#Plus I drew this when I'm still sick-

[neptuniadoesstuff]

Both the Ankle Biter & Thumper/Locust in the "Mother Phen" AU (Sorta)

(TW/CW: Slight Horror for the main pic but major horror & gørə for the reference photos)

Heres a drawing of both "Follower" (From the "HAS THIS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU: ALL THE LIGHTS" Vid) & Locust/Thumper (From the T.O.E Series) (Both of them were made by Doctor Nowhere)

Considering that "Mother Phen" takes place in 2024, I kinda made Thumper have the mind of a teen. (Or at least that's what they're supposed to have bcs originally they had the mind of a little kid) (Although bro still can't use a space bar properly-)

Anyways here's the close ups ig:

(Yeh, it got cropped badly, but u can just click on it. I'm sure it's fine for the most part)

ALSO REFERENCE PICTURES BCS WHY NOT LOL!

(Sorry if I gave yall nightmares like I did last time, but I had to, man.)

The designs I gave them tho are kinda... strange to say atleast... bcs Follower prob doesn't even have legs or arms, but HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHEN THEY LOOK LIKE SOMEONE WHO WOULD BITE YUR FRIKIN ANKLES WHEN YOU TURN OFF THE LIGHTS? (Also Locust has pupils now- & 4 needle arms-)

Anyways credits-

Characters: The Ankle Biter/Follower & Locust/Thumper (Both belong to Doctor Nowhere)

Art: Mine. (Not the references tho)

Program: IBISPAINT X, BOI

Bubs' TOS: Plz don't repost/steal, trace, or recolor my art WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! If you do, I'll take yur femur and pelvis.. SO, DON'T THINK ABOUT IT! (The PNS on my Blog's pinned project clearly means "Please No Steal" plz follow that rule.) If you do post my art on anything like yur blog or somewhere else (With my permission) PEASE CREDIT ME!

[goldenempyrean]

Interstellar Sniffles

〚 Notes - Hi, I finally got round to writing something suffient. Hopefully this is enough :) There's a definitely a chance for a pt2 if that's something you'd like, just lmk! 〛

〚 Pairing - WandaNat x Reader 〛

〚 Summary - Nat get's sick with an Asgardian illness so it falls on you and Wanda to take care of her. Even if it means catching her germs. 〛

〚 Wordcount - 3500 〛

〘 Check Out My Masterlist! 〙

〘 Part 2 〙

╚════════ ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ════════╝

Asgardian-Muticulated-Rhinovirus 

Nothing more than a minor inconvenience for most Asgardians. Light sniffles, minor headache? Well, that was nothing to the Thunder God from space but for humans? Regular humans with regular Earth immune systems. Maybe it was a little bit more complicated than that. 

It was a pretty normal Sunday when the God had landed back at the compound early that afternoon - he’d just come back from tending to some urgent out-of-worldly business and had decided to swing by to pay a visit to his fellow Avengers. Everybody was glad to see him and the whole team spent the rest of the day chatting and catching up. However, unbeknownst to the rest of the team, souvenirs and stories weren’t the only thing that Thor had brought back with him.  

As the night drew on everyone had retired into one of the entertainment rooms to stick on a movie and get comfortable. You found yourself sitting in between your two girlfriends, Wanda at your left casually playing Flappy Bird on her phone not really paying attention to the ongoing film while Nat was curled up on your right, her head resting against your shoulder. 

After about an hour, you couldn’t help but notice Nat becoming unsettled as she tried to stop herself from yawning widely. This continued for a few minutes before her final attempt of stifling her yawn failed and she gave in to it and stirred against you as she mumbled, “I think I’m gonna head to bed.” 

“You okay baby?” Wanda asked, overhearing her groggy mumble. 

“I'm fine, just tired.” The redhead dismissed her worry with a small smile before offering her hands out to both of you, “You two coming?” 

Now that she mentioned it, it was getting late and going to bed was probably a sensible idea. So, the three of you said your goodbyes and headed off in the direction of your bedroom. 

Out of view of the guys, Nat let herself relax a little and it became obvious that she was beyond tired. Her movements felt stiff, and her eyes seemed to be closing on their own accord. Slipping an arm around her waist, Wanda led her into the bedroom and sat her down at the end on the bed. 

“PJs?” You offered, after receiving two nods you went to find some whilst your two other girlfriends washed up for bed. By the time they came back out you’d laid out two sets and were already half-changed into your own.  

Whilst the two were changing, you washed up yourself and came back into the bedroom to find Nat already snuggled down in the centre of your king-size bed, blanket wrapped snugly around her leaving only her red tied back hair in view. 

“She settled down fast.” You noted as you grabbed your pyjama shirt from the edge of the bed. 

Wanda nodded as she came over to throw her arms over your shoulder’s, softly tugging on the black straps of your exposed bra, “She’s just tired. Maybe we can sleep in a little tomorrow.” 

“Yeah, I’ll turn my alarm off then.” You agreed but something was still playing on your mind, “Do you not think it's a little odd though?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean, she seemed lively and then in the space of a few hours she was exhausted.” You pursed your lips a little as Wanda squeezed your shoulder in comfort. 

“Yeah, but you’re forgetting how draining all the guys can be once we’re all together.” Wanda offered in response before kissing your exposed collarbone, “Plus it’s not just her, we’re both tired too, don’t deny it. I can see it in your eyes.” 

“I guess you’re right.” You admitted and turned your head to the side to kiss Wanda’s lips before she released you from her hold, “I still find it odd though.” 

You looked over to give Wanda a final unsure glance to which she only shrugged her shoulders a little before climbing in bed beside the redhead. With nothing more to say, you finished changing into your pyjamas before quickly climbing into bed yourself, snuggling down into the thick covers. To your surprise, Nat already seemed to be asleep, her head settled comfortably against Wanda’s shoulder. 

“She’s adorable when she’s sleepy.” Wanda whispered quietly as she carefully leaned over to kiss your cheek, “Goodnight darling.” 

“Goodnight sweetie.” 

〘✧✧✧〙    

When you woke up the next morning you instantly knew something was up. Someone was snoring. 

Now this may seem completely normal at first, but the thing was that neither Wanda nor Nat snored. Ever. Not once in the three years you’d been sharing a bed had you woken up to snoring. Wait no, maybe except for that one time Wanda had the flu for a week and was so congested her snores were more akin to the sound of a jet plane then natural human noises. 

Listening closely, you quickly realised that the sounds were coming from the girl cuddled closely beside you. 

As you shifted a little to get a better look at Nat, you noticed that her face was flushed, and her breathing was slightly laboured. Her body was radiating heat and she seemed to be tossing and turning uncomfortably. 

Immediately, you knew that something was wrong. You gently shook her shoulder, trying to wake her up. "Nat, Nat, wake up," you whispered softly, but she didn't stir. You shook her again, a little harder this time. "Natasha, wake up," you repeated, more urgently. 

Finally, she stirred, her eyes opening slowly. As she looked up at you, you could see the exhaustion and discomfort etched on her face. "What's wrong?" she asked hoarsely, her voice barely above a whisper as she buried her face into you. 

“You were tossing and turning a lot baby,” You explained, “and you were snoring pretty loudly which is unlike you.” 

Natasha nodded weakly, still looking dazed and unwell. "I feel really hot," she murmured, pressing her hand to her forehead. 

You instinctively reached out to touch her forehead as well, and your fears were confirmed. Her skin was burning hot to the touch. "You do feel really warm baby, I’m pretty sure you’re running a temperature,” you sighed, your voice laced with concern. 

You felt a pang of worry in your chest. It sounded like she might be coming down with something, and you couldn't help but feel guilty for not noticing the signs the night before. 

Wanda stirred beside you, her eyes opening slowly. "Is everything okay?" She asked, her voice laced with concern. 

"Nat's not feeling well," You explained, your voice soft. 

Wanda's expression softened as she looked at Nat. "Oh, baby," she whispered, reaching out to stroke her hair gently, “This is why you were so tired, hm?” 

Her response was only a small nod followed by a thick set of rattling coughs which left her red and breathless. You and Wanda each exchanged worried glances as the latter rubbed began to her back whilst you stood up to go get her some water. 

Luckily in the few moments it took to get her the drink, her chest had seemed to calm down a little and Nat was now sitting up as Wanda continued to rub comforting circles along her back. 

“Drink this for me baby?” You asked, offering out the glass of water to which she accepted readily. 

Once she’d drank half, Nat leaned back against the pillows, her eyes closing as she swallowed the rest of the water down, "God, sorry," she whispered, sounding embarrassed. 

"It's not your fault," Wanda said calmly, love seeping into her tone as she took her hand, squeezing it gently, “Maybe you can try and sleep for a little bit longer though? It’s still pretty early.” 

Natasha nodded weakly, too tired to argue. She closed her eyes and tried to get comfortable, but her body felt achy and sore all over. The coughing fit had left her feeling drained, and she didn't have the energy to do anything but lie there. Both you and Wanda exchanged more worried looks before you both settled back into the bed beside her, doing your best to offer her comfort as she tried to drift off to sleep. 

She managed to sleep for another couple of hours or so but truthfully it didn’t seem to help much. It seemed in her sleep; everything had shifted to her head because when Nat woke up, she was unable to keep herself from sniffling. 

She groaned softly and tried to sit up, but her body protested, and she fell back onto the pillows with a sigh. It was clear that she was in no state to do anything. 

Wanda, who had been dozing off beside her, slowly woke up at the sound of her sniffles. "Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked softly, reaching out to touch Nat's forehead to check for a fever only to be met with blazing hot, sweaty skin causing her face to frown with worry. 

She softly moved some of the damp crimson curls out of Nat’s fever flushed face, “Wake Y/N up, okay?” She nodded towards to your sleeping form, “I’m gonna get you something for this fever. You’re really burning up baby.” 

Wanda quickly got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom to grab some cold towels and a fever reducer. As she left, you stirred awake, feeling the movement in the bed beside you. 

"Hey, sweetheart, how are you feeling?" You asked groggily, rubbing your eyes to clear your vision as you woke up. 

Natasha sniffled again and shook her head as she shuffled closer to you. “Not good," she croaked out, her voice sounding scratchy and hoarse. "Wanda's getting me something for the fever." 

You frowned with concern and sat up, looking at her closely. Her skin was hot to the touch, and her eyes were glassy and unfocused.  

"It’ll be okay baby," you reassured her, pulling her into a gentle hug. "Just rest and let Wanda help you." 

You sat with her in silence, holding her close as Wanda returned with a bottle of Tylenol and a damp washcloth which she handed to you to dab gently along the side of her crimson cheek before wiping away the droplets of sweat that had collected along her brow. 

Natasha winced as you touched the washcloth to her skin, her body clearly sensitive to even the slightest touch. You murmured soothing words as you continued to wipe her down, trying to make her as comfortable as possible. Still, she was grateful for the coolness of the cloth against her feverish skin. She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh, feeling the medication start to take effect. 

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I didn't mean to ruin our weekend, we were meant to go out for lunch, weren’t we?" 

You shook your head, "You didn't ruin anything, Nat. We'll just take care of you and make sure you feel better." 

Wanda sat on the other side of the bed, watching over the two of you with a soft smile. "I'm here too, you know," she teased, reaching over to ruffle your hair playfully, “How about we go settle on the sofa and watch some cringy Netflix movies?” 

You couldn't help but laugh as Wanda suggested watching cringy Netflix movies, knowing it was the perfect distraction for Natasha. However, your laughter was cut short as she suddenly sneezed, her head not having the time to move back from its position on your chest. 

“"H'htschoo!” 

"Sorry!" Natasha apologised, clearly embarrassed by her sudden outburst, sniffling frantically as she gratefully accepted the tissues Wanda had offered out for her. 

You tried to hide your grimace as you looked down at the wet mark she’d left behind on your shirt, “Thanks for that.” You forced yourself to joke as you pulled off the contaminated shirt. 

Wanda gave you a sympathetic smile before turning to Natasha, who was looking truly mortified. "Don't worry about it," she said, patting Natasha's hand reassuringly. "We'll just make sure to keep some tissues on hand." 

You wrapped a warm blanket around Natasha's shivering form, and let Wanda guide her out the living room whilst you went over to your drawers to pick out a new shirt. By the time you’d joined them on the sofa, Nat and Wanda were already cuddled beneath a thick blanket snuggled together close for comfort. They had left a spot for you, and you sank into it whilst Wanda picked out a terrible movie for all of you to mock. 

But as the day wore on, Natasha's condition worsened. Her cough became more persistent, and her nose became increasingly congested all while sending her into throat wrenching, messy fits of sneezes every few minutes. Mounds of crumpled tissues littered the area and by the evening, her throat was so sore the poor girl was barely able to speak. 

Finally, the two of you made the decision that it was time to see Bruce. Just to be on the safe side. 

“Wanda, can you go up and grab one of her hoodies? A warm one preferably.” You asked as you sent a quick text to Bruce to let him know you were coming down to his lab. 

Wanda nodded and quickly made her way upstairs to grab one of Natasha's hoodies. You helped Natasha put it on, being careful not to jostle her too much as she leaned on you for support. 

Once she’d returned, you watched as she helped Nat into the soft hoodie before making your way out of the living room and down the halls. Somewhere along the way, the three of you ran into Clint, Thor, Tony and Cap who’d clearly just finished their joint training session together. 

“Jeez, what happened to Romanoff.” Clint was first to ask the obvious question. 

You went to answer but Nat’s loud set of sneezes seemed to speak for themselves, and you held her closer, “We’re just taking her to get looked at by Bruce.” You explained and the guys offered to come with, clearly worried for the state of their friend. 

You all made your way down to the lab where Bruce was waiting for you. He greeted you with a sympathetic smile, having seen many of the Avengers in various states of illness and injury over the years. 

"Hey, Natasha. What's going on?" he asked, pulling out his stethoscope and beginning his examination. 

Natasha explained her symptoms between sneezes and coughs, and Bruce listened carefully, nodding along as she spoke.  

"It sounds like you have a pretty bad cold, Natasha," he said, after finishing his examination. "But I'm going to run a few tests just to be sure." 

Natasha nodded weakly, looking exhausted from the effort of speaking. The guys gathered around her, offering words of comfort and support as Bruce took some blood samples and swabs. 

As you waited for the results, Bruce gave Natasha some medication to ease her symptoms, and she settled down to rest on one of the lab couches, her head resting on your lap. You and Wanda both stroked her hair gently, trying to soothe her as best you could but it wasn’t long before she stirred, scrunching up her nose as she tried to get rid of the oncoming itch. 

“Hheh..Hehttshoo! Hh’itschieww! Hhi-Hh-H’tsschiew!” 

“Bless you love” Wanda whispered as she helped Nat to sit up so she could go and get her some tissues. 

Luckily it didn’t take long for the results to come through and you couldn’t help but notice the way he was staring at them in confusion. You weren’t the only to notice, however. 

Surprisingly, it was Tony who spoke up first, “Banner what’s wrong?” 

Bruce looked up from the test results, frowning. "These results are strange," he said, looking at Natasha, “I’ve never seen anything like it. There’s definitely a pathogen present, that’s for sure, but it matches nothing in our databases- The fuck?-” 

The room almost shared a collective gasp, nobody had heard the man swear before. Instantly you got up to go and look at the screen displaying the results along with Tony and the rest of the guys. 

“According to this, the origin of the pathogen isn’t from earth. It has the structure of a cold, but mutated in different ways, it’s hard to understand. I can't get my head round these readings.” He sighed in annoyance, hating the fact he couldn’t understand it. 

“How did she even catch this?” You mumbled outloud. 

”I think I know...” Banner finally concluded as something in his brain seemed to click, his eyes casting towards the only man who had the means to leave the planet, “Thor?” 

“No, no. Thats not possible. I haven’t been sick in years. I wouldn’t have come back if I was.” The God frowned; eyebrows furrowed with concern as Nat mumbled something intelligible into Wanda’s shoulder who was shushing her quietly.  

Bruce sighed a little as he ran his hand across an electronic screen which brought up a pop up showing his anatomy as he explained, “Well that's the thing about viruses, even if you’re not sick yourself, you can still pass them on through contact with the same surfaces for example. And judging on how little we know about the viruses' effects on Earth, the rate of infection is unknown meaning...” He paused and turned to the sniffling redhead, “Everyone here should avoid going out in public for the next few days, especially you Natasha - just to be safe.” 

In all honesty, you weren’t even sure that she had heard the string of sentences which had just left his mouth, but she nodded anyway. 

The rest of the Avengers agreed to stay in for a few days before filtering out of the door slowly leaving the three of you and Bruce still in the room. 

“So, she’s definitely, okay?” You asked again, wanting to be 100% sure. 

“Y/N, she’ll be fine. The virus only appears to have heightened symptoms, its duration seems to be the same, she’ll be feeling better in a week or so I think.” The Doctor nodded, but still reached down into a cupboard to grab 2 bottles of medicine – heavy duty Dayquil and Nyquil, “This should be all she needs.” 

You nodded, grateful for Bruce’s expertise and the fact that Natasha would be okay in the end. You turned to the redhead who was now being supported by Wanda as she stood. 

“Come on, let’s get you back to bed sweetheart.” Wanda murmured comfortingly as you thanked Bruce again before joining the two girls. 

Nat leaned heavily on Wanda and you as you made your way back to her room. She was shivering slightly, despite the meds, and you could feel the heat still radiating from her. As you helped her back to her room, it was obvious that both yourself and Wanda couldn't help but feel a sense of relief that she was going to be okay. You knew she was strong, but seeing her vulnerable like this was hard. 

As you walked Natasha back to the room, you helped Wanda get her settled in bed, making sure she had everything she needed before sitting down next to her. Wanda sat on the other side, holding her hand as Natasha drifted off to sleep, exhausted from the ordeal. Whilst you sat there, watching her sleep, you couldn't help but feel a sense of protectiveness wash over you. You had seen Natasha take down some of the most dangerous foes, but seeing her vulnerable and sick like this made you realize just how much you cared for her. 

As you sat there, watching over your sleeping girlfriend, you couldn't help but notice Wanda begin to sniffle intermittently. It didn’t come as much of a surprise though. Afterall she was the one who’d been in the closest proximity to Natasha for the longest and it was only a matter of time before she caught it too. 

You turned to Wanda; concern etched on your face. "Are you okay baby?" you asked, already knowing the answer at heart. 

Wanda nodded weakly, trying to hold back a cough. "I'll be fine," she assured you gently, "I’m just a little tired. I think worrying about little miss sniffles so much drained me a bit.” She chuckled. 

“Alright baby,” You accepted her answer for now, “Well, how about we both try and sleep for a bit, it’s getting late afterall and I doubt Natty’s going to be awake for a while anyway.” 

The pair of you climbed into bed, there was no need to change – you'd both been in your PJ’s all day anyway.  The two of you fell into a comfortable silence once again, Wanda’s arm coming to comfortably sit over your stomach as you both listened to the sound of Nat’s snores before eventually drifting off to sleep. 

〖 Join My Taglist! 〗@sayah13 @mahalkitanova @scrambled-brain-eggs @natashamyl0ve @shin-conan-kun @bloomingflowersthings @kathleenmikaelson @shamelessbearunknown @inluvwithfictionalwomen @ceiestiaie @fluffyblanketgecko @kljhsong @santana1437  @blackwidow-3 @asiangmrchk13 @lovelyy-moonlight @juiles @lots-of-pockets @sashawalker2 @natashamaximoff69 

[redfoxwritesstuff]

Sunflower: Book 1, Chapter 14

Tom Hiddleston x OFC Series rated: M Chapter warnings: A bit high PG13 in our flashback and some anxiety. AN: Dude, I'm still fucking sick. Also, I edited and posted this while working because I'm sick and it's Friday and fuck these doctors, they don't get to dump dictation on me at the end of the week and be like "It's urgent." No, fuck you and the horse you rode in on, it's not Urgent if you didn't do it till now.

~~~~~<3

Mia slept like a rock but was up right on time. Of course, on time wasn’t late enough. She rarely got enough sleep when she worked nights but she would make up for that later, she always did.

Peeking in on Sally, she found the little one still asleep. It was seven in the morning, she would be waking soon. Generally, she wasn’t one to sleep in. 

Mia took the chance to make breakfast in her new kitchen. The task wasn’t terribly difficult, even though she hadn’t even had a chance to unpack thanks to each box being labeled so clearly with the contents. Having a packing and moving crew was surely worth every penny Tom had paid for them. 

~~~~~<3

Sally sat at their little dining table, too small for the space- something Mia never thought would be a problem in her life as pancakes were set in front of her. They had a busy morning ahead of them. 

Ikea opened at ten and Mia had every intention of being there at opening. She intended to find a nice enough couch that was also affordable. Tom had probably intended for them to get a nicer couch than an Ikea special but he wasn’t here to stop her. She was unsupervised with his credit card.

The ping of her phone drew her attention. It was a text message form Ashley with a link. “Your man was on The Late Show.” 

Sally was coping well with Tom’s absence so far. Mia didn’t want to risk ruining that when she had such a busy day ahead of them by reminding her that Tom had left so rather than just following the link, she spent time digging out her headphones from her purse. 

“Momma,” Sally called, “Can I get something pretty for my new room?” 

“Yeah, sure. We’ll see what we can find.” Mia was paying more attention to jabbing an earbud in her ear. “Finish eating while I get dressed, alright?”

~~~~~<3

Mia wasn’t one to watch late night TV. She was either sleeping or she was working. Plus the famous person or politician or whoever chatting with a host about movies wasn’t really her thing. 

She set her phone down on her dresser as she traded out her pj pants for a pair of jeans. The screen loaded onto a man already talking to Tom. It must have been a clip from the show, not the whole segment. As she got dressed, she couldn’t help but be absorbed in the short video.

~~~~~<3

“You were just in Vegas, right?” The man said, leaning forward in his chair. His dark hair was cut short yet somehow still just a little wild. He had large eyes and the infectious smile of a late night comedian. 

“I was, yes.” Tom smiled.

“It was an eventful few days I hear. You got up to some stuff.”

Tom chuckled. “Eventful yes, you could say that.” 

“And you left with some bling.” Tom’s fingers twitched ever so slightly as the ring was pointed out. He wasn’t sure where this was going but he knew he needed to tread carefully. “There’s pictures!” The man said, “Bring on the pictures.”

The screen switched to Tom and Mia running down the hall, her white dress flowing and sparkly high heels glittering in the too bright lights of a hotel hallway. her face was obscured by Tom’s shoulder but his face was clearly visible.

His cheeks were bright red though if they didn’t know he was out of his mind wasted, they could believe it was from the private moment being intruded on. 

The picture switched to them kissing in the bar some time earlier. Dim lights gave them a warm glow and they had drinks in front of them. Tom’s hand was on her neck and hers was resting on his thigh as she leaned forward. Her face was obscured by his as she leaned into the kiss. 

“You’ve kept a romance under warps, Mr. Hiddleston.” The host teased. Color flushed Tom’s cheeks.

“I do like to keep my private life to myself.”

“And how long have you too been together?”

“That’s private.” Tom dodged. “But all anyone needs to know is I care for her deeply otherwise I wouldn’t have married her.” 

“So it’s not a ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’ situation?” The host pressed. 

“I’m as married today as I was Friday night.” Tom reiterated. 

“Tell us about her!” The host propped his head up in his hands. If it was possible, he would have had hearts in his eyes. It was clear that the host and Tom had a report and were familiar with each other in a friendly way. 

“She’s not a public figure.” Tom started, picking his words carefully. “Her privacy is important and I want to respect that. She’s not married to Actor Tom, she’s married to me and that’s a beautiful thing. Her name is Mia and-”

“Mia!” The host cried, popping up in his seat. “What a lovely name.” 

“She’s lovely.” Tom agreed and on the other side of the country, in a different time and place Mia’s face got hot. “She’s absolutely wonderful and we’re looking forward to our future.” 

The host continued to lightheartedly press for details but Tom stood firm. They showed a few more pictures from that night neither could remember but not a single image showed her face with the exception of the picture of them going into the restaurant over the weekend. 

Had no one gotten a clear shot of her? That didn’t seem likely. Had Tom known ahead of time and asked for her face to be hidden? Was her makeup smeared and her face being hidden to protect their dignity? 

~~~~~<3

“I’m done!” Sally yelled from the dining table, throwing Mia back into reality. Perhaps not reality, in a strange way what was happening on the screen was very much a part of her reality. No, her daughter’s voice had served throw her back into the present more than anything. 

“Go get washed up.” Mia called, slipping a shirt over her head and quickly finishing getting herself dressed. 

~~~~~<3

Ikea was overwhelming, as it always was. There were too many people, too much stuff and in general, far too much stimulation. But she would get through it and in the end she would be rewarded with Swedish meatballs. That was just how trips to Ikea went. You survived and then indulged in cafeteria food. She didn’t make the rules. 

They sat on couch after couch as she picked which one would be best for the space. None of them really felt big enough but she was not going to go somewhere with more expensive sofas. That wasn’t an option. She would just have a lot of empty space in her living room. More room for Sally to play. 

The one they picked was one of the largest. Under the cushions were storage compartments. It was a few hundred dollars and would likely break down after a few short years at best, needing to be replaced but she didn’t care. 

While she hadn’t planned on it, she went ahead and got herself a pair of matching end tables and lamps to set on them. While the apartment had plenty of overhead lamps, there was a warmth that came from table lamps that she loved. 

Sally picked out a soft rug to put on the floor. All in all, Mia didn’t feel too bad about the spending. It was less than a couch would have been if she went to Ashley’s Furniture or somewhere similar like Tom had probably intended. 

The lamps were on clearance and that helped keep the cost low. The tables were the cheapest they had. Hopefully Tom wouldn’t mind. 

~~~~~<3

Mia was anxious as she stood in line waiting. She had paid for their lunches with her own debit card but this was going to go on Tom’s card. She had no plan B for if it didn’t go through. 

It was a international card, wasn’t it? Would it go through okay? What would she do if it didn't? What if they asked for her ID? 

It was irrational, she knew that. Tom was traveling and had been spending money without issue on this card for as long as he was there from what she had seen. Places rarely asked for ID for credit card transactions anymore. There was so much fraud protection that it had just fallen to the wayside. 

All the stress was for nothing. The card went through perfectly fine. No one asked her who she was to use it. No one questioned her. No one said “stop!”. It went perfectly, painlessly fine. As part of her knew it would.

The furniture would be delivered the next day. It was surreal to spend so much money at any one time. But it was done and she survived the flood of panic that came with spending his money. In the moment though, as she swiped his card, she thought she was going to revisit her Swedish meatballs. 

Would it get easier over time? Mia decided she’s really rather not find out. If she had her way, she wasn’t going to be doing anymore major spending on his card, at all. It was better she didn’t get used to this. Tom wouldn’t always be there to financially save her. He wouldn’t always be there to replace her couch. This was temporary. 

Sitting in the car before leaving IKEA, she shot a text to Tom letting him know she had spent his money as he had requested and how much the total was. 

She hadn’t heard from him all day. In the morning she had assumed he was still sleeping after working the late night appearances but now it was quickly becoming afternoon without a word. 

What did it mean? Why wasn’t he texting her? 

It drove her insane the rest of the day. She checked her phone repeatedly for a hello or even so much as an acknowledgment of the purchases.

 Nothing came however, leaving her to wrestle with the thousands of ‘what if’s that quickly took up residence in her mind. Time after time she started text messages only to delete them instead of sending. 

It was fine if he didn’t text her, right? It was okay if they didn’t talk, right? They were just strangers, really, at the end of the day. This was fine. 

~~~~~<3

The elevator walls were not mirrored but the polished stone may as well have been. Dark copies of the bride and groom surrounded them. They were alone and yet not, in this magical space. 

Tom advanced on her slowly. She matched every step he took forward with one of her own backwards. There wasn’t enough air in the elevator car as it moved up and up. 

Her heart was on cloud nine and the evaluator was taking the rest of her there. 

She couldn’t breathe. It felt like she was gasping for air in all the best ways before her back hit the polished stone wall. There was no where else to go. She couldn’t take any more steps backward. 

Her future didn’t stop just because her back hit the wall. Was this a sign of what her life would be like? Was this what her future with him would be like? Advancing faster than she could keep up? 

Her future put his hands against the stone on either side if her head, palms flat and fingers splayed. His elbows buckled and then he was supporting his weight with his forearms, oh so much closer than he had been.

His face hovered just inches from hers. His breath smelled strongly of whiskey but the air around him smelled of his cologne. The mix of the two together was intoxicating.

Leaning forward, she closed the distance. The soft velvet of his lips felt amazing against hers. There was a light stubble to his face, hardly visible but as he pushed into her, she could feel it. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck as his hands roamed around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Pinned between him and the wall, she didn’t have anywhere to go. There wasn’t anywhere she wanted to go. 

His hands groped her ass through the layers and layers of fabric that made up the skirt of her dress. Pulling up and forward, he had her off her feet. Wrapping her legs around him, only possible due to the many folds of the skirts, she embraced her future closer, trying to wrap herself around the very concept.

His lips left hers and made their way down her neck, leaving a path of damp butterfly kisses down to her collar bone. Nipping and sucking at the soft flesh had her squirming in his arms. 

The elevator wasn’t moving fast enough. There wasn’t a way she could get enough of him in here. At least, there was no legal way. There were cameras in the elevators and the halls. Again and again she told herself that.

His hand was large and warm. The warmth soaked into her breast. She arched into his touch. His touch was firm and strong. Muscles twitched and moved under her hands as she slipped them into his jacket after struggling with the buttons. 

She hadn’t felt like this in years. It was more intoxicating than all the wine they had shared. She felt powerful. Desirable. Wanted. 

Was this what love felt like? Was this what it felt like to be loved? It was the best feeling in the world. 

~~~~~<3

Tag List: @winterisakiller @alexakeyloveloki, @jennyggggrrr, @dangertoozmanykids101 @tilltheendwilliwrite @tinchentitri @wizardcherryblossom @buttercupcookies-blog @violethaze @kats72 @soulpiercing

[kylejsugarman]

as a dedicated andrea crusader i must know, how does au^2 impact andrea and jesse's relationship? do baby and brock get along? i'm picturing it in my head and🥹🥹

ANDREA CRUSADERS UNITE, u are one of the ultimate andrea understanders 🥺 so their relationship is a little different in au squared!! around the time that jesse infiltrates the recovery group and actually meets andrea is the same time that demi moves back to abq and tracks him and baby down. he and demi have a weird, semi-formal relationship for a while before they start developing romantic feelings for one another and during that time, jesse dates andrea. any initial plans to just sell meth directly to her as a recovering addict and put together his own walter white-esque "fund" for his daughter instantly evaporate when he sees brock and realizes that andrea is also just a single parent trying to navigate addiction. they're so similar and jesse, having not encountered anyone in this specific situation yet, kind of desperately clasps onto her. he really likes her and she likes him, but a big part of it is truly just. jesse desperately wanting to be around someone who Understands. and andrea does understand!! she has support from her mom, but she had to figure out a lot of this child-rearing stuff by herself and sees a lot of her slightly younger self in jesse. the way he wants to provide the Best for his kid, but doesn't trust anyone else to give it to her. she feels the same way about brock a lot of the time, even though she knows now that its not necessarily them vs the world.

the thing about au squared andrea is that she realizes through observing jesse's behavior and his feelings about raising baby that he's a very sweet guy who is great to be around, but they are not on the same timeline and she doesnt really feel like "dating" is the right arrangement for them. andrea's not in a place yet where she wants to incorporate a romantic relationship into her life and jesse, god bless him, has an overeagerness to him that tells her that he's diving into this because he badly wants A Connection, which doesn't necessarily have to be romantic!! she talks to him about this and asks instead if they can just be friends, so that's what they become. andrea is his dear friend :') jesse still cares very deeply for her and brock and tries to spoil them both (if he's going to get baby a swagged out play mat, then its only fair that brock gets a sick new transformer toy and andrea gets memory foam slippers for after long shifts on her feet at work. u know. if he's already going to be out). brock adores him, but is initially less enthused about baby because well. she's a baby. she can't really talk coherently or play a significant role in his games and he can't use his toys with smaller, choking hazard parts around her, so he doesn't really know what his mom expects him to do with baby while she and jesse are talking. but he realizes that it's actually kind of fun to assume a "big brother" role (brock's a sweet kid :') he likes to be helpful) and teach baby things; she basically copies whatever he does after a certain point, which is extremely validating to him. plus, she's a pretty patient, docile little playmate, so she can play the role of "building that is on fire that the brave firetruck must extinguish" with tremendous skill. the highlight of his month is when they all go to the zoo together and brock gets to feed a handful of feed to one of the giraffes while baby looks at him just shocked and awed like :O

andrea remains a source of support and eventually befriends demi too, but as things get darker towards the end of the show (post-drew shooting), jesse withdraws a little from her to try to protect her. he already feels responsible for tomas being murdered and drew's killing just reminds him of how nobody, no matter how innocent, is safe from this shit. andrea and brock are too important to him to endanger, even if it means cutting himself off from a good friend. demi visits them a few times while jesse is in captivity just to be around Someone and so baby can play with brock, but it's weirdly uncomfortable and baby isn't acting the same without jesse there and demi soon worries too that the cantillos might become endangered through association with them, so she reluctantly withdraws. once jesse escapes and he and demi and baby make the trip to alaska, he still writes a letter for brock that he gives to ed, but he also writes one for andrea. he wants to thank her for the support she gave him, for guiding him and baby through so much uncertainty, for being such a wonderful woman and friend. "i hope baby grows up to be like u. i want to make sure she grows up to be like u." andrea never learns what became of jesse and baby and demi after the news breaks, but she keeps that letter in her nightstand drawer along with a messy scribble drawing that baby made for her and the ticket stubs from that zoo trip. she doesnt care what the news says. she doesnt care what the dea agents who come to question her think of jesse or their friendship. she knew him, the real him, and she will always love him.

[koolkat9]

22. What fic of yours deserves more love?

43. What appeals to you about the ships you like?

✏️Hetalia Fanfics Writers Ask Game✏️

22. Hmmm...I really liked Two Worlds Collide. One of my EngUkr fics. Though not one of my strongest fic, this scene alone makes it deserve more love I think:

Whatever was going on, without thinking, Arthur leaped out of his hiding place. He gave a slight bow. “Pardon my intrusion, Miss. But I, God of the Aleron Forest, have heard your prayers and I shall help you avoid this troublesome–”

Kateryna drew her sword without a second thought, eyes dark, stabbing it clean through Arthur’s stomach.

“Ack…Quick draw,” Arthur noted, impressed. He stared down at the sword impaling him. Nothing more than a paper cut to a being as powerful as him. “Quite the skilled warrior, how surprising. I-I mean…I just…You always seemed so kind. What’s that human saying? Wouldn’t hurt a…a fly? You seem like you wouldn’t hurt a fly but…”

Kateryna’s face paled, eyes wide. She stumbled back, shrieking.

“Hey, easy now…Oh right.” Arthur pulled the sword out, his wound healing over almost immediately. “That’s not normal for humans right?”

“You’re…You’re…” She choked out.

“God of the Aleron Forest. Yes, yes I led with that. Now about your–”

“Have you been listening this entire time?”

43. Okay let's see how many I'm going to be able to put without being too long.

GerEng - Two lonely stubborn men finding comfort in each other. Falling in love through sharing music during I think it was the 60s? It at least started then. Anyway. Though their stubborness and tempers can cause conflict I think their stubborness is what makes them work in the end. Both hate being vulnerable, so they need someone stubborn to stay, push back and rip those barriers down. Plus, I think Arthur has a tendency to push people away especially if he loves the person, so having a stubborn lover provides a needed push back to snap him out of these self-sabotaging habits.

NedCan - The history is what really drives this ship for me. Canadians played a huge role in liberating the Netherlands during WW2. Canada also housed a lot of monarchies during WW2, the Dutch Royal family being one of them. Princess Juliana was expecting a baby and ended up having to give birth in Canada, the Canadian government declared the maternity ward "extraterritorial" so the baby would only have Dutch citzenship and thus be the next heir of the throne if they were born a boy. These two actions by Canada has led to a tradition of Netherlands sending tulips to Canada each year. In the Hetalia contexts what could be more gayer yet still accurate to irl?

CuCan - They just have such a cute Bromance in the manga. I really wish we'd get some new strips with them. Also this. I like them both as besties and boyfriends:

EngUkr - I just think Arthur deserves a tall girlfriend (I tend to headcanon Ukraine as just under 6ft if not at the 6ft mark). Also Arthur is my favourite male character and Ukraine is my favourite female one.

GerCan - Enemies to lovers relationship everyone is sleeping on. German troops were TERRIFIED of Canadian troops during the world wars (specifically WWI). Canadian troops were brutal to say the least. I think Matthew had a burning hatred for the German bros during this time because they were a threat to his loved ones (Scot, Eng, Fran). He killed them at least once if not multiple times leaving scars on them. This becomes important because I like to think Matt vowed he wouldn't be like the empires who raised him, he wouldn't fall into bloodlust. Yet he did. He didn't want to be like Francis and Arthur, at each other's throats one minute, kissing the next. Yet with Ludwig he did. And he derives a sick sense of pleasure and possessiveness when he sees those scars he left. Very angsty, but nowadays, despite their bloody beginning, quite wholesome. Also I just like the idea of them going camping together.

Canmano - Came to me in an rp. Just the "he asked for no pickles" meme. Angry small x calm tall.

[thelittleliars]

Love Forever? | Pt. 5

Natasha Romanoff x fem!Reader Yelena Belova x fem!Reader (Platonic)

Warnings: Mention of death, hints of smut but not really smut?, sadness, grief, a bit of fluff, happy end

Words: 2.9K

AN: It's not the best chapter I've ever written plus I didn't really know how to end this series but here is the final chapter! Did not proof read.

[Gif from bruce-wayne.tumblr.com]

Part 1

"Nat? Darling it's been twenty four hours. Have you eaten anything yet?" Wanda asked the other red head. Yelena actually dragged Wanda into your hospital room in hope to get her sister away from your body. There was no sign of Natasha hearing a word Wanda just had said. "Natasha, have you and Y/N eaten anything yet?" Your name spoken out loud was the thing that got Natasha out of her daze. "No we haven't. She's been sleeping all day." She was in denial about your death and created a 'reality' where you hadn't died and just slept a lot. And since your body wasn't entirely human, it never cooled down as fast as a normal human body would. Your body was still slightly warm but there was no pulse or any brain activity. "How about we go get some food together and afterwards come back here?" "I can't leave her. What if she's so confused and anxious when she wakes up and we're away eating? Y/N doesn't deserve to feel anxiety." 

Yelena muttered a sorry to her sister before she told Wanda to do it. Red mist came out of Wanda's fingers, she directed it towards Natasha and her mind. It was hard to control her since Natasha was one hell of a fighter but in the end Wanda could overpower her and give commands to come with them. Yelena and Wanda both stayed with Natasha as they made Nat eat food, take a shower and afterwards a nap. Halfway through the nap, Wanda stopped doing magic on the tiny Avenger. "I hate doing this to her." The red head felt guilty for performing magic on another person without their permission. "I know and I'm sorry for asking. I know she'll feel violated and I hope she won't get triggered but I was desperate. She needed help and only your magic could get through to her." 

"I don't think there is a right and wrong here. You're trying to save your sister." Wanda knew too well what it was like to lose a sibling, she didn't want Yelena to feel the pain too. "Thank you Wanda."

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

Natasha still sat on the ground when it started to rain. She was starring at the tombstone for an hour already and it didn't seem like she wanted to stop anytime soon. Yelena watched her bigger sister sitting there in silence, she too was overflowed with grief. When she felt drops of water falling on her skin, she walked over to her sister, clearing her throat to not startle Natasha. "Hey, how are you doing?" It was a dumb question but it was at least something to get her talking. "Miserable." The blonde haired woman nodded her head. "I miss her."

"I miss her too Yelena, I miss her too." Tears were mixed with rain drops, they were all rolling down her cheek.

"Lets go to eat something. I don't think she would want us to be like this." Natasha huffed in sadness but stood up and followed her little sister. 

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

Later that week Natasha was back again with sulking on the couch. "I miss her so much." The red head whined to no one in particular. Yelena spoke up first before Kate could give some sentimental speech. "Gosh I can't wait for your fiancée to get back and get your sorry ass of my couch." She was sick of her sisters constant whining and crying, she loved her so much but at some point it was enough for her, there had to be another way to grief over a pet that passed away.

"God I miss her so much too!" She groaned. "Also she's not my fiancée!"

"Yet."

The redhead answered with a hint of hopelessness and sadness "Yelena, we all know that's not gonna happen." The younger sister drew her eyebrows together. "What? Why? Aren't you guys together?"

"Kinda? I don't know, it's super complicated with our past okay. I actually don't know what we even are right now." Kate saw the doubt on the older girl's face. She could stand seeing her like this. "You two are Soulmates and that is a literal fact. Natasha, she survived because you stood by her side even after death. The universe gave you a second chance so don't fall into doubt. Have some faith." 

"What Kate Bishop said." Yelena could have agreed silently but she knew her older sister needed verbal affirmation. She knew how much her sister still struggled with your death and sudden awakening. There was too much denial, grief, happiness, uncertainty and confusion she had to process first before working through all the emotion to heal. 

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

You were back on your home planet, recovering and getting the needed energy from it since everything but a tiny spark was sucked out of you. Not only does your stay on your planet with the vibrating nature heal you, it also made you stronger than ever. Finding your soulmate made you powerful but that didn't mean you suddenly had superpowers. Just and average 'alien' who feels powerful with the endless energy you had in you. That energy could keep you alive in a fatal accident but only if you have the will to live otherwise the amount of energy in you will die with you.

You had no idea how long you were already gone from earth 4-1-1. All you knew was you were about to be able to go back. The heaviness of your almost death sat still deep inside you. As your body fell into a coma state, you mind still was working and you heard everything around you. You heard how the machines made a flat noise, how Yelena and Natasha started sobbing, how Natasha suddenly stopped crying and acted as if you still were there, how Yelena got Wanda to mind wash Nat, how Tuuli came to explain everything to the others and took your body to your home planet. Turned out everything that happened was a test, a second chance test to see if Natasha really was your one and only. Since the girl stayed by your side until your dying breath and even beyond that, it proved she was your soulmate. It all was a lot mentally and physically but it also meant that you now had so much more time with your friends, lover and family. 

You felt sick to your stomach the second your feet came into contact with your new home. Earth had different vibrations and matter that you had to get used to again. No power in the world could made your species to be just fine when you came onto a different planet. You tried your best to ignore the chaos in your stomach and body, said goodbye to Tuuli and made your way to your new home. It was big apartment since you wanted and needed not only to live with Natasha but also with Yelena. It was the best way to heal properly. These two sisters not only lost you once but twice. There was a lot of stuff to work through and heal from, both of them agreed with your idea immediately. Though Natasha would have loved to have you for herself, she knew how important Yelena is to you and the other way around. 

The sound of Kate laughing could be heard all the way from down the hall. It made you smile that Yelena had Kate. She was the perfect fit as best friend for the blonde. You suddenly got a bit nervous to see them all again, the time difference was immense to you, a few months on your planet was only a couple hours to days on earth. A minute had gone by and the nervousness you felt was overpowered by the craving of having Natasha by your side. With a deep breath you knocked on the door. Kate opened the door, a loud squeal came out as soon as she saw you, she pulled you in a hug right away. "Welcome back!" The archer told you as she backed away to let you in. Natasha was quick yo stand up from the couch. She could not believe you were finally back. By the time she came to her senses and wanted to welcome you back, she was pushed on the couch by Yelena. "Get out of my way slowpoke." You were engulfed in her arms like a koala, she wasn't letting you go anytime soon. You gave Natasha a wide grin, reassuring her like that that it'd be her time soon too. She looked amazing with her new hair cut. It's short and a tiny bit curly. She wore one of your favorite  black tshirts and some dark grey sweatpants. You honestly loved her look and if you two would have been alone you probably would be peeling it all off. 

"Love you too Yel." You soothed her by gently rubbing your hand on her back up and down. She could finally feel relaxed again. You were a safe place for her. "At some point you have to let me go. Your sister needs me as much as you."

"She always can join us but I'm sure as hell not letting you go!" The tiny ex-assassin disagreed. You knew she wasn't kidding. That's why you gestured for Nat to come over to you. The red head hesitated for a second, she didn't want to interrupt you and Yelena but a strong pull lead her over to you. She then happily joined the embraced of her loved ones.

Yelena didn't lie. She really didn't let you go, not even for a second. Everything you'd do was with her up until you had to use the restroom. It was difficult for her to let go but eventually she did. After you finished you shouted through the door that you were taking a shower. All you heard was a loud groan. Not even a minute later a loud "Are you kidding me!" came out of her mouth but before you could ask her what she meant, Natasha slipped into the bathroom and locked it behind her.

"I hope you don't mind me joining?" She carefully asked. From the other side of the door you heard Yelena complaining and cussing the both of you before informing you that she'll be gone for a while. "I absolutely don't mind. I do think that it could become a bit awkward." Nat strutted to you in one swift motion and pinned you against the nearest wall. "It doesn't have to be awkward if you don't let it be that way." Her lips crashed on yours, it were hot wet kisses that you loved. One of your hands to to her waist as you pulled her even closer to you. You needed her as close as possible. As soon as she started to kiss your jaw and leave some mindblowing kissed along your neck,  you stopped her. "I uhm my body... back on my home plant.." You started but never finished what you actually wanted to say. So you stopped for a minute and gathered your thoughts. "When Tuuli brought me back to our home planet to heal, I went under some changes with my body, the powerful energy I received would have killed me otherwise." Though you were not ashamed of your new body changes, it still made you a bit insecure.

Natasha only smiled wickedly at you. "Well I guess I get to explore and worship your body from scratch then." Her words ignited a familiar fire in you. The one you constantly had during your marriage with her. And it gave you enough confidence to switch your positions and pinning her to the wall. You hauled her up by her ass, her legs go automatically around your waist, the slight pressure against her cunt made her nearly moaning loudly. You hovered your mouth close to her ear. She felt your warm breath against her skin. It drove her insane but she waited patiently for your next move. "Worshipping me sounds amazing but let's talk about you for a second. Do you even know how fucking sexy you look with your new hair?" 

"No, I don't think I do. How about you show me?" It was the last button she knew she had to push for you to crazily attack her and her body everywhere with kisses and more. 

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

"It's been a wild ride, you and me." You said as you played with her hands while lying next to her in bed. The feeling of her skin against your gave you a calming effect that you missed deeply. "Somehow us being married feels like a lifetime ago but at the same time as if it just happened." You looked from your hands to her green eyes. "After everything that happened.. is marriage still something you'd want?" 

"I'm not sure. I think I still need time to decide. What about you?" You let yourself get lost in her eyes. And while starring in the green sea that her eyes are, you knew for sure that marrying her again was something you still wanted. You two were already intertwined for life by the view of your home planet. The equalization on earth would be marriage for you it's be just a title but for Natasha who grew up in this system, in this society it was way more than that and you understood where she was coming from. You explained it all to her in which she nodded understandingly. Yelena came back home a couple minutes later. She immediately walked towards your room, door already wide open for her to step into without fearing to catch you both having sex, she popped her head in and fake gasped at you. "Cuddling without your favorite sister?? I'm hurt." Natasha rolled her eyes while you smiled at the younger women. "Gonna join you in a second!"

"Do you think she'll ever let me go?" You asked Natasha after Yelena left. She kissed your temple. "She'll be holding onto you for a while and afterwards she'll be extremely protective of you. Hope you are ready for that." Your life won't be the same as before but you knew it was all worth it. "Ready or not, she's family."

Nat stilled. She seemed to be paralyzed by her thoughts for some minutes. "Family that I almost destroyed." The pain and regret in her voice was obvious and it hurt you. You knew there would be little for you to say for her to forgive herself but you tried anyways. "Nat, honey. Don't feel guilty about that anymore okay? I forgive you and so should you. I do have to say that it was cruel of you but I understand that getting triggered back to not only after Thano's fight but also back to the redroom must have been insanely overwhelming for you." 

"But what if it'll happen again? What if I hit my head or get hurt and-" 

"I hate cutting you off but I really have to. I don't think it will happen again. If you do hit your head or get an head injury, we'll make sure that Yelena is either with me or you'll see her alone first. We know so much more now than before and I'm sure we can handle everything that comes our way. Let's not worry about it though, we still can do that when we get to that point, okay?" You reassured her. She nodded and cuddled into your side. Soon after Yelena came into the room and jumped on the bedside that was free next to you. She too cuddled into you, letting out a deep sigh, releasing all the tension she was holding.

"Do you have any plans tomorrow sestra?" The older women asked the younger one. "Yes, Kate needs some help with a mean girl so I go and take care of that. Why?" 

"Just asking." She said then turning her attention to you. "Y/N, can I take you out on a date tomorrow?"

"Hmm I don't know, can you?" You teased her. 

"I can but I won't if you don't stop teasing me." She threatened you. 

"Can you both please hurry up with either agreeing or disagreeing on a date? I want to sleep."

"You used to be more fun Yel." You teased her also but were not ready for what was coming next. "That was before I got a ton of issues by you leaving and got traumatized by seeing you die in front of my eyes!" Her words shut you up. You never meant to hurt and traumatize her, though the latter was not much your fault, all you could do now was provide her comfort and love. You muttered a sorry to her as you pulled both of the ex-assassins even closer to you. 

Heaviness was still hanging in the air but you felt grateful in that moment. You had your sister back, even though Yelena was your former sister in law she still felt more of a sister than any blood family could ever.  And you had Natasha back. You lover, soulmate and future. To think back to your marriage and divorce with Natasha felt crazy to you but still can imagine it doing it all over again if it meant you'll always end up back happily and stronger together. No matter what challenges were still going to be put in your way, you knew for sure that you all were going to conquer them and holding together as a family. After all this is love forever. 

Tags: @iamthescarlettwitch , @dark-hunter16 , @marvel-fan-2021 , @myfturn , @natsxwife , @wandanats-goodgirl , @supaheroine , @rosenirmala , @xxsekhmet , @franfrolix , @lonewalker17 , @newawakening9 , @marvelwomen-simp , @automaticwizardnerd , @wifeofnatasharomanoff , @tigerlillyruiz , @lifeontop , @blackwidow-3 , @ordelixx , @mmmmokdok , @ctrlamira , @nattyromanoff2005

[fantomette22]

Hey!!! 3, 13, 20, 49 for Dores and Caryll in your interpretation!

Thank you Faree! :D Ask game here

First I tried to draw this morning but failed so thanks for the ask i got inspired to draw a lil something!

(And then they got lost. They do have weird shenanigans with eldritch stuff. So they will be fine. Actually their friendship is quite funny i love it)

3. What first drew you to this character?

Hm well for Caryll they seems like quite a very important character we know nothing about! In lore I mean. Runes are so op I'm glad they exist 🙏 everyone used them and it seems quite important! Caryll didn't make/translate all the runes but the first one to do so while a students at Byrgenwerth! It's so impressive so it made me wonder who they were... and we don't know what happened to them too ;-;

As for Dores I guess I got interest thanks to the fans actually giving a damn and drawing Dores ! Also ""her"" link with Willem, gatekeeper and probably Gehrman by extension made me think and wonder about their missions in the pthumerians labyrinth. Plus idk Dores seems to have quite a wild personality! that's very cool. And the set descriptions and the 2 hunters is very interesting

13. If you could draw effortlessly and as much as you wanted, what scene (s) would you draw for this character?

Caryll : Hm... lots go things lol. Caryll do have a huge role in my Bloodborne stories and is very present so I have lots of ideas XD but would be difficult to draw... hm maybe caryll with tons of hunters around them and explaining smt. Or Caryll staring at water (sea/lake), or caryll fate... or idk smt with lot of runes to draw something esoteric when they ear great ones! Caryll & friends too. But I would also like to illustrated Caryll getting very scared and encountering a sick man who's at the early stage of beasthood. At Byrgenwerth. During prom night. Yeah can't wait to write that XD

Dores : hmm either Dores' childhood (with almost everyone treating her as a weirdo creepy kid 💀 and featuring Gehrman) or well badass fighting against pthumerians. That also make me think I need to draw Dores being task to watch the kids (Rom & Laurence when they were younger) by Willem while he's out and she panicked and ask if they wanna see organs in jars or smt. Or maybe draw her withe the twins. Yeah I haven't decided yet if the Madaras twins are her kids or long lost brothers I am hesitating because there's the 2 guys with the graveguard set too. OR ALSO (sorry last one) Dores doing artisanal liquor and almost accidentally killing people. (I mean Laurence is the only one who almost died but he was fine after few days. Her other attempts where better)

20. Do you feel affectionate towards this character?

Caryll is my lil guy (gender neutral) 🥺 I love them so so much they remind me of one of my friend too. I really like Caryll I am so mean for all the tragic scenarios I imagined toward the end of their life 😔 but I swear the 3 decades before that are very wholesome if we forgot some lil details. But yeah must protect and deserve the world. So yeah.

Hm idk if it's "affection" but yeah I do like my versions of Dores yeah! I really like to develop her backstory and personality and I can empathise with lot of things she went through that weren't easy.

49. What’s your favorite personality trait in this character?

Well it's purely headcanons but I like their soft sides? I think.

So Caryll kindness and everything would be ok attitude.

As for Dores her more harsh and scary traits are very cool but with her very close friends she can show a way more carrying side <3 she still a bit of a brute XD but I like this too. Everyone is always surprised of it at first.

Hope it answer! Thank you a lot Faree I really like to wrote about it!

[buildarocketboys]

My heart is on my sleeve, wear it like a bruise or black eye

Posted for the day 15 @febuwhump prompt, "Who did this to you?". Crossposted to AO3 here.

"Where the fuck is he?" Patrick said, kicking the bed frame. He grabbed his foot, cursing. That fucking hurt.

"Chill out, Patrick! He'll be here, OK?" Joe was getting pissed at him now. Which was totally unfair. Pete should be the one he was getting pissed at.

Pete had disappeared immediately after the show and he hadn't seen fit to show his face yet. They were supposed to leave an hour ago, heading south for their next show.

He wasn't worried about Pete. He'd wasted too much energy being concerned when Pete clearly didn't give a shit. Plus, at least one security guy trailed Pete everywhere he went at all times now. Mr Bigshot. Mr Tabloid Headline. And he still acted like this. Patrick was sick of it.

"Come on," said Andy. "I need to get some air."

"What, and make us even later?" Patrick knew he was acting like a jerk, and his other bandmates didn't deserve it. Unfortunately, the bandmate who did deserve to take his ire wasn't fucking here.

Joe rolled his eyes. "We won't go far. There's a corner store down the road. Let's get some snacks for the journey, at least. I'm starving."

"You have the munchies." Patrick said disapprovingly, aware that he was sounding more and more like his mom by the word. "From smoking weed."

"Whatever, Patrick, you stay here if you want," said Andy, clearly tired of his shit. Patrick felt a little chastened; Andy didn't deserve this.

"Yeah, we all know it's just the you and Pete show anyway," Joe threw over his shoulder as the two of them left the bus. "Leave without us if you want. I'm sure nobody in Indiana or wherever will notice if you replace us with two session musicians."

"Joe, that's not what I-" Patrick started to say, but Joe had already slammed the door in his face. Patrick huffed a sigh and sat on the bed to wait.

Pete probably wouldn't even bother showing his face here. He had his own bus nowadays, Mr Big and Important, too big and important to actually talk to Patrick. Not that that stopped Pete being all over him on stage every night. Pete'd probably tell the security guy, or the bus driver, and they'd pass it down the line and Patrick would only find out when they were already on the move.

Patrick growled low in the back of his throat and then punched himself, hard, in the thigh. Then he threw himself onto the bed, burying his head in the pillow, resigned to waiting. He tried to pretend that none of this was happening, that this wasn't his life now, that he and Pete were back in Chicago just having fun and playing music.

It worked for a bit. Then someone pounded at the bus door and Patrick was rudely pulled from his fantasy.

Probably Joe had forgotten his wallet or something. He yanked open the door-

-and Pete practically fell into his arms.

Patrick's first reaction was relief. His second was anger.

"Pete, what the-" and then he drew back enough to see that Pete was bleeding from the nose, another cut oozing on his lip. And there was bruising round both of his eyes "-hell?" 

He helped Pete awkwardly up the bus steps, incredibly aware of every point where they were touching. He hadn't been this close to Pete offstage in- weeks? Months? He tried not to think about it.

Eventually, they make it to the bed, Pete landing heavily and pulling Patrick down with him.

"Pete," Patrick said, dropping to his knees in front of him so he could examine the damage properly. "What happened to you?" 

Pete's lips quirked up in what was probably supposed to be a grin, but his face immediately collapsed again as he grimaced against the pain. "Me? You should see the other guy."

Patrick knew this was false bravado and he did not have time for it, not now. Whoever had done this to Pete...

"Who did this to you? Because I'm going to kill them." He would, too. In fact, he was about to head back out, find whoever had done this to Pete and rip their heads from their bodies- never mind that he was five foot four and in far worse physical shape than Pete-when Pete spoke.

"Patrick, stop."

He did. Even though it pained him. He wanted so badly to make these people pay. Not to mention, these days, whenever Pete wanted him to do something, he usually did the opposite. To spite him.

"Where're Andy and Joe?" Pete mumbled through his split lip.

"They went to the store- that doesn't matter!" Patrick said, shaking his head. He turned back to Pete. "What the hell happened, dude?" As if the epithet could hide the strain in his voice, or the fact that he still fucking cared so much, even now, even after all Pete had put him through. Even though he'd have beaten Pete up himself if he'd thought that'd do him any good. 

But he had learned long ago that fighting Pete was the same as letting him win.

"Got beat up," Pete said, like that wasn't obvious.

"But how? By who? You disappeared off after our set and you come back like this?" Patrick could feel himself getting angry again. He tried to push it down - whatever else Pete was to blame for, it wasn't his fault that he'd gotten beaten up. "Wasn't there a security guy with you?"

Pete grinned. His eyes were a little unfocused. "Gave him the slip. Fat lot of good that did me." Pete frowned down at his lap and then, without warning, great, shuddering sobs started wracking his body, each one followed by a sharp hiss of pain as Pete clutched at his ribs.

Patrick rushed to his side, perching on the bed next to him, wrapping his arm around him. "What is it? Did they crack your ribs? Do we need to go to the hospital?"

Pete shook his head. "No, I'm f-f-fine," he managed through the sobs. Patrick looked at him dubiously; he was obviously not fine.

"Come on, Pete, I really think I should call an ambulance, they messed you up pretty bad-"

"NO." Pete's voice was loud and deep and so not like him that Patrick shut up immediately. Pete winced, the effort obviously too much for him. "No ambulance," he continued, his voice strained. "If I go to hospital, people will find out, and there'll be journalists there, and it'll be a whole thing, and everyone on the internet will make fun of me and say they're glad someone finally beat me up, and-"

"OK, OK," Patrick said, because Pete was starting to hyperventilate. "No ambulance." He stroked Pete's back, big, soothing circles, like his mom used to do when Patrick was sick. "None of that would happen, though, by the way. I wouldn't let it. I wouldn't let them get in."

Pete shook his head, but his breath was calmer as he leaned into Patrick's touch.

"I'll go get the first aid kit, OK?" Patrick said. Pete leaned into him harder for a second and Patrick forgot how to breathe. Then Pete nodded.

Patrick found the first aid kit in the back lounge and got back in record time. He opened it up, looking uncomprehendingly at bandaids and bandages.

Pete wasn't looking at him. "I fucked up," Pete said, his voice full of snot and phlegm and tears. "I fucked this whole thing up, didn't I, Patrick?"

Patrick knew he wasn't just talking about tonight. He breathed deeply for a second, in and out, before grabbing an antiseptic wipe. 

"No," he said, making his voice as gentle as possible, like Pete was an animal he didn't want to spook. "You didn't fuck it all up."

Pete snorted. "Yeah, I did. You're just saying that 'cause you think you have to be nice to me, because I got beat up. But they're right, those people on the Internet." He furrowed his brow and spit out the words with undisguised self-loathing, "I deserved it."

Patrick's hand tightened on the wipe, and he had to take a second to calm himself and loosen his grip before he started to clean Pete's cuts. He focused on his motions for several long, quiet moments, just breathing in and out and cleaning Pete's cuts as gently as he could, although Pete still flinched every time. 

"No, you didn't," he said after a while, cold, clear fury running through him, no longer directed at Pete but at everyone who'd made him feel like this, feel like dirt. "Like, yeah, maybe you fucked up a few times. Big deal. I've fucked up just as much." He took a deep breath, looking Pete in the eyes, brown meeting blue, so Patrick could make sure Pete knew that he meant it. "Doesn't mean you deserve this. Or any of the shit that gets thrown at you."

He threw the wipe down in frustration. "Fuck, I'm terrible at this. Can I at least go get one of our actual first aiders?"

Pete looked at him properly then for the first time that night. He was sad, and broken, and Patrick was pretty sure he was high, but even so, there was a twinkle in his eyes. "Thanks, Patrick," he said, voice hoarse.

A ghost of a smile twitched on Patrick's lips and he leaned his head against Pete's. Then the door rattled open behind them and they jumped apart.

"Have we got some great snacks for you-" Joe was saying. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Pete. "Man, what happened?"

"I'll get the medic," Andy said.

The rest of the night was kind of a blur for Patrick. Most of it was spent watching Pete argue with their first aider about going to the emergency room.

The man was biting his lip. Patrick felt sorry for him - the most he usually had to deal with was hangovers and the odd crew injury from moving equipment. "I really think you should go to ER, Pete," he was saying for the umpteenth time that evening.

Pete didn't even answer. So Patrick answered for him.

"Does he need to go to the ER? Medically speaking? Or will he be OK if we patch him up and give him painkillers?"

"He really should-"

Patrick raised his eyebrow and the man shut his mouth.

"But he doesn't need to, I suppose. Someone will need to stay up with him though, make sure he doesn't have a concussion."

Patrick nodded. "Good. I'll do that." He tried to put on a friendlier face, although he wasn't sure it worked. "Go get some rest once you've fixed him up, it's been a long night."

The medic nodded and finished patching Pete up before leaving.

Pete smiled at him. "You're gonna be my nurse, then, Pattycakes? You know, I've got some great fantasies involving nurses..."

Patrick rolled his eyes. "Glad you're feeling better." His eyes found Joe and Andy in the room. "You guys should take Pete's bus," he said. "Get some sleep."

"No way, dude. We're staying with you."

"Yeah," Andy said. "Pete's ours.” He gripped Pete’s shoulder. “We're in this together."

Pete looked genuinely touched. "You guys..." he said.

If only I’d known you getting beat up would be the thing to bring us together, I’d have let someone do it to you years ago, Patrick thought meanly. He knew he should be glad of Andy and Joe's friendship, but he'd been hoping to get some more time alone with Pete. It had felt like they were close to something, that if they could only keep talking they'd finally be able to get out of this place they'd been trapped in.

But never mind. A night shooting the shit with the band it was. Patrick genuinely liked Andy and Joe, which was why he was mad at himself for resenting their presence so much.

But he was the one whose hand Pete was squeezing. So.

Things went back to normal the next day, pretty much. The medic declared that Pete did not have a concussion, although he should take it easy. So obviously, he'd insisted on playing tonight.

Patrick couldn't find it in himself to act disapproving. He was too thankful to have Pete there, even if he was more subdued, less talkative than usual.

Patrick didn't usually talk at gigs at all. He hated it, hated the idea of all those people looking at him and listening to the stupid shit that was bound to come out of his mouth. That was why he let Pete do the talking for him.

He realized that he'd let Pete do the talking way too much. Which explained why Pete looked over at him confused when Patrick cleared his throat into the mic before they played Saturday.

"You might have noticed," he said, not used to the way his speaking voice boomed out of the speakers, "that Pete looks a bit worse for wear today."

Scattered, nervous laughter, rumbling in the crowd. Patrick swallowed and continued.

"Some fucking assholes beat him up. They beat up my best friend-" Patrick hadn’t expected to get choked up, but he was- "and he still came out and played for you all tonight."

People cheered and clapped. There were a few whoops in the crowd.

"If I ever find out who did that to him - well, let's just say, they're gonna be hurting in the morning. That's if they wake up at all." Patrick probably shouldn't be threatening to kill people live on stage, but fuck it. He wanted people to know that he meant it. He wanted Pete to know that he meant it. He wasn't gonna stand by and let Pete take shit anymore.

The audience was hushed now, almost silent. Patrick cleared his throat and said one more thing.

"And if any of you, or your friends, or your friends' friends, think this is funny, if you go online and make jokes about Pete Wentz getting beat up, if you laugh with your friends about it - just know that I hate you. Fall Out Boy hates you, and you're not welcome at any of our shows in the future." He cleared his throat. "That's all."

The crowd was anything but quiet now, a cacophony of whispered conversations turning the stadium into an echo chamber.

Pete laughed into the mic, breaking the tension. "Well, uh, thanks for that, Patrick."

"I meant it," he said. He knew he was pushing it, ruining the vibe, but he didn't care.

Pete just shook his head at him. Patrick had expected him to look grateful, or at least fond, but he just looked dead behind the eyes again. Patrick felt tears prick at his own. "Let's just play the song, shall we?" said Pete.

Cheers from the crowd. Patrick nodded and they started playing Saturday, like they had hundreds of times before.

Patrick could feel the tension in the room, from the audience, from Pete, from his bandmates. That definitely hadn't been the smartest thing he'd ever done.

But right now, he played the song he'd written, the one he'd played hundreds of times before with his best friend in the world. And when he looked into Pete's eyes and sang, "More than an hour," it felt more like a vow than ever.

There'd be consequences later, but right now, this was all that mattered.

[drawnfromthedead]

In my head I can't imagine Underfell Papyrus having the same eyes as Undertale Pap.

I also can't decide how I want to draw his clothes so I took the opportunity to show off the bone tint I think all papyrus' would have. I imagine that because a lot of human trash winds up in the underground they have some human medicines as well. There are some human meds that will tint your bones different colors, like blacks or dark blues, and maybe the different Papyrus' where given some when they got sick as kids and no one knew it would effect skeletons like that in the underground. You can see patches where the tint has raised over time and a part of his skull that still has that bruised look bc of the tint. I put it on his range as well but it looks very similar to the shading so I'll try harder next time. Maybe.

Idk I thought it would be a cool idea to play around with and it lets me continue to draw his bones when he wears his various outfits! I don't know why I like drawing bones so much, I'm going to blame playing this game in middle school. Its also why my sense of humor is the way it is.

I also drew his soul with red in it bc I like to imagine it that way, its still supposed to be mostly white but to when I added the glow it turned more pink than anything.

Also now that I've typed all this out I want to draw a slightly younger Paps with his bones, skull included, fully tinted from the medicine. It would look so cool! Plus with Fell Paps soul being the way it is it might even look a little bad ass!

[mythicaldemigoddess-of-deltarune]

Charlie Morningstar x Sir Pentious Gift/Requested (2024)

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

Credit for Hazbin Hotel goes to Vivienne "Vivziepop" Medrano

Gift/Requested For: Heartsissopure

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

I drew this on March 23, 2024 but posted it on April 3, 2024...

and there were reasons I couldn't post it yesterday...

I think it was some day before March 23, that I was going to work on the drawing of Charlie and Pentious kissing, but I ended up feeling not great at that day, can't remember what made me feel that way...

but I guess I can try to remember...

I couldn't post this drawing yesterday or any of the other drawings I did, because of some bad weather.

thank goodness the drawing I was working on that had Adam from Hazbin Hotel, wasn't well open and still working on when some stuff went off...had to keep the computer off for a while until it was safe to turn it back on again, couldn't risk turning it back on when the stuff was going on at the moment, and if it did that when I decided to work more on that drawing and hadn't saved it...

I would be super feral earth angel princess peeved off...

like maybe picture how mad Devil from Cuphead Show or Game series can get mad, and mix that with Millie from Helluva Boss, plus with Tex and Caroline from Red Vs Blue, and even Yang from RWBY...

though if I did get that mad, I would have to try to calm down and be close to some cool air...I think it can be rare for me now, to get so mad I get too hot and I need to be cooled off by some cool air.

but yeah, I guess when the really mad feeling gets a bit high.

it can be a mix of Devil from Cuphead, Millie from Helluva Boss, Tex & Caroline from Red Vs Blue, and Yang from RWBY...but more in a bit of controlled level I think...

best I can do is try to just talk a bit of some feelings, and maybe do something to cool off, like watching a movie or show I like, do some reading and maybe check out some fan art as well.

I'm pretty sure I had went "Feral Earth Angel" only a few times, but never really beat anyone up....even if one time someone was picking on one of my younger cousins, and I can't remember much during that time, but I know I was about to run up to them and I had to be held back....you know it might of been my protectiveness that kicked in.

anyway I know that Sir Pentious being dressed as a type Knight wasn't part of the request, but I just well wanted to add that in this...

that this AU version of Sir Pentious is "A Holy Knight Of The Eveningstar" which once again, I self-nicknamed myself "Eveningstar Princess" because of that weird thing with my Mom only getting Evening Sickness with me, and she NEVER got the Morning Sickness with me......only the Evening type of Sickness.

don't know how many others went through that, finding out their Mom also went through Evening Sickness, and never Morning Sickness.

it might of been a good idea I didn't try to log on the other day, because of the weather...for now it seems to be okay right now.

also some might understand that I can be sensitive, and maybe at times I can have timid moments, and I can have a point when I can get peeved off to the point where I could go into what I'm now calling "Feral Earth Angel" mode...

I'm weird okay, and some times being weird is the best medicine.

you know to make you laugh and put a little smile on your face...

maybe not everyone understands that, and it's okay if some don't.

anyway the next drawing I'm going to post will be maybe in a little while, and I hope the one that I did this drawing for, loves this and doesn't mind that I drew Sir Pentious as a type of Knight. :)

also if the one that this drawing is for wants to reblog it, they can, but I'm only giving them free permission to do so...

this drawing will still have the tags "do not reblog without permission" and for now, I'm only giving them permission, this drawing is both a gift and request I did for them and I still hope they like it, even if the whole Pentious being a Knight wasn't part of the request.

[mtdthoughts]

"Dali Always Gets the Good Stuff" (Observation)

Throughout their journey in Origon Village, a recurring motif is the idea stated in the title by Migi, as he occasionally grumbles about Dali always getting his way. A similar idea is, "Migi always gets screwed", a comment that I've seen quite a lot.

In this post, I want to compile examples from the anime and manga that (I think) illustrate this idea. I'll also judge how valid Migi's claim is.

When the twins arrive in the Sonoyama house, it's Dali who arrives in-person, and it's Migi who's stuffed in a big box. The anime doesn't show this, but the poor boy's neck probably was hurting after staying in such a confined space for so long!

In Chapter 3, after the twins took their first bath in their new home, it's Migi who has to wear the embarrassing pajamas. Later, when the twins almost got caught after Sardine stripped Dali's towel away and drew the Sonoyamas' attention, it's Migi who decided to run to the back, give his pajamas to Dali, and sit outside in the cold.

When they investigated the house, Dali gave the dirty work of checking under the Sonoyamas' bed to Migi.

At the welcome party, Migi volunteered to be the decoy, thinking that he was putting himself at risk of being scalped (yikes!). For his trouble, he ends up with a small burn on his back.

During their investigation of Akiyama's house, it's Dali who gets to enjoy pie with Akiyama, while Migi has to do the dirty work of investigating Akiyama's sister's room. This is also the first time in the story that Migi explicitly mentions this post's main idea.

At Maruta's house, Migi was in for a surprise when he was bullied and abused by Maruta. Yet, he still endured it because he needed to "remain composed" as Dali instructed him.

In Chapter 10, Migi mistakenly believed that he wet the bed, though Dali didn't bother correcting him. Plus, during the night before the incident, Dali was drinking more juice than Migi, who then complained about his share.

Note: It's quite ironic that Dali says "There isn't anyone in the world who makes no mistakes." If only Migi applied those words to his brother...

In Chapter 11, when Dali gets sick, he stayed home while Migi continued the mission alone. Without Dali, Migi attempted to befriend Eiji by himself, though his efforts only backfired, and he even got into a fight with his (faulty) imitation of his brother (foreshadowing!).

When visiting Eiji's house for "counseling", Migi gets tied down and hypnotized by Eiji while Dali investigates the house.

When the twins explored the town to gather more information, it's Migi who gets under Sardine while Dali holds the leash. Funnily enough, this describes Migi and Dali's relationship at this point somewhat accurately.

When the twins get trapped in the Ichijo house, it's Migi who gets stripped down, tied up, force-fed, and humiliated in front of Dali.

And finally, how could we forget the episode when Dali decided to investigate Eiji alone, leaving Migi to sulk again, and then later crushed his heart. (Note: I wasn't sure whether to include the events of Episode 4 in this post).

It can't be a coincidence that developments like this stopped happening after Episode 7, when the twins and their relationship really began to change.

Anyway, I won't get too deep into thought, but after looking at all these, I can certainly see why Migi would think that he always gets the short end of the stick, and I think that this claim is half-true.

Yes, Migi did get ordered around a lot and ended up in many unfavorable and awkward situations, though many of these were brought upon by himself in an effort to earn Dali's affection and live up to his expectations. But I suppose Migi didn't see the distinction here, especially during when he decided to separate from Dali.

On the other hand, Dali also had his fair share of punishment, and given the amount of stress he went through, I'm pretty sure that it isn't any easier being in Dali's position.

But that's the thing: it's this communication barrier, this mutual misunderstanding between the twins that caused conflict between the twins and ultimately needed to be resolved for the twins to attain happiness.

tl;dr Yes, while Migi certainly did get screwed a lot, so did Dali, whose position certainly wasn't enviable either.

[trawpius]

2023 Back On The Wagon

I fumbled 2022 bigtime. Became artistically stagnant. Was more reclusive, experiencing a general malaise. So this year, I'm going to frame this resolution list in terms of the Biggest Swings and Worst Misses of 2022.

Biggest Swings

Resippies. I definitely added more dishes to my repertoire. Always a plus!

Workout plan. While I need to power through on rough days, I definitely upped the ante compared to 2021.

Stretch before workout: no prablam!

Really developed a strong housecleaning schedule. Tough to commit to the nastier items, like cleaning windows or bleaching toilers. But it's better than the past.

Duolingo 290+ day streak!

Slowly pecking away at intellectual pursuits. Learning software architecture concepts, refreshing myself on calculus and trigonometry.

Volunteering at animal shelter. A late entry this year, but I've been going every month.

Biggest Misses

Using my freezer space. Only meal prepping a single week

Better health habits. Still getting a lot of takeout, eating a lot of chips. Could do better vis-a-vis fruits and veg.

Hikes with Jolyne. It's a good idea! Any every time I think to do it, I come up with an excuse.

Creativity in general took a nosedive. 2 pieces of art per month? I don't think I drew more than 2 pieces for the whole year! Never mind writing, or using Blender, or even looking at my keyboard.

While Duolingo was strong, I didn't work on more formal language learning through textbooks or Wanikani.

Responding to people! Christ, two of my closest childhood friends reached out to me this year. And I can't get myself to respond in under 24-hrs? This is unacceptable.

Recontextualization

So where do I go from here. I had some wins, some losses, some mixed nuts. Is there a way to reframe things to improve in 2023?

Multi-week meal prepping. This isn't just a matter of using freezer space, but also a gift to myself in the future. It's the promise of a totally free weekend, devoid of food concerns. It's also the promise of variety. If I can flip-flop between chili and a stir-fry, I won't get sick of either.

Healthy Habits. It's not about complete removal, but about moderation and replacement. It's also about impulse control. I can get takeout, but I should reduce the frequency. Don't buy on impulse, when I have meals at home. Spread the portions over 3 days rather than 2 days. I can have snacks, but don't go back for a second serving.

Hiking. There's no recontextualization. It's a good idea, period. The problem is, I'm worried about Jolyne reacting to other dogs while hiking. So invest in a trainer! A well-trained dog feels more confident, and reacts better to other dogs while on leash.

Creativity. Part of my issue is lack of skill vs perfectionism. Although, perfectionism isn't quite the word. I'll redo line-art or repaint the same object, with diminishing improvement to the overall piece. I'm better off trying a dozen things, rather than redoing the same thing a dozen times. All of which is to saw: you're a baby beginner! Don't be ashamed to let people see your progress! In fact, use the visual indication of improvement over time to motivate yourself later!

Language Learning. Duolingo is good at incentivizing me to use it everyday. And it has the negative effect of making me feel like I've "put in the work" for the day. It is just idle practice, it is not active learning. Wanikani is actively learning Kanji and vocabulary. Textbooks are actively learning grammar. Conversation exchange apps actively teach, well, conversation!

Responding to People. Which wraps into my general sense of reclusiveness this year. But I can't just swat my own wrist, and say "buck up!" Why am I reclusive? Is it time-crunch, afraid of wasting my hours of solitude before work? Is it insecurity, fear that I cannot keep the conversation going, fear that I'm disliked? Perhaps part of this resolution involves interrogating myself deeply, as a person.

Resolutions

This has all been uniquely naval-gaze-y. Such is the way of New Years. Isn't that part of the tradition? So let's round this out with some regular-degular bullet point resolutions.

Try out 2-5 fasting. Articles claim it's good for reducing insulin resistance. Who's to say?

Continue workout plan. Try for more consistency. Also, maybe take up swimming. It's better for my ankle. Switch from Planet Fitness to The Y. (Also try roller-skating, which will undo any positives swimming has for my ankle)

Ask doctor about physical therapist for my ankle.

Ask doctor about psychological therapist for my brain.

Continue with the fruit and veg variety. More smoothies with protein powder. Try kimchi, try sauerkraut, try natto. Continue your foray into fish. Try some egg-based meals. Get more fiber in my diet, embarrassed blushing emoji.

Meditation, 20 minutes per day.

Sleep by 10:30pm, awake by 7am. Don't sleep in on weekends. Naps are okay. Reduce screen time and caffeine around bed. Make the bed a night-only place. Relax in the den, or on the couch.

Apparently sun lamps are useful.

Bitter topicals are the only way I actually stop biting my cuticles.

No hard commitments. Just do something creative, every day. Writing, painting, playing piano. And don't be afraid if it's ugly or amateurish.

Don't learn for learning's sake. Apply knowledge to personal programming projects or electronics projects.

Volunteer for Food Not Bombs or for work's Wheels on Meals program.

Go to the movies for fun. Every year is the Year of the Movie, babey!

Apparently people go to bars alone, and that's how they meet people? Is it insane to hang out and read a book at a gay bar?

There is a fine line between being weird and being mysterious. Much of it comes down to how confident you are.

A good old adage, but, don't hateread! It's a waste of time! Time should be dedicated to three things: earning money, expanding my horizons, and chilling the fuck out. In ascending order of importance.

Reread this resolution every day month. Every week, every day. Otherwise, you'll forget!

[leam1983]

So, Walt wants a Framework...

I may have created a monster.

See, Mondays are slow in the morning for us, and the weekend vibes don't really end until noon sharp. So, Sarah and I are discussing potential work-related upgrades, when Walt mentions that his trusty ASUS laptop is starting to feel sluggish.

I mean - you know me. You know Sarah, too. We immediately had Linux Distro boners, and considering how Walt isn't tech-focused and really needs a turn-key solution, Linux Mint was our best choice. Still, the hardware proper was aging, so Walt did as Walt does and took to Best Buy's website to show me the first page that crops up when you type "laptop" in their Search bar.

He wasn't wrong in the sense that swapping one entry-level device for another one would've done the trick; even a basic and bare-bones platform designed to run MS Office as its most resource-intensive task could've done the job. The problem is, I'm getting sick of dealing with bi-yearly comments related to how he's "unsure" of his laptop's performance. I want something I could overspend on intentionally in order to give him a nice, sizable buffer of performance that could last at least five years.

Considering, the best option really is a Framework laptop. I showed him the company's website, explained the business model to him, and now he's hooked, envisioning a future where all he needs to run presentations for the extremely rare event of his needing to beat pavement to find us clients is a snazzy lil' pouch crammed with a few Expansion Bay modules, including USB-C. It immediately turned his Pitch Brain on, and he started selling me on the worth of using sustainable tech in our day-to-day operations, to predictably and playfully poke fun at me for daring to use a boutique laptop (from Razer) in what is likely the least-sustainable choice imaginable...

I rolled my eyes. "It's a Blade 14 from two years ago; I can't just toss that out the window! Morally, I have to take that hardware to its limits first, and then worry about revisions!"

Walt scoffed back. "Aw, come on; it'd be a business expense! We should all get a Framework!"

Followed twenty minutes of Sarah and I trying to talk our now laptop-obsessed boyfriend into letting us keep using the same portables we already have, and doing our best to convince him that he's the one who needs an upgrade.

"But you don't even game on your laptop!" notes Walt. "Don't you wish you could do that on your off-time?"

I rolled my eyes. "Sure, hon - I'll just use the company Visa at 41 years old and just buy myself a new toy like I'm an idiotic Sales Rep who's just been slated for a fat commission! No! I cannot do that, Walt! Besides, my laptop is for work! What does it say about me if I use company hardware to frag noobs after hours?!"

Walt drew himself up, smirking. "I don't care what it says, because I'm the boss of this company - and the boss wants us to have sustainable tech, now. It's good for the planet, good for our image, and I'll have a reliable one-stop shop for any future upgrades."

I threw my hands up. "Fine, whatever! Let's just burn twenty thou plus taxes off of our operational budget! I love you, hon, but this is the shittiest idea ever, Walt."

Walt placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'll call Scrooge, get him to draw us up a budget with a few mockup bills. If it makes sense, we'll pull the plug. If he tells me I'm being delusional, then we'll just buy one for me."

Sarah gave Walt a circumspect look. "Fine. But if it turns out you just buy one for yourself, I forbid you from loading up our own Visa for Christmas gifts shaped like laptops, later on."

That knocked a few Machiavellian twinkles out of Walt's eyes - but not by much. I know the big guy; if he's convinced himself we deserve something, we'll get it, even if we issue moral objections. It might take years and he might use different excuses, but it'll happen.

Note to self: try and convert the BF to Ascetism, or at least Minimalism...

[hospitalterrorizer]

diary269

6/12-13/24

wednesday - thursday

i thought it was getting better today

not really but maybe a bit. i hope it does, by tomorrow at least. getting rather worried about it an also how having a guest in the city will go if i'm sick and can't leave the apartment because i need to heal. i just gargled a bunch of salt water and coughed a bunch up, it was like when whales or dolphins use their head-holes to shoot water out cuz it gets in where they respirate.

i worked on the last song today too, strangely, idk what, but something made a plugin i like but is wayy too glitchy to really use consistently break, so i had to redo the guitar sound, which worked out a lot better for me i think.

anyway i just had to try and fail at unclogging a toilet for a while, my throat is still killing me and making me miserable. i hate how much i have to do and nothing helps anything, everything just gets worse, i keep seeing bugs, whatever.

that's too much, i guess. the toilet was really awful though. i think i washed my hands enough, i don't want to keep thinking about it.

i also drew more today, things are coming along along along, very good progress, tomorrow i can make more. it's hard to get started on drawing, i get worried about not liking it, but the point is really that i'm an amateur and i'll use that like a weapon, plus/and, maybe it doesn't look bad, i don't think it does right now, that could change. but mostly these hand drawings i think are working well enough.

i drew some more just now. i need to sleep though, i can see the sun. i hope i can sleep, it's just really hard because it hurts to swallow my own spit.

so

byebye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jadtkf38]

This is what I would send you if we stop being friends.

You hurt me A. You hurt me a lot, I miss when we were good friends. I miss when we would talk to eachother in a loving way and actually care about each other. I know being online friends and friends in real life is completely different but I had faith in you and us. I thought we could still make it work because I know the love you gave me before didn't come out of nowhere. I know I did many things wrong. I'm sorry for not putting as much effort into finding a job earlier than I should've. I'm sorry I was rude sometimes. And I'm sorry for putting burdens onto you. But I at least I apologized and tried to make up for those things. At least I put effort into making things better for all of us. But you never put in the same effort to fix your mistakes and our relationship. You made insensitive jokes to me, you laughed at me, you didnt take my trauma seriously, and you treated me like shit. But I put up with it because I still wanted to fix things and I still cared about you. But what's the point if you don't do the same for me, what's the point if I always fuck up when I'm with you and instead of resolving it at the moment and fixing it like mature adults, you tell me long after where I feel guilt and second guess myself because I thought I was being respectful. Im so sick of dealing with all this pain. You said "don't let me hurt your feelings" but how can you not when you do all these things? It hurts that the person I thought I would love forever turned out like this. It hurts that you have to be added to the list of people that hurt me and stopped caring about me. Because of you I dont think I can be best friends, much less love somebody ever again for a long time. I hope you know what you've done. I hope that you change and realize your mistakes and genuinely apologize to me. But to be honest I think it's wishful thinking because nobody has ever genuinely apologized to me for all the grief they have caused me. I'm sorry A, but I can't take this hurt anymore. I would rather be alone for the rest of my life than stay in a one sided friendship where all my love and care goes down the trash.

I find it funny and sad that you keep bringing up that old stupid fake ass friend I had too. I told you how much pain she caused me and you still joke about it and even about my mom. Plus i was just a stupid ass middle schooler. I didnt know what i was doing and i was desperate for affection. How would you like it if I joked about you know who? I would never do that shit and yet you do it to me. You were BETTER than that bitch. I genuinely loved you and I wanted to be your girlfriend. I drew us together and sent you gifts and cared for you more than I ever did with anyone. You were the biggest love of my life and now you don't even care about that. I loved you A. Why did it have to come to this. Why did you have to turn out like everyone else. I hate my fucking life bruh I wish I was fucking dead.

[thepenultimateword]

Biggest Fan Part Four

Part One Part Two Part Three

"You know I publicly announced our relationship so that we could go out, right?" Hero said, chin rested puppylike on the edge of the table.

Villain broke apart their chopsticks with a light snap and began heaping a pile of steaming chow mein on a paper plate.

"Yeees, but I like eating in. You don't have to worry about waiters or noise or anyone watching you. Plus, I can do this." They leaned across the table and pecked Hero on the forehead.

A wave of heat immediately washed over Villain's face but luckily Hero's ears burned brighter. They were never going to get used to this, were they? Maybe they were both hopeless.

Hero tugged a piece of blonde hair over their face in an attempt to shield their embarrassment, but it only reached to their eyebrow. "I...suppose that's a pretty big plus."

Villain grinned and went back to hovering chopsticks over take-out boxes. "What entrees do you want?"

"Orange chicken and Szechuan pork."

Hero slowly rose out of their melted blushing puddle and leaned in a little, eyes steadily watching as Villain began folding back the taps of more boxes. They were only divvying out dinner, but from Hero's expression, you'd think they were balancing knives on their nose while doing the ballet.

"I really do want to take you places," Hero said abruptly.

"We do go places."

"Movie theatres, plays, really dim restaurants, places people can't make out our faces. I know what you're doing."

Villain flinched. Their chopsticks squeezed too hard on their egg roll, and it began oozing cabbage out of the middle. "You do?"

"It's sweet,” Hero said, fingers brushing Villain’s wrist, “but you don't have to worry about me, Savant. I'm fine. I don't care what anybody thinks. I just care about you."

They barely held back their sigh of relief, though the sick feeling in their gut remained persistent. Would Hero be so nonchalant if they knew the truth? Probably not. This time, this bliss, it was a miracle. One that Villain probably didn’t deserve, but they were too selfish to give up.

Villain forced a coy smile before selecting an especially fat piece of orange chicken between their chopsticks and holding it out to them.

"We've only known each other a few months. Where do you get off being so cheesy?”

Hero took the chicken in their teeth and mumbled out the side of their cheek. “Probably you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah," Hero said, chewing. "All that ‘I’m your biggest fan; you're so attractive; I kiss a poster with your face on it’ stuff? Super cheesy. Royally cheesy."

"Pretty sure I never said any of that."

"I read between the lines."

Villain snorted. “Oh riiight. It's not like you're the one who asked me on our first date, begged me to be your partner on live television, and drew me on a trading card that you keep on your nightstand. You’re obsessed with me.

“Obsessed?” Hero grinned, leaning in further on their elbows now.

Villain mirrored their movement. “Completely."

Hero swallowed and came within a blushing inch of Villain's face, breath blowing out sweet and vaguely citrus across the arch of the nose. “Well, I suppose that's hard to help when a gorgeous, talented, fiery bombshell falls in your lap and admits they like you."

Villain closed the gap softly, the feverish heat escaping off their skin only a smolder against Hero's mouth rather than the scald of their first kiss.

Hero pulled back just far enough to show the dusty pink airbrushed across the bridge of their nose. "Plus, you give the most addictive kisses."

Villain kissed them again in reply, slowly inching from their lips up the curve of their jaw. Little temporary scorch marks, one for each kiss, trailed their face in warm red. The bad feeling in Villain's stomach remained only a flickering candlewick now. No need to worry yet. They still had time.

Hero broke off Villain's next kiss with a tactical turn of their head, pressing their foreheads together and unfairly incapacitating them with those crashing wave eyes. They wound a piece of Villain's charcoal hair around their forefinger. “So there’s this party going on at city hall. It’s not really a company party, but a lot of company people are going to be there. And I was thinking maybe we could go together?”

Villain froze solid, lips still parted and puckered.

“Please?”

“I don’t know—“

Savant. Please.”

Hero's brow had scrunched somewhere between hopeful and desperate. Villain had already successfully avoided the agency's Valentine's and Spring Fling parties, as well as a couple personal dinners with Hero's closest coworkers, but with each new batch of made-up plans, the light in their lover's eyes died a little more.

"I..."

Hero bit their lip in anticipation, hands subconsciously squeezing Villain's wrist and the edge of the table.

Maybe they could wear makeup. Lots of makeup. And...do something about their hair. Cut it or dye it or something. They'd heard that small changes to the appearance or a face showing up in an unexpected place could really throw people off. Besides, they hadn't been front-page in over a year, so their face wasn't fresh in anyone's minds. Maybe no one would recognize them.

“Ok.”

Hero's face bloomed. "Really?"

"Yeah, sure, of course. I'm...looking forward to it."

"Don't be nervous." Hero pecked Villain on the brow and withdrew back to their side of the table with their plate. "Everyone's going to love you."

Villain couldn't hold their smile so they averted their gaze to their plate. "Yeah."

If they don't kill me.

***

Villain stared up at the pale, white-washed pillars of the capital building. The grain of the stone glittered beneath the bright hanging lamps, bathing it in a horizontal rainbow of light. This venue was even worse than they had imagined. Unlike the parties at the agency, inside awaited not just heroes, but politicians, reporters, celebrities. They felt like a moth drawn to a bug zapper.

A light tap on their shoulder sent them whirling around, tiny flames already rising across outstretched palms.

"Hey," Hero said with a gentle laugh, twining their hands into both of Villain's and dampening the flames with barely a wince. "It's just me."

Villain sighed and barely held back from sinking against them. "Hi."

Hero held them out admiringly.

"You look..." Hero trailed, cocking their head to the side, "...well, beautiful, but also...very interesting."

Villain shuffled uncomfortably. The thick plaster of their foundation and contouring cream weighed heavy on their skin, applied in a way that sharpened the soft curves of their faces. If that didn't alter their face enough, hopefully, the heavily drawn eyebrows did the trick. Fake eyelashes kept tickling their cheeks and their head ached a little from pulling up their hair in the tightest bun they could manage, orange ends tucked inward. Then there were these--

"What's with the glasses?"

Villain fiddled with the frames. "M-my eyes are a little tired from reading so--"

Hero plucked them off their face and slid them onto their own nose. They raised one eyebrow. "No prescription."

"Well, I...I..."

Hero chuckled and slid the glasses into their suit pocket. "What are you trying to disguise? Everyone here already knows who I am, and they know you're my date."

Villain's fingers itched to snatch the frames back, but they knew they didn't have a good explanation, so they let it alone. "Just nervous."

At least that wasn't a lie. Their stomach was practically eating itself.

"It's going to be ok. My coworkers are really nice. I've told them a lot about you already, and they don't care at all that your villain. And anyone here who does care, we don't have to talk to."

With the soothing balm of Hero's voice working into their anxiety, Villain could almost believe that this night would turn out ok.

“Ok.”

Hero shot them an encouraging smile and, taking them by the arm, led them up the steps.

They dragged them in too fast, and their knees nearly caved beneath the sheer amount of people stuffed into this one big room. Everything felt too loud and too bright, and the air was stuffy with too many colognes and perfumes.

“I want to introduce you to Caveat first,” Hero said, pulling them along excitedly.

Next thing they knew, they were being placed in front of an all too familiar face with sharp cheekbones, mussed frosted hair and ice chip eyes that could pierce through someone’s soul.

Villain immediately ducked their head. They’d only ever encountered Wayward city’s ex-favorite a couple of times, but fire and ice made for some memorable fights.

“This is Savant,” Hero said.

“Savant,” Caveat repeated, weighing it in their mouth. “It’s good to finally put a face to the name. No one can have a conversation with Hero anymore without them finding a way to bring you up.”

“I don’t think they need to know that,” Hero said, squirming a little in their shoes.

The corner of Caveat’s lip tugged upward. “What? That’s not embarrassing. Is that embarrassing, Savant?”

Villain dared to lift their eyes to the superhero’s. “No. It’s cute.”

“See?” Caveat said, slapping Hero’s arm. “If you want to talk embarrassing, we should bring up that bank heist last week. You know, the part when you—“

“Well, it’s been nice talking to you, Caveat,” Hero said snatching Villain by the shoulders and steering them toward the refreshment table. “See you at work!”

“Hey!” Caveat called after them with a cackle. “I haven’t shown them your rookie pictures yet!”

Now Villain understood why Hero had been so adamant in that interview about they and Caveat’s relationship status. Caveat couldn’t have been many years older than Hero, but their dynamic was definitely for embarrassing mom than romantic partner.

“Well now I want to know what happened at the bank heist,” Villain said, bumping their elbow back into Hero’s ribs.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You don’t have to, I’ll just go back and ask— Woooah!”

Hero pulled them out of their feigned march back to the other side of the room, swinging them in a smooth circle that ended with them clasped between their arms.

Villain looked up them. “That was smooth.”

“Was it?” Hero beamed.

“Well, it was up until you said that. The blush doesn’t help either.”

“You’re blushing too!”

Villain touched their hand to their cheek. Yep. Scalding. Hopefully their makeup didn’t drip.

“Guess we’re a match made in heaven,” Villain chuckled awkwardly.

“Yeah.”

They stared at each other for a while, a collective pool of simmering tomato soup.

“We should get some punch,” Hero finally said. “Before you combust.”

“Ha ha.” They edged down the table toward the large frosted punch bowl at the end. “How about I start making wind jokes?”

“What would a wind joke even sound like?”

“Do you really need to ask?”

While Hero was thinking, Villain took a glass and one of the two ladles in their hand.

“That’s just immature!” Hero said.

Villain’s laugh escaped as a squeak and half the punch in their ladle sloshed out onto another guest’s hand.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Villain yelped, following the scarlet stained cuff sleeve to its owner’s face. Even though most heroes weren’t in costume, this one wore an electric blue eye mask.

“That’s…” The hero stopped, narrowing their eyes. “…fine.”

“Oh…hey, Luck,” Hero stepped closer to Villain. “This is, um, Savant.”

“Uh…huh?”

Luck didn’t really sound like he was listening. He was too busy flicking their eyes up and down Villain’s body, slowly, carefully, as if stripping away each layer of trickery.

“Nice to meet you,” Villain said quickly and turned to point to a random spot across the room. “Hey, Hero, let’s go over there.”

"Aren't you the villain who killed all those kids?"

Villain’s heart plunged down into their shoes.

“Oh just shut up for once,” Hero said, circling one arm protectively around Villain’s shoulders.

The other hero rose his eyebrows. “Woow, finally biting back are we? I’d love to argue on, but I’m actually serious. They’re that villain from the manhunt a few years ago.”

“No.” Hero scoffed. “No, they’re new to the villain scene. Until this year they've only been a henchman, right, Savant?"

Villain didn't respond. They wanted to. They wanted to laugh and deny and move on with this party, but their tongue wouldn't come unstuck from the roof of their mouth. Everything tasted dry; they couldn't even swallow. And all the while that they stood staring, the confidence in Hero's face was shifting.

"Is that what they told you?" the other hero said, voice growing louder. He snorted and narrowed his eyes on Villain. "You're newer than they are, kid. They can try to cover it up, but I know that face. News broadcasted it 24/7 for two weeks. The search lasted months until some hot shot supervillain dragged them in squealing. Guess even other villains couldn't stand the sight of them."

Villain's lungs burned. It felt like their breath was coming in through a straw.

Say something! Anything! Just don't let Hero hear any further!

"What do they call you?" Luck snarled, invisible bands tightening around Villain with every word. "Pyre?”

Villain flinched so hard they bumped against Hero's chest. Their eyes flicked desperately around the room instinctively putting together an escape route, but all they saw were dozens of staring eyes. That hero had been loud on purpose. They all knew.

Pyre licked their lips and finally managed to coax a whisper up their throat, though it croaked terribly. "I-I don't want any trouble."

"Really? Is that why you faked a name and approached a hero who you knew wouldn't know you? Because you're harmless? Or do you really think you can rest easy and forget what you've done?"

"I haven't forgotten," Pyre said, almost a plea.

"You don't get to live normally after that."

Luck took a menacing step forward and a few other members of the crowd echoed it.

"Now wait a minute--" Hero started.

Pyre twisted out of their grip, not ready for that protectiveness to turn constraining. They whipped their head around like a wild thing, turning everything in the room slightly blurry. Finally, their eyes settled on what they were looking for, the gaping front door.

Only one option left.

They ran.

"Get them!"

The crowd surged forward in one angry, manic mass, bodies scrambling over each other, shouts mixing together in ugly harmony, fingernails snagging in Pyre's clothes. An instinctual and defensive wave of heat gathered beneath the surface of their skin, bursting out in an explosive ring of fire that sent the crowd reeling back just far enough to clear a path to the door.

"Wait!" Hero's voice cut through the chaos. "Leave them alone!"

Pyre glanced back, but the crowd was already regrouping, and heroes were beginning to remember that they had powers. They needed to keep running.

The beginnings of a storm brewed overhead, but the night air lashing across their face barely cooled them. The soles of their shoes softened with each pounding step until eventually they melted into a hot, sticky sludge. They kicked off the remains, letting their bare feet sizzle in the first drops of rain.

They ran. And ran. And ran. Leaving Hero's scared and confused face far behind.

Part Five

Master Taglist:

@moss-tombstone @crazytwentythrees @just-1-lonely-person @the-vagabond-nun @yulanlavender @willow-trees-are-beautiful @cocoasprite @insanedreamer7905 @appleejuice @psychiclibrariesquotestoad @valiantlytransparentwhispers @whovian378