#i really enjoy being able to keep things for myself. it takes the pressure off and makes me happier i think

[welcometogrouchland]

[ID: ten pieces of digital owl house fanart.

The 1st image is a finished illustration of Amity and Willow in clouds on the horizon, in fighting poses welding their magic against a dark purple background.

The 2nd image is a doodle of Luz from hollow mind with an exaggerated and distraught face looking at the viewer against the purple background. She's labeled "has witnessed the horrors" a small scribble of hunter can be seen in the background.

The 3rd image is a limited green, yellow, orange and blue colour palette drawing of willow in her flyer derby uniform.

The 4th image is a doodle of Luz and Hunter in a Labyrinth (1986) au. Hunter wears an outfit similar to his one in eclipse lake and looks at Luz grumpily. Luz wears Eda's jacket over an azura dress and looks back at hunter. Each has a thought bubble- hunters says "ruining his chances of getting his uncle back" and Luz's says "brother napper".

The 5th and 6th images are a set of limited colour palette drawings of Willow and Hunter. Both are from the bust up, willow's palette is green and hunters is blue.

The 7th image is a doodle of Caleb and Evelyn labeled "ye olde bisexuals".

The 8th image is an all green doodle of willow in her Halloween costume on a transparent background. The 9th image is of possessed hunter on a black background.

The 10th and final image is a young Luz being held by Camilla as she cries. The palette is all purple and yellow and the lyrics "one of these days I'm gonna move far away..." Are written and partially cut off in the background. End ID]

All the art from last year (dad joke) that I liked but never posted! I'm not gonna write a huge dedication because this post is long enough (that's what the tags are for). Instead I will simply say that now my conscience is cleared of all the requests I did but never posted (third image is a request for @hotwizardstuff and 10th is for @loverboybrightsideghost), I am finally free to be as silly as I want in the new year!!! 🎉��

[silly-writes]

Hi! I love your work! Can you do a Mike + alters, Scott, Alejandro (seperate) x reader where the reader has really bad sensory issues, especially with loud noises, and can have panic attacks from them? if your not okay with writing this then that’s totally fine /gen. it’s important to take care of yourself.

Contestants with reader who gets overstimulated.

Aaa thank u for this request anon! Yes i'm totally comfortable writing this kind of stuff! Thanks for being so kind about it! As an autistic person with really bad sensory issues myself I actually find it a thearputic, lol. Okay enough about me, enjoy!

Mike

dealing with a traumagenic disorder (DID) I would imagine he's honestly kind of in the same boat.

He's no stranger to panic attacks, and is pretty well versed by now in how to deal with them.

The first time it happens though he's sort of an anxious wreck, he's just nervous that trying to help might make it worse, but he doesn't want to leave your side.

He gives you lot's of words of encouragement, and helps you through breathing exercises, and gets you plenty of water.

"It's okay, breathe with me, I'm right here," he assures you gently.

If you require pressure/physical contact during your panic attacks, he's more than happy to give you that.

He gets good at catching them too, he'll always be able to identify when you're about to spiral because of too much noise or too bright lights, and he'll find a quiet secluded room so he can work through it with you.

"Sorry you have to deal with this too," you said, after a particularly bad one, you still felt dizzy, and tears still stained your face, but you had come out of it now, and felt a little guilty.

"Hey don't apologize, I don't mind. Not at all."

He's just very caring with this kind of stuff in general.

Manitoba

Maintoba is similar to Mike, and I would think he likes to carry around a backpack whenever he is fronting (you never know when you're going to run into treasure). So he always keeps noise canceling headphones and a pair of sunglasses in there just for you.

Honestly I headcanon him as the caretaker of the system, so I imagine he's used to caring for people during panic attacks.

He's very observant, probably even more so than Mike, so he's better at avoiding them all together by identifying what situations you can handle and what you can't.

He always does a little research before the two of you go out in the environment to ensure that it doesn't seem loud/bright/overstimulating.

However sometimes these things are just unavoidable, and inevitable.

He'll provide you with whatever physical comfort you require, if any at all.

Anything you need, he's there to get for you.

"Take all the time in the world treasure, I'll still be here," he said.

He's all around good at keeping you grounded, and just good at being there with you.

Svetlana

I would think Svetlana is probably the protector/gatekeeper, most of her comfort comes from her just being fiercely loyal.

She'll be there no matter what, and you take great comfort in that fact.

She's not as good with being traditionally comforting, since it's a little out of her element.

Not that she doesn't try of course, she really cares about you, and she wants that to come across.

(I would think she would panic a little and ask Manitoba and Mike for help from the inner world).

But she would absolutely stay with you, coaching you through breathing exercises, talking to try and distract you.

Eventually if you let her know what you need (be it space, a distracting, physical comfort, quiet, dark) you name it, she will get it for you.

She's much better at caring for you after the panic attack honestly, when you feel really tired and put out, disoriented and just overwhelmed.

"Svetlana's here now to melt all your worries away," she smiled at you once.

She'll almost always bring you home, or take you to a secluded room, and just hangout with you. She'll turn all the lights off and sit in silence with you so you can have basically zero sensory input for a little while.

She'll absolutely stay with you until you feel yourself again.

Mal

Okay things with Mal are a little tricky.

He's for sure a former prosecutor and after a bit of system healing, definitely prosecutor turned protector.

Don't get me wrong though, he can still be a little nasty and snarky sometimes, but he's working on getting better.

Which is why he feels sort of out of his element when he's with you when you're having a panic attack.

He's not good at being comforting, and he barely knows what to do when he has a panic attack, so the first time it happens he completely freezes up.

He might even let someone else front to help you out instead of him.

After a while he gets better at keeping up with your triggers, and while he remains pretty awful at being comforting, he's good at grounding you.

He's glad sometimes that being there is enough sometimes, he doesn't know what he'd do if it wasn't.

"Sorry I can't do more..." he said one day.

You smile at him "You being here is enough sometimes."

Scott

Scott is also somewhat of a wreck I would imagine.

Growing up fairly isolated on a farm he's understandably really rough with being intune with people's emotions, he's not really all that good at reading you. Or anyone for that matter.

The first few times, he's shocked everytime.

What could be making you feel like this? He had no idea.

He would definitely need a list of all of your triggers, you have to tell him what helps you and what doesn't outright. Scott doesn't really like playing guessing games, especially when it comes to your safety and comfort.

Clear communication becomes pretty important for the two of you in all honesty, and the two of you work at it all the time.

Eventually he gets better at serving you during panic attacks, or meltdowns, he knows what to do after a little while.

Again I would think he's really good at protecting, so I think he's super good at keeping people away when he sees you're overstimulated.

"Don't touch them!" he huffed when someone was trying to tap you to get your attention.

Overall, he's really really trying for you, and knowing that is comfort enough.

Alejandro

It's no secret that Alejandro is very intune with people, just one of his many skills.

So he can tell right away from his very first meeting you, any loud noises, bright lights, things like that just don't mix well with you.

He steers clear of them when around you, always guiding you more towards quieter, much calmer and secluded dates.

When driving he turns the music down, and makes sure that all audio input looks like its helping you and not harming you.

Plus I feel like (and this is totally me projecting btw) he would carry around stim toys for you to distract yourself with, and headphones for when things are a lot.

But again, sometimes things just happen, and try as he might to protect you, it's not always possible.

He can always tell when things are getting to be a lot for you, he's good at reading everyone but you in specific.

He's really good at covering for you, if someone is asking where you are, or needs/wants to talk to you when you need to be alone he'll keep them away from you.

He'll spend as much time as you need helping you.

"Are you feeling better mi amor?" He would ask.

"Almost-" you said, voice a little course and shaky "-sorry," you said softly.

"Don't apologize, I don't mind at all."

Alejandro can be really nurturing when he wants to be.

He might deny it, deny it to the ends of the earth but he's very good at taking care of you.

[kitsuvil]

— confines [picturesque/ayato smau]

[ masterlist ] — last chapter of the first arc ! this has a written part

I rubbed at the crust in my eyes, knowing that there was no plausible way for me to actually fall asleep again. Being in such close proximity with Ayato made my heartbeat spike, despite having told myself multiple times that it's a normal reaction and doesn't really mean anything. What could it possibly mean, anyway?

It's nothing new to feel excited or have adrenaline when you're with someone you appreciate. Of course, I never felt this way with any of my friends, but perhaps it was just a new platonic feeling. Right. Just platonic.

My gaze fell on his sleeping face, quiet and at peace. Until he slowly opened his eyes and stared at me, disoriented confusion glazed over his squinting eyes. "[Name]?" He looked around. "What time is it?" Ayato yawned like a tired cat.

"It's still morning. I'm sorry for accidentally staying the night, on your couch with you no less," the last part came out in a whisper. "As long as you had a pleasant sleep." Ayato's morning voice had an alluring rasp to it, some of his words slurring together.

"The sleep was fine, but after waking up... I can't say the same," I laughed in pity of my churning stomach. I did this to myself, so I couldn't whine and complain, but the more I sat around, the worse it felt. Silly hot pot challenge.

"I would question it, but I think I already know why."

"This is your fault for making me add the weirdest ingredients into the hotpot. And Thoma still won against me."

"You two share the competitive spirit," Ayato laughed as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and attempted to get up. "Do you need me to take you home?"

He stretched his limbs out from the stiff position he was sleeping in, and I couldn't help but admire his look in the mornings. Only he would look so charming after a night of sleeping on the couch.

"I would say yeah... But this couch is so comfortable. What if I stay here."

"You're welcome to, I won't stop you," Ayato's eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"If I go home, it means I have to return to the daily routine of doing more and more classwork. Tomorrow is Monday, and immediately, I'm back to the same schedule," I sighed. "On top of that, my stomach is gluing me to this couch..." I trailed off awkwardly as my stomach grumbled.

"Aren't you enjoying your time in university? Majoring in photography and all, doing what you love?"

Ayato sat back down on the couch beside me. I wasn't going to elaborate any further, but with how willing he was to listen and the distraction to my stomach pain, I found myself bringing more thoughts to the open world.

"Of course. But what else do I face other than assigned work and unwilling projects?"

I continued, not wasting a chance to get my words out. "I feel privileged to be studying my dream already, but the more I struggle to keep up, the more it feels like a chore."

There was no way Ayato would have felt this. Being forced to sit through courses when all you really want is to be out there. He's the one who had the ability for a sudden trip overseas and was able to experience so much. Not to mention, he willingly began to attend. He's skilled, but it was already laid out for him.

And it makes me feel like I'm falling behind.

I didn't want to look at him negatively, I knew how hard he worked, so perhaps the problem was with me. University made me feel like a cooped up farm animal.

"[Name], if you feel this way, why wouldn't you speak about it earlier on? Not in a pressuring way, but you shouldn't have to bottle up frustrations like this. Part of the reason why I'm so successful is because I learned to speak for myself early on."

The fatigue of the situation was almost completely gone as adrenaline took over, part of me anxious that I was whining about my personal thoughts to Ayato like this. "It's for the exact reason I mentioned earlier. It's already such a special thing to attend Teyvat Uni for photography, which is why I shouldn't be expecting more."

"Do you know why I began to attend in the first place?"

"Because you wanted to fool around and get a taste of this life?" I laughed, slightly sarcastic.

"Not at all. [Name], I signed up for this university to meet people, great people like you who have so much potential. There are many students who visibly dull their own shine by putting themselves up against people who do things differently. Do not contain yourself to a single box when the world is out there waiting for you."

"But the world is like a galaxy away when I'm confined to projects and such."

"It doesn't have to be. Just because you set yourself to this standard does not mean you belong in it. Humanity is unique. Perhaps this confined life just isn't meant for you."

I pursed my lips, pondering over his advice. A leap into the world without formal education was like a leap into the abyss.

"How about this, next time I have a place I want to visit, we'll travel together. We can come up with ideas for your future. Two brains are better than just one, right?"

I had to laugh at his poor attempt to drag me into his strange and successful life. However,

"Fine. But if it doesn't work, I'm going back to drowning in assignments."

I fell into that sirenlike attempt.

"Thank you for hearing me out... For now, I think you need something to help with that stomach bug. How does some soup sound?" Ayato stood back up.

"Soup? I'm not sure if my stomach can take any more weird things. Is this your girl math at trying to cancel one with the other?"

I felt warm from his words. It's like a few photos had finally printed out, and there was a new stack of film sitting in my heart.

"No! I promise, it's the soup Thoma makes for us when we're unwell... I just don't know how well it'll turn out. I never do this kind of thing. There's a reason Thoma is like a mother to us... but I can try."

"Then, I'm sure even your suspicious attempt will work to improve my health. Thank you. For trying to not only make me feel better physically, but for being here to listen to my strange sick ramblings."

— hehe this chapter has much cuties much fluff much comfort!! unfortunately couldnt translate that in just photos aaaa </3 taking a few days from writing as a break until act 2 starts teehee

— taglist; @griseoo @fangygf @boxxd @driftwoodmanor @meigalaxy @kyon-cherri @xiaossocksniffer @quacking-simp @kaitfae @imgayandshesanime @lxry-chxn @ni-ki-ismyluv @cante-lope @kookiibun @kamisatoyato

[wayfayrr]

You don’t have to do this one if it’s too much!! I just simp for twi and time so hard but I don’t wanna overwhelm you, please take breaks!! Ily :’DD

Soft fruit cake w eggnog to eat in?

I hope you'll enjoy your order this evening ~

Time is one of the links I'm less confident with writing, but he's still so much fun. He's a bit of a blushy dork in this one for you. <3

[Event masterlist]

“It's kinda comforting to know that Hyrule has the same traditions as home. Some of them anyway.”

Time isn’t focused on it, it seems off for him to be acting like this, unless he was lying to me? what reason would he have to lie about something so harmless though… it’s just gifts. Why would he ever need to lie as something as a tradition?  

“You don’t actually have it as a tradition, do you?” 

“What, no, we do. It’s part of the winter festival here.”

“Why do you feel the need to lie over something so small?”

Red illuminates his face at that, whatever has him so embarrassed over being called out for this? It’s so different from his usual stoic self too, not a bad change, just a sudden one. It makes me want to pry into what’s causing this even more than if he did manage to keep his cool.

“You seemed so excited when talking about it. I just wanted to do it for you.”

“But why lie, why not just be honest and just do it as a new thing?”

The red grows from his cheeks to the tips of his ears now, this new bashful side only becoming more appealing the more of it I get to see. Still though, it’s such a childish thing to get so flustered over. Like he’s a little kid rather than one of the oldest links here, not even able to make eye contact with me anymore. 

“Well, never mind that. It doesn’t change the fact that we’ve both gotten each other a gift right?”

“I'd still like to know why you didn’t just admit it’s not commonly done.”

“You were so- hmph.”

He’s close to cracking on the reason why he’s lying about all all of this to begin with, if I push it a little more he’ll spill I can bet. I don’t even really mind what it is, it’s only sheer curiosity making me want to learn now. What reason is enough to lie over something so small for so long?

“Time - link please, I’m not bothered or anything, I just wanna know.”

“You just seemed so excited talking about your home and I know you’ve been homesick… So I just… Wanted to make you more comfortable.”

That’s it? I can’t deny that it’s not a sweet reason, it does feel very childish though, it really is like he’s just some love struck teen. If I were to close my eyes and focus… I could probably see his young adult self still dressed in that forest green.

“While I appreciate it, you really didn’t need to go that far for something so simple. I’m honoured though… If we’re not following strict traditions though… why not just give each other gifts now?”

“That wouldn’t bother you? I thought christmas day was what you said was important.”

“The thought of it is what counts above everything else, besides if you’re so worried about the day, I don’t know if it’s passed or not back home.”

The blush is slowly fading now, his fluster dying down till he looks more like his familiar lightly stoic self. Finally moving to sit down next to me rather than over at the opposite side avoiding looking at me but not before picking up his bag. Setting himself down with a sigh and a hand running through his hair. Hyping himself up by the look of it, it makes a lot of sense why he’s so nervous now that I know it’s his first time doing anything like this. I can probably take some of that stress away by simply giving him his first, hopefully, then he’ll feel less pressure. 

“Here, I got this for you at the recent village -”

His surprise is cute, I knew it’d be worth it to hand-decorate some paper to wrap it with. Even though it’s torn in a matter of seconds, anything is worth it for him.

“I saw how you were looking at it for ages - don’t worry I brought it myself and not out of the supply fund. Do you like it?”

“You… I didn’t expect it… it was so expensive.”

So getting him a cloak and the armour polish he was staring at longingly was the right idea. Wiping my savings might not have been as good, but I can earn it back fairly quickly if the others are still as bad with bets. He’s blushing a little as he passes me two neatly wrapped parcels.

“This is for you then I hope you’ll like it as much as I did.”

My breath catches in my throat as I unwrapped the first, and I’m greeted with the most beautiful leather-bound sketchbook. A quick glance at him as he gestures for me to open the other. These art supplies must have cost him so much, watercolours here are rare, all of these charcoal pencils too.

“Time you -”

“You said you missed drawing, that you wanted your own supplies. So when I saw them I knew they would be perfect… you do like them right?”

“I love them… than you so much link.”

It’s a bit of a struggle to stop myself from tearing up from how kind it was, thankfully he seems to have taken pity on me now as he cuddles up with me next to the fire. Moving me to lay against his side as we watched it crackle late into the night.

[sneakyboymerlin]

Heeeeeyyyyy it’s ur boy uh. Skinny penice.

If any of you lovelies wanna help me get my mom’s account out of the negatives, I would be eternally grateful.

Her account is around -$300 after the bills got taken out, we’re just trying not to rack up any late fees at this point ✨ any money will go to getting her account out of the negatives or else paying off the fees as they add up. She’s already been in the negatives for 2 or 3 days because she tried to “fix it herself” without telling me (I only found out because I happened to see her bank app).

Her car’s engine also stopped and we can’t afford a rental so I have to drive her to and from work myself (a 40 minute drive each way, I will be making the 80 minute drive twice today so I can go to my own job). I don’t get paid until Thursday and the only thing I can afford rn is gas.

I just had to pay $500 to get my own car out of the shop after almost 2 months since someone tried to steal it in September (all the parts they needed were on back order) and the dude who tried to take it for a joy ride gets to pay it back in small increments (when a white boy does it for fun, they give him every excuse) which means I’m out $500.

I wanted to attend my community college this upcoming semester but I’m just going to have to skip again if this keeps up, which I really don’t want to do because of pressure from my sister to get a degree or apprenticeship. She won’t help my mom in order to “punish her” but it really just punishes me. My mom has been hiding her finances from me ever since my dad died, resulting in things like my car (the car is under her name & insurance but my dad gave it to me) getting repossessed during the summer (we were able to get it back luckily) and the internet getting shut off. She lied about where the money I paid her was going, paid for her own car + insurance instead and let my car get repossessed. My finances and well-being are entirely dependent on her bank account, and she is consistently dishonest about where our money goes, and then funnels any money I make into her account. She also tries to buy frivolous things we don’t need when she runs out of money + tries to force me to buy those things for her and is only frugal when spending her own paycheck. Everyone I have explained the situation to tells me that I am being financially abused, and I cannot find a way out of it besides moving out, but I can’t afford to do that and I can’t leave my pets behind.

I was also trying to pay off my phone and late bills to T-Mobile so we could switch over to a cheaper company but I can’t make any progress on this because we can’t afford to pay anything off before the next month rolls over and we get charged yet again (when T-Mobile bought Sprint they started charging us out the ass). The electric bill is also going to be unsustainable this winter, our heater doesn’t work half the time so we have space heaters but that’s it for us + our 4 cats + 1 dog.

I’m also supposed to be going to the doctor’s to get a diagnosis (probably EDS), physical and mental therapy, etc. but I have to go through multiple doctors and institutions(?) to do this, which is pretty much impossible when you’re sharing 1 car between 2 people and are the only one with any gas money (which is gonna go FAST). I also do not want my mom to know under any circumstances if I attend mental therapy.

And there’s always more but I don’t have time to continue on

If you follow me or enjoy my posting please consider helping out if you can 💗

C*sh*app is $ThreeTrilobites

DM me for P*yP*l or V-nmo info

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for accidentally causing a falling out in our friend group?

I (19) made some friends in college. One of these was J (19M). Throughout the year, small issues built up with him. Notably him constantly (albeit not maliciously) misgendering me. However, he has only known me to go by they/them pronouns since we met, so I don’t see why after nearly a year of knowing him he still couldn’t get them right.

As well as him having very aggressive body language while having conversations/arguments, which always made me very uncomfortable, but he never actually did anything, so I thought it was fine.

The turning point was one night when we were all hanging out, me and my friend M (19F) were talking about how unfair it is that guys can take their shirts off when it’s super hot outside and somehow it got to us talking about how boobs are technically secondary sexual characteristics and shouldn’t even be sexualized by society as much as they are.

J argued with us. The actual opinion on this argument is not important here nor what makes anyone the asshole, but essentially it boiled down to me saying that, if it was hot enough, I personally don’t think it should be wrong for me to be shirtless. He then told me to prove it by taking off my shirt. I said no. There were five other people in the room with us who would not consent to that and it wasn’t hot in the room.

After I explicitly said no to taking off my shirt, he doubled down. Said if I didn’t take it off my argument had no holding and that he was right, which made me uncomfortable. I didn’t feel like I needed to strip in my friend’s dorm to prove a point for a disagreement that really wasn't that serious and I didn't like that he pressured me to after I said no the first time. I can’t remember what I said in response, but the disagreement ended there thanks to the show we were all about to watch starting. However, it made me very uncomfortable for the rest of the night.

Later that night, we went out to get some food like we usually do and sat around in a circle talking. Two of my friends went up to get more food while the other three were having their own conversation which led to J and I talking. 

Now, some context: I’m autistic and I have sensory issues which make it difficult for me to eat food. There have been times when I’ve gone the whole day without eating, or maybe even multiple without, and I often stick to foods that are "safe" and won’t make me feel sick (most aren’t very nutritional/healthy).

I'm very aware of my difficulty eating and how unhealthy it is. I had been going back to my house every weekend in order to eat something other than the college food and even bought some vitamins to try and keep myself from getting severely malnourished.

That being said, I didn’t get a chance to eat much that day, and going out with them was my first genuine meal. After eating a meatball sub I got, M gave me her leftover grapes and I offhandedly said to J “I think these are the healthiest thing I’ve ate today.” 

And his response to me saying this was “You are so strange. You’re aware of how unhealthy you are, yet you never change.”

For the record, he doesn't know the specifics of my difficulties with eating. I’ve only vaguely mentioned it’s hard for me to eat and that I’m not able to eat a lot without feeling sick. Still, it felt really insensitive, very out of nowhere as we weren't having a serious conversation at all, and hurt my feelings. I got visibly upset at this and responded with a very bitter “Yeah” and immediately dropped the subject because it's not something I enjoy talking about. (This was also not the first time he has made comments about my self-care habits in such a way and while I believe he says them with good intentions I have stated multiple times it makes me feel worse).

I didn’t want to make a big deal out of nothing, so I texted my friends after we all headed back to our dorms about what happened. Both him telling me to take off my shirt and the comment on my eating and asked if I was making a big deal out of it by being uncomfortable and upset. They told me that both things were extremely rude (and that the shirt thing was technically sexual harassment, though I don’t want to call it that) and that I was justified in being uncomfortable. They then mentioned that they had their own issues with J being a little too aggressive in the past that they had brushed aside, but they felt that what happened to me justified talking to him about his behavior.

We tried our best to avoid an argument. We just wanted to have a civil conversation about it as we all genuinely care about him. But when I confronted him about my issues and H brought up the problems she had been having (which consisted of him being too aggressive, guilt tripping the others when he was told to back off, and not respecting her privacy in her dorm) he got very defensive. It escalated into an argument between H and J that escalated to H deciding to cut ties with him due to him refusing to listen.

A few hours later, J sent me and H a genuine apology, which we accepted. I thought things were fine between us, although there was lingering discomfort as there would be with most big arguments. When the semester ended he sent us all messages that he didn’t feel welcome in the group and that he thought it was better to cut ties permanently and wished us all well. 

I kind of feel like it’s my fault and that I caused unnecessary drama without meaning to.

AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[pedroschka]

Flowers

Joseph Quinn x reader

words: 1,7k fluff

Summary: first impressions are the best impressions - and you certainly delivered

A/n: do not get drunk alone in clubs kids! The possibility of a Joe in shiny armor is very low

"I can buy myself floweeers!" belting out the lyrics while moving around the kitchen, attempting to clean the flat but keep stopping midway to give Miley backup with the vacuum cleaner rumbling in the background, humming out the last words when you're done "hmm hm I can love me better hmm"

" I guess I keep them for myself then "

seconds away from a heart attack you turned annoyed to your boyfriend who suddenly stands behind you, ready to give him a speech that there are better ways to get rid of you instead of an early death.

But there he stood with a huge bouquet of your favourite flowers, a cheeky smile on his lips and still clad in his coat, curls sticking on his forehead from the rain outside.

"Happy Valentine's day, love "

Rushing over to him and grabbing the bouquet, nearly blocking your entire view of him, staring in surprise at the various assemble of colours in front of you

You've never received flowers before and certainly not on valentine's day and as it was only your first one together you really didn't expect anything at all - The bar is set so low and yet it seems so difficult to reach

But on second thought it really shouldn't surprise you at all because Joe always goes over and above to let you feel like the most precious thing in his life, from surprise date nights, small weekend vacations, just coming home and a warm bath is ready for you or his homecooked meals, slightly overwhelming you at the beginning and feeling pressured to somehow be able to compete, but it didn't last long for your love languages to balance eachother out, like a well played ping pong match where you express your gratitude in forms of affirmation, simple touches or just enjoying the trip's he planned for you or eating the food he made.

Taking in your appearance,at least the parts not being hidden from him behind the bunch of flowers, his lips turning upwards when he recognised the familiar fabric hanging off your frame and your feet shuffling over the floor in his white tennis socks

"You know this reminds me of our first morning together"

" Please don't " you groaned and threw your head back, still deeply embarrassed of your first impression on him.

~

World turning around you , lights flickering all over before everything suddenly stops and starts rotating in the other direction, holding your arms out in panic and you could hear the distant sound of your own voice in your ears " wooah" . Hands searching clumsily for something to hold onto , fingertips making contact with something soft , stroking the fabric in awe before it suddenly moves away from you

" Hey, you alright there ?" a firm grip holds onto your upper arm and you needed a second to be able to hold your head up , squinting your eyes trying to focus on the figure ,or two in front of you

" I need to pee!"

" Mate she's an absolute goner " hearing the words but not really registering them you started turning away again , swaying your way through the group of people in front of you , mumbling sorry whenever you had a feeling you stepped on someone's foot

" Hey hey , the toilets are the other way , come on "

" nuh uh mum said I shouldn't walk away with strangers"

" Yes wise words….so how about this, I just show you the directions to the toilets and then leave you alone , ok?"

"Okey dokey, lead the way! "

Gentle hands on your shoulders turning your body in the opposite direction, slow but still making the room starting to spin around you again , clinging to the body beside you and letting him drag you through the club with unsteady steps due your high heels

" Ok there we are , you ok walking alone from here ?"

" Course 'am , name?"

"Uhm…Joe?"

" You're one of the good ones joey " patting him what you thought was his shoulder, but instead accidentally slapping him slightly on his cheek , before making your way into to way to brightly lit room

Joe stayed in front of the bathroom, debating if he should go back to his friends or keep an eye on you to make sure nothing happens to you , because Wesley was right, you are an absolute goner .

Getting a bit uncomfortable under the questioning stares from the other women around him, because yes he's aware how he probably looks like an utter creep lurking in front of the women's restroom ,he made up his decision and turned back around but the whiny cry of his name behind him makes him stop in his tracks again.

"Joeeey?"

Dragging his hand over his face and taking a deep breath he makes his way inside , giving the other women inside an uncomfortable tight-lipped smile with a motion of his hand towards your voice

" Yeah I'm here " leaning against the white stall door and trying to keep his voice down , which didn't really matter because you clearly didn't

"I'm stuck"

Taking a double take at this he looked bewildered around him " what do you mean you're stuck?! In the toilet?! " He whisper yelled at you

A drunk snort leaves you " noo silly, in my jumpsuit"

" Uhm do you want someone else to help you in there ?"

" No I'm not comfortable around strangers"

He wanted to tell you that he was a stranger too but instead decided against it, oldest rule, don't try to have an argument with someone who's drunk

" Ok so with what are you stuck with in your jumpsuit?"

" Uhm…my arm ? I think "

"Just try to move your arm upwards out of the opening"

Hearing shuffling behind the door and your annoyed huffing and then sniffling

" It doesn't work " a pityfull whine leaves you, sounding like you're on the verge to cry and Joe starts to panic

" Ok open the door I'm gonna help you "

" No I'm naked !"

" Why the hell are you naked !"

" It's a jumpsuit Joe!"

As if this was explanation enough for him .

" I'm not gonna look I promise "

" Pinky promise?"

" Double pinky promise"

The door clicked open and he quickly wriggles inside, hand over his eyes

" Ok give me your arm "

Your hand grips his outstretched arm and he searched his way around to find the other one, the one which apparently was stuck but comes around something else

" That's my boob "

Quickly removing his hand again and holding it up in panic " Shit sorry , I'm so sorry! it's really hard doing this blind here "

" Ok I guess you can look , just help me "

Taking his hand from his eyes he tried really hard to not look at your naked chest in front of him and instead looked at the arm in question

" Oh love…that's the wrong hole "

To which you started giggling like a teenager over a bad sex joke

Grabbing your arm out of the pants leg and through the right strap, covering your chest again, all while receiving no help from you and just letting him do his thing, which concerns him even more

" There you go "

Giving him a weak thumb up before falling to your knees in front of the toilet seat and emptying your stomach

" Oh Jesus Christ …" he really has to take up the role of a babysitter for a drunk stranger tonight

A few minutes later he shoves a glass of water In front of your miserable figure, sitting in the booth with his friends again who all stared at you in pity

" You have a friend you can call who can take you home ?"

Wesley asked but you just shook your head , on the verge of throwing up again and Joe encourage you again to drink the water

—

Sunbeams stirred you out of your slumber and you groaned as a massive headache makes it's appearance as well, grabbing the nearest pillow and pushing your face into it in misery

"Morning" a male voice makes your grip on the pillow freeze in panic, slowly sticking your head over it to make out the unknown man standing in your living room…but wait your living room doesn't look like this

" Shit shit shit " you tried scrambling from the sofa, blanked getting tangled up in your legs and nearly making you fall into to small table In front of you

" Hey sorry didn't want to startle you...uhm coffee?" The man scratches his neck awkwardly, looking lost just standing there in joggers and shirt, head of wild curls sticking out in every direction

" No thank you " you freed yourself from the blanket before looking down at yourself, nearly expecting to see your naked body but instead you wear a big soft shirt and your feet clad in white socks, blinking up at him in question

" Ah yeah funny story… "

Giving you a quick recap of your drunk mess of last night and how you got yourself staying on an unknown man's sofa in the first place and you hide your face in your hands in embarrassment and shame

" So uhm yeah , I put your clothes in the washer so they're just hanging out to dry now, hope that's ok "

" Yeah yeah thanks , that's actually really thoughtful"

" To be fair I'm not so keen on vomit on my sofa "

You snorted "makes sense, but really you could just left me on this damn toilet, I can only imagine what a burden I must've been "

" I could never! And you were kinda fun to be around after your second glass of water, well before vomiting all over yourself again "

Cringing again you groaned and threw your head back

Hearing him chuckle before asking you again " so , still no to the coffee?'

—

"We're gonna stuck to the "met on tinder " story for our families" you shook your head at the memories of this night while arranging the flowers in a vase

" Wesley already promised to save the true story for his speech on our wedding"

" Good luck getting me to marry you now" you snorted

" Hey it's not that bad "

" You saw my tits 5 minutes after meeting me, on a toilet with my arm in my pants,drunk out of my mind how is this not that bad Joseph?"

" First impressions are the best impressions and they definitely are the most beautiful tits I've ever seen"

"oh shut up" slightly shoving him and his cheeky grin out of your way but feeling your cheeks redden anyway

" So, coffee?"

(reblogs and comments are very appreciated additional to your likes)

[onestepbackwards]

What’s All the Buzz About?

@r0-boat‘s BeeGearStation AU has had me in a vice grip for w e e k s. I decided to take a shot at writing for the AU myself (❁´◡`❁) It’s heavily inspired by their AU, so please check them out! R0′s writing and ideas are so good! The design for Bee Hybrid Emmet was also heavily inspired by @antidotesprout designs for them. Please check them out as well! Their art is amazing! I hope you enjoy the start of this new series, and have a happy Halloween! Summary: After ending up stuck and injured in the old abandoned Nimbasa City subway tunnels, you don’t have much hope in escaping. Despite the odds, you try to push onward anyway, only to meet someone verrry interesting. CW: Description of leg injury (though not too graphic), broken leg, anxiety attack, slight dark thoughts, cave in, minor claustrophobia, (It all gets better at the end, I promise), Beehybrid!Emmet, King Bee Emmet, Implied King Bee Hybrid Ingo. Word Count: 4138 words! >Next: Link -----

Today was just not your day Well, that wasn’t entirely true. It really just hasn’t been your week, let alone year. But this… This certainly topped everything that has happened to you yet. “Of course. Of all things to happen. Of all things!” You grumbled to yourself as you pulled your leg out from a pile of collapsed rubble. You hissed in pain, but managed to pull your leg free. Scooting away from the fallen debris, you shone your flashlight to get a better look at your leg, and winced at what you saw.  “Well… that isn’t good.” You hissed through grit teeth.  Your leg was covered in bruises, and was certainly swelling a bit in a few places. You would be surprised if it wasn’t broken. No doubt a cave in partially falling on your leg like this caused a break of some sort, even if it looked okay(ish) now.  

Most of the skin was intact, thankfully. Just a few scrapes on top of some fresh bruises. You at least wouldn’t have to worry about bleeding out all alone in a dark cave. Silently, you thanked any gods out there listening for your higher pain tolerance, and the adrenaline running through your veins.  You sighed, feeling overwhelmed, and fought back hot tears that threatened to fall. You knew going into the abandoned train tunnels would be a bad idea. Why did you let them convince you? You blew a tuft of hair out from in front of your face. Right. To keep your boss placated. Look how wonderful that turned out. Bastard. You took a moment to get your bearings. Panic was threatening to seep through your chest. “Calm down. Deep breaths. Panicking will get you nowhere,” you told yourself. It was certainly true. You had read plenty of stories about hikers and cavers panicking when they became stuck in caves, only to make things worse by doing so. That being said, you never anticipated getting stuck in a tunnel like this. Not immediately panicking was a lot easier said than done. You were beginning to see why even experienced folk were able to become so easily distraught. Your heart rate was already beginning to spike. 

You took another deep breath. Hyperventilating would only make things worse. Biting the inside of your cheek, you flashed your light over the fallen rocks, and cursed From the looks of it, the way you came in was completely blocked off. Attempting to dig through this mess might just make things worse. Not to mention, the rocks still looked loose. One wrong move, and more might come caving in on top of you. “...Well, no use going back that way, I suppose.” You mumbled, sounding a lot calmer than what you felt. Oh how you desired to scream. Shuffling a bit, you leered behind you, further into the tunnels. Your flashlight could only light the way so much, but it was better than nothing. Better than wobbling around completely in the dark having a panic attack. At least you could fight your panic attack in some form of light. “Positive. Just think positive.” You mumbled as you hobbled to your feet. You let out a pained yelp as you tried putting pressure on your left foot. Yup. Something was most likely broken. This hurt like hell. Grabbing the nearby wall for support, you placed the flashlight in your jacket pocket, and fished around your other pockets for your phone. Finding the device, you unlocked it, only to let out a shaky sigh. No service. Fucking figures. “That’s… fine. I can just… make my way through the tunnels. I’ll either find an exit, or a spot for cell phone service. It’s okay. I will be okay.” You weren’t okay. But at least you could lie to yourself until the shock wore off. Shoving your phone back into your pocket, you took your flashlight back out, and eyed the tunnel ahead of you. “Well… no time like the present…” you spoke, swallowing down the urge to cry. Reluctantly, you began making your way down the tunnel. It was slow, and painful. Your leg may not be as bad as it could have been, but it most certainly was giving you trouble. Several times you thought about stopping, only to shake your head and press on. You had to get out of here as soon as possible. You feared if you took a break, your thoughts would begin to spiral, and you would lose the will to continue. A bit dramatic, but given the circumstances, well… You didn’t trust your brain at the moment. Not with the fear in the back of your throat. Slowly, you pressed onwards. Thankfully, limping down the subway tunnel surprisingly helped keep your mind a bit busy. The despair really didn’t hit you until you came across a fork in the road ahead. In front of you were two tunnels, where the tracks converged into one, leading back the way you came. You stood there, almost dumbfounded. Of course a subway would have diverging tracks. Why wouldn’t it? It was designed to take people to many different places across Unova, after all. 

Still, seeing the fork in the road did little to help you. If anything, it made you this much closer to losing your shit. You really wanted to cry right now. You had been walking for at least two hours. You were tired, scared, and in immense amounts of pain… All you wanted was to go home, and crawl in bed. Oh how you wanted to strangle your boss for putting you in this position. Who knows? Maybe if you make it out alive, you’ll get the opportunity to do so. The thought of murdering your boss briefly helped against your growing nerves. However, you still had a choice to make. Left, or right? For all you knew, one was just a couple of miles to a dead end. Choosing wrong could potentially keep you here longer, and may even be a death sentence. Your hands shook as you looked between the two tunnels. Even if you weren’t injured, this was still a big choice to make. You only had so much energy, and you doubt you’ll be able to easily turn around and walk back the way you came if you choose wrong. So right… ...or left? Time was ticking. You couldn’t afford to sit and anxiously fight with yourself. Every moment you wasted was a moment you could be using to get out of here. That thought only made the knot in your stomach worse. Taking a deep breath, you decided. Just as you began to make your way left, you froze. It was faint, but you could have sworn you heard a noise coming from the right. Almost like a muffled tink of some sort. Whatever it was, it had to be far away, judging from the small echo, and how faint it was. But it was a noise. You couldn’t move, your heart racing. Thoughts were flying through your head a mile a minute. Down here in the tunnels, one little sound could be anything. From a stray animal, a rock falling from the structure shifting… ...Or even a person. The thought made you anxious. You would think the idea of finding anyone down here would give you hope. But why would anyone else be down here? Surely not someone up to anything good. Even you weren’t supposed to be here, only having been coerced to come by your boss and coworkers. You licked your lips. But if it was a person, they might take pity, and help you. But they could also hurt you and kill you as well. It was a gamble. And for all you knew, it might not even be a person. It could be a wild animal that would attack you for entering its territory. You wouldn’t even be able to run or defend yourself, no matter the case. You took a shaky breath. Quite the gamble indeed. You silently weighed in your options. Go left, and head into uncertainty. Or head right, and possibly get help. Your leg ended up helping make the decision for you. It was beginning to really hurt, especially after limping on it for so long. Any chance to receive aid was a chance you were going to have to take. The longer you were stuck here, the higher the chance of your leg becoming permanently damaged. And, y’know. Possibly dying down here alone from starvation. “Positive thoughts. Think positive thoughts.” You mumbled out through gritted teeth. With that, you forced yourself to move. Despite the circumstances, you tried to remain hopeful. Both for your own health, and peace of mind. You couldn’t afford to drown in despair just yet. The walk down the tunnel was slow, and it ate away at your nerves. Your flashlight could only illuminate the path ahead of you so much, and the anxiety of not knowing what you’ll find ate away at your mind. Every little noise, or odd looking object in the distance had you on edge. It also didn’t help that the further you walked, the more you began to hear noises. Strange noises. You couldn’t place what they were. Sometimes it would be tinks far off in the distance. Other times, you would hear what sounded like rumbling in the walls. Your light was no help. Whatever it was making such sounds was still too far away to be seen. Or again, in the walls. These were not comforting thoughts. You couldn’t tell if you wanted these sounds to be real, or a figment of your imagination. Going mad wasn’t exactly something you wanted to deal with this early on, but… ...You weren’t sure if you wanted to see whatever was making these noises at the end of the tunnel, either. In fact, you could feel yourself beginning to wonder if this was a choice you were going to regret. The thoughts weren’t sitting well in your stomach. The further you walked, the more you were fighting the feeling of being watched. It was silly, you know. There was no one in sight. No matter how many times you looked behind you, you never caught sight of anyone. Regardless, you still felt your hair stand on end.

“It’s just my nerves. No one is here but me. I’m okay.” You tried to assure yourself. Speaking it outloud helped a little bit, at least enough to keep you grounded. You could at least pretend to be okay a little longer if you could fool yourself. However, there was one thing that was beginning to distract you. There was an odd scent in the air. Several odd scents, in fact. The further you had walked, the sweeter the air had become. You knew this scent, but couldn’t quite place it. The air was pungent with it, almost humid in a way. Another scent in the air confused you. It was almost waxy. It didn’t make any sense to you. This was an abandoned set of train tunnels. Why were there these specifically weird smells? That, and it’s not like someone could grow a lot of flowers down here. Sure, some might survive in the dark, but you couldn’t help but doubt it was flowers causing the weird scent. It was heavy. Whatever it was, there had to be a lot of it.

You wanted to have hope, and say it was perhaps a flower shop above ground, but you doubted that would be the case. You were far enough underground that you wouldn’t be able to smell a flower shop. Nor would one be this… pungent in a specific scent. Swallowing thickly, you carried on. Surely, something this sweet smelling couldn’t be bad, right? It didn’t ease your rising heart rate, or the feeling of eyes on your back. Then there were the ominous sounds. Not only were there rumbling in the walls, but the further you walked, the more it sounded like it was all around you. You idly wondered if you were going to die today. You already almost died once in these tunnels. Maybe whatever god was out there wanted to finish the job? ...You really needed to get out of here. Walking further in though, you couldn’t help but feel the urge to just turn around, and head back the way you had come. Each little noise, the scents, and the feeling of being watched only made you yearn to the other path you could have taken. But it was so far back, and you had already walked for so long. You were getting really tired… You stopped for a moment, and leaned against the wall. It had been hours. You were tired, hungry, in immense pain, and your nerves were shot. You wanted to rest. “I can’t. I need to keep going…” you tried to reason with yourself. You can’t rest just yet. It isn’t safe here. But your body was beginning to feel heavy and sluggish, despite how anxious you were. You imagine a part of it had to do with how much you’ve been fighting your leg. Otherwise, you’d be able to easily keep moving. Shaking your head, you gripped the wall to press onward, only to pause when you heard a loud noise up ahead. You don’t know what it was, but it was loud. Loud and big enough to shake the tracks on the ground, which vibrated with a hum, before slowing to a stop. Then you heard it. A loud buzzing sound coming from the end of the tunnel. Multiple buzzing sounds. Eyes wide, you could feel yourself shaking again. That… was not human. You didn’t know what was down there, but all your instincts were screaming to turn around, and hightail it out of here. You didn’t belong here, you needed to leave. You began to walk backwards, but before you could turn around- Your back ran into something solid. The blood in your veins ran cold. It took all of your will power to gain the courage to turn around. Slowly, you turned around, and saw you were face to face with a chest. You hadn’t been alone. You felt tears prick your eyes. Blood was rushing through your ears. 

Hands shaking, you tilted the flashlight upwards. After a few beats, the light landed on a smiling face. You let out a shriek, and stumbled backwards, falling in the process. Your flashlight tumbled out of your hands, rolling away towards the tracks. You couldn’t think, you couldn’t breathe. You were starting to hyperventilate. Oh gods, you were going to die, weren’t you? This guy wasn’t human. From the quick glance you got, his skin(??) was yellow? And his eyes were black and silver… You swore you could still see them watching you, even though the light was no longer on its face. You were shaking, and you could hear his footsteps getting closer. Desperate, you began to crawl backwards, only getting so far with your broken leg. In your panic, you barely registered the footsteps veering off to the side. You only became aware the being hadn’t been walking towards you when it picked up your flashlight. Freezing up seemed to be the only thing your body was capable of doing as it got closer. They stopped right in front of you, and must have watched you curiously for a few moments. A beat passed. Neither of you moved. You heard an odd buzzing. You could briefly see the figure lean down, and you flinched, tears threatening to fall. When the being began to lean down, you closed your eyes and shook, fearing what may possibly come. …Only for nothing to happen. After a few moments, you cracked an eye open, and saw the figure holding the flashlight out to you. Staring for a few moments, you shakily reached out, and grabbed it. Were they not going to hurt you? Hesitantly, you shined the flashlight upwards, and fought back a gasp that threatened to leave your lips. “Hello! I am Emmet!” he spoke, a smile wide on his face. You were speechless. A hybrid…? Yes, he was definitely a hybrid, now that you were getting a good look at him. His face was golden, but he had silver hair, hair that almost looked like fuzz. And then his eyes… They were silver, though where the whites would be, almost seemed black. Then you noticed the… Antenna? Antennae? And the faint buzzing… Looking behind him, you could faintly see what appeared to be bug-like wings. It hit you, just what exactly kind of hybrid you were looking at. “You’re… You’re a bee hybrid.” You spoke in awe. Insect hybrids were incredibly rare. Not many existed, and most that did, stayed with a hive or a colony. Other independent bug hybrids tended to stick to themselves. You swallowed nervously. He was very pretty. And also very huge. You don’t think you had ever seen a hybrid this size before… His smile only seemed to widen at your awed expression. “Yup! I am a bee hybrid, and you are a human!” He gazed down at you. You seemed at a loss for words. “Are you alright? That leg doesn't look very good.” His words brought you out of your daze. Eyes flickering down, you noticed your leg, and the throbbing pain suddenly became a lot more noticeable. You bit your lip. Walking as much as you had no doubt had put a lot of strain on it. You would be lucky if it didn’t have irreparable damage. You remained silent for a moment as the thoughts ran through your head. Thankfully, the hybrid, Emmet, you think was his name, was patient. “I… Got injured in a cave in, near the entrance down that way.” You told him, pointing towards the way you came. He glanced where you gestured towards, an odd look on his face. He turned back to you, and you nearly felt your heart jump in your throat from how fast he was. “I see. What was a human doing, entering these abandoned tunnels?” he asked. You felt a bit nervous, but decided to answer anyway. What could you even do? Run? Lie? Even if he seemed nice so far, there wasn’t a lot you could do for yourself. “...I came here with my boss and coworkers. They wanted to explore the abandoned tunnels. I didn’t want to go but… I was coerced into doing so, or deal with my boss’ temper, and risk my job. Said it would be a fun ‘bonding’ activity for the office…” you grumbled. You were still very much upset about this. All of this. You were exhausted, tired, and in a lot of pain. Your nerves were shot, you were alone in a tunnel with a stranger, and as far as you knew, he could kill you at any moment. You were tired. At this point, you weren't even sure if you could cry. Emmet looked at you, a calculating look on his face. You felt a spike of anxiety in your chest. 

If there was a single bee hybrid here, did that mean…

You felt your stomach drop. 

If a bee hybrid was underground, it wasn’t because they were lost or looking for flowers. The tunnels must be their hive. You were trapped in a tunnel leading to a hive. That explained the odd noises, and all the buzzing, you supposed. You felt a bit sick. You had been this close to presumably walking into a live hive. No doubt the drones inside would not take kindly to an intruder. Hell, the Queen would probably have had your head. Maybe it was a blessing this guy found you first, even if you weren’t sure of his intentions as of now. He was at least kind enough to listen to how you got here in the first place. Maybe he’d take pity on you and let you live? Or at least he could point you to where you need to go, so you could get crawling. In your internal musings, you were unaware of the internal debate within the hybrid’s mind. This was a golden opportunity! If you proved to be a nice fit, you had potential to solve all his hive’s major problems. If you proved unfit, well… Depending on how you act, they could either drop you off outside the city, or easily dispose of you. But he couldn’t let this opportunity pass! The hive was in too rough a position not to try. He was sure Ingo would agree, after listening to reason! However, he had to gain your trust. You were very much stressed and afraid. He felt for you, he really did! Being injured, and left alone in an abandoned tunnel with a different species was probably terrifying. He would be stressed if he was in your position too. He briefly looked over your leg, and fought back a wince. Sure, there wasn’t a lot of blood, most of the cuts having scabbed over. However, the skin was badly bruised, and there was swelling in a few places. Emmet didn’t need to be knowledgeable on humans to know that probably wasn’t good. And yet, he could help but admire this small human he had just met. From what he gleaned from your story, you’ve already been through a lot! Being betrayed by your boss and their drones? And to try and persevere by making your way through the tunnels, all while in immense pain? All for survival? He wouldn’t lie. You appeared to be very strong, mentally and emotionally at least. Even physically too! It was almost as if he couldn’t take his eyes off of you. He had been watching you for a while, ever since that fork in the road. His wings buzzed behind him for a moment in awe and excitement. Yes! Those made great qualities for a Queen of a hive! You could be a perfect fit! Plus, you were a verrry cute little human. He had seen plenty of your kind out and about, albeit hidden from their sights. You were way more cute and regal than any of those humans he had seen in the past. Now, he just had to convince you to try and take the role… …It wouldn’t be easy though, he’d imagine. Humans had their own lives, after all! They seemed to be verrry independent, and liked it that way, not wanting to be involved in other things unless they simply desired to. Not only that, but from what his hive has seen, humans were not huge fans of sudden change. Taking over a hive as a Queen no doubt would count as one of those sudden changes. So he had to make it tempting. But where to begin? His eyes landed back on your leg, and his antenna twitched. “Would you like help with that?” He asked you suddenly, and you nearly jumped at his sudden eagerness, hovering over your leg. “Huh?” You dumbly asked, not expecting the question. Help? What did he mean by help? “Your leg. You have put a lot of strain on it. It doesn’t look good. Let me help you.” You could only stare at him, trying to process what he said. “You can stay at the hive until you are well again!” He assured you, his smile seemingly growing excited. You couldn’t help but look at him a bit confused. “But… Won’t the uh, the Queen not like that?” You ask, slightly fearing for your life. If you ended up stuck in the hive with an angry Queen Bee Hybrid, you doubted you’d make it out alive. Especially if they were territorial. Emmet shook his head. “Our hive has no Queen.” Ah. His face almost fell as he said so. Well, that was one thing you didn’t have to worry about, but…

“What about the drones? And the other bees? Won’t they not take kindly to a stranger?” You asked, a bit hesitant. Not having a Queen made things less difficult, but that didn’t mean the drones and other bees would just accept you- “They’ll be no problem at all, I promise.” He spoke, confident as he attempted to assure you. “But-” “They will listen to me. I promise they will not hurt you. They will help you recover.” Silence followed his statement as you weighed in your options. Still, you couldn’t help but wonder… “Why would they listen to you?” It came out a bit more rude than you had intended, though he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, his grin grew incredibly wide. He leaned down towards you, almost like a bow, his wings buzzing behind him. “Because I am one of its Kings.”

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Azul Ashengrotto Tsumsitter Personal Story: Part 2

"A Moment with Azultsum II"

(Part 1) Part 2 (Part 3)

[Mostro Lounge]

Azul: You wish to see the Tsum as the Lounge's owner? What do you think you're saying, Jade?

Floyd: An owner takeover bid. Basically, you're being let go, Azul.

Azul: Don't be ridiculous. There's no way I would let that happen.

Jade: You may say that, but in the business world, the only thing that matters is results…

Jade: Are you saying that you would be able to generate even more profit than the Tsum has in this short period of time?

Azul: Of course. Besides, I cannot allow such a pushy and classless method to continue.

Floyd: Huuuh? You sure you can call someone else pushy and classless?

Jade: If anything, I do believe that is entirely your brand, wouldn't you say?

Azul: I don't understand how you could possibly think that thing could resemble me…

[Azultsum presses a menu against another student]

[Azultsum continues pressing more menus]

Floyd: Seeeee? The way it just keeps on pressuring them with that shady grin,

Floyd: It's just like you usually are.

Azul: I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about.

Jade: Returning to the point at hand, I see no issue with the method it uses.

Jade: The most important aspect to keep in mind is that the Tsum has garnered more sales than Azul.

Jade: As someone who has the Mostro Lounge's best interests at heart…

Jade: I have no choice but to propose a refresh by transferring the ownership to new hands.

Azul: You say you have the Mostro Lounge's best interests at heart? Of course you would lie so brazenly about that.

Azul: You've just found something to tease me about and are simply thoroughly enjoying yourselves.

Azul: You brushed it off as "only" a suggestion earlier, but essentially you two seem to be asking me to leave.

Azul: I emphatically refuse. I have no intention of going along with your tasteless games.

Jade: We aren't playing any sort of game. We simply made this suggestion after serious consideration.

Azul: Oh, is that so… I see.

Azul: Well, if you are going to insist that much, then allow me to show you why I am the more suitable owner.

Azul: I challenge you, Tsum. We shall compete for ownership of the Mostro Lounge!

[Azultsum gives serious look]

Floyd: Oooh, looks like the Tsum's raring to go. So, how're you gonna do this?

Azul: We'll split the Lounge into two, and I shall be the owner of one half.

Azul: The Tsum will take ownership of the other half, and we will see who makes more sales.

Azul: The winner is the undisputed superior owner and will take over Mostro Lounge from there on out.

Azul: Well, I'll be the one to win, of course.

Jade: So you plan on settling things once and for all with a head-to-head battle, I see. What an interesting concept you've concocted.

Azul: Jade, Floyd, you can join the Tsum's side. I have no need for your assistance.

Jade: Oh, are you sure? Do you truly think you will be able to garner more sales than the Tsum without our help?

Floyd: If you reeeeally beg for it, I'll help you～ C'mon, c'mon, y'don't wanna grovel for me even a little bit?

Azul: Don't make me repeat myself. Even if I were to keep you by my side, you would only get in my way.

Jade: So untrusting of your employees, what a horrid manager… Ah, my mistake, former manager…

Floyd: Guess that kind and charming Tsum really is more suited to be the owner of the Mostro Lounge, huh.

Azul: Yes, yes, alright. Then please, go ahead and play manservants to that Tsum.

Jade: Now then, we shall call the side where the Tsum is the owner the "Mostro Lounge First Branch."

Jade: And the side where Azul is the owner can be the "Mostro Lounge Second Branch."

Azul: Wait a moment! Why am I the second branch?

Floyd: 'Cause me n' Jade're over here, and it's just you over there.

Floyd: If you think about what's closer to the original Lounge structure, that's totally this side.

Azul: … Well, whatever. Everything will be made clear soon enough.

Azul: I shall show you that no one other than me is capable of being the owner of the Mostro Lounge.

[Azultsum jumps for joy]

Floyd: Looks like the Tsum's all excited too.

Azul: I hold no grudges against the Tsum, but I shall have no mercy. Allow me to show you all the proper way to run a Lounge like this.

(Part 1) Part 2 (Part 3)

[fanficshiddles]

The Call Of Fate, Chapter 5

It was a few weeks later and Fury had just spoken to Jade, he’d received a message from prince Arthur. He was coming to visit the following day.

Of course, Jade was absolutely dreading it.

The team could tell she was upset, so they decided to keep her mind off it and decided to go bowling and out for food. To just enjoy the day.

‘Why do I get the feeling that being up against a bunch of superheroes is going to go down really badly for me.’ Jade said with a smirk as they all gathered at their lane and Natasha began putting everyone’s names on the screen.

‘Don’t worry, we’ll go easy on you.’ Steve chuckled.

‘Speak for yourself.’ Loki scoffed. ‘Going to thrash your ass, cupcake.’ He winked at Jade.

Natasha and Wanda shared a look with one another.

As Jade expected, everyone was very competitive. She was quite good at bowling though and had always enjoyed it, so she was hopeful she wouldn’t come last.

While Thor and Steve had the strength, they didn’t really have the technique to get all of them down unless by a fluke. Bruce, Wanda and Tony had the right technique and skill but not really the same power to get them all down, aside from occasionally.

So the ones Jade was struggling to beat was Natasha, Clint and Loki. They were skillful and had a decent amount of strength, Loki more so who was in the lead. Clint was a close second, his aiming was perfect. Jade ended up being on par with Natasha, which surprised her.

Vision didn’t play because he found the game pointless, but he enjoyed watching the others.

Everyone tried distracting everyone at some point. Though Loki couldn’t resist trying to distract Jade a few extra times, sneaking up behind her one time and poking her in the side as she was about to bowl. Or whistling at her in a suggestive manner as she bent over a bit to roll.

But she got her own back too, of course. When she opened a new straw, she did the old childish trick of blowing in one end so the wrapper flew across and got tangled in his hair when he was mid-bowl. And when he had rolled a strike, about to head over to do his second roll she launched for his leg and grabbed a hold to try and stop him getting to the lane within his time. But he managed to keep walking and just dragged her along, making the team laugh.

‘You’re pretty good at this. Are you sure you don’t have powers?’ Bruce asked Jade after her next shot. When things were getting rather intense and more serious.

‘I wish! But I have played quite a lot.’ Jade said.

Clint ended up just taking over lead from Loki on the last round. Loki wasn’t happy about it. Jade was the last one to bowl, she was ahead of Natasha by only a few points and just behind Loki.

As she rolled, she was shocked that she got a strike. Her fifth one of the night, which she was delighted about.

‘Oooooooh!’ Everyone cooed. If she got a good second run, she would have a chance of getting ahead of Loki and Clint. But it would depend on her final roll.

‘No pressure, huh?’ Jade said as she headed over with her last ball.

She just had to hit six pins down to win.

As she rolled the ball, she thought she had messed it up as it started going towards the side. But then it slowly rolled back into the middle and scattered most of the pins, two were left standing and wobbled a lot, before one finally fell over.

The team cheered, aside from Clint who groaned and dramatically fell to the floor, distraught that he hadn’t won.

‘Well done kid!’ Tony patted Jade on the back.

‘Can’t believe I beat a bunch of superheroes.’ Jade said cockily.

As they started packing up their stuff, Loki nudged her with his hip. ‘Good work.’

She nudged him back. ‘Did I notice a tiny glimmer of green on the ball and pins on my last roll?’ She asked him quietly, with a knowing look.

Loki smirked. ‘I would never be able to live with myself if I lost the whole game against Clint, but you, I don’t mind so much.’

Jade laughed. ‘Well, if I get bragging rights for the rest of my life that I beat the Avengers at something, your secret is safe with me.’

Loki chuckled and draped his arm around her shoulder as they headed to a nearby pub for food and drinks.

At the pub, Loki sat down next to Jade. The teasing and fun continued between them, Loki kept stealing some of her chips, so she stole sips of his wine.

‘Do you even like wine?’ Loki asked her after she stole a bit more in response to him stealing one of her mushrooms. He noticed that she would pull a face every time she had some.

‘Nope. But I’m sure it’s better than what’s on your plate. I need payback somehow.’ She shrugged.

Loki chuckled. ‘You better not steal any of my pudding, that’s a hangable offence in Asgard.’

Jade raised an eyebrow at him. ‘Hangable offence? Seriously?’

‘Mmhmm. I’m not joking.’

‘Thor, is he telling the truth?’  

Thor rolled his eyes. ‘Yes, he is. He stupidly suggested it once and pushed to get it to become law. I don’t know how he managed it.’ He said with a shake of his head.

‘Nobody takes my pudding.’ Loki said, looking smug as hell.

But Loki did end up sharing his pudding with Jade. Only because the two of them couldn’t decide between two options, so they decided to share between them.

-

‘We have a problem, guys.’ Natasha said to the rest of the team when they returned, minus Loki and Jade who had gone off to the library.

‘What is it?’ Vision asked.

‘Loki and Jade.’ Natasha replied.

‘What about them?’ Steve asked.

‘Have you guys not noticed?’ Wanda asked.

‘Noticed what?’ Tony frowned.

Natasha and Wanda both shook their heads. ‘How are you guys so blind to have not seen how they are together?’ Wanda said as she face-palmed.

The guys just looked between eachother, confused.

‘Didn’t you notice how Loki clearly helped her to win?’ Wanda asked, she had felt the use of magic in the air.

The team still looked dumbfounded.

‘The nickname he has for her. The fact she can actually touch him without getting told off or strangled. The way they look at one another.’ Natasha continued.

‘Oh, well… Now you come to mention it, I guess so, yeah.’ Steve said sheepishly.

‘Yeah… I did wonder.’ Tony said.

‘No, you didn’t.’ Clint said as he hit his shoulder.

‘Well, nothing wrong with them bonding, is there? Apart from the fact there might be more pranks going on.’ Bruce said with a shrug.

‘She’s supposed to be marrying someone else… And we know how she feels about that. I’m worried about what will happen tomorrow with the prince coming here, and Loki being around.’ Natasha said.

‘Ah… Yeah, that’s a good point. We can’t have any issues caused with the prince, it would be really bad news to be up against the royals like that.’ Tony said.

‘It won’t get to that stage.’ Thor suddenly said.

The team looked at him, waiting for further explanation.

‘We will figure out something for Jade, to stop this from happening. We all know it’s wrong, and not right for her. There must be something we are missing, something that can be done.’

‘I wish there was, Thor. But I’ve exhausted every avenue for a solution.’ Natasha said sadly. ‘The best thing we can do is support her through it.’

‘What do we do about Loki?’ Clint asked.

‘Try and keep him occupied tomorrow. Any missions that come in, he’s priority to go. If there isn’t any, get him training.’ Steve said decisively.

The team mumbled in agreement.

[orchidyoonkook]

I'm the anonymous person from before..

I won't get into too much details about my personal conditions so I'm only giving enough details for you to know my remedies for migraines that might help. But, some remedies, you have already done by now.

So I severe from migraines a lot. And because I'm autistic, I've always had many migraines because of sensory overload type situations that would last days and even a week. Depends on the situations though.

Some of these are my "remedies" for my migraines.

Laying, even sleeping if that sleeps, in the darkest room you have so I would suggest covering your windows if you need to darken the room to make it less bright. Laying with an eye mask might help with that.

Ice. I recently got this icepack that's like wearing an eye mask, and it's giving enough pressure to your whole head (without hurting you) that tends to seem relaxing. But I don't think you have that. So you ice, ice packs, on your head and neck. Wearing the ice around your ice would be more effective than one your head from my personal experiences.

Drinking water. Coconut water, if you could actually be able to drink it since not everyone enjoys the flavor, is the real water that actually will help hydrate you faster. Mineral waters like fiji could help since lots of those waters have electrolytes. Maybe consume salty foods like soup or chips, or even a pinch of salt on your tongue, just to keep the water in your body. Since not everyone knows salt retains the water in body.

Ibuprofen. Or whichever medicine you usually take.. I would have said to try taking turmeric? Turmeric helps with head and body pains if it's a more holistic approach. Maybe add to your food? Supplements?

Bathing. Warm, or even hot, baths and showers. A hot salt water bath could help? Or just a regular hot shower. Not everyone knows a warm water may actually help with migraines. Since showers and baths are considered to be forms of heat therapy for migraines. They say that among other heat-related remedies, a warm shower has the power to stop pain signals from traveling to the brain and increase blood flow, which can help soothe muscles.

Eating. Because sometimes lack of eating causes migraines too.

Don't know if I missed anything? I was trying to think of my remedies.

Let me just say that I love you so much. I’ve only started getting migraines in the last 5-7 years so it’s still “new” to me.

Just wanted to start off saying thank you thank you thank you. I’m currently undiagnosed but very likely to be autistic as well and it’s only really presented itself fully in the last few years, meaning I’ve always had it, obvi, but I only recently started unmasking. So just learning that that could be a cause is something new and so super useful.

As for the dark room and laying down. I spent about 70% of the last two days sleeping and lying down hoping it would help. And it did a little bit.

The dark room is usually what I do for my severe migraines. I lock myself in my bathrooms and put a towel at the bottom of the door.

Ice is something I never thought about! I’ll have to go get some ice packs!!! I have a heat pad but no ice packs.

If I plug my nose I can drink coconut water but I’ve been guzzling all weekend I can promise you that ♥️.

I don’t have ibuprofen on hand but I did take a shit ton of acetaminophen and it unfortunately did nothing. however I’ve never tried tumeric so I will have to keep that on hand as well!!

And a shower was actually one of the first things I tried because I know it always helps. And it did. But I can’t stay in the shower for 48 hours :(. Stupid being a land mammal and the powers that be charging for a fundamental human right.

I had a really yummy dinner last night that my partner made me for eating. It was a big helping of chicken pasta Alfredo. I want to think it helped but I honestly couldn’t have told cause I felt a little nausea every time I took a bite. But it was so so good.

Hon if you’re missing anything I can’t say anything but thank you for the things that you did remember. I’m gunna keep this ask for later when I inevitably get another one because this has been so incredibly helpful.

Thank you thank you thank you so much truly ♥️♥️. You’re a good human. I hope you know that.

[jojo-schmo]

UHHHHH no anon but uh.....your art cool..i just wanted to say that lol- LIKE I REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLY LOVE YA ART it makes me happy and your style is like...so cute! your style is pretty sweet and i like the au your doing (i am currently looking through all the stuff ya doin' lol) your really cool and your art cool and i hope you know u inspire me alot/gen! i hope ya have a good day and stuff ^^

AHHHH!!! Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to tell me this omg!! So much love in my ask box, I'm so grateful for it!!

It means a lot to hear that you like my art style too! I spent so much of my life being dissatisfied with my style and thinking it was nothing special- but boy have I changed my mind and embraced what I can do :) I'm eager to keep improving and developing it further!

Shucks, being called cool just makes me feel so warm inside heehee! I'm just out here doing my best to enjoy myself and share some of those feelings with others on here! It genuinely means the world to be able to inspire even just one person. Thank you again, truly. Keep creating what you love!! <3

Oh my goodness, that's incredible! Wow, THANK YOU! What an honor to even be able to help with a tiny part of your creative process. That character didn't exist before you brought them to life!! Isn't that just so cool? Feels like a superpower to me!

Don't feel bad about not wanting to share something! It's totally valid to have some creations to keep for yourself. I find that sometimes making things quietly to myself takes some of the pressure off and can still be very fun. And if you ever change your mind and decide to share, that's okay too! I bet there's someone out there who will love your drawings and ideas very very much. :)

UWAHH thank you for saying that!! AHH I feel so much love and kindness!!

Honestly, it's pretty wild to me how much better and more confident I've gotten in my art even in the past year or so of making this comic. I look back at some of those first pages every now and then and marvel at the different ways I've evolved since then, hahaha.

I never would've imagined myself being able to commit to a project this big before. I guess I just kind of reached the mindset of, it's okay if I don't know how to draw everything. If something looks wonky, at least I gave it a try instead of giving up before I attempt it like I've done before. This can be a learning experience for me too! And I'm so glad I'm committed to it :D Turns out getting out of your comfort zone is a very good way to improve!

Thank you! Life in general is just all right haha. But I am definitely very happy to have a little corner of the internet here with kind people to share stories and art with <3

[blue-macaron]

Hello, helloooo dear author Lucy~~✨ I feel like calling by your name only is foolish as it seems to be a rather simple thing to do, but to my brain it immediately connects with friends haha I hope that it is fine to call you "dear author" instead? you are very kind and I truly hope to do the same. How have you been ? It seems like you were busy but I hope that you still have been able to properly take care of yourself, being healthy is important! ‎⸜(๑'ᵕ'๑)⸝

I truly liked the way rei and the reader were with the letter matter (I, too, would run away and put a letter like the old Victorian fashion way to not have myself melt in front of rei sakuma), it really felt like I was the one being beside rei, and I’m ever more honored to have been the first one to request a fic hehe I hope I haven’t pressured you or anything ꉂꉂ(ᵔᗜᵔ*)

Okay long story short, here is another ones of my requests, as usual please do take your time for it, (think of it as the princess waiting patiently for the knight in shining armor to come haha) : display of affections between rei sakuma x f! reader (it might be a f! reader or a gn! reader, your pick!) and how it is shown, the characteristics for the reader are the same than the last one : calm, prefer to be alone, but is easily blush around her lover, there might some differences through day and night due to rei’s condition for example, and I can’t wait to read it ! ‎ (∩>ω<∩) ✨ For now, I’ll be off reading your fics again and patiently wait for the ones to come~~ ‎As usual, please take good care of yourself dear author~~ (´｡-ω(-ω-｡`)♡♡

displays of affection

characters: rei sakuma

x gn!reader, fluff, ~900 words

a/n: Hello!! I’m really glad you enjoyed my fic, and I’m so sorry this took months to get to TT-TT. I wasn’t sure if you mean for headcanons or an actual fic, so I decided to do a slight mix of both! Thank you for the kind words about taking care of myself, and I really don’t mind if you call me “dear author”, that’s perfectly fine to me! Hope you enjoy this!

Rei Sakuma:

daytime 

During the day, Rei can be seen leaning on you for support as you two walk from place to place. He doesn’t want to necessarily keep relying on you for help, but when the sun shines harshly on his frail being, he feels as if he’s melting into the ground. His arms wrap around your shoulders, and he can’t help but slightly lean onto you. The both of you end up staying inside a lot, so that Rei at least is somewhat okay during the daytime.

Linking pinkies, the both of you walk around as you hold up an umbrella with your other hand. Rei is thankful for you, as you care for him by making sure there’s an umbrella over his head and tomato juice in your bag. After reaching you destination he likes to kiss your temple, making you hide your face from him. Rei can’t help but laugh when you try to advert your eyes from him, and he puts the finishing touches by putting his hand on your cheek to make you face him. His eyes bore into yours, and he plants a soft kiss on your lips.

Rei likes to lean his head on yours when you two are sitting with each other, whether that be eating lunch or relaxing at home. He holds your hand and rubs small circles with his thumb into your skin, making you melt into him. The soft gestures he does for you makes you feel like butterflies are erupting in your stomach, a warm feeling surrounding you.

“Rei?” You can’t help but look at your lover as he wrapped his arms around you, burying his face into the crook of your neck. Rei only sighed, tightening his hold on you. You run your hands through his hair, untangling the small knots that formed.

“It’s very sunny, could you be a dear and let this old man rest on his lover?” Rei murmurs. You nod your head slightly, not wanting to disturb Rei too much. The two of you stay like that for a while, until you realize that Rei has fallen asleep, resting on you. It’s a good thing the two of you were on a bench, as you maneuvered him to be in a more comfortable position.

You hug Rei back, softly rubbing his back. Rei has been busy recently, and he has made it clear that he is missing your affection (although a lot of the time it’s him who seeks you out). Pressing a kiss on his forehead, you close your eyes and smile.

“I’m afraid it’s quite sunny today my dear, I was hoping it would be more cloudy so that we could enjoy our date. Hmm? You’re okay with postponing it for tonight? Fufufu, thank you my dear, I swear I will not let you down.”

nighttime

When it is night, you can’t help but notice that Rei is more awake and alive. He seems more comfortable, not having to worry about the sun shining upon him. You can see his fangs peek out as he grins while smooshing his cheek into yours, his red eyes shining brightly under the moonlight. His affections are more frequent, holding your hands and swinging them as you two walk down from the park.

If he is in the mood to be a bit mischievous (but to be honest, when is he not), he likes to pick you up bridal style and watch the gears in your head process what had just happened. When you start gaping and letting out broken sentences, he knows that he has successfully flustered you. You groan and wrap your arms around his neck, hiding your face away from his knowing grin.

The two of you get to go out more, as Rei is able to move around more freely. The night sky is beautiful as the both of you sit together, whispering and giggling with each other. Rei intertwines his fingers with yours, nuzzling his head into your shoulder. It’s peaceful, away from the usual busy days the two of you share. You sigh and lean into his chest, basking in the moonlight and enjoying your time with him.

You look up at Rei, watching as his face is gentle and relaxed. He currently has his arms wrapped around you, playing with a part of the jacket placed around your shoulders. It was a bit chilly, and Rei had taken off his coat and wrapped it around you even when you raised concerns about him. He waved them off, saying that he couldn’t have his beloved cold. 

“Perhaps it is time we head back, you do seem to be nodding off slightly, my dear.” Rei pressed a kiss into your temple and looked down at you. You nodded, Rei helping you stand up from the bench you two sat on. Walking home, the both of you linked arms and talked about what your plans were for tomorrow, a soft breeze fluttering in the air.

Although times moves quickly, the two of you would always make time for each other, content with your relationship.

“I’m glad that the two of us were able to go on our date today, and I’m grateful that you’re willing to be flexible around my condition, love. How about we go out to that new cafe you mentioned about? My treat, of course.”

[wrestlersownmyheart]

An Unconventional Wedding Night (Finn Bálor X Female Reader) *One-Shot*

Summary: You are rescued from one danger only to be hurled into a completely different kind of danger. You are to be the bride of King Bálor—a supposedly mythical being in Celtic folklore. But, he is very real. And he wants you as his prized possession.

Bálor is relentlessly determined to win your affections.

After all, it's nothing a little gentle persuasion can't fix.

Disclaimers: I own nothing or anyone associated or affiliated with NXT or WWE. I own only the original characters. This is just a fictional story that came from my imagination. Content Warning: No sex scenes just some graphic violence and fluff.

Note: This has been pretty drastically edited from the first time I posted it. I cleaned out the sex scene and it's no longer a threesome-esque fic. Hope this doesn't disappoint and that it is still enjoyed!

An Unconventional Wedding Night

Your nerves were shot as you walked toward the remote cabin's porch.

Tonight was the night you were finally giving yourself to a man. And it scared you to death. And for that very reason, you wanted nothing more than to get back in your car and drive home.

Am I doing the right thing, you wondered. I mean... Do I really want to do this? I mean, yes, he's my boyfriend, but I'm not in love with him, for crying out loud! I want my first time to be special—how is it special when I am feeling so unsure and conflicted about it?

And then you felt badly because Derek—your boyfriend for the past three months—had planned this romantic weekend get-away for the both of you.

Suddenly your thoughts halted altogether as Derek opened the cabin's door and bolted down the steps toward you. He looked as though he was trying a little too hard to appear excited. His smile was etched into his face. His dark eyes held an emotion you couldn't quite read.

"Hey, beautiful," he greeted, bending down and kissing your mouth. He latched onto your hand and hurried up the steps with you in tow, simultaneously taking your purse from you.

"Derek?" You struggled to not stumble and fall as he literally pulled you into the cabin and tossed your purse toward the large, rustic sofa. Wordlessly, he pushed you—none too gently—into the nearest bedroom and kicked the door shut with his foot.

He seems... off. Tense. "If you're nervous, we don't have to do this tonight," you spoke up, your free hand fidgeting with the hem of your t-shirt. "I am feeling a bit anxious about it myself-"

The remainder of your words were trapped within your throat as his mouth crashed against yours. He nudged you back toward the foot of the large bed and held you there as he kissed you.

"Derek-" You tried again, but he didn't seem to be paying attention to you. Your nerves finally got the best of you and made your mind up for you. You pulled your head back to look up at him. "I-I can't do this. I'm sorry. I just can't. Not yet-"

Click.

The noise was accompanied by a sharp little pressure to your left wrist. Glancing down, you saw that Derek had handcuffed you to the foot-board of the bed. All sorts of thoughts raced through your mind. And none of them were pleasant.

Uselessly, you tugged on your wrist, testing the strength of the cuff that held you. "Derek... Please. Let me go. D-don't do this!"

An odd smile crossed his face as he backed away from you. "Oh, I am not doing anything to you, beautiful. Well... other than keeping you here, that is."

You shook your head, confused beyond measure and now frantically yanking at your wrist. "What? Why? What is this?"

"Do you know how valuable you really are?"

"What are you talking about," you screamed at him, fear shaking your voice. You began pulling at your wrist again, trying desperately to get free. "This is crazy! Let me go!"

"I'm being compensated for your capture. The money I am getting..." He trailed off and chuckled slightly. "...It's well worth giving you up. I'll be rich and able to get any woman I want. Someone who won't make me wait months just to take her to bed."

His disgusting and vague explanation still cleared nothing up for you. But before you could ask any more questions, the bedroom door blew open with what seemed to be a huge gust of wind.

A gust of wind that never died. It kept roaring and screaming; whipping—not only your hair, but your t-shirt and shorts—around on your body. The force of it nearly ripped the clothing off of you in its strength.

And then another person was in the room with you and Derek. Only a silhouette was clear at that moment, what with the living room light blindingly bright behind them. Had the light been that bright when we first came into the cabin? The being appeared to be male, what with his physique and stature. Panting from the struggle to breathe with such a brutal force of wind in your face, you glanced over at Derek. He seemed to recognize the man, but he had terror in his eyes, nonetheless.

"I brought her," Derek spoke loudly over the air lashing about all of you. "I brought her here, just like you wanted. Now give me my pay. I want to get out of here and be done with it."

The man silently lifted his arms, making a parting motion with them and the wind finally ceased. You nearly toppled from the absence of the strong force. Willing your wobbly legs to hold you up, you glanced in the stranger's direction.

Something is really wrong here. He actually made that wind stop. Completely!

"Pay," the man repeated. "You want your pay?"

You cringed. The man's voice was horrible. Scratchy, and deep and full of malice. Horrified, you watched as the man—or creature—gave a flick of a... a talon-like finger? And then Derek was propelled across the room and dropped at the monster's feet; suddenly a whimpering mess.

No sound escaped your lips as you watched in open-mouthed horror.

"You should know better than to make a deal with a demon. We're not known for keeping our word."

What? Your mind was not computing, nor accepting the fact that you were indeed in the room with an underworldly force. And then you mentally replayed what you'd seen the... thing do, and you knew—to the marrow of your bones, you truly were in the presence of a monster.

The creature suddenly reached down and tangled it's fingers into Derek's curly hair. Your chest heaved as you waited to see what the demon would do. And yet, somehow... you knew...

Your ex-boyfriend screamed a hideous howl just as the monster lifted it's curled fist, with what appeared to be no effort at all, and tore Derek's head from his shoulders. The scream was cut short. Only the sound of ripping flesh and the cracking of bones could be heard, mixing with the sound of the demon's purr-like growls. You grew nauseated as Derek's spinal cord emerged from his body next, still attached to his head.

Then his decapitated body fell limply in the floor, right at your feet.

Finally.

Finally, a scream ripped from your throat, scorching it raw.

You tried to back away, but of course, your cuffed wrist would only allow you to go so far. Ignoring the pain, you yanked and pulled anyway, praying you could break the cuff with enough strain on the chain. Your eyes stayed on the monster's figure. You still were unable to make out his features as he'd remained in the doorway the whole time, but as he moved forward slightly and turned to stare at you, you could see that his form was naked. The possible implications of that had you panicking even more, pulling on the cuff's chain, determined to break it and free yourself.

You could feel his eyes raking over you, watching you stare at his naked body. A sinister, gravelly chuckle filled the room.

"Don't worry, little human. Many of us demons don't feel the need to bother with clothing. No, I'm not here to bed you." He released Derek's head and spine, and the bloody mess hit the floor with a loud, squishy thud. "I'm only here to kill you."

You screamed again, your attempt to calm yourself completely forgotten. You began violently pulling on your wrist, twisting it this way and that, frantic with the need to get free. Out of nowhere, a force propelled you through the air, much the same way Derek had been treated. Your shoulder screamed in protest as your body jerked in mid-air having gone as far as the handcuff would allow. You were tugged further and further till you felt a snap in your shoulder and collarbone.

"STOP IT! PLEASE!"

Your tortured scream only seemed to amuse the demon. You heard him chuckling again, a dry, scraping sound, deep in his throat. And as you watched him with wide frightened eyes, he lifted a clawed finger to his lips and shushed you as if admonishing a small child.

He flicked the same finger down toward the hard-wood floor and you fell to it in a crumpled heap. The only sound you could make was a wheezed gasp, as you fought to stay conscious. Pain attacked your neck, shoulder and collarbone all at once and it was difficult to breathe. Fingers curled into the hair at your scalp, and tugged, forcing you up onto your knees. You pictured yourself being torn apart by the bloodthirsty demon, just like Derek was.

"Do you know why this is happening?"

You swallowed hard and shook your head, not trusting yourself to speak.

"You're to be King Bálor's wife—his Queen." His fingers curled tighter into your hair and you cried out softly from the sharp twinge of pain at your hairline. "Being bonded and married to you will only make him stronger. I can not let that happen. I plan to overthrow him."

"It... It-It won't happen," you managed to say through chattering teeth. "I don't want to marry at all. Let me go. Please, believe me! I won't marry anyone."

"He's not leaving you a choice. And he's left me none as well. You have to die. It's the only way. And I have to be the one to kill you." His free hand went to your throat and squeezed harshly, a foreboding warning of your fate. Instantly, you began struggling fruitlessly in his hold. "Some of the other rebelling Fomorians won't back me up in the overthrow unless..."

Shaking uncontrollably, you tuned him out at that point and tugged and clawed at his hand, frantic to get him to release you.

That's when you noticed a dark blur fly into the room and dive right into your demonic captor.

Both beings flew across the room, grappling as you tumbled back to the floor.

You took that moment to back up as far as you could in an unstable, one-armed crab walk. An invisible fire seemed to flair relentlessly up and down your left arm and shoulder at the movement, and you collapsed once more to the floor, fighting off the urge to vomit with a soft, pained groan.

In the next instant, you were lifted to your feet, gently. A strong arm went around your waist and tugged you against a sure, sturdy frame. Your head tipped forward and rested against a hard chest as your eyes closed. A soft, male voice, warm with a thick Irish accent whispered near your ear.

"Open y'r eyes, love. Look at me." Fingertips touched ever so lightly at your temple and you began thinking more clearly, your drowsiness was slowly ebbing. "I need ya t' stay awake, Y/N, so ya can get outta here—safely."

You lifted your head and looked at the man who was addressing you so intimately.

And you gasped.

Despite the fact that your life was in peril, you couldn't stop the thought:

He's... breathtaking!

His face was insanely handsome. A fairly tall—at least next to you he was—gorgeous man wearing solid black—a black shirt, black jeans and a black leather jacket, to be exact.

A full, dark beard and mustache adorned the lower half of his face. The same color of hair topped his head in a short fade haircut. His eyes were as pale a blue as the morning sky. His skin was neither pale, nor dark, and his sensuous, full lips glistened after a quick swipe of his tongue. Before you could say anything to him, the arm that held you pulled you even closer, and then his mouth claimed yours softly; lovingly. His mustache scratched lightly at your upper lip and you leaned closer into him.

It was a simple kiss, but it left you reeling. You couldn't lie to yourself. You wanted more. This was the man you were meant to be with. But instead of kissing you again, he pulled back a ways and smiled at you once more. "Beautiful."

Wait... He's calling me beautiful?

It was then you noticed that he held one hand up, his palm facing the direction of the demon who'd tried to kill you. The monster was currently frozen in place. He appeared to be under the control of the man holding you. Your rescuer's hand tremored slightly, as if an unseen force had hold of his wrist and was trying to move his hand away.

Your purse and car keys materialized into the gorgeous stranger's free hand then and he placed them into the hand of your uninjured arm before touching the handcuff on your other wrist. The restraint instantly fell open and you were free.

"I want ya t' go. Get in y'r car an' get outta here, lass. I will find ya when I'm done wit' the trait'r. Then you're comin' home. Wit' me. Finally." His blue eyes glanced over at the demon; pure disdain on his face. Then he turned to you once more and before you could ask him where "home" was, he kissed you again, sweeping his warm mouth across yours, and a subtle thrust of his tongue past your lips. You couldn't stop the whimper that escaped you. He swallowed it greedily then gave you a gentle nudge. "Go, m' love."

You took a tentative step backward, eyes wide and fixed on your beautiful rescuer.

In the next instant, he was gone and another man stood in his place. Swirling ribbons of reds, and blacks and smatterings of white swirled all over his shirtless frame. A set of washboard abs snatched your attention, and you let your gaze follow them down lower to the slightly skimpy pair of black trunks that revealed a clear imprint of his very impressive-

"GO!"

With a frightened gasp, your eyes shot back up to his face and discovered he was glaring at you with red eyes. "LEAVE!"

You stumbled backward, ignoring the stab of pain in your shoulder and then spun around and scrambled out of the cabin and out to your car.

You wouldn't see the look of malice on the stranger's face as he turned and glared at the Fomorian traitor.

"You knew not t' screw wit' me, Turlough," he addressed his former servant. "And you definitely knew not t' put your hands on my Queen."

}i{}i{}i{}i{}i{

You somehow hauled yourself into your SUV with only one good arm but had to attempt several times at getting the key into the ignition, your hand was shaking so horribly. "Please..." you sobbed, trying once again as you glanced toward the cabin. You could hear all kinds of growls and roars and the sounds of punches being thrown and landing. The lights flickered on and off in the windows. You finally heard the metallic scrape of the key sliding into the ignition after you jabbed at it once more. You turned it, and as soon as the engine kicked over and started, you were peeling out backward, eager to get on the road, and head back to the safety of your house.

Gravel flew all around you and pelted your car in your haste to leave. But you didn't care about the possibility of a chipped paint job or cracked windows. The only thing you wanted was to get home, shower, curl up in your bed and try to forget the terrifying things you'd seen that night. Though, secretly, you hoped your rescuer would find you again. A couple of kisses were not enough by a long shot. Then you realized you must be completely insane to fall in love with a man you'd just met.

Lost in your thoughts as you sped down the deserted old highway, you were startled by a loud banging sound at the back of your car. Suddenly, you were fishtailing all over the road. Instinctively, you applied pressure to your breaks and tried to regain control of the vehicle. A flurry of movement to your left snagged your attention then, and you dared a glance out the driver's window.

And you instantly regretted that decision.

The demon that had attempted to kill you apparently escaped your rescuer somehow, because he was tailing you.

On foot.

Bare. Foot.

And he was keeping up with your car's speed.

His eyes glinted brightly in the darkness and you could feel the anger and hatred for you radiating off of him.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Your scream did nothing, of course. The demon only snarled at you before launching his body at your car. The same banging noise reverberated through your car and you almost lost control of it again.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

You struggled to keep your car on the road as the demon once more slammed into it. Not giving you a chance to recover, he slammed into you once again, giving the car a hard shove as he did.

And that is when you lost all control. Your world literally spun around you as you screamed and the car took flight and rolled over and over again. And again, and again. You were catapulted into pitch black darkness before the vehicle had even stopped flipping.

}i{}i{}i{}i{}i{

When you finally began coming to, your eyes struggled to open. You blinked them and scrunched them, but your vision was blurry at best.

A pained groan emerged from your throat and you became aware of hands on your face, and coasting over your body. Immediately, you remembered the car accident.

And the demon who'd caused it.

Acting on impulse, you kicked out with your foot and swung your fist. Which did nothing to help you, since you didn't connect with anything—or anyone. The sudden movement merely sent tremors of excruciating pain through your entire body and head. You sobbed and tried to turn onto your stomach; your mind telling your body to crawl and get away.

"Shhh, love." A familiar male voice spoke softly as hands took hold of you and once more ran over your body, seemingly searching for something. "You're so strong. An' perfect," the man spoke again; his tone full of awe and pride. "Hurt as much as you are, and still tryin' t' fight to live." There was a pause. "I have t' get ya back t' d'a castle. You're badly hurt."

The Irish stranger... Your thoughts were muddled, but you'd recognize that voice anywhere from then on. It was as if it was branded into your mind.

Fingers brushed over your ribs, sending a wave of fiery pain bolting up your side. You winced as a ragged wail burst from your lips.

"Broken ribs," came his murmur. "Dislocated shoulder and broken collar bone. Definitely a concussion."

Hearing all your injuries listed off sent you into another panic. You struggled anew, trying to free yourself from the hands holding you prisoner. The only thing you accomplished however, was sending more roiling pain crashing through your head and body.

"Easy, lass. Easy," the man soothed as he held you tighter. "I'm not goin' t' hurt ya."

His words didn't matter. Not after what you'd been through. You continued to panic and fight and struggle until your body could take no more pain and you went out like a light.

You became vaguely aware of being carried as you slowly gained a little consciousness. Your head rested against a strong shoulder. You wanted to lash out—to fight. But your limbs were so heavy. And literally everything hurt. You couldn't even open your eyes any more than little slits. You were at your rescuer's/kidnapper's mercy. And you hated it.

"Please..." you whimpered. "Please, don't hurt me..."

To your surprise, you felt soft, warm lips press against your forehead in a tender caress.

"Nev'r," came a whispered reply. You felt yourself being laid down on a soft surface—a bed. "I'd take my own life b'fore I'd ever hurt ya."

You let your head settle into the pillow beneath you. "You don't even know me..."

"Oh, but I do, love. I do. You have no idea how much I know you—how much I love you. I've waited s' long t' have you." You felt him take your hand and bring it to his lips with a soft kiss. "I'm Bálor. I'm your husband."

"I've gone crazy..." you uttered, struggling to open your eyes. "You're a Celtic...myth. I have to be dreaming." I have to be losing my mind, you thought groggily. You gained enough strength to open your eyes and looked up to see the gorgeous Irishman gazing down at you, tenderness in his blue eyes.

Bálor, you thought.

He was beautiful, but intimidating. His eyes were a vibrant blue but they would flash red every now and then. Suddenly, he was... painted for the lack of a better term—the swirling red, black and white colors returned with a vengeance.

"I won't hurt you, love." His voice growled at you, but his face held no malice—quite the opposite, actually. "You don't have t' be afraid o' me. I'll protect you wit' my life."

"B-but... You... you scared me. At the cabin. You looked like you'd kill me," you stammered, struggling to sit up.

Bálor helped ease you up so you were propped against the headboard and shook his head.

"As I told ya, I would never hurt ya. I was... scared of you bein' d'ere, in d'a cabin wit' d'a traitor. Ya were too stunned to leave, so I had to get a little fierce to frighten ya int' leavin'. But I'd never've hurt ya."

"I still..." you had trouble finding the words you needed. "I still... am not sure what you want with me."

"Ye're mine, love. Ye're my wife and queen."

"How," you asked incredulously. "I mean... There's been no wedding! And what if I don't want to marry anyone?" You moved to rise from the bed when he stopped you by gently taking your arm.

"You didn't want to marry anyone," Bálor admitted, shifting back to his human form. "Till you saw me. Till I kissed you."

You froze. He had you there.

Before you could reply, an older woman in a black, modest maid's uniform knocked on the open door, and stepped inside the room. She carried a small silver tray with what looked like a shot glass of red liquid in it.

"The... medicine you asked for, your highness." She gave a respectful nod to Bálor.

"T'ank you, Sophie," Bálor replied, stepping over to her and taking the glass from the tray. "D'at will be all."

You'd shakily risen to your feet as the maid vacated the room, but nearly sank to the floor as your pain attacked ferociously. Bálor set the glass down on the night table and then shot over to you and caught you, holding you up as gently as was possible. You apprehensively grasped at his torso so you could keep your balance.

"Maybe... I could stay till I'm healed up," you murmured weakly. A pained grunt passed your lips as another stab of pain assaulted your ribs. Your legs threatened to buckle when Bálor lifted you up and placed you back on the bed.

Bálor picked up the glass again and then lifted your head enough so you could drink it. "Take d'is, love," Bálor whispered. "'Twill help with the pain."

"What is it," you asked, suddenly growing sleepy again. Pain had always affected you that way.

"It's, uh... medicine," Bálor said, glancing at your face and then back to the glass. "It's a concoction of t'ings d'at will help ya feel bett'r. A potion for healin', a pain killer, a sedative so you can rest, wine t' relax ya, and... a couple ot'er t'ings d'at will aid in your healin'."

Your eyes were closing even as he spoke, and you felt the rim of the glass touch your lips.

"Drink, love," you heard him rasp softly.

Too drowsy to argue, you accepted the drink, wrinkling your nose as a metallic flavor flooded your mouth. "Yuck," you sighed once you'd swallowed it. Your head was gently deposited onto the pillow. And, true to his word, you did begin feeling less pain almost instantly. Your sleepiness increased ten-fold. and you felt something else... Something strange... As you slowly drifted, your body began humming with sensitivity. You gasped at the feel of heat flooding your body.

You'd never felt aroused in your life. You never knew what the big fuss was all about. But now...

Now, you knew—all too well.

"What... what did you do?..." You moaned out at the man watching you intently.

"Ye'll sleep now," Bálor smiled warmly at you. "And ya will have many...interestin' dreams." He leaned down, brushing his lips across yours, eliciting a sharp moan from you. "And when ya wake, love... Be warned. Y'r body will be aching f'r me."

Blackness slid across your eyes and settled into your mind then.

Until the dreams began...

They were strange... In that you were in pitch darkness. You couldn't see anything.

But oh... You could feel...

You couldn't move. Normally that would have panicked you, but... Not when warm invisible hands touched you the way they were.

With no warning, your eyes shot open. Your chest heaved as you panted for air.

But you felt no pain. You'd apparently healed up, just as Bálor said you would.

Not to mention after your long sleep, you were wide awake.

And so was your body. You discovered that quickly as the knot of tension in your belly made itself very known and-

Wait.

You looked to your side and found Bálor.

Naked as the day he was born.

With a shocked screech, you sat up in the huge bed and attempted to vacate it, only to be pulled back by a pair of strong arms. You struggled as you were tugged down to the mattress. The arms surrounded you and you became aware of the fact that you suddenly didn't want to resist.

"Where do ya t'ink ye're goin', lovey?"

You lifted your gaze upward and found yourself staring into Bálor's captivating blue eyes. An amused smile played at his full lips.

Why does he have to be so gorgeous?

"You're gorgeous too, darlin'." Bálor growled softly.

Your body shivering from raw nerves, you stammered out, "Y-you can r-read my mind?"

Your hair was brushed from your neck and his warm mouth peppered the skin with soft kisses and nibbles. "Mmm-hmmm..."

Your body's shaking intensified, and Bálor tilted your face up to his. "Don't be scared, love. I'm not goin' t' hurt ya." He smiled at you hungrily. "Anyt'ing but."

Something clicked in you then. You didn't know if it was the drug you were given to drink—you highly suspected it was blood—or if it was just self-discovery time. But...

You wanted him.

All of him.

You reached for Bálor, pressing your mouth to his and giving into your feelings for once in your life. You moaned into his mouth and curled your fingers in his hair, scraping his scalp lightly with your fingernails.

"Make love to me," you said, softly, shyly.

"That was my plan the whole time, love" Bálor chuckled, returning his mouth to yours. He slid his body over yours and slowly began unbuttoning the buttons of your blouse...

The End

[ddaz3d-and-cc0nfused]

༉‧₊˚. 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨 || 𝐚𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐫

— pairing: aaron hotchner x plus size!reader

— summary: after drunkenly defending the women of bau's honor, you arrive to a very worried aaron that's ready to patch you up.

— warnings: hurt/comfort, bar fights, a man hitting a woman, mentions of blood, bruises, fat phobia, use of the word fat in a negative context, aaron is super protective.

— wc: 692

⋆ a/n: this is the last criminal minds fanfiction i need to post over here!! i hope you hotch girlies enjoy!

masterlist | AO3

“I'm pretty sure JJ, Prentiss, and Penelope would have been able to take care of themselves." There was no amusement in Aaron's voice as he cleaned up the blood that stained your nose. "You're lucky he didn't break anything." You hissed as he accidentally put pressure on a bruise on your cheek. "I know, I know…" You sighed, "But the things that he was saying was downright vile, he was being an asshole, and somebody had to take him off his high horse.”

"But you could have gotten killed." You huffed at that. "Aaron, my love, my world, my everything, I can assure you that I would have been fine. Like you said, I had JJ, Prentiss, and Penelope; if they can handle themselves then they probably could have helped me." He tossed the bloody tissue to the side looking deep into your eyes.

You know that look, the one that he gives when he furrows his eyebrows, the wrinkles on his face much more prominent than usual. "I don't care about that, ________! What would have happened if those three weren't there? What if you were by yourself when you decided to play hero and there was nobody there to help you?"

You could tell he was slowly losing his patience with you, his usual stoic demeanor crumbling at the sight of your beat up and bruised face. You had to admit, you couldn't blame him for being so upset with you over this.

Even though you were a bigger girl — in what you believed to be every aspect — you felt as though you could handle the alpha male that was hitting on the three agents that you went out for a drink with; maybe it was the liquid courage that was making your self-confidence sky rocket, but you gave him a warning to which he responded with the all but classic 'You're fat' insult, you threw the first punch.

So that's how you ended up here, the girls dropping you off at home where your very worried boyfriend waited, the first aid kit already set up on the side table next to your couch. You were lucky the bars' patrons were able to get him off of you before any serious damage was done to you. He was able to land a gnarly sucker punch that shook you for a minute as you four were escorted out; so not only had you ruined their girl's night out that the other women were rarely able to get, but you also ended up with an angry Aaron.

As you sobered up from the cold glass of water, he had given you, you increasingly began to feel more like shit, emotionally and physically.

"I'm sorry, baby, I really I am. I just— you know how I handle alcohol, and you know who I was like before I met you, I really am trying my best to change." You let out a defeated sigh, your entire aura turning melancholic. Aaron softened at that, finishing up sanitizing your busted bottom lip before he laid a large hand on the side of your face, you instantly leaning into the warmth.

"I know, sweetheart. I can't afford to lose you, you know? I love who you were then, and who you are now, I just wish you would have been a little more careful. But you're right, all that matters now is that you're here, and I'm able to keep you safe." His thumb stroked your cheek.

"I made you a promise, Aaron. I'm not going anywhere, and I am going to try my best to keep myself out of trouble." He grinned the small smile that he saved just for you, leaning forward to brush his lips against yours gently.

"I would like to kiss you fully, but I don't want to hurt you." You scoffed and rolled your eyes, pushing your head forward to smash your lips onto his. When you pulled away, your cut stung, but you smiled through the pain. "You know I've dealt with worse than a little busted up lip." He chuckled, moving some hair out of your face.

"I know.”

ೃ⁀➷ my lovely taglist!: @alina02

[milaswriting]

Hi Mila! I was wondering if I could ask some IF-world advice because you are so level-headed and thoughtful always.

I have a project I've outlined and have a lot of ideas for, and I don't know if I should start a dev blog to gauge interest now and get people interested and give myself a little inspiration to keep working or wait until I have some kind of demo. I'm a little scared of promising people more than I'm capable of providing because I have ADHD, and there's never any guarantee of deadlines with me.

If I at least have a demo, then if I stop working for awhile (or even abandon the project) then people still have something to play and go off of if they want to create their own canon.

But I've also been struggling with finding motivation to actually write and it might help to see how people respond to my idea.

I know you can't answer anything about my condition and I don't want you to or expect you to, you're not a therapist, I just wanted to ask you how you handle the pressure, I guess, that comes with a dev blog? Like have you ever been concerned about not being able to deliver, and if so, what did you do?

Hi! I have to say that creating a blog for my ifs was such a huge motivator for me. The fact that I put my idea out there, people engaged, asked questions etc. really encouraged me to keep going and keep writing.

First and foremost, you should always do something you enjoy, like writing, for yourself. But it’d be a lie if anyone said that sharing your passion with others who are enthusiastic about your craft isn’t a brilliant feeling.

I understand in terms of wanting to have a demo ready and available, but that motivation factor by having a blog is huge. Plus, I think it’s good to remember that you’re creating a work in progress—things are allowed to change.

Additionally, by being in the little if community and gaining a fanbase and speaking to other writers and readers can always be helpful for advice and ideas.

In terms of how to handle things; readers can be very understanding! I’m a full time university student, I write more than one if, whilst writing I’ve been through bereavements etc. and that can all take a toll on my mental health and how quickly you can release a demo/update. People are so understanding and that’s something to remember.

Alsoo remembering that all creators are in the same boat. We all go through imposter syndrome and wanting to deliver, and just knowing that there’s always going to be someone that wants to read what you write—whether it’s now or later.