'it's fine' or 'it's okay' I become even less convinced that you are either of those things."

The hero snorted, partly to mask the way the words caught them off guard, an unexpected odd-angle blow. "Eh. Fine enough to fight. Speaking of..."

"No." The former villain's fingers flexed on their arm. "Your people know about this?"

"Obviously."

"And they're fine with it?"

"I can handle myself."

"Maybe you shouldn't have to."

The hero's ever-present cheer wobbled, just a fraction. Their throat thickened. They weren't quite sure what to say. They shrugged again, and did their best to summon a smile even brighter than before.

"I should go," they said. "Big robot to restrain before it hits the city and all that."

"Can I help?"

"Don't you have your own assignment to get to?"

"I meant with the pain."

"I mean, unless you can give me a new body."

"I can endeavour."

The hero snorted again. "It's fine, Doctor Frankenstein. Thanks."

"Is it?" The ex-villain's voice was quiet. "It doesn't have to be, you know. Not everything is."

The hero opened their mouth, then closed it. Their throat felt dry. They looked away, suddenly self-conscious in a way they'd thought they'd long since shaken off. Suddenly...

The ex-villain's fingers stroked through their hair. The hero willed themselves not to cry.

They didn't think anyone in the hero industry had ever told them it was okay not to be okay. Struggle was a part of the job, sure, but only in a very specific way. Everyone knew that heroes kept going. They got up every time they were hit and never gave up.

"Can I...can I have a hug?"

They felt silly asking, but the villain hugged them immediately and without question. Held them close like it was the most natural thing in the world.

The hero melted.

Then, they went to save the world.

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morning baa doodles 🐑

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More of toon Lamb au where when they argue Lamb will turn off the TV so they are quickly put back into their world so they don't have to deal with Narinder while they cool off

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Doctor Who The Story and the Engine

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write like the ghost of your teenage self is watching and wants you to make them proud

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The beauty of the world from above🌱

@pbeltarts pixie hollow au 🤭

I don't really know much about the lore, but I just wanted to draw some bkdk fairies~

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I am the Bad Wolf. I create myself.

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many expressions of mafuyu ✨

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When a Character is Hiding a Secret That’s Eating Them Alive

Secrets change people. Not just in what they do, but in how they exist. When a character’s carrying something they can’t say, whether it’s shame, betrayal, a buried truth...it changes how they move through the world.

✧ They get good at changing the subject. Every conversation has an escape hatch. They’ve practiced. A joke. A question. A nod in the other direction. They can’tlet anyone get too close to the truth.

✧ They seem distracted, but not in a dreamy way. More like they’re always watching the door. Always waiting for the other shoe to drop. They’re in every moment and somewhere else at the same time.

✧ They start talking less. Not because they’re mysterious, but because every word is a risk. One wrong sentence and it could all come undone.

✧ They keep their emotions on a leash. Joy? Contained. Anger? Controlled. Grief? Managed. If they lose control of one feeling, others might follow. And that’s too dangerous.

✧ They lie, badly. Not always in words. In tone. In eye contact. In overexplaining. You can feel the desperation in how hard they’re trying to sound casual.

✧ They dream more and sleep worse. Secrets don’t sleep. They come alive in the dark. In dreams. In half-conscious whispers. Rest becomes another battle.

✧ They can’t stand silence anymore. It’s too loud. It leaves space for guilt to crawl in. They start filling it with music, chatter, background noise, anything to drown it out.

✧ They crave honesty from others. They’ll press other people for their truths. Their stories. Their pain. It’s not malicious, they just want to feel what it’s like to be free of what they’re carrying.

✧ They flinch when someone gets too kind. Because kindness is disarming. It feels like someone looking directly at the truth and loving them anyway and they don’t believe they deserve that.

✧ They want to confess, but don’t. Not yet. Not until it’s safe. Not until they’re sure the fallout won’t destroy everything. But they’re so, so tired.

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Very very very normal about all the Doctors bickering inside them I love it every time they do this

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The doctor being a creature of stories is something I don’t think a lot of people notice or interpret, which is why I never really care about canon or lore or continuity errors when it comes to Doctor who, because it’s not about how one story fits into another but how the current story is being told through the vehicle of “the Doctor”

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uncle fester meme be upon ye

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Things Your Character Pretends to Be (But Isn’t, At Least Not Yet)

(Identity masks, coping roles, survival personas.)

The caretaker (but no one’s ever taken care of them).

The brave one (but they’re terrified all the time).

The flirt (because real intimacy is terrifying).

The funny one (because laughter hides the panic).

The overachiever (but they feel like a fraud).

The chill one (but they’re screaming inside).

The leader (but they never wanted the spotlight).

The rebel (but they just want to belong).

The calm one (but their thoughts race nonstop).

The loyal one (even when people don’t deserve it).

The loner (but they’re starving for connection).

The tough one (but they’ve never been allowed to cry).

The problem-solver (but can’t fix their own mess).

The grounded one (but they feel completely lost).

The logical one (because feeling has always gotten them hurt).

The “together” one (but they’re falling apart in secret).

The “nice” one (but they’re boiling with resentment).

The free spirit (but they crave structure).

The peacemaker (but they never say what they need).

The heartbreaker (but they’re terrified of being left first).